Ch. 2, Page 28

Gronan had been staring hard at this magic-user, trying to gauge what manner of man he was. It seemed that this man's claim of using magic dust was an obvious bluff. If it was a bluff, though, did that show bravery or desperation?  And, in his heart, did Gronan really see that much difference between the two? 

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Ch. 2, Page 27

Gronan had turned quickly and kept most of the sand away from his eyes. It had given Tenser a moment when Gronan was vulnerable, a moment in which Tenser could have slipped his dagger into some vulnerable spot and seriously wounded his foe. But Tenser had a bolder idea in mind, and it required a tall bluff.

Tenser stepped back out of combat. "Stop!" Tenser said as forcefully as he could muster. "That magic sand carries with a curse. A creeping paralysis will soon overtake you...and can only be undone by swallowing a glowworm whole. I have a glowworm in my hand," and it was true; Tenser had just produced it from another hidden pocket. "Come at me again and I'll crush this glowworm faster than you can touch me."

Tenser stared hard at Gronan, waiting to see if his bluff would be called. For now, Gronan just stared back, as if pondering how plausible this all was.

In the silence of their standoff, they could hear the clanging of swords from the desperate struggle of Robilar and Terik to take down Captain Drake.  And, through teamwork, it was slowly working.

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Ch. 2, Page 26

Tenser was acting brave, but he was not feeling brave. He had a dagger and he knew how to use it, but he was unarmored. His opponent had both armor and a sword and, sadly, Tenser knew how this usually played out. Without spells, Tenser had almost no resources to tip the scales. He had a few material components for spells in hidden pockets of his robes. A crystal, a glowworm, a handful of sand...

Maybe Tenser had a plan after all.

"I'm willing to be sporting," Gronan said.  "I'll fight you with my dagger."

"You could drop your sword," Tenser said.

"I'm not willing to be that sporting."  Gronan lunged.

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Ch. 2, Page 25

With the last of the bandit archers downed, Robilar twisted around in the direction of Tenser and Gronan. Robilar raised his bow and tried to take careful aim at the moving figure of Gronan.  The hint of a smile came to the corner of Robilar's mouth; mere minutes ago he was considering betraying Tenser for his valuable spellbook and now he was prepared to kill Gronan in Tenser's defense.  Maybe disliking Gronan helped him make his decision.

Out of the corner of his eye, though, Robilar could see Terik was hard pressed by Captain Drake.  Maybe Tenser will just have to run away a little longer, Robilar thought as he twisted back around and tried to take aim at Drake.

Drake was not helping.  Indeed, having spotted Robilar on his high perch already, Drake was doing a good job of keeping Terik in front of him for cover. 

Growing impatient quickly, Robilar cursed and tossed his bow on the ground.  He leaped down from the wall, drew his sword, and raced to Terik's side.  If they could take down Drake together, then they could help Tenser.  If it wasn't too late already.

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Ch. 2, Page 24

For Tenser, there was nothing scarier than being without a spell.  He ate, slept, and lived each day with the confidence that came from knowing that, at a moment's notice, he could let loose with any of his prepared spells to defend himself.  A life of adventure meant that he had to cast his spells more often than the average magic-user, but the trick of it was to make sure he had at least one in reserve for the trip back home, where his spellbook awaited him.  Then, after a few hours of preparation, spent perusing that magic tome and its well-worn pages, Tenser would feel safe, confident, and himself again.

It was in times like this, when he was most vulnerable, that Tenser was glad to know that Robilar and Terik had his back.

But then Tenser heard the clang of metal striking metal reverberating through the ruins...and knew that something scary was happening.

Which, coincidentally, was similar to the last thought one of the bandit archers had just before Robilar's arrow struck him in the chest.

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Ch. 2, Page 23

Robilar and Terik stood close to each other, whispering in the dark.

"I don't know..." Terik said.

"Did you have enough time to find out where he keeps his spell book in town?" Robilar asked.

"Well, I think so, but..."

"And don't you think he's either out of spells now, or very low?"

"Yes, but..."

"And wasn't this always the plan?" Robilar prompted impatiently. 

"Yes, but...aw, Rob, I like him.  Can't we just keep him around?"

Robilar gave his cousin a cold stare before he threw up his hands and stomped around in a small circle.  It was all he could do to keep his voice down and whisper, "Are you going soft on me?"

"No, Rob, but we make a good team, the three of us.  Maybe we should think about keeping a magic-user around permanently.  It could pay off in the long run better than bumping him off now, don't you think?"

"Hmm.  Hrmm..." Robilar hemmed and hawed as he mulled it over.

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Ch. 2, Page 22

The burning fort was just a glowing ember on the horizon, a sunrise in miniature at their backs.  Tenser, Robilar, and Terik were facing south towards the City of Greyhawk, but the sanctuary the metropolis offered was some distance away, through treacherous hills, that they would have to navigate by moonlight.

That was why Robilar had suggested an alternate path.  Not far away were the ruins of the original Village of Greyhawk, close at hand to Castle Greyhawk, and far removed from where the modern-day city stood.  Tenser had seen the ruins for the first time months ago -- little more than the stone foundations of where a few rows of buildings once stood.  And it was there where Robilar suggested they now camp for the night.

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