| Small and maneuverable the boat our heroes are sailing is, the craft
is moving too quickly for an about face. As the boat nearly swamps itself
trying to keep from moving right into the middle of the reptilian menace.
While they manage NOT to sail into the maw of the menace, they do manage
to attract the attention of several of the hungrier crocodiles!
Swift action is the call of the day as sword, spell, and sometimes teeth
strike out and eradicate the unnatural single-mindedness of the crocodiles.
After the were-bear mage castes a heavily modified spell that causes the
last batch of would be killers to shrivel up like a grape left too long
in the sun, the were-bear pants and reaches for the pouch of berries that
had ran out days ago. The former dragon sighs, and plops down on a bench
in bone weary fatigue.
Luck seems to be with me today, Synizn thinks as he tries to catch his breath. That spell is only for use as a last resort.....and against humans at THAT. I was not sure that the modifications I ad-libbed would fly! "Now that," Willian says as he limps over and sits next to the recuperating
wizard. "That was the best display of magic that I ever saw! What do you
call it?"
"I call it stupid luck," sighs Synizn. "We were about to be swamped
with all those crocodiles and I had to do SOMETHING. I got lucky that I
didn't kill myself using that type of spell."
The young human lifts his eyebrows slightly, begging an explanation.
"When I first used that spell," the former dragon explains. "It was
against an enraged were-bear....one of the older types. Not one of the
manimals or anything like that one strain of demi-animals I think that
Minestus used as an intermediate step before coming up with the manimal
strain of lycanthropy.
"Well," ne continues. " I was traveling through some woods up in the
Malbocton area at night during a full moon--of all stupid things--when
a bear came charging out of the brush! The poor creature had the bad luck
of trying to liberate the honey from a hive of some very pugnacious bees
who....had objections to his forced entry into their hive. That hive apparently
had some very good defenders....or some lucky defenders that stung the
bear painfully enough to drive him away. The bear was in pain and in a
rage. Seeing me in his territory must have made him angrier, because he
came barreling out. The spell was the quickest one in my inventory, but.....if
the castor isn't careful, they could find themselves as wounded or worse
by the backlash of that spell!"
As Willian nodded in understanding, the were-bear remembered that night.
The story was true. He had been traveling between places in human form
for a friend who needed an ingredient that bloomed only on the night of
the full moon in a certain woods. His natural form was too large for the
task, so he went in human form. Synizn was just thankful that the were-bear
had attacked him in a frontal charge, because it anything else would have
resulted in his death or injury at the claws and teeth of the enraged creature.
Considering what he knows now about how similar a dragon's Matrix is to
a human while in human form....... it could have turned out he would have
joined the ranks of the weres much sooner than he had! The thought of contracting
the OLD style of lycanthropy made the fur on the back of the magi's neck
stand on end!
Suddenly, the werebear's hackles....as well as those of the other were-folk's.....stand
up on end. There is a most disturbing smell in the air. A smell that seemed
to denote viciousness and insanity, all wrapped up in a nasty little package.
An enraged scream from a hill calls attention to the smells source. There
stands dancing and screaming , along with dozens of other smaller human
figures, stands a man dressed in rags....and covered in dried blood!
"Were-jackal," whispers Alicia in rage.
"Repent!" screams the blood covered were-jackal. "Salvation is not found
in the teachings of Christ or the rantings of Muhammed. Leave them behind
and follow the TRUE mistress! Follow us and be saved by the healing light
of the Mistress Moon!
"I know!" the man/monster screams. "I was a sinnner who was burned from
the Light that Burns and Burns, but behold! Fellow faithful followers took
pity on me and the group of worshipers on their way to worship the False
One and gave me the Gift! Out of all of those who the were given the Chance
of the Mistress, She chose me while the others were not! I wash my body
in the ungrateful wretchs!
The were-jackal turns mad, bright eyes upon the boat in the river, and
then booms out to them.
|
