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Back to Empire on the HPe3000
... and ...
This is a first draft of a story set in the world of Greyhawk.
It is based on a home campaign so some of the people, places and things
may be different. Any helpful comments or suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks
Jason Zavoda
"Can you walk?" Gytha asked Jalal.
The old man still lay on the floor with his back propped up
against a wall. He breathed deeply and seemed asleep till Gytha spoke,
but then his eyes opened, lively and bright.
"I don't know." he said. "I will try." With a groan he shifted
onto his side and got to his knees, Gytha reached out to help, but
Ghibelline put his hand on her shoulder and drew her back.
Jalal's bones creaked as he stood, and he used his hands braced
against the stones so that he could straighten up, but when he faced them
it was with his shoulders back and his pride in place.
"We must go." said Telenstil.
"I have a friend here..." Jalal began.
"I am sorry, we have also lost companions, the one who was left
here and another, but we cannot stay." Telenstil explained.
"There are places we could hide, and the orcs, they are in
rebellion, we could enlist their aid." said Jalal.
"I am afraid that we have had a confrontation with the orcs, they
would not help us." Telenstil told him and shook his head sadly.
Jalal sagged a bit at the news, but caught himself and addressed
Telenstil once more. "I cannot abandon my friend,"
"We may be able to return, I had not planned to leave entirely,
but this foray, we have stayed much longer than I had thought to." said
Telenstil. "Come with us now and we will try to help your friend and
rescue our companion."
"I will come, you promise to return?" Jalal asked.
"I can only promise that we will try." said Telenstil. "I cannot
even promise that we can escape."
"Come Jalal, we cannot leave you here, we will do all that we
can," said Ghibelline. "That I promise."
"Then we had best leave." said Jalal.
"Is there another way out of here?" asked Gytha.
"No, there are tunnels that have been started and a warren of
caves where the orcs hide, but the stairs are the only way that I know
of to leave the dungeons." Jalal told them.
"Harald." Telenstil called to the ranger as they left the cell.
"We are taking Derue, please help him up, but be careful, I think
he is awake, but pretends to still be senseless."
"If he is dangerous, why not leave him here?" asked the thief.
"He is not himself," Gytha said, "there is a spirit within him."
"How do we know?" Harold asked, still questioning the sense of
dragging the scout along. "He has always been a suspicious sort, I have
never trusted any of them, him, his brother or that priest who employed
them."
"And now they are all gone or mad." added Talberth.
"I would suspect them more if they were still here, or if they
had showed us a pleasant and friendly face at the start" said Telenstil.
"They have been honest with us, I feel. I did not like them, but they
did not break their faith with us, at least not till they found those
weapons that the giants hid."
Harald had gone to retrieve Derue, he found the scout still
out cold and breathing stentoriously through his open mouth. The ranger
reached down and grabbed him by the belt, hauling Derue up into the air.
As his feet left the ground the scout spun and placed a kick against the
rangers leg, just missing the knee.
* * *
(To Be Continued)