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Story Hour
Meepo's Story Hour [NEWS! 6-19-02]
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<blockquote data-quote="Samnell" data-source="post: 1213" data-attributes="member: 130"><p><strong>VII-The Humans' Sun</strong></p><p></p><p>Wherein Meepo still can't get a good night's sleep</p><p></p><p>Burble pumped Meepo's hand back and even clapped the kobold on the shoulder. "That is right my friend, you make VERY good nice with Burble. You did an awesome and wonderful dead here. I would not have lived without your joyous and powerful dragon healing. You shine as your ancestors."</p><p></p><p>Meepo drew himself up with absurd pride. He still wanted to vomit at his empty-headed feelings, but he liked that he'd helped Burble.</p><p></p><p>Burble hadn't missed the looks Meepo was throwing at Embrill. "Meepo, did something happen while I was in my coma? Did Embrill say something I should know? Embrill not make nice?" Burble looked between Meepo and the druid. Now was Meepo's chance to test his friendship with Burble. He…wanted…it to be genuine...however revolting the thought was. Would Burble really stand with him against Worthless Druid?</p><p></p><p>Meepo told him gravely. "Embrill not make nice. Embrill say Meepo call him Worthless Druid or Riki his mate again, Meepo die in sleep."</p><p></p><p>Burble turned coldly to Embrill, his face unreadable. He carefully sized up the druid. "I see that you do not seem to hide your spots then Embrill. That you would leave me for the rats is a given. That you hate Meepo you have not hid, but you would threaten him when he tries to help me? Are you that sick as a bastard? Hells you fool. You're a druid? Or are you some Hextoite? You're as bloodthirsty as the Kobolds and Goblins that you claim to be against, yet all you seem to spout are insults and crap. Why the hells to you stay then if we are such a affront to you. Go back to your twigs then and leave us alone. Just remember, go after Meepo, and your dead. Simple enough. I have tried to have a truce with you, but you seem not to be even be able to accept that."</p><p></p><p>Meepo was astonished. Burble would kill for him. This was incredible. He was so surprised that he forgot to revise his plans for the certainty of Burble's support. The halfling's god magic might be useful. Meepo had never known Burble had it in him, but only moments ago he had healed himself of all his wounds and mended Sal's as well.</p><p></p><p>Then Burble turned to the others, "You with him on this folks?" Meepo's mind snapped back to the present. He knew Rhea was an anti-Burbleite. Lorn was hard to classify. He'd scorned Burble before, but then helped him when he was comatose. He'd helped Embrill too. Sal was definitely in Burble's camp, and Bryant too…but who would stand with Worthless Druid of the others? The lackwit with dragonblood had shown no allegiance. What about the new human boy, the one who could climb walls?</p><p></p><p>Jaryth spoke first. "OH give it a rest!!! Meepo's a bloody flaming KOBOLD, not Tharizdun!!! If he was Tharizdun, ya, then I could see quarreling about this. But he's not, so give it a rest!!"</p><p></p><p>Meepo put Jaryth tentatively in Burble's camp. The boy wasn't a strong Burbleite, but he might grow to be if handled properly. Then Rowland shifted all the alliances by providing a third option.</p><p>"Agreed. Can't we all just...get along?" Meepo nearly tried to drink his blood right there. So long as someone kept arguing for compromise then the fools might allow Worthless Druid to survive and stay with the group. Meepo could have none of that. With a mental sigh he realigned Jaryth with Rowland's compromise camp. Stupid humans.</p><p></p><p>The druid had finally decided to answer Burble's charges, though. Maybe this would polarize the group again and split the compromisers. Meepo hoped the Worthless Druid would be the fool he'd been before and hurl more insults.</p><p></p><p>"It's nice to see that your attempt at civility was all a front. You haven't changed any either it seems. You know you would do the same to me if the situation was reversed."</p><p></p><p>Yes! The dissention would continue. The distrust would grow. This was perfect!</p><p></p><p>"As I said, so long as Meepo shows me the basic courtesy of using my name instead of the insult *you* taught him, he'll be fine. Have I called him derisive names? I think not. As I said, it's nice to see that this change of heart was nothing but a lie."</p><p></p><p>Then Meepo nearly ripped out his horns. The druid directed the conflict right back at him again. Now all attention would be focused on Meepo. Meepo would be seen as the problem. Why couldn't the Worthless Druid just keep railing against Burble?! As long as Burble was the problem, there was less chance of the group uniting against Meepo.</p><p></p><p>After a moment, though, Meepo's brain was flooded with human blood again. His frustration bled out of him and he felt empty inside. He was still thinking of Burble as a tool, something to distract the group away from him. Burble had been nice to Meepo, but Meepo was still trying to manipulate him and use the halfling as a shield against Embrill. That was no way to treat a friend. He wanted to throw up. He wanted to take his sword and fall on it. Meepo was utterly disgusted with himself. Now only was he using a friend, he was upset about doing it!</p><p></p><p>What had these humans done to him? Had they infected him with their diseases? Is that why they were so stupid, they had brain rot?</p><p></p><p>Burble had a quick reply, "Meepo stands by me and my friends. Can you say the same about you? Have you any, except for your puppy, who would fight to save your life? And I would trust his word a lot more then yours in any case."</p><p></p><p>Meepo felt even worse now. Burble was still defending him, and he'd been thinking of the halfling as no more than a patsy. He wondered if he'd lose his scales and grow tall like a human now. He was starting to think like them. Meepo had never had a more depressing thought.</p><p></p><p>And Burble kept doing it! “Meepo may be just a Kobold young squirt, but he is also my friend and someone I trust. You know nothing of this situation. Your entitled to have your opinion, but remember, Embrill is faithless in trust. I stand by those that I would work with, I roll the dice of my Gods, Can you say the same with your own beliefs? As for your naming of the Dark One, I shall hope that you do not go to his endless waste when you die."</p><p></p><p>Jaryth shrugged, "He has no power over me." The boy was stupider than Meepo thought. He must be on the same level of idiocy as the dragonblooded one. Human gods were fools…except maybe Burble's…but there weren't powerless fools.</p><p></p><p>"Well we shall have to see, if and when you die then Jaryth I will wish you well then for your own inner abilities, should they prove true." Burble answered Jaryth.</p><p></p><p>Burble turned to the dragonblooded one now. Rowland the peacemaker's faction was already crumbling. "If you remember, I tried, on more than one occasion to offer to work with and even...get along…with Embrill. He has treated me with scorn, insults and hatred at every turn. Your naivety makes you not see the truth in his deceptions. He spouts his ill manner left and right, You might reflect on that in the real world, his actions will lead you to a grave. Well mine might do the same, but at least you know where I stand. Doubt you can with him."</p><p></p><p>"He looks down on just not me, but this whole cause, I am at a loss why the bugger would even be here. Makes you think, just what is it that drives this pile of dung. I have been upfront with you from the start. I am in this for the money and treasure, as well as to going some possible contacts. You have your own reasons, but Embrill, Druid of Dung?"</p><p></p><p>That was a good question. Meepo didn't know why Worthless Druid was here. No, Meepo corrected himself: Worthless Dung Druid.</p><p></p><p>Jaryth butted in again, "What is our cause? I'm curious." Meepo thought he was curious in more than one way. The boy was outright insane.</p><p></p><p>Embrill spoke up first, "I hide nothing. And my threat to him had nothing to do with him helping you. He can stuff your guts in a sack and keep them over his shoulder every time you fall for all I care."</p><p></p><p>"Your still a piece of dung for your actions Embrill. Like I have said, why the hell do you stay if you have such strong hatred and ill will for myself and the Kobolds. If your opinion is so great and mighty, and your convictions for Good, then why do you not just kill us all and have your vengeance. Gods above, you're an overall waste of air. So full of it and smelling like crap."</p><p></p><p>Meepo nodded to himself. Embrill was definitely the Worthless Dung Druid now.</p><p></p><p>"Well I for one am here to help to rescue or at least bring back the rings of two whelps that came here with a paladin and their ranger scout. Their dad's henchman hired us, for 250 gold pieces each, to get their signet rings or the kids themselves. They came this way a couple of weeks ago and have not been seen since. Plus a chance to stiff it to some goblins might be nice as well. Like I said, I am in it for the money. Nature boy seems to sneer at that, but hey, I am honest about it, not sneaking about with these unsaid motivations." Burble told Jaryth. Meepo could respect that sort of motivation.</p><p></p><p>Talk of gold aside, Meepo could tell Worthless Dung Druid had lost his patience.</p><p></p><p>The half-elf lost his composure and broke out in a full blown laugh that, coming from him, sounded more disturbing than mirthful. After a few moments, he calmed down enough to speak.</p><p></p><p>"How can you sit and blatantly LIE like that and sleep with a good conscience at night? Are you living in TOTAL delusion?!?!? I have been NOTHING but honest as to how I feel about anyone here. The only person I have stated my severe distaste for is YOU! YOU!"</p><p></p><p>He pointed his finger at Burble with emphatic stabbing motions. "You call me worthless. I doubt Sal and Rhea would agree on that. They may not LIKE me, nor am I asking them to. But worthless? Pah!”</p><p></p><p>“And if I'm not a total liar as you seem to be calling me, I remember Riki and I wading forward into the fray with the goblins and risking our lives to help EVERYONE out. Did I turn and run? No. Did I sit back and watch and smile and let everyone get slaughtered? No. And I didn't do it for money. Whatever my reasons are, they are MINE. But greed was never a factor. '</p><p></p><p>Worthless Dung Druid was as stupid as Meepo had hoped.</p><p></p><p>"I have grown sick of your LIES. I have grown sick of your bragging and boasting and strutting as if the whole of the world exists only at your sufferance. I will tolerate it NO longer!!! As of this point, you - Burble, no longer exist to me. Your words are as the wind. Your blood pooling on the ground when you die is as water from a spilled cup. You exist no more. My eyes see through you."</p><p></p><p>Meepo wished he could say the same about Embrill.</p><p></p><p>The Dung Druid took his knife from his belt and cut a small gash on his palm. He didn't wince and his face showed no trace of pain as he watched the blood well up in his palm. The half-elf then raised his palm to his mouth and licked the small pool of blood from it. He swished it in his mouth for a second and then spit on the ground at his own feet as he finished his oath and turns away to the others.</p><p></p><p>"If you wish me to leave, tell me. I would at the least expect honesty from you. If you wish the use of my healing gifts, tell me. If you wish it from other sources, then that is your choice. I am done with this." Embrill returned to his corner of the room and dropped down, looking very weary.</p><p></p><p>He was tired, frustrated, and weak. Meepo now considered him less of a threat. He didn't have the willpower to withstand a long struggle. Meepo decided to defy the druid openly.</p><p></p><p>"Meepo still see Burble. Meepo still hear Burble. Meepo not care what Embrill see or say. Meepo good...companion." The word still tasted strange in his mouth.</p><p></p><p>Burble didn't waste long in composing a reply, "You snort as much as I do druid, Ok, I have said it before, many a time, Yes, GO AWAY. I DO want you to leave. Take your cur and fly back to your precious woodlands. Go dance with the fairies and fly with the bees. I could care less if I am nothing to you. Remember, I asked you once for healing, and you refused. I asked you to work with us, and you treated me with derision. Go off and sulk. Yes, you healed Rhea and from what I heard, stopped Sal from bleeding out. That much I grant you, But your attitudes , temper tantrums, and over all attitude show that you are worthless as a companion in adventuring. Take up your body and mouth and go spout your dung somewhere else. You hate it so much down here? Go sniff your flowers." Burble kept away from Embrill, as knowing the others weren't as firmly against the druid as he was.</p><p></p><p>Burble then turned to Lorn and Bryant and shrugs his shoulders. "Well he asked, so I responded, Take it for what you will.”</p><p></p><p>"Meepo, best you stay as far away from the dung sniffer, as I doubt he could control his base nature." Meepo wondered if Lorn and Bryant would take Burble's side in the dispute. Burble seemed to think so.</p><p></p><p>"What Embrill is saying is that he will act like a spoiled child. He will pretend that I am not here. He will try, though I doubt he will succeed, to pretend that anything I say does not happen. He will continue on his rants and live out his fantasies. Thanks Meepo, you are a good companion, and I appreciate that. Well lets get some more rest, maybe tonight, if your willing, we can make a dash to my mule, so we can retrieve the gear there. If not, we shall have to go into town soon to get food.”</p><p></p><p>“Um, well...I guess this is a kind of resolution. Burble and Meepo have nothing to do with Embrill and Rikki, and vice versa. I think we can manage that." Rowland timidly offered.</p><p></p><p>Meepo thought Burble was mad to risk another attempt to get to the damned mule. But Meepo found a way to make the idea of the trip a bit more tolerable. "Meepo will go when sun down. Sun not make nice Meepo. Dwarf come too?"</p><p></p><p>“I do not know what Sal will do. if he consents, I would love to have him at our side, as he is a good friend and a good warrior, If not, well maybe Bryant or one of the others. I understand why you do not want to go out in the sun and I accept that, Just hurts me as I am not like you or Sal, I can not see without light." Burble said.</p><p></p><p>"Burble bring torch. Then he see." Meepo reminded him.</p><p>Burble checked the group's supplies. "Well as far as I can see, we only have enough light to last us till around noon, unless you folks have some more oil or torches on you. I have more up on the mule, but we have to get there to get it. So we either stay here in the dark, make a break and head up to the surface now while we still have light and then make a camp up there, or even go back to town. So what say you all?"</p><p></p><p>Meepo sighed. He was going to have to go up under the humans' cursed sun. Bryant finally spoke up, "I say that now we are healed up enough to move and maybe even fight.</p><p>We get back to the surface, either just back to the mule or back to town doesn't much matter to me. And as all together as a group, I don't feel like being a snack for he rats again."</p><p></p><p>Embrill agreed with Bryant, "Agreed. It's certainly time now that we're all mobile again."</p><p></p><p>"I am game for making a try to the surface and I will say that I would like to get all we can from the mule. I am not sure we need go all the way back to town, but making a camp near the entrance, setting watches and healing another day or two would be good. I think if we do head to town that we shall have to combine our resources, as well have little to show for our efforts, We have just a little gold and the weapons that Sal was going to look over were left behind. We will want to stuck up on another lantern and more torches, as well as rations. I can keep us in fresh water, but that is about it."</p><p></p><p>This was no good. The sun was bad enough, but Burble wanted to go into some human town? Rowland, astoundingly, offered a counterargument.</p><p></p><p>“We need to consider one thing. Going topside may not go over well with our hostess. Or maybe our promise to fulfill our pledge is good enough." He turned to Meepo, "How do you think your queen will react if we go topside to resupply and recover for a couple days, if we give her our pledge that we'll return to fulfill our promise?"</p><p></p><p>"Yusdrayl send Meepo to see return Calcryx and kill goblin chief. Yusdrayl</p><p>not care so long Meepo with." That should keep him alive a bit longer. Meepo didn't much want to stay with his kobold clanmates, but he didn't want to see the humans' sun either.</p><p></p><p>Burble looked to Meepo and sadly smiled. "Meepo, it looks like we are going to go above before it is dark out. I know that you do not want to go and I would not ask you to. Stay here and rest and we shall return. It may be that we shall have to go back to Oakridge and if so we may be gone more then a day, though I would rather not. I will return and together and with the others, we shall rescue Calcryx and get you your totem back. For now, be well my friend."</p><p></p><p>Meepo let out a hissing sigh. He was going to hate this, "Meepo come. Sun not</p><p>make nice Meepo, but Meepo stay with Burble."</p><p></p><p>Up the group went, through the ruins and up a long flight of stairs into the cursed sun. The second it touched Meepo he felt like he was burning up. His eyes ached like some gnome had ripped them from their sockets and crushed them. Burble had thanked him for coming, but the sun still beat on him like the Worthless Dung Druid must want to.</p><p></p><p>They found Burble's mule still alive and brimming with supplies and the group settled down to spend a night in the sun and rest more. Meepo wanted to throw up. Couldn't these humans see the damned sun? It was right above them, burning like dragonfire. Meepo wanted to be sick.</p><p></p><p>When the night came he was finally spared the unrelenting assault. He shared a watch with Burble. There was the druid, laying on the ground next to his wolf mate. His throat was exposed. Meepo could slit it in a second. He looked from the druid to Burble, Burble to the druid, and back again. He could almost taste Embrill's blood.</p><p></p><p>Yes, it would slide over his lips with a taste of wolf meat. Meepo could see it now. The blood would spill out so rich and red…it would taste like vengeance, triumph. He even took a hesitant step towards the druid, his hand falling to his sword. Two quick, smooth strokes…just two strokes and it would all be over. The firelight cast undulating shadows over Embrill's throat, an emptiness begging to be filled by stolen goblin steel.</p><p></p><p>And then in the morning, the humans would kill Meepo for killing Embrill. Meepo shook his head and turned away from the druid. He might be acting like a human, but he hadn't sunk to quite the full level of human stupidity yet. With a sigh Meepo gave up for the moment his dreams of dead druids and wolves for breakfast.</p><p></p><p>In time, Meepo and Burble's watch ended. Meepo sought his sleep and found dreams of dead druids waiting for him. He'd settled into a peaceful torture chamber, with Riki being stretched on the rack while Embrill was forced to watch when he heard the first screams. His dream vanished and Meepo opened his eyes to see bundles of sticks, about his size, attacking Bryant and Rowland, who had the next watch. While two or three attacked the watchers, more were filtering into the camp as Bryant and Rowland's cries awakened the others.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Samnell, post: 1213, member: 130"] [b]VII-The Humans' Sun[/b] Wherein Meepo still can't get a good night's sleep Burble pumped Meepo's hand back and even clapped the kobold on the shoulder. "That is right my friend, you make VERY good nice with Burble. You did an awesome and wonderful dead here. I would not have lived without your joyous and powerful dragon healing. You shine as your ancestors." Meepo drew himself up with absurd pride. He still wanted to vomit at his empty-headed feelings, but he liked that he'd helped Burble. Burble hadn't missed the looks Meepo was throwing at Embrill. "Meepo, did something happen while I was in my coma? Did Embrill say something I should know? Embrill not make nice?" Burble looked between Meepo and the druid. Now was Meepo's chance to test his friendship with Burble. He…wanted…it to be genuine...however revolting the thought was. Would Burble really stand with him against Worthless Druid? Meepo told him gravely. "Embrill not make nice. Embrill say Meepo call him Worthless Druid or Riki his mate again, Meepo die in sleep." Burble turned coldly to Embrill, his face unreadable. He carefully sized up the druid. "I see that you do not seem to hide your spots then Embrill. That you would leave me for the rats is a given. That you hate Meepo you have not hid, but you would threaten him when he tries to help me? Are you that sick as a bastard? Hells you fool. You're a druid? Or are you some Hextoite? You're as bloodthirsty as the Kobolds and Goblins that you claim to be against, yet all you seem to spout are insults and crap. Why the hells to you stay then if we are such a affront to you. Go back to your twigs then and leave us alone. Just remember, go after Meepo, and your dead. Simple enough. I have tried to have a truce with you, but you seem not to be even be able to accept that." Meepo was astonished. Burble would kill for him. This was incredible. He was so surprised that he forgot to revise his plans for the certainty of Burble's support. The halfling's god magic might be useful. Meepo had never known Burble had it in him, but only moments ago he had healed himself of all his wounds and mended Sal's as well. Then Burble turned to the others, "You with him on this folks?" Meepo's mind snapped back to the present. He knew Rhea was an anti-Burbleite. Lorn was hard to classify. He'd scorned Burble before, but then helped him when he was comatose. He'd helped Embrill too. Sal was definitely in Burble's camp, and Bryant too…but who would stand with Worthless Druid of the others? The lackwit with dragonblood had shown no allegiance. What about the new human boy, the one who could climb walls? Jaryth spoke first. "OH give it a rest!!! Meepo's a bloody flaming KOBOLD, not Tharizdun!!! If he was Tharizdun, ya, then I could see quarreling about this. But he's not, so give it a rest!!" Meepo put Jaryth tentatively in Burble's camp. The boy wasn't a strong Burbleite, but he might grow to be if handled properly. Then Rowland shifted all the alliances by providing a third option. "Agreed. Can't we all just...get along?" Meepo nearly tried to drink his blood right there. So long as someone kept arguing for compromise then the fools might allow Worthless Druid to survive and stay with the group. Meepo could have none of that. With a mental sigh he realigned Jaryth with Rowland's compromise camp. Stupid humans. The druid had finally decided to answer Burble's charges, though. Maybe this would polarize the group again and split the compromisers. Meepo hoped the Worthless Druid would be the fool he'd been before and hurl more insults. "It's nice to see that your attempt at civility was all a front. You haven't changed any either it seems. You know you would do the same to me if the situation was reversed." Yes! The dissention would continue. The distrust would grow. This was perfect! "As I said, so long as Meepo shows me the basic courtesy of using my name instead of the insult *you* taught him, he'll be fine. Have I called him derisive names? I think not. As I said, it's nice to see that this change of heart was nothing but a lie." Then Meepo nearly ripped out his horns. The druid directed the conflict right back at him again. Now all attention would be focused on Meepo. Meepo would be seen as the problem. Why couldn't the Worthless Druid just keep railing against Burble?! As long as Burble was the problem, there was less chance of the group uniting against Meepo. After a moment, though, Meepo's brain was flooded with human blood again. His frustration bled out of him and he felt empty inside. He was still thinking of Burble as a tool, something to distract the group away from him. Burble had been nice to Meepo, but Meepo was still trying to manipulate him and use the halfling as a shield against Embrill. That was no way to treat a friend. He wanted to throw up. He wanted to take his sword and fall on it. Meepo was utterly disgusted with himself. Now only was he using a friend, he was upset about doing it! What had these humans done to him? Had they infected him with their diseases? Is that why they were so stupid, they had brain rot? Burble had a quick reply, "Meepo stands by me and my friends. Can you say the same about you? Have you any, except for your puppy, who would fight to save your life? And I would trust his word a lot more then yours in any case." Meepo felt even worse now. Burble was still defending him, and he'd been thinking of the halfling as no more than a patsy. He wondered if he'd lose his scales and grow tall like a human now. He was starting to think like them. Meepo had never had a more depressing thought. And Burble kept doing it! “Meepo may be just a Kobold young squirt, but he is also my friend and someone I trust. You know nothing of this situation. Your entitled to have your opinion, but remember, Embrill is faithless in trust. I stand by those that I would work with, I roll the dice of my Gods, Can you say the same with your own beliefs? As for your naming of the Dark One, I shall hope that you do not go to his endless waste when you die." Jaryth shrugged, "He has no power over me." The boy was stupider than Meepo thought. He must be on the same level of idiocy as the dragonblooded one. Human gods were fools…except maybe Burble's…but there weren't powerless fools. "Well we shall have to see, if and when you die then Jaryth I will wish you well then for your own inner abilities, should they prove true." Burble answered Jaryth. Burble turned to the dragonblooded one now. Rowland the peacemaker's faction was already crumbling. "If you remember, I tried, on more than one occasion to offer to work with and even...get along…with Embrill. He has treated me with scorn, insults and hatred at every turn. Your naivety makes you not see the truth in his deceptions. He spouts his ill manner left and right, You might reflect on that in the real world, his actions will lead you to a grave. Well mine might do the same, but at least you know where I stand. Doubt you can with him." "He looks down on just not me, but this whole cause, I am at a loss why the bugger would even be here. Makes you think, just what is it that drives this pile of dung. I have been upfront with you from the start. I am in this for the money and treasure, as well as to going some possible contacts. You have your own reasons, but Embrill, Druid of Dung?" That was a good question. Meepo didn't know why Worthless Druid was here. No, Meepo corrected himself: Worthless Dung Druid. Jaryth butted in again, "What is our cause? I'm curious." Meepo thought he was curious in more than one way. The boy was outright insane. Embrill spoke up first, "I hide nothing. And my threat to him had nothing to do with him helping you. He can stuff your guts in a sack and keep them over his shoulder every time you fall for all I care." "Your still a piece of dung for your actions Embrill. Like I have said, why the hell do you stay if you have such strong hatred and ill will for myself and the Kobolds. If your opinion is so great and mighty, and your convictions for Good, then why do you not just kill us all and have your vengeance. Gods above, you're an overall waste of air. So full of it and smelling like crap." Meepo nodded to himself. Embrill was definitely the Worthless Dung Druid now. "Well I for one am here to help to rescue or at least bring back the rings of two whelps that came here with a paladin and their ranger scout. Their dad's henchman hired us, for 250 gold pieces each, to get their signet rings or the kids themselves. They came this way a couple of weeks ago and have not been seen since. Plus a chance to stiff it to some goblins might be nice as well. Like I said, I am in it for the money. Nature boy seems to sneer at that, but hey, I am honest about it, not sneaking about with these unsaid motivations." Burble told Jaryth. Meepo could respect that sort of motivation. Talk of gold aside, Meepo could tell Worthless Dung Druid had lost his patience. The half-elf lost his composure and broke out in a full blown laugh that, coming from him, sounded more disturbing than mirthful. After a few moments, he calmed down enough to speak. "How can you sit and blatantly LIE like that and sleep with a good conscience at night? Are you living in TOTAL delusion?!?!? I have been NOTHING but honest as to how I feel about anyone here. The only person I have stated my severe distaste for is YOU! YOU!" He pointed his finger at Burble with emphatic stabbing motions. "You call me worthless. I doubt Sal and Rhea would agree on that. They may not LIKE me, nor am I asking them to. But worthless? Pah!” “And if I'm not a total liar as you seem to be calling me, I remember Riki and I wading forward into the fray with the goblins and risking our lives to help EVERYONE out. Did I turn and run? No. Did I sit back and watch and smile and let everyone get slaughtered? No. And I didn't do it for money. Whatever my reasons are, they are MINE. But greed was never a factor. ' Worthless Dung Druid was as stupid as Meepo had hoped. "I have grown sick of your LIES. I have grown sick of your bragging and boasting and strutting as if the whole of the world exists only at your sufferance. I will tolerate it NO longer!!! As of this point, you - Burble, no longer exist to me. Your words are as the wind. Your blood pooling on the ground when you die is as water from a spilled cup. You exist no more. My eyes see through you." Meepo wished he could say the same about Embrill. The Dung Druid took his knife from his belt and cut a small gash on his palm. He didn't wince and his face showed no trace of pain as he watched the blood well up in his palm. The half-elf then raised his palm to his mouth and licked the small pool of blood from it. He swished it in his mouth for a second and then spit on the ground at his own feet as he finished his oath and turns away to the others. "If you wish me to leave, tell me. I would at the least expect honesty from you. If you wish the use of my healing gifts, tell me. If you wish it from other sources, then that is your choice. I am done with this." Embrill returned to his corner of the room and dropped down, looking very weary. He was tired, frustrated, and weak. Meepo now considered him less of a threat. He didn't have the willpower to withstand a long struggle. Meepo decided to defy the druid openly. "Meepo still see Burble. Meepo still hear Burble. Meepo not care what Embrill see or say. Meepo good...companion." The word still tasted strange in his mouth. Burble didn't waste long in composing a reply, "You snort as much as I do druid, Ok, I have said it before, many a time, Yes, GO AWAY. I DO want you to leave. Take your cur and fly back to your precious woodlands. Go dance with the fairies and fly with the bees. I could care less if I am nothing to you. Remember, I asked you once for healing, and you refused. I asked you to work with us, and you treated me with derision. Go off and sulk. Yes, you healed Rhea and from what I heard, stopped Sal from bleeding out. That much I grant you, But your attitudes , temper tantrums, and over all attitude show that you are worthless as a companion in adventuring. Take up your body and mouth and go spout your dung somewhere else. You hate it so much down here? Go sniff your flowers." Burble kept away from Embrill, as knowing the others weren't as firmly against the druid as he was. Burble then turned to Lorn and Bryant and shrugs his shoulders. "Well he asked, so I responded, Take it for what you will.” "Meepo, best you stay as far away from the dung sniffer, as I doubt he could control his base nature." Meepo wondered if Lorn and Bryant would take Burble's side in the dispute. Burble seemed to think so. "What Embrill is saying is that he will act like a spoiled child. He will pretend that I am not here. He will try, though I doubt he will succeed, to pretend that anything I say does not happen. He will continue on his rants and live out his fantasies. Thanks Meepo, you are a good companion, and I appreciate that. Well lets get some more rest, maybe tonight, if your willing, we can make a dash to my mule, so we can retrieve the gear there. If not, we shall have to go into town soon to get food.” “Um, well...I guess this is a kind of resolution. Burble and Meepo have nothing to do with Embrill and Rikki, and vice versa. I think we can manage that." Rowland timidly offered. Meepo thought Burble was mad to risk another attempt to get to the damned mule. But Meepo found a way to make the idea of the trip a bit more tolerable. "Meepo will go when sun down. Sun not make nice Meepo. Dwarf come too?" “I do not know what Sal will do. if he consents, I would love to have him at our side, as he is a good friend and a good warrior, If not, well maybe Bryant or one of the others. I understand why you do not want to go out in the sun and I accept that, Just hurts me as I am not like you or Sal, I can not see without light." Burble said. "Burble bring torch. Then he see." Meepo reminded him. Burble checked the group's supplies. "Well as far as I can see, we only have enough light to last us till around noon, unless you folks have some more oil or torches on you. I have more up on the mule, but we have to get there to get it. So we either stay here in the dark, make a break and head up to the surface now while we still have light and then make a camp up there, or even go back to town. So what say you all?" Meepo sighed. He was going to have to go up under the humans' cursed sun. Bryant finally spoke up, "I say that now we are healed up enough to move and maybe even fight. We get back to the surface, either just back to the mule or back to town doesn't much matter to me. And as all together as a group, I don't feel like being a snack for he rats again." Embrill agreed with Bryant, "Agreed. It's certainly time now that we're all mobile again." "I am game for making a try to the surface and I will say that I would like to get all we can from the mule. I am not sure we need go all the way back to town, but making a camp near the entrance, setting watches and healing another day or two would be good. I think if we do head to town that we shall have to combine our resources, as well have little to show for our efforts, We have just a little gold and the weapons that Sal was going to look over were left behind. We will want to stuck up on another lantern and more torches, as well as rations. I can keep us in fresh water, but that is about it." This was no good. The sun was bad enough, but Burble wanted to go into some human town? Rowland, astoundingly, offered a counterargument. “We need to consider one thing. Going topside may not go over well with our hostess. Or maybe our promise to fulfill our pledge is good enough." He turned to Meepo, "How do you think your queen will react if we go topside to resupply and recover for a couple days, if we give her our pledge that we'll return to fulfill our promise?" "Yusdrayl send Meepo to see return Calcryx and kill goblin chief. Yusdrayl not care so long Meepo with." That should keep him alive a bit longer. Meepo didn't much want to stay with his kobold clanmates, but he didn't want to see the humans' sun either. Burble looked to Meepo and sadly smiled. "Meepo, it looks like we are going to go above before it is dark out. I know that you do not want to go and I would not ask you to. Stay here and rest and we shall return. It may be that we shall have to go back to Oakridge and if so we may be gone more then a day, though I would rather not. I will return and together and with the others, we shall rescue Calcryx and get you your totem back. For now, be well my friend." Meepo let out a hissing sigh. He was going to hate this, "Meepo come. Sun not make nice Meepo, but Meepo stay with Burble." Up the group went, through the ruins and up a long flight of stairs into the cursed sun. The second it touched Meepo he felt like he was burning up. His eyes ached like some gnome had ripped them from their sockets and crushed them. Burble had thanked him for coming, but the sun still beat on him like the Worthless Dung Druid must want to. They found Burble's mule still alive and brimming with supplies and the group settled down to spend a night in the sun and rest more. Meepo wanted to throw up. Couldn't these humans see the damned sun? It was right above them, burning like dragonfire. Meepo wanted to be sick. When the night came he was finally spared the unrelenting assault. He shared a watch with Burble. There was the druid, laying on the ground next to his wolf mate. His throat was exposed. Meepo could slit it in a second. He looked from the druid to Burble, Burble to the druid, and back again. He could almost taste Embrill's blood. Yes, it would slide over his lips with a taste of wolf meat. Meepo could see it now. The blood would spill out so rich and red…it would taste like vengeance, triumph. He even took a hesitant step towards the druid, his hand falling to his sword. Two quick, smooth strokes…just two strokes and it would all be over. The firelight cast undulating shadows over Embrill's throat, an emptiness begging to be filled by stolen goblin steel. And then in the morning, the humans would kill Meepo for killing Embrill. Meepo shook his head and turned away from the druid. He might be acting like a human, but he hadn't sunk to quite the full level of human stupidity yet. With a sigh Meepo gave up for the moment his dreams of dead druids and wolves for breakfast. In time, Meepo and Burble's watch ended. Meepo sought his sleep and found dreams of dead druids waiting for him. He'd settled into a peaceful torture chamber, with Riki being stretched on the rack while Embrill was forced to watch when he heard the first screams. His dream vanished and Meepo opened his eyes to see bundles of sticks, about his size, attacking Bryant and Rowland, who had the next watch. While two or three attacked the watchers, more were filtering into the camp as Bryant and Rowland's cries awakened the others. [/QUOTE]
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Meepo's Story Hour [NEWS! 6-19-02]
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