VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 10:13:55 02/27/02 Wed
Author: Ravin
Subject: The first temple

A wicked grin crossed Marz's face when Tristan suggested locking their friends in the closet. "You're really coming up with some excellent ideas lately," he whispered, before playfully nipping at the dragon's earlobe. As soon as Corum and Barry entered the closet, Marz ran forward to close and lock the door. After bolting the entry door as well, he began pulling his clothing off as he made his way back to the bed where Tristan awaited him.

Luckily, they were finished with what they set out to do when Corum burst in on them, followed by Barry. Tristan tensed immediately. Obviously, he wasn't too happy about seeing their friends walk in while they were sharing an intimate, after the lovemaking, kiss. When Marz saw the look on the dragon's face, he knew there was no chance for further cuddling. Sighing, he removed his naked ass from the bed and dressed quickly. At least he wasn't shivering from the cold any longer! Soon, they were on their way to the kitchen where more of their companions were getting ready to leave the tower.

*******


Ravin couldn't wait to explore the ruins since that would keep his mind off the disaster at the tavern. He sent a silent prayer to the gods of stealth, thanking them for the safety of the Rovers before turning to speak with Justin.

The mercenary liked Ravin's idea of him staying at the tower to guard Alakbar and whatever treasure they had found thus far. Sheikh Daraba went on to insist that two of his four men also remain at the tower. "It is good for us to be having a secure base of operations to return to."

Once that business was taken care of, Ravin studied the map that Isobel set before him. She did an excellent job of making a copy from the one Ebessa had scrawled in the dirt with a hoof. Ravin loved maps. He had a small box of them hidden beneath a floorboard in his shack. Most of them depicted different sections of the sewer system and other tunnels that ran far below the city of Bizmar. A few of the maps were drawn from memory later, after the thief's excursions into such places as the Royal Imperial Place of the Aysealar King. Ravin didn't know how to read and write, but he certainly knew how to draw a map with some degree of expertise!

A grateful smile crossed his lips when Isobel handed him a plate of food. The thief had the very bad habit of forgetting to eat until food was practically shoved under his nose. After a couple of forkfuls of beef and potatoes, he pointed to three buildings on the map with circles drawn where the roofs should be. "I think these are temples, because I saw a picture of one at Kazabet's place and it had a roof that resembled an inverted whole mushroom." He tapped a finger on the temple that appeared to be closest to the tower. "I guess we should start with this one. The map is void of doors and other openings, therefore we won't know how to enter the building until we get closer."

Ravin washed down another piece of beef with java then yawned. It had been a very long day, and now they were about to go exploring in the wee hours of the morning. "I think we're about three hours away from sunrise. It might be a good idea for our group to get some sleep after investigating the one temple tonight. A lot of us are emotionally drained, and I hope that doesn't cloud our judgment."

When everyone finished eating, Ravin gathered the group in the large hall just outside the kitchen. "Anyone who's too tired to explore the ruins tonight can remain here with Justin, Alakbar and a couple of the Jann." The thief pulled one of the torches from a wall bracket, and handed it Jeremy. "A little light will make it easier to notice any traps." Since the otherworldly youth fought with only one hand, carrying the torch shouldn't hamper him.

A short time later, they made their way out the front door of the tower to be greeted by the sounds of what could only be wolves howling in the distance. Large rats scurried across their path as they made their way to closest temple. Soon they came to a stop before wide stone steps, crumbling with age, which led up to a partially opened door. "Be careful," Ravin said, as he gingerly set his foot upon one of the steps. When it didn't collapse beneath his weight, he climbed higher, beckoning the others to follow behind him. Everyone paused and looked up when the sound of flapping was heard above them. An instant later, small pieces of mortar fluttered to the ground when what looked like a large bat about two feet long, seemed to hug the dome like roof that was also made of stone.

"This ancient structure is a little unstable," Ravin whispered, his eyes still on the huge bat some fifty plus feet above them. Since the thing didn't seem to pose any threat to them at the moment, the thief slowly mounted the rest of the steps, leading the others into the entry hall of the temple.

The massive fifty by fifty foot room held a number of large statues of a half-woman, half-leopard creature, a pile of moth eaten prayer pillows in one corner, and a stone alter near the northern wall. "That is the representation of Keega, the predator god worshipped by werecreatures and outlawed hundreds of years ago." Sheikh Daraba's voice boomed, echoing in the chamber. "We must look for a secret door! My dream said that I would find the throne in catacombs beneath a temple."

Ravin met the Sheikh's eyes then moved a little closer to the altar. "There are three temples in these ruins. Don't get your hopes up that this is the one where you'll find your throne!"

The thief glanced up when a noise sounded from the high domed roof above their heads. "LOOK OUT!" he shouted when a small section of the roof came toppling down, bringing not one, but two giant sized bats along with it. Ravin dove out of the way, when a shower of rubble rained down on him, and others close to the area of the collapse.

The large bats seemed stunned for a moment then they flapped their leathery wings and flew at those who hadn't been pinned or buried under the rubble. The wind generated by their wings instantly put out Jeremy's torch, plunging the large room into near total darkness.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

Forum timezone: GMT-6
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.