Solo Warrior 3: Evil is not good...

[Bungleau]

Back to Chapter 2 - - - Back to the Beginning

Evening, in the Gael Serran. Missy Hissy, roused from her slumber, began to journey onward in the fields around Valeia. Rounding a bend, she spied four thieves tending a horse and broken-down wagon. Slipping her sword, she prepared for battle, dispatching them in moments.

"They don't make 'em like they used to," she muttered as she began to work on the locked chest that had fallen from the wagon. As its riches began to fill her pockets, she suddenly noticed that she had more room than she thought -- her gold purse was empty again! "Thieving Rogues!" she exclaimed. "I'll travel to Cet's underworld to kill you again... and again!"

As she began to travel back to Valeia to once again extract her emergency fund, the Gael Serran shimmered for a moment, and she found herself outside Valeia's gates once again. "Ya know, god," she cried out, "you could at least warn me before you cast that reverse time spell!" Considering the battle she knew was ahead, she decided to store her gold in a couple of pockets. That way, if a soon-to-be-bloody thief got one pocket, she'd still have some more with her.

Dispatching the thieves again, she mounted the horse and started her journey toward the Toad Village. As she was travelling, she got a bad feeling about Kerielle, and decided to check on her.

Kerielle was not feeling well, what with the confirmation that Algamesh was truly dead, and was walking around her windmill in quite a daze. In fact, she was so dazed she kept walking into the windmill itself, and her beautiful face was showing the scratches of the long sail-covered wings. Missy Hissy tried to get her to lay down, but to no use: Kerielle kept wandering around. Missy gave her a healing potion, and considered the fact that Kerielle might soon join Algamesh.

"Hmmmm..." she thought. "If I cut her just a little bit, I think I'll gain some blessing from the gods when she dies, just like I do with each creature I slay. And while I don't believe in killing innocents, if she's going to die anyway, I might as well get something out of it.

"But then there's that pesky oath I swore to that ghost in the tomb. While I don't care much for ghosts or promises made to them, my word is the most important thing I have... aside from this good magical longsword. Perhaps I'd better try to follow the spirit of the oath, and not just the letter."

Muttering aside, Missy Hissy stayed her blade in the hopes that Kerielle would come to her senses. As she left the windmill, she saw a raft tied near a dock. climbing on, she found she could travel like the wind. "Well, almost like the wind," she thought. "I never knew there were so many fish in this lake! Every time I turn around, there's another school of piranha waiting to be put to the table. I wonder what someone might pay to swim without having to worry about them..." Pensive, and thinking about Kerielle, she headed north.

She followed the river until its end, and then walked more until she came across a small lake. Spying some huts on stilts, she climbed up and ran into Ekbu, a Toad who did not like warm-skins and made no bones about it. Remembering the conversation with old Mekdawa, she said "Ukabu" to Ekbu. Ugg-bu.

Ekbu went gaga when she simply said the word, and ushered her to Shinwiki, the chief shaman of the Toad people. He told her about a great evil, but would not accept her offers of help to try to take care of it. Something about toad warriors being grumpy and fighting all the time. Frustrated, she walked away, and then remembered Mekdawa's magic word again. "Ukabu," she said, feeling a little silly as the Toad children snickered at her ratling accent. Like they could order a decent meal in a rattling restaurant... she thought.

Shinwiki went gaga over the Ukabu thing as well, asking her to defeat the evil and opening a door in the floor that led to it. Funny, she should have noticed that when she came in... gonna have to work on that. She headed down the stairs, through the tunnel, and up another set of stairs that opened into a small clearing with a clear, cold pond in it.

Wandering around, she found dry land and went exploring. Soon enough, she found the ancient toadem ground, and suddenly found herself beset by four swamp-beasts like the mutant wizard she had exterminated. Swinging mightily with her sword, dazed by the swamp fumes they were emitting, she soon found that even with a sword-arm as strong as hers, there were still those who were her equal. It grew dark....

And grew light again, as the gods cast another reverse time spell. Quickly she retraced her steps, wondering all along how she might handle four of the swamp creatures. She decided to use the hit and run approach, running up to one of the creatures, striking it, and running back to a safe distance to heal up. Hopefully, she could take them on one at a time and complete her mission.

Ultimately she succeeded, and as the last of the swamp-beasts disintegrated, she heard cheers from the toads in the bushes. Checking the Toadem area, she discovered an old chest with a small amount of treasure. Pocketing it, she went to examine the Toadem, admiring the craftsmanship. As she caressed the smoothly polished wood, a tingle ran through her. Then another, as the bad feeling about Kerielle returned.

Running back to Shinwiki (who rambled on about Ukabu again), she collected a magical staff and a hefty bag of gold -- not bad for a day's work, after all. Piloting the raft like a crazed woman, she headed back to the windmill to find Kerielle dead, gone to join Algamesh in the afterworld. All that was left was the Amulet that had confirmed Algamesh's death, and hastened Kerielle's. Silently she collected it, and swore to use it to defeat the evil forces that could snuff a life so full of promise....

Heading somberly back to Valeia, Missy stopped in at the warrior guild, where the guildmaster almost thanked her. He offered to train her in a few more areas, apparently as thanks for completing the task. Then he asked her to head back to the crypt to pick up a sword lost by another warrior. Thinking of the gold she'd receive (not to mention what other training she might be up for), she agreed. And as she stepped outside the gates of Valeia, she realized the sun had left and gone far into the night. Saying a silent memorial for Kerielle, she sat down to rest until the morrow....

On to Chapter 4

[ 02-26-2003, 10:48 PM: Message edited by: Bungleau ]

[kev]

Sleep tight Missy. It's another big day tomorrow.

[chi master]

I love the way you put those storys bungulea their GREAT!!!

[LiOnHe@rT]

yupz, it's gonna be a pretty LONG day, considering that some big greenish salads will HUNT YOU DOWN!!!!

[Wyvern]

Most excellent!!

More than a year ago there were a group of us from this board that started writing up stories about our characters and one of the group had them posted on the web. Alas, my old bookmark no longer works but I'll try and track Slip down and see if the old stories still exist on the web anymore.

Wyv

(Red gets to cheer! )

[Packrat]

Eeeka Jaaka...Ooola Jaaba!!!

You'll have to get Shinwiki to translate...I don't 'speak' toad....I'm just a good mimic. (I hope it means something good???...lol)

See you in the morrow, Missy.