Subject: a little mishap Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 10:16:31 EDT From: CyraLin Organization: AOL (http://www.aol.com) To: VassarGirI@aol.com, Ravensong9@aol.com, Sandwich22@aol.com, ΚΚΚΚ Cherybmb4@aol.com, MadcapRin@aol.com, Freeze5000@aol.com Teri grabbed her bag to her chest and stood up in her seat as Roland stood gallantly infront of her, a big stick held diagonally in front of him. She was tired, filthy, hungry (her stomach rumbled again and her face flushed with fury), her black clothing was hot, her feet hurt from walking, and she was FILTHY. Did she mention she was filthy?! She shuddered with rage. She was NOT in the mood to put up with whatever crap these "bandits" thought the would give her. Whoever heard of BANDITS anyway! That old man was batty! They're called Hijackers. Though why these peasant rednecks would want to steal a horse-drawn carriage in this backwater hell hole of a rural district was beyond her. "Get out of our way, now!" She yelled, her voice tight as she stared, shaking at them. She was getting her bath and she WAS GETTING HER BATH NOW! Roland made an angry gesture at her with one hand, not taking his eyes off the bandits. "Shut the hell up and sit down! you'll get yourself killed!" The bandit leader snickered and screamed for an attack-- two men converged on Roland, and he met them, ends of the staff whirling, the crack of bones and the smack of contact wet in the air. One lout leapt onto the carriage and reached for Teri's bag-- her eyes snapped open, glazed with rage-- Did this man DARE try to take her things!? "I SAID GET OUT OF MY WAY!" she screamed at him-- images flooded her mind as she shoved both hands towards his chest and pushed him from the cart-- images of fire and heat, images of charring the carriage-jacker with her hatred-- the man screamed and clutched his head, rolled and doubled up on the ground tearing at his hair.. she stared, locked, her blood boiled, she felt it red and rolling, rolling at him, over him... she heard screaming behind her-- the air was waving slowly like the heat off asphalt, she felt her anger flooding her, flooding the air... ***** The two bandits Roland had initially smacked around had regrouped around the leader. He'd lost track of the fourth bandit but assumed he must have run away. The two charged at him, knives drawn. He ducked and rolled, swinging the staff, tripping the first bandit and sending his sprawling to the dust. Quickly recovering from the vibrations that threatened to tear the stick out of his hand, Roland swung the staff through the air, shattering the knees of the second bandit. The man screamed as he fell. The second bandit regained his footing and charged at Roland from behind. Spinning, he shoved the end of the staff directly into the bandit's solar plexus, stopping the man cold as the bandit gasped for breath. Roland turned to face the Bandit leader when he was slammed to the ground by a wall of heat-- an invisible heat that sunk through him-- passed through his body like a hand through water-- tore at his nerves, at the edges of his mind... wavering, flickering intensity like punches inside his head. He forced himself to turn as he picked himself off the ground... The strange girl in black stood at the edge of the carriage seat, facing a fallen bandit below her. Her eyes were wide and glazed, her face flushed. She shook with the rage that gushed from her, over him-- She didn't move, didnt' blink, and her hate poured forth. He grabbed his head-- the bandit leader behind him was screaming, rolling on the ground like the bandit before the girl-- Roland had no idea what to do. The full force of the heat somehow seemed to be "missing" him, but the bandits looked as if they were about to explode. Acting on instinct, Roland bit back a cry and launched himself at the girl, knocking her from the carriage-- As she hit the ground, the heat-flood vanished, his mind recoiled, singed.. The bandit next to him had passed out, the leader whimpered, and the girl lay collapsed on the ground her hand fluttering to her face. Roland lay huddled on the ground. His mind was reeling in pain. He stayed there, hunched up on the ground, for what seemed like hours but was only 2 minutes. Eventually, the pain dropped to a bad headache... a throbbing, incredibly unpleasant headache. At least he could think again. That was something. Roland brushed himself off and looked around. The bandits were all unconscious. The girl was too, but she looked somehow worse than the criminals. The horses, frightened by the heat and the fighting, had run off with the carriage. ::She must be a khef master. They're the only ones who could have such power. But that was so... unfocused. Uncontrolled. Maybe she's only an apprentice. Or she has no knowledge of her powers. Regardless, she needs to learn control:: Roland picked the girl up and started walking towards Hicho.