Fanfic: Finding Captain Emo

Started by Gryphon, July 04, 2007, 10:54:21 AM

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Gryphon

Something I've finally started working on. Very Rough Draft. Halfway tempted to have the wedding people be Amber's wedding. Eh. Be kind please.

   The tavern at the lost lakes is for some a sanctuary. For others it is a chance to eat, drink and be merry. For some very few it is home and hearth. And for today it was almost empty save for a few lonely souls and one bartender frantically making sure all was right. For soon enough the wedding would be over and for many honored attendees the refuge of an open bar would be a welcome sight to see. Soon enough this quiet little bar would erupt in a frenzied rush of attendees. Unfortunately for Alexsi this intrusion would not be the one she was expecting.
    From down the lane came the deafening roar of a mob. With practiced grace Alexsi, mallet in hand, readied herself to swing. However she paused when it was apparent that instead of screaming for blood this crowd was covered in it yelling for help and healing supplies.
   "Everybody away from the bar!" Wildy ordered as she cleared the door motes of a spell came together in preparation "It's an emergency!"
   "We have injured people here!"
   "Why here!" Countered Alexsi "Why not the hospital down- Oh no."
   Dragged in on the bloodied remains of the former train of a wedding gown was Dan with a fearsome wound. [1] The part of the dagger [2] that could be seen did not bode well for the fate of Dan. The small amount of control that Dan possessed had vanished, leaving his head wings and clean symbol clearly exposed. The wound bled not red blood but white power that steamed and evaporated into the noon day sun.
   "You heard her folks. Everybody clear out now!" Alexsi snarled, teeth bared and flashing in the light.
   "But." "Wait." "Huh?" The people at the bar wavered. Food and drink lay in front of them. Some moved to take their items and vacate to a quieter spot. Some hesitated at the sight of the carnage.
   It just wasn't quick enough for Alexsi's taste. Grabbing a patron she slammed him down onto the bar top and sent him screaming across the polished wood. Dishes of food and cups of beer flew and fell. A bard at the far end, bone and hair string harp strapped to his back, smiled into his drink and lifted it the scant inch necessary to avoid it being jostled. The patron couldn't round the corner and smashed into a table full of guests enjoying a quiet lunch.
   Meanwhile Dan was carefully placed, wedding train and all, onto the bar top. Wildy's spell goes off in a set of green sparkles and bleeding edge of power went quiet but not subdued.
   "Where's Mab! Why hasn't she-?"
   "No good. Nothing we have tried has worked. Not even her power has had any effect on the blade. But Mab has said that she recognized the dagger once as a child. It was from a picture that was burned into rock and has nearly been worn smooth by time. She has gone to that forgotten library to retrieve the stone and find out if there is a cure."
   "Where's Abel?"
   "Fainted."
   "Fainted fainted or...?"
   "Fainted."
   As the day wore on the group retreated to a nearby table to talk. Dan, awake all this time, lay there weakly on the bar top.
   "How did this happen?"
   "Well the wedding was winding to a close."

* * *

Set in a recently restored glade on the edge of the lake, no one could see any signs that this land had been subjected to the near destruction that it had suffered recently. The day before a group of druids, plied with wine and song, had caused the earth itself to bloom with flowers of all shapes and colors. This morning a group of adventures had finished cleaning out the few accidentally vicious breeds that had bloomed from the forced growth.
Row upon row of guests sat themselves in places of comfort and waited expectantly. A wide lane had been left clear so that the bride in her complete splendor can march. At the grooms side Kria was whispering something into his ear. [3] At time he grew pale but looked determined enough to carry on nonetheless.
By the brides sides two battle maidens armed with sword and brightly polished shield escorted her up the aisle and then peeled away to fight the bride's estranged family who had come to disrupt the proceedings. Needless to say they certainly objected to the marriage. However the two were in love and they were going to get married whatever the cost. 
The priest had nodded when the bride to be stood besides the groom "Now that the bride is here. Eifah Bartimeus do you promise to love, honor and cherish Ashakiran Aalok for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." He said, all doubt in him vanishing as quickly as Kria did when she had drawn back to deal with a fresh rush that broke through the outermost defenses.
"Ashakiran Aalok, do you promise to love, honor and cherish Eifah Bartimeus for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." She said happily despite the fact that her father was screaming bloody murder in the background.
"Great. Now I want to tell you both something." The priest said as the whole reception listened closely now that the wedding was coming to a close.
"Never forget that revenge is passed on for generations." The priest stated solemnly, the book before him opening up to reveal a dark blade "And you can find yourself the victim of hatred at any time."

* * *

   "Now of course Dan had to be heroic and took the blow meant for the bride and managed to kick the priest in the head before he fell."
   "I have him stabilized for now. But he's badly hurt. He might not survive the night." Wildy said sadly.
   "Can nothing else be done?" Alexsi asked as she wrung the handle of her mallet.
   "It's not the physical damage that's going to kill him. It's the magical effects of that cursed blade."
   "He's going into power shock. The only thing we can do now is to keep his mystic batteries charged. The hole will still be there, draining away, but it can be dammed. For now."
   "He's a cubi. We need emotions. More than what we are filling the air with right now." Abel added in having recovered from the sight of blood.
"But where are we going to get more emotional energy from?" Alexsi asked pointedly.
   At that moment, Dan had walked over to the spot where Pip had dozed, bored by the flurry of activity. The smack was loud enough to stop the conversation in its tracks. Pip, awakened and in great fury, had latched himself to Dan's head and was savaging him furiously.
   "Don't count me out. Not now. Not ever." Dan grimaced as he sat himself at the table where the conversation was taking place "Now. This is what's going to happen."

[1] The options for a wound are threefold and each has its own meaning. A head wound is a fairly serious injury but can also be used humorously in the manner that Dan obviously didn't need the brain cells to begin with. A hand wound would allow for a clear and delineated progression of destruction and corruption as the timer starts to wind down. A chest strike, especially a heart strike, is plainly to the fact about getting to the heart of the matter. If this is every actually put into comic format this should be left to the artist.

[2] The designer of this dagger has instructions to make it very obvious about the purpose of this dagger. It should be evil. It should be totally clear that this dagger has a right end and a wrong end. Make it totally clear to anyone at the receiving end of this baby that things are going badly and is about to get worse. If that means sticking spikes, prongs, blackened bits, drippy bits or funky runes all over then so be it. This is not a dagger for eating with or making threats with. This daggers only purpose is for going out and making people miserable.

[3] In ancient times the best man literally meant the best swordsman in the village. Who often enough helped the groom grab the bride from her family and also beat off the family long enough for the wedding to take place.

techmaster-glitch

Interesting, but there are a few problems. One is the title. Doesn't seem to have much to do with the story. Second, it's not Dan's own pain that he feeds off of, it's the pain of others, translated into emotion, that Dan feeds off of. So Pip attacking Dan would do nothing more than make him even bloodier.
I'll post some more comments later.
Avatar:AMoS



llearch n'n'daCorna

Quote from: Gryphon on July 04, 2007, 10:54:21 AM
[2] The designer of this dagger has instructions to make it very obvious about the purpose of this dagger. It should be evil. It should be totally clear that this dagger has a right end and a wrong end. Make it totally clear to anyone at the receiving end of this baby that things are going badly and is about to get worse. If that means sticking spikes, prongs, blackened bits, drippy bits or funky runes all over then so be it. This is not a dagger for eating with or making threats with. This daggers only purpose is for going out and making people miserable.

I see you've been reading Terry Pratchett.

Interesting story. Not exactly close to the characters in the strip, though - some of the reactions just don't quite gel, if you get what I mean.
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Gryphon

The title is a reference to the actual main quest that happens later. However if I don't have various permissions to write this or people think its completely off the mark I'm going to just salvage this story for its parts.

As for the future reference if Dr. Ink is willing to be in this.
Dan "So I need power... Raw unfettered power to break this dagger than."
"Yes. The power that only ultimate despair and agony can generate. The kind of power that only the sacking of a city can generate."
"I will not sacrifice a city to save myself."
"A pity then." Dr Ink. "Then I guess there is only one option left then. There is one person dead or alive that can save you now..."

Cut scene to when the party reassemble's after their small miniquests. Dan lays out a wanted poster on the table. As all look over it.
"So this is our quest then."
"Yes." Dan nods "Finding Captain Emo." [!] 

[!] A mixture of the movie Finding Nemo and the actual Captain Nemo.

Yes it is Terry Pratchet. However as the only gun currently in existence is a seed device... Anyway since it is not going to be IN the story and only used as a descriptor it really shouldn't be a problem.

Please people. If something is off please tell me. My memories aren't picture perfect and criticism can only improve matters.

But I'm pretty sure than Dan CAN feed off of emotions. He's only best at absorbing certain ranges. Still Pip's angry emotions are still angry emotions. 

Kamunt

Hahah, one of the kids in our school's 2007 Talent Show was a solo electric guitarist that went by Captain Emo. :batman