| From: | Spike <u5a77@*****.CS.KEELE.AC.UK> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Educating Dashira... |
| Date: | Fri, 31 Jan 1997 17:33:18 +0000 |
spouting his fraggin mouth off.....
+++++ Begin Download: Dashira.mov
The scene:
A room in what obviously looks like a wrecked house. The windows are boarded
up, and a camping gas light is the only illumination....
Tied to a chair is a teenage human boy, probably 17 or 18, with dirty
blond hair and slightly scared and defiant blue eyes and standing in the
corner is a 6'5", heavily cybered amerindian.
There's a loud BEEP from the other side of the door, and the indian tenses,
ready for action, until a voice calls out "It's OK 'Horse... It's me.".
The indian moves something away from the door and a figure enters the room.
Inferno: "Ahhhh... So this is the loudmouth Dashira? I've been looking
forward to this...."
Dashira looks at the man and asks, "And just who the frag are you?"
Inferno: Who the frag do you think I am.... I'm Inferno of course...
Thanks for keeping him under control 'Horse, he was shooting off
just a little too much to be safe.
Well... We might as well start.
Show me some of this "magic" you think you can do then.....
We might as well find out what you *can* do before I start
teaching you a few lessons......
<Evil chuckle>
<You see a small shiver of fear flash through Dashira's eyes before the
defiance returns once again.>
Dashira: "And what do you expect me to do? Make your pants fall off?"
<Dashira's eyes lose focus for a second and Inferno looks down in amusement
as something feebily tugs on his trouserleg...>
Dashira: Sorry, I guess your damn belt is just too tight for me to do that
sort of thing. But, say, if you guys cared to untie me, then we could talk
like normal people.
Inferno: Ahhh, you know Magic Fingers I see..... Anything else???
Dashira: Well, let me go and we'll see
Inferno: I'll let you go when I'm good and ready. Right now, you're staying
put until you learn to keep that fraggin trap shut.
Dashira: Frag it! If you aren't going to let me out, I'll get myself out!
<Dashira's eyes glaze over once again, and smoke starts rising from the
cable binding him to the chair.
Inferno looks at the smoke in mock shock and waves his hand.... The smoke
vanishes....
Dashira gasps a little bit.
Inferno nods in amusement.....>
Inferno: Anything else? Apart from casting spells this time?
<Dashira glares hard at Inferno but says nothing.>
Inferno: Come come Dashira.... All right then... I imagine you did tire
yourself out a little with those silly tricks of yours.
Lets find other things about you and your powers then.....
Now... We all know (in fact, every fragger in Seattle knows) that
<mocking tone> "You don't believe in bug sprirts" </mocking
tone>
Do you ackowledge the existance of ANY spirits? What DO you believe
in?
Dashira: I don't know? I've seen triad stuff about mages and spirits and
demons. It looked pretty cool, but I can't say I've seen anything
in person. I know that my parent's corporate people were asking me
some questions about spirits and familiars and some damn dream walk,
but I don't know crap about that. The only dream walk I ever took
was when I took a hit of <insert drug here> when I was still in the
corp secondary education plan. But, that was no fragging spiritual
dream walk there. As for bug spirits though, the corp specifically
said that there was no such thing . . .
Running Horse: *IF* you'll excuse me Inferno, I need to get away for a
while....
I've heard and read enough of this drek for a lifetime.
Inferno: OK 'Horse.... I'll see you in a while... Thanks for the trouble. I
owe you one....
Running Horse: I know.... And I won't be forgetting this one.....
If you need any more help....
<Running Horse leaves the room>
Inferno: Ahhhhh, yes... The poor little Corp' boy who's stupid enough to
believe everything they tell him....
<Mocking tone>"If the corp says it, it must be true"</Mocking
tone>
Listen drek for brain. I've had run-ins with Renraku before, and
they are FAR from squeeky clean....
So... You're even scheptical about "Dream walking".... I suppose
another word for that could be Astral projection. Ever seen
the astral plane? Or don't you believe in that either?
Dashira: I don't know! The corp guys asked me a bunch of crap about astral
stuff, spirits, spells, weaving, foci, and other "magic" words.
All I know is that if I concentrate in a certain way, the whole
world seems to get sorta fuzzy for a second, and then I can do my,
as you call them, "magic tricks!" Now, if that fuzzy sorta world
is the "astral plane," then I believe in it. Otherwise, I really
don't know.. The corp told me that one exists, but I'm not sure
what it is. But, if I can control it and harness its power, then
I'm definitely interested.
Inferno: Ahhhh, so you haven't even had a full astral experience yet...
Well, I suppose we've got to start somewhere.
Concentrate. Do exactly what you do when you cast a spell, but do
not cast. Try to maintain the frame of mind you are in, and look
around you. Intensify that feeling. Tell me what you see....
<Dashira closes his eyes and seems to concentrate hard for a minute.>
Dashira: DAMNIT!!! It won't come. I'm trying really hard, but it won't
come!
Inferno: *sigh* Stop trying and just let it come. RELAX!
Look, start as if you were casting a spell, but then don't cast it
and just look around you!
<Dashira's eyes glaze over a bit, like they did when he was casting
earlier, and they stay glazed instead of becoming clear again. A few
seconds later, his eyes focus again and get large.>
Dashira: HOLY SHIT! You were fragging glowing. And there were these strands
of glowing stuff near you. Hang on a sec. . .
Inferno: All life glows on the astral plane. On the astral plane, life IS
light.
<Dashira's eyes glaze and close again only to snap open a second later.>
Dashira: WHAT THE FRAG IS THAT!!! THERE'S A BIG FIREBALL OR SOMETHING NEXT
TO YOU!!! Is it dangerous?!?
<Inferno looks around in mock shock....>
Inferno: What? I don't see anything.....
Oh! On the astral?...
Now, you've seen a "friend" of mine. That is a fire elemental on
astral overwatch...
Now, answer me this. If it is possible for a being of pure fire to
exist, why is it so unlikely that spirits will take the form of
Insects????
Dashira: Now, wait a second...that big "fire elemental" looks like a big
ball of fire in "astral" space, but that doesn't mean that it
can even be anything in normal space. You look like a fricking
ghost in astral space! Maybe these "spirits" can look like insects,
but that's astral space. I don't think there's any fragging five
foot bees in the physical world. Of course, you're welcome to
prove me wrong. What is an elemental anyway?
Inferno: THIS! Vesuvias! Manifest for our friend here......
<A transparent form appears in the room at the call of his name. Upon
receiving the command, it materialises in the form of a large, humanoid form
encased in fire....>
Inferno: This is an elemental! Don't tall me you don't even know about the
four basic magical elements? Earth, Air, Fire and Water?
Dashira: HOLY FRAGGIN' what the frag . . . let me guess, that would be
your fire, right? Okay, maybe that fire thing can be a fire
thing in this world too. Crap! Won't he catch the floor on
fire here? What can he do?
Inferno: Elementals have a lot of uses. They're mainly used in combat
situations, but they can have more.... subtle uses. They can
maintain spells for example, leaving me free to do other things.
<Dashira looks surprised and a tiny bit shaken, but he seems to be taking
seeing his first elemental pretty darn well. Upon seeing that the fire
elemental isn't going to kill him right away, you can see a strong
interest and curiosity in his eyes. The look in his eyes when he looks
back at Inferno is no longer scoffing as it used to be. Instead, you see
a small amount of fear and respect.>
Dashira: "Can you teach me how to do that? What's a Earth one look like?
Water? Air?"
Inferno: In time, maybe. Conjuring is one of the more risky skills.
As for the others....
I don't currently have any on call. They don't call me Inferno for
nothing.
But, in general, they look like their elemental counterparts....
Now.... Are you going to cooperate a little more, and use that a
little less????
<Inferno points to Dashiras mouth>
Dashira: Okay, I'll cooperate. Will you teach me how to do that stuff
though? I'd love to learn how to have a fire elemental. And
maybe you could make my magic . . .
Inferno: Mouth. Remember? Or do you want a hug from my friend here?
Dashira: Sorry, I'll be quiet.
Inferno: Right... First of all.... Vesuvias... You can go....
<The elemental vanishes>
Inferno: And now, back to looking at the astral plane.... That is the source
of all magic, and you are going to get to feel almost at home
there...
<Dashira takes the cue and his eyes glaze over before they close as he once
again enters the astral plane.>
<Inferno sits down cross legged on the floor in front of Dashira>
Inferno: Right... Now, when you get the feeling, lock onto it..... Then,
close your eyes.
Follow my voice.... Relax but hold the feeling. Keep relaxing.
Stop trying and just let it flow over you.....
<Infernos body slumps slightly, but Dashira appears to still be listening
intently....>
+++++ Delete 1.2 Mp
1 hour of no action whatsoever. (It really was boring to watch...)
+++++ Deletion complete.
+++++ 1 Hour 10 Minutes deleted.
<Dashira's eyes snap open and his whole body jerks as he returns to the
physical plane.>
Dashira: FRAG! That was not the normal I don't think!!!
I look like a christmas tree or something!!! You look like a
fricking spotlight! And then there's that fricking fire elemental!
no insult intended of course! Damn, how the hell do you figure out
where you are in there? I was just a foot from myself, but I felt
sorta lost! It's a fragging good thing you were there to, ummm,
shove me back into...
<Dashira looks confused as he tried to figure out a way to explain having
his astral body return to his physical body.>
Inferno: I didn't shove you back, you did. It's a normal, knee jerk reaction
to your first Out Of Body experience.... Bit of a shock, isn't it?
Dashira:Well, I don't know bob, what do you think? YES, it scared the
fraggin livin' shit out of me! . . . It was sorta fun though.
It was a nice feeling, it was sorta alien, but sorta felt like
home too. I want to try it again. Can you move away from your
body any more than that? Sorta fly around?
Inferno: The only limits to where you can go are time, and altitude.
Never, ever stay out for more than about 4 hours (Or less if you
have cyber). It seriously weakens you, and people have been known
to die if they stay out too long.
Never try to go UP too far. Mages better than me have died or gone
mad trying to leave the atmosphere. Even suborbitals go too high.
Dashira:Can we try it again then? I want to fly around a little bit.
And, how do you get back to your body when you want to? Last time,
you said that I jerked back in shock, but how can I do it without
having to freak out?
+++++ Download Complete.
As you can see, he knows nothing of the world.... I intend to teach him.
When he's ready, he's going to have some first hand experience of the
bugs.... If he spouts off after that, then *I'LL* kill the fragger.]<<<<<
-- Inferno <17:25:13 GMT/31.JAN.58>
