09-16-2006, 11:52 PM
Another one by Cog.
Okay, here we go. This story is inspiried by real life. All previous rules apply.
The Quest for Coffee
You?re in the land of the tiger-dragons, and things don?t seem to be looking up. The cities, which are a crazy mix of incredible decadence and deplorable poverty, have you hopelessly lost, and you?ve lost count the number of times that you?ve been taunted by the very rude locals. Pissed off, you enter the local tavern for a drink.
At least this one is more lax than the one that you found in Bu?Po. Everybody inside seems to be armed to the teeth, and very literally in some cases. You don?t like those smiles aimed at you. Needed something to steady the nerves, you ask the bartender for the local ale.
?Sorry, stranger, we don?t sell ale here.?
You turn around very slowly and stare at the bartender for a full minute. In blind terror, you ask what they do sell in the taverns around here.
?Oh, sir, this is no tavern. We sell coffee.?
Somewhat relived that this isn?t a tavern, and that the taverns probably do still sell ale, but still confused, you ask the clerk what coffee is.
?Oh, it?s a most wonderful drink, sir. I would give you a complimentary cup, but we are unfortunately out of stock at the moment. The next shipment of beans was scheduled to arrive two days ago. It still hasn?t gotten here.?
You are fairly repulsed by the idea of a drink made from beans, but hey, if the drink is good enough to merit its own cafe?you ask where the shipments come from.
?In the west slope of the mountain, there are farms in which the beans grow. The shipments come from there. What, you going to investigate? I have to say, a lot of our patrons are fond of coffee, but?well, do what you want.?
Bored, you tell the clerk that you are going to look into it. He shrugs, and goes back to clerking the counter.
Upon exit, though you relish once more hearing the heckling of the passing pedestrians, you move quickly. The mountainous terrain makes travel over even a small distance unbearably long, and it?s already late into the day. You find the trail to the side of the mountain you want to go to, and begin to jog to your destination.
You aren?t more than ten minutes into the jog before you see why the bean cart might have been delayed. The winds on this side of the mountain are fierce, and could have easily overturned the bean cart on its way. You continue along, hoping that you might find it before you have to go all of the way to the farm.
Unfortunately, you don?t see anything until you get to the farm, or what you assume is the farm. It wasn?t the wind. The entire place looks like it has been razed to the ground, with almost nothing left, like the will of god just smote it into ruin. It doesn?t look like anybody is still alive- all of the workers have been horribly mutilated. Most of them are dead. The rest are moaning in a very disturbing fashion. You really, really don?t want to know what happened here.
However, you do see the cart that was supposed to go out to the coffeeshop on the side of the ruins of one of the barns. It seems a bit charred, but the cargo is intact. Maybe whatever destroyed this place missed it. Carefully stepping around the bodies of the dead and dying, you make your way to the precious cargo, and grab a box of the coffee. Hearing the moans and cries for your help, you decide that one box is enough. Maybe the guy?ll give you a cup if you bring him at least a little. You quickly make your way back out of the destroyed farm and up the path toward the city.
You managed to reach the coffeeshop again without any major hassles occurring. The clerk, who looks surprised, thanks you for your delivery. He asks what happened to the other boxes. You tell him your story.
?What! My God?and you just got the coffee? You didn?t help them??
You shrug.
?Well?was there any more there??
Yeah, you say.
?Well, I suppose that?s okay then. Here, I?ll brew you a cup in thanks. On the house. There should be enough to last for the next couple of days, too. Feel free to bring back more if we run out.?
You wait about 15 minutes for a cup. After taking a drink of the steaming brew, you realize that it is a pretty darn good drink. You feel refreshed, and it tastes delicious. You order another, and decide that you will go back for the other boxes. Later. After your coffee.
Okay, here we go. This story is inspiried by real life. All previous rules apply.
The Quest for Coffee
You?re in the land of the tiger-dragons, and things don?t seem to be looking up. The cities, which are a crazy mix of incredible decadence and deplorable poverty, have you hopelessly lost, and you?ve lost count the number of times that you?ve been taunted by the very rude locals. Pissed off, you enter the local tavern for a drink.
At least this one is more lax than the one that you found in Bu?Po. Everybody inside seems to be armed to the teeth, and very literally in some cases. You don?t like those smiles aimed at you. Needed something to steady the nerves, you ask the bartender for the local ale.
?Sorry, stranger, we don?t sell ale here.?
You turn around very slowly and stare at the bartender for a full minute. In blind terror, you ask what they do sell in the taverns around here.
?Oh, sir, this is no tavern. We sell coffee.?
Somewhat relived that this isn?t a tavern, and that the taverns probably do still sell ale, but still confused, you ask the clerk what coffee is.
?Oh, it?s a most wonderful drink, sir. I would give you a complimentary cup, but we are unfortunately out of stock at the moment. The next shipment of beans was scheduled to arrive two days ago. It still hasn?t gotten here.?
You are fairly repulsed by the idea of a drink made from beans, but hey, if the drink is good enough to merit its own cafe?you ask where the shipments come from.
?In the west slope of the mountain, there are farms in which the beans grow. The shipments come from there. What, you going to investigate? I have to say, a lot of our patrons are fond of coffee, but?well, do what you want.?
Bored, you tell the clerk that you are going to look into it. He shrugs, and goes back to clerking the counter.
Upon exit, though you relish once more hearing the heckling of the passing pedestrians, you move quickly. The mountainous terrain makes travel over even a small distance unbearably long, and it?s already late into the day. You find the trail to the side of the mountain you want to go to, and begin to jog to your destination.
You aren?t more than ten minutes into the jog before you see why the bean cart might have been delayed. The winds on this side of the mountain are fierce, and could have easily overturned the bean cart on its way. You continue along, hoping that you might find it before you have to go all of the way to the farm.
Unfortunately, you don?t see anything until you get to the farm, or what you assume is the farm. It wasn?t the wind. The entire place looks like it has been razed to the ground, with almost nothing left, like the will of god just smote it into ruin. It doesn?t look like anybody is still alive- all of the workers have been horribly mutilated. Most of them are dead. The rest are moaning in a very disturbing fashion. You really, really don?t want to know what happened here.
However, you do see the cart that was supposed to go out to the coffeeshop on the side of the ruins of one of the barns. It seems a bit charred, but the cargo is intact. Maybe whatever destroyed this place missed it. Carefully stepping around the bodies of the dead and dying, you make your way to the precious cargo, and grab a box of the coffee. Hearing the moans and cries for your help, you decide that one box is enough. Maybe the guy?ll give you a cup if you bring him at least a little. You quickly make your way back out of the destroyed farm and up the path toward the city.
You managed to reach the coffeeshop again without any major hassles occurring. The clerk, who looks surprised, thanks you for your delivery. He asks what happened to the other boxes. You tell him your story.
?What! My God?and you just got the coffee? You didn?t help them??
You shrug.
?Well?was there any more there??
Yeah, you say.
?Well, I suppose that?s okay then. Here, I?ll brew you a cup in thanks. On the house. There should be enough to last for the next couple of days, too. Feel free to bring back more if we run out.?
You wait about 15 minutes for a cup. After taking a drink of the steaming brew, you realize that it is a pretty darn good drink. You feel refreshed, and it tastes delicious. You order another, and decide that you will go back for the other boxes. Later. After your coffee.
