Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 15:10:24 -0700 (PDT)
From: James Robinson <yungngay1ru2@yahoo.com>
Subject: GAYM (gay sci fi) part 09

GAYM, part 09  Fight fire with fire.

Sure enough, the side of the huge crate facing us
slowly lowered to the ground, and out came a dragon;
it was blinking its eyes and moving very unsteadily as
it had been in that crate for some time.

It was a green dragon, and I found myself wondering
when, or if, my own green dragon, Gleep, would get
that big.  I mean this thing was HUGE!

"Think.  Stay calm!"  I told myself.  "Ajax!" I
barked.

"Right here, boss."

Can you see who's controlling that dragon, and how?
If it's an attached dragon, I think our best option is
to hop out of here and regroup back at Deville, at
Gus's place, but if it's unattached, we can handle
it."

"You know more about dragons than I do, boss.  What do
I look for?"

"They had a giant.  I suspect he's the dragon master,
but he could have given the controlling crystal to
Antonio.  In any case, the guy will have a  good-sized
crystal, or pendant, probably in his raised fist."

"You want me to shoot him when I find him?"

"No!.  I want you to point him out, so I can lift that
device from him.  Then WE can control that dragon!"

"Speaking of dragons," said Gus, "I've got Gleep
here."

"Good, but I think Berfert will be a greater help.  If
that little fire lizard of yours can create a wall of
fire between us and the enemy, that might stop that
dragon's advance."

"Or you can go for the pendant," Ajax informed me.
"Looks like your man has a gem in a gold pendant
around his neck, and he's urging the beast forward."

"Alright, I'm gonna try to bag that trinket."  I
reached with my mind and took a grab at the pendant.
The keeper must have felt that, and apparantly
realized I was trying to get it, because he tightened
his grip on it.  I fought for possession, but I was
fighting a guy who was bigger, heavier, and at least
twice as strong as I was, and a lot more magical.  Far
from pulling the pendant away from him, I found myself
pulled toward him, onto the field.

"Skeeve!" Aahz shouted.  "Let it go!.  Look out for
the dragon!"

I assumed the warning was regarding the oncoming
dragon, but it was my own Gleep that knocked me down,
from behind, as he raced out to plant himself between
me and my foe.

The big dragon threw its head back and toared, but
that didn't stop my Gleep from hissing at it,
warningly.

The big dragon seemed curious, and lowered its head
for a sniff.   Gleep hissed and roared, for which he
received a cuff from the big dragon as if he'd been an
unruly child; this cuff from a dragon that could've
caved in a building!

Surprizingly, Gleep seemed to be laughing!  The big
dragon just continued to sniff him.

"I think that big dragon is Gleep's mom!"  yelled
Andy.

Of all the dragons we might come accross, the odds of
that would've seemed quite remarkable, except that I
realized the dragon had probably been purchased at the
Bazaar where I got mine.  I mean how many dragon
dealers could there be?  But I didn't have time to
enjoy the reunion.  No sooner had I heard the word
"FIre!" than a barrage of arrows came flying toward
us. I'd been too surprized to stop the arrows in the
way I had in our earlier battle.  Besides, I'd had to
watch out for the big dragon's tail as she turned
around.

The big dragon had whipped around with fury!   Her
baby was being attacked!  She let out a blast of flame
at the oncoming soldiers, keeping them at at a
respectable distance.  Her motherly rage was matched
only by her keeper's, and Antonio's.  I was behind the
dragons, or more accurately behind Gleep (he was still
defending me), and now I began using my powers to stop
the arrows, which were rapidly diminishing in number.

Pandemonium had broken out the field.  As soon as Aahz
had seen the big dragon  turn on its senders, he'd
started our attack.  I took the opportunity to retreat
with Gleep back to our own camp.  Aahz was doing great
in his sword fights, and he WAS a magician, even if he
didn't have air powers.  He'd used HIS magic on Ajax's
quiver so it wound never be empty, and Ajax was
enjoying the endless supply of arrows.

As for Andy, he'd turned himself into a Troll, a BIG
mean green fighting machine, and was doing quite well
with his own style of fighting.

Gus had taken the invisibility sheet, and, with his
partner, Berfert the fire salamander, had flown with
his  "air support and fire power."   The only problem
was that Aahz got cut off from the rest of us.

Gus had dropped Berfert into the middle of the enemy
troops, with the idea that the front lines would be
cut off from reserves.  This worked well as far as it
went.

With the invisibility sheet under him, Gus (with
Berfert) had remained unseen during their approach,
but as he passed overhead, the soldiers were able to
look back and see the Gargoyle, and launch an attack.
Their thrown spears and javelins had no effect on the
stone Gargoyle, but had quite an effect on their own
second string.  To THEM, it must have appeared that by
some magic of demonic posession, their allies had
turned and fired on them.

To be continued