Rancid Chronicles: part 16

There is a little Sun Tzu in all of us.
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Lo Ki
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Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2003 12:24 am
Location: Michigan

Rancid Chronicles: part 16

Post by Lo Ki » Thu Dec 25, 2003 6:37 pm

It shortly after noon and I and I had just returned from the day’s second trip to the well. The ladies were dyeing today and so needed the extra water. I had just unhitched the donkey when I heard a familiar voice coming from the open kitchen door. Rancid was teasing one of the women about something. I put the donkey in his stall and topped off his water bucket. I hung the harness on its hook and headed for the house.

“Well, you sure took your sweet time!” Rancid taunted as I entered the kitchen.

I surprised myself by answering with “I thought I’d give you time to get turned down by all the girls before I came in.”

Rancid was also surprised; his eyes widened a moment before he broke into laughter. “What happened to that scrawny, nervous scribe I hired?” he teased. “This place has changed you.”

He was right; I had changed over the past month. I was eating better than I ever had and was putting on some weight. The daily chore of filling the four water barrels on the cart had added muscle to my once thin arms. I was also more confident and had made business contacts and friends in the neighborhood. I just grinned and led the way to my shop in the front of the building. I sat at my desk and pulled out some fresh paper as my patron settled himself in the overstuffed chair. Sunlight was peeking through the windows and erasing the last of the late spring chill from the room.

“As I was saying,” Rancid began, “I never got a chance to use my escape plans. Someone ratted us out and our hidden guild site got raided by the town watch. I slipped out a supposedly secret passage and ran right into a trap. As I exited into an alleyway, I heard strange chanting. As the chanting stopped, I went totally numb and fell to the ground. I could not move. My eyes still blinked of their own accord and my lungs still filled and emptied with a reassuring rhythm; but I could not turn my head or move my arms and legs. I did not even feel the hands that rolled me over. I found myself looking up at two thugs from the guild and a familiar looking mage. He was none other than the one I had stolen the ring from.

The thugs bound my hand and feet and put a bag over my head. I did not feel them lift me but had a sense of sustained movement. I soon began to feel queasy but managed not to puke. After what seemed like hours but was probably only minutes, I began to regain feeling in my arms and legs. With the recovery of my sense of touch, I soon determined I was in a rather cramped wooden box. The sense of movement continued for a while longer and then paused for a moment. I guessed a door was opened and when the movement resumed I heard heavy booted footsteps on a wooden floor. We obviously went down some stairs as I was practically stood on my head for a minute or so while the thud of boots on wood grew louder and then quieted as they hit a more solid surface at the bottom and I found myself horizontal again. A few moments later the box was put down with a thud. I had been working at my bonds but had made no headway. My dagger and hidden knives were not where they should have been.

The box was apparently opened as I felt cool air envelope me. I hadn’t noticed til then how stuffy the box had gotten. This time I felt the hands that lifted me none too gently. I was plopped down on something hard and was dazed for a few seconds as my head bounced once on the unforgiving surface. Someone grasped my wrists tightly and my bonds were cut free. My arms were stretched out to my sides and tied down. Then they did the same with my legs. The sack was pulled off my head and I saw the same two thugs from the alley. ‘Strip him,” a voice commanded. I craned my neck until I could see the mage standing by a table covered with a variety of vials, bottles, and jars. I was strapped down to a large stone block in a large room. Assorted strange symbols and artifacts covered the walls. The two thugs stripped off my clothes and oohed and ahhed over the valuable items they found in my pockets. ‘What about this stuff,’ one asked the mage. ‘Take it,’ he answered, ‘I have what I want.’ I did not like the sound of that but it obviously pleased them. They took my stuff and left the room.

The mage came over to the table and looked down at me. ‘You cost me a valuable partnership,’ he said. ‘But I’m not going to kill you. Not on purpose at least. I had planned to at first; but with time I came up with something better. I have some spells and rituals I have been dying to try; but, I never had a suitable subject before.’

I finally got up the nerve to speak. ‘What’s makes me so suitable?’ I squeaked out. I immediately hated myself for giving him a clue as to just how scared I really was.

He grinned down at me. ‘You’re the only one who has ever pissed me off this badly,’ he answered. That did not make me feel any better. ‘As I said, you should live through this; though, you may wish you were dead before it’s over,’ he continued, ‘Of course, with new magics, nothing is certain.’

I will spare you the details of what followed. I still have no idea how long it went on. I did indeed pray for death but the gods did not listen. My only comfort was when I blacked out from time to time; but, I always awoke to the same nightmare. Always, until one last time; that proved to be a different kind of nightmare.”

Rancid had said these last words in a flat listless tone. When I looked up, he was simply sitting there staring out the window. After a few moments he finally stirred. Without a word, he rose and left; but a pall seemed to hang in the room. I quickly dried the ink and headed out into the sunshine myself.
Lo Ki Level 80 sword
Brion Level 46 spear
Ahn Lo Level 49 four school mage
K'tellen Level 52 trade mule

Radacast
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Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2003 6:12 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Post by Radacast » Fri Dec 26, 2003 7:34 pm

my heart actually leapt when i saw there was a new addition to your story. Keep them comming i'm dieing to know whats going to happen :D

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