Saving the World - Awakening

Knives

The "incident" with the old lady seemed like just a lucky break, as Eliot couldn't find much of anything else he needed for the rest of the day.  After cleaning up the mess he made, hoped that the rest of the day would be as quick and easy as that had been.

After searching for a few hours, he finally found the perfect scimitar for his current employer.  This scimitar, though, was far and away the most beautiful thing that Eliot had ever seen.  The blade was made of tempered steel, which made it look black.  The color chilled him as it shone in the sunlight. The cross-guard was only one-sided, and looked to be made out of chrome.  The hilt was leather, a brand new, spongy kind of leather, perfect and adjustable to the user's grip.

The final touch to the scimitar was a diamond attached to the bottom of the hilt.  There looked to be metal strips holding it in place, creating a dazzling pattern, all while ensuring the diamond's security.  The strips looked to be titanium, probably to stop from the diamond being stolen.  Overall, it looked to be worth more than anything else in the area.  Unfortunately, its owner knew that too.

The shop had a wide variety of knives, secured by locks. An armed guard behind it kept watch, a necessary precaution considering the area.  This dealer was a much wealthier dealer than those around him, which made Eliot wonder why he set up shop so far out of the way.  He could make a substantial amount of profit in comparison with his success in the outskirts of the main road. Regardless, he still presented an immense problem to Eliot.

Even though he was posing as a beggar, there was little chance he could steal the scimitar by anything but force.  There was no way the guard would allow it, and he didn't know who else was employed by the sword dealer.  The risk was too high in this case, and when the risk was higher than the gain, a thief usually backed away.  But not only did Eliot love money, he loved that scimitar.

He got up from his place against the wall, where he had posed as a beggar.  All the while, he kept his eyes fixed on the sword dealer.  A thought struck him as soon as he got close.  If he were to take out the guard from the side, then he could possibly go after the scimitar and run.  There weren't any valid vantage points he could really sneak up on the guard from, though.  He turned away from the shop as he pondered the situation.

After traveling a little ways down the street, it dawned on him that he could attack from above.  The roof wasn't very high, and the guard would break his fall.  As he thought about it, the better it sounded.  He turned to the right, between two shops, and walked down the alley.  There were a couple of cardboard boxes next to dumpsters, but unfortunately there were no fire escapes.  Fire escapes were his favorites.

On the other hand, there was a ledge three meters above him.  It was relatively within jumping distance, and it would be easy to get there with a boost from the dumpster.  Eliot didn't really think about it, he just jumped.  The jump was easy, but when he grabbed the ledge, his hands started slipping.  Using all his strength, he lifted himself over it and sat on the ledge.  Fortunately, the ledge was half a meter wide, which allowed plenty of walking room. 

He got up and checked to see if the ledge went around the entire building.  Sure enough, it did, and he would be able to effortlessly take out the guard.

"Maybe I am the luckiest person in Islington." Eliot remarked as he walked along the ledge.

He was getting closer to the guard, and surprisingly only a few people had noticed him, and they had only glimpsed at him before moving on.  The people of Islington never liked to pry into other people's business.  The guard was nearby, only a few more steps.  His heart started beating faster and faster until he felt like he might explode.

Then he jumped.  His limbs felt alive with adrenaline, and he landed expertly with his full weight on the guard's collarbones.  He felt a distinct CRUNCH that came from the guard's shoulders.  He put his hand underneath the guard's chin and pulled upwards with all his weight, hoping to smother the cries that would inevitably come.  He could feel the guard's spine snap and fell to the ground along with his victim.

The dealer was talking with customer when he heard the commotion behind him.  Eliot hurriedly got up from his victim and rushed forwards, hoping to catch the dealer off guard.  The dealer turned around quickly and his eyes widened in shock as he saw Eliot charge.

Reaching inside his coat, the dealer withdrew a throwing knife.  Eliot's heart skipped a beat.  Knives were the deadliest street weapon. They didn't require ammo, they didn't make much noise, and they were extremely versatile.  Every muscle in his body was tensed.  The only ways he could survive a knife throw would be by catching it, dodging it or getting hit in a non-lethal spot.

The dealer held the knife naturally, as if he were well accustomed to it.  Another bad sign.  There was nothing Eliot could do except watch as he felt his life flash before his eyes.  Like a blur, the dealer threw the knife, a straight shot to Eliot's heart.  Instantly Eliot swerved to the right, and the knife pierced the inside of his left bicep, right below his armpit.  He flinched as it made its mark, but he couldn't afford to let the dealer throw another.

He leaped forward, just as the dealer was reaching in his coat for another knife.  He grabbed the dealer's leg and pulled with all his strength.  Aided by adrenaline, he managed to take the man down to the ground. Eliot crawled on top of his attacker, but before he could make any other move, the dealer pulled one of the knives out of his coat and stabbed Eliot in the stomach with it.  He screamed as his torso exploded with pain, but once again couldn't afford to hesitate if he valued his life.  He pulled the knife out of his gut and drove it underneath the dealer's jaw.

The dealer's body went limp, and Eliot finally took a breath.  As the adrenaline drained away, pain took its place.  He pulled the knife out of the dealer's shattered jaw and cut a long strand of his clothing off.  He wrapped his wound with it, stemming the steady flow of blood.  He checked the man for more knives, money, or valuables.  He found a small hunting knife and a wallet, filled with money. Not caring to look inside, he tucked the knives and the wallet inside his pouch and limped over to the glass case holding his coveted scimitar.

The glass case seemed like a weak adversary in comparison with his previous ones.  He effortlessly shattered it with the hilt of his newly acquired knife and grabbed the scimitar out of the case.   He strapped it around his back, as it was too large to fit into his pouch.  He checked the box that the dealer kept his money in and saw that it was already broken into.  He opened it and saw there was no money.  Another thief had probably seen the scene and taken advantage of the opportunity.

The dealer's shop, though, was his for the taking.  A ring of keys was hanging from the dealer's belt. Eliot grabbed as many blades as he could and stuffed them into the bag that the dealer used to transport them.  Every move he made was agony, but there was no way he wouldn't let anyone take any of his spoils.  This was the greatest theft he had ever committed.

As he packed the wares up, he saw a man pulling a wagon walk down the street.  He yelled to get the man's attention.

"Hey, wagon man.  Yeah, you!" He motioned for the man to come over. "Can you help me transport these to my house?"

The wagon man looked reluctant.  It was normal for dealers to ask him to transport their wares, it was his job, but Eliot was clearly not a dealer, the dead bodies behind him were testament to it.  Eliot looked at him desperately, and pulled out the 100 pound note his employer had given him.

"Will this be enough?" Eliot asked.

The wagon man's face crinkled into a smile. "Yes, it will be."

Eliot let out a sigh of relief.  He was starting to get lightheaded, his makeshift bandage not being enough to prevent the wound from bleeding.  Regardless, he had an entire shop of knives, and a pouch full of money. The day could end up being a success after all.