“Before you ask, I'll tell you,” the guitar-man said, “Those are Rotanian soldiers. They're a cold relentless army of robots from another world.”
“Those are robots?” Rick gasped. Unable to stand it any further, the guitar-man reached out and brushed away the egg from Rick's mustache.
“Yes. Robots. They're why I'm here.
So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try and save your town.”
“Who are you?” Joe asked.
“I'm Rockaria,” he handed Joyce a hundred dollar bill, “Awesome pie!” Then he stepped out the door and into the street. As he did, he brought his guitar around in front of him and adjusted the strap. He stopped in the middle of the street facing the Rotanians.
“What's he doing?” Lee asked.
“He'll be killed,” Joyce said.
Without hesitation, they fired at him. He gripped the neck and threw his fingers across the strings. For an electric guitar, it needed no power source that anyone could see. It roared a chord that shook the ground and the energy bolts exploded several feet before they could reach him. It was like they hit an invisible wall. All the dust on him and his guitar burst away from them and his instrument shined magnificently in the sun.
The strange robots fired on him again to the same result. He turned slightly and pointed the neck end as he played a long series of notes that would make legendary rockers proud. A bolt of lightning flew from the neck to the lead Rotanian. It arced to the rest and blew all six of them apart.
“He is good,” Joe said.
“Shut up, I'm trying to pay attention to this,” Rick said.
“Rick, you're a jerk,” Joyce added.
Rockeria spun just in time to throw a chord that stopped another barrage of rifle fire. More soldiers came from the other direction.
“Aw, come on. They didn't just send foot soldiers! Where's the big stuff?” he chided them as he played a new arrangement.
The robots shook in the throw of the sonic assault and their heads exploded. Then two new robots appeared out of thin air from teleportation. These were different in that each had a four point silver star on the front of its helmet.
“Starhunters, it's about time,” Rockaria said.
They vanished as he played frantically and reappeared near him. They attacked like master martial artists punching and kicking his barrier from all directions. Suddenly, one seemed to connect and Rockaria was tossed through the window of a shop across the street.
“Oh no,” Joyce exclaimed.
“Is he dead?” Joe asked.
A Starhunter jumped through the window after him but a bright beam of light caught it in the chest. Its arms and legs landed in the street. Its head landed on the sidewalk near the cafe.
“Nope, still kickin,” Rick reported.
Another beam went after the second Starhunter but it vanished again. This time a field of crackling energy formed and caught it as it reappeared. It stood stunned as he played the beam of light through its head.
“Now, I know better than to think
we're done already,” Rockaria said.
As if in answer, he heard the hum of extraterrestrial machinery as the bizarre looking tank rumbled into view. It rolled on studded treads and gleamed with black and silver metals. Its barrel was wide and kind of flattened and glowing with power. It leveled the barrel to aim and fired an intense beam of energy. The ground where Rockaria stood exploded in a cloud of debris and dirt.
“Oh, now he's dead,” Joyce shook her head.
“No, look over there!” Rick shouted.
“How'd he get over there?” Lee asked.
Rockaria stood on top of the tank. Its turret turned looking for him and he held his playing hand high. He brought it down hard on the strings and another explosion shook the whole street. Bits of metal rained down all around. Rockaria now stood on top of the building across from the cafe.
“Now what's he doing?” Rick asked.
“I don't know but this beats every rock concert I ever went to,” Joe said.
“Okay, come on,” Rockaria said, “I've shown plenty of resistance. Come out and let's finish this!”
A great shadow appeared over the street as the ship hovered over the town. It dwarfed the tank and probably carried everything he had fought so far.
“Now, we're talking,” Rockaria said. He started a new range of notes and his guitar took on a fierce glow. The more he played, the brighter it grew. From the craft, what could only be described as several red targeting beams converged on him. Brighter and brighter he glowed, until the people in the cafe had to shield their eyes. On board the ship, the main weapon charged, preparing to destroy him and the building he stood on.
Now, the brightness engulfed all the area around him and even the ships systems had a hard time seeing him. The enemy pressed the button to fire their weapon. The explosion shattered every window in town on every car, truck and building. Joyce, Rick, Joe, and Lee were all thrown to the floor with an echoing ringing in their ears. As it faded, they slowly stood up. All they could see outside was a wall of smoke. For several minutes they stared and wondered if their town was still there. This time they thought Rockaria had to be gone with it all.
Then they heard that guitar begin to play again. A wind rose and blew the
smoke away. The ground trembled and cracks grew back together. The glass on the
ground flew back into the frame like in a backwards movie. The same thing
happened all across town as the damage reversed itself from the notes he
played. The ship was gone and so were any signs of the Rotanians.
“They were going to raze your town and kill you all for mineral deposits here. Deposits they would use to make more robots.”
“How'd you know they were coming here?” Joyce asked.
“Well, it's a long story, but my guitar told me. Besides, isn't it obvious I'm not from around here?”
“Just a minute,” Lee ran back into the cafe and returned with a small white box. “Here. A pie to go.”
“Hey, thanks. This really is great pie.”
“What are you?” Joyce asked.
“I'm a bard. I use music to cast magic. Well, you'll be safe now, so you all take care,” he turned and vanished from sight.
The next day they changed the menu
and became known for “The Bard’s Apple Pie,” the best pie in the county.
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