[oat ay ciao ast Never forget that the Monster Hunters Association and sages in the meeting hall doesn’t work opened,” he intoned for free, “1 seems we have a rather heavy agenda tonight” he continued. “After Grindle briefs us on the pathetic state of oe cotfers, well have an update on the problems with Zantoullos' atest batch of healing, potions, something about a fewunexpected and unpleasant side cffects’—here he fixed a stem look the gangly wizard, who swallowed hard and grinned sickly—"followed by Wik lowquisp’s report or lack there, of use- hy ful flumph by-products.” The elderly ; sage pursed his lips and looked at the Johnathan M. Richards ceiling, but said nothing, Dreelixcontin- ued: “Then lessee, ld Gumphrey has aary pth eee rey acter: See pPhemalia he thinks we need to purchase Is there anything, else? If not, let's begin with—” “Actually, there is something said Buntleby, raising hi hand and standing up to address the head table. “I have received a request for assistance; in effect, an opportunity for a Monster Hunt presents itself.” “From who? What monster? How much?” fired off Dreelix “In order: the gnomes of Wishbottom, 8 flail snail, and the remains of the slain creat : THE ECOLOGY OF THE FLAIL SNAIL The Price of Flailure CA A AS ANS A E> & EELIX PICKED UP THE GAVEL AND HELD IT BEFORE HIM. He stared at it lovingly for a moment, then, almost ritually, banged it down on the table before him—once, twice, three fimes—and said the words that drew the attention of all the wizards “This meeting of the Monster Hunters Association is hereby Dreelix harrumphed. “Another free bie," he scoffed, “An opportunity to assist those requit= ing our help,” corrected Buntleby. “Sey- ceral gnomes working in the mines have already been slain, Think of ft asa good- will gesture.” “Goodwill gestures do nothing to fill ‘our depleted coffers,” grumbled Dreclix, Then, thinking aloud, he added, “I won- der if there are any magical uses to be had from a cead gnome?” Buntleby stiffened, then said, “Per- haps you should put the question to Klebintzer, the gnomish Mayor of Wishbottom.” And turning to hisside, he held his hand out to acknowledge the tiny gnome seated at his loft. Too late, Dreelix spotted the angry gnome and let outa high-pitched “Eep!” Then, standing to his unimpressive fall height, he dressed down his colleague “Buntleby! What's the meaning of this? Why'd you bring him in here without waming me? Are you trying to make the Association look bad! “No need: you seem to be quite capa- ble of taking care ofthat yourself.” Dreelix fumed, then addressed the ‘gnome. “Fitzenblinky, or whatever yourname is, please, allow me to explain he began, and then proceeded to spout off.a few words in an arcane language, waggling his fingers as he did so. A blank look fell across the gnome’s face; Dreelix shouted ”Haht” in triumph and sat back down. It wasn’t the first time a forget spell had saved his bacon, Buntleby opened his mouth as if to protest, then gave a sigh of exasperation. He had expected little more from his exalted leader: He took his seat, Dreelix waited until the blank look left the gnome’s face, then resumed. his ‘opening speech. “.. and Old Gumphrey has a pitch for some new alchemical paraphernalia he thinks wenneed to pur- chase, But first, Thelieve we have an hon- fred guest in our midst Buntleby, would you beso kind as to do theonors2” Buntleby stood, gave a mental shrug, and pressed on: “Gentlemen—and Lady Ablasta—allow me to introduce Fin- Klebintzer of Wishbottom; Finklebintzer, [present to you our fearless and gener- cous leader Dreelix, to whom we must make ourappe: “By all means!” agreed Dreelix, a wide, phony approximation of a smile con his face, "Our other business can wait; we are always happy to assist our neighboring communities! Please tell us of this monster that has been troubling you, and we will decide how best to rid you ofit” The little griome stood up on his chair and, now at an appropriate height for public speaking, began his plea in a high-pitched, squeaky voice. “Fame of your illustsious organization has spread 2 to our litle comer of the world, 50 ‘we tum to you for aid, Our mine was recently invaded by a hideous, giant whose flailing appendages have caused the deaths of brute of a snail Spee mae rere ee ner Sie hae et oa ae rae eect eee nee meuereees "The vision of «ail ena limited. It has two Ree ee ee {ements Tcetanen a aurea are! three of our miners, Brute strength has had no effect; we cannot win past its nasty tentacles to attack its soft body, ‘and our hammers and chisels seem se- less against the creature's hard shell ‘when we attack from the rear We've tried throwing flaming brands at the beast, and against my better judgment, ‘even purchased a vial of poison from an unscrupulous type in an attempt to Kill the thing —all to no avail We now turn toyou in desperation, pleading for your assistance, for we fear to retuen to the ‘mines that are our livelihood while the terrible creature stalks the tunnels and shatts.” ‘A sad story, indeed," agreed Dreelix, putting on his equally fake sad-face. “Have you tried magic?” ‘We area small mining village,” said Finklebintzer, “with no great wizards among, us, My cousin Whigglesponker Knows a few illusion spells and tried searing off the creature with them, but these, too, had no great effect.” “A pity,” commiserated Dreelx,sticke ing out his lower lip in a pout meant to demonstrate his sensitivity to the gnome's plight: “Well, we thank you for your time. Rest assured that we will study up on the creature to determine how best to destroy it for you. You may return to your village with the happy news that the Monster Hunters will be there in but afew short days.” Buntleby stood again. “Willowguisp and [ have taken the liberty of research- ing the creature; we are prepared to brief the Association on our notes, findings, and suggested strategies.” Willowquisp the Zoophile, an elderly sage fascinated by the wide variety of creatures inhabit- ing the planet—even (some might say especially) the goofy-looking ones— ‘nodded tohis younger friend and stood, Tealight coil el pon Mal ats shay sane Hine Fowever a "bird Aasnail Ca sill ext move trot Baleece atu upon te Gttion Cereb neestan tran twats este SHU hecive aut ya tte tcr anak oe Stdsoponly GAs Cs acy organs ia sas have @ hiv deve Spa aene enel "Alia a hat aprendoes senvory appendages. Each of these as a 104. ip of ieee feces : ame Got pound apie ot ech he care ‘en depited in lusraone spikes would easy Spikes becestc sea ehen es eters sche ciple an cm a book full of hastily seribbled notes at the ready. Dreelix’s face went taut with anger He ‘mentally reached for another forget spell to use on the gnome; finding none remaining, he gritted his teeth and foreed his phony happy-face back on (a hideous rictus of muscular tweakings that pulled his mouth into a grotesque ‘and unfamiliar somblance of a smile), making a mental note that from now on he'd have to carry more forget spells in his spell inventory. Or better yet, assign Grindle to guard the door and prevent unauthorized guests from entering off dal Association meetings. At nearly three hundred pounds, Grindle could be intimidating when he wanted to be— and his body odor was intimidating ‘even when he wasn’ “All right” Dreelix said through grit ted teeth, “Lets hear what you two have come up with.” “Thank you,” said Buntleby, grabbing Willowguisp by the arm and leading hhim to the podium on Dreelin’s leit before the Association president figured puta way to weasel outof the offer, Willowquisp settled his book of notes upon the podium as Buntleby started their presentation, "The flail snail is a land-based gastropod, different from the standard garden snail in its unusual size, the magical properties of its shell, and the addition of its multiple flailing appendages.’ We'lladdress each of these differences in turn.” ‘Willowquisp spoke up. “The flail snail averages about eight fet tal, the highest point being of course the crown of the shell, They are only about ten inches tall when newiy-hatched,” although they grow quickly, reaching full size within four years. The creatures havea lifespan of about twenty years” and ot hen sae pete Wo ak ton, saying eer ba ihe ote cl ht apie Theta eal eae Anadditin they con sna rouphn™-spese Df ovondis most onsen sels mt occefl ering tow ve cocung lot oF be ‘Saupe whens dara teat 3 The fai sralety mn oss Senin Alsi (anes “Sa” ernest” Sloe tht fla ane give ie bie fo 1 Syn a rts t them de alcobse” groped: tc make rfeance tof sal “Kral” and mathe sl a Me ost dwg slyAs for the creature's shell,” added Buntleby, “it has a number of unusual properties. First ofall it is garishly col- fred, a swirling conglomeration of bright blues,reds, greens, and yellows— rather like someone let a few drunken leprechauns loose in a paint shop. Sec fond, and most important, the shell is highly magical, reflecting, negating, or distorting magical spells directed at the creature. Itis peshaps for this eason that ‘illusion spells were inef- fective toward the beast," he added to Finklebintzer The gnome raised his eye- brows and nodded. “A study was once done on the magi- cal properties of the flail snail's shell,” supplied Willowguisp, consulting his notes. “A wizard by the name of allingrave, some two centuries ago, intrigued by the variable nature of spell cffects when centered on the creature, altached a brooch of shielding to his robes, scrounged up a wand of magic missiles, and repeatedly shot missile after missile at the snail, recording each result. “Some of the missiles found their tar= ‘get, while some were reflected directly back at Gallingrave. Occasionally, the uuand discharged no missile at all, or, when it did the magic was distorted, fir- ing only a harmless beam of light or sending the missile darting dom direction® From Gallingeav recorded notes, we can gather that there otf in a ran ‘he genta pore, al opening nea Ue creates Idd Ate ting complete ech snl poe ie ‘an wayand the vomit never meet gah A ‘aks sal rvces Othe ely ibiobaby tala The sou gations et thei nn ep shes kings a ie cued fr by part ‘ach 3 weght of Be pounds ors At that pint, they geen er owt concent ay 85 aviv. The Fall oven sais nf 18 ‘mage witha (A fal snafs magia sel pts to all ‘mail energy sets stat -cnen spells at on telnet aebody pars ohcr thane sel ike ine te Whenever a spel or spell ist froma magsaltr) sass i =n, he flow ingrtuls cur Gola) ‘non Rest O10 Spall maexon 7) Spell nthe normaly A) Spall fae tat al, bak ie spend 40 Spas Spall ace nly ony sgh Sint the start spel eos aetng the cron Sec pens oes tie he tai ‘oer cake af rent (rin tee et te) te pall sented on 9 ped ene the Sra coe Tle 3 Grenade ke Msi es fhe Dunston Masi Gist) ed back tthe Is only about a 30% chance of success- fully attacking a flail snail with magio— nota very promising figure.” “Finally, there are the flailing appendages themselves, from which the creature gets its name,” said Buntleby. "Bach snail begins life with four to six appendages, and, much like the number of limbs on an osquip, the number of fails ona flail snail seems to haven cor- relation with the number of Hails of either ofits parents.” “All very fascinating,” remarked Dreelix dryly. “How do we killit” everal_methods suggest selves,” answered Buntleby. “We could simply hire some skilled men-at-arms to altack the thing. With better armor and weapons than the gnomish miners had available, and ifthe warriors concentrate fon attacking the creature's flails/ the creature could no doubt easily be dis- patched.” “No good!” piped up Grindle the Coin-Counter. “Our funds are low; 1 would have to vote against any plan ‘causing further expenditures.” “agree,” added Dreelix. “I'd rather them: not spend money when there ar doubt altemative solutions available. Plus, you know how I feel about war- riors: overvalued lunkheads with more muse than brains! Any doltean pick up 1 sword and wave it around: it takes ‘great skill and mental fortitude to master hel ates oly mage catty chet asf that screed "asa rey hes permit bythe fel "The ell constantly expands the small fase where the cestnsncad emerge The shells com er gre clockwise ot couterdocks thse oni classe sealed "deal tshilethoer growing nthe ibe distion ae catheshelspatens 7 Combs wh fils shale diferent au wh sg oer mks ach of hale ling appendages as it i and seated 8 Sara cat Falla aac creature ih ‘Samy Fit Dice ae they bave ave tence, Sal ws ie teas terete tacks a3 ‘Seatne wits THACD oF 1s When a ents ‘educa 90M poi Revisor iatcked witha ‘hae weapon the tenace sual assed to ave ben severe) and the fl sal ops one Hit ‘Di im pore Once all tents ave ben straws in eel an ters the most ptt ce ayant ee ome 1-3 tus ter, These eset have Ih chance ‘tating wandesiag monsters Te lal sls ‘estraie ate the on time veclizes—i ‘Sis coniploty alert roaghour itis the wizardly arts!” Dreelix ground his teeth at the thought of warriors. One particular memory came rushing, for- ‘ward, as it always did: being kicked out ‘of Sir Scromblatt’s School for Young ‘Knights in Training as a lad, ““Total lack cof aptituclein the wartior arts my fool.” the mumbled to himself, scowling and ‘waving a clenched fist in the air. “Ha! They were just jealous, the lot of them! ‘And the same goes for those fools at Master Micklebie's Junior Warriors— “new levels of ineptitude,’ was i? Well, ‘who's laughing now, huh? Who's laugh ‘There was silence in the meeting hall as the Monster Hunters looked on in embarrassed silence. With a start; Dreelix realized that he'd been speaking aloud. “Very well then,” said Willowauisp, breaking the awkward silence as if noth- ing had happened. “Another approach: flail snails must keep their soft bodies moist. During hot, dry weather, they undergo a hibemation-like process called cstivation, where they seal themselves into their shells with a plug, of hardened mucus', leaving only a small air hole, While sealed up, they slow down their bbody processes, and can survive for months without food or water” “How does this help us?” asked Dreelix “What exaetly do flail snails eat, any way?” asked Spontayne at the same time, “The hl sls by ast pts gual the teal of al ofthe tence, buts protect by the Eeesbeland sas n AGGIE foe parposat combat thes ae snperviousto weapons “hs wher ghia fa sao approachs cm be taken. One cn ther hope to oy hack Say of the canes wel ptt fy ox fee ‘aint the als ames sn ake tom nt ‘aly AC Heacre e player oa dc ds (Go bppaspats w detarnine which ste tentacle twas rts fordamnge and tie DM ess Ue tentak ntl ale” ater the attack the fa sna dogs by ons Hit Die aectng the Get {ores THACH and numberof stack i llorang ‘us dn hs ey Ware wih 1/0) Seng Sit wenponspocaleatn ca takeout seven {aus wen obese just Because he cased 15 Poms came th cbr ‘SA di eras shmy mu prodiced by 9 flan atthe oat of sg foot he acs has {Geihe aortic’ san (ettecing foes re srl preventing tom dying out sees os EEsomoreeIbreent witout winch the eee egos eve al seve mg ae ind ‘thera te ndevaprss) ike me ines, fil nn Hving on rear the sucesso eva daring the winter ‘months This usually espe Sot ea {enpernne bt rte he vpn cr ackWillowguisp chose to answer Spon- tayne's question. “Flail snails mostly eat Lichen and algae that grows on the floors lf dungeons, mines, and other under- ground areas. They serape these sub- stances up using an organ in their mouth called a radula—in effect, a long, flat tongue with numerous tiny, sharp teeth laid outin rows ikea file.” “How does this help us?” repeated reelix with iritation in his voice. “Hmm? Oh, the estivation,” said Willowguisp. “Itappears to me that some spell could be used to alter the temperature and humidity of the ming, forcing, the snail into a state of estivation. Then we could Tug the erea~ ture out of the mine and kill it at our Teisure." “What spell did you have in mind?” Dreelix wanted to know. "| don't know; I leave that kind of thing up to youwizards.” “| personally have nothing in my spellbooks that can help us there,” ‘offered Zantoullies. ‘Nor |” admitted Spontayne, ‘Me neither,” said Buntleby. “How: ever, I believe there is a priestly spell, control temperature ot something, that could help us. Perhaps if we contacted Delbert the druid ‘Absolutely not!” Dreelix exploded. “We don't need that greedy fool's help! The last time he charged us two silver scimita to casta lousy locate animals or plats spell, then upped his price to four after Grindle and Zantoullios bungled the first Shambler Hunt and we needed another spell!” Both Grindle and. Zan- toullios exchanged looks: neither remembered the fault having been theirs, Zantoullios shrugged; he was used to being blamed for things out of his control—tike those healing potions iad whipped up. So they caused the Imbiber’s skin to tum green and warty fora few hours; they still worked, didn’t they? Fle macle a mental note to ease off fon the powdered trolls blood for the nextbatch. ‘erect tbe oun tener mons ime sy bore sing emevs up in sl 25 thay can or the ong winter ments. Of couse, ful sas ing Sexp tne donot uly mommy este otc scone neveaaie Zoey ‘fect onthe amount of vegeston tobe found tak ihkw been “Anyway.” thought we agreed we weren't spending sputtered Dreelix, “T any money on this!” It was obvious that he was getting excited, for his face was becoming red and he was beginning to spray spittle as he spoke. Spontayne wiped an eye and vowed to sit in the back next time “Another approach then,” suggested Willowquisp. “The creatures shun bright light” perhaps we could drive it out of the mines with continual light spells ot something similar” “Why don’t we just throw salt on the thing and be done with it2” asked Old Gumphrey. “T used to pour salt on slugs and snails all the time as a youth. Shriveled ‘em up real good, it did!” he cacklec 0. Taishan as the un can dey ext mcs fn ct cee a ay onde zi 1 The fal snails outer cating of mucus pro soci somewhat fim the ding fs of Sale Herevec luge enough dos foe ear the co zal belt pouty town a fen “hal sa “"The problem there is the amount of salt required,” replied Willowquisp." “Well, how about this,” offered Buntleby. “We wizards load ourselves ‘up with as many rece spells as we can, ‘then take turns casting them an the snail, Eventually, we shrink the snail down small enough that we can carry him out Cf the mine in one of our pockets.” "thought you said spells bounce off the creature's shell,” said Dreelix, sur prising everyone by proving he had been payingattention for once. ‘Well, they do,” Buntleby admitted, “or at least some of them will. But ‘enough reduce spells thrown at the beast will do the job, eventually. No doubt we'll also shrink a few of us, but thats ‘easily fixed with a dispel magic or two." Inf 24 points of damage theft round aan ‘ional ft points of mage the eed rou. ‘Aer tat, the a's ines mcs production ‘gates ay frter such attacks Theat cee {hesmalsoflbody tobe effective os he creature's ard sll mpervies sobeg ded ost fakin DRAGON 258-64“1s the best idea we've heard so fas,” suggestedSpontayne. “Fimmph!” said Dreelix, not con vinced. “Let's move on. What can we expect to rap from our efforts in killing the beast?” “Ab, there we have good news indeed” said Buntleby. “The main value of the creature is, of course, its shel, which hasa market value of about 5,000 Bold pieces and a wide number of magi- cal uses,” “The most obvious use of the shell is the ereation of magical shields,” said Willowquisp, consulting his notes, "Two shields can be made from a single shell, Which not only offer excellent protection from weapons, but also carry the shell’s magical protection from spells for a number of months,” “Optionally, the shell can be ground own and made into a robe of scintillating clos,” said Buntleby. “How many roles per shell?” quizzed Dreelix, warming to the subject. “Alas, only one.” “Grindle, current value of such a robe?” “About 25,000 gold,” answered Grindle, who kept hundreds of such val uues stored in his head—he the shell does forthe isin Mal sna (0% chance of ‘aly 27% chan of al negation cae te vwnsn't called “the Coin-Counter” for nothing. There were numerous appreia- tive whistles at the value, one of them belonging to none other than Fin- klebintzer the grome. “ Anything else?” demanded Drei. “Optionally, the shell can be brewed into several potions of rind it uib- rite Wilowquisp. “Grind” “A negligible sum, compared to the robe,” "Thought as much,” replied Dreelic “So then anything ele?” he asked tothe twwoat the podium, “eis holieved Pat the crt’ “love darts! may: be used in piles of loc,” said Bunty. “Loe darts?” What in the world isa love dar?” “ Asmall sharp dart ofshel-ike mate rial made in special sacs in te ereatue’s body” answered Willowguinp. "You'd Jenm of things lke this if you allowed us to briet fully, instend oF concentrating only on combat and useful body parts “The fl snail mating ital sally quite fascinating, Fist the snails" 4A subject for another Sine iter: rupted Drelx. “So, phitersoffoe, huh? Okay, what else? “Nothing definite” admited 83 Buntleby. “Although given the creature's immunity to both ie and poison, its possible that there are useful fal snail by- products that provide such pro- tection as well Thatsall ve got Willowquisp?” “Nothing anybody ered be interested in hearing” grumbled the old sage, nacking un his notes and retumingtohisseat, “AlLight, then,” beamed Drei, his: mood vastly improved by the thought of all the money the Associa- tion would soon be raking in. “Wel Patter cuaing the at orgy Die {ral species produce dfercay shaped lve dare, seats very ky that hs serena cm of ‘hon forthe to sas told, to ensue try that shrinking tactic of yours, guess, Buntleby. All wizards able to cast the spells reduce and dispel magic will memo- ize them to capacity. We'll meet here tomorrow at first light. Any questions? No? Then thank you for bringing this to utr attention, ih, Finkyblinky, and rest assured, the monster is as good as dead You may be excused from the rest of the meeting; we'll ust be taking up other boring litle bits of business, and you no doubt wish to be on your way’. “Actually, there is one final bit of busi ness we need to discuss," replied the gnome. “That being?” “The sale of the flail snail. 1 have decided to withdraw our request for aid; instead, I now offer for sale a living flail snail, yours for the taking, for the small sum of 10,000 gold pieces, a price you willno doubt find very reasonable.” “Wr?” roared Dreelix, as the audi- ence members gasped in astonishment, “Ten thousand gold? What kind of joke are you playing at?” “No joke,” replied the gnome. “You yourself said you stand to gain 25,000 pieces of gold from the magical robe you plan to make from the snails shel; I see ho reason why some of that money shouldn‘t be sent our way. We are, after all, a simple village of poor miners, andl the sum will be put to good use, Plus, i's our snail, to do with as we wish,and we now wish to sellit” "thought the snail was a ‘hideous, ‘giant brute’ and a ‘terrible creature,” pointed out Buntleby. “After listening to your discussions, I have elevated it to the status of “trea sured pet” ““Bat what of your miners?” Buntleby “Three have been killed so far; more deaths may occur.” “Ashasbeen pointed out, the crea-ture is essentially harmless—it killed only ‘continued. 14 Are the ave sec ae ier ofa spall hen ground up and mise eh fi a ‘ood ze vale ingredients nan lt et, regain enypeeviusly ing ‘dhyana a smal cots Unt eaton fst nsem In okie, llsoal es allwugh nota sta dard nese be vet een ne "log However ees the pi 0 mc that takes Qo fall ons to ine and does nothingn enn te ate, ea the las,those trying to kill it” responded Finklebintzer. “If we leave it alone, it should leave us alone. And I'm sure even we gnomes, with our stumpy little legs, can manage to outrun a snail, nomatter how big!” “This is preposterous!” thundered Dreelix. "Buntleby, [hold you personally responsible!” “e's got a point, though,” argued Buntleby. “I know we regularly exploit the creatures around us for their magical uuses, but that doesn’t mean we should similarly exploit those individuals who bring business our way. And we'd still be making fifteen thousand to our profit.” “We're not in the business of bu ng monster parts; we're bold Monster Hunters! We stalk and slay to our own advantage; we do not haggle over prices like fishwwives at the market Now, Ithink we've wasted enough time on this Stinkyfink, if you no longer wish ws to rid you of your snail—free of charge— then we have no further business to dis- cuss, and I suggest you vacate the premises, before you are charged a we ing:the-Association's-valuable-time fee.” Jive thousand,” offered the gnome. “Out” 15 ef alone fll nal completly nag resi, It only when other begs apprecch mth) endif aserecry abl a he fea snl oc yl fing Ceperdgs rc The small gnome dropped from his chair to the floor and bounded out the door, giving Dreelix a nasty look and a {gnomish hand-gesture of dislike on the way out Dreelix immediately turned back to Buntley, face flushed with anger. “Uh-oh, here it comes,” whispered Buntleby to Willowguisp, “Tirade time,” agreed the elderly sage. “OF all the artogant, MONEVGRUBBING little gnomish 10s!” screamed Dreelix in fury, spittle flying freely in all direc- ‘Buntleby! How DARE you bring such a person in here without notice? You've not only waste our valuable time, but you've managed to WESMIRCH ‘our good name in the neighboring eom- ‘munities! No doubt that GREEDY little pile ‘of PAG-FLTH will retum to his stinky litle ‘gnome-home and tell his fellow strove unNshow the Monster Hunters refused ‘him aid! This i all your fault! Why, I've ‘gothalfa mind to...” Having heard enough, Buntleby caught Zantoullios’ and saw reflected there shared determination to pput an end to Dreelix’s ravings. Fair’s fair afterall, he thought Standing as one, the two wizards began speaking in an arcane language, tions. they nce the intmader ops ot of range the A Sal does rot purse and goes back tis algae ipatig Oily ne gk oo eit tet Beetle a fal Sal beppwouched by enor ‘waggling their outstretched fingers at the red-faced leader of the Monster Hunters. Dreslix immediately stopped his ranting and raving and plopped back into his seat, a blank expression on his face, The Monster Hunters in the audience watched in silence as Dreelix stared ahead at nothing. Then, blinking as if to clear his head, he looked around in con- fusion, Grabbing his gavel as if to draw strength from it, he spoke for the first mesince the forget spells hit him, “Where was I? Oh yes. It seems we have a vather heavy agenda tonight. ‘After Grindle briefs us on the sad, sorry state of our coffers, we'll have an update ‘on the problems with Zantoullios’ latest batch of healing potions—something about unexpected and unpleasant side effects—what's everyone smirking about?” ~~ Jolin Mt Richards doc most of his fli ing in the swimming pool. Swimming requires the kicking of legs, the stroking of arms, ane proper breathing. Pick any to of the above, and he can hurdle it—its only ‘when he fries threvat once that he becomes ‘amenace fo those i his immediate vicinity, fant sal it egins production ofa love-dar in ntgpation ofa pase mating Roy coer Conti eto) ‘ONLINE eens fee cone promotions 3 freee request your EAS catalog td Gamers Guide Lo PAPER MAYHEM EE Pr: yh as btn deg he a or 1 ys ty meg pepe ae POM garg, Aes sv, Sloe PO ace & compu tgs nd ne TS Seon aie Se ey dey ais ete te Sr? Rat Fae ayaa stag! aig US Subscrinions:_ Single ius $5.00 "i jear 8260092 year 84200 Send subscrpions to: __ PAPER MAYHEM Dept ON, 306 W, Latayeta St (tana, I 619502058 [SE@KING OUT-OF-PRINT MODULES?) tals it. Min http:/Avww.hitpointe.com seine ore