The Death Market *Obi x OC* (COMPLETE)

Indestructible

Song: Indestructible - Disturbed

When nightfall hits, I find myself sitting at the table with Torin again. I had no intention of staying here longer than I had to but Iladriel threw a fit until I agreed to stay for the night at the least. I don't think she quite understands how furious Harlowe is at me and I don't know the woman well enough to gauge just exactly how far she's willing to go to get her hands on me. I will admit that the chance to rest and gather my thoughts is rather appealing though.

"So why'd you become a castle lackey? You obviously didn't start out as one." Torin asks as he looks up from the coin rolling through his fingers.

"Why'd you leave the seas?" I ask instead and he smirks in response.

"To me, the world is like a puzzle, you start at the edges and work your way in. I explored the ocean already so why not discover what the lands have to offer?"

"That sounds like philosophical nonsense." I chuckle. "What's the real answer?"

"I hadn't intended on becoming a pirate, let alone a captain, but when you get sold onto a ship and the opportunity knocks to overthrow the three remaining survivors to become captain, you take it." He shrugs. "For now, I'm simply going with the flow. I'm going to stay here for a while until it bores me then I'm moving on. Iladriel is convinced I'm going to live a long life, but I feel like I'm going to go rather young. I just hope whenever and however I die, that I go out doing something important. My luck it'll just be that I bashed my skull in when I lost balance on a chair or something. So now it's your turn."

"I got injured and once I healed I was hired to do something involving one of the princes and a commoner girl. I failed and decided to see what happened if I gave myself over to the prince. It's a rather comfortable lifestyle, though a bit more tame than what I'm used to... until now."

"How did you and your partner end up here anyway?"

"We were sent out to find something and this was the only place left I could think of. I didn't expect to find it with the strange little blonde girl I came across in the market. Mitsuhide is waiting for me on the other side. I need to get back to him safely without further endangering Iladriel or you by extension I suppose."

Our relative silence is suddenly shattered by a girlish scream and our names being called. Our chairs hit the floor with a loud clatter as the cottage door crashes open and six hooded figures stream in. Through one of the windows, I see a flicker of blonde and a pair of golden eyes. I draw a dagger and cut down the nearest figure as they lunge at me, then turn to find Torin in the chaos.

"Defend your home, Harlowe has Iladriel. I'm going after her!"

"If she dies, I'll kill you myself." He calls back as I rush out of the cottage.

I skip the stair planks and jump off the platform before landing on the lower branch of a nearby tree. I hit the ground running and follow the slight rustling of the leaves after Harlowe. Iladriel hadn't screamed since I heard our names. I don't think Harlowe killed her but I feel like if that was her plan, she would have done it in the cottage and not bothered to take the body with her. She has to be alive, she just may not be conscious or was threatened into silence.

The Market streets are bustling with people but the chatter is louder than usual as I move through them. It makes it far easier to track Harlowe and Iladriel but I know that Harlowe will bring her back to her cottage. It's private and her main territory. She may control all of The Death Market, but there's only so much she can control outside of her home. I just have to make it there and go in ready to fight if I have to. I can't let her take me by surprise because Iladriel and I would both suffer for it.

I reach the cottage and stare down the door as I approach it. I pull two daggers from my pouch, the last two I have, and slowly open the door. I lean back to avoid the dagger that buries itself in the door where my head had just been. I bring up a forearm to block Harlowe's fist and shove her backward as I force my way inside. Iladriel is on the floor, unconscious with her ankle locked in the chain. She seems mostly uninjured, but there's a small trail of blood running down her face from her hairline.

"Really Harlowe, you weren't strong enough to keep our fight between us, so you had to drag an eleven year old girl into this?" I growl as I drop a dagger to latch onto her forearm instead.

"You would not come another way. I saw your reaction when I mentioned the girl. Don't worry, I won't kill her if you surrender."

I pin her against the wall and press the dagger to her throat.

"Where did all of this newfound courage come from Harlowe? What happened to fearing the castle worker?"

"You are not the one I fear, nor your friend. We have business to settle, dear Obi. Are you going to play nice? If you do, little blonde girl will go free. If not, I cannot guarantee her safety."

"If I agree to stay, you will let me take her to safety."

"You will go nowhere. I do not trust you." She hisses.

"Either I take her to safety or I don't stay at all."

Three figures appear in the doorway beside us, two holding up a bloody Torin.

"Fine, if you don't return in five minutes, little blond man dies." She smirks as her golden eyes meet mine.