Hidden Realms

A few of you have already read this, for the rest of you this will be a first. It’s a short story mixing Forums/IRC, having to do with some trouble we had with a certain ex-member not too long ago. You may recognize some of the, err, characters. I post this first part in hopes that it will motivate me into finishing it. Enjoy, or don’t. Cheers

The day started like any other, with no sign of life at all, a complete and utterly desolate vibe hanging in the air of the small Inn. As the morning hours pressed on to lunchtime, the regular crowd began to shuffle in.

Pretty soon a low hum could be heard, as conversations began to sprout up about the room. As people began to take interest, the low hum escalated to a steady buz, that would occasionally grow to a roar as some disgruntled patron would shout about randomly, or stop completely, and silence would reign, while people drifted in and out of memories.

Occasionally someone would go off and get a drink, or a nice meal to ease their hunger, and yet, strangely, their coming and going would go unnoticed, jumping back in to conversations they had left, and yet they had missed none of in their brief absence.

For the most part, nobody paid attention to the doings of others. The only time anyone would notice such activity was when the person doing it made it known.

And this is how it had been for years, and the people were content, sharing their news and delighting in the company of others, enjoying the comfort and security that came with being in the small Inn.

But sadly, as all good times must end, so did this one, if only for a short while. One lovely spring day, when the whether was warming but not yet hot enough to let the fire die out, a strange man entered the Inn.

Let it be noted that the patrons of this fine Inn themselves are far from what most would consider normal, and delight in their weirdness, and would probably take offence if someone even hinted that they were “normal”. So for them to find someone strange, that person had to be really unique.

True, he was dressed very strangely, but it wasn’t his clothing that caught most peoples attention. It was his voice, his way of speaking, everything about the way he talked was odd.

He spoke each word as if it were a brand new sentence, pausing after it, and letting it hang in the air before speaking the next, like a complete thought that he wanted everyone to digest before he continued on. With such halting speach, it was a minute before he finished introducing himself, and the silent ripples of tension began to spread.

But he didn’t stop at simply introducing himself, no. He went further. He explained the way he spoke, and he said it with such arrogance and hostility, that it left no room for argument. It was his way or the high way. And naturally, that didn’t bode well with the regulars.

“I’m going to start tweaking if he keeps talking,” whispered the young barmaid.

“Me as well. Damn that’s annoying. Let’s have a lynching! It’s sure been awhile since the last,” piped up a young wolf near by.

“A lynching? What’s that? Can I eat it?”

“Kavon, I swear your stomach is an endless void.”

“Similar to your head ‘ey Ooky?” commented the owner with a grin.

A barely audible “bastard” escaped the lips of the agitated wolf, much to the delight of the others.

“If he had some boobies, his speech might have been tollerable. I need something to play with.” A gruffy voice floated accross the bar from near the fire. Smoke could be seen puffing out in rythmic waves, as the old dragon labored for breath.

A shadow flitted across the floor, and added in a raspy voice, “I say we hug him until he can no longer breathe.”

That brought a chuckle from the floor, helping to lighten the mood, but the group still wanted the new guy out.