Myth Stakes
Disclaimer: I own nothing but a bottle of IBC, which I am currently downing. Therefore sueing me will account to nothing. The Myth series belongs to Robert Asprin, not me, and this story is just for fun. IN OTHER WORDS I'M NOT MAKING ANY DAMNED MONEY OFF IT!!!!
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"The funny thing about travel is that we usually don't cross our fingers and hope that we come out of it alive, but that we survive each other on the way there."
-Jack
~~~~~~~~~~
Looking around me in Wicc, I surmised a few things right off the bat. First off, although this was an out-of-the-way dimension, it seemed that demons were common anyways. One out of every 8 people I saw were demons, and some looked like demon crosses. There was even a Khlad!
However, I seemed to be the only one marveling about the local people, as Aazh set pace immediatly for a castle. I followed, looking around at all the bustling streets. After all, Aazh was the one who knew Philloniel, and it seemed that Chumley and Tanda had met him once as well. Aazh began some little lecture on the dangers of this particular dimension, and I stopped listening, thinking about the money we would be making on this venture...and, more importantly, weither or not we'd get to spend it.
Caught up in these thoughts, my eyes began to wander, and fell on a bowman. Alright, so he was a bowman, I though to myself, Why was I still looking at him? Well, the answer became clear enough, as he hadn't noticed that I had spotted him and drew one of his arrows...pointed at us!
The bowman let fly and, without even thinking about it, I exerted my energy to stop it in midair. It clattered on the cobblestone street. My group members all turned to me in shock, especially Massha, whom the arrow would have hit.
"Wha-- how.." Guido stuttered intelligently. "Hah...you..." Nunzio added. I ignored them for the moment, turning back to where the bowman had been.
He had vanished.
Aazh went over and picked up the arrow in suspicion. He relaxed immediatly as soon as he got a closer look at it.
"It wasn't anyone of this dimension, that's for sure." Aazh noted, grinning, "Which is good news for us."
"Good news?!" I yelped, "Someone just tried to kill one of us!" Aazh grinned at that.
"Yes, but they're freelance. If it had been one of Phil's hencemen, it would have been an enchanted arrow. Which means we wouldn't have been that lucky."
All of this at once had started to make my head spin. Massha had been quiet, but she finally said something.
"I guess we--I--was lucky then.." she noted, "And for only one reason really. If Skeeve here had been paying attention to your lecture Aazh, he wouldn't have caught that arrow..."
"We're here." Aazh said, abruptly changing the subject. We had resumed walking, and we were now at the doors to the castle. Aazh knocked several times, and when the door finally opened, between the forth and fifth knocks, Aazh couldn't stop his fist and knocked once on the doorman's head. This got a giggle out of Tanda, and I tried to keep a straight face. After all, we hadn't been wearing disguises, but noone had said anything about it or looked at us funny. So I took the doorman's reaction a bit hard until I realized it had been directed at the members of our party he did know, e.i. Aazh, Tanda and Chumley.
To get back on track, the look he gave us was of pure disgust. His voice was slightly nasal and very sarcastic.
"Well well, if it isn't the infamous Pervert Aazh," the man sneered, "And the troll-trollop team. What in the nine hells are you doing here?" The wiccen suddenly looked behind Aazh and Tanda, "And who's the small-stuff Khlad?"
I bristled at those comments. However, I didn't get a chance to answer, as Aazh began snarling the answer before I got to.
"Thats Pervect, and this is the one you called for, The Great Skeeve! Any questions?!"
The Wiccen immediatly blanched.
"I beg pardon...The Great Skeeve....I...I had no idea...." he stuttered, bowing. I smirked at the image he presented.
"Now, if you're quite through, " I said loftily, "We seek audience with Prince Philloniel."
The Wiccen got up. "Follow me." He turned and led us down a hall, and into a vast chamber.
There was a throne front and center, and Prince Philloniel sat on it...
Disclaimer: I own nothing but a bottle of IBC, which I am currently downing. Therefore sueing me will account to nothing. The Myth series belongs to Robert Asprin, not me, and this story is just for fun. IN OTHER WORDS I'M NOT MAKING ANY DAMNED MONEY OFF IT!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~
"The funny thing about travel is that we usually don't cross our fingers and hope that we come out of it alive, but that we survive each other on the way there."
-Jack
~~~~~~~~~~
Looking around me in Wicc, I surmised a few things right off the bat. First off, although this was an out-of-the-way dimension, it seemed that demons were common anyways. One out of every 8 people I saw were demons, and some looked like demon crosses. There was even a Khlad!
However, I seemed to be the only one marveling about the local people, as Aazh set pace immediatly for a castle. I followed, looking around at all the bustling streets. After all, Aazh was the one who knew Philloniel, and it seemed that Chumley and Tanda had met him once as well. Aazh began some little lecture on the dangers of this particular dimension, and I stopped listening, thinking about the money we would be making on this venture...and, more importantly, weither or not we'd get to spend it.
Caught up in these thoughts, my eyes began to wander, and fell on a bowman. Alright, so he was a bowman, I though to myself, Why was I still looking at him? Well, the answer became clear enough, as he hadn't noticed that I had spotted him and drew one of his arrows...pointed at us!
The bowman let fly and, without even thinking about it, I exerted my energy to stop it in midair. It clattered on the cobblestone street. My group members all turned to me in shock, especially Massha, whom the arrow would have hit.
"Wha-- how.." Guido stuttered intelligently. "Hah...you..." Nunzio added. I ignored them for the moment, turning back to where the bowman had been.
He had vanished.
Aazh went over and picked up the arrow in suspicion. He relaxed immediatly as soon as he got a closer look at it.
"It wasn't anyone of this dimension, that's for sure." Aazh noted, grinning, "Which is good news for us."
"Good news?!" I yelped, "Someone just tried to kill one of us!" Aazh grinned at that.
"Yes, but they're freelance. If it had been one of Phil's hencemen, it would have been an enchanted arrow. Which means we wouldn't have been that lucky."
All of this at once had started to make my head spin. Massha had been quiet, but she finally said something.
"I guess we--I--was lucky then.." she noted, "And for only one reason really. If Skeeve here had been paying attention to your lecture Aazh, he wouldn't have caught that arrow..."
"We're here." Aazh said, abruptly changing the subject. We had resumed walking, and we were now at the doors to the castle. Aazh knocked several times, and when the door finally opened, between the forth and fifth knocks, Aazh couldn't stop his fist and knocked once on the doorman's head. This got a giggle out of Tanda, and I tried to keep a straight face. After all, we hadn't been wearing disguises, but noone had said anything about it or looked at us funny. So I took the doorman's reaction a bit hard until I realized it had been directed at the members of our party he did know, e.i. Aazh, Tanda and Chumley.
To get back on track, the look he gave us was of pure disgust. His voice was slightly nasal and very sarcastic.
"Well well, if it isn't the infamous Pervert Aazh," the man sneered, "And the troll-trollop team. What in the nine hells are you doing here?" The wiccen suddenly looked behind Aazh and Tanda, "And who's the small-stuff Khlad?"
I bristled at those comments. However, I didn't get a chance to answer, as Aazh began snarling the answer before I got to.
"Thats Pervect, and this is the one you called for, The Great Skeeve! Any questions?!"
The Wiccen immediatly blanched.
"I beg pardon...The Great Skeeve....I...I had no idea...." he stuttered, bowing. I smirked at the image he presented.
"Now, if you're quite through, " I said loftily, "We seek audience with Prince Philloniel."
The Wiccen got up. "Follow me." He turned and led us down a hall, and into a vast chamber.
There was a throne front and center, and Prince Philloniel sat on it...