Mr. Dove and the Pipes of Creation

[Jock Scot]

Right, like figuring out just what is going to happen to Mr. Livingston this time.

Sharp pointy things, come to mind, although he does have a habbit of falling off cliffs and tripping over things. As long as he looks after my gin I don't mind, perhaps it might be kind to not let him suffer too much this time?

[davedove]

perhaps it might be kind to not let him suffer too much this time?

Nope, can't do that, I have a reputation to uphold.

[Jock Scot]

Nope, can't do that, I have a reputation to uphold.

Oh, right you are then.

[Livingston]

Just make sure Jock is there to help sort things out for me.

[Jock Scot]

Just make sure Jock is there to help sort things out for me.

Of course I will be delighted to give you a hand old chap, but until then, I will carry on counting the paper clips, sharpening pencils, guarding the desk, checking the wheel nuts, white washing the coal and all those other useful little jobs that keep an "action man" amused back at base.

[davedove]

Scene 6

“How can I stop this guy if I don’t even know where he is?” I asked.

“Although we can’t determine his precise location,” answered pink-tipped Pleater, “we do know the general area where he is operating. His efforts to change reality in the different worlds results in massive storms as the different realities clash.”

“Storms?” I asked, not really wanting to hear the response.

“Yes, Mr. Dove, storms,” said Ms. Pleater. “Just like the storm that struck your own world just before we brought you here. Your own world is feeling the clash of realities.”

I remained silent for a moment as I contemplated the fate of my world. “What do you want me to do?” I asked.

“We are going to send you near the clashing realities,” said Captain Pleater. “Your mission is to gather your allies, lead them to the thief, and recover the Pipes of Creation.”

“How will I find these allies? Who are they?”

“We do not know who they are yet,” said a male Pleater with obvious cyber ware showing. “We will send them to meet you as we find them. All we can say is that they will probably be familiar to you, as we have founds the threads of these individuals seem to cross often throughout the dimensions. And they will know to look for you.”

“Okay, who is this thief and how do I find him?”

“Again,” said Ms. Pleater, “we do not know who he is. Our only clue is that he goes by the title of Emperor of the North.”

“We can give you some guidance,” added pink-tipped Pleater. “As you travel, you will likely encounter more storms. The thief is not yet accomplished in playing the pipes and the realities will remain in flux for some time as the invading reality asserts itself. Do not be surprised by anything you witness, as it is unknown what will happen to reality. Also, as the storms originate from the invaders location, the storms will tend to travel away from there. So, head in the direction from which the storms come.”

“Also,” said outdoorsman Pleater, “we will be monitoring your progress as we gather your allies. We will be unable to help you directly because of the changing realities, but we can send you assistance. We will provide clues as to which direction you should travel.”

“Another word of advice and warning,” said the Pleater who wore a nun’s habit. “Remember, reality is all about belief, including the difference of right and wrong, good and evil. Your mission is as much about making the right choices as it is recovering the pipes. Doing the right thing will get you farther along than plunging ahead without thought of the consequences.”

“Okay,” I said. “Where can I get some equipment?”

“There is no time for that,” said Captain Pleater. “You must travel with whatever you have with you now. Anything else you will have to acquire in the field.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. I had no weapons on me and I certainly wasn’t equipped for a journey. “How does this work? Do you just wave your hands and I suddenly find myself somewhere else?”

“Not exactly,” said Ms. Pleater. She pointed to a door at the back of the room. “You will pass through that door and be on your way.”

I walked over to the door and opened it. All I could see was an endless void.

I turned around to question the Pleaters, but one of them pushed me so that I fell through the door.

“Good luck,” said Ms. Pleater, the one who had pushed me.

[Livingston]

Hmmmmm... "Emperor of the North", sounds like he might be a Wizard too.

[Standard]

Hmmmmm... "Emperor of the North", sounds like he might be a Wizard too.

Or perhapse does he wear a rubber chicken? Ah, curiouser and curiouser.

[davedove]

Scene 7

I was having a very pleasant dream of a beautiful young woman kissing me. As I lie there, she covered my face with forceful kisses.

No wait, they weren’t kisses; she was licking me. Her tongue covered my face in wet swipes.

“Baaaa!” I heard her say.

My eyes shot open and I found myself staring into the face of a goat. I quickly pushed her away and sat up to look around.

I was sitting on a rocky clearing. A large coniferous tree stood off to one side and a herd of goats was eating grass all around me.

I stood up to get my bearings. The clearing stood near the edge of a rocky cliff that dropped away to the ocean. Looking out over the water, I couldn’t see any other land.

How was I to proceed from here?

“Baaaa!”

I obviously couldn’t travel over the water, so I guess I had to start walking.

“Baaaa!”

But where would I go? I had been told to look north. However, based on the position of the sun, I was on the north side of this land mass.

“Baaaa!”

“What!” I turned and yelled at the goat.

“Baaaa!” repeated the goat as it stood on the gravel road.

I shook my head and laughed at myself. I hadn’t even seen the road; I was so caught up in my own situation.

“My apologies,” I said to the goat. “I didn’t realize you were trying to get my attention.”

I stepped onto the road and looked both directions. To the left, the road seemed to follow the coastline until it faded from sight. Turning to the right, I saw the road turned inland and headed straight for a large forest.

“Okay, which route should I take?” I said to myself.

From behind, the goat pushed me towards the forest route, causing me to stumble forward.

I turned back to look at the goat. The Pleaters had said they would give me clues, but I never thought they would come in the form of a goat.

“Thank you for the information,” I said to the goat. “You have been most helpful.”

I rummaged through my pockets. I didn’t have much but I did manage to pull out a granola bar. I opened the wrapper and broke off a piece.

“Again, thank you for your assistance,” I said to the goat and tossed the piece of granola to her.

As the goat dipped her head to eat the granola, I headed down the road towards the forest.

[davedove]

Scene 8

I followed the road as it led into the forest. Although the forest was dense with a lot of underbrush, the road was clear and well graveled. Someone obviously took the time to keep it in good shape.

As I rounded a bend in the road, I encountered a large man standing there, obviously waiting for me. The man was slightly taller than me and more heavily muscled. He wore black studded leather armor and stood with his hands resting on a very large battle-axe.

“Welcome traveler,” he said to me.

“Hello,” I said as I approached him.

“Hold,” he commanded. “You may not pass any further until you pay the toll for using the King’s road.”

“Very well, how much is this toll?”

He smiled evilly. “How much do you have?”

I noticed the man’s hands shift to take a better grip on his axe. “I’m afraid that’s a bit more than I can afford,” I replied.

He lifted the axe. “Too bad, but you’re already on the road. You have to pay.”

I knew what this man’s game was, but I had to be careful. “But I don’t have any money; isn’t there some other way I could pay?”

“I’ll just have to take it from your hide,” he said as he rushed toward me and swung his axe.

I was ready for his swing and easily avoided it. However, I would have to be very careful. If he managed to connect with the axe, he could easily kill me.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any weapons of my own. Also, there was no way I could match his strength. I would have to win this one with wits.

I continued to jump aside as he swung the axe. The man was a very simple fighter. His style seemed to be to keep swinging until he hit something. He probably relied on his size and endurance to tire out any opponents.

I could work with that. As he kept swinging at me, I began to move off the road. The man smiled as he saw the tree behind me, thinking I would be trapped against it. I let him think that. I stood with my back against the tree and waited.

As he swung the axe at me, I made my move. I ducked beneath his blow and the axe passed over my head, only to be buried deep in the tree. As I came back up, I spun around him and drove my shoulder into his back, forcing him to slam into the tree. The blow knocked the wind out him and he stood trying to catch his breath. I grabbed his head and slammed it against the tree. As I released him, he slumped to the ground.

I checked the man to make sure he was unconscious. Satisfied that he was, I slipped his knife out of his belt and proceeded to cut loose some green vines. When I had enough, I quickly used the vine to secure the man’s hands and feet so that he couldn’t escape and waited for him to wake up.

The man’s eyes fluttered open and he groaned. He began struggling when he realized he was bound.

“What do you think you’re doing? Untie me now!” he demanded.

“I really don’t think I want to do that. You seemed quite intent on doing me bodily harm.”

“Are you going to kill me? Lord Swill wouldn’t like that.”

“Well, first of all, I don’t really care what Lord Swill thinks if he’s got men like you on the road to greet visitors. But no, I’m not going to kill you. I tied your bonds in such a way that you should be able to wiggle free in two hours or so. I’m also leaving your axe so you won’t be defenseless. However, I am going to take your knife, as I find myself in need of a weapon.”

I opened the man’s pouch and poured out some coins into my palm. The coins appeared to be silver and had the picture of a man I didn’t recognize on them.

“I’m afraid I need to borrow some of your cash,” I said as I pocketed about half of the coins. I tossed the pouch back down next to him. “But don’t worry, I will pay you back when I see you again.”

“Are you going to leave me here?” he asked.

“I’m afraid I must. I don’t know where any authorities might be to turn you in and if you work for this Lord Swill, it probably wouldn’t do any good anyway. By the time you get loose, I will be long gone. I just hope no wild animals think you look too tasty before then.”

I started to walk away. “Have a nice day,” I called back to him.