Getehl felt the back of his neck prickle, as though he were being watched. He looked around, but saw no one except his own party, and as flat as things were out here, it didn't look like any cover was available for miles. He decided it was just nerves, caused by the unusual behavior of the group's leader. Naga hadn't laughed once all day. Not even at funny things. She hadn't even said much. Actinaea had been pretty quiet too, even colder than usual. And they'd both taken an extra long time with their personal business this morning. Could it be...? Getehl shook his head. Surely, not both of them at the same time. And it was no place of his to ask. He looked over to the final member of the group, Mariposa. At least she seemed in good spirits, if distracted. He adjusted the scabbard on the back, once again wishing he'd been able to get to the swordsmith. While the sword Borlas had given him was actually quite good, it had the wrong balance for Getehl. A little thing like that could be the edge a skilled opponent needed to take him down. And he had no doubt the oversized blade would attract skilled challengers; a big sword advertised its owner as someone who either had great confidence or great strength. "Whatcha thinking about, kid?" asked Getehl. "I'm bored. We've been walking for nearly three days now, and the scenery doesn't change. Where are we, anyway?" Mari gestured out at the admittedly monotonous landscape. "The Plain of Mipliss. I've been through here a few times guarding merchant caravans. How about you, Naga?" The tall woman shrugged. "No. Normally, I take the coastal road down from Atlas City, but we want to wind up further east, and this should be a shortcut." Actinaea grunted in a manner that might be either affirmation or complaint. "Do you think we'll get to fight bandits again, Naga-sama?" asked Mari. When the woman declined to answer, Getehl said, "Not too likely in these parts, Mari-chan." He kicked at the ground, turning a bit of it over. "The soil here is all loose and sandy, so not much grows here except sparse grass and low shrubs. So the only people who live out here are goat herders and a few crazy hermits. No one worth robbing. "So bandits only come into Mipliss when they know a caravan's coming through. And since there's no cover, only the mounted gangs usually bother." "I get it," said Mari. "So this place is boring but safe?" "Not entirely; there's still--" Getehl broke off. "Did you feel that?" "Feel what?" asked the other three, not quite simultaneously. "A vibration in the ground, like a--" At that moment, two pinkish-gray rope-like objects burst from the soil and wrapped themselves around his legs. "Giant Killer Earthworm!" --------------------------------------------------------------- Improfanfic Presents... SLAYERS GLORIOUS Started by Todd Harper Chapter Six: Run! You Call This A Shortcut? Written by Scott K. Jamison ---------------------------------------------------------------- Naga assessed the threat. "Trivial. Actinaea, you can have this one." She made a sound not quite like a chuckle. The Praetor looked sharply at the taller woman. "No, I think this is a job for the great and powerful White Serpent. By all means, go ahead." She waited. Neither woman stirred for a moment. They blinked. The truth dawned. "You too?!" "A little help here?" suggested Getehl, one foot already disappearing beneath the soil. The oversized sword he was wielding was definitely not the weapon for the job. Mariposa hesitated for a moment, trying to remember a spell from her limited repertoire that would get the earthworms off Getehl without hurting him. She couldn't think of one, but she did have a perfectly good knife. Mari ran over to Getehl's side and began sawing away at one of the worms. "Mari, get away from there!" shouted Actinaea. "You'd better listen to her, Mari-chan," said Getehl, grunting a bit. "It's too dangerous!" "Oh, come on," she replied, "I've seen bigger snakes on Singe! Besides, I'm making progress." And indeed, her blade had finally managed to cut into the thick rubbery hide of the worm, and thick brown ichor was starting to spurt out. "No, you don't understand! It's--" As Mari's knife bit deep, the worm thrashed, and suddenly a much larger patch of ground burst skyward. At which point Mari learned that the word "giant" definitely applied to this monster, even if "earthworm" was a little dubious. After all, very few earthworms had teeth, let alone several gleaming rows of tearing and grinding teeth in an enormous maw. Nor did the ordinary worm possess tentacles, such as the one still wrapped around Getehl's leg and slowly pulling him towards aforesaid maw. Mari had been tumbled back over a yard, and her cloak spattered with the creature's ichor. Fortunately, the soft ground kept her from being hurt, and the young sorceress scrambled to her feet. "Getehl-san! Are you all right?" she called. "Oh, just peachy," he replied, while discovering that suspended upside-down by one leg was not the ideal position for sword play. Though the big sword *did* help actually reaching his opponent. "Blast this thing!" Since there was now a much bigger target, Mari obliged. "Flare Arrow!" She watched the firey missile strike the earthworm, which flinched slightly. But that was it. Apparently, the main creature's hide was much tougher than the tentacle's. Freeze Arrow had much the same result. And the way Getehl was thrashing about, her bigger spells were likely to hurt him as much as the monster, or maybe more. "Naga-sama? Sensei? What do I do?" Then Mari realized that she hadn't heard either of them in a while. She turned around to see her mentor and idol in a glaring contest. "With a stick figure like that, how was I supposed to know you even had a cycle?" snarled Naga. "Well, pardon me if I didn't clear my schedule with you in advance, oh great leader! I'm sure that if you'd known, you'd have pushed to go first, just like always!" Actinaea was pulling her braid between her hands, something Mari had never seen her do before. "Ano...Can't one of you help Getehl-san?" "He's just a man. He can be replaced--" the Praetor cut off at the look on Mari's face. "But I suppose we shouldn't waste him. Let's see..." Actinaea stopped pulling her braid, and thought. "Oh, no hurry," assured Getehl in a tone which would have been sarcastic if there weren't so much panic in it. "I think I'm getting the hang of this." Actinaea snapped her fingers. "Of course! I--" "Icicle Lance!" shouted Naga, and an icy blade shot forth to sever the tentacle holding Getehl up. It was smaller than her usual, and she staggered as the man fell to the ground. The creature gurgle-hissed in pain, and in a single twisting motion, dived beneath the soil. Actinaea rushed to Getehl's side, for Mari's sake, she assured herself. She gave him the once-over. "You appear to have no serious injuries." "Thanks so much for your concern. What's wrong with Naga?" The woman in question looked several shades paler and was leaning at a dangerous angle. "Naga, the White Serpent, has triumphed again! Ohoho..hoo. I'll be sitting down now." "You did great, Naga-sama! We won't hear from that worm again!" Mari took the stopper out of a waterskin and handed it to her idol. Getehl retrieved his hat and said, "Actually, we will." Naga did a spit-take. "We will?" "Once a giant killer earthworm finds prey, it'll keep chasing them until they leave its territory. And if you hurt it, the worm just gets more determined. The only time I saw one before, our caravan lost three horses and a slow guard." He looked worried. "I don't suppose you can fly us out of here?" Naga finished off the water and stood. "That will not be necessary. Instead, we will--" There was a vibration of the ground, strong enough to be felt by everyone this time. "Run!" =-=-=-=-=-= There is only one thing female sorcerors hate more than "that time of the month." That is the unsympathetic, often even smug attitude of their male colleagues on the subject. It is well known in Guild circles that certain male Guildmasters feel that "that time" disqualified women for any post of real responsibility and power. One or two of them will even admit it. The natural resentment of sorceresses towards this unfair assessment of their abilities has immeasurably contributed to the stereotype of crankiness they suffer from. Indeed the one thing Haggra the Unspeakable is remembered for is not her many acts of charity, or her groundbreaking work in the classification of trolls, but for creating a black magic spell that allowed (in the sense of "forced") men to experience the symptoms of menstruation. For this innovation, Haggra was rewarded with judicial immolation, the destruction of all her notes, and the threat of the death penalty for anyone even attempting to recreate the spell. Instead, sorceresses have to content themselves with remembering who said what in their hour of weakness, and returning once their powers are again at a peak to wreak vengeance. This works well enough. Men without magical defenses and above a certain threshold of intelligence have learned never to taunt a sorceress (or a woman dressed as a sorceress, or who might be a sorceress in disguise) about that time of month. Getehl learned his lesson a long time ago. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= "Fireball!" Mariposa wound up for another spell, but the earthworm had dived again. Just as well, the flames only irritated it, and she was running low on power. "I think your aim is improving with practice," said Getehl, catching his breath. "Hai! But how does it keep following us? It doesn't have any eyes, and besides, you can't see or smell underground." "It senses the vibrations our feet make as they hit the ground," explained Actinaea, who might not have encountered this particular beast before, but remembered her General Beastiary. "So...if we stopped moving, it couldn't find us?" Mari liked that idea. "For a little while," agreed Naga. "But it knows we're in the area, and I don't know about you, but I can't stay absolutely still for more than, oh, three hours." The others boggled at the very idea of Naga staying still. "You're just going to have to keep driving it back until we can find shelter, Mari." Actinaea rearranged her clothing in preparation for another run. If this is what "that time of month" does, thought Mari, I don't think I want to grow up after all. "It's coming again," warned Getehl. "Run!" shouted Naga. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-= "I think we lost it," gasped Naga. Indeed, there'd been no sign of the earthworm for the last ten minutes. The area they'd come to had more brush than grass or open sand. "What's that, over there?" asked Actinaea, pointing towards the horizon. "That" was a low, dark object that looked like a hill. "A rock outcropping, I think," replied Getehl. "There are a few in Mipliss. We should be safe from the worm there, it can't tunnel through stone." A soft "maa" sound caught the winded party's attention, and something moved behind one of the bushes. It moved out a second later, revealing itself as a scruffy-looking tan goat. "Oh, a goat! That means there's a goatherd around somewhere, right?" Mari was really ready to see another human being. "Well, at the very least, it's food," said Getehl. "Food," drooled Naga, who hadn't had anything since the water earlier. The goat looked up at her, as though recognizing the sentiment, and hopped away. It got no more than eight yards before the worm burst from below it, and swallowed the goat nearly whole. "Run again?" asked Mari, a little whiningly. "Run!" agreed the others. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The hill on the horizon, when it got closer than the horizon, turned out to be a rock outcropping after all. Unfortunately, while the earthworm was somewhat slower than running humans, it moved more steadily, and they were beginning to move more slowly. It looked like a good bet that the worm would catch up before they could reach the rocks. "And here I am, trying to give up gambling," muttered Getehl. "How's that?" asked Actinaea. "Never mind, I--oof!" Getehl's foot had slipped into a gopher hole, and he took a face dive. "Getehl! Get up!" insisted Naga. "We haven't got time to waste!" The mercenary stood up, only to wince in pain as he realized he'd twisted his ankle. Naga whirled towards Mariposa. "Do you know Levitation?" "Well, sure, but--" "Then do it, child! Get yourself to that rock, now!" "But what about you and Sensei, and Getehl-san..." "Mariposa! Do as she says! We'll live." Actinaea wasn't all that sure of it, but she did have a responsibility to her student. "But...hai." Mari did the chant, and rose shakily into the air. Naga put herself under one of Getehl's arms to support him. "One last good run! Don't hold me back now!" Actinaea ran alongside them, but it was obvious the worm was going to catch up well before they reached the rock. Twenty yards behind, now ten, five...She didn't want to touch anyone right now, especially a man, but Actinaea reminded herself that she was above all a reliable person. She slipped under Getehl's other arm. "You two are going to get us killed!" With the three of them working together, more or less, the pace did pick up, but the earthworm was still closing, seeming even faster, as if it scented their desperation. "You can do it!" yelled Mariposa from the safety of the outcropping, finally sitting down. Closer, closer...yes, it looked like they were going to make it! Then the worm leaped from the ground in an arc that would land right on top of them. Its maw might not be in the best position to swallow the three, but its body weight would surely crush them. Unless of course someone cast a Windy Shield at just the right moment, which is what Actinaea did. It lasted only a second before her power gave out, but that was the second they needed to reach the rock. As they pulled themselves up on the outcropping, the earthworm gurgle-hissed in a way that in a smarter creature would have signified anger, and dived below the surface again. The adventurers lay panting for several minutes, until the adrenaline rush wore off and all their aches and pains began to call for attention. Getehl sucked in a breath as he removed his boot. His ankle did not look at all healthy. "Ooh, that looks nasty," said Naga. "Mari-chan, hold down his shoulders." "Hai!" Mari wasn't clear why she should do this, but surely Naga knew what she was doing. The White Serpent looked nauseated as she felt Getehl's ankle bone. "I always hated this part," she muttered. Then she took the man's foot in both hands and twisted. "Aghk!" Getehl was impressed in spite of the pain. With her attitude towards blood, he never would have guessed Naga had any knowledge of first aid. "Oh, much better. Where'd you learn that?" Naga started, then put a hand up to her mouth. "I have many skills. Ohohoho!" Actinaea sat up. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling better, in the loosest sense of glad, but what now?" No thought was necessary. "There are certain matters that have needed attending to all day, and the White Serpent shall do them on the other side of this large boulder. Getehl, keep watch. In *that* direction!" Getehl obligingly turned his head. There were some things men were not meant to know, especially if they wanted to stay healthy. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Some time later, they'd finished exploring the outcropping. It was actually quite large, being twelve yards wide and nearly twenty long, with an assortment of boulders ranging in size from pebble to horse scattered across its surface. The remains of several fires could be seen, evidently from other parties who'd found refuge there. There was no fire tonight, but the moon was only a few nights short of full, so there was plenty of light. "Could we just stay here until everyone's better?" asking Mariposa after choking down some dried fruit. "We could," said Naga, "but that will be at least three days, and we only have enough food for two." "And enough water for one," reported Actinaea. "How long will the worm wait out there?" "I was told they can hold out for up to a week before giving up on a cornered animal." Getehl scratched his chin. "But the guard sergeant might just have been trying to scare the new kid." Everyone thought about that for a moment. A long silent moment. They shuddered. Eager to change the subject, Mari asked, "I was wondering, about this Silent Bell thing, how does it determine star positions, and why would anyone want to?" "Well, Mari-chan, the papers we have don't say exactly how the Bell is actually used, but as for the other...Actinaea, you're supposed to be her teacher, haven't you told her about astrology yet?" The younger woman "hmfed." "It's a second-year course, as you very well know. Astrology, the study of the stars, is an ancient and honorable skill. Most adventurers learn at least a little of it, to help them navigate in the wilderness. For example, see that blue star, just above the set of three in a triangle? That's the Flare Dragon's Breath, so called, and it's always in the north." "I've seen sea captains use a gadget called a sextant to find their position from the stars on long voyages," noted Getehl, glad that for once the conversation wasn't beyond him. Actinaea nodded. "It's a recent innovation. But the true study of the stars takes years, and requires much dedication, so only a few wizards and priests can devote their lives to it. They can determine the course of the future by studying the way the patterns of the stars change over time." "So they could tell my fortune?" Mari liked fortunetellers. "No, Mari. The stars don't care about individual lives. It's great battles and the death of kings you can learn about. Oh, and most astrologers are good at predicting the weather." Mari nodded. "But why would people come all the way from the Desert of Destruction to steal the Bell? I mean, if they got all the way to Singe, they must already have been pretty good navigators." "I've read in a few texts that certain powerful entities can only enter this world during a proper conjunction of the stars. Usually hostile ones." Naga adjusted her bikini top, much to Getehl's discomfort. "If there's such a conjunction coming up, and someone wanted to make sure it came off properly, or to stop it, a device to measure exactly where the stars are would come in handy..." ventured Actinaea. "And it would explain why that particular volume just happened to be lying out where we could find it. Someone else must be after the Bell!" "That red-headed man, you think?" asked Mari. "It seems likely," agreed Naga. "But we won't be able to do anything about it unless we can avoid being eaten by that oversized birdfood out there." "I'm open to suggestions," said Getehl. "Although I think by this point, we're about down to throwing rocks at it." Naga had a sudden twitch to her mouth. "Throwing...rocks at it? That's brilliant! I'm a genius! OHOHOHOHOHO!" Actinaea held her ears. She'd kind of liked not having to listen to the laugh. "What is it, Naga-sama?" "You'll see, Mari-chan. Sleep now, we'll all need to be rested in the morning!" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The dawn came with a prevailing east wind, hot and dry. The adventurers woke up in fairly grumpy moods. Sleeping on stones will do that. After a quick breakfast, Actinaea asked the obvious question. "So, what exactly is your plan?" the Praetor was a bit dubious, considering Naga's breasts probably outweighed her brain. "We have three sorceresses here. I and you are at a temporary inconvenience power-wise, but have experience. I far more than you, of course. Mari-chan has her full power, but little learning as yet." "And the part I don't already know is?" Naga struck a pose. "What we need in this situation is teamwork! Three sorceresses pooling their resources as one!" "You've heard of teamwork? And to what end?" "Why, the perfect spell for the task, Vu Vraimer!" Naga swept her hand, indicating the boulders. Actinaea raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that the spell that always gets away from you, and has to be stopped by Li--" "No! It's another spell that still has a few bugs in it, and I'll thank you not to mention *her*!" Mari decided she'd better intervene before the conversation got entirely off track. "Ano...what about Vu Vraimer? That's an Earth spell, right? I don't know much Earth Shamanism yet." "You'll learn," Naga said brightly. "In the meantime, Getehl, if you'd move some of these larger boulders into roughly a man shape? We'll need to conserve energy." "Mari is my student," pointed out Actinaea. "Fine, then, *with your permission*, I'll begin teaching the basics of Vu Vraimer. Unless you happen to be an expert on the subject?" The Air Shamanist wasn't, and so the three women sat down to study as Getehl did muscle work. He didn't mind so much; at least he didn't have to listen to them argue any more. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Two hours later, the lesson was complete, and Getehl rested in the shade of one of the larger boulders he'd moved. "This will all be a waste of time if the worm just left during the night," pointed out Actinaea. "Let's find out," replied Naga, hefting a rock about the size of an orange. She tossed it out as far as possible from the outcropping. The pinkish-grey hide of the earthworm briefly broke the surface. "It's there." "So, are we ready?" asked Getehl. "H-hai!" said Mariposa, a little uncertainly. "You'll do fine, Mari," assured Actinaea, "as long as you concentrate." Getehl stood and moved away from the rock pile as the sorceresses joined hands. "I'm lead, Mari-chan is the power source, and you're back-up," reminded Naga. "Yes, yes, let's get on with it." Actinaea growled. They chanted, softly at first, then more strongly. Normally, the spell didn't take nearly as much time, but ritual eased the power requirements. "Spirits of Earth, hear us. From the dust we come, to the dust we return. Grant life to stone, make granite to walk; you are our hope in peril, VU VRAIMER!" Mari bit her lip as the strain began. The rocks began to shift, then rise, one upon another, forming a mockery of human shape, a stone golem. The Earth spirit possessing the golem turned the stone approximating its head, as if to look at those who summoned it. "Go!" cried Naga. "There is our enemy!" She nodded towards the ground. The golem seemed to resist a moment, and Mari grimaced. Then it turned again, and strode down from the outcropping. One, two, three paces. No sign of the worm. Four, five, si-- The earthworm, attracted by the heavy footfalls of the golem, shot up tentacles to grasp its prey. The sorceresses caused the golem to grasp one of the tentacles, and pull the worm partially into the air. Naturally, the worm struggled, and attempted to bring its maw to bear on the new enemy. Soon, the two were locked in grappling. "You may stop now, Mari-chan," said Naga, letting go of the others' hands. "But won't that allow the Earth spirit to go out of control?" "Yes, but as long as it's fighting the worm, who cares? OHOHOHO!" Even Actinaea had to admit this was a good point, even if she'd never do so out loud. Getehl said, "I'm not sure, but I think the worm might win." Naga paused a moment. "In that case, Plan B! RUN!" End Chapter Six ---------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Notes: Hoo! This chapter is dedicated to Blade, who I hope will have better luck next time. As is traditional with Improfanfic, I had the usual delays; writer's block, initially no idea how to get my heroes out of the mess I'd put them in, and of course my main e-mail crashing. Apologies to those of you who were going to be my prereaders...I'll try and get you advance stuff on my Ultra turn, okay? Thanks especially to www.inverse.org for vital spell info, and to the folks at #improfanfic. One of them came up with a wonderful gag for the Silent Bell, that I'm only sorry I couldn't use since we're still many chapters from the actual appearance of the artifact... Oh, and thank you to the wonderful people who created the film "Tremors." Good night and God bless, SKJAM! http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/5990 skjam@hotmail.com