NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Enkhidu" data-source="post: 2819034" data-attributes="member: 351">Originally Posted Jan 24, 2006 - Hooray for Google cache!Well?Well what?Aren’t you going to say something?About what?About why we are late in posting.Why? The doctor said the shampoo would take care of it.Not that! By the way, it looks like it's working. The other thing.Oh the other thing. No I don’t wanna talk about.Why not? It’s awesome. Why won’t you talk about it?I’m shy.Your interpretive dance the other night at the theater says otherwise.What? The film broke and the mob was getting angry. My starbursts were in jeopardy.Look, just tell them.Why don’t you? You worked on it just as much as I did.Maybe, but it was your idea. No way I’m taking credit for that idea.What? It’s a good idea. Then you claim it. No. You spawned it, you should get the credit. I can’t; its overhyped now and that always leads to failure.It is not overhyped. Just tell them. I can’t. I’m scared. Look at them, like a pack of hungry dogs. Let’s just give them a post and be done with it. That’s the thing - I don’t think a post is enough right now. I think you need to tell them.I can’t. Its time for my shampoo. At least give them a Tip of the Day.Go Steelers!Just push the button...*****Pack stumbled in the nearly waist high muck, grimacing as the dim light from one of Theo’s prayers showed yet another hand span of his fine silk cloak succumb to the filth. “This must be the worst adventure ever,” he grumbled to no one in particular. “We come to the greatest city in the world, find out one our best friends  is in trouble, almost get killed, and end up hip deep in…”“What’s that Pack?” echoed Theo’s voice from ahead.“Nothing,” said the bard.“Some say thunder in the distance is nothing, too,” said the priest as he slowed his step. “Doesn’t stop them from getting wet. Want to talk about it?” “No,” the bard said reflexively as he came even with the cleric. Pack looked ahead a few dozen paces, to where Worm and Ander walked together in the torch-like glow of another of Theo’s light stones. The two hadn’t spoken since… it… happened. Pack could almost see the tension between them. “Do you think Grogger will be alright?” the halfling said after a while. Theo sighed, “I don’t know, Pack. I’m afraid he’s been caught in the same storm we all have. Weathering may prove tricky.”The two walked in silence for a while longer. Pack watched their shadows pace menacingly along the slime covered walls. “If I could just find some dry ground, I think I can clean us all up. Hey Theo did I tell you I’ve been working on a new…” The bard let the question die on his lips as he glanced up at the priest. The cleric’s eyes were hard, yet sad. “This is our fault, isn’t it?” he said.It took a moment for Theo to answer. “No, Pack,” he said softly, staring ahead at the two younger men, “but that doesn’t make it any less of a problem.” He paused for a moment, and then looked down at the halfling, “Hopefully we won’t have to wait much longer for news about him. I think we’re here.”Pack peered ahead to see Ander looking up at a metal ladder set into the wall and Worm trudging back toward the stragglers. “The runt says this is the place,” said the half-orc, his gravely voice echoing throughout the tunnel. “Shouldn’t be long now. Then we can get topside and put an end to it.” Pack looked at his big-little brother and wrinkled his brow, “What do you mean put an end to it?”“We’ll meet Grogger, crack some skulls, and get out of town.”“But what if Grogger’s really in trouble? What if they’re… doing things to him to get him to talk?” Pack tried to bite back the words, but his tongue was too quick. “Even if what that rabbit said is true, do you really think that a few guardsmen would give that great old beast any problems? Ha! He’d show them his fangs and they’d have to go change their codpieces!”“But that man said that it was the Wolves, Worm,” said Pack, “and that means that it’s the Iron Wolves.”“The who?”“The Iron Wolves. Don’t you remember what Sir Thaddeus said about them?” Pack straightened his back without realizing it, taking on the posture of the Icemist’s old storyteller. “The Iron Wolves began as a cadre of skirmishers during the demon wars, and were thrice decorated by the king for bravery and victory in the face of certain defeat; after the war they were elevated to royal duty. They are credited with over…”“‘Royal duty,’” the half-orc guffawed as he started back toward the ladder with the stragglers in tow, “sounds like step-n’-fetch to me.”“Not quite, lad” said Theo, “though I think we’d prefer it if it was. They’ve got writ to track and capture enemies of the crown; it looks like we’ve made their list.”“What do you mean ‘we,’ old man?” asked Worm, just loud enough for Pack to know Ander could hear it. “We all know who’s fault this is.” Ahead, the bard saw Ander’s head sag and shake.Ashrem’s voice echoed from above as he slid down the ladder, “You should know better than to lay blame, Worm.” He punctuated the remark with a splash as he hit the muck. “Attempting to hang the burden of our predicament on one pair of shoulders is approximately as sensible as saying that the sky is dark under the noon day sun. You knew there might be risks when you decided to accompany us, and I… suggest,” Pack thought he heard the hint of a growl in the scout’s voice, “that you choose your words more carefully in the future.”Worm chuckled. Pack gulped at the sound of it. It was the same chuckle his adopted brother would laugh right before throwing someone through the door of the Shimmering Sword. “Ander, better tell your housecat to back down before I toss him like old dishwater.”The woodsman stepped between them, facing Worm and giving him a glare. “Enough! Both of you!” He turned to Ashrem, and Pack imagined him saying “and that goes for you too!” Instead, the ranger paused and let silence settle. “Now,” he finally continued, “what did you find out, Ash?”“There are indeed guardsmen at the manor of our half-ogre host. Most are openly armed and wear red and gold livery, a wolf’s head over an anvil.”“That’s the Iron Wolves for sure,” whispered Pack.Ander interrupted, “You said most. What about the others?”“I believe that the liveried soldiers were simply a show of force. I spied seven less obvious agents dressed in more mundane clothing, and have the suspicion that more skulked in the alleyways. To a man, they looked competent, and their movements seemed practiced. If forced to guess, I would say that their scouts are easily my match. It will not take long for them to follow our trail to the shack.”“What about Grogger?” asked Pack.“I did not see him, and from the look of it they did not lay hands on him either: I did not see any injuries or property damage that would have resulted had they attempted to take him by force. We must assume that he is safe, for the time being.”“Were you followed?” said Worm.Ashrem gave the half-orc a look that Pack thought would melt wax. “No. I doubled back twice before slipping down to our rendezvous.”“Then we need to move. Now.” Ander’s voice was flat and hollow; Pack found it disconcerting. “Theo, you’re the one who knows the city. Any ideas on where we can hole up?”Theo frowned, as if reluctant to speak. “We can head for the Temple. There’s a set of tunnels that connect to the Temple cistern to the sewer. From there we can…”“Can what?” scoffed Worm, “Clear Ander’s name?”“No,” answered the woodsman, “Get you out of Tor.”“Lad…”“No arguments, Theo. Please. Not now. Just get us going in the right direction.”“If you insist, lad. If you insist.”</blockquote>

Verification