City of IF

[Mordok]

Chp2

Waking up while still three feet in the air; Jakeen had time to do two things. First, he was able to sneak a glance at the scruffy man who had jerked him from the carriage he had been sleeping in, and second, he was almost able to brace for the coming impact.

Jakeen’s breath exploded from his lungs as he hit the ground with a thud. He tried to regain his senses, but the man was on him too quickly. He was able to inhale a small amount of the man’s sour stench before calloused hands were crushing his throat, blocking further air from entering his lungs.

“Piss-Ant!” the man spat in Jakeen’s face. “I’ll not ‘ave your kind stinkin’ up the carriages I been paid to care for!”

Jakeen felt himself jerked upward by the throat, before being slammed back onto the hard dirt of the stable floor. The impact to the back of his head and the lack of oxygen in his lungs were too much to take. Luckily, he blacked out, so he didn’t feel the other four times the back of his head pounded into the dirt.

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The hammering headache didn’t keep Jakeen from realizing he was moving. He tried to turn his head to get a view of his location, but a horrid pain pierced his neck and a slight groan escaped his lips.

“Take it easy lad.” He heard a soft, woman’s voice say. “You’re safe for a bit. Sarah’s wagon is as safe as the Lyceum itself as long as we have Mace’s ale in the back.”

Relaxing somewhat, he listened to the soothing rhythm of the horse’s hooves clacking on the road he obviously traveled. His head swam with fears, worries, and remembrances, but pain kept any thoughts from becoming more than wisps.

“Ole Antook would have beaten you blind if I didn’t come along when I did.” The woman continued, “That carriage you picked to night in belongs to a powerful mage. The stable master fears him almost as much as he desires me. So rest up, becausen you owe me a little back muscle when we get to the Dog.”
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While not long, the trip was smooth, and Jakeen was finally able to sit up and look as the old woman signaled their arrival. A new wave of fear washed through him as he saw their destination approach.

“The Wormy Dog’s not for the weak at heart, is it lad?” Sarah laughed as she noticed the doubt cross Jakeen’s face. “You will be safe enough here in the daylight, and Mace and me go back aways, so have no fears. It looks a lot worse than it really is.”

Jakeen doubted that very much. The outside of the tavern itself was better looking than the surrounding ramshackle buildings, but the six men sitting on the porch told all a person needed to know about the inside.

One had a wooden leg, one missed an arm below the elbow, two had eye patches, and all were drinking. Not one of them weighed in at under two-twenty, and they all looked unshaved and dirty. Strangely, though, they all stood and politely bowed as Sarah’s wagon made its way toward the back of the building.
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The Wormy Dog had a set of large double doors in the rear for deliveries, and Sarah expertly backed the wagon into these. As soon as the horses stopped moving, Jakeen hopped from the wagon and tried to clear his head. The movement brought a cascade of pain, forcing Jakeen to go to his knees rather than fall on his face.

“Sarah, you old potion princess, how the gods do you be? With this tournament going on, we’ll make a fortune off your...”

Although the motion was slight, Jakeen clearly saw the old woman nod in his direction, signaling to the new comer that another set of ears were present. The man was apparently no stranger to deception. There was barely a pause before he resumed.

“…ale. My rooms are full and my barrels are empty.”

“Mace my dear, didn’t I see your brothers out front?” Sarah’s smile helped finish the appearance of normality “Can you have one of them help my hired hand to unload the cart while we talk?”

Trying to act as if he had missed the shift in conversation, Jakeen stood up and turned to see the man who had been speaking. His first thought was, “Holy Crap”! His second thought was, that if those guys out front were his brothers, they were his little brothers.

Standing six foot six and weighing three forty-five, Mace was intimidating enough. The fact that he was solid as a rock and covered in tattoos and scars didn’t help anything. His long red hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, revealing a square jaw and piercing eyes. Somehow, the dress shirt and apron he wore only added to the overall scariness of the man.

Seeing Jakeen’s dumbfounded look, Mace let out a hearty laugh that instantly eased the tension Jakeen was feeling. No one that laughed that cheerfully could be that bad a person.

“I’ll have one of them back here in a flicker lad.” Then turning to Sarah the huge man grinned, “Any of these crates you need me to lug, Angel?”

The woman motioned to two large crates, which Mace stacked and gently carried into the tavern. Sarah followed him and Jakeen was alone for the first time this day.
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His first instinct was to run, but so far, the woman had done him no wrong, and he did owe her a debt of sorts. Although he wasn’t sure what transpired between the stable master and Sarah, he was glad she had got him out of there. That’s when he thought of his lyre.

He found it unhurt, but slightly out of tune in the front of the cart. The old woman must have recognized it as his and retrieved it from the carriage where he had left it. His small bag of clothing and goods was also there. He wouldn’t run away. He would repay her for her kindness.

Tuning the lyre was easy, and Jakeen started playing a comforting tune that always reminded him of home. A standard working song that just happened to be his mother’s favorite. When he finished the song, he was staggered by the applause that exploded from behind him. Spinning around in the seat of the cart, Jakeen saw the six hard men who had been drinking at the front of the tavern.

“Mace sent us back to give you a hand wit’ the wagon, but if you play, we’ll haul these barrels and everyone wins.” One arm turned to his brothers for agreement, which he received unanimously.

So Jakeen played while the other men unloaded the wagon, and when they were done, he was invited into the Wormy Dog where he continued to play to the delight of everyone inside.
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Jakeen was still playing when Sarah and Mace entered the room. He saw them exchange pleasant words before Mace approached him. The large man explained that Sarah had told him of Jakeen’s situation and that he could offer Jakeen a pallet in the storeroom, breakfast and dinner, and five silvers a night, if Jakeen wanted to perform in the tavern. Jakeen, now at ease around the rough looking men, readily accepted.
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Jakeen wound up playing all of the first day, only taking a break to eat a dinner of savory soup and some sweet bread. The tavern was full and Mace seemed very pleased by the traffic that the music was bringing in. Throughout the day, Jakeen would notice patrons whispering to Mace and soon they would disappear into a back room to pursue some secret business.

The Wormy Dog was packed and Jakeen was really working the crowd. He would play a fast song to work up their thirst and then a slow song to let them quench it. It was during one of the slower numbers when he suddenly “saw” a new pattern to be played on the strings. Skillfully weaving the new pattern into the song, he was overwhelmed by the reaction it elicited.

The crowd let out a collective gasp and Jakeen could feel their combined pleasure. It magnified the joy he was already feeling, so he sped up the tempo a little to hasten the point in the tune where he could repeat the pattern.

The second time through, Jakeen was so emotionally moved by the patterns spell that he decided to skip the rest of the song and go straight into the magic chord again. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. The crowd loved it, he loved it; why not just play this all night? This is the power of music! This is the power of audience and musician, entwined in an orgy of ears, hearts and souls! This is bliss!

He was so engrossed in the blending of joys that he didn’t really notice the scissors appear in front of him. It wasn’t until they had cut the strings of his lyre, breaking the spells hold, that Jakeen even noticed them at all. The rage that filled him at losing the power he felt disappeared at the same instant the scissors vanished.

A huge wave of fatigue slammed into him from somewhere inside. Combined with the lingering feelings of pleasure, and the newfound sense of loss, he was unable to do more than stand there in confusion. The entire crowd felt the same confusion except for one.

A tall, robed man was quickly striding toward the back of the tavern. He motioned for Jakeen to follow, and the boy blindly did so.

Though his mind was a storm of emotion, Jakeen was able to understand some of what happened next. The tall man, who obviously knew something about the magic of music, was offering to help Jakeen better understand it.


“Look, you have to be strong. But you also need help. Do you want my help?” The tall stranger asked.

Finally, someone who could help had arrived. Jakeen was just about to beg for the strangers help when Mace burst into the small kitchen they were using for their meeting.

“I demand to know what is going on in here!” yelled the mountain of a barkeep.

Ignoring the tavern owner, the robed man turned to Jakeen. “Boy, what’s your name?”

“Ja…Jakeen.”

Mace looked from the stranger toward Jakeen. “Lad, I know you owe me nothing, but if you continue to pack the place, I will pay you ten silvers a night and move you into one my rooms. All I ask is that you play your songs from lightdown till closing. Do we have a deal?”

Both men waited for Jakeen’s response.

*image by luvd

What Should Jakeen do?
Accept Mace's offer for work and lodging? 1
Accept Yahoo's offer of help? 0
Try to study during the day and work at night? 4

[Mordok]

No one wants to be bored with the details of my real life so I will just say this.

Please help me find the flaws. I didn't have time to edit this as much as I would have liked, and I know it probably feels rushed.

Anyway, you know what to do. Offer opinions as to what Jakeen should do next and all.

I actually have no preconcieved ideas about this storygame so, any good ideas will be voted on.

Thanks again for your time and your patience.

Oh yeah, you guys are reading the other BTTE storygames too, right?

[Mother Goose]

Well worth the wait! Hope your RL problems are solved...

This is really a good chapter, congratulations! I want to think a bit more about what to do, so I'll suggest later if I think of something. I only saw one typo, fist for first again.

[ethereal_fauna]

Excellent chapter! So glad to have you back with us where you belong :P . I'll consider what we should do next a little further before commenting in that area, but did find a few technicalities:

Mordok wrote: So Far: Jakeen, a young bard, has traveled to Vlusos to see if anyone there could help him understaand the magic of his music.

“Ole Antook would have beaten you blind if I didn’t come along when I did.(this period should be a comma)” the woman continued. “That carriage you picked to night in belonges to a powerful mage.

Jakeen wound up playing all of the fist day...

[Cowofdoom666]

Mordok wrote: No one wants to be bored with the details of my real life so I will just say this.

Please help me find the flaws. I didn't have time to edit this as much as I would have liked, and I know it probably feels rushed

Hey Mordok, It has a lot more detail than anyof my Storygames ever had. :)

[Cowofdoom666]

Hmmm, it would be best for Jakeen to fully master his art of magical music as early as possible if you ask me. If he becomes this guy's apprentice or something, then at least he'll have a bed and a hot meal every day, as well as the magic.

[ethereal_fauna]

It would appear prudent to accept Yahoo's offer of help at this juncture, as well as the employment at the tavern. Although the atmosphere of the place is a little rough around the edges, the motley crew frequenting this establishment have proven themselves a loyal bunch. It's doubtful they'll harass you much as you fumble your way through unfamiliar territory.

While it is difficult to gauge the measure of a man from the initial meeting, learning more about the powers of your magic from Yahoo will prove invaluable. Judge the quality of his character as you spend more time with him, to determine if his offer of help was genuine, or merely a cruel facade erected to covertly eliminate the potential competition he beheld in your unpolished skill.

[Mordok]

Thanks all. I knew the brilliance of this team would shine through my typos and errors.

I will leave the discussion open for a few more days, but it seems the poll will look like this:

1: Accept the mage's offer of help.

2: Accept Mace's offer of a job and lodging.

3: Try to study with the mage during the day, and work at the inn at night.

Unless, someone comes up with a better option (and I know this team is capable of the GREAT ideas ) I will post this poll sometime in the middle of the week.

Remember, I have no idea where this storygame is going. Unlike, The Inheritance, there is no plot outline in my head. I really want this to be a team effort, so any suggestions on plot development, writing style, pace, or anything else will be greatly welcomed.

I look forward to working with your great imaginations.

[Mother Goose]

Ethereal fauna has said it all. Jakeen definitely needs a mentor; he knows from what he felt that Yahoo is right to say he's in danger of becoming addicted, and he has no idea what he's able to do with his gift. If he could accept both offers, studying with Yahoo during the day and earning his bed and board in the evening by playing - carefully! - that would seem the best for him. Right now he has no thought of entering a competition, if he even knows about it.