5.19.2005
INTERLUDE: Best Served Cold
Gerald "Gnarls" Gnarlson sat shivering in his cell. The taunts of the guards were still stinging in his ears: "Hey moron! You've only got one arm you RETARD. How are you going to use magic now, huh? HUH? You stupid gnome! Hahahaha!" But their insults hurt less than the betrayal by the Guild. What went wrong? Jerry wracked his brain. He lifted his hand to stroke his chin, an old habit when he was deep in thought, but remembered half way that his arm, his strong right arm, was no more. Just a stump at the elbow. And besides, his stump was chained to a brick wall in the basement of the town jail.
How could Master Vrill betray the Guild like that? The apprentice, no, EX-apprentice, he corrected himself, was just following the Master's orders. "Let's make everyone in town happy! Doesn't that sound like a grand idea Apprentice Gerald? Just dump those Friends Potions in the well, no problem. If the Potion Guild isn't supposed to be helping people, then darn it Gerald... I don't want to be in the club. Now let's make some owlbears!" It was supposed to be so easy.
One lone, cold tear dribbled out of Jerry's left eye and ran down his cheek. It was all over.
...
"Hey... hey you. Apprentice." Jerry thought he was dreaming- he'd nodded off, but came awake at the hiss of the word, whispered through the bars. He looked up. He had visitors.
A group of four figures stood outside his cell door. The man addressing him- no, boy, a human no older than 12. Behind him were a man and two women, one of whom was wearing a thick black veil. The boy said "Hey... I bet you want to get out of there. Get those bastards who cut off your arm, cut off your life. Am I right?"
Gerald sighed, and sneered bitterly "So you've come to tease me too. Okay, go ahead, laugh about it some more, then please leave me the hell alone."
The boy shook his head and smiled. "On the contrary," he replied, holding up a large iron key, "we've come to set you free." Gerald's mouth opened in disbelief. "But first... tell me how bad you want... vengenance."
"They took my arm! They took the Guild away from me! My Master away! The owlbears, the plans, the money, my little cottage, everything! THOSE BASTARDS!"
The boy smiled, and said "We share your pain, apprentice. Janet here," motioning to the veil-less woman, "lost her husband, a good man, a pretty good guard. Barney-" the man outside interrupted "THEY TOOK ME DOG! My little Applebee... how could they take her away?"
The boy blinked, and shook his head once, solemnly. "They took Barney's dog. To the butcher's." The gnome stared back in disbelief. "And her?" asked Jerry. The boy half-looked over his shoulder at the motionless, veiled woman in the back, arms behind her back, dressed in black robes. "Uh... don't ask about her. Don't worry about it, 'k? Anyway, those sons of bitches killed my father. I don't know why. Maybe you knew him, his name was Jacob."
Jerry nodded "Jacob, sure, Potion Guild guard. I knew him. Good guy, always writing, talked a lot. But... but, those guys, they killed owlbears! Slaughtered guards and god knows what else? You're just a boy and some peasants or whatever. Me, I can't cast spells anymore! You can't seriously think you can take revenge on those... those... adventurers!" The last word spit out like an angry piece of gristle off the bone.
"Don't worry about that. You're right, my father, he was always writing. In this," holding up a small notebook. "In fact, for being a Potion Guild guard, I'd dare say he was a genius. A fucking genius." Behind him, Barney nodded vigorously.
"So, uh..." stammered Jerry, "there's a plan in there or something? Maybe that plan starts with getting me out of here?"
The boy unlocked the cell door. "I'm Jacobo, son of Jacob, and revenge will be mine. My father's vision will guide us." Jacobo undid the shackles, and Jerry rubbed the sore end of his stump.
"Well, thanks a lot kid. I don't know just how much of a, mm, 'genius', as you say, your father was, but you got me out of here and that probably took some smarts. So whadda we do?" inquired the gnome.
Jacobo smiled. "Actually, I've already got a pretty good lead. Come with us" he said, holding up as evidence a small, well-thumbed fantasy novel, stained with cider and maybe another, darker, harder-to-identify substance.
"Walk fast. We've got work to do."
How could Master Vrill betray the Guild like that? The apprentice, no, EX-apprentice, he corrected himself, was just following the Master's orders. "Let's make everyone in town happy! Doesn't that sound like a grand idea Apprentice Gerald? Just dump those Friends Potions in the well, no problem. If the Potion Guild isn't supposed to be helping people, then darn it Gerald... I don't want to be in the club. Now let's make some owlbears!" It was supposed to be so easy.
One lone, cold tear dribbled out of Jerry's left eye and ran down his cheek. It was all over.
...
"Hey... hey you. Apprentice." Jerry thought he was dreaming- he'd nodded off, but came awake at the hiss of the word, whispered through the bars. He looked up. He had visitors.
A group of four figures stood outside his cell door. The man addressing him- no, boy, a human no older than 12. Behind him were a man and two women, one of whom was wearing a thick black veil. The boy said "Hey... I bet you want to get out of there. Get those bastards who cut off your arm, cut off your life. Am I right?"
Gerald sighed, and sneered bitterly "So you've come to tease me too. Okay, go ahead, laugh about it some more, then please leave me the hell alone."
The boy shook his head and smiled. "On the contrary," he replied, holding up a large iron key, "we've come to set you free." Gerald's mouth opened in disbelief. "But first... tell me how bad you want... vengenance."
"They took my arm! They took the Guild away from me! My Master away! The owlbears, the plans, the money, my little cottage, everything! THOSE BASTARDS!"
The boy smiled, and said "We share your pain, apprentice. Janet here," motioning to the veil-less woman, "lost her husband, a good man, a pretty good guard. Barney-" the man outside interrupted "THEY TOOK ME DOG! My little Applebee... how could they take her away?"
The boy blinked, and shook his head once, solemnly. "They took Barney's dog. To the butcher's." The gnome stared back in disbelief. "And her?" asked Jerry. The boy half-looked over his shoulder at the motionless, veiled woman in the back, arms behind her back, dressed in black robes. "Uh... don't ask about her. Don't worry about it, 'k? Anyway, those sons of bitches killed my father. I don't know why. Maybe you knew him, his name was Jacob."
Jerry nodded "Jacob, sure, Potion Guild guard. I knew him. Good guy, always writing, talked a lot. But... but, those guys, they killed owlbears! Slaughtered guards and god knows what else? You're just a boy and some peasants or whatever. Me, I can't cast spells anymore! You can't seriously think you can take revenge on those... those... adventurers!" The last word spit out like an angry piece of gristle off the bone.
"Don't worry about that. You're right, my father, he was always writing. In this," holding up a small notebook. "In fact, for being a Potion Guild guard, I'd dare say he was a genius. A fucking genius." Behind him, Barney nodded vigorously.
"So, uh..." stammered Jerry, "there's a plan in there or something? Maybe that plan starts with getting me out of here?"
The boy unlocked the cell door. "I'm Jacobo, son of Jacob, and revenge will be mine. My father's vision will guide us." Jacobo undid the shackles, and Jerry rubbed the sore end of his stump.
"Well, thanks a lot kid. I don't know just how much of a, mm, 'genius', as you say, your father was, but you got me out of here and that probably took some smarts. So whadda we do?" inquired the gnome.
Jacobo smiled. "Actually, I've already got a pretty good lead. Come with us" he said, holding up as evidence a small, well-thumbed fantasy novel, stained with cider and maybe another, darker, harder-to-identify substance.
"Walk fast. We've got work to do."
