the Man

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 25687

Astra pondered the situation, for all of six seconds. With a terrific CRASH!!!, GRATE!!, KAPLANG! the stone above her head crumbled as if struck by a terrible force. She instinctively protected her head while rocks, stones and dust pelted her from above, and then she was hit by a huge weight and she hit the floor with a THUD!

The shrieker, the very one which she had impaled with her sword, the same one which had falled through a pit in the tunnel floor, had come crashing on top of her! Luckily it was dead, unluckily it was heavy, burdensome, and still oozing yellow juices from its wounds. Astra was stuck, literally.

But then a form entered the cavern area; it was a man, an armoured man, a knight by the looks of it.

"What in Quram's Name is this?" said the man.

"If friend you be, get this fiend off of me!" said Astra.

"And if fiend you be?" inquired the man.

Astra eyed the man warily, he was a stranger and not to be trusted. She had some leverage with her left arm and right leg, but it would take time to get herself out from under the shreiker, time enough for this stranger to slit her throat. "I am no fiend, no monster," she said.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"My name is Sonja," said Astra. Though a lie, it was necessary; to give one's true name to a stranger was the same as giving one's life. In the hands of the wrong person a name could do much damage.

"And mine is Frank," said the man. "I shall help, but mind you, if I see your hand even reach for a weapon you shall die this day."

After some moments Astra was free, and she now had her Aqualarian sword as well. "Why are you here?" asked Astra.

"I should ask you the same thing, woman," answered Frank.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I am a little girl lost after seeking her sheep?"

"Perhaps, if it weren't for your very large sword, and your dark-purple leather armor bustier, chaps, slacks and leather sleeves; they look to be of fine craftsmanship, though I doubt they do anything for the cold in here."

"Damn right about that," said Astra and she laughed. "I like the look of your gorget, sollerets, cuirass, pauldrons, jambes, cuisses, and sallet, and your war axe. Looks like you're prepared for a big sortie."

"Biggest of my life," said Frank. "I'm here to find my brothers-in-arms, and to best the monster that has taken them, and probably which has killed them."

"The Dragon?" asked Astra.

"No, Sonja-girl," he said. "That Beast is King of these mountains, but not of all the mountain. There are other creatures that dwell here, other fiends. I seek the Kobolds."

Astra shuddered. Though the kobolds were not as fierce as the Mage- Dragon, they were known to be quite ruhless when in groups. An old saying in the northern regions of Aqualaria goes: sleep well, sleep tight, dont' let the kobolds bite. "The scouts of my land have mapped out portions of the labyrinth Shreken. Of the kobolds I know only that they live farther down, deeper than is wont of Minestus, and nearby to the undead Gnome King."

Frank spat upon the ground saying: "I spit upon the earth from which these monsters find sustenance!" Then he turned full-face to Astra. "Sonja- girl, will you aid me in my mission? After we slaughter the evil miners then I shall aid you in your desire."

Astra thought this over, she assessed her situation. This was one man. Alone. Yet a man trained to move quietly and trained to kill.

  1. Astra "Sonja" accepts.
  2. Astra declines.
  3. Astra tells Frank that they should fight the Dragon Minestus first.
  4. Before any decision could be made the dark form of an evil wallhugger was sighted out of the corner of the duo's eyes.

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5/18/2003 9:40:26 AM

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