[Note: Tim is supposed to be the same person as Jim from the other "A Mercenary" post.] Subj: [ffml] [MW] A Mercenary Date: 99-11-09 22:40:24 EST From: skyhall@hotmail.com (Sky Hall) Reply-to: ffml@onelist.com To: ffml@onelist.com From: "Sky Hall" It was dusk. In the tavern outside of the town, the patrons started filing in from a long day's work. The barkeep greeted the incomers, saying the names of those he knew, and nodding at those who were common enough. One of the men wore a worn cape that obviously covered a bundle on the man's back. Also, the bulge of a sword poked out on his left side. The man nodded at the bar keep knowingly and waited his turn at the bar for a mug of ale. After getting the mug, the man walked to a far corner of the room, sat down facing the room, and eased his himself into the chair. He unslung his pack, unfastened his cloak, and removed his sword belt. After taking a long swig from his ale, the man then unsheathed his sword and took out a flint from his pack and proceeded to sharpen the blade. An older man, his brown hair graying at the temples and with a long scar on his cheek, walked over with his own ale and sat down with the swordsman. "So, how did it go today, Tim? I see you must have had some use for your blade." Tim nodded and smiled slightly at the man. "Good enough Ruffa. After helping one farmer dig a new trench, this one old couple hired me to kill this wolf that had gotten trapped in their barn. They fed me dinner." Ruffa nodded and chuckled. "Best to let your blade taste blood now and then, otherwise it looses it's effectiveness." Tim shook his head. "That's an old knight's tale, Ruffa. It's not the blade, it's the warrior. The day he can't stand the sight of blood, is the day he's lost his ability to fight. He has to kill now and then, or loose his skill at killing." Ruffa shook his head in response. "You are always so serious, Tim. You take the magic and mystery out of what it means to be a warrior. Why, back in my day we followed all sorts of rituals when preparing for battle, even against lowly bandits. "Why, we'd slit our pinkies on the base of our blades so that they would know not to shed their masters blood. We would spit in our hands and rub it in our hairs so that our vision would not betray us in battle." Tim chuckled. "Yes, yes, that and countless other tales you've told me old friend." Tim eyed the edge of his blade on the small wooden table. "And I can answer them just as easily with my own tales. "Like strike for the chest of a dragon so that his fire is drained. Or that you should always fight in a line in battle, and not in melee." Ruffa nodded and took a drink. "Well, you are right." He paused and looked Tim over. Tim was a medium sized man with broad shoulders and a strong frame. His short, dark brown hair curled slightly. He wore a white linen shirt with a sleeveless leather vest, with strong cotton pants and boots. The sleeves of Tim's shirt were rolled up past his biceps, showing his strong arms as he worked on his blade. "If only I was young enough to be a mercenary," thought Ruffa. "Well, I'm sure you will find work soon enough, Tim. I've seen you spar the local boys, and you have talent." Tim smiled. "Thank you, Ruffa. And I enjoy your stories. They fill me with hope for a new employer." Ruffa chuckled and clapped Tim on the shoulder. He then fished out a copper coin from his pocket and tossed it over to land in a ministrels open hat. The young bard began playing a fresh tune and the spirits of everyone in the tavern began picking up. "Yes," said Tim. "I just hope that somebody comes along soon." He patted his own pocket, which was slimmer today then it was the day before. --Sky --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- ~ FREE Games & CA$H Prizes! ~ $55,000+ Awarded Monthly ~ Welcome to Gamesville.com-- Home of the World's Biggest & Best Free Games Play Three-Eyed Bingo, Quick-Draw Poker, Pop Quiz & Picturama FREE! Click Here ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------- Headers -------------------------------- Return-Path: Received: from rly-zb01.mx.aol.com (rly-zb01.mail.aol.com [172.31.41.1]) by air-zb04.mail.aol.com (v62.15) with ESMTP; Tue, 09 Nov 1999 22:40:24 -0500 Received: from onelist.com (pop2.onelist.com [209.207.164.205]) by rly-zb01.mx.aol.com (v62.10) with ESMTP; Tue, 09 Nov 1999 22:40:05 -0500 Received: (qmail 72 invoked by alias); 10 Nov 1999 03:25:32 -0000 Received: (qmail 20330 invoked from network); 10 Nov 1999 03:16:03 -0000 Received: from unknown (209.207.164.241) by pop2.onelist.com with QMQP; 10 Nov 1999 03:16:03 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO hotmail.com) (216.32.181.186) by mta2.onelist.com with SMTP; 10 Nov 1999 03:22:22 -0000 Received: (qmail 87287 invoked by uid 0); 10 Nov 1999 03:16:43 -0000 Message-ID: <19991110031643.87286.qmail@hotmail.com> Received: from 206.173.170.35 by www.hotmail.com with HTTP; Tue, 09 Nov 1999 19:16:42 PST X-Originating-IP: [206.173.170.35] From: "Sky Hall" To: ffml@onelist.com Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999 19:16:42 PST Mime-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ffml@onelist.com; contact ffml-owner@onelist.com Delivered-To: mailing list ffml@onelist.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: Reply-to: ffml@onelist.com Subject: [ffml] [MW] A Mercenary Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed