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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
"He seems stunned." said Telenstil.
Gytha knelt by Ghibelline and brushed back the hair which overhung
his eyes. It was a ragged goldenbrown, cut short by his captors when they
found him and growing back, unkempt and long, since then.
"I have prayed for him," Gytha smiled, "the evil has fled his
body. He will heal, the Saint has helped in that. " she looked up
at Telenstil her smile fading and a serious expression on her face. "I
ask for the Saint's grace more and more it seems. I feel closer to him,
lighter, so much of his strength has passed through me that the weight
which burdened my spirit is gone."
"I am glad to hear that," said Telenstil, "we will need your
strength, more than I had imagined. They will be worrying, can we move
Ghibelline?"
"Yes, but carefully," Gytha put her hand under the elf's arm,
"take his other side." she said to Telenstil.
They lifted him, he was not heavy. Ghibelline was thin, his
muscles flat and wiry. He had never been fat and his time spent in the
dungeon of the giants had stripped away any surplus flesh leaving just
muscle and bone covered with a stretch of skin. His head nodded
back and forth, his chin bouncing against his chest as they half-carried
half-dragged him within the ravine.
"We'd better stop," Gytha said as they stepped into the dark, "I
cannot see."
"My apologies," said Telenstil, "I forgot that you do not have the
sight."
"I do have a torch, hold him for a moment while I get it from my
pack." Gytha shifted Ghibelline so that Telenstil held him beneath both
arms then realized that her pack was gone. "Can you hold him for a moment,
I've left my pack behind."
"I can hold him," said Telenstil, "do not worry I am strong enough
for that. Gytha I will take him, you go find your pack, come back with
a torch."
"Be careful."
"I will. Find your pack and his sword." Telenstil carried
Ghibelline away down the sloping trail into the dark. Gytha ran sprinting
back to the woods to find her pack, her staff and Ghibelline's fallen
sword.
* * *
"They are just the same as the adults, only smaller." Ivo
marveled as he examined the slain gibberling he'd taken from the
ranger's hand.
"They act just like the adults." Growled Harald. "My torch went
out, then they attacked."
"This may be the cause of the herds migration." Ivo said holding
the small body on the palm of his hand and raising it level with his eyes.
"That is a leap," said Harald, "you may be right, but who
knows, who has found their young before?"
"Only us." Ivo said with wonder.
"Our luck is holding out then." the halfling broke in. "All bad."
"I feel lucky enough to still be breathing." said Harald. The
ranger wrapped his legs with strips of cloth. He'd cut his cloak apart,
Ivo did not have enough bandages to cover all his wounds.
"What are we going to do with these?" Harold kicked a gibberling
pup. It was curled into a tight ball hiding from the light of the
enchanted stone. "It's going to take some work to kill them all."
"I'll have to find a way to preserve a body or two." said
Ivo.
Harold nudged another pup with his toe. "What do you think their
worth?" he asked casually.
"They are priceless." Ivo replied.
"Priceless..." Harold murmured back.
* * *
(To Be Continued)