RE: AG - Hwy, who am I to say anything? :)

From: greydt@aol.com (Greydt)

Date: Thu, 22 Jun 1995 00:00:00 +0000

The old man sighed contently as he puffed leisurely on his
pipe. Sitting in a large, overstuffed chair that he frequented
everyday, the old man felt content as he stared into the fireplace
several feet away in front of him. The only source of light, the
room was bathed in the fireplace's reddishorange glow...somewhat
meditative, he thought. Rubbing the short neat grayish beard on his
face, the old man smiled as the door behind him opened with a
slight creak. Tapping his pipe clean into a tray, the old man
quietly stowed his pipe away in a box before seating himself
straight. With anticipation, the old man braced for the encounter.
     "Grandpa?", a small little voice sang out.
"Over here, Amanda." Listening to the little patter of feet,
the old man looked over when the sound stopped next to his chair.
Looking down at the grinning four year old in front of him, the old
man picked up the little girl and sat her down on his lap. "Is your mother
asleep?""Yup...momma and poppa are both asleep!" the little girl
squealed.Holding up a finger in front of his mouth, the old man made asign
of silence. In a whisper: "Now, now...this is OUR little
secret, okay? We wouldn't want your mother...", the old man paused
to peer cautiously over his chair at the door before returning his
attention to Amanda, "...to know that you've been staying awake way
past your bed time...okay?" With a warm smile the old man gently
tapped his granddaughter's nose, which brought out a tiny giggle."Okay,
grandpa", Amanda whispered back, "it'll be our secret."
A gleam in her eyes, the little girl became excited at the notion
of keeping a secret."Okay, now. Where were we last time?" Rubbing his
beard as he
furrowed his brow, the old man pretended to think hard for the
answer.Tapping him on the shoulder, the little girl sought to get the
old man's attention."Yes, Amanda?""Don't you remember, grandpa?! Amanda
was going to go stop
that big meany, Solaris...", beamed the little girl, "I remember
'cause I'm Amanda too!""You are quite right, Amanda. I remember the story
now..."
Staring at the fire again, the old man became lost in thought.
"Yes, I quite remember..."The age in her bones finally caught up to her
when she reached
the top of the winding trail. Pulling the cloak tight around her
against the strong wind, she waited as the rest of the party slowly
made their way up the rocky hillside. From the view on top of the
hill, the surrounding territory  even that beyond eyesight  was
a barren wasteland, with a few dead trees still clinging to the
lifeless ground in mockery of what it once was. The journey had
taken a week, and was quite uneventful. However, the lifeless gray
environment had slowly eaten away at not only the party's senses,
but their resolve as well. By the third day, no one even bothered
to speak anymore.Unfortunately, Amanda was already so use to the sight
that ith)0*0*0*made no difference to her. Squinting through the wind and
the dark
overcast above, Amanda made out the first of her party to reach her
position: Jessup.A large burly man, Jessup was a keen fighter who moved
with
grace that was unfamiliar to a man of his size. As a member of the
Order of Sten, his proficiency with weapons was just as impressive
as his physique. Although sporting a boyish look and a friendly
demeanor, Jessup was one that many did not dare anger.Amanda smiled to
herself as the large man easily hopped over
a small boulder and sprinted over to her."No need to rush, Jessup." Amanda
said in soothing tone, "the
territory around here is too perilous to rush through...although
you do make quite an impressive spectacle of it.""Yes, ma'am", answered
Jessup, his face turning slightly red.Grinning, Amanda peered around the
large man in front of her
and saw the last two members of the party reach the top of the
hill. Even huddled within the large cloak, Amanda easily made out
the lanky elven frame of Toven, the apprentice mage who volunteered
to be in the party. Like his demeanor, Toven took each step with
caution before attempting the next step. As an apprentice to
Archimage Alf, Amanda had met the young man a few times, but only
on a formal basis. Hence, she was surprised when Alf told her that
Toven was eager to go on the mission. So far, she was impressed
that the elf did not complain even once during the journey, smiling
to herself as she remembered how the elves she use to adventure
with complained bitterly about the weather.? Following behind Toven was
Sessa, clad in robes that swept
gently around her as the wind continued to howl all around them.
Although Sessa looked harmless enough, she wore a suit of chainmail
that barely showed under her robes...as well as her viciously sharp
longsword. Sweeping her long raven hair away from her face, Sessa's
impassive look showed no notice of the enviroment around her.
However, the glint in her eyes told Amanda more about the young
woman than anything else. Although Sessa had begun her training as
a healer, she later changed over to ranger training and quickly
became one of Amanda's favorite students.  With a wry grin on her face,
Amanda was glad to see that the
journey had not completely worn out her little group...the
anticipation of what was to come brought life back into their faces
as well as to their spirit. Glancing at the three standing around
her, Amanda knew that it was time."I am sure that you three already know
why we are here..."
Amanda whispered softly. Glancing at each momentarily to consider
their acknowledgement, she continued. "Before Archimage Airel
Daystar perished in the last attack, he was able to fashion a
number of teleporting rings...something like the teleporters at the
entrance to the Temple of Canaar. Each of you now possess one, and
the objective is clear...but I give each of you one last chance to
reconsider." Brushing some of the graying blond hair away from the front
of
her face, Amanda looked grimly at each of her party."Jessup?""It will be a
good fight, ma'am." Drawing his broadsword,h)0*0*0*Jessup looked up
towards the sky while presenting his weapon in
both hands. "By the name of Sten, the patron of warriors and
mercenaries, I give myself to the cause...for it will be a good day
to die. That...is what I decree." With an amused nod from Amanda,
Jessup sheathed his broadsword."Toven?"Hesitent, Toven looked away towards
the horizon for a second
before giving a nod of agreement."and Sessa?""Need you ask?" Sessa replied
with a slight grin."Then so be it..." With a slight gesture, Amanda
activated the
rings' teleporting magic and with a flash, the party disappeared
from their rocky surroundings.