Dream Park by Niven Larry & Barnes Steven

Author:Niven, Larry & Barnes, Steven [Niven, Larry & Barnes, Steven]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sf, Speculative Fiction
ISBN: 9994642790
Publisher: Ace
Published: 1981-01-01T07:00:00+00:00

"Hear me now, oh Lords of Light!

Knowing that I fight your fight.

I care not what the spell may cost,

Let your servant pour forth-frostl"

From the tips of Chester's fingers gushed a stream of white particles that struck the Nibek opposite the side bathed in fire. The thing's mouth quoited out and it screamed as its skin split down the spine, exposing bone and red meat.

Now the Nibek was in real agony. Bowan changed his attack and sent his fire arcing over directly into the wound. It crawled in diminishing circles like a half-crushed beetle. Now the warriors moved in, slashing and stabbing. It was eyeless and nearly legless, and still trying to run, when the Garners hacked it apart.

The survivors leaned on each other or against trees, panting, looking around them.

"Auras!" Chester yelled, and they flashed on. There were six red-tinged glows, and three black. Two black auras were solid; Gina's still flickered.

Chester sounded exhausted. "Gwen. See what you can do for Gina. We've lost the others." The Cleric nodded, touching Dreager sadly on the shoulder as she trudged past him to Gina's side.

Dreager was incensed. "Just what do you mean, ‘lost the others'? Aren't you even going to try?"

Chester extended his hand in sympathy, and the angry Engineer knocked it aside. The Lore Master said, "Listen, Dreager. Gwen's only got so much power, and she's already used up a lot of it protecting Eames and Oliver. If she tried to help all three of you, she'd run out of juice. She couldn't help anyone then."

Dreager snorted, his reddish complexion growing ruddier. "Well, then only one of us can be saved, right?"

"One," Chester said quietly.

Dreager walked up close enough to rub belt buckles, and stuck his nose almost into Henderson's mouth. "So how is it that she

gets to live? What's the matter? You don't play fair to anyone who isn't laying you?"

Chester's voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard him. "Dreager, you are dead. All the way dead. Didn't you feel the jolt? Your tindalo is standing right behind you, see?" The stout Engineer turned and looked, and shuddered as he saw his misty-white translucent twin crook a spectral finger at him. "If you were as much a Gamer as the other man the Nibek killed, who had the class to quietly bow out, we might have been saved this. Since you ask, though, I give Gina consideration because she is a competent Magic User, while you are a second-rate Engineer without enough sense to leave the fighting to the fighters." Dreager sputtered, try-. ing to get out a reply, but Chester cut him short. "And, Dreager, in answer to your implied question: I suspect that if I had spent last night with you instead of Gina, I'd be even happier to get your dead ass out of this Game."

Dreager looked about him at a ring of unsympathetic faces. He spit into the dirt. His ghost was moving away, and he followed a few steps, then stopped, his fists clenched. "You'll be sorry for that, Henderson.

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