51st Ymiden, 718
Walking home from a long day the forge, Varlum took a deep breath in to the night sky. Most residents of Yithiral would be asleep, back in their homes safely, while the others out were the occasional guard and a few drunkards. Usually the forge would have closed sooner, but tonight they had so much extra work to do, and the same would be true for the next week or so. It was due to be a busy time for Varlum and the others, one that would test all of their patience massively.
It was a dark night, moreso than usual. A small breeze ran through the narrow streets that Varlum walked down, causing him to shiver lightly, hating the cold. Nothing about it was appealing, and it made the Ithecal feel incredibly uncomfortable. Fighting was also incredibly difficult in the cold, making seasons like Cylus near to unbearable for the man.
As the Ithecal walked, he remained entirely unaware of the men behind him, or the people waiting in the alleyways ahead to attack. This time they'd gotten smart, sending five instead of just one at a time. After all, while the man in front of them was in no way strong, he was still tall and armed. One well placed bite from him was the death of one human, as many bounty hunters had learned before, having seen Ithecal even smaller than him rip off limbs and shatter bones with biting and thrashing.
"Bring him in alive. We have questions for this one" one man relayed to the other two, reading orders from a parchment he had been given before the mission. Alaera, the woman in charge of this, kept repeating the same orders. Her and her team had a reputation for being efficient, fast and silent with missions like these. But the only survivor of their last attack was her, meaning she had to discipline these new hunters. Rolling his eyes, the man dropped the parchment on the floor, leaving it behind on the cold cobblestone.
With a broad axe on his back, Varlum made his way home. It wasn't often that he would risk walking through the streets without it, especially alone, so the man had gotten in to the habit of bringing it with him almost everywhere he went. When a group of people wanted your head for one reason or the other, then it would be foolish to leave it behind, and would be a mistake that could cost him his life. That wasn't a risk Varlum was willing to take, not with how much he had to gain.
Behind him, the sound of metal running against cobblestone ran through the streets, causing Varlum to glance back. Behind him stood three men, two of which with chains dragging on the floor and another with a thick wooden club. Then in front of him, a woman's voice cleared their throat, with another two bounty hunters stood before him. All around, the streets were empty, the five hunters alone with the Ithecal trapped between them all. Without hesitation, Varlum grabbed his axe, holding it in both hands.
"Whatever your plan is, now is the chance to walk away from it" Varlum growled, glancing around at the five of them. All of them stood at around six feet tall or smaller, meaning they were tiny compared to Varlum. That didn't mean they weren't a threat, but he was in no way scared of them. If he did this right, and they did it wrong, there was a chance he could survive this - perhaps even leave none of them standing. After all, the more bounty hunters he killed the less they had to send after him.
With a hand gesture from the woman ahead, the three men behind the Ithecal made their move, rushing the man. Varlum quickly turned around, raising the axe above his head with all the strength he could, but the sheer weight of it made it incredibly difficult to do. However, while lifting the axe was made harder, slamming it down with force was made easier, and the height of the Ithecal made it ten times easier to hit. With a sloppy and badly aimed strike, Varlum's axe slammed down in to one of the mens shoulder, his chain dropping to the floor as his scream filled the streets around them. However, while his back was turned, one of the men hit him in the back with his club.
As Varlum stepped back to avoid the man, the Ithecal stumbled. With quick panic, the man managed to recover his footing, almost falling completely to the floor. Before he could think to celebrate, though, he panicked and swung his axe, seeing a woman approach in his peripheral. While the blade hadn't been facing her, the blunt of the axe alone was enough, knocking her around the side of the head and sending her body to the floor with a loud thud.
Behind him, a chain wrapped around his neck, a man jumping on his back. But before he could react to the chain, the smaller man stuck a dagger in to his back, causing a violent cry of pain from the man, loud growls mixed in to the sound. At the opportunity presented, the two other bounty hunters left standing made their attack, grabbing an arm each of Varlum and holding them back. With anger and pain surging through him, the Ithecal snapped his jaw at the hunters, missing by just an inch. Slowly, with determination, the man tried to bring himself to his feet, lifting the hunters off his arms for a trill - but it was too late.
Losing all oxygen, the man was eventually pulled back. As the chain around his neck held him down, one of the other two quickly grabbed the other chain from their bleeding friend and quickly wrapped it around Varlums mouth, stopping the Ithecal from opening it. Giving Varlum a chance to breathe, the chain was moved from around his neck and used to tie his hands, before one of the men picked up their club while the woman helped her two teammates up. One of them would need serious medical attention, Varlum knew, but chances were they'd get it.
"Bring him with us, quickly. That noise was bound to have attracted someone. We need some bait to leave behind" the woman ordered the others. Immediately they started grabbing Varlum, all but the injured one, who found himself approached by the boss. With a small gesture, she beckoned him closer, taking a look at his injury. "This looks bad, but it's recoverable. That Ithecal has a hell of a lot of strength to him. But that injury won't kill you."
Before the man could answer, the woman stuck a dagger in his stomach, the blade launching from out of her sleeve to reveal a full length dagger - thin and incredibly sharp. As she did, her free hand covered his mouth to stop the cry of pain. "That, though. That one might just do the trick" she grinned, finally letting him go as his heartbeat faded, the body dropping to the floor. Her eyes fell back to the other bounty hunters, all of which watching her with confusion, and some with fear. "We have our bait. Let's go."
Not wanting to defy the woman, all of them carried the bleeding Varlum, bringing him to the carriage near the area. Everything, aside from a few injuries, had gone as planned for them. Now that the man was alive and captured they could ask him for the axe, and if he didn't cooperate they could sell him on to someone that would ensure he did or lock him up for the rest of his life. Whether they left with a magical weapon or a bounty, they would be leaving with much more value than they had before.
After riding out of the city, Varlum was tied in the back of the cart for what felt like ten breaks, but was more like just one. As they went the Ithecal continued to try and struggle, but it was no use. These chains were stronger than he was, and as strong as his jaw could shut, it was nowhere near as strong opening. As for his hands, there wasn't enough muscle on the Ithecal to break these chains, no matter how hard he tried. Varlum knew this was a matter of time, getting them to make a mistake. When they finally made the mistake, he would pounce, and none of them would live to see another day.
Once the break was over, they removed the cloth cover from the Ithecal and dragged him to a small cave. Set up in the cave was a campfire with small tents around it, made to keep out any cold. Food had been cooked from earlier and left over the fire, filling the Ithecals nose with a horrific smell of burning meat. Without any care, they dropped the Ithecal in the corner, his head lightly bumping in to the stone and causing a small headache to stick with him.
Whoever these people were, and whatever it was they wanted with the man, none of it mattered.
All of them would die.
Walking home from a long day the forge, Varlum took a deep breath in to the night sky. Most residents of Yithiral would be asleep, back in their homes safely, while the others out were the occasional guard and a few drunkards. Usually the forge would have closed sooner, but tonight they had so much extra work to do, and the same would be true for the next week or so. It was due to be a busy time for Varlum and the others, one that would test all of their patience massively.
It was a dark night, moreso than usual. A small breeze ran through the narrow streets that Varlum walked down, causing him to shiver lightly, hating the cold. Nothing about it was appealing, and it made the Ithecal feel incredibly uncomfortable. Fighting was also incredibly difficult in the cold, making seasons like Cylus near to unbearable for the man.
As the Ithecal walked, he remained entirely unaware of the men behind him, or the people waiting in the alleyways ahead to attack. This time they'd gotten smart, sending five instead of just one at a time. After all, while the man in front of them was in no way strong, he was still tall and armed. One well placed bite from him was the death of one human, as many bounty hunters had learned before, having seen Ithecal even smaller than him rip off limbs and shatter bones with biting and thrashing.
"Bring him in alive. We have questions for this one" one man relayed to the other two, reading orders from a parchment he had been given before the mission. Alaera, the woman in charge of this, kept repeating the same orders. Her and her team had a reputation for being efficient, fast and silent with missions like these. But the only survivor of their last attack was her, meaning she had to discipline these new hunters. Rolling his eyes, the man dropped the parchment on the floor, leaving it behind on the cold cobblestone.
With a broad axe on his back, Varlum made his way home. It wasn't often that he would risk walking through the streets without it, especially alone, so the man had gotten in to the habit of bringing it with him almost everywhere he went. When a group of people wanted your head for one reason or the other, then it would be foolish to leave it behind, and would be a mistake that could cost him his life. That wasn't a risk Varlum was willing to take, not with how much he had to gain.
Behind him, the sound of metal running against cobblestone ran through the streets, causing Varlum to glance back. Behind him stood three men, two of which with chains dragging on the floor and another with a thick wooden club. Then in front of him, a woman's voice cleared their throat, with another two bounty hunters stood before him. All around, the streets were empty, the five hunters alone with the Ithecal trapped between them all. Without hesitation, Varlum grabbed his axe, holding it in both hands.
"Whatever your plan is, now is the chance to walk away from it" Varlum growled, glancing around at the five of them. All of them stood at around six feet tall or smaller, meaning they were tiny compared to Varlum. That didn't mean they weren't a threat, but he was in no way scared of them. If he did this right, and they did it wrong, there was a chance he could survive this - perhaps even leave none of them standing. After all, the more bounty hunters he killed the less they had to send after him.
With a hand gesture from the woman ahead, the three men behind the Ithecal made their move, rushing the man. Varlum quickly turned around, raising the axe above his head with all the strength he could, but the sheer weight of it made it incredibly difficult to do. However, while lifting the axe was made harder, slamming it down with force was made easier, and the height of the Ithecal made it ten times easier to hit. With a sloppy and badly aimed strike, Varlum's axe slammed down in to one of the mens shoulder, his chain dropping to the floor as his scream filled the streets around them. However, while his back was turned, one of the men hit him in the back with his club.
As Varlum stepped back to avoid the man, the Ithecal stumbled. With quick panic, the man managed to recover his footing, almost falling completely to the floor. Before he could think to celebrate, though, he panicked and swung his axe, seeing a woman approach in his peripheral. While the blade hadn't been facing her, the blunt of the axe alone was enough, knocking her around the side of the head and sending her body to the floor with a loud thud.
Behind him, a chain wrapped around his neck, a man jumping on his back. But before he could react to the chain, the smaller man stuck a dagger in to his back, causing a violent cry of pain from the man, loud growls mixed in to the sound. At the opportunity presented, the two other bounty hunters left standing made their attack, grabbing an arm each of Varlum and holding them back. With anger and pain surging through him, the Ithecal snapped his jaw at the hunters, missing by just an inch. Slowly, with determination, the man tried to bring himself to his feet, lifting the hunters off his arms for a trill - but it was too late.
Losing all oxygen, the man was eventually pulled back. As the chain around his neck held him down, one of the other two quickly grabbed the other chain from their bleeding friend and quickly wrapped it around Varlums mouth, stopping the Ithecal from opening it. Giving Varlum a chance to breathe, the chain was moved from around his neck and used to tie his hands, before one of the men picked up their club while the woman helped her two teammates up. One of them would need serious medical attention, Varlum knew, but chances were they'd get it.
"Bring him with us, quickly. That noise was bound to have attracted someone. We need some bait to leave behind" the woman ordered the others. Immediately they started grabbing Varlum, all but the injured one, who found himself approached by the boss. With a small gesture, she beckoned him closer, taking a look at his injury. "This looks bad, but it's recoverable. That Ithecal has a hell of a lot of strength to him. But that injury won't kill you."
Before the man could answer, the woman stuck a dagger in his stomach, the blade launching from out of her sleeve to reveal a full length dagger - thin and incredibly sharp. As she did, her free hand covered his mouth to stop the cry of pain. "That, though. That one might just do the trick" she grinned, finally letting him go as his heartbeat faded, the body dropping to the floor. Her eyes fell back to the other bounty hunters, all of which watching her with confusion, and some with fear. "We have our bait. Let's go."
Not wanting to defy the woman, all of them carried the bleeding Varlum, bringing him to the carriage near the area. Everything, aside from a few injuries, had gone as planned for them. Now that the man was alive and captured they could ask him for the axe, and if he didn't cooperate they could sell him on to someone that would ensure he did or lock him up for the rest of his life. Whether they left with a magical weapon or a bounty, they would be leaving with much more value than they had before.
After riding out of the city, Varlum was tied in the back of the cart for what felt like ten breaks, but was more like just one. As they went the Ithecal continued to try and struggle, but it was no use. These chains were stronger than he was, and as strong as his jaw could shut, it was nowhere near as strong opening. As for his hands, there wasn't enough muscle on the Ithecal to break these chains, no matter how hard he tried. Varlum knew this was a matter of time, getting them to make a mistake. When they finally made the mistake, he would pounce, and none of them would live to see another day.
Once the break was over, they removed the cloth cover from the Ithecal and dragged him to a small cave. Set up in the cave was a campfire with small tents around it, made to keep out any cold. Food had been cooked from earlier and left over the fire, filling the Ithecals nose with a horrific smell of burning meat. Without any care, they dropped the Ithecal in the corner, his head lightly bumping in to the stone and causing a small headache to stick with him.
Whoever these people were, and whatever it was they wanted with the man, none of it mattered.
All of them would die.
