Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fiasco" data-source="post: 2753879" data-attributes="member: 15187">Within Halfast's walls Morgan sat in the Sly Dog tavern, drinking and celebrating with his brothers Pechevary and Kerim. Morgan was in high spirits, the commission from Baron Yorath would set him along the same road as his two brothers; that of being part of a gladiatorial company and fighting in the Halfast Games.The games were an annual event that attracted competitors from even the most far flung parts of the inhabited world. The tournament pitted teams of gladiators against each other for wealth and glory. The potential rewards were great, and even Fastendians, normally so obsessed with their hopeless war with the Dominion, contested strongly in these events.Morgan drank deep from his mug and looked with affection at his brothers. Both were significantly older and carried their years and battle scars with dignity. So far away from their homeland, the tension and battle fatigue was not etched so deeply into their faces. The prospect of bloody fighting in the contest next month was nothing compared to what they faced back in Avinal. Though normally irritated by their teasing banter and endless advice, he forced himself to listen intently to what they had to say. On the morrow, they would part ways, and only Thuus knew when they would meet again.******On the other side of the city, Moxadder crouched in a filthy alley. He waited for Largus the Lamprey. The knife gripped in his hand was reassuringly warm, and the hot breeze of All Summers Eve put him in the mood for murder.He marvelled again at the dramatic turn his fortunes had taken. This morning he had woken to the prospect of starvation and degradation, just as he had every day for ten years. Now, there was food in his belly, the guarantee of more for the foreseeable future and even a pouch full of Devil Weed to make life worth living. Best of all, the dagger he pocketed earlier gave him the chance to settle a score.Moxadder shivered as the effects of the Devil Weed, taken to bolster his resolve, began to take effect. Holding his skinny arms to his ribs, he clenched his teeth and tried to ride through the Big Fear. Through an effort of will he maintained his silence despite the horror and tension that washed through his limbs. He crested the terrible wave of emotion and was rewarded with a feeling of strength and purpose radiating through his being. Eyes dilated, he scanned the darkness, trying to penetrate it to his target.At last! Footsteps; the familiar, dreadful tread of the Lamprey about his unpleasant business. Moxadder shrank backwards, lest he be seen and his ambush undone. His caution proved unnecessary. Supreme in his confidence, Largus trod heavily through the noisome alley, mind fixed on his vile plans for celebrating the night.The dagger ripped downwards like a fallen star biting deep into the Lamprey’s fleshy neck. Somehow, Largus managed to turn and grab Moxadder's rotten tunic but it tore in his grasp. He tried to recover his balance but was driven back by a slash to his face. He tried to yell, either in rage or desperation, but his wounds overcame him and he fell to the ground. Moxadder stepped forward and kicked the body viciously. A soundless gasp heralded the end of Largus, dead and unmourned in a filthy alley.Moxadder listened intently for any sound of alarm. Reassured by the unbroken sounds of revelry in the distance, he reached forwards and liberated the Lamprey of his possessions. They did not amount to much; a knife, some coins and a good pair of boots. Next, his questing fingers found a fine leather pouch concealed under a broad girdle. He swiftly jerked it clear and fumbled it open.Even in the moonlight, Moxadder could make out the precious wonders it contained; Mordayn Vapour, Baccaran, Sannish and Vodaire. Oh sweet, sweet ecstasy, oh joyous dreamful ambrosia! Moxadder trembled to taste of their dark nectar immediately, but despite the urgings of the Big Fear that twangled recklessly in his mind, he chose restraint. This night marked a new beginning, the pleasures of his beguiling cornucopia must wait for at dawn he would leave Halfast with the others.</blockquote>

Verification