[ADMIN - Sottie, the Inebridee Brewery and associated characters are
written and owned by Greg Dewey ]

[Zade]

It was dark. Zade's black leather armor blended nicely with the moonless night.

Perhaps 'moonless' wasn't entirely correct... there was, in fact, a full moon tonight, but thick clouds obscured it's light and left Montfort cloaked in a darkness that was almost unnatural.

The tall, muscular woman stood with her back against the brick wall of some unknown building, watching as three men approached. The first was Slimmon, a lanky thug that reminded her of Fletcher. Then there was Oger... huge and ugly like his near-namesake. Bringing up the rear was Terris, completely unremarkable except for his bright red hair and his skill with the crossbow. They all had swords and battle-axes strapped to various parts of their bodies Zade frowned slightly when she saw
them... swords were clumsy weapons... but she supposed they were well suited for their work tonight.

"You're late," said Zade as the group gathered around her.

"Sorry," said Slimmon. "Fletcher wanted us to help clean up."

"Follow me. The brewery is only two streets over..." Zade started walking, she didn't bother to look and see if the men were following her. She knew they were there... if not out of respect for her orders, then at least they'd be behind her trying to get a glimpse of her ample rump...

"We're gonna knock the place around a bit," Zade continued. "Slimmon and Terris will stand guard. Oger and I will give the place a good going-over. Terris... did you get that package from the alchemist?"

"uh-huh." The red-haired man nodded, and reached into the pocket of his trousers. He brought out a small vial, which he quickly put to his lips. He drank the contents... his eyes glowed briefly for a second, almost like a brief flash.

"Is it working?" asked Zade

"Feels funny... not like it usually-"

"I didn't ask how it felt.. I asked if it was working. Can see
in the dark?"

"Yes. Yes, I think so."

"Good. Run off and find a position where you can see us all. Anybody you don't recognize gets a bolt through the neck. Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"What?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Go, now"

Terris ducked off into the night, disappearing as soon as he left the circle of light cast by Slimmon's torch.

"We'll hit a couple of the big beer casks first. Then maybe the office..."



[Sottie]

There was a minute but nearby disturbance in the brotherhood of intoxication. "Someone haz quaffed a potion containing some measure of magic mushroom, perhaps for vision in the darrk," Sottie whispered. The drunkard stood next to a huge brew-kettle, normally used in the hopping process, but tonight, the giant brew-kettles of the Inebridee brewery were being used for something else.

[Dersh]

From the roof of the main brewery, Dersh spotted the torch in the distance and raced to the roof door. In a hushed voice he yipped a few vulpine syllables into the brewery where Sottie and the werewolf-wizard Rafe waited. Then descended into the brewery, and down into the cellars below to check his traps and emerge when the opportunity was ripe.

[Poppy Spirit]

A tiny nature spirit, invisible to the naked eye, flitted through a crack in the window of the main brewery all alight with excitement. "Visitors master!, visitors walk amongst the spring-time sprouts. Visitors! Visitors! Visitors!

[Sottie]

"My thanks sweet Opia," the inebriate smiled. He was already stoking the fire-box beneath the brew kettle and adding quick clean-burning oak kindling to the long-established fire. "We muzt hurry, it muzt seem az if we halv nod lifted a finger, but that the gods of drink have done all. Our prodector must be a foe who none will challenge."

[Rafe]

Rafe nodded and stoked the other two brew kettles. His specialty was with machines and mechanisms and the element of earth. He was not the best with other spells, but he was being called to do something so basic there would be little chance of failure. The wizard began spell-casting, a dense, ale-laden fog billowed from the two great brew kettles and rolled down into the cellar below the brewery. It then surged up from the outside cellar doors spreading over the brewery grounds like a dark, silent blanket, obscuring anything less than two or three feet tall both to normal and infrared vision, and providing an eerie, ale-scented foreboding to the scene. Rafe checked the spell to
make sure it was continuing to function, then shifted to wolf form. He must next go to the warehouse where the finished ale was stored. It would not do to have too much valuable ale destroyed. Somehow, the ale must defend itself.

[Sottie]

As Rafe prepared the fog spell, Sottie spoke, "Truly, Id is their sobriety we wish to attack." Sottie smiled as he closed the roaring fire box beneath the third brew kettle. This kettle was being used for a different spell than those Rafe stoked. The swami of ale poured pure pre-heated alcohol into the rapidly boiling vat of Inebridee pale ale. The drunkard concentrated, calling on the power of his newest allies, the Western gods of drink. Vapors of pure alcohol tinged with the scent of ale boiled and swirled from the vat, spinning faster and faster.

To the vapor spirit he was creating, the drunkard added a generous dusting of the powder of potent mushrooms and the dark lady -black lotus. In minute or two, the priest of drunkenness had created a dust devil of a very specialized nature. It held within it the essence of intoxication, its attack was little more than an angry wind, but breathing its vapors brought the twin joys of inebriation and hallucination most rapidly.

The Fakir descended into the cellar with his creation. Though he was unsure of where the other foes were, the location of the potion user was as plain to the vicar of intoxication as the full-bodied taste of fine ale. As he stood in the basement stair well beneath the flowing river of obscuring fog, Sottie sent his vaporous creation out on a mission, "Seek, attack from behind, make history of his sobriety."

[Aria]

From the roof of the office building, Aria spotted a torch in the distance. "Amanda, I see them," she yipped softly. "We are to attack the dark-skinned woman only one at a time and assess her qualities as a fighter. As the omega, you will attack her first, for if she cannot best you, she is unworthy of the pack. The Alpha male has said she may be worthy of our family. Huh! no doubt she is a petty mortal who has caught the master's eye with her comely body, worthy we shall see," Aria sneered. Stalk the others first, we must see how she fights without their aid. I will follow soon. Keep to the shadows and retreat to the mushroom cellars if you are sorely wounded."

[Amanda]

Amanda shuddered, she was still not at ease with her wolf form, but all seemed to expect her to use it with the carefree ease of the Alpha and his ancient comrades. Yet the moon was full and all she had to do was drop her hard-pressed control and the transformation came instantly.

[Aria]

Aria growled a reiteration of her earlier orders as Amanda became fully a wolf. It would not do if the novice were to forget due to the transformation. Aria took no chances with the pack's omega.

[Amanda]

Somewhat disoriented but motivated by the Alpha female's growling wolf-speech, Amanda padded down several flights of stairs, and through the silent office building. She pushed her way out the back door and sniffed the air. As the moon peaked briefly from its thick blanket of clouds, a howl suddenly erupted from Amanda's vulpine lips and then died just as rapidly, as her addled brain slapped her with the need for
stealth. Amanda ran from the location of her howl, sticking to the shadows near the office building.

[Brian Brakston]

There was a howling and the toothless drunkard looked up from his vigil over his hand cask. He knew that the cask said "Inebridee Dark Taint," on it, though he could not read. He was the adopted night watchman of the Inebridee Brewery, sworn to honor and protect, paid each afternoon when he awoke from his drunken slumber with a full gallon and a half of the Inebridee ale of his choice. Brian shouldered the cask which brewmaster Inebridee had, had fitted with a leather shoulder strap, and brandished his oaken cudgel. The cudgel had been a gift from Rendela, one of the master's powerful lady friends. She had spent many an afternoon schooling Brian in its use, and Dersh had shown him a few underhanded moves for use when the odds got long. The dwarven armorer Helgar had planted great spikes into the top of Brian's cudgel, made from the blessed metal of the gods of drink. Brian took a long drought from the cask and was filled with liquid courage and inspiration. There was trouble afoot. The ale was in danger. Somehow he would stop them. The sanctity of the ale must not be breeched!

[Zade]

Zade ordered Oger to light his torch and the two of them set off for the warehouse. Slimmon hung back a few yards, where his own torch could illuminate a wide area. Finally, when he reached a wide open area, Zade ordered him to hold his position and keep watch.

Zade smiled. Slimmon reminded her too much of Fletcher... which was why she had made him sniper-bait. If there was any trouble, he would be the first to go. No doubt Oger would be second. Zade made sure to walk just outside of the dumb ox's torch-light.

City boys... thought Zade. No mercenary worth his weight
would carry a torch in the middle of a night-mission. I'm doing
Sinterbourne a favor by getting rid of the weak links. Too bad
Fletcher didn't tag along...

Zade led Oger up to the large warehouse door. Her gloved hand
was just inches away from the wooden frame when she heard a
sound. A wolf howl.

Zade froze.

Wolves? In the middle of Montfort?

She tried to place the distance and direction of the animal, but
she could not... there were too many building nearby. The wolf
could be miles away... or just on the other side of the
warehouse.

"I smell ale." Oger grunted.

Zade resisted the urge to state the obvious: that they were
standing in the middle of a brewery.

"Open this door," she said instead, "I'm going to check around
the building and join you inside later."

"Okay."

Zade crept along the exterior wall of the warehouse. She
glanced at Slimmon... his torchlight was plainly visible. The
tall man was looking around nervously.

Something's wrong, here. Zade had planned this operation on
the assumption that any security they encountered would be
half-drunken armatures. But now the whole scheme reeked of a
set-up. And ale... Zade sniffed. The smell of ale was
definitely stronger than it had been just a moment ago. Perhaps
she had ventured close to a window...

As she looked around, she noticed a thick mist had risen
seemingly from nowhere. It hung close to the ground, and gave
off the intoxicating odor of ale.

That explains that.

When Zade reached the corner of the building, she looked back. Oger had just forced the door open and stepped inside. Slimmon was staring off in the distance, as if he had heard something. Another lupine howl grabbed their attention.

It was clearer... closer... but Zade still couldn't quite place the exact location. Her hand ventured to her belt. Her whip was there... salted and ready. Earlier, she had affixed a particularly wicked implement to the tip of the coiled leather strap. The large, hooked blade was made for splintering thick wood... like doors and beer casks, so it would be especially damaging to flesh... human or lupine.

Zade's hand slid past the whip to a leather pouch just behind it. She opened it and retrieved a small stone, about two inches in diameter. She held it in her palm, brought it up to her lips and blew upon it. The stone began to glow with a peculiar light that illuminated the area for several feet in all directions. The druid-stone's light decreased exponentially with distance, and could not be seen by anyone more than three feet away. Perfect for thieves and assassins.

Now, we'll find out what's going on...

Zade turned the corner and disappeared into the misty night.

[Amanda-wolf]

From the distance, Amanda saw the torches go separate ways. With her neck stretched she could keep her eyes above the fog, but was otherwise immersed in it. As a wolf, her night vision was excellent, yet it was exceptionally dark this night. She lengthened her stride and headed obliquely towards the warehouse, She believed the woman she was to try was somewhere near that building and she was rewarded when she caught the hint of the scent of a female in the air near the rear of the building. Stealthily she crept closer...closer flanking the woman. Her hunting instincts took over, Amanda tensed and sprung, her teeth bared, she catapulted towards the woman's throat.

[Terris]

Terris positioned himself on the edge of a tall building facing the warehouse. He had climbed the ladder to the roof with no problem, but when he crouched down and readied his crossbow he began to feel slightly dizzy. He shook his head and took a few deep breaths. The dizziness receded but did not vanish entirely.

"Damned alchemist..." he mumbled to himself, "put too much mushroom in my night-vision potion."

The archer checked his field of view. He could see Slimmon clearly. Terris wondered if Slimmon knew he was bait... set out in the open to draw out the security patrols so Terris could pick them off. Of course, Slimmon would probably be cut to ribbons by the time he got them all...

Terris watched as Oger entered the warehouse and Zade snuck around the side of the building. To anyone else she would have been lost in the darkness, but Terris's enhanced vision tracked her movements as easily as if it were mid-day. She was holding some kind of object in her hand. It wasn't giving off any light that Terris could detect, but he was sure that that was it's purpose, without SOME kind of light Zade would be completely sightless.

Terris checked Slimmon once more, and then returned his gaze to Zade.

The woman ventured along the south wall of the warehouse. Her motions were slow and determined, and she kept her free hand planted firmly on the handle of her whip. Terris had seen her use that weapon to very painful ends... or rather, he had been present when it was used. When Zade wielded it, the leather whip was far too fast for the human eye to see. And it always hit its target.

Speaking of targets... Terris glanced back towards Slimmon. The man was gone; his still-burning torch lay abandoned on the ground. As Terris watched, a thick mist rolled in and enveloped the torch, swallowing it and its flickering light whole.

"What the Hell?"

[Vapor Spirit]

After leaving the brewery basement, the vapor spirit moved invisibly through the air towards Terris, It took a wide turn and came in from behind the archer as its master had instructed. Though it was weak, the intoxicating vapors it contained were strong.

[Slimmon]

Shortly after Zade disappeared around the corner of the warehouse, the tall thug known as Slimmon had carefully placed his torch on the ground and backed away a few paces. When his back touched the stone wall of the building, he stopped and drew his sword.

Something wasn't right.

The howling, for one. And the sudden mist was another. No matter... when whoever or whatever came to investigate the dropped torch, he would be waiting for them.

Suddenly, the light dimmed and vanished. Slimmon realized his mistake too late... the thick mist swallowed his torch and left him in total darkness.

[Dersh]

Still in human form, the werewolf thief circled carefully towards Slimmon, walking in a crouch, low in the obscuring fog and moving as silently as the wind. The thief grinned. Sottie's methods greatly appealed to him. There was such subtlety in them. He did not miss Aeragar's rage-centered methods at all, some things were so much more interesting than tearing a man apart. Dersh raised the black blow-gun to his lips and inserted a thorn covered with a hallucinogenic drug the
master had refined from a type of mold. Dersh aimed for the exposed side of the upper neck, a bit above the hair line. A puff of the thief's breath drove the thorn through the air towards its intended victim. The discharge was nearly soundless, but Dersh dropped down below the fog just the same.

[Aria-wolf]

Aria locked the back door of the offices. Then emerged from the shadows, an enormous bitch. She would see who needed tending to, and when the time was ripe, she would devour the unworthy wench who had caught the Alpha's eye.

[Sottie]

The yogi of drink stood in the stair well of the main brewery, his head just below the level of the ale fog. He saw the scene unfolding in a familiar black-lit dreamscape panorama of vision brought on by a mushroom he enjoyed on occasions when it was too dark to see, or when he needed to see without eyes.

[Brian]

As soon as he saw the torch, Brian knew where they were headed, to despoil the precious ale! It must not be! When the huge man entered the warehouse Brian was ready. Fortified with the courage of DARK TAINT, he swung his cudgel with drunken might, attempting to stave in the giant's head.

[Rafe]

A tall, scrawny wolf had crept in with the fog he had created. His magesight augmenting his vulpine night vision. Rafe cast a telekinesis spell, lifted himself to a warehouse window out of sight of the archer, opened it and softly floated in. He landed atop one of many tall columns two enormous barrels high. As he touched down, he caught a gimps of Brian swinging his spiked cudgel at a large foe. Hurriedly, Rafe pulled his head back out of sight and changed forms. The wizard did not know how this battle would end, but he knew his limitations and had no intention of fighting the lummox who now faced Brian. The gods
of ale would fight the man for him, Rafe grinned.

[Oger]

Oger entered the warehouse with a boldness that was born more of stupidity than bravery. The thick mist, hip deep and steadily rising, flowed past him as he paused in the doorway. The smell of ale assaulted him... and made him incredibly thirsty. Since Zade wasn't here, no one would know if he drank his fill before trashing the place.

He licked his lips in anticipation, barely noticing the cudgel swinging towards his head. With a surprised yelp, Oger sidestepped the blow, but the spiked weapon gave him a nasty scratch on his shoulder.

The burly thug drew his battle-axe and scowled at his
attacker... a toothless drunk.

"Now would be a good time to leave," barked Oger, "before I have to hurt you."

Of course he had no intention of letting the man live; it would just be much easier to kill him when he was turning to walk away.

[Slimmon]

Slimmon was inching forward, sliding his feet across the mist-hidden ground.

Damn torch has to be around here somewhere...

[Terris]

The archer sighed in relief when he saw Slimmon emerge from the side of the building. Apparently he had ventured close to the wall and at an angle that hid him from Terris's sight. He seemed to be okay, but unfortunately his torch had been swallowed by the mist. Even Terris's night vision couldn't find it.

Terris stifled a giggle as he watched Slimmon scraping his feet and tapping the toe of his boot in an attempt to locate his only source of light. The urge to laugh grew stronger... and stronger still. Finally, Terris had to clamp his hand across his mouth to keep from revealing his position to the man crouching in the mist near Slimmon...

...man crouching in the mist? He's not supposed to be there...
is he?

Terris brought his crossbow around, only to discover that his fingers were rapidly going numb.

"Dammm alshemist," mumbled Terris out loud, "imm gonna shlaughter him."

Fortunately, the bolt was already drawn. Terris took aim at the stranger as best he could and fired.

[Slimmon]

The tip of Slimmon's boot contacted something. The tall thug was just about to bend down and retrieve his torch when he felt a sharp pain in his neck. He staggered backwards just as Terris's bolt flew past his forehead and buried itself in the ground.

"HEY!!" he shouted!

[Terris]

"Ooopsh... wrong shtranger. Guess I'd better shoot the other one, then..."

Terris fumbled with the crossbow, finally managing to load another bolt. He took aim at the second of the two...four...six strange men crouching below him and fired.

[Vapor Spirit]

The vapor spirit, enveloped its intended like an aura of intoxication and held true to him, for it was a creature of little intellect and it was following the last order given it.

[Dersh]

As Dersh ducked into the mists after his blowgun shot, he heard the unmistakable sound of a crossbow bolt burring itself into the ground. The werewolf thief rolled beneath the mist then rapidly yet silently crawled towards where he could hear his victim groping for something. Dersh came up behind the man, pulled a paper tube, took a deep silent breath and blew. A shower Sottie's favorite mushroom powder poofed into the mists around the groping stranger. Dersh held his breath and crawled slowly in the opposite direction, for even with his werewolf's
constitution, a load of Sottie-dust was nothing to sneeze at.

[Slimmon]

Slimmon inhaled two lungs-full of *something,* and immediately began a fit of coughing and sneezing that brought the man to his knees.

[Zade]

Zade heard Slimmon cry out. She spun on her heels and hurried back towards the front of the warehouse.

[Amanda]

Amanda was leaping from the rear flank and could already nearly taste the woman's throat when a cry rang out and the woman spun instantly and began to run in the opposite direction as she had previously been moving. Amanda's teeth narrowly missed the woman's neck, but her chest and paws were about to slam into the woman's upper body and there was little Amanda could do to change direction, for the she-wolf was airborne in mid-leap.

[Zade]

Zade was not surprised when the attack came... she had been expecting SOMETHING ever since the party had arrived at the brewery. She was , however, ill prepared for the form of the attack.

A split-second after she had turned to investigate Slimmon's cry when something large slammed into her upper back. Zade was thrown forward, but instead of falling, she used the momentum to carry her several steps away from the thing that had hit her.

Acting purely on instinct, Zade spun to face her foe. As she turned, her right hand brought the druid-stone to her lips while her left snatched her leather whip from its place on her hip. She blew a powerful burst of air across the stone, and it reacted instantly. Its glow doubled, and then quadrupled, until everything within five or six yards was bathed in it's sickly yellow light. All these actions occured simultaneously, so that by the time Zade had completed her turn, she was ready for battle.

She locked eyes with the wolf that faced her. For the briefest moment she was surprised... then the sight of the wolf and the adrenaline rush of the attack awoke something deep within her... Dark memories welled up from their hiding places. The knot that arose in her chest was neither fear nor astonishment... it was hatred. Her mind travelled back... past Fletcher and Sinterbourne and all the others in who's name she had shed blood... Far beyond the years of training... far beyond the nights spent hiding and wandering alone in the night... Zade returned to the slave camps... the atrocities... the rapes... the overseers with their whips... and worst of all were the trackers who brought back the remains of those who had foolishly tried to escape. The overseers would whip the dead bodies just for spite. Not that it mattered... the bodies were so chewed and mutilated when they were returned that none could ever be identified... it was the trackers... the trackers and their pets...

"...Dogs..." spat Zade.

She growled at the wolf, still reliving the night she broke free. The others had been fools. Even hough she was but a child, she was wise enough to know their mistake: they ran. Zade knew better. She did not run... she FOUGHT her way to freedom. They had sent the trackers, and the trackers had sent the dogs. Weaponless, Zade had slaughtered them with nothing but her bare hands. She would not let them take her...alive OR dead... back to the overseers.

But that was long ago. Tonight was different... a different time, a different Zade... She was no longer a child... and tonight SHE had the whip...

With only the barest warning, Zade was in motion. Her muscular arm made a short but immensly powerful arc that sent the hooked tip of her whip hurtling through the air directly towards the wolf's throat.

[Amanda]

As a slave girl to the bandits, Amanda knew what pain the lash could bring. The power of the whip was in the snap. Too much weight on the tip turned a whip into a flail and the snap and subtlety were ruined, but Amanda was a wolf now, she did not think of such things, but the knowlege was lingering there somewhere in the back of her mind. A hidious growl came from her throat as her head snapped down and sidways, the hook shattered one of her canines, but went out the other side of her mouth. Then Amanda bit down hard and jerked on the whip growling loudly through her teeth. As long as the whip could not snap at her it would be worthless to its wielder.

[Brian]

Brian was disappointed when Oger sidestepped his courageous blow, but the toothless alcoholic was not demoralized. Liquid courage filled his veins. Ale! he was protecting the very soul of Ale! Inspiration welled up in his belly along with a considerable belch, and Brian remembered to do as Rendela and brewmaster Sottie himself had said. As the business end of cudgel arched towards the floor in the wake of the unsuccessful swing, Brian redirected it's trajectory just slightly to strike at the giant's foot!

[Oger]

Oger jumped backwards, but his move was too late. The heavy weapon crunched into the top of his boot. Oger threw back his head and howled in pain, but at the same time his right arm swung out, carrying his battle-axe along with it as it moved towards his opponent's head. The strike was clumsy... more reflex than anything else, but it had the strength of a very large and very angry man behind it.

[Brian]

Brian's dodge was not the best, for the liquid courage that coursed through his veins also slowed him slightly, though not as much is it did some, for Brian was an alcoholic. The axe removed his left ear and cleaved into his left shoulder and upper chest, he heard the crunching of bone, his left arm went numb and blood sprayed from the wound. The blow was powerful enough that it caused Brian to be pushed into a bent-over stance. Any ordinary man would collapsed from the pain, but Brian was drunk, by the gods, and filled with drunken inspiration. His ale belly caught the dangling end of his cudgel taking over for his useless left arm and Brian suddenly bellowed and stood bolt upright, the cudgel springing up between the monster's legs heading directly for his groin.

[Oger]

"WHOOOOAAAA!!"

Oger jumped back just in time. The drunk's cudgel struck only a glancing blow to his groin... which turned out to be almost as bad as a direct hit.

Oger stood frozen for a second, his lips locked in an 'O' of shock. His eyes squinted shut in anticipation of the pain he would be experiencing in a few seconds.

...two...one...

Oger hit the ground.

Realizing that he was a perfect target, the large man
kicked out with his good leg, sending his heavy boot upwards towards the drunken attacker's knee.

---

[Zade]

"Hope you've got a good grip..." hissed Zade. She pulled on the leather strap, and when the growling wolf pulled back, Zade jumped forward and looped the whip three times around the beast's neck. She slipped behind the struggling animal and gave the whip a powerful yank. The leather coils drew tight and pulled the beast up onto its hind legs.

"You know..." growled Zade, "I. Really. Hate. Dogs." She punctuated each syllable with a fierce tug on the whip. She kept increasing the tension, hoping to be rewarded with the sound of the wolf's neck snapping... or at the very least to feel its body go limp as it quickly suffocated.

Where are the others? she thought as she tightened her grip even further, Wolves always hunt in packs... so where are the others...

[Amanda]

As Zade pulled her up short, Amanda twisted and lunged taking nearly the entire right side of Zade's waist between her powerful jaws. She clamped her maw onto her antagonist, feeling her three intact canines sink through the woman's leather armor and knife into the hard muscular belly and equally muscular lower back of her tormenter. Amanda growled, frothed and clamped her bite harder and harder, gnashing her teeth for good measure, feeling righteous as her shorter teeth began to saw through the woman's leather protection intent on joining Amanda's canines in penetrating the woman's dark skin.

Amanda knew the warrior woman was trying to break her neck, but the neck of a werewolf was made of tougher stuff than that of a mere dog, and the whip was no silver garrote. Amanda hoped the pain of the bite would cause the dark woman's resolve to wane before the tightening coils of leather suffocated her. As it was, the wolf was beginning to feel light-headed, but in her ferocity would not let go until her consciousness escaped her. Amanda wished she had mental powers like both members of the alpha pair; even telepathy would have been useful. Then at least she could have used some choice words to tell the woman
what despicable scum she was for attacking the brewery. As it was, Amanda's biting, growling, frothing mouth conveyed her point with a certain bestial eloquence.

[Sottie]

Now that the mists were deeper, the yogi of drink shifted to the form of a truly enormous wolf, for Sottie the wolf weighed exactly the same as Sottie the man, though virtually all of what was fat on the man was muscle on the wolf. Aeragar would have found it difficult to lower himself, to skulk so as to be fully obscured within the mists, but to the swami of ale, the law of the paradox held much truth; there was strength in weakness and weakness in strength. Sottie felt the pleasure of the archer's growing intoxication. Soon the time for great evil would be at hand, the perfect opportunity to call on Aeragar to deepen his addiction to the evil power of the dark side. Sottie smiled and sent to Aeragar :: soon the gods will punish those who would have desecrated their temple. There is such darkness in divine wrath, would you like to be a vessel for it?

[Aeragar]

Through the telepathic link they shared, Aeragar felt the building of the energy of the dark side of intoxication, to him it was so alluring, so overpoweringly addictive... "Haahahahahah, I must have it! I am a pitiful, mewling, heated bitch begging to be filled and filled again with your dark power!" Aeragar nearly laughed and cried at the same time, "Aahahahaha, the really pitiful thing is that it makes me tingle with pleasure when you fill me with your darkness, and my pack
mates realize nothing! The fools still fear me as always and dread the power of my rage.

[Sottie]

Sottie mentally chuckled, "a slave to the gods of intoxication is a sovereign among men. You underestimate your own value, Aeragar, you are a most exquisite vessel of darkness. Now, let us see if any are ripe for your wrathful ministrations."

[Aria-wolf]

Aria heard a man cry out, but decided to approach from behind the buildings so that she could stretch out and run full speed without as much worry about bothersome missiles.

[Terris]

The yard of the brewery was so filled with fog that, even with night vision, Terris couldn't tell friend from foe. The fact that he had suddenly and inexplicably become stone-drunk didn't help matters much.

After firing two or three more bolts at the shadowy figures in the fog, Terris decided that perhaps he should just sit back and relax. After all, he only had a few more bolts left. Or did he?

Maybe I'd better light take a look-see...

Forgetting that he could see in the dark, Terris reached into his pocket and pulled out two small flints. Then he rummaged around until he had a tiny pile of twigs and debris from the dirty roof. He leaned in close to the twigs, and with an amused smile, he struck the stones together...

[Vapor Spirit]

The vapor spirit was made of hallucinogenic mushroom powders and the vapor of alcohol. When the match was struck, There was a flash that lasted but an instant as Terris was briefly enveloped in a searing inferno of blue flame.

[Sottie]

Sottie could hear the music of sneezing. He nearly chuckled aloud. Dersh had no doubt given someone a free ticket to fantasia through the power of mushroom dust. Sottie could feel as the hallucinogen entered the man more and more deeply into the brotherhood of intoxication.

As the great wolf drew near, he called on the gods of intoxication and the dark power surged. Aeragar's evil mental laugh reverberated through Sottie's mind as the power flowed. Sottie smiled, what weaknesses might Aeragar find? What dire curse might the gods bestow? Would they be merciful and strike the man with addiction, or would Aeragar rip the hapless thug's sanity out by the roots? There was a time when Aeragar, the ancient alpha, would have simply torn the man to shreds, yet death was too simple a solution, and Aeragar's evil had grown since then, oh how it had grown... Aeragar/Sottie surged through the channel opened in the man's mind by the drugs bringing with them the darkest of curses.

[Aria]

In the distance, Aria could see Amanda fighting with a dark-skinned woman. "Hmmph, I'll let her take care of the wench," Aria thought. Just in case, Aria reached out with her telepathy :: "Rendela the one who the alpha wished us to test is fighting Amanda, mayhap the omega will falter. Might you take a break from your metal carving and come hither? She is near the warehouse.

[Rendela]

The ancient warrior-woman heard and sighed. ::"I suppose, but does she really need the help?

[Aria]

::"That is impossible to say, but master Sottie wishes the wench distracted while he deals with the minds of her thugs. He also wants us to see if she is a worthy bitch. I'm sure Amanda will do her best, but I'd rather not bank on the omega."

[Rendela]

::"Very well, I'll be right there." Rendela secreted away the metal cutter, doffed her work apron locked the inner door, and transformed. A powerfully built wolf bitch emerged from the residence/laboratory building and rapidly loped toward the warehouse.

[Rafe]

From his perch amongst the shadows atop the ale barrels, Rafe scrambled to get a spell ready. He could just see the upper parts of the fighting men below him and towards the doors. He saw the axe swing and heard a sickening crunch. He suspected Brian would not last much longer and knew he must be ready when the huge man's axe fell on the first great cask of ale.

[Slimmon]

As the sneezing and coughing subsided, the dust's true nature began to take effect. Slimmon's vision exploded into a kaleidoscope of shapes and colors. What once was a thick mist blackness became a rainbow-blanket that stretched as far as the eye could see. The ground hummed beneath his feet, and a thousand purple and orange snakes crawled up his legs. Slimmon smiled at them, and they smiled back. Bright green spiders rained down on him and began fornicating with the snakes on his chest.

"lookatalltheprettycolors..." he mumbled. Slimmon was so far gone that he never noticed the pillar of blue flame erupting on the roof of the building behind him... nor did he detect the dark influence that was seeping into his mind and slowly taking control.


[Zade]

Zade flinched as she felt the beast's canines penetrate her armor and bite into the flesh of her side. The wound was not serious, but it was obvious that the animal was not content to leave her with just that one. The wolf's struggles increased, even beyond the point where an ordinary beast would have given up.

Where did Sottie GET this thing... thought Zade as she tighened the whip even further around the wolf's throat. She gritted her teeth in anger as her forearms bulged with the effort. She strained against the beast... putting more and more of her strength into the struggle. Hot sweat dripped into her eyes; she squinted and blinked it away.

The wolf bit down deeper into her. She was begining to bleed profusely now. And there was something else as well... the wound had begun to tingle and burn slightly. Zade ignored the strange sensations for now... she was more concerned with the blood she was loosing. If there WERE more wolves - and there most certainly were - the smell of fresh blood would bring them running. If they attacked at once, she'd be torn apart before she could die from blood loss or whatever diseases this beast carried.

Zade wished she had a blade of some kind that she could use to slit this beast's throat. Unfortunately, the only other weapons she carried this night were her silver throwing stars, and they were quite useless at this close range. No, her only hope was that this animal gave out before its comrades could arive. As for her own men, even if they still lived, she would rather die that call for help from them...

[Dersh]

Once he had gotten enough distance between himself and the powerful hallucinogenic powder he'd bestowed on the thug, Dersh crept in the opposite direction of the warehouse to see what the burst of blue flame he'd seen had been all about. He readied his blow-gun with another of his thorns of purple haze just in case there was someone else who's sobriety needed an adjustment.

[Brian]

His left shoulder and upper chest destroyed and bleeding profusely from Oger's axe-blow, Brian was gratified when he realized his blow to the giant's groin had connected however slimly. The elation was short lived, for as he redirected his swing downward towards the huge man's belly, he again heard the snapping of bone as his left knee was shattered by the man's kick and pain lanced up his side. The alcoholic fell forward carried down with his tenacious swing at the man's belly, for though his body was broken, the rock of his faith was firm as
granite.

[Oger]

Oger saw the cudgel coming towards him. The swing went wild as the drunk's leg collapsed from underneath him, and soon the spiked weapon was on a direct course towards his head. Oger tried to jerk himself out of the way... and he succeeded, but only partially. The cudgel crunched into his right shoulder instead. Oger opened his mouth to scream, but as he did so, the wind was forced out of his lungs by the body of his opponent falling on top of him.

"UNNGH!" he grunted.

Oger rolled the still-squirming drunk off of him and tried to stand. After several hurried attempts, he succeeded. His battle-axe had flown out of his hand when he fell, and his wounded shoulder would make wielding his sword difficult. He drew a rusty dagger out of his belt and limped towards the drunken guard.

[Sottie/Aeragar]

Aeragar seeped into Slimmon's mind like venom into a snakebite. The ancient alpha took great pleasure in being able to use the power of the gods, and went right to work utterly destroying the man's sanity. When he was through, there would doubt that this man had suffered divine wrath.

[Slimmon]

Sinking deeper into a hallucinogenic daze, Slimmon began to wander aimlessly around the brewery. His mind was scattered in so many directions that he didn't know that he'd collided with the warehouse wall until after he had already hit the ground. After a brief pause, Slimmon got to his feet. He tasted a sound over to the left, but his senses were so twisted around that it took several moments for him to realize that he had detected anything at all...

"...see with ears... no... see with...eyes? No... that's not right... hear with eyes and smell with ears... wait..."


[Brian]

Brian saw the giant approach him with the dagger, but with only one leg he could not get up. There was blood everywhere, and dimly he realized it was his. The cudgel, no longer wedged against his ale belly was useless. Had he thought about it, the alcoholic would have realized he was dead, but there was only one thing on his mind as the dagger came forth to pierce his heart. As luck would have it Brian's flailing good hand felt the strap attached to the one good friend he'd had in life, his hand-cask of ale. As the giant lunged, Brian struck one last blow for the gods of ale with his hand cask, a pity there was only a half gallon of Dark taint weighting it for the strike.

[Aria]

Aria arrived near the door to the brewery but stayed back from the radius of dim light cast by the tallow candle-lantern Brian had set on one of the ale kegs. The light would have been brighter, but ale-fog was pouring into the building, gradually filling it, and the light from Ogre's torch on the floor was obscured. Aria assumed that Brian was dead, for the scent of blood was so pungent that she could smell it despite the ale-fog. The alpha female was content to watch from a distance to see if anyone would stand up. She knew Rafe was probably
hidden somewhere within the warehouse. If there was a winner to
this battle, the gods of intoxication would give him his reward.

[Oger]

The cask smashed into the side of Oger's head, which was fortunately the hardest and least-vulnerable part of him. Still, the large thug was further angered at the attempt.

He brought his dagger down directly into drunk's heart. A quick kill. He would have loved to cause the drunken fool some pain, but he had his own wounds to tend to.

Oger was bleeding from his foot, groin, shoulder, and from the small gash that the cask had opened up in his head. He ripped off a cloth strip from his shirt and made a clumsy attempt to dress his shoulder wound. Then he looked around, trying to figure out what to do next:

First, I'll have a drink. Then, I'll see about my foot. Then
I'll have another drink before I go out and find the others.
Then we'll all come back here for a few drinks before we trash
the place.

[Brian]

Brian breathed his last breath defending a temple of the gods of ale. Suddenly the sound of Brian's favorite drinking song filled his mind. The gods of drink were throwing a party in his honor. His spirit was ushered to their drinking hall, a place far better than the one he would have gone to had he died a less auspicious death.


[Aria-wolf]

Aria had been watching and waiting, passively listening to Oger's simple thoughts with her telepathy. Now she smiled, baring her teeth. She so enjoyed dominating men with small minds. though she never respected them. Sometimes the suggestive form of domination could be most amusing. She took her time with this one, even though he was as likely to detect a mental attack as he was to appreciate the subtlety of classic literature...


[Dersh]

Dersh approached the building he'd seen the blue flash from, went around it a bit, put the loaded blow-gun in his mouth, capped the near end with his tongue, tipped it up then scaled the wall. The werewolf thief silently pulled himself up to peak just over the edge of the building, looking for a likely target.

[Sottie-wolf]

After Aeragar joyously finished his hideous work on Slimmon, Sottie stealthily slunk toward the building the archer was on. Sottie grinned, with him was the unspeakable horror of the dark side of intoxication, heated and ready to toll.

[Terris]

Terris jerked awake like a man suffering a terrible nightmare. He didn't move at first... he was simply glad that what he had experienced wasn't real. Then he opened his eyes.

Terris's shirt had been burned completely off of him, along with a large portion of his skin. Had he been able to step outside of himself and look down, he would have seen what looked like a well-cooked pig, still sizzling from the fire. His head was completely bald... no hair, no eyebrows or eyelashes.

As it were, he had no idea how badly he was hurt. There was surprisingly little pain, mostly due to shock and the fact that the nerve endings in his skin were gone.

The explosion had thrown him several feet, but fortunately it had not flung him off of the building.

Terris tried to sit up, and succeeded after several attempts. His arms and legs still worked, although his fingers were burned beyond the ability to be useful for much of anything.

"Wha- What happened..." he mumbled. His vision was blurry, and it took him a few seconds to realize that he could only see out of one eye, and even with that, things were rapidly growing dark.

This is bad, he thought, either I'm dying, or my night
vision's wearing off. Cursing his ruined fingers, Terris
fumbled in his pack and finally retrieved a small glass vial
that thankfully gone unbroken in the explosion. Terris tried to
focus his eye on the contents of the vial, he couldn't quite
make out the thick blue liquid that was riddled with streaks of
brght red.

Is this the night vision or the healing potion? Oh well...
either one...


[To Be Continued]