View Full Version : "You've Got Your Gun To Our Heads"
"Ok,well here it is. Home sweet home. It's not much but its all i could afford." Kadius said. The apartment was messy and had a foul odor to it. The lights were dim and the two stepped inside. "My god, have you ever done the dishes or cleaned up after you ate? This place looks like a pile of crap." the girl said with a angered tone. "Hey lady,I could have let those jerks kill you out there. Instead I took time out of my busy schedule to save your ass." Kadius said with an angered grin across his face. Tears began to roll down the girls smooth face, Kadius wiped them away. "Hey I didnt mean to make you cry, but I dont really have time to clean."
The girl stopped her whining and replied,"Well I may be able to revive this hellhole, but first lets get something to eat. Im starving." Kadius smiled,"sounds like my kind of girl. Follow me I live above the Inn, so we can grab a bite there." Kadius led the girl down the steps and to the bar where they sat down. The Inn was barely lit, people conversated about gossip and news. "Hey Briggs, i'll take the usual, and I dont know what she wants"
"I'll take some soup if you have it." The girl said. Kadius spun his chair to face her. "So you got a name?" Kadius said staring in awe at the girls beautiful figure. The bartender placed the food in front of the two. Kadius grabbed his spoon and heard a loud slurping sounds coming from the girl. Kadius peered over the girl was scarfing her food down. She noticed that the man was staring at her so she looked up, her mouth half full of soup. "Oh,sorry my name is Taeya."
Kadius smiled "Thats a pretty name, so what brings you to the city?" Taeya began to blush. "Well, I was just passing through before I met you."
"Get over here girl! I got shomethin I wanna show yah!" A caped man who was obviously drunk shouted to Taeya. "Hey buddy, she is with me. Keep your hands off" Kadius said as he stared the drunk man down. The man leaned back in his chair and let out a booming laugh. "Oh! look here, the man in the dress wants to fight!"
Kadius reached for his katana. He knew the man was drunk, but when it came to his honor, Kadius made no exeptions. In one swift motion, Kadius unsheathed his katana and whipped it up to the man's neck. Almost touching the skin. "It's not the dress I would be concerned with." Kadius said looking at his katana. The man grinned, he said slurring his words "I did'nt mean any harm shir, I don't wants any troubles." The man put his hand along the blade and pushed it down slowly. Then suddenly he swung his other arm up, striking Kadius in the face with a closed fist. Pain shot through the samurai's jaw. Kadius reached up and wiped the blood from his mouth, still grasping his katana tightly with the other hand. "Your going to regret that" Kadius said as he looked up at the man, who was now holding a red rapier pointing it at Kadius's face.
(bunnying approved by Ghost)
(closed to Ghost)
Dusk was approaching, and the bustling city of Radasanth was quieting down. Luke was leaning against a wall, standing across the way from a well known inn. The thief looked up at the sky. It was one of those rare days when the sun was still up and you could already see the small, white, spherical moon getting ready to shine. He raised his arm to shade his eyes from the sun. "It always shines brightest when it's about to set," Luke mused. He didn't like the sun very much. The moon much better suited him. It was when the moon was in it's prime that he was at his best work. Luke pushed off the wall and quietly stalked in the direction of the inn.
"Time to go to work,' Luke thought as he pushed open the large wooden door of the inn. He found a seat at a small, round table in the center of the room. He ordered himself a whole pitcher of beer and took a few sips. He didn't drink much, not enough to impair him in any way. The rest of the pitcher he slowly poured out little by little onto the floor under the table. After he had poured out most of the pitcher, Luke started to put on the act, calling out to random people like he knew them, creating the illusion that he was indeed, very drunk. Soon after he started to put on this little show, a couple walked down from upstairs into the main room of the inn. There was a man with black hair wearing robes. With him, walked a woman with long brown hair and intense blue eyes. Immediately he found his target.
"Get over here gurl. I gots shumthin to show ya!" Luke called out to the woman. The robed man spun around to see Luke. His face was hard, but young.
"Hey, bud, the lady's with me so keep your hands off!" The robed man was pretty defensive. Luke saw the perfect opportunity to arouse the man's anger, and he took it.
"Oh ho! The man wearing a dress wants to fight!" Luke laughed. Immediately he knew he had struck a nerve. He watched the man's face twist in anger. The robed man jumped up and quickly swung a steel katana up to Luke's throat. "Ahhh, so he is a samurai. I should have known. No matter. It will prove a bit more challenging, but I need one after all the easy prey I’m used to," Luke thought. The thief, still pretending to be drunk, slowly lifted his left hand up to the samurai's blade. He pushed it aside, trying to seem afraid. "Look here, now, I didn't mean any harm. I don't want any trouble," Luke was already preparing for his attack. Just as he had pushed the katana a safe distance from his exposed neck, he struck quickly with his right fist. It collided with the samurai's jaw, sending him staggering back.
Luke didn't waste any time. He whipped out his trusty rapier from its sheath, and jabbed it toward the samurai, waiting for him to regain himself before striking, after all, even thieves have the decency to wait for their opponents to turn and face them before killing them. The samurai picked himself up and wiped the blood from his lip. "You're going to regret that," the samurai said in an angered tone.
Luke smiled. "Don't worry. I'm counting on a fight." He lunged at the samurai stabbing his rapier at him. The samurai quickly countered. Obviously, being a samurai, he would have some skill with a blade. Luke backed off a few steps before rushing in again, whirling his thin, strong blade in a red arc. In a flurry of motion, the blade danced around at the thief's will. When he came to a good striking motion away from the samurai, Luke lunged forward again, stabbing the red rapier at the man's un-armored chest. One good strike and the samurai would be down for good, ready to be yet another victim of Luke, the thief.
The inn was dim, and the smell of alcohol and smoke filled the air. The drunken man was holding his red blade to the samurai. His devious grin disgusted Kadius. Kadius could tell this man had some skill with a blade and had performed this little play of his before. Taeya stood in fear, she had never seen her mysterious new friend fight someone with such power. "Go to my room, and I’ll be up there soon. I have some business to attend to." Kadius said looking over at the drunken man. Taeya began to nod, "no! Im not leaving you. You saved me the other day. I'm not going to go to the room, knowing you’re down here getting killed."
"Hey, who said I couldn’t take this guy? Trust me Taeya. Everything is going to be alright. This is between me an.." The man began to charge the samurai with his red rapier. Its long, skinny blade came speeding at Kadius's chest. Years of training made it easy for him to counter this, ever if he was distracted by the conversation with Taeya. Kadius had to think quickly. He knew the man would strike soon again. He took in his surroundings. Nothing but a few broken chairs and tables lay on the grounds. A leftover bottle of alcohol was sitting on the bar next to him. Beside that was the bartender’s towel which he used to wipe the counters off from previous customers. "Taeya run! Now!" Kadius shouted as he grabbed the bottle, took one massive gulp of it shoved the towel into the bottle. He flailed his arms and spun around a few times swinging his sword in fast swipes, all along chanting a small song under his breath. His sword soon became surrounded by fire. The flames danced and twirled around his blade. He put the sword’s tip to the towel and threw the bottle at the now oncoming man. The bottle flew through the air like a phoenix. Flames drifted in the air creating a streak of fire. The bottle was nearing the ground, Kadius knew what he had to do and planned to execute it with perfection. He knew that the flames would cover the small inn. The bottle hit the ground and immediately burst into a massive explosion. Kadius flew back and slammed into the wall. He no longer could see his opponent. Flames surrounded the samurai and he knew he had to reach taeya. The smell of burning cloth tingled his nose. He gazed down to see that his upper robe has caught fire from the explosion. "shit" he yelled, Kadius began to hop around in agony. He removed one of his sandals and began smacking the flame. Most of it was put out. A few more smacks and the flames were finished. Showtime . . . Kadius clenched his katana and began swinging it furiously in front of him sending waves of air that blew the flames away from him.
I must get to Taeya. The only thing on his mind was getting to her. Smoke was everywhere. The smell of burning wood filled the air. All was in ashes, the chairs, tables, everything. Over the crackling fire he heard a siren, a loud obnoxious siren and it seemed to be getting closer. Soon the Inn door slammed open and a stream of water began to cover the flames, putting the fire to rest. Soon Kadius felt two men grab him and drag him out from the door. They were wearing masks. Probably to help from breathing in the smoke. "Hey get your hands off me, I don't need any help" Kadius said screaming at the two masked men. He peered at one of their arms. A patch with a symbol marked on it told the samurai that they were city guards. Once out of the burning building him quickly beckoned over the closest guard. "A girl is still in there. Get her!" Kadius shouted. The only thing he was thinking about was her. He finally realized he was falling for the girl and hoped she was alright.
Soon the guard he sent to retrieve Taeya has returned. He has returned empty handed. Pain shot into Kadius's heart. He could'nt believe she was gone, gone all because of his not so thought out plan. He thought he had it down. He thought he could kill the bad guy, save the damsel in distress and save the day. No, instead he didn’t get a chance to drive his blade into the enemy's chest, the girl he just now starting to like was dead. And he was now being held in custody of the police.
Soon the guards had pulled out a new man, the bartender. Kadius knew what was going to happen next. He began talking to the guards and pointing over at the samurai. Shit! Could anything else go wrong? The guards turned and faced Kadius. They began walking towards him. "Your going downtown. The bartender over there said this was all you, he said you made a molotov and set this place on fire. Your going to be put away for a long time my friend."
The guards grabbed Kadius and wrapped handcuffs around his wrists. They ushered him into the back of a cart and began to make their way to the prison. "Taeya..." was all Kadius said.
Luke's sword bounced off of the samurai's heavier katana. Luke jumped back again, disheartened that his first two attempts at forever silencing the samurai had utterly failed. "Damn it! He's faster than I had anticipated. I've got to do something different, change things up a bit and catch him off guard," Luke thought as he stared at the samurai holding his blade aloft. He watched as the samurai looked around the inn, his eyes searching intently for something unknown to the thief. The man's eyes lit up as he had apparently found what he was looking for. The robed man reached for a bottle of alcohol and chugged it for a second. Luke raised his eyebrows. "What are you doing!?" He yelled at the samurai. Luke took this as a sign of disrespect. He thought, "Stopping for a drink in the middle of a fight! What is this guy insane?"
Luke watched as the man grabbed a nearby towel and shoved it halfway into the open bottle. Then the samurai began to dance and mumble some incoherent nonsense. "What the hell is wrong with you!" Luke yelled at the man. "Are you..." Luke stopped in mid-sentence. The samurai's katana had burst into flames. Luke's eyes widened. "That I was not expecting." He charged the samurai, holding his rapier overhead. The samurai's lip curled into a smile as he touched the tip of his sword to the towel. Luke's face twisted in fear as he realized the man's plan. Stopping his charge, Luke turned and ran the opposite direction. He looked over his shoulder and saw the samurai's arm held back, poised for the throw. Luke waited for the man to launch the bottle before making his next move. As soon as the man had hurled it, Luke dashed to the side, landing on top of a table. He rolled over, knocking the table onto its side. He took cover behind the table as the bottle exploded.
The table he had tipped over provided the cover he needed. He jumped up and saw the inn going up in flames. The alcohol was everywhere and it fueled the flames. Luke looked over to the steps leading up to the second floor. He saw the beautiful woman that had been with the samurai dash up the steps. The flames were closing in on the staircase. "Damn it! This idiot is gonna kill me..." Luke dashed from table to table, avoiding the flames as best he could. He dove over the bar just as the flames reached a crate of alcohol and exploded, throwing flames over the top of the bar, mere inches from his body. When it slowed down a bit, he made his way to the bottom of the steps. The first few had already burned and he had to jump up to the fifth step to get up.
As soon as he landed, the step gave way and he fell to the ground. He yelled, "Shit!" He quickly stood up. Flames came up behind him. He was closed in now. He had to get up those stairs. He put his hands on the walls which were spaced a few feet apart. He climbed up the walls spreading his arms and legs. Each one touched one of the two walls as he shimmied his way up. When he got to a good height, he kicked off the walls and landed well above where the last step had burned off. Looking back, he could see nothing but the intense flames moving closer toward him. He sprinted up the last few steps. Once he got to the top of the stairs, he saw the girl hiding in a corner. He scanned the room looking for a way out. He saw a small window and knew that was his only escape. He yelled, "Come with me there's no time!" The woman sat motionless. She was obviously afraid of the thief and for good reason. He had tried to kill the man she was with. He didn't care if she was afraid or not, he wasn't going to let her be killed.
Luke ran over to the corner of the room where the woman was and grabbed her arm. He pulled but she wouldn't stand up. "You have to move now! This floor is about to fall and the fire will kill us both!" Luke screamed at the girl. He pulled on her arm again, and again she resisted. "You have to move, I'm not going to let you die!" He leaned over and hoisted the woman over his shoulder. He walked to the window and kicked the glass, breaking through it. He sat the girl down quickly on the edge of the window, and climbed onto it himself. He was only seated next to the girl for a split second before he put his arm around her waist and lunged forward. He fell to the ground two stories below, holding tightly to the girl. Instinctively, she grabbed him tightly as she fell. Luke landed feet first and fell into a roll to break their fall. As he rolled, the girl landed on top of him, her smooth figure pressed against his.
Luke quickly got to his feet. He picked the girl up, holding her hand tightly. He started to run and this time she did not resist. She ran along side him for a while. Once they were in the clear and far enough away from the inn to stop, Luke did. He rounded a corner and stopped in an alley for a breath. He leaned against a wall, intending for everything to calm down. Once everything quieted down a bit, Luke pushed off the wall. "Let's get out of here," He said. "You should come with me." Luke hoped that for some reason the girl might want to go with him.
The girl looked up at him, her gorgeous eyes staring into his. The girl spoke defiantly, but her voice was soothing. "I'm not going anywhere without Kadius!"
Luke looked at her, confused. "Who or what is a Kadius?"
The girl spoke again, "Kadius," she said "Is the man you tried to kill back at the inn!"
Luke's head dropped a bit. He was not sorry, it was his way, but he did feel bad that he had to hurt this beautiful woman in the process. "I'm sorry for that. It was nothing personal. A guy needs to eat ya know." He wondered if the girl would accept this answer.
"You could get a job and work for what you get instead of killing people to get what you want!" The girl had watched the men take her friend away and haul him off in the cart. "Now Kadius is going to jail because of what you did! It's all your fault."
Luke said again, "I told you I’m sorry." He looked at the girl and she started to cry. He reached down to put his hand on her shoulder but then pulled it back. "I...I really am sorry." The girl lifted her head. Her eyes were full with tears. Luke sighed. "Ok." He said.
The girl said through her tears, "Ok what?"
"OK," Luke said. "We will get your friend out of jail. But, know I’m not doing this for him. I'm doing it for you." Luke stared at the girl. He didn't know why he liked this girl so much. He didn't even know her name, but he just wanted to help her.
She looked up at him and said gratefully, "Th-thank you..."
Luke took the girl's hand and lifted her to her feet. "Let's get this over with." He led the girl toward the prison, thinking, "What the hell am I doing? This girl better be worth it."
Kadius sat in the back of the wooden cart. As it rolled down the cobblestone street, heading to the jailhouse. A slim streak of moonlight brightened the cart. A massive white building came into view, large fences and barbed wire surrounded the jail. Security was tough. Kadius knew no one was getting out or in that place without authorization. The cart came to a halt, and the guards hopped out. The opened the back door and yanked the samurai out by his handcuffs. The slung him onto the cold hard ground. The men laughed and mumbled something, they picked Kadius up too his feet. "Well here we are,home sweet home." One of the guards said to Kadius. "Rot in hell" Kadius said in an angered tone. The guard was furious, he spat right at the samurai's face. Saliva oozed down Kadius's cheek. "Not a smart move" Kadius quickly lifted his leg and jolted it toward the mans jaw. It struck hard, the other guard quickly grabbed Kadius and slung him to the ground. He kicked the samurai hard in the side. "Your going to be here for life if you keep it up" The man said as he pulled Kadius into the jail.
As Kadius strode down the hallway he peered into the cells. People sat, lifeless and silent. Soon the samurai saw an empty cell. He knew this was his new home. The guard unlocked the cell, removed the cuffs from Kadius's wrists and forced him into the cell. Kadius sat, silent. He was thinking about Taeya.
"Pssst! Hey" A voice came from the cell next to his. Out of the shadows came a chubby and short man. Half of his face was lit by the dim light, the other shadowed. He was dirty and had a strange odor to him. "What you here for?" He asked.
"I don't want to talk about it, shut up" Kadius said, seeming very annoyed by the mans presence. "Hey not trying to hear your life story, just asking what you did to land yourself in this hellhole."
"Well lets see, I burned down a well known Inn, fought a man, and burned someone close to me" Kadius said sarcastically. "Whoa! I just stole some food from a vendor, im outta here in a couple of days"
hmmph, another thief, seems that all im running into today Kadius thought to himself. "So when do we eat, im starving" Kadius asked the chubby man. "You missed dinner, sorry" The man said looking over at the empty plate in the corner of his cell. "Wow,how lucky...." Kadius said. "So are you alone? got a family? friends?" the man said.
"There is this girl Taeya.." The man's eyes widened. He began tapping his hand on the cold concrete floor. "I met her the other day, in the city street, I’ve been with her ever since."
"This Taeya you speak of,what does she look like?" The man said. "Well..." Kadius said pulling out Taeya's necklace that he tried returning to her the day they met. "She has long brown hair, and bright beautiful eyes." The man was gazing at the necklace, his eyes were wider than ever and he began to sweat. "That necklace is it her's?" The man said, he now spoke in a different tone, as if he was a different person. "Yeah, why?" Kadius asked. "Nothing, just asking. So this Taeya girl, where is she now?" the man said, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead. Kadius sat silent, he didn't want to have to say such words but the man seemed to be very intrigued by the story.
"Dead, she is dead. She burned at the Inn." A tear began to drip down Kadius's face. The man was acting very strange. He was mumbling to himself and his veins were almost jumping from his neck. What is this guys deal? why is he freaking out so much about Taeya?Kadius looked at the man and then resumed his conversation. "So why are you going crazy about Taeya, you don't even know her." Kadius said. The man grinned, he looked down at the ground and whispered making it almost impossible for the samurai to hear. "Oh, your wrong my friend, I know her. We all do." The man mumbled.
"Hey how do you know her! And who is "we"" Kadius asked raising his voice.
The man was silent, he looked at Kadius with an evil grin. "Talk asshole! Or else I’ll make you!" Kadius shouted reaching for his katana. But it wasn't there. He felt the smooth cloth from his robes fill his hands. He looked down, he felt powerless. He quickly got over the fact that he didn't have his katana.
Who was this man? How did he know Taeya? What did he want to do with her?
"Aright then, wait here and I will be back shortly, Taeya." She had finally told the thief her name, and he had told her his. Luke started to go but Taeya held him back.
"No. I am going too." Her eyes flashed in the moonlight. Luke entranced by her beauty allowed her to follow him. They moved toward the prison.
"Shhh, ok, Taeya. This way quickly," Luke whispered as the two scurried around outside the jail. "This is gonna be a tough job." Luke quickly surveyed the area. He and Taeya were crouching near a fence that enclosed the white jail. A mass of barbed wire lined the top of the metal fence. Luke pulled out a small mass of leather from his pant leg. He quickly unrolled it, revealing a dozen or so different types of tools. He slipped up from under its strap. A small pair of plyers. He quickly went to work cutting a hole in the metal of the fence, snapping it wire by wire. Once he had made the hole he pulled the section out and set it inside the fence. "Ok," the thief motioned to Taeya as he tucked the leather back into his pants. "Come, crawl through here." He sent her in first, and followed, replacing the piece so that it seemed unchanged.
Luke crawled across the prison grounds as quickly as possible while still crouching. He held Taeya's soft hand as he ushered her along behind him. Once he got to the wall of the prison Luke stood up, back against the wall. Taeya did the same. The moved along the wall to get where they needed to be. Luke quickly shot his head around a corner of the prison and saw the door. First making sure they were clear to go, Luke sprinted along the wall and squatted in front of the door. Taeya crouched down beside him. Once again he pulled out the bundle of leather and picked out the tool he needed. A small, skinny metal rod with a slant at the end. He jabbed the end into the handle of the door. Taeya watched as the thief jangled it around a bit. Luke pushed the rod upward and back down and up again, pushing all the bars inside the knob into place to unlock the door.
The doorknob clicked. Luke put the tool away. He quietly opened the door and slipped inside. Taeya followed. He shut the door behind him and walked inside slowly. He made his way down the first hall and looked around the corner. A guard was seated inside eating something. Luke needed to get passed him. The thief had been locked inside this prison many times while trying to perfect his thievery. He knew where the cells were kept. Luke quietly slipped out one of his two steel throwing daggers. He hurled the weapon at the seated guard. It stuck through the back of his head and he lunged forward, falling into his plate of food. Luke slipped into the room and retrieved his dagger, wiping the blood off on the man's clothes. He pulled the man out of the seat by his arms and slid him under table. He moved the chairs in as close as he could to hide the body.
Luke and Taeya moved toward the entrance to the next hallway. There was a guard pacing back and forth from the room Luke was in to the room on the opposite side of the hall. Luke needed to get into the next room so he waited for the man to come close to the room he was in. When the thief heard the guard's footsteps, he quietly pulled out his rapier. As soon as the man passed into the room, Luke swung hard and fast. The guards head rolled onto the floor, followed by his body falling forward. Luke jumped over his body and moved down the hall. He slipped into the next room. It was empty. On the other side of the door ahead of him was the hallway with all of the cells. Luke pulled out the lock-pick and went to work. In under a minute, he was on the other side of the door. He dashed into the hall full of cells, searching inside. Taeya said, "Kadius? Where are you?"
Luke heard a voice coming from a cell near the back of the hall. "Taeya!?! Is that you!?" Taeya ran forward and stopped at one of the cells.
Taeya called to Luke, "Quick, get this door open."
Luke walked over to the cell and pulled out his pick. He had the door open in a few moments. He swung the door open and Kadius rushed out and hugged Taeya. Luke watched him and frowned. "Come on." Luke spoke harshly, jealous of the samurai. Luke ran to the first door and pushed it open. Taeya and the samurai followed. Luke led them out of the prison and back outside. Luke ran one way. He was met by 5 guards. "Shit." Luke stated. Turning, he grabbed Taeya's arm and pulled her with him, sprinting away. He made his way to the fence where he had cut the hole. He didn't see it. He kicked the fence and the piece fell out. He ushered Taeya through and he quickly followed. He assumed that the samurai came after, but he did not look back to check. The three ran from the prison. This time they could not stop.
Luke led Taeya and the samurai through the city. He ran through countless alleys until he came to a wooden door on the ground that led to a cellar at the back of a house. He spoke quickly, "This will have to do. Get inside." He ripped open the door and shoved the two inside. He followed them in and barred the door with a piece of wood he found inside. "Now we wait until we can make our way out of the city."
(bunnying approved by Kadius)
The cell was cold, and it was already night. Kadius had spent only a few hours in the prison and he knew he couldn't last much longer in this wretched place. He laid down on the hard dusty ground. What am i going to do? I can't live in here i have to get out. Kadius shut his eyes to try to catch some rest.
"Kadius? Kadius are you there?" These words woke him from his sleep. Kadius jumped up. He recognized the girl's lovely voice. "Taeya! Taeya is that you!?" Kadius ran to the bars of the jail cell. Taeya stood on the other side of the bars. She waved at someone else unknown to Kadius that he could not see. Taeya said "This is it, open this door." A man walked over to the cell. Kadius's eyes opened wide. What the hell! That's the bastard from the inn! It's his fault im in here. Kadius watched on as the same man who had fought him only a short while ago took out a tool and opened the bars of the cell. Kadius was surprised that the man was here helping him. Maybe he realized that it was his fault and came here to help me. He didn't hate the man as much as he had before.
"Come on, we have to hurry." The man spoke quickly and hurried out the door. Kadius and Taeya followed him out. A few doorways later, Kadius had followed into a small square room. Kadius spotted his treasured weapon. His katana! He quickly grabbed it and continued following the man who was rescuing him from this horrible place. Once they got outside, they ran into a group of guards. Kadius reached for his katana to fight these men, but the man who had rescued him had other plans. The man grabbed Taeya's arm and ran away from the guards. He got to a fence and kicked it and a piece fell out. They squeazed through the opening and ran across the city through alleys until they got to a small place behind a house. They stopped and the man who was leading them opened up a door to a cellar in the floor. "Get in." He said. Taeya went in. Kadius didn't really like following these orders but he knew that they were being chased so he went in quickly. The man climbed down and slammed the door. "He said "Now we wait until we can get out of the city."
Kadius said to the man, "What is your name?" The man looked up but before he said anything Taeya answered for him. His name is Luke and he is here to help." Kadius didn't mind the help, actually he was glad that Luke had gotten him out of the prison. Kadius's stomach started to growl. He said "Ugh is there anything to eat in here? Im starving." The three all looked around for anything eatable. Luke found something. A can of beans that was hidden away for an emergency. He tossed the can to Kadius. Kadius stared at the can. "Got anything I can open this with?" Luke said he had something and took the can. He pulled out what looked like scissors but at the end was a small round blade. He cut the top off of the can and handed it back to Kadius. Kadius grabbed it eagerly and started digging into it with his fingers and stuffing them into his mouth. He had the can empty in a minute. Kadius looked up, licking his fingers and Taeya and Luke were both staring at him strangely.
Kadius said "What? I haven't eaten in a while. Im really hungry ok?" Luke and Taeya both laughed. Kadius was still hungry, but the can of food would last him for a little while. He looked up at Taeya. "You know there was a man in the prison cell next to me who was asking about you and seemed really anxious after i mentioned your name. I was just wondering how he knew you?" Taeya looked puzzled. She said. "Who was this man? Did he tell you his name?" Kadius thought Dammit I should have asked him. He said "No, i didn't think to ask. But i can tell you what he looked like." Once Kadius had described the man from the prison Taeya started to look very worried. She started sweatin and looked anxious just as the man in the cell had when Kadius told him of Taeya. Kadius asked, "Taeya, what is going on? Who was that man? If you tell me who he is we can help you with whatever you need."
Luke watched the nervous girl as she fidgeted around under the gaze of both men. Luke and Kadius were both gazing at her, awaiting her reply to the samurai's inquisition. Luke thought it a little weird that some man in prison was raving about the girl, but he didn't think too much of it. He did, however, grow a little more curious when Taeya began to act in the same manner as Kadius had described the man's actions in the prison.
Taeya cleared her throat. She said, slowly, “All right, I'll tell you my story. It is a long one, but I think we have the time.” She looked up at the cellar doors that hung over their heads. Taeya looked down toward the ground.
“Over a year ago, I was living on a farm with my family. My father was a good farmer, and relied solely on that for his money. But, around a year and a half ago, he lost many of his animals from a fever that struck his livestock. Also a drought hit soon after and destroyed most of his crops. He salvaged what he could and sold the farm. He got next to nothing for it and the little he did receive was gone soon after. My family had lost all our money. A few weeks had passed and we were barely keeping alive. I met a young man named Jared. He helped me out during that rough time in my life. He took me in and gave me a place to live and food to eat. He helped my family as well. I fell in love with him and I married him a little over a month ago.” Luke looked down. He didn't like the idea of Taeya's marriage.
Taeya continued, “A few weeks after our marriage, I caught Jared sneaking out at night for the first time. I ignored it at first, thinking it was nothing, but when I caught him for the fourth time in a week I decided that I had to do something. I stayed awake one night and waited for him to leave. After he had left the house, I snuck out quietly after him and followed him. I didn't know what to expect. I followed him to a large building a fair distance away from our own house. Jared snuck into the building through a window on the first floor. I made sure that he was away from the window before I walked up to it and quickly climbed in after him. I looked around and I couldn't see Jared. I saw a set of stairs inside so I went up them. When I got to the top, I started to hear voices. I didn't know who they belonged to, so I didn't go any further. Soon, the voices stopped and I heard them walking my way. I dashed back down the stairs and I jumped back out through the window. I ran straight back home and waited for Jared to return."
Taeya continued, "When Jared returned home, I questioned him about where he had gone, and I told him that I had followed him. He explained to me that for a long time, he had been in the business of intercepting information on slave operations and then stepping in and stopping the slave trades. He said that when he went to the building that night he was getting information on where the next trade would take place." Taeya stood up. "Then," She resumed speaking, "I told Jared that I wanted to help him. He said that I could not at first, but after he realized that I realized that I was not going to back down, he let me join him in his fight. I fell in love with the thrill of sneaking in and then going to destroy the plans of those horrid traders. We kept up with them everywhere they went and we costed them precious time and countless money. They hated us as much as we hated them."
"Then came the day when we were going to take on the biggest job either of us had ever done. There was a huge operation going on, and the traders were sure to have high security. We came to find out that they were expecting us, and they had an ambush set for when we arrived. We knew something was off, so we tried to leave. They cut us off though, they already knew we were there. Jared and I ran as fast as we could. When we cut around a corner, Jared pushed me behind a nearby cage and kept running to distract them. He ran and they followed him. I heard them. They caught him, and..." Taeya paused. She lowered her hand and covered her face with her hands. Luke put his hand on her shoulder.
The thief said, "Taeya...I, I'm sorry for your loss. You don't have to continue." He put his arm around the crying girl.
Taeya looked up with tears in her eyes. She said, "I hid after that, and those slave traders paid off the guards in my home town to put up wanted posters of me. I had to leave. I got out of there that night, and I have been wandering through various towns and cities ever since. I came to this town only a two days ago, and soon after that I met you, Kadius." Taeya nodded toward the samurai. Looking at Luke she said, "Kadius saved me from a group of men who were after me. I went with him to his home, at the inn, where we met you, Luke."
Luke was reminded again of his little escapade trying to kill and rob Kadius. He twisted his lip into a crooked half smile. Taeya said, "So that is who the man you described from the prison is. I remember seeing him the night Jared and I went to get the information on where the operation was that we were ambushed. So I see that they are still looking for me." Taeya said those last few words nervously. Luke looked at Kadius. The thief didn't mind at all aiding a wanted criminal, but he wondered how well the honorable samurai was taking this news.
As Taeya spoke softly, Kadius took in every word. He watched as she spilled her heart out with words she had been wanting to release since her loved ones death. Kadius interpreted the situation, he knew the girl was doing good by freeing slaves. He knew Taeya was a good hearted person and decided that he would do anything in his power to help her.
Once Taeya had finished speaking, Kadius noticed a small tear build up in her eye. Kadius grabbed her and held her tightly. She grasped him tightly as well. The two stood there for a moment. "Everything is going to be ok" Kadius said as he released her from his grasp. "I shall do anything to help you." The samurai said as he knelt down before her. He rose to the ground and turned to the thief. He still was unsure of the man. Although he did free him from prison, the samurai had this feeling about him. He didn't think the thief had the best intentions. But that was beside the point. He walked towards the thief and faced him. He looked him into the eye and a small grin came across Kadius's face. "Lets do this" he said as he stuck out his hand waiting for the gesture to be returned.
The samurai had extended his hand to Luke. The thief considered for a moment what the man might be thinking before extending his gloved hand and shaking the hand of Kadius. Luke thought, "I can ally with this man for now. I might be able to use his help in the near future." Luke released his grip and nodded to the samurai. Taeya spoke softly, "I was wondering if you two would do something for me."
Luke said, "Go on."
Taeya continued, "Well, I wondered if you will help me get revenge on those evil slave traders. First for the slavery, and also for my husband."
Luke thought for a moment. He contemplated whether or not he wanted to go to these slave traders and risk almost certain death to avenge a man he had not met, or even heard of until a few minutes ago. He felt some sympathy towards the slaves, but he never even thought about doing anything about it. He simply thought, "Sucks to be them."
Luke decided that he would help the young girl, for the time being. He nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll do it." Luke looked into Taeya's eyes. Her beautiful blue eyes brightened as he said this. Luke smiled genuinely for the first time in...he couldn't remember how long.
Kadius had already agreed to helping the girl out with whatever he could, so the two would have to work together, or at least around each other to aid Taeya as best they could. Luke said, "Well, I guess we should go back to your hometown and find out where these traders are now. Once we get there we can ask around and see if anyone knows anything." Luke looked at Taeya again before moving toward the cellar door. He lifted the wooden beam that had held it locked. He lifted up the door and peered outside. He whispered, "Wait here, I'll only be a few moments." He jumped up out of the cellar and ran down to the end of the alley. He looked around, slowly moving his head around the corner of the wall. Nothing was moving. He ran back to the cellar and said, "Ok, it's clear. Let's move."
Luke led the way to the outer wall of the city. He looked up and saw the large, iron portcullis had already been dropped. "Damn." Luke swore under his breath. He turned and whispered to his companions, "Ok, this is going to be tough. When I yell to you, run to the gates. I'll raise them. Get out as fast as you can, and don't stop until you reach the forest to the southwest of the city. Wait around the edge of the forest and I will meet up with you shortly." He added, "Remember, don't move from this spot until I wave. Then run as fast as you can. I will be only a few minutes." Luke dashed off. He knew he needed one thing and he could complete this difficult task. He quickly ran to a stable and slipped inside. There was only one horse, but that didn't matter, that wasn't what he needed. He spotted what he needed inside an empty stable across from the one with the horse. It was a long piece of intertwined material, coiled up and hung on a nail in the wall, a rope.
Luke quickly grabbed the rope and snuck back out of the stable. He ran back to the gate and found a ladder propped up against the wall. The one the guards used to climb up and down when switching shifts. Luke stepped up onto the ladder and climbed up. He got near the top and peeked his head up over the edge of the wall. He saw only two guards stationed at the top, one on each side of the gate. The one nearest Luke was sitting down facing the area surrounding Radasanth, looking in the opposite direction of the thief. Luke was surprised at his luck. He stepped up to the top of the ladder and propped himself up onto the city wall. As silently as possible, Luke unsheathed his blood red rapier. He snuck up quietly behind the guard, tightly gripping his deadly weapon. Luke lunged forward quickly, jabbing his blade through the man's back. He quickly jumped forward and caught the man as he was falling forward. He stopped him from crashing loudly to the ground.
Then Luke turned and grabbed a large wooden lever. He took the rope from over his shoulder, unrolled it and tied one end to the lever. He stood up and looked to where Kadius and Taeya were crouching. He made an exaggerated wave, stretching his hand out as much as he could. When he saw that the two got up and started running, Luke took the end of the rope not tied to the lever. He looped it around one of the stone of the wall creating a type of pulley system. He gripped it tightly and pulled, slowly moving the lever. The portcullis creaked and inched upward. The thief's arms strained as he pulled. He turned and watched as Taeya and Kadius ducked under the gate. When he saw that they were safely under, he let go of the lever, sending the iron gate crashing to the ground. Luke held onto the rope and jumped up to the edge of the wall, looking down over the ground outside the city. He pulled the rope until no slack was left. He jumped forward over the wall, as he hurdled toward the ground, he slid his hands down the rope, and slowed himself down as he fell. As he came down, Luke's feet collided with the hard, unwelcoming dirt and he lurched forward.
Luke got up, his head was spinning. He felt scrapes all along his arms and on his palms. He shook his head quickly and sprinted down the road to the spot he had told Taeya and the samurai to wait for him.
Kadius waited for the man, and grinned as Luke took his hand, and they were now partners. Taeya asked the two men to help them to get revenge on the slave traders for there evil acts. Both men agreed, and they went on there way. Luke opened the latched door to the cellar. He whispered, "Wait here, Ill be right back." Kadius and Taeya waited patiently for the thief to return. Momentarily, Luke's figure popped into view from outside the cellar. "Let's go." He said casually. Kadius and Taeya climbed out after the thief. Luke led them down the way to a corner of a building. He looked around and said quietly, "It's clear." Then the thief explained to Kadius and Taeya to wait for them, he would be in sight in a few minutes. "Wait for my signal, then bolt to the gate. Do not move from this spot until I wave." Kadius nodded to the man. He scurried off and rounded a corner, out of sight.
Kadius and Taeya sat, alone, once again waiting for the thief. Kadius thought Hmph, I should be the one leading, this man tried to kill me. Well, at least, I am here with Taeya. Kadius looked over at the beautiful girl and couldn't help but smile. Taeya turned and looked at him, " You know, I don't think I ever properly thanked you for saving me from those three men who were chasing me that day. Well, I just wanted to say, Thank you, for everything." Kadius smiled at Taeya. She looked down, Kadius thought he saw her blush. Kadius put his hand to her cheek and she lifted her head to look at him. Kadius leaned in to kiss her. Taeya turned quickly and stood up. "There's Luke!" Kadius sighed. Damn that thief! Kadius jumped up and he and Taeya ran to the gate that Luke was standing on top of.
As the two were almost at the gate, it suddenly lifted. It was raised a full four feet by the time they got to it, and they ducked it, still running through. Kadius heard the iron slam to the ground behind him, but didn't stop. He ran the road until the city was barely in sight. He and Taeya went to the spot in the forest where Luke said he would meet back up with them. They went into the forest, but not too far. They made sure that the thief could find them. Kadius was a little tongue-tied. He didn't know what to say to Taeya after she had so harshly rejected him earlier. A few minutes went by and finally, Taeya said something to break the akward silence. "I am sorry for back there, but...im just not ready to let anyone into my life. Im still in love with Jared." Kadius almost slapped himself for being such an idiot. Damnit! I forgot about Jared. She lost him only two or three weeks ago, and I am already trying to put the moves on her. Kadius said "Don't be sorry, I can completely understand." On the one hand, Kadius did sort of feel bad for what he did, but on the other hand, he thought of it like this: He didn't really get shot down as bad as he had originally thought, Taeya had just lost her husband, so there was an excuse for her not wanting to get with someone else. Kadius beamed.
After he had finished his building up of his confidence again, Kadius spoke again, his faith in himself renewed so he could once again talk wrongly of someone else. "So where is that damned thief. If he doesn't hurry up, im about to leave him." Kadius and Taeya waited at the edge of the forest for the thief to return to the team.
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