Alain Alone, the Road to Darkon

[Lord Skybolt]

"Sure why not !!"Alain says with a smile then matches the old mans bet with his own .

[ewancummins]

Alain and his two new friends gamble for a while, and are joined by several of the boatmen.

Pierre and Alain make out pretty well, each netting a stack of silver and copper coins. The young fellow manages to win his money back, plus a few extra coppers. The crewmen don't make out well, but they don't lose so badly that they become angry or suspicious.

[ewancummins]

The boat drifts down the river at a nice, smooth speed. The men take turns hauling on the oars to increase the speed.

The keelboat passes through a big lake. The boatmaster points north, to the forest on the other side of the blue water.
"Falkovnia. But don't worry, we are going around it, down the river through Dementlieu."

In the late afternoon, they rest and let the boat drift on the current.
The crew take their meal of bread, cheese, and cheap wine wherever they can find a place to sit on the crowded deck.



Robert and Blanche, the young couple, invite Alain and Pierre to share a wineskin and some food with them, over near the prow of the boat.

[Lord Skybolt]

Alain accepts the invite of the couple for some fresh food . He takes out his "Ration Bag" to share things out of it with the rest of the group . Like lets say nuts in trail rations .

[ewancummins]

Alain is enjoying a pleasant meal with the young couple and the old man when the keelboat lurches a bit, as it it had struck a log.

Blanche exclaims-
''What was that?"

[Lord Skybolt]

Alain stands up and looks around for what caused the boat to feel as if it had hit something .

[ewancummins]

Several of the others do the same.

Alain hears a dull thud from under water, and feels the big keelboat rock beneath him.

Blanche and Pierre fall overboard. They both begin to swim towards the edge of the boat, just a few feet away. Robert leans down to reach for his wife...


And then the biggest jaws on the biggest fish Alain has ever seen shoot up out of the water and seize the woman! He has only a brief glimpse of the monster fish, but it looks as if it could gulp down a horse. The long, bony jaws are lined with rows of teeth as big as daggers.

[Lord Skybolt]

Muttering to himself that these thing just like to happen to him . Alain mutters a spell under his breath then swings back and throws the glob of fire he has just conjured at the snout of the monster .

[ewancummins]

Robert jumps into the water.

[ewancummins]

The glob of fire smashes into the side of the monster fish's head as it dives. A hissing cloud of steam that erupts from the water. The beast dives, but without Blanche in its jaws. The woman bobs in splashing water, face down in a spreading dark stain.

Robert seizes his wife and pulls her onto the deck.

Pierre scrambles up with the help of a sailor.

Alain's horses are freaking out- kicking and pulling at their ropes.

Alain smells burned fish meat.

''It aint dead, but you hurt it real bad, I think..." , the boatmaster says.

[Lord Skybolt]

Alain yells at everyone"Throw a rope to Robert and shoot at if it surfaces I need to calm my horses so they don't become it's next meal by jumping into the water ."as he moves to calm his animals and take the "robe" out of his pack puts it on just enough to plucks the Potion off of the robe of it, big if it seems that the Cure Serious Wounds Potion Would save her life that is .

[ewancummins]

She looks nearly dead.

Robert is crying, unheeding of Alain's words.

[Lord Skybolt]

On seeing that she may still live Alain takes the potion off the Robe then dumps the robe over the Horses Eyes as he calms them . He yells at Pierre and some of the crew:"Get them both into the middle of the boat now if you want a chance to save the girl !!!" while he is yelling this he takes the potions he has been saving and pours it down the girls throat .

[Lord Skybolt]

After Alain tries to save Blanches life he goes on the look out for the "Fish" . He says to the Rest the crew:"Anybody who's not pulling oars or Steering keep a look out for it and point it out to me so I can hit it with an attack when you see it !!"

[ewancummins]

The others, even the boatmaster, do as Alain tells them.

Blanche doesn't respond as Alain pours the potion down her throat. Then, she begins to choke on the potion (she can't swallow while unconscious, of course). Her body twitches. Gurgling, she spits up some of the potion, along with a mouthful of bloody water.
Now, at least, she's breathing and her wounds have closed.

Robert says only, ''Thank you!"

The boat rocks again. Thump.

The huge fish is nowhere to be seen.

THUMP.

THUMP.
THUMP.

Someone cries out-
''It's below us, damn it!"

Another man yells-
""Gonna break up the boat!"

Alain's horses start to whinny and stamp.