Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 15:00:19 -0000 From: RainiMadden Subject: INT: Return to the Keep Norgoth saw Mistress Raini enter the Keep and then saw these... these... creatures appear at the gate. She might be in trouble. "But she pointed her sword at me!" he thought. Perhaps the Mistress was just upset...and if she's run into this Syrilyn, then she must really be upset. He puffed out his chest and marched up to the drawbridge. "She needs me!" he said bravely. Then, he made a bee-line for the door while Fenris and Cerebus were gnawing on a large b-b-bone. Fortunately, Norgoth's squatty legs were just fast enough as Fenris reached the end of his chain before his snapping jaws reached Norgoth's head. The gnoll took a moment to catch his breath and realized that the door knocker was higher off the ground than he could reach. He looked around and spotted a box sitting in the corner of the entry area. The closer he got to the box, the more putrid it smelled...but it was just the right height that he needed to boost him up to reach the knocker. Norgoth took a deep breath and pushed and shoved and walked away to take another deep breath and pushed and shoved some more and just as he got to the door, Kolban opened it. "What do you want?" Kolban asked with a smirk, like he'd been watching the gnoll the entire time. "My Mistress...Mistress Raini...went inside and she'll be needing me. I'm her aide," he announced with pride. Kolban frowned and shrugged, "Enter of your own accord. The lady Raini's room is the first in the Shadow Corridor on the right." Not wanting to push his luck, Norgoth bowed to Kolban and trotted up the spiral staircase directly to the room indicated. He started to knock on the door, but stopped and thought a moment, "She did point her sword at me." Standing to one side of the door, he knocked and waited. "Who is it?" Raini said without opening the door. Norgoth took a deep breath, "It's me, Mistress. I know..." The door swung to the inside so fast that the suction drew Norgoth into the room. "NORGOTH!" Raini cried. "Thank all that matters that you're here!" "Mmnptth, frruugh, mmmffth," was all Norgoth could get out as Raini hugged the stuffings out of the gnoll in happiness and closed the door. ----{--{@ rainim@concentric.net "A dreamer lives for eternity." --Anonymous