Chapter 3:

The madman in the tavern

He made for a strange sight, the man in Ducards SeaStone tavern. Seven feet tall, shaven head, Hugo Boss suit, and muscles easily the size of the barkeepers head. A man like this looked like he had no place a jovial old Irish tavern. A prison, more like it. But the man had good reason for being there.

He turned to glare at the young men staring at their table. "Please, Juliet.", he grunted. "Waving at them only encourages them more."

The girl beside him punched her brother in the shoulder. "So what? If they try anything, I'll beat them to a pulp. Besides, it's my birthday. I can do what I want." Butler took the time to smile. Juliet may be older, but she was still the same girl he grew up with.

Technically, it wasn't Juliet's actual birthday. Her real birthday had been a week ago, while she was touring around Mexico with her wrestling group. Butler had decided to take her out to dinner before her visit came to an end.

The third person at the table downed a mug of ale, then belched. "You call this a birthday? My cousin Nord had way bigger bashes than this. This is a shame to birthday tradition." Mulch Diggums turned to face Butler. "A tavern is the best choice you thought of?" By reasons Butler didn't know, Mulch had found out about Juliet's birthday, and proceeded to invite himself to the celebration.

Butler smiled, which on his face made the dwarf shiver. "I'm sorry. I let you pick the location next time." This to Mulch sounded like a warning, and decided to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Another round!", he shouted to the waiter.

The waiter didn't seem to hear, as his attention was directed to an old man at the end of the tavern. Butler noticed. "I'll be right back." He proceeded to leave the table, fully aware that Juliet and Mulch were following him.

The old man who was attracting the group seemed to be in the middle of a story. "…. And then it came down, right in the middle of the clearing!", he rasped. "And those things, I never seen anything like them! They weren't human!" The tendons in Butler's neck tightened. This man wasn't drunk, nor was he lying. Something had this man scared for his life.

The other patrons did not share Butler's sympathy. "You've finally lost it, Geoffrey!", one jeered. "Only a mad man would believe you!", hooted another. Butler was considering jumping in when a new voice piped up. "Well, I believe him." All heads turned to a tall, skinny man sitting at the end of the bar. The stranger flashed a toothy smile. "And I can assure you, I'm definitely a mad man."

The audience lost interest at that point, leaving Butler, Juliet, Mulch, and the stranger with the apparently mad Geoffrey. The stranger leaned in from out of the shadows, and Butler caught a good glimpse of him. He was tall and lanky, with a long face and pronounced cheekbones. He wore a tweed jacket, suspenders, and a bow tie. His hair stuck up and out in all directions. He looked for all the world like an eccentric college professor. But that was not what unnerved Butler. It was the mans eyes. He looked about mid twenties, but his eyes looked as if he had lived for eternity. An eternity filled with pain, sorrow, and death.

He spoke again. "So you saw a space ship, and big metal aliens. Is that right?" Geoffrey nodded. The man reached into his pocket, and pulled out a twenty pound note. "Thanks for the info. Now, why don't you go home and get some rest. I'll pick up the tab, if you don't mind." Geoffrey nodded again, and got up to leave. When he was gone, the man sat down at the table and looked at the three people staring at him. "You believed him too, don't you?"

Butler motioned for Juliet and Mulch to sit down, then pulled out a chair for himself. "He wasn't lying, that's for sure. But a space ship?" Juliet punched her brother again.

"C'mon, big brother. You, of all people, are doubting something like this?"

The strange man smiled. "I like her", he said. His face grew clouded. "But we're missing the important question here; it's not if they came, I have no doubt about that, but why they came. What's so important here that they would risk exposing themselves? What are they up to…"

"Well, you've got a point", Mulch said through another mug of ale. "You are definitely a madman."

The man suddenly realized he still had company. "Oh, well. Not much worrying about it now." He got up and extended his hand. "Nice meeting you…?"

"Butler. This is my sister Juliet, and Mulch." The stranger shook all their hands. "And you?"

There was a twinkle in the mans eye. "I'm the Doctor. Pleased to meet you, and hope to again." And with that, the mysterious 'Doctor' got up and left.

"Well, he was weird.", Mulch, stating the obvious.

Juliet blushed a little. "I thought he was a bit cute." Both men groaned. Same old Juliet.

Butler checked his watch. "Well, it's been an interesting evening. Not to sound as old as I am, but what say we pack it in for the evening?"

Don't bother", a voice said from behind them. No, it sounded more like a growl then a voice.

Butler turned to see three men in over coats and hats bearing down on him. "Can I help you, gentlemen?"

The man on the right took tow steps, and promptly flipped over the table. The other two took out large guns, and this was when Butler felt his heart beat faster. These guns were not human, by any standards. But nor were they fairy. The nozzles seemed almost comical, as if they were eggbeaters instead of gun barrels.

The middle one stepped up. "Domovoi Butler?", he growled.

Butler stood up, hands reaching for his Sig Sauer. These people know who I am, he thought. Who are they? "Yes. That's me."

The middle one, obviously the leader, gave a gruff chuckle, and took off his hat and coat, motioning for the others to do so. For the first time in many years, Butler felt ice cold fear creeping up his spine. He could feel Juliet tightening up behind him, and Mulch was practically sweating anxiety.

These "men" were trolls. Dreadlocked, fanged, and huge. They all had odd scars around their necks, and the leader had a Gnommish symbol tattooed on his forehead. 'Eternal Death', Mulch read.

It was at that point the tavern went into panic. The flipped table had barely annoyed them. Brawls happened at the SeaStone all the time. But monsters with guns are a whole different matter. At that point, one brave fool tried to attack the trolls. The one on the left spun around and fired his weapon.

A ray of intense light shot out of the barrel, accompanied by a horrible noise. It struck the man, burning right through him and, for a brief moment, turned him translucent. Juliet had to turn away not to see his insides burning. All this happened in the time it took the troll leader to blink.

The leader stepped towards Butler, and leaned in. The trolls breath assaulted the poor mans nostrils as his spoke.

"You're coming with us, worm. All of you."

Mulch spoke up, needing to break his anxiety. "Well, Butler. I have to admit. You sure can pick the best place for a party."