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<blockquote data-quote="Sialia" data-source="post: 976494" data-attributes="member: 1025">Dylrath alone. Ok, Not Actually Alone. Dylrath Spends Some Time With Himself. ----------------------------- Dylrath took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The whole Plan had been hard enough to come up with the first time. Now, with The Outgrabe's new enhancements in place, it seemed harder instead of easier. He stared at the beautiful thing, remembering the best day of his life--the very day he had begun adventuring with his boyhood heroes, the Defenders of Daybreak. He had watched them gloriously destroy the evil archmage Mirata Du Chemith, Chancellor of the Academy of Flamecraft. He had even helped a little. They had also destroyed her bedroom, and he had found both the key to Htarlyd and a broken floating bedpost in the wreckage. Right away, he knew that bedpost was something special. Sure, it had needed a little sanding. And some paint. And then he'd taken it home and his dad had insisted on the footstrap and sweetened the deal with the inlay. But that had been it for years. Basically, the Outgrabe had just been a&nbsp; chunk of Hovering Elm with a leather strap. &quot;Four thrones,&quot; it said. &quot;No way,&quot; Htarlyd replied. &quot;Not again.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;Four thrones,&quot; it affirmed. &quot;'Rath, flip the cards so mirror boy can see 'em and weep. &quot; &quot;You sure Master Badgerclaw didn't stick a chunk of Master Loial in you by mistake?&quot; Htarlyd sulked. &quot;Nothin' but pure Dylrath,&quot; the Outgrabe replied. &quot;If there's anybody else in me, it's all secondhand. Who's this Loial anyway?&quot; Dylrath sighed. This was going to take some getting used to. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, he thought. One of us should step out for a beer. Dylrath considered revising his plan. I could just quit here, he thought. I have the Outgrabe and Htarlyd and if I stay away from Teliaz I'll probably die a wealthy old fart. And if I go through with this I may lose . . . . everything. What's in this for me anyway? Dylrath's first Master, Alix Loial, would want to know where Dylrath was getting his percentage. Well, no, Alix would have wanted to know where he was getting his percentage. But the point was clear. A wise rogue didn't attempt dangerous tricks without analyzing the costs and benefits in advance. Master Tomtom would have agreed.&nbsp;&quot;It's the daring of the stunt,&quot; he found himself murmuring, remembering what he'd said to Teliaz. &quot;Not whether it is right or wrong, or what I'm gonna get out of it, but whether I can pull it off.&quot; &quot;You betcha,&quot; the Outgrabe agreed. &quot;What stunt are we talking about?&quot;&nbsp;&quot;Wouldn't you like to know,&quot; Htarlyd said smugly. Dylrath glowered and made a throat slicing gesture at the mirror, which Htarlyd reflected back cheerfully. &quot;We'll talk about it later,&quot; Dylrath said. &quot;Let's go get some action.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;Suits me,&quot; the Outgrabe replied. &quot;And no talking, smart mouth. You're still under cover, right?&quot;&nbsp;&quot;Who me? I'm just a bedpost. What'm I gonna do, recite the prologue to Holy Velendo's Stone?&quot; &quot;Shut up,&quot; Dylrath said. &quot;Didn't you get any of the fawning 'yes master' part of me at all?&quot; &quot;Yessir,&quot; it said. &quot;That's better. Alright, Htarlyd, what're the girls up to these days?&quot;&nbsp;&quot;Bathing, sir.&quot; &quot;Hoo-wah!&quot; the Outgrabe cheered. &quot;Sir,&quot; it amended. &quot;Well, not actually bathing yet. But they're on the way.&quot; Dylrath gave Htarlyd the eyebrow, just in time to cut off the terminal &quot;sir.&quot; Too much of a good thing indeed. &quot;Ok, business, guys. Minds on business. Work first, pleasure later. Let's do it.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Sialia, post: 976494, member: 1025"] Dylrath alone. Ok, Not Actually Alone. Dylrath Spends Some Time With Himself. ----------------------------- Dylrath took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The whole Plan had been hard enough to come up with the first time. Now, with The Outgrabe's new enhancements in place, it seemed harder instead of easier. He stared at the beautiful thing, remembering the best day of his life--the very day he had begun adventuring with his boyhood heroes, the Defenders of Daybreak. He had watched them gloriously destroy the evil archmage Mirata Du Chemith, Chancellor of the Academy of Flamecraft. He had even helped a little. They had also destroyed her bedroom, and he had found both the key to Htarlyd and a broken floating bedpost in the wreckage. Right away, he knew that bedpost was something special. Sure, it had needed a little sanding. And some paint. And then he'd taken it home and his dad had insisted on the footstrap and sweetened the deal with the inlay. But that had been it for years. Basically, the Outgrabe had just been a chunk of Hovering Elm with a leather strap. "Four thrones," it said. "No way," Htarlyd replied. "Not again." "Four thrones," it affirmed. "'Rath, flip the cards so mirror boy can see 'em and weep. " "You sure Master Badgerclaw didn't stick a chunk of Master Loial in you by mistake?" Htarlyd sulked. "Nothin' but pure Dylrath," the Outgrabe replied. "If there's anybody else in me, it's all secondhand. Who's this Loial anyway?" Dylrath sighed. This was going to take some getting used to. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, he thought. One of us should step out for a beer. Dylrath considered revising his plan. I could just quit here, he thought. I have the Outgrabe and Htarlyd and if I stay away from Teliaz I'll probably die a wealthy old fart. And if I go through with this I may lose . . . . everything. What's in this for me anyway? Dylrath's first Master, Alix Loial, would want to know where Dylrath was getting his percentage. Well, no, Alix would have wanted to know where [I]he[/I] was getting [I]his[/I] percentage. But the point was clear. A wise rogue didn't attempt dangerous tricks without analyzing the costs and benefits in advance. Master Tomtom would have agreed. "It's the daring of the stunt," he found himself murmuring, remembering what he'd said to Teliaz. "Not whether it is right or wrong, or what I'm gonna get out of it, but whether I can pull it off." "You betcha," the Outgrabe agreed. "What stunt are we talking about?" "Wouldn't you like to know," Htarlyd said smugly. Dylrath glowered and made a throat slicing gesture at the mirror, which Htarlyd reflected back cheerfully. "We'll talk about it later," Dylrath said. "Let's go get some action." "Suits me," the Outgrabe replied. "And no talking, smart mouth. You're still under cover, right?" "Who me? I'm just a bedpost. What'm I gonna do, recite the prologue to [I]Holy Velendo's Stone[/I]?" "Shut up," Dylrath said. "Didn't you get any of the fawning 'yes master' part of me at all?" "Yessir," it said. "That's better. Alright, Htarlyd, what're the girls up to these days?" "Bathing, sir." "Hoo-wah!" the Outgrabe cheered. "Sir," it amended. "Well, not actually bathing yet. But they're on the way." Dylrath gave Htarlyd the eyebrow, just in time to cut off the terminal "sir." Too much of a good thing indeed. "Ok, business, guys. Minds on business. Work first, pleasure later. Let's do it." [/QUOTE]

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