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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 felt sick to his stomach and his head ached. Talberth opened
his eyes but everything around him was dark.
"No light..." he said aloud and that was wrong. His hands
felt at his chest and touched the metal of his amulet. There should
have been light, his talisman would glow till the life of its enchanter
ceased and Talberth had enchanted it himself.
"What..." he began to say and pulled at the amulet, the chain dug
into his neck and he tried to rise. Talberth's head smacked against a
frame of wood, a dusty piece of cloth slapped him in the face. He coughed.
"Blehhh!" Talberth spat out a mouthful of the dust, it dried
his tongue and went up his nose. He let the amulet go and tore at the
cloth, it broke apart in his hands like leaves dried in the sun.
Light appeared, first a ragged line where the cloth began to split
and as he clenched his hands a gap showed but he still was in the dark.
Talberth was head and shoulders beneath an ancient bench. He had to
wriggle free, bracing his hands against the wooden frame and crushing
more of the decaying cloth, he pushed. There was something wrapped within
that felt like the branch of a tree, but it moved even as his fingers came
in contact.
A shower of dusty fragments rained down on his face, Talberth
brought up his arm to hide his eyes, he turned his head away and rolled.
He heard a scratching on the tiled floor. Near to his head he saw a pair
of bony feet, they were specked with black, pieces of the cloth that
hadn't dropped away or were caught in the nooks of the skeletal
feet.
The feet shifted, Talberth looked up, he followed the
legs to the hollow frame, the empty cage of its chest, a grinning skull
looked back from dark pits where its eyes had been.
The skeleton had no flesh, no lungs to pump the air, no
vocal cords to make the noise, no tongue to form the words, but it
spoke, or tried to.
"Zzzziiii Vvvviiizzz Ppppaaazzzz..." hissed out like air escaping
from the bellows at a forge.
"Yiii!!!" Talberth squeaked. He squirmed away on his elbows
and kicked with his heels, a mans length back and he banged against a
wall.
"Pppaaazzz!, Pppaaazzz!" the skeleton clacked toward him, it's
claw-like hands outstretched.
Shadows danced behind it, the light from Talberth's amulet
throwing them against the far wall. From out of these shadows came more
and more of the skeletons. A half dozen behind the first, another
half-dozen behind these others.
Talberth pulled a dagger from his belt, he slashed at a bony
hand. The blade notched the arm, carved out a divot, but the hand had him
by his wrist. The mage stood and shook the skeleton, he lifted it
from the tiles but he could not break its grip.
The groaning voice was in his ear, the creature held one wrist
in either hand, strong as a full fleshed man it had him fast, it's
long strong teeth near to his face. Talberth was on his feet and bashed
the skeleton against the wall. He slammed it again and one hand came free.
Before it could catch his wrist Talberth grabbed and caught the
clawed hand still holding him. With two hands he swung it round and
hard enough to break it's collarbone.
Hands caught him by the neck, wrapped around his arms and dragged
him away. Talberth screamed and kicked with his feet. He struggled in the
skeletons grasp as the took him from the room and through a hidden panel
that opened in the wall far opposite the door.
With it's arm hanging loose the first skeleton still held
Talberth's wrist in its other hand.
"Zzziii Vvviiizzz Pppaaazzz." it hissed into his face.
* * *
(To Be Continued...)