Story 140                      Elemental shields               Told By Driadan

~~~~ A few days ago a stranger arrived. Now that is not new, but this one ~~~~
~~~~ didn't look like the typical adventurer. He looked more like a noble, ~~~
~~~~~ with expensive clothes and a well filled purse. He orderer some of ~~~~~
~~~~ the most expensive wine and muttered something about the wonders     ~~~~
~~~~~~~ you might find while walking by the streets of your very city. ~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~ - You never know when you will find one! They are everywhere! ~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~ Those adventurers are a plague, indeed - the noble said. ~~~~~~~~~~
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~~~~~ I asked him what had happened to him to be so worried about those. ~~~~~
~~~~~~ - The problem is their smell, I tell you, and their total lack of ~~~~~
~~~~~~ style when choosing their clothes. Hear this! I got approached by ~~~~~
~~~~~~~ one, in fact he looked like just another beggar, and he grabbed ~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ my leg! Can you believe it?! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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~~~~~ The noble took a moment to recover his breath, like he was talking ~~~~~
~~~~~~~ about defeating dragons or any other truly fearsome experience. ~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After drinking some of his wine he continued: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~ - There I was, with my precious new trousers made of the best silk ~~~~~
~~~ available at the city of Oceania stained by those dirty beggar's hands, ~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ while telling me something totally incomprehensible! ~~~~~~~~~~~~
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~~~~~~~ He took another sip and seemed to enter some deep trance, like ~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~ he was experiencing mentally what happened that day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~ - Excuse me but, if he looked like a beggar, how did you know he ~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ was an adventurer? - I dared to ask. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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~~~~~ The noble looked at me like I had said something silly and grinned ~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ at me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~ - Yes, he was an adventurer, obviously! Nobody else would talk about ~~~~
~~~~~ shields, giants or even a phoenix. Elemental shields he said! Bah!, ~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ he could use some elemental bath instead! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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~~~~~~~~ He laughed his own joke and came back to his glass of wine... ~~~~~~~
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~~~~ Some time later I couldn't get rid of the same idea, repeating itself ~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ again and again in my mind... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ "Nobles, they can't recognize a chance to achieve some power or fortune ~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ even when they stumble on one." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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