Panicking Badger Story Snippet

A short scene introducing a few side characters and plotlines, taking place at the Drunken Badger

### Characters

Adam Fallmyre. Male protagonist, has dead dad. Currently in possession of his father's journal.

Marcus "Marc" Fallmyre. Male, aforementioned dead dad. Used to be a good adventurer and dungeon crawler. Eventually settled down as a rich man, and promptly was murdered. Was in possession of an important journal that the killers are after.

William "Will". Male, owner and barkeep of the Drunken Badger, an Appar Operis bar. Also an avid gunslinger

## Panicked Badger

*(An alley somewhere in Appar Operis)*

A cloaked figure scuffs down the alleyway, apprehension crawling down his spine. A strange sight to behold in such warm weather. The light reflecting off the metal buildings blinds him. He shifts his hood to block it. His lean, well-trained body tenses at each turn, as though waiting for some terrible thing to lash out at a moment's notice. He runs a hand through his grimy, auburn hair, his emerald eyes scanning the path in front of him. His clothes are dirty and torn, yet the faint gold trim and insignia on the belt speak of better times. The boy pulls a worn brown journal from inside his gray hooded cloak. As he recalls his father's last words to him, he lifts open the rough leather cover;

> “Take this journal, it will guide you. Go! Run!”
>
>

He skims through pages covered in writing and diagrams. The page on which he stops depicts a honey badger fighting a bear. He looks up to observe the same sign with the inscription; “The Drunken Badger”. The windowless building sits with a run-down apartment to its left and an equally run-down clinic to its right. Ignoring the “closed" sign, the boy pushes open the rust-stained door and steps inside, shutting the door behind him. Immediately to the left of him is a counter spanning the length of the room. To his right is a stage and many square tables. It's dark except for a light shining through a door behind the counter. Walking over to the counter, the boy yells out “Is anyone there?” A voice from behind the closed door yells out,

> “Can't you see the sign? We're closed right now! If you want a beer, come back later!”
>
>

The boy yells out “I'm not here for a drink, this is private business.” A tall, well-built man slowly opens the door, a large caliber pistol held comfortably in his left hand. A bald head and gray stubble, his piercing blue eyes study the boy standing before him. “You look too young for a drink anyway. So? What's so important?” Without a word, the boy places the journal on the counter and pushes it towards the barkeep.

The barkeep throws his head back and laughs. “Finally made it, did ya? The name's William. What's yours, kid?” The boy pauses a moment before revealing a sorrowful smile. “Name? Call me Adam.”

William picks up the old journal fondly-he opens it to the first page to the name Marcus Fallmyre, written in sloppy cursive. With a smile, Will says, “Marc always told me he'd bring his kid someday. So where is he?” With a sad look in his eye, Adam responds, “that's actually why I'm here. I need some help.” As his smile fades, Will opens the door behind him and says “Follow me, kid. We'll talk inside.” Through the door is a fairly clean kitchen. To his right are three doors. To his left are a bunch of cooking appliances, with what looks to be an unfinished lunch. Next to it is a large opened book with words followed by numbers.

“Don't mind the mess, I was eating while doing inventory.” Will suddenly stops and stares at Adam. “You look hungry, I'll grab you some food first.” Will opens the middle door on the right and steps into a pantry, grabbing a loaf of bread. He then opens the first door, revealing a walk-in fridge. Will quickly grabs a block of white cheese and some unknown meat. Setting it on a cutting board, he first slices off two thick meat slices and two pieces of cheese. With four slices of bread, he makes two sandwiches and sets them on a plate. Will then opens a cupboard above his head and pulls out a glass, then fills it with water. Putting it all on a tray, he picks it up with his left hand and opens the last door with his right. “You can eat it upstairs. Let's go.” Adam follows Will up the stairs.