The Brotherhood of The Black Rats

5.42 Keeping In Touch

Thompkins hit the floor with a hard thud. The Troll added to the effect by winching in pain in rather dramatic fashion before rolling onto his back as he attempted to take in his surroundings. The dizziness was very real, but after a moment he was able to push passed it. 

The three men towered over him like giants. The one in Spider’s hat held his wand between his two index fingers as though contemplating the proper punishment for the cheater lying beaten before them. Thompkins could just barely make out the rest of the room beyond where they towered over him. He had to suppress a smile when he realized where they were. 

“You really think you could have cheated The Warden of Mother-fracken Dreams?” asked The leader then as he planted a stern kick into Thompkins side. 

“I didn’t come here to cheat I came here to steal,” admitted The Troll through a faked cough. 

“Oh really?” said the leader than “You actually though you could rip off our boss then? You actually wanted to steal from Reginald Bison?” 

“Are you insane?” asked one of the other men.

“On the contrary so far my plan has been working spectacularly.”

“Oh is that right?” asked The leader then and there was something about the way he spoke that gave him away as an impatient man. 

“Oh course, I’m working alone how else was I suppose to get into the auction storage room?” said Thompkins and for a moment a brief look of worry from each of his captors gave away their growing uneasy. 

“Just what is it you came to steal?” asked the leader regaining some confidence.

This time Thompkins was silent. 

“Oh is that it then?” said the leader but before he could raise his own wand one of the others stepped forward. 

“Yo, yo, check this out!” said the man excitedly “This fool is wearing a Glamour right? My parent’s used to sell these… You know there’s a reason why they have to finish making them before they let you try them on?”  

This time the pain was real. Thompkins lurched as the crushing weight of his reforming Glamour took the air from his lungs and twisted his bulking troll physique into something much smaller than even the heavy-set Italian man he had been wearing. 

“Oh that is sick!” yelled the leader as he shirked back. 

As his transformation continued Thompkins felt pain from new parts of his glamoured body. Yet he Managed to hold himself together long enough to speak a few words. 

“The Maltese…” he cried in a half holler through his now toothless mouth. “I came to steal The Maltese,” he admitted nodding to where a painting that could have only been The Langsly stood with a drape over it. 

“Oh are you serious!?” shouted the leader nearly doubling over in laughter 

“Let’s make a deal.” panted Thompkins “Help me get it out of here and I’ll take you to the person who is willing to pay me for it.” 

“Say that’s a pretty good idea.” Said the leader looking to the other two for agreement as he made his way over to the painting “Except there’s only one problem,” he added taking the drape into his hand. “We don’t have a Maltese.” 

All three of the men chuckled with hearty laughter as Thompkins bore a look of disappointment across his now twisted face. The man in the bowler hat took in the sight of The Langsly’s black spider one moment on his own before turning to his men and the defeated Thompkins.