Pages Menu
Twitter
Categories Menu

Posted by on 2000 Jun 6 |

Sorrow’s Embarrassment.

(The Provinces: 283 Moliko 361)

Sureshooter walks through the doorway and crosses the room to sit apon a barstool and lean on the bar.

"The usual, Baresh," says Sureshooter as he removes his gladiator’s helmet and sets it on the bar.

Baresh reaches under the bar and pulls out a pair of small kegs of taffelberry juice which he hands to Sureshooter in exchange for some gold coins. Sureshooter puts one keg in his pack for later and proceeds to remove the cork on the remaining keg and sip from it before saying, "More please. Tonight I spoil myself, I did a great deed today."

Baresh reaches under the bar and pulls out a third keg and hands it to Sureshooter for another golden coin before asking, "And what deed might that be?"

Sureshooter’s face brightens and he shouts out, "I poisoned that evil Sorrow!"

Gasps from the few patrons in the bar vanish as quickly as they sound to listen in further.

Baresh asks, "How? I’ve heard rumors he’s invincible somehow"

Sureshooter says, "Naaaaa, anyhow here’s my story;

"There I was, passing along the northern trade route, when I noticed people heading in the direction of stone clan, and with the recent invasions, I thought it would be good to help out if something was up, and sure enough, there was. Many dead and injured lay at the foot of the stone clan, so I proceeded up through the hills toward the reach, slaying several S’lai and Elpalzi along the way, when I passed through the tunnel I came across a large war party battling the evil forces and I proceeded to aid them in attacking a stone barricade, during it I was somewhat wounded by boiling oil those cowards poured apon us, and I had to fall back and let my healing herbs do their work.

"It was then, under the waterfall by the other injured and dead I found out the exit through the tunnels had been blocked," Sureshooter pauses to take a big gulp from the keg of taffelberry juice and catch his breath before continuing his tale.

"And who showed up while I was resting? Sorrow himself! He proceeded to brag and say there was no escape for the many dead and injured around me. It was then that I saw my opportunity, I slipped behind a stone and gave great strength to my cambrinth artifacts and rested listening to him state he’d allow people who swore fealty to him to leave alive." A horrible scowl crosses Sureshooter’s face as he continues…

"Some of them actually swore fealty to him, disgusting!" He pauses to take a small sip of his drink.

"I waited until the time was right and his back was turned to me, and prepared the swarm spell, making sure my cambrinth artifacts were in alignment with me, I then leaped out behind him, and gave a mighty shove, throwing him southwards towards the collapsed tunnel, I quickly gave chase, and before he could recover and rise to his feet, I casted, and with the energy of my cambrinth artifacts a terrible fury of hornets rose against Sorrow, badly blistering his skin and poisoning him!"

An unknown patron at a nearby table says, "What happened then?"

Sureshooter says, "I’ll tell you what happened my friend, his lackey Shartug snuck up behind me and clubbed me on the back of the head, not quite knocking me out, but knocking me over dazing me, Then Sorrow got up a few moments later, and he used some strange spell to caused my body to explode, I should have been more cautious, however I delt Sorrow a terrible blow that day, and as a spirit I continued to watch him until our valiant warriors shattered the obstruction in the tunnels and came to save us, and he was visibly shaken and distraught as the poison wore him down even after nature’s little warriors had fled the battlefield." Sureshooter makes a buzzing noise that sounds somewhat like a hornet to illustrate his point.

"And when our warriors had finally broken through, Sorrow had quickly fled and ran back behind his barricade, and the dead and injured were saved thanks to my painful distraction that kept him from attacking the few that lived on our side of the cave-in who were working to open it."

Sureshooter ends his story by taking one last sip from his keg, and retrieving his gladiator’s helmet from the bar and donning it.

Sureshooter begins to walk out, but not before flinging a gold coin over his shoulder to lodge halfway into the keg’s cork on the bar causing the cork to spin and roll towards Baresh who catches the cork in both hands as it rolls over behind the bar, When Baresh looks up Sureshooter is gone, leaving only a trail of taffelberry juice in his wake.