Post by Drake on May 11, 2013 20:39:34 GMT -5
There was still fair light in the sky and Frances Drake stood leaning against the wall outside the gates of the city central guard. With one foot on the ground and the other against the wall he leaned on, the leader of thieves in Meerin glanced aimlessly about the streets ahead of him as he waited, squinting a little at the setting sun. A short time earlier, the man had spoken with one of the guards posted at the gate, who took a small bag of coins from him and went inside.
Drake had spent some time earlier in the middle of town square watching people with a sweet young girl, and together they saw a man who's presence unsettled the thief quite a lot. Drake couldn't think of why The King of thieves in all Karador would be there in Meerin, but it was obvious that he was, and that he wanted Drake to know. Drake had gone back to the guild for a while, expecting to be approached in private there by his King, but Seebo clearly hadn't had the same idea. Drake knew the man by reputation alone, but was still disappointed that he had misread him. There was no way to be sure what the thief king had in mind, but in the mean time, Drake had business to attend to.
The guard the thief had spoken to returned to the gate and had brought with him a young man in cuffs. The gate opened and the guard released the prisoner who's lip was badly split, nose had recently been broken, looked to be freshly missing a few teeth, and had scabbed lacerations all over the left side of his head. The young man looked hesitant about his release, and squinted a little at the light. “Much thanks, officer.” Drake pushed casually off the wall and turned to face the released prisoner. “Wow!” He exclaimed, unsympathetically. “You really,” Drake laughed a little and covered his mouth before pointing a circle around the younger man's face. “I mean, I heard, but you really didn't fair too well.”
Drake nodded to the guards and turned to walk away, motioning the young man to follow. “Walk with me Mike.” He took only two steps before turning around to see the broken faced young man standing idly at the gate, looking the other direction. “Look,” Drake started with a sigh, “I don't wanna chase you.” In the direction the young man was eyeing, another man stepped around the corner wearing a brown coat much like Drakes, then stopped and looked stoically back at him. “I'm not as young as I was once, but you won't get far so you should just do as I say son.” The younger man slumped his head and hesitantly followed the leader of thieves.
“Sir, please.” the boy pleaded desperately as he stepped up next to the taller, older man. “I'll swear to the guild, I'll follow the rules and pay the tithes, just please let me go.”
“Let you go?” Drake stopped and turned to his captive and almost laughed incredulously. “I just paid your bail so we could have some time one on one. You think I'm gonna let you go?” Drake shook his head and the younger man slumped his head again.
“But sir,” He was desperate and scared, and didn't finish his rebuttal.
“No.” Drake cut the silence sternly. “I won't take you. You're an awful thief, a liability, and the guild has no use for you.” He paused a moment and looked Mike in the eyes before he continued his reprimand. “Now, you've been warned before about unsanctioned thievery, and you know the guild looks out for the poor.” The boy looked to be thinking again about running, and Drake grabbed him by the collar and pulled him a few more paces to the entrance of the alley they had moved towards. The captive struggled and grappled with Drake's arm, but was overpowered as the veteran fighter crouched and pressed the young man against the alley floor.
“You are charged with knowingly violating two thief laws; by working outside the sanctions of the guild, and by preying on the poor.” Drake held one knee down against the man's torso to pin him as he struggled. “You are now required to atone for your misdoings, and by my hand I assure that you will.” Mike continued to struggle and plea in futility, tears beginning to run down his cheeks while Drake clenched his fist, weighted with brass knuckles. Drake hesitated for a moment before gripping the man's left leg and pinning it firmly to the ground. “You're sorry for your sins, aren't you Mike?”
“Please.” the man cried, “Please no.” Tears streamed down his face as he tried to struggle, to no avail.
With one strong swing, Drake crashed his fist into the man's left knee, causing a crushing sound and a sickening scream. Blow by blow, the leader of thieves pounded his brass clenched fist into the man's left knee. Each strike brought a deeper crushing sound and another tear filled scream, until there was nothing solid left to strike in the knee. It hadn't taken long all together, and Drake stood, grabbed the younger man by the collar again, and dragged him through the alley as he cried out and tried to grab at his shattered knee.
Drake sat the man up in a corner, between a dumpster and the wall at the far end of the alley. “Remember that you deserve this, Mike.” The leader of the Meerin thieves' guild started to walk away. “And warn your friend for me, before he makes the same mistakes.” Sliding his brass knuckles back into an inner pocket of his brown coat, Drake walked casually away and into the street.
The street lights were just coming on, and the night was still young. As he walked down the street towards the last bit of sunlight, Drake started to wonder what he would do with the rest of his night.
Drake had spent some time earlier in the middle of town square watching people with a sweet young girl, and together they saw a man who's presence unsettled the thief quite a lot. Drake couldn't think of why The King of thieves in all Karador would be there in Meerin, but it was obvious that he was, and that he wanted Drake to know. Drake had gone back to the guild for a while, expecting to be approached in private there by his King, but Seebo clearly hadn't had the same idea. Drake knew the man by reputation alone, but was still disappointed that he had misread him. There was no way to be sure what the thief king had in mind, but in the mean time, Drake had business to attend to.
The guard the thief had spoken to returned to the gate and had brought with him a young man in cuffs. The gate opened and the guard released the prisoner who's lip was badly split, nose had recently been broken, looked to be freshly missing a few teeth, and had scabbed lacerations all over the left side of his head. The young man looked hesitant about his release, and squinted a little at the light. “Much thanks, officer.” Drake pushed casually off the wall and turned to face the released prisoner. “Wow!” He exclaimed, unsympathetically. “You really,” Drake laughed a little and covered his mouth before pointing a circle around the younger man's face. “I mean, I heard, but you really didn't fair too well.”
Drake nodded to the guards and turned to walk away, motioning the young man to follow. “Walk with me Mike.” He took only two steps before turning around to see the broken faced young man standing idly at the gate, looking the other direction. “Look,” Drake started with a sigh, “I don't wanna chase you.” In the direction the young man was eyeing, another man stepped around the corner wearing a brown coat much like Drakes, then stopped and looked stoically back at him. “I'm not as young as I was once, but you won't get far so you should just do as I say son.” The younger man slumped his head and hesitantly followed the leader of thieves.
“Sir, please.” the boy pleaded desperately as he stepped up next to the taller, older man. “I'll swear to the guild, I'll follow the rules and pay the tithes, just please let me go.”
“Let you go?” Drake stopped and turned to his captive and almost laughed incredulously. “I just paid your bail so we could have some time one on one. You think I'm gonna let you go?” Drake shook his head and the younger man slumped his head again.
“But sir,” He was desperate and scared, and didn't finish his rebuttal.
“No.” Drake cut the silence sternly. “I won't take you. You're an awful thief, a liability, and the guild has no use for you.” He paused a moment and looked Mike in the eyes before he continued his reprimand. “Now, you've been warned before about unsanctioned thievery, and you know the guild looks out for the poor.” The boy looked to be thinking again about running, and Drake grabbed him by the collar and pulled him a few more paces to the entrance of the alley they had moved towards. The captive struggled and grappled with Drake's arm, but was overpowered as the veteran fighter crouched and pressed the young man against the alley floor.
“You are charged with knowingly violating two thief laws; by working outside the sanctions of the guild, and by preying on the poor.” Drake held one knee down against the man's torso to pin him as he struggled. “You are now required to atone for your misdoings, and by my hand I assure that you will.” Mike continued to struggle and plea in futility, tears beginning to run down his cheeks while Drake clenched his fist, weighted with brass knuckles. Drake hesitated for a moment before gripping the man's left leg and pinning it firmly to the ground. “You're sorry for your sins, aren't you Mike?”
“Please.” the man cried, “Please no.” Tears streamed down his face as he tried to struggle, to no avail.
With one strong swing, Drake crashed his fist into the man's left knee, causing a crushing sound and a sickening scream. Blow by blow, the leader of thieves pounded his brass clenched fist into the man's left knee. Each strike brought a deeper crushing sound and another tear filled scream, until there was nothing solid left to strike in the knee. It hadn't taken long all together, and Drake stood, grabbed the younger man by the collar again, and dragged him through the alley as he cried out and tried to grab at his shattered knee.
Drake sat the man up in a corner, between a dumpster and the wall at the far end of the alley. “Remember that you deserve this, Mike.” The leader of the Meerin thieves' guild started to walk away. “And warn your friend for me, before he makes the same mistakes.” Sliding his brass knuckles back into an inner pocket of his brown coat, Drake walked casually away and into the street.
The street lights were just coming on, and the night was still young. As he walked down the street towards the last bit of sunlight, Drake started to wonder what he would do with the rest of his night.