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Bitter Grey Ashes - 54 , Real politics


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#1 Guest_Dorotea_*

Posted 22 August 2003 - 02:05 PM

Here is the next part of Ashes. As always any corrections, spelling and general commentary would be greatly appreciated.


CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

13 of Marpenoth 1371, Year of the Unstrung Harp

I was in a strangely disturbed mood after that conversation - both relieved and saddened for no particular reason. I hoped the girl would give me some breathing space now, and yet was afraid to push her too far away. Mirriam and her twin were my prophesied 'saviors', anchors to this new strange life, and maybe my good luck charms that would keep me alive long enough to recover my memories. Her appearance coincided with the sudden return of my arcane gift, and later led to my departure from Amkethran and all the subsequent adventures. Her affection was completely gratuitous and undeserved, it made me feel melancholic and contemplative of the feelings that I could not and would not have; and most disturbingly it had caused an unwanted inflow of emotions of the kind that I was carefully trying to suppress.

As if all these lingering doubts were not bad enough, her infatuation brought to my attention a highly curious matter - namely the fact that so far I was unable to feel any excitement of corporeal nature related to any male or female individual, whom I otherwise found aesthetically pleasing and psychologically appealing. Zaureen's little experiment with my carnal instincts was doomed from the start, simply because neither Kessen nor Mirriam triggered any erotic response in me, even though I admitted to myself that I liked both of the twins well enough to expect something of a kind. Not that I had lost my sleep over that embarrassing detail - it was way too frivolous and unimportant compared to my other problems, but it was an odd lack of reaction, considering an adolescent state and feel of my body, and the nature of my recent dreams involving beautiful elven women walking across aerial bridges in the strange tree city or calling me from the depths of the Abyss.

Taking all these disturbing feelings into consideration, and combining it with my already highly irrational and unbalanced condition it is perhaps understandable why Mirri's overture was the last droplet that tilted my inner scale, and made me realize that the dreaded meeting with the dragon was, perhaps, inevitable.
I escorted the girl back to our campsite, which was located in the largest of the habitable caverns, and left her in the care of her slightly puzzled brother, who had greeted our appearance with a broad smile that was quickly replaced by a quizzically raised eyebrow, when he spotted his sister's wet cheeks and red puffy nose. I refrained from giving him any explanations and retreated quickly, noticing with some irritation that Omwo was still sprawled unconscious on his bedroll.

My next move depended solely upon Olphara's cooperation, and I braced myself for the halfling matron's initial reaction to my proposal, even as I slowly made my way between the dim campfires surrounded by the narrow stripes of improvised pallets, and the scattered piles of belongings brought inside by the crowd of unwilling refugees. It was a pitiful sight: bundles of clothes intermixed with pots, frying pans, tools of various trades, and children's toys. The latter were especially pathetic, strewn on the dirty cavern floor, or clutched by the tiny hands of their small owners. The hin children, with their huge dark-brown eyes and curly heads made me feel particularly uneasy, since they looked so small, even compared to the pesky human offspring that I had seen aplenty during my stay in Amkethran.

In addition to the annoying trait of looking touching and vulnerable, every one of them had stared at me as if I was some kind of a mighty hero, bound to slay the Evil Dragon, and relieve the citizens of Perch of their predicament. That sentiment was as superficial as it was preposterous. It was, as I later found out, brought about by Olphara' persistent defense of our actions during the first act of the draconic invasion, and particularly by her emphasis of mine and Omwo's roles in thwarting Iryklagathra's initial attempt to destroy the village by entangling him in the net of shadows, and summoning Adalon. Since I was not going to undermine her efforts by explaining that our actions were purely egotistic and were performed in self-defense, all I could do in response to their shining stares, was to nod, smile sourly, and proceed with my business of locating the hin matriarch.

Not surprisingly, I had found her occupied. Olphara was traversing the caves followed by her usual tail of disgruntled helpers and eager messengers, recounting the supplies and matching them with the head count of the surviving villagers and their guests. I gathered it was her permanent occupation for the last day or so, when she was not busy holding impromptu village councils. These in turn were filled with all the petty political arguments and subtle backstabbing that one can usually find in all crisis management groups, starting from the royal assembly and ending with the vampire coven. Olphara managed her so-called advisors surprisingly well, and I suspected that she needed this continuous squabble as a distraction to keep herself from falling into the darker, more melancholic mood that had consumed her husband, since she was perfectly capable of making all the decisions herself. As far as I could judge from their erratic and angry conversation the argument was mostly about abandoning Perch altogether, and moving the village to an entirely new location; a measure that was perhaps drastic, but not uncommon among the secretive hin tribes of the Marching Mountains that were continuously threatened by their various foes even in this remote, inaccessible location.

Unwilling to participate in the ongoing debate, I positioned myself a few steps away from the small group that surrounded the halfling matron, making an appropriate half-bow in her general direction. Since we did not have a chance to talk one on one ever since that strange meeting at the Bell plaza, I had hoped that she would at least be curious at my sudden appearance. Esteemed Dame Sixthtoe was still wearing her holiday attire of crimson wool, the one she had donned for the ill-fated festival, and her blue shawl trailed behind her like a royal mantle, yet I discerned the signs of tiredness, and maybe even desperation in the tight pale line of her lips, and the disconsolate, irate expression of her face. Her multitude of bead-stringed gray braids clicked discordantly as she turned in my direction. Deep, dark eyes, sharp as a falcon's focused on my face.

"I assume you are here on business, fair one," if anything, Olphara's intonation firmly denied the half-hidden compliment of her chosen address. She was obviously quite displeased with me lately, and no wonder, since I deliberately shirked any public display of sympathy and cooperation, and openly mocked Omwo's relentless efforts. Her first diversion had worked - the very sound of that greeting made me cringe in distaste.

"I need to talk to you in private, venerable one." I was fast enough to retaliate. "That is if you have the time for something more serious than going over the same topic for a thousandth time."

"I see," Olphara frowned in distaste, giving me a brief glance of her stormy eyes. "I wonder what can that be, young elf."

She glanced in the direction of her followers, likely deciding for herself if my message was worth her time, then after a short pause dismissed them all with a few brief words. I suppose we presented a rather comical pair at that point, with my tall frame looming over the colorful but short flowering shrub of the halfling matron like a disgruntled scarecrow in bleak rugs, if such an abundance of agricultural similes can be permitted in one sentence.

"This better be good," Olphara started ominously, "I have had enough of your despondent proclamations and venomous remarks lately, young master Jon. Your poisoned tongue almost succeeded in undermining my best efforts to stop the rumors of your possible alliance with the Blue Wyrm. You may become a decent wizard one day, but one thing you will never be is a successful leader."

"You have meant a successful politician, perhaps?" I asked amicably. "I would end this miserable life of mine before I become one, this is true enough. But I am not here to lure you into another fight, madam, tempting though as it might be. Rather, I have a proposition."

Olphara stayed silent and I have to give her credit - she had learned her lesson from our previous interactions, and realized that if she wanted to go anywhere with me she had to let me do it on my own terms. Perhaps the halfling matron was not as dull as I made myself believe after her tedious lecture on the matters of love and friendship.

"As you probably know already from your many personal spies," I started tentatively giving her another mocking half-bow; "I took a reconnaissance walk through the caverns today." Olphara's brows connected into a single steel-gray line and her curved stick made a sharp rap on the stones, but she remained quiet. "I could not but notice that the caves we are in are all interconnected with the greater network of tunnels that permeate the mountain. Therefore I have all the reasons to believe there might be a secret connection with the Gaping Cave."

"Even if it was true, and I am not about to deny or confirm this, why are you interested in this obscure fact?"

"I would not exactly call it obscure... considering that this hypothetical connection can be used to spy on the dragons."

"Assuming that you are right, why would you be concerned with the matter?"

"You are asking the wrong question, matron, but I will let it pass. It is not me but you who would be primarily interested to find out if your so-called Guardian has survived the carnage."

"And you in your turn are very good in evading questions by distracting your opponents. Very well, I will repeat myself once again - what is in it for you?"

"I am driven primarily by my selfish interests, of course."

"Of that I have no doubt."

"And in this particular case my selfish interests happen to coincide with yours - I want to get out of these mountains alive."

"Pray do continue this most interesting discussion."

"Yet to get out of here alive we need your help, obviously. Goats for pack animals, some provisions and a guide would be nice. That was our initial plan when we decided to visit your rather boring locale, excuse my blatant truth. All of which of course could not be obtained unless the village is safe again."

"Oh, I can see your point," Olphara laughed harshly, but there was no humor in her dark eyes - only the sharp awareness of my gaze locked with hers.

"Therefore it is in my interest to help you establish the truth, or to make my intention absolutely clear for you - to find out which one, if any, of the two dragons is still alive. The risk is not as high as it may seem, since by my estimate your old enemy would have been out of there already chasing your precious beasts across the ravine if he was in any condition to fly."

"The goats are safe inside another cave," Olphara answered absentmindedly then gave me another calculating look. "Why would you think we did not try to find our way in there already?" She asked after a while.

"If you did, o honored one, than most likely you have not had much of a success. Otherwise you would not have been having these inane discussions about abandoning your picturesque settlement."

"I find your sarcasm most inappropriate at the moment."

"That it may be, but it does not cancel the ultimate truth of my previous statement."

"What is it that you want of me, young one?" Olphara's voice sounded tired and displeased, making me worry about the final outcome of my entire enterprise. It sure felt good to goad the halfling dame a little, exposing the inner vulnerability of her current situation, but in the long run making her overly annoyed with me was not to my advantage.

"I only want to help you find out the truth, and satisfy my scientific curiosity in process," I replied lightly. "Believe it or not, but the inner arrangements of the dragon lair maybe of interest to the mage in training such as me."

"And I assume that the magical artifacts of Adalon's hoard do not interest you in the least?"

That was the last thing on my mind, and despite my best effort, I could not hide the expression of genuine astonishment from showing on my face, as I looked at Olphara contemplating my next answer. The fact that she had recognized the silver dragon's true name, despite it being mentioned only once by Adalon herself with both of the combatants speaking in hardly comprehendible Draconic language, did not escape my notice whatsoever, but I wisely decided to conceal my own knowledge from her. Perhaps I should praise myself for being a very bad actor, or wonder if the halfling was a much better judge of character than I was willing to admit. Nevertheless, to my utter amusement, my obvious ignorance and disinterest in Adalon's treasure was the factor that decided the outcome of our verbal duel. I was made privy to the most well-guarded secret of the local hin tribe - their hidden alliance with the silver dragon that had showed on their virtual doorstep about a year ago, and offered her protection in exchange for their watchfulness.

What was it exactly that she wanted them to look for remained hidden since they all obviously disregarded Iryklagathra's threat, but I decided not to pry any further. Olphara herself had volunteered to guide me to the secret passage in the upper galleries that supposedly led into the innermost recesses of Adalon's cave. It turned out, they had tried it before the other day. However, either Derk's magic was utterly exhausted by his healing spree or his arcane talent was not as strong as he himself believed, but he was not able to locate the hidden door that was long known to the halflings as a secret way into the previously abandoned silver dragon's lair. I suspected that Adalon was somewhat uncertain of her boisterous neighbors (the hin as a race are renown for their rogue ways, and even the best of dragons have strong attachment to their hoards), and put a good effort into concealing the entrance with her own magic, so that the halflings had to use the front door to call on her.

#2 Laufey

Posted 22 August 2003 - 02:55 PM

Well, I already commented privately, so I'll just say that it is still enjoyable, and I will be highly amused when Jon finally comes to terms with his emotions. :twisted:
Rogues do it from behind.

#3 Guest_Dorotea_*

Posted 22 August 2003 - 03:09 PM

Well, I already commented privately, so I'll just say that it is still enjoyable, and I will be highly amused when Jon finally comes to terms with his emotions. :roll:


Thank you my dear - I do appreciate your comments always, even the short ones. :twisted:

And yeah - it will be somewhat of an explosion when 'that' happen if I ever get that far. On the mean time I better have these dragon issues moving, I've been ruminating over that cave for months now. Chuckle.

#4 Guest_Theodur_*

Posted 22 August 2003 - 04:00 PM

As if all these lingering doubts were not bad enough, her infatuation brought to my attention a highly curious matter - namely the fact that so far I was unable to feel any excitement of corporeal nature related to any male or female individual, whom I otherwise found aesthetically pleasing and psychologically appealing. Zaureen's little experiment with my carnal instincts was doomed from the start, simply because neither Kessen nor Mirriam triggered any erotic response in me, even though I admitted to myself that I liked both of the twins well enough to expect something of a kind. Not that I had lost my sleep over that embarrassing detail - it was way too frivolous and unimportant compared to my other problems, but it was an odd lack of reaction, considering an adolescent state and feel of my body, and the nature of my recent dreams involving beautiful elven women walking across aerial bridges in the strange tree city or calling me from the depths of the Abyss.


So... you mean that Jon... CAN'T? :) Argh, my sympathy level for him just went up skyward. :)

In addition to the annoying trait of looking touching and vulnerable, every one of them had stared at me as if I was some kind of a mighty hero, bound to slay the Evil Dragon, and relieve the citizens of Perch of their predicament. That sentiment was as superficial as it was preposterous. It was, as I later found out, brought about by Olphara' persistent defense of our actions during the first act of the draconic invasion, and particularly by her emphasis of mine and Omwo's roles in thwarting Iryklagathra's initial attempt to destroy the village by entangling him in the net of shadows, and summoning Adalon. Since I was not going to undermine her efforts by explaining that our actions were purely egotistic and were performed in self-defense, all I could do in response to their shining stares, was to nod, smile sourly, and proceed with my business of locating the hin matriarch.


Your Reputation Has Increased: +1

Jon: You will suffer! You will all suffer! :twisted:

"This better be good," Olphara started ominously, "I have had enough of your despondent proclamations and venomous remarks lately, young master Jon. Your poisoned tongue almost succeeded in undermining my best efforts to stop the rumors of your possible alliance with the Blue Wyrm. You may become a decent wizard one day, but one thing you will never be is a successful leader."


He'd make a nice tyrant, though.

"You have meant a successful politician, perhaps?" I asked amicably. "I would end this miserable life of mine before I become one, this is true enough. But I am not here to lure you into another fight, madam, tempting though as it might be. Rather, I have a proposition."


Hmm, considering that had it not been for Olphara, Jon and Co could have been very lynched by now - he doesn't express his gratitude very well. :roll:

"And you in your turn are very good in evading questions by distracting your opponents. Very well, I will repeat myself once again - what is in it for you?"


"I am driven primarily by my selfish interests, of course."


At least he's being honest about it. Though, it is a very non-politician admission to make.

"Therefore it is in my interest to help you establish the truth, or to make my intention absolutely clear for you - to find out which one, if any, of the two dragons is still alive. The risk is not as high as it may seem, since by my estimate your old enemy would have been out of there already chasing your precious beasts across the ravine if he was in any condition to fly."


That spells good news for Adalon, methinks.

"If you did, o honored one, than most likely you have not had much of a success. Otherwise you would not have been having these inane discussions about abandoning your picturesque settlement."


"I find your sarcasm most inappropriate at the moment."


Jon and his sarcasm are two inseperable entities.

"I only want to help you find out the truth, and satisfy my scientific curiosity in process," I replied lightly. "Believe it or not, but the inner arrangements of the dragon lair maybe of interest to the mage in training such as me."


"And I assume that the magical artifacts of Adalon's hoard do not interest you in the least?"


See, had you been a bit more pleasant towards Olphara, she would not be so hostile and suspicious with you, Jon. Well, I guess he can always resort to charm spells.

What was it exactly that she wanted them to look for remained hidden since they all obviously disregarded Iryklagathra's threat, but I decided not to pry any further. Olphara herself had volunteered to guide me to the secret passage in the upper galleries that supposedly led into the innermost recesses of Adalon's cave. It turned out, they had tried it before the other day. However, either Derk's magic was utterly exhausted by his healing spree or his arcane talent was not as strong as he himself believed, but he was not able to locate the hidden door that was long known to the halflings as a secret way into the previously abandoned silver dragon's lair. I suspected that Adalon was somewhat uncertain of her boisterous neighbors (the hin as a race are renown for their rogue ways, and even the best of dragons have strong attachment to their hoards), and put a good effort into concealing the entrance with her own magic, so that the halflings had to use the front door to call on her.


So, are we going to meet Addy and her wee ones soon? How about next chapter?

#5 Guest_Dorotea_*

Posted 22 August 2003 - 10:30 PM


As if all these lingering doubts were not bad enough, her infatuation brought to my attention a highly curious matter - namely the fact that so far I was unable to feel any excitement of corporeal nature related to any male or female individual, whom I otherwise found aesthetically pleasing and psychologically appealing. Zaureen's little experiment with my carnal instincts was doomed from the start, simply because neither Kessen nor Mirriam triggered any erotic response in me, even though I admitted to myself that I liked both of the twins well enough to expect something of a kind. Not that I had lost my sleep over that embarrassing detail - it was way too frivolous and unimportant compared to my other problems, but it was an odd lack of reaction, considering an adolescent state and feel of my body, and the nature of my recent dreams involving beautiful elven women walking across aerial bridges in the strange tree city or calling me from the depths of the Abyss.


So... you mean that Jon... CAN'T? :) Argh, my sympathy level for him just went up skyward. :)


LOL! Yes - you are correct, it is funny though, since I expected this particular aspect of the story to cause more displeasure than sympathy, especially in male portion of the readers, because this is such a touchy subject. In his case I deemed his guilt-induced impotence a fair self-punishment, although I admit it is cruel indeed after a century or so of being under curse and rotting alive. Hopefully this effect will be lifted eventually, otherwise how the hell will I write the 'erotic content' scenes? :)


In addition to the annoying trait of looking touching and vulnerable, every one of them had stared at me as if I was some kind of a mighty hero, bound to slay the Evil Dragon, and relieve the citizens of Perch of their predicament. That sentiment was as superficial as it was preposterous. It was, as I later found out, brought about by Olphara' persistent defense of our actions during the first act of the draconic invasion, and particularly by her emphasis of mine and Omwo's roles in thwarting Iryklagathra's initial attempt to destroy the village by entangling him in the net of shadows, and summoning Adalon. Since I was not going to undermine her efforts by explaining that our actions were purely egotistic and were performed in self-defense, all I could do in response to their shining stares, was to nod, smile sourly, and proceed with my business of locating the hin matriarch.


Your Reputation Has Increased: +1


Jon: You will suffer! You will all suffer! :)


Fair enough! It seems like a proper enough reaction from him, is not it? :D


"This better be good," Olphara started ominously, "I have had enough of your despondent proclamations and venomous remarks lately, young master Jon. Your poisoned tongue almost succeeded in undermining my best efforts to stop the rumors of your possible alliance with the Blue Wyrm. You may become a decent wizard one day, but one thing you will never be is a successful leader."


He'd make a nice tyrant, though.


He once did - with all the 'political opponents' ending up in nice and cozy glass jars. :)


"You have meant a successful politician, perhaps?" I asked amicably. "I would end this miserable life of mine before I become one, this is true enough. But I am not here to lure you into another fight, madam, tempting though as it might be. Rather, I have a proposition."


Hmm, considering that had it not been for Olphara, Jon and Co could have been very lynched by now - he doesn't express his gratitude very well. :lol:


He never does I bet.


"And you in your turn are very good in evading questions by distracting your opponents. Very well, I will repeat myself once again - what is in it for you?"



"I am driven primarily by my selfish interests, of course."


At least he's being honest about it. Though, it is a very non-politician admission to make.


Yes, but again I felt this is in character for him...


"Therefore it is in my interest to help you establish the truth, or to make my intention absolutely clear for you - to find out which one, if any, of the two dragons is still alive. The risk is not as high as it may seem, since by my estimate your old enemy would have been out of there already chasing your precious beasts across the ravine if he was in any condition to fly."


That spells good news for Adalon, methinks.


We will see.


"If you did, o honored one, than most likely you have not had much of a success. Otherwise you would not have been having these inane discussions about abandoning your picturesque settlement."



"I find your sarcasm most inappropriate at the moment."


Jon and his sarcasm are two inseperable entities.


Yes - I cannot imagine him stopping dripping venom even in the nicecs of situations. Funny enough - I find this appealing!


"I only want to help you find out the truth, and satisfy my scientific curiosity in process," I replied lightly. "Believe it or not, but the inner arrangements of the dragon lair maybe of interest to the mage in training such as me."



"And I assume that the magical artifacts of Adalon's hoard do not interest you in the least?"


See, had you been a bit more pleasant towards Olphara, she would not be so hostile and suspicious with you, Jon. Well, I guess he can always resort to charm spells.


Yeah, I guess he will need a lot of these!


What was it exactly that she wanted them to look for remained hidden since they all obviously disregarded Iryklagathra's threat, but I decided not to pry any further. Olphara herself had volunteered to guide me to the secret passage in the upper galleries that supposedly led into the innermost recesses of Adalon's cave. It turned out, they had tried it before the other day. However, either Derk's magic was utterly exhausted by his healing spree or his arcane talent was not as strong as he himself believed, but he was not able to locate the hidden door that was long known to the halflings as a secret way into the previously abandoned silver dragon's lair. I suspected that Adalon was somewhat uncertain of her boisterous neighbors (the hin as a race are renown for their rogue ways, and even the best of dragons have strong attachment to their hoards), and put a good effort into concealing the entrance with her own magic, so that the halflings had to use the front door to call on her.


So, are we going to meet Addy and her wee ones soon? How about next chapter?


Hope so!

Thanks for reading and commenting!

PS

Do you know what being a masked, leather-clad, soul-stealing,
ridiculously overpowered evil megalomaniac arch-mage means? It means - hot. /from the secret diaries of J. Irenicus./

#6 Guest_Bjorn_*

Posted 23 August 2003 - 01:26 PM

As if all these lingering doubts were not bad enough, her infatuation brought to my attention a highly curious matter - namely the fact that so far I was unable to feel any excitement of corporeal nature related to any male or female individual, whom I otherwise found aesthetically pleasing and psychologically appealing. Zaureen's little experiment with my carnal instincts was doomed from the start, simply because neither Kessen nor Mirriam triggered any erotic response in me, even though I admitted to myself that I liked both of the twins well enough to expect something of a kind. Not that I had lost my sleep over that embarrassing detail - it was way too frivolous and unimportant compared to my other problems, but it was an odd lack of reaction, considering an adolescent state and feel of my body, and the nature of my recent dreams involving beautiful elven women walking across aerial bridges in the strange tree city or calling me from the depths of the Abyss.


:lol: For some reason I found that last sentence really funny.

Poor Jon, although trust him to only think of it as 'a curious matter'.

Should probably be 'the adolescent state'.

Taking all these disturbing feelings into consideration, and combining it with my already highly irrational and unbalanced condition it is perhaps understandable why Mirri's overture was the last droplet that tilted my inner scale, and made me realize that the dreaded meeting with the dragon was, perhaps, inevitable.
I escorted the girl back to our campsite, which was located in the largest of the habitable caverns, and left her in the care of her slightly puzzled brother, who had greeted our appearance with a broad smile that was quickly replaced by a quizzically raised eyebrow, when he spotted his sister's wet cheeks and red puffy nose. I refrained from giving him any explanations and retreated quickly, noticing with some irritation that Omwo was still sprawled unconscious on his bedroll.


At least it saves Jon from getting teased about the Mirri situation.

In addition to the annoying trait of looking touching and vulnerable, every one of them had stared at me as if I was some kind of a mighty hero, bound to slay the Evil Dragon, and relieve the citizens of Perch of their predicament.


LOL! I think Jonny just failed a saving throw against cuteness :cry:

Not surprisingly, I had found her occupied. Olphara was traversing the caves followed by her usual tail of disgruntled helpers and eager messengers, recounting the supplies and matching them with the head count of the surviving villagers and their guests.


'I found her occupied'

Unwilling to participate in the ongoing debate, I positioned myself a few steps away from the small group that surrounded the halfling matron, making an appropriate half-bow in her general direction. Since we did not have a chance to talk one on one ever since that strange meeting at the Bell plaza, I had hoped that she would at least be curious at my sudden appearance. Esteemed Dame Sixthtoe was still wearing her holiday attire of crimson wool, the one she had donned for the ill-fated festival, and her blue shawl trailed behind her like a royal mantle, yet I discerned the signs of tiredness, and maybe even desperation in the tight pale line of her lips, and the disconsolate, irate expression of her face. Her multitude of bead-stringed gray braids clicked discordantly as she turned in my direction. Deep, dark eyes, sharp as a falcon's focused on my face.


'we had not had the chance'

"I assume you are here on business, fair one," if anything, Olphara's intonation firmly denied the half-hidden compliment of her chosen address. She was obviously quite displeased with me lately, and no wonder, since I deliberately shirked any public display of sympathy and cooperation, and openly mocked Omwo's relentless efforts. Her first diversion had worked - the very sound of that greeting made me cringe in distaste.


'I had deliberately'

She glanced in the direction of her followers, likely deciding for herself if my message was worth her time, then after a short pause dismissed them all with a few brief words. I suppose we presented a rather comical pair at that point, with my tall frame looming over the colorful but short flowering shrub of the halfling matron like a disgruntled scarecrow in bleak rugs, if such an abundance of agricultural similes can be permitted in one sentence.


LOL! I love that last bit.

"This better be good," Olphara started ominously, "I have had enough of your despondent proclamations and venomous remarks lately, young master Jon. Your poisoned tongue almost succeeded in undermining my best efforts to stop the rumors of your possible alliance with the Blue Wyrm. You may become a decent wizard one day, but one thing you will never be is a successful leader."


I'm inclined to agree with her there.

"You have meant a successful politician, perhaps?" I asked amicably. "I would end this miserable life of mine before I become one, this is true enough. But I am not here to lure you into another fight, madam, tempting though as it might be. Rather, I have a proposition."


'before I became one'

"What is it that you want of me, young one?" Olphara's voice sounded tired and displeased, making me worry about the final outcome of my entire enterprise. It sure felt good to goad the halfling dame a little, exposing the inner vulnerability of her current situation, but in the long run making her overly annoyed with me was not to my advantage.


'It sure felt good' sounds a little too Americanised for Jonny :)

"I only want to help you find out the truth, and satisfy my scientific curiosity in process," I replied lightly. "Believe it or not, but the inner arrangements of the dragon lair maybe of interest to the mage in training such as me."


'may be'

That was the last thing on my mind, and despite my best effort, I could not hide the expression of genuine astonishment from showing on my face, as I looked at Olphara contemplating my next answer. The fact that she had recognized the silver dragon's true name, despite it being mentioned only once by Adalon herself with both of the combatants speaking in hardly comprehendible Draconic language, did not escape my notice whatsoever, but I wisely decided to conceal my own knowledge from her. Perhaps I should praise myself for being a very bad actor, or wonder if the halfling was a much better judge of character than I was willing to admit. Nevertheless, to my utter amusement, my obvious ignorance and disinterest in Adalon's treasure was the factor that decided the outcome of our verbal duel. I was made privy to the most well-guarded secret of the local hin tribe - their hidden alliance with the silver dragon that had showed on their virtual doorstep about a year ago, and offered her protection in exchange for their watchfulness.


'had showed up on'

What was it exactly that she wanted them to look for remained hidden since they all obviously disregarded Iryklagathra's threat, but I decided not to pry any further. Olphara herself had volunteered to guide me to the secret passage in the upper galleries that supposedly led into the innermost recesses of Adalon's cave. It turned out, they had tried it before the other day. However, either Derk's magic was utterly exhausted by his healing spree or his arcane talent was not as strong as he himself believed, but he was not able to locate the hidden door that was long known to the halflings as a secret way into the previously abandoned silver dragon's lair. I suspected that Adalon was somewhat uncertain of her boisterous neighbors (the hin as a race are renown for their rogue ways, and even the best of dragons have strong attachment to their hoards), and put a good effort into concealing the entrance with her own magic, so that the halflings had to use the front door to call on her.


'Olphara herself volunteered'

Let's hope Jon's been practising his divination spells, then. And that Adalon doesn't kill him on sight...

#7 Guest_Dorotea_*

Posted 25 August 2003 - 12:12 AM


As if all these lingering doubts were not bad enough, her infatuation brought to my attention a highly curious matter - namely the fact that so far I was unable to feel any excitement of corporeal nature related to any male or female individual, whom I otherwise found aesthetically pleasing and psychologically appealing. Zaureen's little experiment with my carnal instincts was doomed from the start, simply because neither Kessen nor Mirriam triggered any erotic response in me, even though I admitted to myself that I liked both of the twins well enough to expect something of a kind. Not that I had lost my sleep over that embarrassing detail - it was way too frivolous and unimportant compared to my other problems, but it was an odd lack of reaction, considering an adolescent state and feel of my body, and the nature of my recent dreams involving beautiful elven women walking across aerial bridges in the strange tree city or calling me from the depths of the Abyss.


:lol: For some reason I found that last sentence really funny.


Lol! And it was a lot of fun to write too. :)

Poor Jon, although trust him to only think of it as 'a curious matter'.


Ah, I thought it will be 'in character'.

Should probably be 'the adolescent state'.


Thanks for the correction.


Taking all these disturbing feelings into consideration, and combining it with my already highly irrational and unbalanced condition it is perhaps understandable why Mirri's overture was the last droplet that tilted my inner scale, and made me realize that the dreaded meeting with the dragon was, perhaps, inevitable.
I escorted the girl back to our campsite, which was located in the largest of the habitable caverns, and left her in the care of her slightly puzzled brother, who had greeted our appearance with a broad smile that was quickly replaced by a quizzically raised eyebrow, when he spotted his sister's wet cheeks and red puffy nose. I refrained from giving him any explanations and retreated quickly, noticing with some irritation that Omwo was still sprawled unconscious on his bedroll.


At least it saves Jon from getting teased about the Mirri situation.


Oh yes - he should feel really lucky Omwo is sleeping still. :)

In addition to the annoying trait of looking touching and vulnerable, every one of them had stared at me as if I was some kind of a mighty hero, bound to slay the Evil Dragon, and relieve the citizens of Perch of their predicament.


LOL! I think Jonny just failed a saving throw against cuteness :)


Groan. And he feels rotten about it of course. :)


Not surprisingly, I had found her occupied. Olphara was traversing the caves followed by her usual tail of disgruntled helpers and eager messengers, recounting the supplies and matching them with the head count of the surviving villagers and their guests.


'I found her occupied'


thnx!


Unwilling to participate in the ongoing debate, I positioned myself a few steps away from the small group that surrounded the halfling matron, making an appropriate half-bow in her general direction. Since we did not have a chance to talk one on one ever since that strange meeting at the Bell plaza, I had hoped that she would at least be curious at my sudden appearance. Esteemed Dame Sixthtoe was still wearing her holiday attire of crimson wool, the one she had donned for the ill-fated festival, and her blue shawl trailed behind her like a royal mantle, yet I discerned the signs of tiredness, and maybe even desperation in the tight pale line of her lips, and the disconsolate, irate expression of her face. Her multitude of bead-stringed gray braids clicked discordantly as she turned in my direction. Deep, dark eyes, sharp as a falcon's focused on my face.


'we had not had the chance'


shall fix it


"I assume you are here on business, fair one," if anything, Olphara's intonation firmly denied the half-hidden compliment of her chosen address. She was obviously quite displeased with me lately, and no wonder, since I deliberately shirked any public display of sympathy and cooperation, and openly mocked Omwo's relentless efforts. Her first diversion had worked - the very sound of that greeting made me cringe in distaste.


'I had deliberately'


thnx!!!


She glanced in the direction of her followers, likely deciding for herself if my message was worth her time, then after a short pause dismissed them all with a few brief words. I suppose we presented a rather comical pair at that point, with my tall frame looming over the colorful but short flowering shrub of the halfling matron like a disgruntled scarecrow in bleak rugs, if such an abundance of agricultural similes can be permitted in one sentence.


LOL! I love that last bit.


Well, at least he still has some sense of humor. :)


"This better be good," Olphara started ominously, "I have had enough of your despondent proclamations and venomous remarks lately, young master Jon. Your poisoned tongue almost succeeded in undermining my best efforts to stop the rumors of your possible alliance with the Blue Wyrm. You may become a decent wizard one day, but one thing you will never be is a successful leader."


I'm inclined to agree with her there.


And so do I. I am glad you liked it.


"You have meant a successful politician, perhaps?" I asked amicably. "I would end this miserable life of mine before I become one, this is true enough. But I am not here to lure you into another fight, madam, tempting though as it might be. Rather, I have a proposition."


'before I became one'


shall fix it!


"What is it that you want of me, young one?" Olphara's voice sounded tired and displeased, making me worry about the final outcome of my entire enterprise. It sure felt good to goad the halfling dame a little, exposing the inner vulnerability of her current situation, but in the long run making her overly annoyed with me was not to my advantage.


'It sure felt good' sounds a little too Americanised for Jonny :wink:


Bah - I know my speech is polluted. Hmm, I suppose I can change this.


"I only want to help you find out the truth, and satisfy my scientific curiosity in process," I replied lightly. "Believe it or not, but the inner arrangements of the dragon lair maybe of interest to the mage in training such as me."


'may be'



That was the last thing on my mind, and despite my best effort, I could not hide the expression of genuine astonishment from showing on my face, as I looked at Olphara contemplating my next answer. The fact that she had recognized the silver dragon's true name, despite it being mentioned only once by Adalon herself with both of the combatants speaking in hardly comprehendible Draconic language, did not escape my notice whatsoever, but I wisely decided to conceal my own knowledge from her. Perhaps I should praise myself for being a very bad actor, or wonder if the halfling was a much better judge of character than I was willing to admit. Nevertheless, to my utter amusement, my obvious ignorance and disinterest in Adalon's treasure was the factor that decided the outcome of our verbal duel. I was made privy to the most well-guarded secret of the local hin tribe - their hidden alliance with the silver dragon that had showed on their virtual doorstep about a year ago, and offered her protection in exchange for their watchfulness.


'had showed up on'


thank you


What was it exactly that she wanted them to look for remained hidden since they all obviously disregarded Iryklagathra's threat, but I decided not to pry any further. Olphara herself had volunteered to guide me to the secret passage in the upper galleries that supposedly led into the innermost recesses of Adalon's cave. It turned out, they had tried it before the other day. However, either Derk's magic was utterly exhausted by his healing spree or his arcane talent was not as strong as he himself believed, but he was not able to locate the hidden door that was long known to the halflings as a secret way into the previously abandoned silver dragon's lair. I suspected that Adalon was somewhat uncertain of her boisterous neighbors (the hin as a race are renown for their rogue ways, and even the best of dragons have strong attachment to their hoards), and put a good effort into concealing the entrance with her own magic, so that the halflings had to use the front door to call on her.


'Olphara herself volunteered'


Let's hope Jon's been practising his divination spells, then. And that Adalon doesn't kill him on sight...


Ah, this part will be a bit dramatic I am afraid ... We shall see!

Thank you for your commenting!

#8 Arcalian

Posted 26 August 2003 - 02:04 AM

DoroteaDoroteaDorotea figaro! Magnificooooo!


As if all these lingering doubts were not bad enough, her infatuation brought to my attention a highly curious matter - namely the fact that so far I was unable to feel any excitement of corporeal nature related to any male or female individual, whom I otherwise found aesthetically pleasing and psychologically appealing. Zaureen's little experiment with my carnal instincts was doomed from the start, simply because neither Kessen nor Mirriam triggered any erotic response in me, even though I admitted to myself that I liked both of the twins well enough to expect something of a kind. Not that I had lost my sleep over that embarrassing detail - it was way too frivolous and unimportant compared to my other problems, but it was an odd lack of reaction, considering an adolescent state and feel of my body, and the nature of my recent dreams involving beautiful elven women walking across aerial bridges in the strange tree city or calling me from the depths of the Abyss.



This is one area where I can't empathize with Jonny at all. Sex, unimportant?!? :lol: :lol: :lol: I know there are, shall we say extenuating circumstances, but even so.


"As you probably know already from your many personal spies," I started tentatively giving her another mocking half-bow; "I took a reconnaissance walk through the caverns today." Olphara's brows connected into a single steel-gray line and her curved stick made a sharp rap on the stones, but she remained quiet. "I could not but notice that the caves we are in are all interconnected with the greater network of tunnels that permeate the mountain. Therefore I have all the reasons to believe there might be a secret connection with the Gaping Cave."


"Even if it was true, and I am not about to deny or confirm this, why are you interested in this obscure fact?"


"I would not exactly call it obscure... considering that this hypothetical connection can be used to spy on the dragons."


"Assuming that you are right, why would you be concerned with the matter?"


"You are asking the wrong question, matron, but I will let it pass. It is not me but you who would be primarily interested to find out if your so-called Guardian has survived the carnage."


"And you in your turn are very good in evading questions by distracting your opponents. Very well, I will repeat myself once again - what is in it for you?"


"I am driven primarily by my selfish interests, of course."


"Of that I have no doubt."


This whole dialogue was priceless.

Story of a Girl without a Name!!!!
The road to the abyss may be paved with good intentions, but it is those with bad intentions that race down that road as fast as they can.

#9 Guest_Dorotea_*

Posted 26 August 2003 - 04:17 PM

DoroteaDoroteaDorotea figaro! Magnificooooo!





As if all these lingering doubts were not bad enough, her infatuation brought to my attention a highly curious matter - namely the fact that so far I was unable to feel any excitement of corporeal nature related to any male or female individual, whom I otherwise found aesthetically pleasing and psychologically appealing. Zaureen's little experiment with my carnal instincts was doomed from the start, simply because neither Kessen nor Mirriam triggered any erotic response in me, even though I admitted to myself that I liked both of the twins well enough to expect something of a kind. Not that I had lost my sleep over that embarrassing detail - it was way too frivolous and unimportant compared to my other problems, but it was an odd lack of reaction, considering an adolescent state and feel of my body, and the nature of my recent dreams involving beautiful elven women walking across aerial bridges in the strange tree city or calling me from the depths of the Abyss.



This is one area where I can't empathize with Jonny at all. Sex, unimportant?!? :wink: :wink: :wink: I know there are, shall we say extenuating circumstances, but even so.


Chortle. What we say, in our autobiographies intended for public reading is not always exactly what we think. I am trying to be realistic about what he might disclose about his private thoughts - and this one bit I can swear would be something of a tabu. I.e., even if he is having daily panic attacks about it he would not write it down. :wink: :oops:

This whole dialogue was priceless.


Heh - I am glad you liked it. I had a RL inspiration for it.

Story of a Girl without a Name!!!!


Lol!

One thing at a time.

Sigh. Thanks for reading and commenting.




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