Chapter 3: The Devilish Bard

When the trial was finished and everyone started to leave, Jack and Finneas wanted to follow their example. However, Princess Bobblegome stopped them, saying:

"And now guys, you gonna tell me how it really happened."

Finneas gulped, even though they had agreed what to tell in that case. Apparently, Jack looked pretty nonchalant, starting with:

"Well, we just came up with our best guess that this guy wouldn't try to deal with any dirty scum, so we..."

However, Bobblegome wasn't looking at him or even listening to him. She was looking straight at Finneas, who had already started to twitch nervously and even sweat. Finally, he gave up:

"It's just we knew Jack couldn't steal the scepter because his dad asked a wizard to cast a spell over him, so we manipulated we will find it in a thieves' hideout, found it and tossed it back to the Kerckwill's house!"

She didn't look surprised:

"I knew I couldn't trust this Walnutte! Well, I will forgive him this one, but if he ever again... Nevertheless, why were you so sure it was Kerckwill who was responsible? Unless you are trying to say you made me to imprison an innocent man..." PB finished menacingly.

This time it was Jack, who answered to her, glaring angrily at Finneas:

"Because of my... not so lawful past, and weird present... ( "Yeah, having a bet with your girlfriend that you could steal anything from her uncle's home is kinda weird." Finn thought and Finneas couldn't help but smile at this one, trying hard not to laugh, which earned more angry glares from Jack.) As I was trying to tell, I knew exactly that Kerckwill had steady relationships with various illegal guilds, so it seemed pretty obvious to me he would try to hide the scepter, then accuse me of stealing it. I hadn't thought about such a possibility before Finneas made sure Kerckwill was the uncle of my girlfriend and I know really well how he hates halflings because of the war between my and his nations. ("That resembles my world's history. Weird. Seems like our universes aren't that different.") I don't want to play a cool guy, but if not for him, you would never have caught me five years ago: he was the one, who employed me to steal that carriage and then called for the guards." He stopped to let the monarch comprehend the information, then asked her:

"Could we go now? I and my big-mouthed brother wanted to throw a party. Besides, he needs to go train his sword skills."

She slowly nodded:

"Okay, I do have some important things to do, as well. But you should promise you will never tell this to anyone else."

Finneas and Jack looked at each other, then said simultaneously:

"We promise."

"Thank Grod I thought about the possibility of you spilling it out, or else I had a heart attack on the place, Finneas." Now there were only Jack and Finneas, standing at the square. Finneas looked back at him sheepishly, answering:

"Sorry, friend. It's just..."

"Nah, I am not blaming you. I know you had a soft point on her in your time." He smiled mischievously.

In response, Finneas flashed bright red, yelling:

"Don't bring up this one, Jack. I was young! Besides, I feel really bad when I am lying, that's why I told it to her. And you should have seen her eyes, all demanding and accusing and..."

"... Beautiful?" Jack mockingly finished, earning brighter color of red from Finneas in reward. "I am seeing you trough, buddy. Come on, don't you really need to practice? There is only one week left!"

"Right!" Finneas yelled, starting to jog towards the direction the training court was located. "See you in "The Third Leg" at the evening."

"The Third Leg?" Finn wondered.

"It's a tavern." Finneas explained."Well, one day the future host of this tavern got really drunk..."

"Let's drink for Finneas, my brother and the best lawyer ever! Barman, drinks for everyone!"

They were sitting in the pub later that day, having a little party for the Jack's case lucky ending. Everyone cheered, as they all knew Jack well because he was a frequent guest and a good friend to many of them, although many people Jack didn't even know who they were also met the phrase about free drinks enthusiastically.

"Well, I seriously don't know about being a good lawyer." Finneas shrugged, sipping his apple juice. "I am not that good at lying."

Practically, he was on the weekends that day and the day before, but these were also the days when the students were allowed to visit training grounds in order to train their sword skills. Most of them chose not to lose the opportunity, expect for the certain one, who preferred to hang out with his so-called brother instead...

... That day Finn didn't let him to catch a breath: he made Finneas to repeat everything he knew about fencing, which wasn't quite a lot, on the training dummy and then started to teach him some new moves.

"Up and down, try to find his weaknesses!" Finn shouted inside of his head.

"You are telling me to find weaknesses of the dummy?"

"Heh, no. Imagine it's a nasty monster, try to find his most vulnerable spot: an eye, a crystal in the center of his body, and then hit! Yeah, that's what I meant, now repeat it two hundred times more, we've got not so much time!"

Finneas grumbled in response, once again gaining his postition for the strike...

"Hey, buddy! Are you alright?" Finneas suddenly heard. It was Jack, who was actually standing in front of him and looking worriedly.

"Huh? Yep, I am all fine, Jack, just thinking." said Finneas, snapping out of his memories. Jack opened his mouth to say something else, but this was the moment, when she went into the tavern.

"This place have become lame since I visited it last time."

Everyone turned their heads in astonishment towards the entrance to see the newcomer. She was a tall lady with hair of raven-black color, combed so they didn't cover her pitchy ears, but the most notable detail in her appearance was the color of her skin: the ashen-grey, with a bit of light blue.

"It's her!" Finn yelled. "I knew she exists in this universe as well. Don't know if it is good or bad thing we met her, though."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Finneas asked. "Who is she?"

Finn tried to explain the matter, despite not being very sure:

"Well, I don't know how it is in your place, but when I first met her..."

"And now, weenies, you gotta get going out of this place!" She said, walking closer to center of the tavern, met by the complete silence in response.

"Yeah, that's the thing she did. Wait, is she doing it once again?"

"And what if we don't want to?" Calmly said the bartender, going from behind the bar stand to face the strange visitor. To his amusement, she smirked, saying:

"I am glad somebody asked. Then this!"

Swiftly moving her hand to the backside, she loosened the belt on her shoulder and rapidly turned around, taking out the object Finneas couldn't see before that moment.

"Is it a lute?" Someone laughed from behind. He was soon joined by several others, who found it funny to be threatened by the lute. However, the bartender didn't move or say anything, seemingly waiting for the continuation. He didn't need to wait long.

"It's not a lute." She answered, paying a little less than no attention to the loudening laughs and jokes. "It is a bouzouki!" With these words, she played a single chord, pointing the grief at the table nearby. The result was devastating: it suddenly exploded, covering the nearest sitters with bruises, the cause of which were splinters of no more existing table.

Surprisingly, the barman didn't move an inch from the place he stood, though his face went dreadfully pale. He spoke out with his voice cracking:

"Everyone, get out."

The visitors were astonished by his words; they could think something like:"Hey, is she that cool to take out everyone in this pub?" Bartender seemed to understand this, as he continued:

"It is of no use. It is her. I myself remember how she threw away everyone from this very tavern forty years ago."

Everyone gasped at this statement because if the barman was looking quite well-aged, the gal certainly wasn't.

"Who is she?" Finneas demanded, and before anybody else could say anything, the adolescent-looking stranger answered for herself:

"I am Marcia, and you'd better no mess with me, weenies."

Well, hi! 's up? Just wanted to add a little thingy for the chapters, as always:

1. Don't bother looking at the previous chapter's update, just correcting the mistakes I am too embarrassed to leave.

2. Here she goes!

Name: Marcia Abadeer. ( and when I am not changing a second name, I am doing it on purpose.)

Race: half-elf, half-demon. Sorry guys, no vampires in "my" D&D-like universe.

Age:You aren't going to ask a lady what her real age is, are you?

Alignment: true neutral

Class: Bard

Weapon: well, she doesn't actually call her bouzouki anyhow, but our well-known Lord of the Evil used to call it Revenge of the Ancients

Patron deity: Grod the Artist, though you will not find her worshipping him in the temple.

3. The chapters' length may vary widely because of various reasons: my motives ( what I want to write in it: introduction, action etc. ) and my laziness. I can only tell that everything I want to write will be written sooner or later.

4. The next chapter is Daddy Issues.

See ya!