"You know how it is...never hurts to be careful."

"Just make sure you aim *away* from me. Don't want the heat from that energy weapon of yours to melt a hole in my hide..."

"Don't worry!" grinned Altaica, snapping invisible suspenders. "My character knows how to use it. Not as well as my whip, mind you, but how
hard is a pistol? Just point and shoot, right?"

"Ri-ight," said Axecat sceptically. "I'll just walk behind you."

"Suit yourself...you won't have to worry about it for long anyway," shrugged the mercenary tiger.

"I still don't know why you're bothering to ask the Lunataks for help," the
anthropomorphic cat sighed. "You know they won't help anyone but themselves..."

"No I don't. That's why I'm asking. You just don't see my master plan because you're head's full of air," snorted Altaica, pausing to thump Axecat's latex head like a melon.

"Thanks," he grinned.

"The point is," contined the tiger, resuming her slinking advance, gun at
the ready, "that I need a ship. A space-worthy ship. I can't go to the Thundercats because I'm a turn-coat Thunderian."

"They don't know that!"

"Hmmm...not yet," admitted Alataica. "But they will soon enough. I *like*
having an evil character and I'm not going to be able to wait until I win
their trust and get my ship built to start mangling tigers. That will cool
any thoughts of helping me pretty damn quick."

Axecat snorted. "The Lunataks can't get their OWN ship off the ground...they tend to depend on the Mutant for construction."

"Well, for one thing," began Altaica, flicking the barrel of her gun slightly as though counting off in her head, "the Lunataks insist on getting *Skytomb* off the ground. They aren't single mercenaries...they attack as a group...so naturally they want their fortress up and running
again if that's its capability. I doubt they'd have as much trouble with a
smaller ship. Secondly, even if they *did* get the Mutants to do it, they
have the muscle to keep the Plundarians on track. I'm good, but without mobility, I can't keep all of them rounded up."

"So what's to keep the Lunataks on track?" yawned Axecat. The sun was warm
and pleasant and he missed his creek already.

"They're more practical than Mutants," sighed Altaica with exasperation.
"If I can prove to them I mean what I say about being able to take down the
Thundercats, they'll help me just to give me better means. I expect treachery...I just know that it won't be right away. They're going to want
to milk me first...but I'll be ready for them."

"All these big plans," Axecat shuddered. "Didn't anyone come here just for fun?"

"But big plans and tiger-torture *are* fun!" laughed Altaica. "I just never
thought I'd be able to do it in person!"

"I just want to find Bengali...and maybe blow something up somewhere along
the line," mused Axecat. "Something big...Mumm-ra's Pyramid maybe..."

"Why Bengali?"

"According to the Mythology of Axecat, I'm his pool toy and he carries me
around with him. Actually a spell of Mumm-ra's animated me and he tried to
make me evil, but it's hard to be evil when your primary concern is floating around in the sun."

"You have a mythology?" Altaica raised one eyebrow sceptically.

"I have several...depends what world I'm using my character in. Don't you?"

The tigress thought momentarily about past role-playing games and stories.
"Yeah...I guess I do. In a way. Although the main story is always the same:
I'm the sister of Altaicus who's sickeningly good. It compliments my evil
so well."

The pair had little time to discuss the subject further as they came up against another bank...this one of a river much wider than their simple stream had been.

"Isn't there anything but water around here?" exclaimed Altaica in frustration. She called up her map to check the lay of the land. "This seems to be a off-shoot of a much larger river to the West of here, but it's still too wide to cross easily. Damn! I can't swim without damaging my
pistol!"

"So?" snorted Axecat, looking over her shoulder. "Let's float!"

"What?"

"Well I don't have to cross the river, but I'd rather float than walk and
even though we need to be on opposite sides of the river, we're both headed
in the same direction...downstream. Let's just float along until we get closer to our destinations...then I'll drop you off on your side and float
over to my side. You're not so big," grinned the grey-blue cat, thumping
his latex chest and sizing up the tiger. At six-foot six, he was taller and
wider than even the stately bounty hunter.

"Well...okay," accepted Altaica, tapping her lip with her pistol. "It's not
like I *can't* swim if you decide to dump me."

"I won't dump you...not until we're officially enemies anyway," winked Axecat. "Just one condition..."

"What's that?"

"Put that damned pistol away!"

*********************

"Ay! My most wondrous toes! What I would not do for an air-worthy plane!"

The snarf wasn't sure if he should laugh or punch the canine in the snout.
Although not the quietest of adventurers, Don Karnage could be quite amusing.

"You're going to have to keep on your feet a little longer if you ever want
to reach Castle Plundarr, Donny."

"ACK! Never call me by that name!" protested Don Karnage. "It is the feared
*pirate* Don Karnage! I will fill that insolent plastickity cat full of holes!"

"And when will you do that?"

"When I have my flying wonder of Mutant enginuienity!"

The snarf really did have to suppress a laugh this time. It was almost impossible to thoroughly piss off the enthusiastic pirate and he always had
a reply for any goad one cared to toss at him. Still, the tall man left off
his torment in favour of information. "So that's why you're heading to Castle Plundarr?"

"Indeedy," confided the other in a conspiratory whisper. "They are the only
ones here that are making plane-like flying machines. Plus they have dog-types...much better than kitty-types. But why are you following me? Not
that you should not be permitted to bask in my greatness..."

"Actually, I'm just wandering around," admitted the snarf. "I don't really
have a set plan other than to see as much of this place as possible. Seems
a waste to just throw myself into a fight without appreciating the world
first. Think about it...this is probably the most elaborate virtual game
created to date...certainly the first one made to be shared online in this
way. I want to see what's hiding here."

"What hiding?" scoffed Karnage. "This is a game! It is like a war...one picks a side and fights. The bestest side...namely the one that I am on...wins. Poof! Game over..."

"Poof?"

"Poof," the canine morph assured him with a nod. "And then we all go home!
And then we play again!" he grinned.

"I disagree...Bast can be pretty subtle. I prefer to think that you can fight if you want to, but that since she apparently supplied the information for the world-building, she included hidden secrets or new discoveries for anyone willing to look for them. I want to see as much of
the world as I can...find as many people as I can. Maybe I can take the role of wandering savant...or of warrior for hire. Or both! Every game needs at least one..."

Don Karnage shrugged. "As you wish. I am a pirate! I do not need to be savant! I just need jewels and gold and people to plunder." He perked up
suddenly. "Maybe you can find some new victim-persons for me to plunder! I
do not think that Berbils have much money."

"But Tabbots do," the snarf reminded him.

"True, true...I will have to find them," mused the canine. "I will make them tremble and take their trinkets. I will even eat their snacks!" he cried with determination.

"Good job!" grinned the snarf.

"You dare laugh at the wonderfulness of me?" gasped Don Karnage.

"Nope...just have an appreciation for people who know what they want. Uh..."

"What is it?"

"Looks like your plane would have come in handy after all," replied the red-head. "Seems we have ourselves a slight problem..."

Ahead of them lay a chasm. Closer inspection revealed it to be a very deep
and very wide chasm. The snarf gave a low, long whistle as he looked down.

"What now? The great Don Karnage will not scale rocks like a goat!"

The pirate's adamant refusal proved to be their salvation as a brilliant
flash was all the pair could see of the sizzling beams which shot up from
the earth. With cries of surprise, the pair stumbled back and waited for
their vision to clear, uttering curses of varying magnitude.

"Dammit!" exclaimed the snarf when he had finally recovered from the visionary onlsaught. "I take it we've found the chasm of laser blasts that
Panthro was thrown into," he said bitterly. "I suppose we could try to find
a way to cross it!"

"Don Karnage is not mad like a frothy-mouthed dog! I will not put my wonderous self over the top of that...that...insta-bake oven!"

"Aye," mused the snarf. "It can be done, but it would take more planning
and time than I care to give. It seems there's no other way...we'll have to
go around it."

"We will?"

"We will if you want to get to Castle Plundarr...it's on the other side."

"Ay! My tender pirate tootsies!"

"You can lick your paws later," smirked the snarf, calling up the computer
map and pointing west. "For now, hoof it that way, it seems to grow narrower near that wood."

And so, with stoic resolve from the snarf and the lamentations of the bemoaning Don Karnage, the pair began their march around the canyon.

*********************