The Glowing Powder Seas - The Bonny Diamond [5]

Chapter 3/5

The inn's atmosphere is as fervent as it was an hour previously. Even though the band stopped playing ten minutes ago, the chaos and hubbub doesn't show a single inkling of a sign of quietening down anytime soon. Platters of drinks are still being couriered across the floor by barmaids and bartenders whose legs resemble duck feet gliding through water, a collection of individuals at various points of the bar are periodically losing their savings in increasingly reckless bets, and the band are drinking away every scrap of money they made on this gig.

Pretty soon, though, the innkeeper would likely call for last drinks, signalling an end to this wild and exciting night. But nobody minds; everyone's already had the time of their life.

And that's when someone stands on the stage.

It's not a member of the band, even though they arrived with them, but the fox-wolf hybrid still grabs a number of people's attention.

With a guitar in their paws, they plant their feet firmly on the stage and, seizing the interest of every last soul in the establishment, scream at the top of their lungs,

"MY NAME IS COPPER CLAWZ AND I WILL BE YOUR ENTERTAINMENT THIS EVENING! ONE TWO THREE FOUR-"

And with that, they bring a paw across the strings and ring out a flawless D-minor throughout the bar, followed by a series of incredibly intricate and incredibly loud strumming patterns and chord changes that release a wave of excitement throughout the audience.

Once the intro firmly hooks everybody in, the hybrid launches into song, singing the first verse of Drunken Sailor in what could easily be confused as being perfect pitch. All the other inn-goers join in with the chorus, a cacophonic yet harmonious collection of voices and octaves, then the hybrid solos the second verse, then everyone joins in with the chorus, then the third verse, and so on, all while a generally unnoticed fox stands by the side of the stage with the most distant look on his face.

Then, as if a lantern was set alight behind the fox's eyes, he's brought back into reality. Instantly he grins and runs on stage when the final chorus comes in, belting out the lyrics at the top of his lungs. The song finishes with a ludicrously convoluted series of chord changes most guitarists would struggle to pull off, and a cheer erupts from both the crowd and the two on stage.

"Thank you all!" the hybrid yells, holding the guitar up in the air, "thank you for all your support!"

Then, without a word of warning, they grab the neck of the instrument with both paws and swing it into the back of the fox's head.

The cheap guitar shatters with a discordant twang, the neck staying intact in the hybrid's paws as the rest disintegrates onto the stage. The fox, meanwhile, flies forwards like a ragdoll into the crowd from the impact, colliding with an individual and sending them both tumbling onto the sticky floor.