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Date Posted: 16:06:01 12/15/01 Sat
Author: Tia and co.
Subject: Cave fun and time to spin again
In reply to: Isobel and Barry 's message, "Games people play" on 12:22:26 12/14/01 Fri

Because the brandy dulled her mind a little, Tia wasn't too clear on the rules of Jeremy's game. Rules were always meant to be broken so they really didn’t matter anyway. Anxious to get the game under way, she spun the dagger then jumped up and down excitedly when it landed on Erlic. So what if she didn't quite understand what in hades she was so excited about! She thought it was neat when she learned she had won three minutes alone with Erlic in a nearby cave. More time for him to work on that conversing stuff with me!

Tia took another big gulp of brandy before setting the jug down and dragging Erlic off to the cave Jeremy pointed out to her. Laughing, she pushed the guildmaster inside then hurried in after him, immediately tripping over his prone body and falling on top of him. "No laying down on the job," she said, pushing away from him. "You gotta start talking before we run outta time!"

Just as Erlic opened his mouth to say something, Tia got to her feet and tugged at his arm until he rose beside her. "Why's it so dark in here?" she asked, blinking a few times until her infravision finally kicked in. A tiny bit of light was also streaming in through the sides of the animal hide that covered the opening. Tia smiled when she caught sight of the mountain of bearskins lying to one side of the cave. She ran forward and whipped one across her shoulders.

"How do I look in a fur cloak?" she asked, wondering how well Erlic could see her in the dimly lit cave. She paraded around the small enclosure then leaned back against one of the walls, waiting for Erlic to say something. Suddenly, the stone at her back moved and she found herself peering into a narrow opening. "Hey, I think there's a passageway here," she called, an instant before dropping the bearskin to the floor and disappearing from the cave.

She jumped a moment later when Erlic crept up behind her. "Wish we had some light," she told him. The guildmaster pulled out one of his glow rods and shook it to life, bringing a smile to Tia's face. They stared at the long tunnel before them. It seemed to lead deeper into the mountain range. "Come on!" Tia said, grabbing his hand and pulling him forward to investigate. "We probably only have about two minutes left before our turn is over!"

*******


Instead of the sand timer, Jeremy decided to set the timer on his watch. When it beeped he knew the three minutes was up and yelled out to Erlic and Tia, telling them to come out of the cave. When they showed no signs of exiting, Marz grinned. It looked like his sensai was getting it on with Tia and he really didn't want to interrupt whatever they might be up to. He wished it were Corum in there with her but Erlic needed to get some action as well before his damn thing fell off due to lack of use! "Let's just get on with the game," he suggested. "We can use a different cave!"

When one of the tribe's women volunteered the use of her cave, Marz smiled at the otherworldly youth. "Aren't you supposed to go with Barry next?"

"NO WAY!" Jeremy shouted. "I don't mind spending my three minutes alone with a guy BUT he has to have an entire body!"

The tribe woman who offered the use of her cave stood up. "Is okay I take his place maybe?"

Jeremy nodded. Being along with a half naked woman for three full minutes was a dream come true. He grinned from ear to ear until she beckoned Barry to follow her. "Oh shit!" he said, angrily stomping his feet while watching the skull and the woman enter her cave. "Why the hell did she chose HIM instead of me?"

"Because that bonebrain is a lot better looking!" Marz said before he roared with laughter. He followed another drag of the funny cigarette with a sip of brandy then glanced at Tristan, surprised to find him sitting so close and touching his arm. After giving the dragon a grin he faced the others around the campfire. "So, who's gonna spin next?"

*******


Erlic insisted they move down the passageway slowly since there might be traps so it seemed to take forever to reach the end of it. Tia was disappointed to find that it led to nothing but a wall of stone. Signing, she turned around and started to walk back the way they came but was stopped by Erlic grabbing her arm. Her eyes went wide when he announced that they had reached another secret door. "Shall we go on?" he asked lowly. A part of him was worried that they might meet up with another old man who had more tests of enlightenment to hand out.

Tia nodded eagerly, visions of a magnificent treasure hidden within a secret cave in the mountains entering her mind. She moved aside and watched in fascination as Erlic checked the entire wall before them for traps. He pulled what looked like a number of tiny pins out from some of the stone then slowly pushed the wall open. After telling her to be silent by placing a finger to his lips they crept inside the room beyond, which was dimly light by a few torches.

It didn't take them long to discover that they were in some sort of dungeon. Why the hell would there be such a prison hidden inside a mountain range? Tia wanted to ask, but held her tongue. Most of the cells they encountered held frail old men but one housed a youth of perhaps seventeen summers with very long, dirty black hair. He wore only a filthy rag tied around his waist and he was so thin that his bones seemed to protrude from his skin. When the boy saw them he jumped to his bare feet, grabbed hold of the cell bars and began speaking rapidly in one of the many dialects of Neromba.

Tia had lived in Neromba for a number of years but had never picked up much of the language. Although she couldn't follow everything he said, a shiver of fear ran down her spine when he spoke the word Qatil because she was certain it meant assassin. She got the feeling that his name was Alakbar since he repeated it over and over again along with hatar, which meant danger.

The liquor no longer dulled Tia's mind and she now found herself feeling more nervous by the minute. She was about to suggest to Erlic that they leave this place immediately before something bad happened but before she could say anything he began conversing quietly with the youth. Sure, NOW he decides to run off at the mouth!

"I take it you understand the language," she whispered. "I only understood the words danger and assassin, and that's enough to make me want to get the bloody hell out of here as quickly as possible. Plus, I think that our three minutes together was up a long time ago, so we best get back to the camp now." Once again she turned to leave but Erlic pulled her back. She tried to keep her rising fear under control as she stared at him questioningly.

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