Volume Twelve Issue One
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.............._______
............./ / THE LEGENDARY TIMES
............/ / http://www.legendmud.org/
.........../ /.....______.._____.....______.._____.......____
........../ /...../ /./ \.../ /./ \...../ \
........./ /...../ ___/./ ____/../ ___/./ __ \.../ /\ \
......../ /...../ /_.../ /....../ /_.../ /..\ >./ /./ /
......./ /...../ __/../ /____../ __/../ /.../ /./ /./ /
....../ /_____/__/__../ \_\ /./ /__../ /.../ /./ /_/ /
...../ Celebrating / /./ /./ /./ /.../ /./ /
..../ our 10th year /_/..\______/./_____/./__/.../__/./_______/ MUD
.../________________/ running on mud.legendmud.org 9999
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VOLUME TWELVE, NUMBER ONE January 10, 2005
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Editor's Note
NEWS, REPORTS, UPDATES
Calendar of Events
Recent Updates
News From the Bricks and Rubble Department
December 2004 Connection Analysis
LEGENDITES
Natalia's Prompt Contest Results
CLAN NEWS
Grand Coven to Celebrate 7th Anniversary
One World Alliance Forms
Clans Disbanding Because of Purged Members
PK Front
PK Meeting with Sandra
Dino's Autobiography - Chapter 6 - Return
The End of the Line
The Death Of the Divine Bull (Part I)
___ ___
\ |-------------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| The Editor's Note |__\
'-------------------------------------------------------------'
The tragedy of the earthquake and tsunamis may be old news at this
point, but the need for assistance and prayers are still needed. The
rebuilding of these lives is going to be an enormous task both
physcially and emotionally.
Here are some links if you would like to make a donation:
UNICEF
American Red Cross
International Red Cross
International Aid
International Medical Corps
World Food Program
Care USA
Many organizations like the Boy Scouts are making local efforts to
collect gently used items (hand towels and wash cloths) and new items
such as bars of soap, tooth brushes and toothpaste for hygiene packs.
So keep an eye out for opportunities to help out that way as well.
In LegendMUD related news, when the purge scripts began to run live
again on January 1st, about 4500 old playerfiles were moved from the
active directories. This number included about 275 PKOK enabled
characters were purged and about 35 PKE characters.
If you plan on leaving Legend for an extended period, you should
archive your characters. By archiving your characters, you keep them
from being deleted during the monthly purge of inactive characters.
Other players will not be able to make a character with the same name
as yours while it is archived. If a playerfile is purged, the name is
free for use. See HELP ARCHIVE for more information on how to archive
your character(s) and how archiving interacts with PKE and clans.
The list of purged characters from January 1st is available on the
web.
If there are any issues with characters that are listed there but
shouldn't have been purged please contact an Administrator (or
Implementor/Department Head) for assistance.
As expected, the purge scripts are having consequences for clans with
members that have not logged on recently as well. A couple of clans
have already been disbanded and four more are scheduled to be
disbanded for low membership.
Have a great week and please take a few minutes to cast your votes
for LegendMUD at TopMudSites.com and MudConnector.com.
-Kaige
___ ___
\ |-------------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| LegendMUD Calendar of Events |__\
'-------------------------------------------------------------'
[All times are system time unless otherwise specified]
JANUARY
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31
Thursday, January 13th, 7:30 pm Q&A in the OOC Auditorium
Sunday, January 16th, 2pm-10pm PK BattleZone * NEW DAY *
(HELP BATTLEZONE for more information)
Wednesday, January 19th, 7:30 pm Pk Meeting with Sandra
Thursday, January 20th, 7:30 pm Q&A in the OOC Auditorium
Sunday, January 23rd, 2pm-10pm PK BattleZone
Thursday, January 27th, 7:30 pm Q&A in the OOC Auditorium
Sunday, January 30th, 2pm-10pm PK BattleZone
Subscribe via iCal or view the calendar with any browser.
___ ___
\ |-------------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| Recent Updates |__\
'-------------------------------------------------------------'
/\ CODE UPDATES
/ \
/ \ GENERAL
/_ _\ o Wild and irritated moods added.
| | o Dust social added.
| |
| | TYPO
|__| o Quiver, stir and whap socials changed.
/\ o Typos fixed in some of the new chant messages.
/ \
/ \ BUG
/_ _\ o Crashing bug fixed.
| | o Begging will no longer work on fighting opponents.
| |
| |
|__| HELPFILE UPDATES
/\
/ \ There following help files were updated recently:
/ \
/_ _\ ARMOR OF LIGHT, BALANCE, BLIND FIGHTING, CHOKE,
| | COURAGE, INNATE DEFENSE, PROFICIENCY, REJECTGIVES,
| | SCAN, SHIELD (as in the spell), SHOOT, SUCKERPUNCH,
| | UPDATES, WEAPON MASTERY
|__|
/\
/ \ AREA UPDATES
/ \
/_ _\ If you want to suggest specific improvements or new
| | additions to existing areas please don't hesitate to
| | submit them with the idea/bug/typo commands or drop
| | mudmail to the builder currently responsible for the area
|__| (check AREAINFO to find out!).
/\
/ \ Thanks to everyone that submitted bug/typo/idea reports!
/ \
/_ _\ The Prize machine has been updated!
| |
| | 1930s PITTSBURGH
| | Fixes for the bank quest.
|__|
/\ ARABIAN NIGHTS
/ \ Camels aren't as welcome in the inn. Some reset
/ \ fixes.
/_ _\
| | ANCIENT CARTHAGE
| | Some extra tweaks on Astarte including anti-entrance
| | acts, be careful! Due to some recent assaults in
|__| their temple, the priests of Moloch recently took
/\ some actions to secure access to their complex.
/ \ Dying to high priest of Baal now properly recalls
/ \ corpses outside the temple. You also cannot dash
/_ _\ anymore into the Temple of Moloch thus increasing
| | the max size of your adventuring party. Doors inside
| | the temple that should not be pickable can not be
| | picked anymore. Tattoo artist now has new tattoo
|__| designs. Some are common, some uncommon and some
/\ rare. As a free artist, he will always choose the
/ \ design but now players can choose the location.
/ \
/_ _\ CELTIC IRELAND
| | Angry sidhe is slightly more aggressive. Adds some
| | variations to Disguises.
| |
|__| GENERIC ANIMALS
/\ Mice are a tad easier and worth a little less xp.
/ \ Sharks now only go after people who suffer from
/ \ bleeding wounds, not poison. Most insects can no
/_ _\ longer be choked.
| |
| | HOSPITALLER MALTA
| | Fixes a bug with the dying soldiers where you could
|__| get infinite free xp.
/\
/ \ LEGENDS OF THE PAST
/ \ Be careful, Kiera's still being tweaked. Puts a
/_ _\ little wait when Sylia makes her dancing swords.
| |
| | PORT OF LONDON
| | Fixes the bootblack's yells.
|__|
/\ ROMAN BRITAIN
/ \ The masseuse has gotten tired of being mugged for
/ \ the oils. You can now negotiate to purchase some,
/_ _\ but you will be asked to help find the ingredients
| | to make it. Various bugs and typo fixes.
| |
| | SHERWOOD
|__| Fix for Little John blocking the wrong directions.
/\ You can now also play darts at Ye olde Trip to
/ \ Jerusalem. Typo fix when people fall in the moat.
/ \ Regular customers at the Stag and the Salutation
/_ _\ might notice some new treatment. The tanner in
| | Nottingham has also seen some changes.
| |
| | VIKING SKANDINAVIA
|__| Egil cleans up mead in the room. Some reset fixes.
/\
/ \ 1802 ALASKA, ANASAZI AMERICA, ANCIENT EGYPT, ANCIENT
/ \ GREECE, ANCIENT NAZCA, AZTECS, CASABLANCA, DANTE'S
/_ _\ INFERNO, FRENCH INDIAN WAR, MEDIEVAL SEAS, ROMANIA,
| | SHERWOOD, THE ALHAMBRA, THE CRUSADES, TORTUGA, and
| | VICEROYAL LIMA
| | Various minor bugs and typos fixed, including
|__| several places were resets were incorrect.
___ ___
\ |-------------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| News From the Bricks and Rubble Department |__\
'-------------------------------------------------------------'
____
.-" +' "-. Lots of areas have been seeing lots of minor
/.'.'A_'*`.\ adjustments as Snapper has been helping
|:.*'/\-\. ':| convert and clean up the resets sections.
|:.'.||"|.'*:| Last Friday saw the second round of conversions
\:~^~^~^~^:/ to resets and many more typos and problems were
/`-....-'\ fixed. The reason for this internal change is
/ \ to allow the eventual reloading of area files
`-.,____,.-' without having to take the mud down.
With these internal changes, if you notice something that's not how
it used to be and seems really out of place, please take a moment to
submit a bug report about it, detailing how you feel that something
unusual and unintended is happening. For example, herbs resetting to
a cabinet instead of being in a mattress is probably a good change.
However, wolves suddenly roaming the dekken or swamp in the Seoni
jungle is a bad thing.
Nestor has been working on Lousiana and making lots of progress in
cleaning up the flood of reports for Carthage. Be sure to drop him
a note either through mudmail or through the idea channel to let him
know what you're enjoying about the area!
___ ___
\ |-------------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| December 2004 Connection Analysis |__\
'-------------------------------------------------------------'
Peak Mortal Players 41
Average Peak was 34
Peak PKOK Enabled Players 25
Peak PKE Enabled Players 14
PKEnabled Characters represent approximately
11% of active players.
PKOKenabled Characters represent approximately
51% of active players.
Peak Accept All Characters 10
Accept All Characters represent approximately
6% of all active characters and 13% of active pkok enabled characters.
The first two tables below show the Average Mortal Players, Average
PKOK Enabled Players, and the number that were "Accept All" connected
to Legend by hour of the day as polled approximately on the hour
system time during the period noted above.
The third table shows the same averages calculated by the day of week.
hour 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
------------------------------------------
avg 19 17 15 13 12 12 12 14 15 18 20 21
pkok 10 8 8 6 6 6 6 7 7 8 10 11
aas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
pke 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2
hour 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
------------------------------------------
avg 21 22 23 23 24 23 23 25 28 27 24 21
pkok 11 12 12 12 13 13 12 13 14 13 12 10
aas 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1
pke 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 1
day MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
------------------------------------------
avg 19 21 20 18 19 22 19
pke 2 2 2 1 2 3 2
pkok 9 11 10 8 10 11 9
aas 1 1 1 0 1 1 1
MON TUE WED THU FRI
AVG PK OK AA|AVG PK OK AA|AVG PK OK AA|AVG PK OK AA|AVG PK OK AA
---------------+------------+------------+------------+------------
0: 17 2 9 0| 20 1 11 1| 18 1 11 1| 20 1 9 0| 18 1 8 0
1: 14 2 8 0| 15 1 7 1| 17 0 10 0| 17 0 7 0| 18 0 8 0
2: 13 1 7 1| 14 1 7 0| 15 1 8 0| 14 0 6 0| 17 0 8 0
3: 12 0 5 0| 11 1 6 0| 12 0 6 0| 13 0 7 0| 15 0 6 0
4: 10 0 4 0| 11 1 7 0| 11 0 6 0| 11 0 5 0| 12 1 7 0
5: 10 1 4 0| 12 1 7 0| 12 1 7 0| 12 0 5 0| 12 1 8 1
6: 10 1 4 0| 13 1 7 0| 12 0 6 0| 11 0 5 0| 13 1 8 1
7: 13 1 6 0| 15 1 7 0| 14 1 7 0| 13 1 6 0| 15 1 8 0
8: 13 1 5 0| 16 1 7 0| 15 1 7 0| 14 1 6 0| 17 1 8 0
9: 16 1 6 0| 19 2 9 1| 18 1 7 0| 18 2 8 0| 19 1 8 0
10: 19 2 8 0| 22 2 12 2| 21 2 9 0| 20 2 10 0| 20 2 10 1
11: 19 2 9 1| 21 2 12 1| 21 2 10 1| 20 2 10 0| 21 2 13 1
12: 21 2 10 1| 24 2 13 1| 22 4 12 1| 21 2 11 0| 17 3 9 1
13: 22 2 11 1| 23 2 11 1| 23 3 13 1| 20 3 11 1| 21 3 11 1
14: 23 3 12 2| 23 1 11 2| 24 3 13 1| 16 2 8 0| 23 2 12 1
15: 23 2 12 1| 23 2 11 1| 23 3 13 1| 17 1 8 0| 23 2 12 1
16: 22 2 11 1| 26 4 13 2| 24 3 14 2| 19 1 9 1| 22 3 12 2
17: 20 2 10 1| 25 3 13 1| 24 3 13 2| 24 3 11 2| 23 5 13 2
18: 24 3 11 1| 24 2 13 1| 23 2 13 2| 23 2 11 2| 21 4 11 3
19: 27 3 15 2| 28 3 15 2| 24 2 12 1| 25 1 11 1| 21 3 11 2
20: 31 4 17 3| 27 3 13 1| 28 2 14 2| 29 1 13 1| 23 3 12 2
21: 25 3 14 2| 27 2 13 1| 27 2 15 1| 26 1 11 0| 27 3 13 2
22: 24 3 13 2| 24 3 13 2| 25 2 12 1| 23 1 10 0| 24 2 12 1
23: 22 2 12 1| 21 1 11 1| 22 1 9 0| 20 1 9 0| 23 2 11 2
SAT SUN
AVG PK OK AA|AVG PK OK AA
---------------+------------
0: 22 2 11 1| 17 1 8 0
1: 21 2 11 1| 14 0 7 0
2: 19 2 11 1| 15 0 7 0
3: 15 1 8 1| 16 0 6 0
4: 15 2 7 0| 15 1 6 0
5: 13 2 5 1| 12 1 6 0
6: 15 2 7 1| 14 0 5 0
7: 16 2 7 1| 14 1 6 0
8: 17 2 7 1| 13 1 6 1
9: 20 2 8 1| 17 1 7 1
10: 22 3 10 1| 19 2 9 2
11: 24 4 12 2| 21 3 11 2
12: 24 4 13 2| 19 2 11 1
13: 23 5 14 3| 20 2 10 0
14: 26 5 14 4| 24 4 12 2
15: 27 4 15 2| 25 5 14 3
16: 28 4 16 2| 30 5 16 3
17: 24 3 13 1| 26 4 14 2
18: 23 2 10 1| 27 5 17 3
19: 24 1 11 1| 29 5 16 3
20: 26 2 13 1| 29 5 16 2
21: 27 1 13 0| 28 3 14 1
22: 27 3 14 2| 21 2 10 0
23: 20 1 11 1| 18 3 10 0
___ ___
\ |-------------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| LEGENDITES: Information Regarding the People of Our World |__\
'-------------------------------------------------------------'
Kere has reached 100 million experience!
Kurgan has reached 100 million experience!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Natalia's Prompt Contest Results
Thank you to all who took the time to participate in the contest. The
winner is Finlay and runner-up is Yay, with an honorable mention
going out to Spanish-Flea's zany yet inspired entry.
You can view the winning entries online by using the PROMPT LIBRARY
command. To store your prompt, type PROMPT STORE, and then you can
try these out for yourself without having to remember exactly how it
used to be set up.
Typing PROMPT LIBRARY Finlay_style will copy Finlay's style and
PROMPT LIBRARY Yay_style will copy Yay's to your current prompt
configuration.
Want to go back to your original prompt? Just type PROMPT RECALL.
___ ___
\ |--------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| Clan News |__\
'--------------------------------------------------------'
Grand Coven to Celebrate 7th Anniversary
Congratulations are in order! The Grand Coven and the Hermetic Order
will be celebrating their 7th Anniversaries of forming under the
free-forming clans system on January, 15.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
One World Alliance Forms
The One World Alliance was formed on January 3, 2005. The clan is
currently not recruiting, but you can contact Solei with questions.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Clans Disbanding Because of Purged Members
The Church of Epicurean Enlightenment was disbanded on Suday, January
9th, due to low membership.
The Dark Necromancers Society was disbanded on Tuesday, January 4th,
due to low membership.
The following clans are at 4 warnings for low membership and the next
check will result in the clans being disbanded:
The Union of Protagonists
IRA
The Knights of the Temple
The Hermetic Order
The Hermetic Order would also have celebrated their 7th anniversary
of forming under the free-form clan system on January 15th.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
There are currently 19 RP clans and 3 PK clans. This leaves open
slots for ten (10) more clans to form. For more information, read
HELP CLAN and see the clan information list via the CLANS command
while logged into the game. For a basic handbook and reference guide
for players interested in starting and running a clan, we recommend
that before you even type FORM, you visit:
http://www.legendmud.org/Reference/gm.html.
___ ___
\ |--------------------------------------------------------| /
/__| PK Front |__\
'--------------------------------------------------------'
PK Meeting with Sandra
Sandra has scheduled a PK meeting for January 19th, at 7:30 pm.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
If you witness or commit any glorious or nefarious deeds, send a
short report to us at the LT. If you are looking for a fight,
recruiting, or anything else related to PKill (not necessarily PK
Clan related), send it in! It's free AND you'll get a prize token! Be
a celebrity, the envy of all your friends! Tick off your enemies or
just tell your side of the story! Get YOUR name up in lights! We
can't report it if you don't tell us!
_______________________
/ \
o O | Wonder what folks are |
`\|||/ | doing over at LegendMUD?|
(o o) \_______________________/
ooO_(_)_Ooo__________________________________________________________
_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|___
__|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|
Dino's Autobiography - Chapter 6 - Return
It's been a long time since anything new happened around the house or
town. I continued about my searches for human blood and I stayed part
of the Intempesta Nox group. Unfortunately, my mother, Gilly, has
been missing for the past several month as was my father, Jaenrik. I
adapted on my own and acknowledged a new puppy into the house. I
named it Aramis in remembrance of my former dog, back when I was a
child. I continued to stroll across town. One foggy night, upon
arrival to a dark alley in back of the town, I noticed something I
had definitely seen before. A man was standing in the same position I
had seen him in nearly 3 months ago! Yet again, it was dark so I
could not add on much detail to what I saw last time. He was wearing
a black leather jacket and black pants. The pants appeared very
similar to black jeans. A pair of cowboy like boots were worn on his
feet and a gnawed on toothpick stuck out of his mouth. This was the
same fellow I had seen before and I was sure of it. He glanced up at
me, toothpick nearly falling out of his mouth.
'I remember you, Dino,' he said to me. 'I apologize that last time I
was in a rush.' He looked away, edgily. I could sense a state of fear
and nervousness in him.
'Who might you be?' I asked, hoping for a name or some form of an
introduction.
'That's not important.' By this time, he was shaking from whatever he
feared. Also, I noticed that wherever he looked, he was looking the
opposite way; not at me. 'Tell me about your parents, Dino.'
'What do you know about my parents?'
'Not much, is there anything you know?' Being the person that I am,
when I ask a question, I demand an answer decent enough. I assumed he
feared whatever might be behind me or even me. I took one step
closer. Maybe fear would knock some sense into him and let him know
that when a question is asked, you answer it properly. He obviously
knew something. 'Okay,' he shouted, in almost a whisper. 'Don't come
any closer, you demon.' I chuckled quietly to myself at my new
nickname 'you demon'. 'I'll tell you what I know, but you keep away
from me.' I nodded once and waited for my new information. 'Your
parents were taken.'
I felt like a complete fool. 'I know that!' I shouted his way. 'What
do you take me for? Some completely blind and ignorant fool? These
are my parents that were missing for the last some months! Don't tell
me that the only thing you know is that they're missing!' I took a
few more steps toward him.
'Stop right there,' he said, cautiously backing away. 'They were
taken by a group of people whose name I shall not mention. So far,
they're in decent health. They're fed, clothed, bathed, and given
shelter.' I still needed more information. 'Here,' he handed me a
wrinkled up piece of paper. I carefully unwrinkled it, trying not to
rip it. Interestingly enough, when I looked up, he was gone. I dared
not to go further down the alley. Instead, I turned away, and walked
through the deep night back to my house. Once I got home, finding
Aramis asleep near the fireplace, I strolled into the kitchen and sat
at the table. Once settled, I unraveled the scrunched up paper and
found only the slightest piece of the puzzle to finding my parents.
It was...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The End of the Line
The several Scotland Yard police officers break down the entrance to
the hide-out of the criminal. They were eager to make this catch and
stop what could be the most dangerous criminal this city has ever
seen. Yet they soon realized no one has been here at least for a few
days. The place was empty, except for a small note left of the table:
Dated May 9th.
Revenge is something we always think would be
satisfying. We crave for that feeling that
justice has been done. I thought so too, I was
certain that getting back at the people who
killed my father and mother would be the ultimate
satisfaction. Yet there I was standing with the
bloody knife in my hand, and the rapidly cooling
corpse of the company owner. Standing in the
middle of his office, adrenaline pumping in my
veins, I was ready to feel relieved, to feel like
I did the right thing and everything will be
fine. Minutes passed, an hour and still nothing.
I felt no better than the day I got the news of
my parents' passing.
That was six months ago and that was when
realized my true purpose. The next day people
were heralding the murderer of the company owners
as a hero, and praising his handy work. Over the
weeks, there was a review of the company and
better owners took over the factory. I had saved
lives through my actions and brought to justice
the corrupt owners. I couldn't get my parents
back, or ever avenge them, but I could fight
justice and prevent similar fates of befalling
others.
Yes, this is my duty, to fight injustice in every
form and be the agent of vengeance for everyone
who is treated unfairly. My purpose is to find
the unjust and avenge those they have wronged.
With vengeance as my guide I would become the
hero of the people. Yet the people soon began to
misjudge me. Suddenly I had become a plague upon
society and a renegade. They mistook my service
to justice and said I was a murderer. This did
not bother me, I still had much support and there
was a lot of evil to purge in my society. I
wasn't expecting for it to be easy to do the
right thing, it hardly ever is.
Today I am a wanted criminal and hated by
everyone who once used to praise me. I have begun
to 'cleanse' those that hardly commited any sins
at all. A father for punishing his child, a man
who drinks too much, a man who begs for money and
does not try to find work. My own eagerness to
judge the wrongdoers has led me astray. I have
become the thing I hate the most. I have become
the evil and the corrupt, and I cannot continue
the work I started anymore. I went from hero to
villain even though I seemed to follow the same
principle I always have. There remains one last
task for me to do, one which I must do alone...
The note is a bit tattered and seems to have been written in a hurry.
But there was no sign of the author anywhere. The detective concluded
that it was probably a suicide note, and said he didn't expect the
criminal to make anymore headlines.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The Death Of the Divine Bull (Part I)
As was my morning ritual, I left my dark cave. I walked quietly to a
nearby stream to bathe. Upon arriving, I scanned the area,
overwhelmed by the starkness of the land, a profound sadness deep in
my soul. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted movement high up on
the hill.
The sacred bull stood, majestic in its glory, eating a morning feast.
From the back of my mind echoed words I had never heard before 'He
shall over the great horned beast, bringing him low. The beast shall
submit as peacefully as a lamb'.
Leaving my bath undone, I made my way up the hillside, and walked
dangerously close to the beast. Upon seeing his great horns, I was
overcome with a desire to grab them, and swing onto its broad back.
Before I knew what I had done, he was kicking, bucking, and
struggling in vain to free himself from my grasp. I held on tightly
feeling my body turn to a limp rag. The animal took a great breath,
and bucked his form. The earth shook in protest. On instinct, I
grabbed for his great horns, determined now, to bring him low. With a
twist, he turned at the last moment, and falling to the earth, I was
only able to grab a lock of matted fur. As my body hit the ground,
the beast broke into a fast and furious run. I felt each and every
pebble and shard as it was slammed into my flesh. Without warning, my
head hit the ground and my vision blurred, narrowing to a black
tunnel and back out again.
I am not sure how I managed to hold on, but as I did a single thought
registered in the back of my mind. The Bull was panting. He was
foaming, and seemed on the edge of exhaustion. I cannot recall which
of us was worse for wear, but I would wager it was me. A burst of
power soared through my body and I grasped onto his horn. With a
mighty tug, I pulled his head to the ground, sickened by the soft
melon-like thud. The great beast, my foe, was unconscious.
I lay on the ground, panting, covered in blood and dirt. Every inch
of my form pounded in rhythm with the blood flowing through my body.
I am not sure how long I lay there, but when I was finally strong
enough, I looked around trying to determine where I was. Nothing
looked familiar to me. What kind of trick or magic was this?
Everything around me was wet, rich, black, and oily. I noticed the
earth rose to suck at my body, holding me firmly in its grasp.
Forcing myself up, I quickly found a mass of sinewy vines and wove
them together, lashing the bull's hind legs together. I drew an
unsteady breath, and began to drag the greatly encumbering beast
through the muck. Each step was mind-numbingly arduous. I traveled
for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the earth began to
solidify and take form, turning into a great river of black rock.
Looking around me, I shuddered as the wind blew and produced a
chilling whistle that emanated from the tiny holes and crevices in
the hardened lava flow.
I stopped for a moment to catch my breath and was amazed to see the
tip of a great pyramid sticking out of the lava plane. Continuing
northward I moved as quickly as possible, knowing it would soon be
dark. Each bruise and path of broken skin burned with unrelenting
fire. I found an area of trees and quickly lashed the bull to a tree.
Out of the darkness came a chilling howl. I sat down, frozen with
fear, my back against a large tree. I allowed myself the luxury of
feeling the pain coursing through me, but only for a moment. The howl
was getting closer with each beat of my heart. It wouldn't be long
now. I froze as a yellow glowing eyes leapt out of the darkness and
directly at me.
My hunting knife in hand, I struck out, plunging it deeply into the
body over me. It let out a shriek of pain, and collapsed into a heap
of whimpering fur. I quickly scanned my surrounding looking for
cover. Sure that there was another beast waiting for me in the dark.
Seeing a save just up ahead, with my last bit of strength I dragged
the bull inside. Then there was darkness.
The next morning I awoke to feel a warm, wet nuzzling on the side of
my face. Fearful that the giant beast was about to rip the skin from
my frame, I bounded up, knife in hand. To my amazement, the bull bent
forward, lowering its hooves to the ground and placed its forehead on
my feet. I leaned down and gently patted its matted fur, then walked
around its side and taking hold, swung myself up onto its back. With
a gentle smile, I directed the bull out into the sunlight.
He bore my weight as though I were a small child, yet stepped so
lightly that not a pebble was disturbed. Following the sun we headed
east until mid-day when the bright ball was directly overhead. In
front of us lay a vast ocean. The white sand was soft under my feet,
yet how were we to cross?
Pointing at my neck, I knew what the local boatman was asking. I
removed my bead necklace and handed it to him. He said something
again that I couldn't understand and wandered off, leaving a large
ship in my care. The bull, knowing without being told, climbed aboard
and lay down.
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