Back to page 8

-----Quickly the jester bends down out of sight and then reemerges again holding a slumping form in his arms. Sol’s heart sinks as he sees the unconscious form of Kazel. The jester looks down at her with a look of mock surprise and then looks back up at Sol. He then quips, "Sorry, she appears to be out at the moment."
-----From around the stable comes a dark form. It wears dark clothing and a dark cloak lined with what looks like webs. Covering its head appears to be a skull-like mask. It steps up by where the jester stands and pauses looking at the young warrior.
-----Suddenly, right beside Sol, appearing out of nowhere, another dark form materializes. It holds a dark sword toward Sol’s neck and in a grating hissing voice says, "Drop your weapon now or the girl dies!"
-----The jester begins to laugh maniacally.
-----"I've done this dance before. I drop my weapon, I die anyway and her after ye've finished." Sol sneers. He does not want to risk the life of his companion, but he cannot deny the rage. People, like this, are holding his friend's lives in the balance, and there is little else he loathes more. This cannot bow their way. Wordlessly yelling his defiance as his gives way to his emotions, Sol skips away from the man holding the blade to his neck, and charges the jester. If he can just slay the fool and protect Kaz...
-----It's only his life. He's prepared to give that in return.
-----As Sol charges, the one who held the sword at his neck swings in surprise not expecting the foolhardy but gallant action. The sword completely misses Sol. Likewise the other dark form standing near the other window where the jester is swings at Sol and misses.
-----As Sol continues on to the window, the jester smiles and intones something in a low voice. Sol feels a tingling at his eyes but in his rage he shakes it off.
-----A look of disbelief and fear comes over the jester as he backs up from the window avoiding Sol’s lunge for the window. Still holding Kazel’s limp form he shouts from the shadows, "Damn you! Stop him!"
-----As Sol is stopped momentarily by the window frame, the dark spider form reaches for him, but misses the struggling warrior. The other dark form steps up behind him and swings the flat of his blade at Sol. The weapon slams into the back of the warrior slightly below the neck. Although it hurts, it does not stun Sol.
-----With a very determined look, Sol tries to hoist himself through the window. In his urgency, the warrior slips and struggles to pull himself up as the two dark ones behind him both beat at him with their weapons. Just as Sol decides to bolt for the stable door, the dark one wearing the skull mask hits him in the back of the head. Sol reels for a moment, fighting to carry on, but his strength and balance begin to leave him. As he goes unconscious, the dark one pulls him from the window and throws him roughly to the ground.
-----Just then the Dread Pirate runs into the courtyard from the steps of the keep. He throws a dagger at the dark ones but the weapon hits the side of the stable with a thud. The two dark ones turn in his direction. Instantly the other dark one, this one whose face cannot be seen, raises his hand and vanishes. The one in the skull mask begins to tie up Sol.
-----Seth standing in the door of the keep, sees the Dread Pirate attack the two by the barn. He quickly reaches into his component bag and tries to find some sand. He gauges the distance and tries to make sure he is within range. He then casts a sleep spell as he scatters sand in the direction of the two dark forms. However the dark forms below seem unaffected by the spell.
-----The Dread Pirate immediately comes to a screeching halt and sprints back into the keep, ignoring Sol and his current malady. As he dashes up the stairs, he sees before him sticky strands begin to develop on the stone work around him. As memories of Sarah’s web spell flash through his mind, Gimplefwick leaps forward.
-----He clears the impending sticky goo and lands on his feet, hardly stirring a feather on his parrot. Someone cursing is heard behind him as Gimplefwick gains the landing in front of the door. As he runs in, he nearly knocks into Seth. He cuts in as close as possible to his trap, so as not to give any hint of its presence. He then cuts over to the nearest wall and waits for anyone following him to trigger his trap. He then draws his cutlass.
-----After a few moments, everything falls silent outside and no one appears at the door.
-----The Dread Pirate grins maniacally at Seth, pantomiming wiping sweat off his forehead. He quietly whispers to Seth, "Arrrr, that was a close one. They got Sol. I suppose they got somebody else too, but I don't know who. Do you think Woder would help us if he were untied? Or at least help you? If you think he would, then untie him and hand him a weapon. We can use all the help we can get."
-----Seeing that nobody is rushing into the keep after him, Gimplefwick then moves as far away from the entrance as possible. He attempts to hide in the shadows against one of the side walls, keeping an eye on the entrance and the window.
-----After a moment’s consideration, the Dread Pirate decides that the enemy must have webbed the entire area around the door, effectively blocking it as a means of entry. Hoping that at least a couple of them are outside trying to figure out a way to get past the sticky substance, the Dread Pirate tips over the barrels of oil, pointing them towards the bonfire. He pauses for a moment, offering up a brief prayer to Joren that the dark ones moved Sol to a different area for safe keeping.

Go Back to the Chronicle of Adventures

Go Back to Tales of the Guild