From 8a8479815434240511cedd85d9b7a039616abc8a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: david Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2020 09:30:44 -0600 Subject: [PATCH] progress from today --- book-1/11.tex | 226 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++- book-1/Main.tex | 1 + book-1/all.tex | 1 + 3 files changed, 227 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/book-1/11.tex b/book-1/11.tex index af8f0dd..8edbdbe 100644 --- a/book-1/11.tex +++ b/book-1/11.tex @@ -1,3 +1,227 @@ \chapter{11} -The Minotaur was gigantic. +The Minotaur was colossal. +Even without the mighty horns that bent forwards he was at least two meters tall. +His naked torso had the form and dimensions of a large wine barrel, +and even though hunger and other deprivations had left an irreversible mark on him, +his muscles looked like they would break railroad ties just for fun some times. +The face was one hundred percent that of a bull, +but from his neck down he seemed to be a normal person: +if you ignored the nearly monstrous musculature. + +``So it is true'', the dog man growled. +``He's finally awake\footnote{You were trying to cross the border, right?}'' +He actually \textit{growled}, +even though it was clearly modulated and had a surprisingly pleasant sound. +All the same every word he said seemed to be accompanied by a threatening growling. +The reptilian being didn't add anything, +but its tongue flicked in Andrew's direction more nervously than it had been. + +``Then maybe we can talk to him now'', the minotaur added. +His voice was just as resonant and deep as Andrew had imagined, +but he spoke very slowly and added an audible pause after every word as if it were difficult for him to speak. +Maybe his vocal cords were more that of a bull than those of a human, +Andrew thought. +The brain behind that massive forehead was definitely human, +which he could tell from one look into his large unmistakeably intelligence-filled eyes. +Andrew made a mental note not to underestimate the minotaur. +This creature was not only strong, +but also smart. + +He raised his shoulders. +``No objections.'' + +Katt gave him an almost imploring look. +``This is Andrew'', she said hastily, +then just as quickly she pointed to the dog man, +the snake, and the minotaur. +``Rex, Liz, and Bull, the oldest in the tribe.'' + +Short names seemed to be very beloved here, +Andrew thought amused, +and just as \textit{unimaginative}. +As to their authenticity he only had more doubts. +He wouldn't dare guessing the age of the snake person, +much less the minotaur, +but there was no way Rex was older than Katt. + +``You can't expect too much from him'', +Katt continued to the three \textit{elders} in an abrupt tone and distinctly louder than it needed to be. +Andrew had the feeling that she was just talking so that \textit{he} wouldn't say anything. +``He's still somewhat flustered and his fever isn't all the way gone!'' + +She made a circular motion near her temple, +which apparently meant the same thing across cultures and species. +When she turned around to Andrew she gave him the same imploring look she had given him earlier. +It was impossible to overlook the immense respect she had for the three figures. + +``Why don't you let us decide that, Katt?'', asked Bull. +The words confirmed Andrew's suspicion. +The minotaur was the leader of the three. + +``Sure'', Katt said nervously. + +``Why don't you wait outside?'', the minotaur suggested. +``You can help Ratt with Bat. I don't think she is doing too well.'' + +Katt hesitated and Andrew smiled at her and said cheerily: +``Go ahead. +If they are your friends, +then they're friends of mine too.'' +He turned directly towards Bull. +``I will answer all of your questions. +As much as I can, that is.'' + +Andrew regretted the last restriction almost as soon as he said it. +He could tell that the eyes of a bull were able to exude a feeling of mistrust, +but he didn't break eye contact. +After a moment Katt reluctantly turned around and left. +Rex followed her to the door. +He didn't didn't hide the fact that he was doing it to make sure she actually left and didn't just stand right outside the door to listen in. + +``Katt said you helped her'', +Bull began after the dog man had come back and had nodded to him. +``Is this true?'' + +Andrew was a little surprised. +He had expected that the minotaur would have asked where he was from. +He simply nodded. + +``Why?'', asked Rex. + +``Why?'' Andrew didn't understand the question. + +``Why'', confirmed the dog man. +``Nobody helps anyone if they don't get something out of it.'' + +``Where I'm from they do'', answered Andrew automatically. + +``Not here'', said Bull. +He didn't even take the out Andrew had given him. +``So, why did you help her?'' + +It was at the forefront of his mind to just tell the truth. +\textit{Because I owed her. +She had saved my life before that and risked her own life for it.} +But for something told him that that wouldn't have been smart. +Apparently the values here were different than where he was from. + +``Without her I wouldn't have made it'', he said +--- which was the truth. +``She knew the way. +I didn't.'' + +\textit{This} answer seemed to satisfy the minotaur. +``Katt also told us that the dragons had chased after you'', he said. +``Is that true?'' + +\textit{Dragons?} +At first Andrew wasn't sure what Bull was talking about, +but then he understood: +Frightening flying monster that spewed fire. +Dragons. +Of course. +``Yes'' + +``Why?'', Rex growled. + +``That I do not know'', answered Andrew. + +``You're from outside and you don't know why the dragons were chasing you?'', asked Bull. +``Why would I believe that?'' +His drawn-out way of speaking gave the words a heft that warned Andrew to be especially careful. +He had just been wondering why the minotaur hadn't immediately asked him where he was from, +but now it was clear to him that they weren't talking about anything else this whole time. + +``Because that is the truth'', he said. +``I don't know who these \dots \textit{dragons} are. +And I don't know why they killed my friend or wanted to kill me. +Before I came here I didn't know that they existed.'' + +``Even though you claim to be from outside?'', Rex asked. +``The dragons come from outside. +Who would believe that?'' + +``Not from where I'm from'', answered Andrew. +In a lightly snotty tone he added: +``There's quite a few places, you know?'' + +Rex's eyes flashed with anger and Andrew had the feeling that he had said something that wasn't quite so smart. +Regardless he not only forced himself to calmly maintain eye contact, +but also smiled a little. +He himself had never had a dog, +but he knew that you could never show weakness towards them. + +Liz hissed and Bull said slowly: +``That's enough.'' +Andrew noticed that the snake had always hissed before the minotaur had said anything. +Was it possible that he had been wrong and that Bull was just the translator for the snake person? + +``I'm sorry'', he said. +``But that is the truth. +The world I am from is very large. +I have never seen anything like these dragons before or ever heard of them, +you have to believe me. +I also don't know why they are trying to kill me.'' + +``Then why are you here?'', asked Bull. + +Andrew almost laughed out loud. +``Definitely not on purpose'', he answered. +``Nick and I crashed in our airplane. +At least that's what I thought at first.'' +He instinctively decided to leave off the whole prologue and not to say anything about Scarhand and his companions either. +It was already complicated enough. +``But now I think one of your dragons shot us down.'' + +``An airplane?'' +Rex sniffed his shoulder as if he could tell if Andrew was lying by doing that. +``What is that supposed to be?'' + +``A machine'', answered Andrew. +``A contraption that flies.'' + +Mistake number \dots oh whatever. +A huge mistake since not only Rex took a quick step backwards. +Liz hissed agitatedly and Bills eyes were saturated with mistrust. + +``Like the dragons?'', barked Rex. + +``No'', answered Andrew quickly. +``Well yes, but \dots'' +He shook his head confusedly. +Something told him that a lot of things +---his life for example --- +were depending on his next words, +but it was getting more and more difficult to find the right words. + +``But?'', asked Bull/ + +``An airplane isn't anything special where I'm from.'', he said carefully. +``But they aren't dangerous. +You just use them to get from one place to the next. +Not to kill people.'' + +``You fly from one place to another one with it?'', barked Rex. +Maybe it was a mocking laugh. +``What would that be good for?'' + +``Because its fast'', answered Andrew. +``You can go the same distance in a few hours that it would usually take weeks or even months to travel.'' + +Bull and the dog man looked at each other with a knowing look, +but Andrew couldn't tell if they didn't understand his question or if they just didn't believe anything he said. +Or both. + +``Then its bigger outside than here?'', asked Bull. + +Andrew didn't know how big \textit{here} was, +but he nodded nonetheless. +``I think so.'' + +``And they're all like you?'' + +``Like me?'' +Andrew asked, but he already felt that the answer was a little too rash. +From Bull's and Rex's point of view all the other people were \textit{like him}. +``More or less'', he constrained. diff --git a/book-1/Main.tex b/book-1/Main.tex index f85d2f9..ea4768e 100644 --- a/book-1/Main.tex +++ b/book-1/Main.tex @@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ I'll need to go over it multiple times later anyway. \input{8} \input{9} \input{10} +\input{11} \end{document} diff --git a/book-1/all.tex b/book-1/all.tex index da774ff..763077f 100644 --- a/book-1/all.tex +++ b/book-1/all.tex @@ -15,3 +15,4 @@ \addtocontents{toc}{\protect\setcounter{tocdepth}{3}} \input{book-1/10} \addtocontents{toc}{\protect\setcounter{tocdepth}{-1}} +\input{book-1/11}