Subject: D&d Cartoon On-Line Fan Club Newsletter #7, Part 2
Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1998 11:02:04 EDT


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Return of the Dreamer:  Part Four
by Rhonda Robinson

The STORY is all mine, but only one of the CHARACTERS in it is mine, and
you'll know which one.  The rest all belong to TSR, Marvel, and whoever else
had a hand in creating the long-lost Dungeons & Dragons cartoon.

Rated--well, I don't think it's worse than PG.  I'll try to keep it no higher
than PG-13 at the roughest.  (When I write fanfic, I try to keep it at the
level of the original show, or at least close to it.)
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        "My locket?  What did your 'Dungeon Master' do to it?" asked Earth-clothed
Terry.
        "It's MY locket!" armour-clad Terry insisted.
        "That doesn't matter.  What matters is that it'll show us which one of you is
the real Terry and which one's the fake!"  Bobby took off the locket and
approached Earth-clothed Terry, holding it out.  "Put it on!"
        Diana released her grip and Earth-clothed Terry reached out for the locket.
Bobby was only a few steps away when he stumbled on the uneven stone floor,
dropping the locket as he flailed for something to grab to keep from falling.
That "something" turned out to be Terry's wrist.  He regained his balance
quickly, barely touching her, but that one brief contact was enough.
        "NOOOO!!" screamed "Terry" in a voice completely unlike hers as a strange
gray light surrounded her.  When it faded, the kids (barring only armour-clad
Terry) and Uni got their first sight of a doppelganger in its natural form.
"You'll pay for this, humans!"  Fo-Ne, knowing he couldn't win any fight he
picked, ran off toward the mouth of the dungeon.
        "I'm sorry we doubted you, Terry."  Hank let her go.  "That...whatever-it-was
almost tricked us."
        "It's OK."
        "But 'the touch of the heart'--it didn't mean the locket after all."  Sheila
was confused for a moment, then it dawned on her.  "It meant someone who has
feelings for Terry!  Someone who cares about her!"  *Someone who--LOVES her?
No, it can't be!  They're too young!*
        As Bobby retrieved the locket, similar thoughts were going through his head.
*Most of the guys say girls have cooties, and most of the girls say boys are
dis-dis-something.  But Terry's not like that.  She's a better friend than my
best friend back home.  I really like her, maybe more than like.*  He
straightened up and gave Terry's locket back to her--the REAL Terry.
        "Come on!  Let's get outta here before this place is crawling with orcs!"
Eric was already halfway down the corridor.
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        "Master!  The young ones have the girl seer/warrior!"
        "WHAT!?"  Venger whirled at Fo-Ne's voice to see him in the doorway.  One
glance told him that his plans had gone wrong, *again*.  "Gather the troops!
Shadow Demon!  Accompany them!  Recapture at least the girl!"  *I cannot lose
her.  Even if those alien brats escape, I can use her dreams and visions to
capture them later.*
************************************************************
        Luck held for the kids, and they reached a narrow gap between two steep
cliffs, the only pathway up the mountain to the fortress, long before the orcs
were even out the door.
        "We've got to block the path!"  Hank began firing arrows into the cliff on
one side of the path.  The obsidian broke up and fell to the ground, but it
seemed tougher on the cliffs.  No arrows hit brittle or fragile places that
would have shattered and fallen easily.  "Eric!  Get the others to safety!"
        "No way!"  Bobby began swinging his club with the intention of smashing the
base of the cliff to the other side of the path, but Sheila grabbed his arm.
        "Don't, Bobby!  You'll just bring it down on our heads!"
        "I'm the only one with a distance weapon!  Even if I can't block the path, I
can narrow it enough so they can't come after us quickly!"  *Or so I can hold
them off long enough to get the rest of you out of danger.*
        "You can't do that all by yourself!"  Diana turned to Presto.  "Can't you
pull something out of your hat to help?"
        "I'll try."  Presto took off his hat and began waving his free hand over the
open end, but before he could say anything, Terry gasped.  Something silvery
and electric blue was appearing in her hands.  As the details became clearer,
Eric's eyes widened.  When the light faded, Terry was holding a very familiar
trident.
        "That thing shoots lightning bolts!  I remember it from the Dragons'
Graveyard!"
        At Eric's words, Terry aimed it at the slope on the other side of the path.
Bolt after bolt of lightning shot from the three points, breaking up the
obsidian.  Seeing both this and the orc soldiers beginning to pour out of the
fortress, Hank fired his energy-arrows even faster.  The others headed a short
way down the path, trying to stay away from the forces that shook the entire
mountain.
        The combined effort worked.  Before the orcs were halfway to the path, Hank
and Terry had blocked it completely with razor-sharp pieces of obsidian.
Nobody was getting through that unless they had dragon-tough hides or full
plate armour.
        Just as Hank and Terry turned away from their work, they felt the ground
begin to shake.  "An earthquake?  Or does Venger have something that could
tunnel through the ground and get us?"
        Hank ran up a small rise to where the others were, then looked back.  He
could see over most of their barrier from the rise.  "No, Terry!  We triggered
another avalanche, and it's heading right for the fortress!"
        Terry joined the others just in time to see Venger's orcs running from a
veritable wave of sharp glassy rocks.  It had already begun to destroy the
fortress.  The rumble drowned out any screams they might have otherwise heard,
and the dust that rose blocked their sight, but they still turned away.  When
all was quiet and the dust had settled enough to see again, neither orcs nor
fortress remained.
        "That's ONE place Venger can't use again."  Eric made no mention of the orcs
that had likely been killed.
        "But what about Venger himself?"
        "Does THAT answer your question, Terry?"  Presto pointed to the dust rising
from the ruins of the fortress as it swirled and began to take on a familiar
form:  pale blue face, red and black helmet and batlike wings, red eyes.
        A voice, hollow and booming, rang out.  "YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE LAST OF ME!"
Then the dust whirled and broke apart, and all trace of Venger was gone--for
the moment.
        "Well done, Gladiatrix!"  The kids turned to see the Dungeon Master seated on
a boulder.  "Your quick thinking and skill with the Trident of Lightning made
the difference in this battle."
        "I guess."  Terry was doubtful.  "Somehow I could see exactly where to hit
the mountain, but I don't know how.  I've never been able to *see* the future,
just *dream* it."
        "Ah, but dreaming is just another way of seeing."  The Dungeon Master jumped
off the boulder and approached Terry.  "Venger's spells forced your power to
grow far stronger than it was before, and now you can do more than you could.
        "From now on, you will have waking visions that tell of the near future, and
your dreams will tell of the more distant future.  You may be able to control
these visions and dreams if you focus on the time you wish to see."
        "Venger did that?"
        "Yes, Barbarian.  The Gladiatrix would not have had such power until she was
the Ranger's age if Venger had not interfered."  He turned back to Terry.
"You must learn to master your power, or it will master you.  There is a seer
west of here, the Hermit of Whispering Willows, who is an old friend of mine.
He can train you."
        "Terry, you'd better stick with us.  It'll be safer."
        "Hank's right," Diana agreed.  "You don't know much about the Realm, and
someone traveling alone is taking too big a risk."
        "Besides, if you stick with us, Venger'll have to go through ME to get you
again!"  Bobby readied his club, his whole attitude shouting, "Just LET him
try!"
        Terry laughed.  "Sure!  Why make it easy for Venger?"
        "Dungeon Master, what do you...?"  Sheila's voice trailed off.
        "He's gone again!  Sure wish I could do that."  Presto couldn't keep from
sounding envious.
        "Well, let's get to the plain again and find this hermit so Terry can learn
how to control her power."  Hank started off down the path, and the others
followed.
        Eric motioned to Bobby and Terry.  "You two go ahead.  I'll guard our rear."
        "Huh?  No comments about my *girlfriend*?"
        "First love's gotta happen sometime."  And the Earth children, their number
increased by one, turned their backs on the site of their latest victory over
their worst enemy and headed to their next adventure.

THE END
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What do you think about the complete story?  Got anything to say about a
potential sequel?  Send your comments to rosrobin@ab.imag.net--I'd like some
feedback.
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