The Screaming Swordsman!

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Ahh... The beautiful bordertown of Skystead. Filled with people passing through from Vóreia to Occidens, or the other way around. Men and women looking for things they can't make themselves or just young boys looking for adventure. Pretty much heaven for people in the entertainment business, people like Jack, and that is exactly why Jack hate this place. All the competition made it nearly impossible to make good money. The people going to the market or crossing the border wasn't really scouting the streets or taverns for the best 'jesters' out there. So the look on his face wasn't really one you would call happy as he rode in to town on his trusty steed Amar.

It wasn't his first time in this sad excuse for a town, and it certainly wouldn't be his last. Unfortunately enough Skystead was one of the few roads where you could cross easily into Occidens and Jack was heading towards a wedding between the kids of two of the more powerful lords of the proud kingdom. Which for any country at the constant brink of war had to be a huge fest for the joy-starving masses. Which of course meant that it was a considerable amount of money to be brought home to his beloved family. It was weird how he even here, almost as far away as he got, couldn't just stop coming back home. Well Jack's mood was already moody enough. The last thing he needed right now was to philosophize about the broken bonds to his family.

"Won't be too long to nightfall hmm Amar?" The horse hardly even reacted to its owners words. "Everything as usual then..." Jack thought to himself as he started to look around for someplace where he could rent a room, but old mr. Murphy is never wrong and surely enough none of the taverns he visited had any rooms for rent. And it would snow in hell before Jack settled with sleeping in the hay like some animal! Well, so far the only places he'd asked around was the nicer ones. Maybe it was time to move down on the ladder to some of the more shabby places.

Jack actually had success in one of the darker places, some beat up old filth hole with a constantly screaming guy with a sword. "The screaming swordsman.. What a fitting name" Jack thought to himself as he approached the bar and the rather shady looking owner. "Well good day to you, champ" Jack greeted the man in which he only received a grunt in return "I'm looking for a place to spend the night, and seeing your rather... extraordinary facade I can't help but notice that you probably could use a few extra coins in the bag?" The sarcasm could almost be touched. "Yup! 50 bronze" The owner said with a grumpy look on his face, clearly looking Jack up and down. Since he was in his traveling outfit, the black one the owner didn't think Jack was good for much, which to be honest suited Jack just fine. "A man of few words I see, a man of few words without a name known to me" Jack said, flashing one of his winning smile as he leaned over the bar. "But as you might understand even though I like you, you might understand that 50 bronze is just a little over the top. Even for your amazing establishment... Lets make it 10 and the biggest room you got eh?" The winning smile was like throwing pearls for pigs, it couldn't have affected the owner less. "Call." He simply said "that's my name. 15's not enough. 40" The look on Call's face was the definition of 'carved in stone' "Sorry mac. 30 is everything that I got yo my name, and I'll need food as well for tonight. Lets say I pay you 30 for the room and for three portions of that amazingly smelling stew you got over the fire there" Jack parried as the bargain continued. Finally cracking the stone face with a sly grin Call nodded and got a key from under the desk. "Stable's around back. Ale is extra" he said as he handed Jack a huge, rusty key. "Thank you pall! Can't wait to test your bed"

About half an hour later Jack had put Amar away, placed the little luggage he carried with him in his room and was now sitting in one of the corner down in the tavern, playing his lute while trying to force down the terrible brew of god-knows-what that Call had placed on his table. Jack's only relief at this moment was his beloved lute. Well his lute and the drunken swordsman himself. He was actually shouting quite allot of funny nonsense.

Jack was well into a long ballad called "Rise of the unwanted Child" as a young pink haired boy walked, well more like stumbled, in through the door. Something about the kid caught Jack's attention. Something about him reminded him of himself. The look on the kids face was also familiar, it was the one of someone who had been on the road for far to long. So the surprise wasn't that big for Jack when the kid collapsed without even finishing his first sentence. From the bar he could hear Call sighing, and the same something that made him notice the kid, also gave Jack compassion for the guy. "Hold it pall" Jack shouted to Call as the owner started to move toward the poor kid. "I'll pay for him, just help me get him to my room" Jack said as he stood up from his chair and placed his lute against the wall before walking toward pinkead. Call on the other hand hesitated a bit, not really able to decide wherever Jack actually would pay for both of them or not. His mind changed pretty quickly when he saw the gold coin suddenly appearing in Jacks extended hand. Suddenly the owner was kindness himself practically running up the stairs with the boy in his arms. "Amazing what people will do for money" Jack mumbled to himself before siting back down in the corner to continue on the ballad.

"And have something ready for him to eat when he wakes up, if you would be so kind..." He said as he tossed the coin to Call. "Please make it something actually edible" with that Jack pushed the bowl of the god-knows-what stew away and continued playing his music. Waiting for the kid to wake up and come back down.

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