1
The Second, the Friend of the
Thatched Abby (who had himself been rescued at the last moment by a wealthy
scion from the Land of the Hazardly Row) had shown Bill the Secret of the Oxfords
(those marvelous shoes that kept their owner on a path protected by a Power
greater than either Demon or Man). Valiant and desperate though these men were,
by their very nature they would discard the Oxfords at times. They seemed to
have acquired no permanent defense against the Demon, and both felt, as had
the Physician, that another Secret must be discovered.
Alas! Although Bill held Two of the Great Secrets, possessed the necessary fire and strength he had inherited from his
father (Will, the Strong), and kept his Oxfords in good repair through frequent
visits to Sam the Shoemaker, he owned not the anvil nor the temperament and
talent of a smythe - those qualities which, unbeknownst to him, would be necessary
for revelation of the Third Secret, and for all three to be forged into effective
shield and armor.
Comes, then, a mournful morning
in the Town of Tyres, when Bill felt the compulsion of the Demon’s spell. His
dream of the alliance of certain craftsmen had ended in failure. His purse was
bereft of gold, barely a farthing remained, and he stood wondering how he would
pay the innkeeper for his lodging. His Oxfords had worn thin from his journey
and trials, and Sam the Shoemaker was far away in Gotham, as was the Physician
of the Worthy Silk, and the Friend of the Thatched Abby.
3
Bill found himself Alone With The Demon.
As he hung suspended between Demon
and Dream, a Thought of Great Import came into Bill’s consciousness: “This Demon
must also have victims in this Town of Tyres… I must find one… perhaps we can
help each other.”
Suddenly, the Oxfords mysteriously
placed Bill’s feet in front of the Inn’s list of wise men and sages. Bill, of
necessity, went along with his feet, and having thusly been placed nose to list,
read the names of the spiritual elders of the Town of Tyres. Using one of his
last farthings, Bill summoned one of these sages who gave Bill the Spell of
the Sieberling. Willingly, Bill called up the Sieberling, and was led to a desperate
victim of the Demon, whose name was Bob. (You may note, that even the simplicity
of our character names implies simplicity of solution.)
Bob was a Physician of the Arse
Restoration Guild, who specialized in relieving pains in a person’s sitter.
Coincidently, it seemed to Bill, the products of the Demon’s magic were often
of such nature. (At least Bill had heard it said, by those unfortunate persons
who, of necessity, must associate with the afflicted individual). However, because
of the Demon’s influence, Bob had been unable to find, much less relieve, his
own painful arse, (Bob later said, “It appeared to have fallen off”) and the
citizens of the Town of Tyres had become sorely reluctant to seek out Bob to
relieve theirs… for them, one pain in the rear seemed quite sufficient.
