[Mkguild] New WA segment

[Stephen Tigner]

Hey guys. A few years ago I wrote most of this, back when WA writing
was in full swing... but never finished it. I unearthed it yesterday
and at O'Kane's urging, I brushed it off and finished it.
This is the first draft, so I'd appreciate some feedback on it. ^_^

========

Rois and the Triplets (Working Title)
A Metamor Keep: Winter Assault story
By Stephen Tigner
---------------------

(12/24 -- Approx 8PM)

The snow was blowing hard and fast outside the window Rois was staring
out of, when one of her students came up to her, with a concerned look
on his face.  "Rois-sensei?" the AR of her three charges, Colin,
queries, unsure if he should disturb her.
Rois turns to look at the boy, a gentle smile on her face, "Yes,
Colin?  Did you need something?"
"I'm sorry to bother you sensei, but this storm... it... something...
something feels strange about it..." Colin said, with a bit of
trepidation.
Rois' expression suddenly became quite serious, "So, you're feeling it
too, ne?  Something," she stared back out the window again, "is
coming."

-----

(12/25 -- Afternoon)

That was yesterday...  Now Colin is standing, watching as his brother
Drake finishes roasting the last lutin in this group they happened
upon, the stench of charred flesh has brought him close to retching
several times.  He's managed to hold down what breakfast he had so
far, though. The youth turns to Drake, "You done now?"
The dragon morph grinned back at his brother, "I don't know about me,
but I think that Lutin is done now... well done."

Colin just groans at the obvious pun, and sets about putting out the
burning corpses, making sure each lutin was really dead, and the other
fires that were burning in the hall.  Meanwhile, his
once-brother-now-sister Aisha is checking to make sure the folks they
fought off these lutins to rescue are okay. Looking over this scene,
he realized just how much of an understatement 'something' was when
Rois-sensei said it. ~This is horrendous!~ the age regressed youth
thought to himself.

A tap on the boy's shoulder snaps him out of his reverie, and he turns
his head to see who it is that was tapping him. It's Drake, "Snap out
of it Colin, we're ready to go. We need to get these people to the
Follower chapel."
I nod, "Sorry, Drake," and walk with him over to Aisha and the Keepers
we've just rescued.

She's explaining the situation to the adults in the group, and then
motions to her brothers as they're walking up.  "These are my
brothers, Drake and Colin," she says, introducing them and pointing to
each of the two in turn.
Colin nods, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, though I wish it
was under more pleasant circumstances."  Drake echoes sentiments
similar to his brother's.  "Now," Colin continued, "I believe Aisha
has explained to you the situation,"  A show of nods from the group.
"Good, then lets get going before another group of lutins shows up."

They head off, with Aisha taking point, Colin walking next to the
group, and Drake watching their backs.
Rois-sensei has been helping the budding telepath with controlling his
mental powers, and he's able to broadcast just to the people around
him now, instead of deafening the mental ears of the whole keep.  So
Colin broadcast a message directed at the wall next to him, hoping
that it will reach Kyia.  ::Kyia, please see us safely to our
destination, the follower chapel, as fast as possible.::

It seems she has heard me, though, for they reach the follower chapel
after walking for what seems to be only about five minutes or so.
Aisha knocks on the door, while Drake and Colin are keeping a watchful
eye on the corridor around us.  They hear a slightly muffled voice
from the other side of the door, "Who goes there?"
"Aisha, Colin, and Drake," The girl replies, "with a party of refugees."

----------

It was Graed's turn for sentry duty, and so he's standing at the door
when someone knocks on it, "Who goes there?" he queries, wondering if
it's those kids.
The girl's voice comes from the other side, "Aisha, Colin and Drake,
with a party of refugees."  It's them all right.
"Is the hallway clear?" He asks, just to make sure, though they have
probably already checked that.
"Yes it is," comes the reply.
~Like I thought, these three are sharp.  And damn brave to take on the
mission they have.~

Graed turns to the others, "Let's get these doors open, but be ready,
just in case."  A couple of the men get ready to open the door, while
the others stand ready to attack whatever's on the other side, should
it prove to be foe and not friend.  When all are at the ready, the two
men open the doors and peer out, then open them enough to let the
people pass through single-file.

First through the door is the girl, Aisha.  Following her is a group
of very relieved-looking Keepers.  Last come the other two of those
kids, Colin and Drake.  As soon as Drake's through the door, it's
closed and barred shut again.  The refugees are ushered over to where
they can rest, those three kids walk over to the commander to report,
and Graed resumes watching and waiting at the door.

----------

(12/25 -- Evening)

Aisha walks over with his siblings to the commanding officer, and
Rois-sensei is standing there, talking with her.  "Aisha, Colin, and
Drake, reporting in," the young woman states as the trio reaches the
pair.  Both turn and look at the triplets, the commander saying,
"Welcome back.  I've been talking with Rois here, and we've come up
with a plan to hopefully cause some infighting in the lutin ranks."

She looks over at Rois, who continues, "We're certain that at least
some of the tribes here are ones that would normally be fighting each
other, if they weren't here to fight us.  Colin, with your mental
powers, you should be able to find a group of lutins from normally
warring tribes.  You three then need to get them to start fighting
each other.  Possibly by making them think the other tribe had just
insulted them."

"Sensei, what about Drake and I?" the girl asks the centauress.
The commander responds, however, "You two will be supporting Colin,
and helping fend off the Lutins if you are discovered."

Rois nods her assent, then speaks again, "This may be a bit taxing, so
I want you three to get some sleep.  You'll start on this mission in
the morning."

"Yes sensei," all three of them say at once and then head off to get some rest.

----------

(12/26 -- Morning)

Rois' three apprentices have been creeping around these halls for what
seems like hours now, Colin probing at the minds of the groups of
lutins they've come upon, and so far, they haven't had any luck with
finding a large group of lutins from separate tribes.  ~It's just our
luck to keep running into groups of lutins all from the same tribe.~
Drake thinks to himself.

A voice in the dragon morph's head startles him, however, ::I know,
Drake.  It stinks, but we have to keep looking.::

~Dammit, Colin!  How many times have I told you to stop doing that?~
Drake really don't like his brother eavesdropping on my thoughts like
that.

::Sorry,:: comes the other boy's sheepish mental response.  Suddenly,
he stops, ::Bingo!  I've found some!::  After standing there for a
couple of minutes, he continues, ::One tribe calls themselves the
Swift Arrows, the other the Shredding Fangs.::

Aisha just stares at him, and he shrugs. ::That's what they call
themselves.::  She rolls her eyes, and I smirk.  ::Now... how to get
them fighting each other...:: he scrunches up his face slightly, and
soon we hear a ruckus from around the next corner.  Lutins yelling and
screaming, the clash of arms, the sounds of crude weapons connecting
with flesh.

----------

Drake and Aisha exchange glances before both asking, mentally, ~What
did you do?~
Colin grins and replies, ::Just enhanced their natural violent
tendencies a bit, so that they started fighting each other.:: Suddenly
the grin drops off is face, and he gulps, ::We better get moving,
they're heading this way!::
~WHAT?~ again the twin chorus from his siblings. The three start
running from the sound of clashing weapons, only to hear the sound of
charging Lutins coming down the hall in front of them.
::Dammit,:: Colin swears, ::that wasn't all of them! Some of the
Shredding Fangs are coming this way to join the battle!::
The three of them look around frantically as the Lutins are closing in
on them from both directions, and they spot a small alcove off to the
side of the hallway. The three look at each other briefly, then run
for the alcove. ~Please let this work!~ Colin thinks silently to
himself.

The noises of the approaching hordes get louder and louder, as the
three press themselves against the walls of the alcove to try and make
themselves as invisible as possible, given the circumstances. Drake
along one wall, Colin and Aisha along the opposite wall.

----------

~If only this hallway weren't so small, I could assume full dragon
form and take out huge swathes of these guys.~ Drake grumbled to
himself as the Lutins approached. Distracted by their inter-tribal
rivalry, the two tribes, with the rest of Shredding Fangs now having
reunited with the advanced scouts, commenced the work of death with
each other.

The triplets held their breaths, figuratively speaking, as they waited
to see the outcome of the battle. Their reprieve was not to last,
however, as a cold breeze chose then to blow through the arrow slit
behind them and over the lutins, some of whom sniffed the air and
turned to see the three Keepers hiding in the alcove.

::Crud,:: Colin swore again, ::They've spotted us!:: The three readied
their weapons as the Lutins let loose a war cry and attempted to
charge into the alcove, waving their crude weapons.

The first few Lutins fell back under the assault of Drake's fire
breath weapon, burning and screaming, but are quickly replaced by
others. The three stand together, trying to fight them off, and having
some success due to relative narrowness of the alcove. However, the
Lutins just keep coming, with no end in sight, and the three are
slowly being pushed further and further back into the alcove.

::I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!:: Colin frantically
sends to his siblings.
~Same here,~ comes back the reply from both of the other two, as they
are finally pushed back up against the back wall, with nowhere else to
go.
~Oh Kami, we're going to die, here! I don't want to die!~ Aisha
thinks, panicked and scared.

The Lutins keep swarming the three Keepers and are about to attempt
killing blows when Aisha screams, "I don't wanna die!" and she is
surrounded by a blue-white aura, as the blizzard outside suddenly
bursts through the arrow slit above their heads, and swirls around,
literally picking up the swarming Lutins and throwing them out of the
alcove, freezing them solid in midair.

Frost forms on the walls of the alcove and quickly spreads out from
there along the corridor as a fierce, magically enhanced, freezing
wind blows down the hallway in either direction, freezing Lutins in
place and covering them with heavy snow drifts, leaving a scene that
looks like a forest of snowmen inside the keep. Aisha then collapses,
unconscious, into her brothers' arms, the aura fading from around her.

----------

Aisha groans and slowly opens her eyes, blinking a couple of times as
faces come into focus, those of her brothers and Rois. She winces at a
sudden headache and closes her eyes back up, groaning again, "What
happened and why does my head hurt so much?"

She can hear the smirk in Rois' voice, "Well, my dear, that's what
happens when you burn yourself out on a single spell."
Aisha cracks her eyes open slightly, "Wha?"

Colin speaks up this time, "You really did a number on those Lutins,
sis. The whole hallway was littered with frozen Lutin corpses, most of
which were still standing."
Aisha sits up now, grimacing at the intensified headache that causes,
but grits her teeth for a few seconds before asking, "I... I froze the
entirety of that swarm... both of those tribes?"
Drake grins and nods, "Yeah! It was incredible! They just froze stiff
and then were covered in snow, looked like some kind of frozen Lutin
forest."

Rois nods, "However, because of your little stunt, you're not fit to
fight for a while yet. Please try to get some more rest, you need to
recharge." She then turns to look at the two brothers, "As for you
two, stay with her and make sure that she *does* get that rest." Drake
starts to protest, but Rois holds up her hand to silence him, "No
excuses, you two are staying here. I know you, and you won't be able
to concentrate fully on the fight at hand if you're having to worry
about your sister."

============

Well, that's what I have for the first draft. Thanks, everyone. ^_^

-- Stephen