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=		[Dragon] 1.13 - Black Boot Inn - Supper			=
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Thanin and Thwuck sat amidst a clutter of empty beer mugs at one of the 
oak tables of the Black Boot Inn.  Beside the two companions sat a
couple  of packages filled with some of the equipment they would need
for the  trip, including provisions, climbing equipment, torches,
healing salves, and some small tools. Their armour and weapons had been
repaired where necessary.

"Ahhh, now that's one hell of a good beer," Thanin exclaimed as he 
slammed his empty mug down onto the table - his tenth of the
afternoon.   The dwarf's head was feeling a little fuzzy.  "What do you
say, friend?"  he asked Thwuck after a thunderous belch.

The Chameros grinned in Thanin's direction. Though Thwuck hadn't drunk
nearly as much, the ale  was taking its toll. But a good meal would
surely solve this. "Beer excellent!" he said, as he waved to the waiting
girl for another refill. His manner of speech had returned to the
short-sentenced version his companions knew so well.

"Wonder where others are." Thwuck looked at the door with a frown on his
face. "Me hope no problems."

Prytz and Brianna walked in together.  They seemed to be discussing
something quietly between them.  Brianna looked agitated.  She looked up
and saw Thanin and Thwuck sitting at a table and strode over towards
them.  Just then the serving girl came over with two beers.  Brianna
picked them both up and guzzled one down.  She set it back on the girl's
tray and asked her to go get more.  Brianna then sat down at the table,
smiled sheepishly at the other two and said "Long strange day, huh?"

"Yeah," grunted Thwuck. "Long day." He looked suspiciously at the
tankard Brianna was holding. "You want that?" he asked.

Brianna looked quickly at the Thwuck and stammered, "Uh, were these 
yours?  I didn't mean to take your drink.  I mean, I did mean to, but
I'm  sorry, but...  Oh damn, here you go Thwuck, have it.  The girl is
bringing  more anyway."  Brianna then handed over the beer reluctantly.

With a few small gulps Thwuck made certain that Brianna didn't want the
beer anymore. He considered the tankard for a moment, and then downed
the rest. "Us drinking lots lately," he said to no one in particular.
"Where did pretty barmaid go to?" He looked around with bleary eyes.

Prytzouth smiled at Thwuck and Brianna as he plopped himself into the 
nearest chair. He waved to the serving girl, indicating he, too, needed 
a mug of ale. Then he turned to his friends and interjected nominally
to  the conversations.

The four of them sat together for some time, making jibes and commenting
on the city of Pas du Mer. No one seemed inclined to talk about the boat
just yet, or about what they'd do on Dragon's Island. It was enough to
drink beer and have fun together.

Melmar and Adain walked in, packs fuller than when they left.  Melmar
ordered a tankard of mead from the barkeep and sat down with the party,
smiling.  "You have NO idea what we've gone through today," he grumbled,
"The Alchemist's shop we visited was absolutely unbelievable.  We almost
got blown up two, maybe three times.  Right after we walked out, the
whole place just exploded and the crazy fool started dancing around IN
JOY!  Then he tried to kill the both of us, but his potion was,
fortunately enough, a dud. Gods, what a day!"  He finally looked at his
companions.  "I see we've started to celebrate already.  Any reason in
particular or are we all just happy to be alive?"

"For my part," said Adain as he seated down and ordered a huge glass of
cold white wine "I must celebrate just that. Oh my, when I saw that vial
flying to my chest... I was terrified! Well, what about you?"

"Bah - wizards, gods.  Neither are of any use - and the latter don't
even  exist!" Thanin expounded.  He had dealt with enough people skilled
in the  Art of magic to know it was a dangerous practice at best.  But
to  the dwarf's way of thinking, religion was a fallicy created by people
with  little faith in themselves.

"It's good to see you made it though," the dwarf added, smiling at his 
friends.

"We bought things and drank beer," said Thwuck. "No celebration, just
thirsty."

Thanin cleared his throat meaningfully as he cast a reproachful glance
at  his friend.  "I'll admit I am thirsty, but there's a reason for
that, Tua  - ah, Thwuck.  Isn't there?"  The dwarf did not want to
frighten his  friend back into his shell, but he felt it best to get
their friend's  past out into the open as soon as possible.

"It's okay, Thwuck.  They'll listen - just start slowly," he prodded
less  gruffly.  The dwarf clapped Thwuck on the shoulder to show his
support.

The Chameros cast a quick glance at the dwarf from the corner of his
eyes. Then he nodded to himself, as if some internal decision had been
made. "Thanin right. We thirsty because of long talk we had. You
probably should know too."

Thwuck drained the remains of the beer in his tankard and continued.
"Thwuck look like Orc because Thwuck was captured by Orcs. Have some
shape-shifting ability. They did bad things and perverted it. Did same to
little sister. Now Thwuck searching for cure." He fell silent, unsure
how to continue.

Thanin would not let him get away with it this easily. "Come on Thwuck,"
said Thanin. "Just tell them what you told me. And start with your
history before the capture," he added with a flash of inspiration. His
friend would probably be more self-assured if he could tell about the
grand life he had lived. And Thwuck needed to be proud about himself
more than anything else.

His assessment seemed valid. As Thwuck started to retell his story, his
voice grew again. The tale was little interrupted by the companions,
although the looks they exchanged varied from horror to unbelief. He
ended with the remark from Thanin, that the moon-shadow might be found
at the ruins of Taur-Nu-Gul.

The waiting girl had been standing at their table for some time,
apparently spell-bound by the story Thwuck had told. She looked at the
Chameros with moist eyes. "That is a beautiful story, sir," she said
stammeringly. "Beautiful and sad." She quickly put down the tray with
mugs she was carrying and wiped her eyes with the towel tied to her
belt, while hurrying back to the counter.

Thwuck followed her with his eyes, the expression on his face unreadable
to his companions. Then he blinked a few times, as if snapping out of
some sort of hypnosis. He picked up a mug of beer and drank deeply.
"There," he said. "I have told you my story. Now that you know who and
what I am, you may prefer to see me leave. It would grieve me, for I
have come to regard you with great affection, but I would understand."
He paused, holding the mug with both hands.

Brianna realized she was sitting on the edge of her seat in rapt
attention.  She leaned back in her chair and thought for a moment. This
explained alot of things to her. She looked at Thwuck, picked up one of
the other beers sitting there, raised the glass in a toast and said,
"May we find the moon-shadow at the ruins of Taur-Nu-Gul," and drained
her glass.

Prytz was silent for a moment, perhaps collecting his thoughts.  He
looked into Thwuck's eyes and replied, "Tuathe-de-Wuack, if anything,
your story has only strengthened your place in this group."  He raised
his mug.  "I, like Brianna, toast to your success... our success in
finding your sister and helping you find your cure."

The loyalty of his friends was not wasted on Thwuck. He managed to smile
at them, though his eyes were moist with emotion. "Thank you, my
friends, for your trust and understanding. This is more than I had dared
to hope for." He nodded in Thanin's direction. "If not for you, I would
have taken my own road by now, seeking to hide my past and affliction.
But now I think it is my turn to make a toast. A toast to all of you,
to friendship, and to the future. There is little that can stand in the
path of a company like this." He raised his mug to everyone of his
friends and drank deeply.

As Prytz tipped his head back to drink from his mug, a strange ball of 
light appeared above his head.  It's sudden appearance startled Prytz 
into a defensive position, cautiously watching the blue light transcend 
to the table beside him.

Brianna pushed back her chair from the table and gasped.  She stared at 
Prytz, wondering what he would do.

"Damn it!" Thanin cursed as he fumbled for his sword.  Brandishing his 
pipe, the dwarf jumped from his chair and watched the ball of light 
descend.

The ball reached the table surface, there to discippitate, leaving an 
elegantly decorated scroll.  Prytzouth set down his mug and picked up
the  scroll examining it.  A strange expressionless look shadowed his
face.

"What the hell... is... going... on?" Thanin asked much less vehemently, as
he examined his pipe curiously.

"A scroll? All that for a scroll?" said Brianna, still staring at Prytz
incredulously.

Prytz commented absently, "The House of Darmaux."  He broke open the wax
seal and unrolled the scroll, reading it slowly, thoroughly. When he
finished, he looked up at the group, his eyes gleaming with menacing
triumph. "They have found Maurkel," he replied in a low, almost gravely
voice.  His gaze turned to the window of the inn where he seemed to loose
himself in thought. 

Thwuck was the first to get his wits together. He put both of his hands
flat on the table, as if seeking an anchor in this rapidly moving world.
"Maurkel, you say. If my memory serves me right, that is the name of your
former friend, who turned out to be the murderer of the one you loved." He
looked at Prytz for confirmation.

Prytz turned his gaze from the window abruptly, as if shaken from a dream,
and looked upon his friends with his good eye and nodded.  "Yes." Prytz
clenched his fist, crushing the scroll violently, "And now, I've got him." 
He paused again, "Or so it would seem."  He tossed the scroll back on to
the table carelessly and sighed, as if he wasn't sure how he should feel. 

"There's a bit more to me, my friends, than you know, and a bit more to 
Maurkel.  You see we are cousins."  The tapestry of pain flowed 
freely through his voice and his eye.  Prytz pulled the sleeve of his 
shirt up and flipped up the patch over his bad right eye.  "And, this is 
the love he feels for me..."  The skin around his right eye shone like a 
purple star, his eye white, pupilless.  His arm was spidered with same 
purple scars.

"So, now it's a matter of being the hunter or the hunted.  He can't afford
loose ends, and I can't afford to -be- that loose end."  Prytz shrugged. 
"Besides, he denounced his claim as my kin by his sword and my blood.  Now,
-I- shall remove him from the family."  Despite his confident words, the
tall fighter slouched in his chair. 

"I'm sorry, my friends, but this is something I must do," he apologized,
his eyebrows raised, asking for forgiveness.  "A mage will open a portal
at the rise of the next hour to teleport me to the House."  Again,
Prytzouth paused.  "I hope you understand." 

Thanin wasn't sure if his mind was reeling in drunken stupor or because 
of Prytz's unexpected departure.  "How will you know where to find us?" 
he asked.  That left the unanswered question as to what the group would 
do next - stay here in Pas du Mer or go on to Dragon's Isle.

Prytzouth sighed.  "We're headed to a port city on the Isle, correct? 
What was the name again?" he mused over it for a moment.  "Merwatch, is
it?  Anyway, I'll have the mage teleport me there.  I know she's visited
the city once or twice, so it shouldn't be a problem." 

The Chameros bowed his head as if to acknowledge Prytzouth's claim. It
appeared he would lose one of his friends after all, but only for a short
time, and not for the reason he had feared.  "I can understand your need
to participate in this hunt. Though some might find your craving for
revenge wrong, I for one know how strong such urges can be. Yield to it my
friend. Find your enemy, and destroy him. And may his destruction bring
peace to your soul." 

The dwarf added viciously, "tear the bastard apart.  Vengeance or not, 
murderers and traitors deserve nothing less."

A flinch gripped Prytzouth suddenly; why?  He had never felt any remorse 
for his profession.  Those that he murdered deserved it, or so he told 
himself.  Regardless, he rarely let his body express his feelings, but 
apparently he didn't have the same control around these people.  Were 
they truly affecting him thus?  Was he beginning to actually care for 
them?  Troubled, Prytz pushed the thought out of his mind, or at least he 
tried to.

The remainder of the hour was spent in a subdued jovialness, as
paradoxical as it seemed.  There had simply been too many strange
occurrances this day, this week for that matter, to put the group
completely at ease.  They laughed a bit more about the senile mage and
gossiped a bit about the strange dark elf that only recently left their
company.  Prytzouth mused that not one member of the group felt any loss
over the drow, he was one of them.  Then again, he was cautiously aware of
most people. 

At the rise of the hour a blue haze began to form beside the table Prytz
sat at.  He sighed and finished his drink as the portal continued to grow. 
He quickly went to each of his friends, said goodbye and shook their
hands. As he approached Brianna, the elliptical portal intensified in
light, glowing a bright blue.  Prytz gave Brianna a hug and asked, "Take
care of Mist for me. She's a good horse.  Just be light on the reigns; 
she'll know where to go."
 
He stepped away from her and made one last bow to his friends before
jumping into the portal. As Prytzouth's form faded into the bright blue 
disk, it collapsed, the intense light gone. 

Brianna dropped back into her chair, grabbed a mug full of beer and drank 
it, all the while muttering "Strange day...  Strange day indeed..."

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=  [Dragon]	Volume 01  Scene 13	Copyright (c)  3 October, 1996	=
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=  Adain	--  The Cheshire Cat	  --  cat@adi.uam.es		=
=  Thanin	--  Darren Robinson	  --  drobin02@uoguelph.ca	=
=  Brianna	--  Ann Straut-Esden	  --  Tammarion@aol.com		=
=  Thwuck 	--  Mark Vanhommerig 	  --  mvan@oce.nl		=
=  Melmar	--  Andrew of Scarborough --  AStoner@MAIL.WESLEYAN.EDU	=
=  Prytzouth	--  Chad C. Walstrom	  --  cwalstro@d.umn.edu	=
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