Chatting During the Break

The adventurers broke into little groups. Lueoth and Ia'adoire, the light elves sent to the surface to gather food, had returned with sprigs of mint and savoury herbs. Annafrid, Artizza, and Fertal joined in the light and pleasing task of combining these and the mushrooms that Belboz picked into a satisfying meal. Tarin, who joined late, sat outside their circle, listening in but not participating in their task, as there were were already enough hands to complete it. The smell of freshly torn and cut greens made this less of a duty than a pasttime. While they were thus busy preparing the food, they talked about the combat, and the light elves were brought up to date.

Checkers and Jenny walked out of the large chamber to a quiet and confined space. Checkers kept her eyes closed, and was still woozy, but Jenny thought that that fact that she had risen at all showed some progress. Maybe she had had a severe, but temporary, case of vertigo.

Fred and Belboz also conferred, within the caves, but away from the others. In this strange gathering, Fred did not wholly trust anyone, but for some reason, Belboz, Checkers, and Astra Transtyrgia, odd as each of them were, somehow seemed to be less of a threat than the strangers.

The two Astras and Jarlath also huddled in conversation, trying to resolve the messy aftermath of the fifth match between Jarlath and Checkers, as well discuss some practical problems of whether some members of this little expedition should be left behind.

By the greens

"So what was that boom that I heard? Do you think that this will attract the dragon?" asked Ia'adoire.

Fertal responded, "The Astras do not seem concerned. Personally, if the dragon attacked now, it might be a good thing for us. We are all in fighting trim."

Annafrid ventured, "I wonder that the dragon does not already know that we are here. Maybe even before the thunderclap? Secrets are not always well kept."

Lueoth smiled. "I think that some secrets may be kept better than others. I still have to fight. Who do you all think is most dangerous?"

Artizza piped up, "Well, I think that our Astra should be the favourite. Of all the people who have gone through this challenge, she is the most fit, I believe."

Tarin whimpered. "She definitely fights like a wildcat. I do not like losing, but may the Forge match her against Fred or Belboz. I am certain that the match would be most amusing, and might make the indignity of defeat almost worth it."

Fertal sympathized. "Tarin, Tarin, that was the unkindest cut of all. I would hope that they would be looking for that, but our Astra is very resourceful. Still, I would be wary of Astra Transstuh... Astra the Silent. She seems to be a bit out of shape compared to our Astra, but that is deceiving. I found her to be a very smart opponent, and she knows the art of fighting, too. Getting flipped through the air like that - I am a believer."

Annafrid then spoke, "I would not underrate Artizza here. I think that she upheld the honour of the elves well."

Artizza beamed. "I was just doing my best. Nothing personal. I found it to be fun, really. I feel better about what I can do then before I sparred with you. I cannot wait until we find Minestus."

Ia'adoire then asked, "So I know now that you and both of the Astras are through. How about Jarlath and Jenny?"

Artizza shook her head. "Not so good, I am afraid. Jenny could not charm Fred. Someone is just going to have to overpower him. I do not think that I would trust him as leader. As for Jarlath, we still do not know. It was very strange. They both hesitated, waiting for the other to make a move. Then Jarlath did something, and it got out of control. It was like a lightning strike without the lightning. I admit that I was scared for a couple of seconds, because I felt something going through me. I think that Jarlath may have broken one of the rules, but neither Jarlath nor his opponent will claim the win."

Ia'adoire asked, "So what happens now?"

Artizza responded, "I do not know. I think that our Astra wanted them to rematch, but Checkers does not want to have any part of that."

Lueoth said, "A fine example that she would set as leader."

Fertal countered, "Oh, I do not know. There is sometimes merit in the old saying, 'He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.'"

Tarin then chuckled lowly and responded, "That is not a saying known to the world of the dwarves. Pick your fights and follow through with all your might is a better stategy. And I am not sure that we have the time to 'run away.' I am wondering why we are going through this exercise?"

Annafrid suggested, "The need for local knowledge, perhaps? This is a mission where the enemy has several tricks, and a straightforward fight may allow him to escape, and complete his plan. We need reliable friends."

Lueoth then said, "I think that us nine should be enough. But now that this has started, I would like to continue the challenge. I think that it may be an important part of the validation."

In a small alcove

"Are your eyes hurt?" asked Jenny.

"No. No, I can see. It is just better if I keep them closed. I feel dizzy if I open them. If I am lying on the ground, it is not nearly so bad."

"Can you open your eyes, and just look up at the ceiling? Maybe this was just temporary. After a violent blow, especially to the ears, sometimes a fighter feels disoriented and dizzy."

Checkers responded, "I shall try." She opened her eyes, and said, "It is not so bad now. I felt that the cave was spinning slowly when I first opened them, but it is not doing that now."

"Good. Can your raise yourself up, to the point where you are sitting like me?"

Checkers craned her neck up to look at Jenny, who was sitting on the ground with her back straight and her legs crossed. Checkers, favouring the use of her left arm, rose to a sitting position.

Jenny thought to herself, She is injured. I wonder what happened? She said aloud, "How does that feel?"

Checkers said, "Better. I was afraid that I would never be rid of that dizzy feeling, but as long as I do not move too much, I feel fine."

Jenny nodded, and said, "You look a bit hobbled. Something wrong with your right arm?"

Checkers replied, "Wallhugger attack. It happened a couple of hours ago, before you all came in. It is bruised, at least. I do not think that I broke anything. It should not make that much of a difference in a fair fight."

"What is a wallhugger?"

"Wallhuggers are large animals that live in the Schreken. They are annoying, but if you know what you are doing, and do not look into their eyes, they can be managed. It caught me while I was trying to distract it from Fred."

Jenny asked, "So are you and Fred in the same party? You two seem to be an odd pair."

Checkers shrugged her shoulders, "I have only known Fred for a couple of hours. He wants to kill the dragon, and he is strong and brave. So I am happy to work with him. He seems to be a good man. Many anglideri are afraid of, or hate, us Glideri. Fred accepts me for what I am. So even though I have only known him for a couple of hours, I consider him a friend."

Jenny looked at Checkers, and said, "And what do you think of us?"

Checkers looked back at Jenny, and said, "What am I supposed to think?"

Jenny thought, She is very wary. How do I put her at ease? How do I make her understand?

Jenny decided against using the song, at least at first. Checkers came from a primative, and unknown society, and Jenny did not know how she would react. She would try to enlighten Checkers the old fashioned way. She said, "I do not know. As you probably know, I am a stranger to the Shreken. My friends and myself come from a long way away. There are some bad men, who create some problems for our people. One of those men is here, we think. He can change himself into the form of other animals, including a dragon. He is called Minestus."

Checkers nodded, "I am trying to bring him to justice as well. He has hurt us, too. And Fred's people as well."

Jenny continued, "Now as for me, this mission is a sort of test. If we all do well, then I can stay with my friends. This is a tough test. If we fail, then a lot of people will get hurt on our world, and yours."

"Your world?"

That might not have been good to say. thought Jenny. "Yes, Checkers. As I said, I live far away, farther than any land that you have ever known."

Checkers responded, "So are you one of the Powers, then? The anglider who fought the big woman that you brought said something about living forever, like one of the Powers."

Jenny said, "Well, we do not call ourselves Powers. We cannot be killed, or at least has never happened yet. But we do not know everything, and we can make mistakes. Tell me about them." If I were bolder, I could pretend that I have more power than I do, and try to overawe her. But it just feels like the wrong thing to do in this case. I cannot describe why I feel that way.

Checkers responded, "The Powers are special beings. They are made of the same stuff as Glideri and the lower animals and the plants. Each of the thinking species has their own Power to look out for them."

Jenny asked, "Lower animals? So are the Glideri higher than other animals?"

"Much of the time," Checkers said wryly. "The Glideri are the noble flyers. Dragons and Gliders are both Glideri. That is why it hurts so much to see an evil creature such as Minestus. He gives all of us a bad reputation."

"So how do you see elves and humans?"

"Elves is an old name for humans, I think. Same thing, really. We always called humans 'thinking prey.' We see them as being dangerous. They are violent. Fortunately they tend to kill each other off, but certainly have killed enough of us, too. They think just enough to be dangerous. But, sort of like you, I am being tested. I have to kill the dragon before I can show my face to my people. I have had to wander through strange lands for years. And in that time, I have seen more of the humans than other Gliders have. My people might say that I am too soft on you, but I have seen the nobility of the Glideri in humans, as well as the brutishness that I expected."

Jenny thought on this for a few seconds. Suddenly she remembered how primative, isolated people thought. Somewhere along the line, these "Gliders" had known elves, but that knowledge was lost. The differences between elves and humans that loomed so large between Belboz and her elven companions were absolutely lost on this creature. She smiled inwardly at that. More serious was the obvious antipathy between these "Gliders" and humanity. While Jenny bristled at the description of her kin as "lower animals", she understood from Checkers' account that the humans did not treat the Gliders well. Fortunately, some good experiences with humans - and perhaps something else? - set Checkers' view apart from the typical Glider's view of the non-flying creatures.

Jenny then changed the subject.

"Checkers, from your description, in some ways I might be called a Power. I do want to help your people. My body is that of what they call an elf. It is a bit different than that of a human. All of my friends have had different experiences. Some of us have known other forms, but our souls have not changed." Jenny was simplifying things a lot. "My original people liked to sing and tell stories. I was considered to be very good. Would you mind it if I sang to you?"

Checkers accepted her offer happily. "One of the things that makes Gliders Gliders is our love of singing, especially when we can do it in a large public chorus. But I would love to hear what you have to sing."

Jenny started to sing a song of her youth, back in the world of the Two Moons, a world long vanished. She started, halted, and then tried again. Somehow, she could not make Checkers see that world. Have I lost my talent? Jenny thought.

"Please go on, Jenny. I am not a professional judge. Even if you miss a few notes, I would love to hear the song."

Jenny sighed, and then sang, feeling that somehow, she had failed in something important. She could not convey the vision of that world to Checkers. Little did she know that she could not - the difference between Glider and elf were too great for her talent to bridge, at least as far as conveying a vision. Checkers appeared to enjoy the performance, however. She thought, Jenny's tale is very interesting. If I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine being in her world. If I did not know any better, I would say that the sound of the winds blowing through the trees was the same sound as the wind that is blowing through the cave right now. The auditory effect of Jenny's talent, at least, could be made effective on Checkers. And the account of the decline and loss of a people deeply affected Checkers, whose own people's fears about their survival in the face of the human and dragon threat were a silent but ever-present worry.

Against a wall of the large cavern

"So, Fred, you overcame the wiles of your opponent?"

"Yes, learned mage. She tried to fool me with illusion, but I am not that easily duped. Although they think that they are teaching me lessons, it is I who am the schoolmaster."

"Rightly so. And who do you think your most dangerous opponent will be?"

"You, of course. I think that you have more sense and subtlety than those blowhards. Still, if we should meet, I feel that you shall at least fight honourably."

"I pride myself on that. And if I were not to win, I would prefer that you be the leader to anyone else. In fact, if we should meet, I will fight the way that a match should be fought. I will use my power to enhance my strength, and fight you honestly, like a man, instead of using deception."

Fred smiled, "I am not sure that you are doing me any real favours by telling me that, but I would rather lose in a straightforward fight than in a web of deception. So what do you think of the mettle of our opponents?"

"I cannot be sure. I was above ground. What do you think? I should welcome your thoughts, as we shall be working with them."

"Their Astra, if she can be taken down a peg, seems like she would be good in a fight, and a worthy lieutenant. Tarin, I think, is a solid fighter, even though he is slightly built, he seems to have more heart than the others. I like his sense of humour, especially the part where he says that they are immortal. He shows pluck, even though he lost on a sneaky tactic. I am not sure whether Jarlath would be more helpful or harmful to our cause. As for the rest of them, whatever their other talents may be, they seem to be little better than dragon fodder, with far too high an opinion of themselves."

"Makes sense."

The Referees

"Astra, I do not know what happened. It is as if I threw a horseshoe at a stake and the horseshoe shattered as it hit the stake. If I could do something like that, and control it, I might take credit for it. But what happened was ... freakish. I do not know whether the dragon has enchanted the caves, or what."

"Hmm. It is good that we find out now. We are lucky that nobody got killed. We may have to test this out. Belboz claims that he lives around here. Why hasn't his enchantment not backfired?"

Jarlath answered, "It may have. Or perhaps he knows what works, and what will not." Or perhaps it is just me, Jarlath thought. He was terrified of what that might mean.

Astra C said, "As a practical matter, we should either find a way to conclude the fifth match, or I will be forced to scratch both of you, and we will just leave a spot open. One of the other four will get a pass into the next round. Astra of Transstrygia, do you see any solution?"

The mute Astra held up her left arm, waving it like a wand, and then held out her right hand and cut against the "wand".

"Are you suggesting that Jarlath forswear magic in a rematch?" asked Astra C. The mute Astra nodded her head.

Jarlath said nothing, and seemed to gaze at the far wall. Then he said, "I will do that, if Checkers will agree. Working around such a restraint might be the best thing for me, and I still would stand a good chance of winning."

Astra Cistrygia smiled, and said, "Good. If she declines under those terms, I shall consider her challenge for the leadership withdrawn, and you shall advance to the next round. I do have a question for you, Jarlath."

"Ask away," he said, comforted that he had pushed his problem with his magical powers away, at least for a little while.

"Do you think that we should even bring Checkers along? She seemed very much out of her depth. Is there really any need for her to try to slay the dragon? It might have been a brave, if futile, gesture before, but now that we are here, should we not encourage her to go to safety?"

"Are you referring to her reluctance to fight a magic user?"

"It is not just that. She is rather small, and any natural advantages that she has through flight are limited in this cavern. And the dragon uses magic. What good would it do us if she just ran away once he arrived?"

"Your point has merit. She was trying to get the rope after the accident, so it is not like she gave up despite her injury. But why risk her life if she cannot help us?"

The mute Astra shook her head.

"Do you not agree?" asked Astra C.

Astra T. held up the rope, and pointed to herself, then shook her head.

"If you were leader, you would not decide that way?"

Astra T. nodded, then held up the rope, and pointed at Astra C., and nodded.

"Ah - if I am leader, I can decide not to take her." Astra T. nodded her head vigourously. "That makes sense. Whoever wins the tournament will make those decisions. And, for the record, I have not absolutely decided for myself whether anyone would stay or go. I would like to see how all this plays out."

After everyone in the party had a quick meal of spiced mushrooms, the group gathered in a semicircle around the Astras. Astra C. addressed them. "The last match ended as a scratch. Jarlath has offered to replay the match without resorting to the use of magic. Checkers, you have a choice. Either withdraw your challenge, or face Jarlath."

1. Checkers withdraws her challenge.
2. Checkers agrees to face Jarlath.

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