Legend of the Western Lands

Operation Save and Loot (2)

The fight itself was as anticlimactic as it could get.

Cale gazed at the bruised figures – bruised in both body and ego – on the floor. Choi Han and Ron threw them in a heap onto the floor, the broken limbs painfully connecting with other bodies and the wooden ground. Their swollen faces contorted in anguish and – probably – regret.

Ron and Vicross quickly tied them up and took their places near Cale, who did not move during the scuffle. He just watched with a stoic gaze like this was a common occurrence. In no time, four bundles of squirming bodies were placed in front of Cale.

"Want to talk now?", Cale asked.

One of the men, the presumed leader, spit on the floor in front of Cale. A sword guard connected with the back of his head with a painfully loud cracking sound. The man fell to the floor with a steaming Choi Han behind him.

Vicross moved in to see if he could save the man, but the cracked skull and all the other injuries killed the leader before he could beg for mercy.

Two of the three men became ghostly pale. Their wide eyes stared at the dead body of their leader. Choi Han's looming figure and uncaring disposition scared them.

Cale rested his arm on the side of his chair and supported his chin with his hand. A thoughtful look crossed his face. The leader was dead, which was unfortunate as they didn't get anywhere with the interrogation. However, here a small smile formed on his face, maybe not everything was lost just yet.

The two shivering men seemed useless, but that was just what Cale needed. He didn't want to know their whole backstory nor did Cale care about listening to their plights and plans. All he wanted to know was who was responsible for the planned assassination.

Cale had a suspicion.

A wide smile formed on his face, appearing menacing and devil-like to the tied-up would-be-assassins.

"You really don't want to talk?", his voice was soft, contrary to the sharp smile on his lips and the looming figures in the background. Choi Han, menacingly, lifted his sword out of its guard and let the handle click loudly. To the men, it sounded like a funeral march.

"We-"

"Shut up!", the third and calmest one snapped at his companion. The scared man snapped his jaw shut and gritted his teeth together in his haste. The three of them stayed quiet. One with anger but calmness, while the other two were scared out of their minds.

Cale could work with that.

Vicross and Ron, obviously, gathered the weak links as well and started to move the tied-up semi-leader of the group to a convenient closet. He just had the time to shout an astonished, "Wha-" before a cloth was stuffed in his mouth and he was unceremoniously shoved into the closet. The door closed with a soft click. It sometimes moved but nobody paid it any mind.

"Now there are only two small animals left.", Ron pointed out, more for the sake of the bound men, in case they couldn't count.

Cale didn't say anything as he continued staring at the two shivering men. He played the waiting game with them, waiting till they crack and then descending upon them like vultures.

It didn't take five minutes of oppressing silence till the one on the left broke first.

"Please, I don't know anything.", he whimpered.

Vicross moved into his line of sight. The white gloves adorning his hands glinted dangerously, although, Cale doubted the men noticed the gloves. Not when a really shiny mace dangled precariously between his fingers. Its spikes reflected the candlelight with precision and the smooth finish of the weapon gleamed like it has not been used even once. Cale knew better.