The events of the 23rd of Slate, 1069
"Get this damned sack off my head! Get it off now, and I promise your deaths will be quick! GET IT OFF!"
Light assailed him as the burlap sack was ripped from his head. Hikan gasped at the brightness and instinctively tried to raise his hands to shield himself from the harsh glare, but he ropes binding his wrists behind his back grew taut. He growled, deep in his throat, forcing himself to shut his eyes until the red spots died away.
At the sound of voices he cracked open his left eye. When the pain was deemed bearable, both opened to survey the scene. Three figures milled about in front of him, talking quietly. They were all dressed as if for some costume ball, and at the soft rustling, they all turned to look at him.
The largest, in the middle, was wearing a full suit of leather armor, dyed a chocolate brown and lined with light. He sucked in air constantly, the lower half of his mask missing to aid in his breathing, the front of his mask elongated with bone to resemble a sharpened bird's beak. On the far left was a lithe dwarf who looked very uncomfortable in his Red, Blue and Green outfit. On the front was a diamond, the symbol of their parent-civilization, and a long cloak flapped lightly behind him, gems and jewels lining his mask and shoulders. On the far right was the Dwarf that had assauled him, short and squat and lined with muscles. The Dwarf wore a trench coat over leather armor, along with a fedora. His face - Hikan shuddered at the realization - was a facsimile of one of the recently-dead miners, a death mask made from poor-man's plaster from one of the most recently-dead miners.
All talking ceased, except for the dwarf with the death-mask. He rasped out, harshly, "Awake now. Let's begin this."
"I doubt he can be trusted. I've never liked him," said the one with the diamond insignia.
"He can be trusted," said death-mask. "Trust me."
"Wait a minute... I know that voice." Hikan sat up in his seat, struggling once more against his bonds. "Vatek, you idiot, what are you doing?"
The dwarf in the mask stiffened. The one with the leather armor and birds beak pointed a finger at the peace keeper, and wheezed, "See? He knows, I told you he knows! This is a disaster, Szondi, a real disaster."
"Enough, Dark Hawk", Szondi rasped. "He doesn't-"
"And you!" Hikan nearly shouted. "You're that reedy leather worker Makrond... and... oh, Istrath, you poncy bastard, I didn't think you had the balls to pull of something like this... this is it. This is all it."
"I think you misunderstand completely. We're here to help you."
Hikan laughed. The sound was sharp, and short, filled with contempt. "Help me, with what? You're a mess, you're criminals, you're-"
"Enough," Szondi said. "Listen to us. What do you have? Nothing. What does your boss give you? Nothing. What will you receive here? Pain. Maybe death. Definately pain. Who is your enemy? Everyone. Let us help you. We're working out the interests of the common Dwarves. We aid those who need it. We protect those who are weak. We perform the job you should have done, but have been too ingrained with the problem to perform completely."
Szondi took two steps forward, than paused. A glance towards his companions, and he took one more step, nearly toe-to-toe with Hikan. A knife flicked from a pocket and he leaned forward to cut the ties. Hikan tensed; he could have swung his arms forward the second the binds were cut and snapped the dwarf's neck. But he didn't. The rope pooled to the ground, and Szondi stepped back, the knife vanishing once more into the folds of his coat.
"What do you want from me?" Hikan asked quietly, rubbing his wrists. He was conscience of the blade hidden in his boot, and the feeling of it comforted him. If need be, he could bring down at least two of them, possibly even fight off the third...
"We need your expertise," Dark Hawk wheezed softly. "You've kept Aryn safe for a long time; not the easiest of tasks, at all. And you know the criminal element quite well." Dark Hawk raised his hands as Hikan began to protest, cutting him off with a painful raise of his voice. "That wasn't an insult at all. It's true, you've dealt with scum often, and you know how they think. Aryn has... as he's become more zealous in his attempts to control his workers, he's cracked down on those that could keep the place safe. That's why we're in these costumes, so that anyone who sees his killing camels, fighting off the boogey-men in the night, can't snitch us out by accident. We need you, we need your help."
"It's true," Istrath's avatar admitted. "I championed the hardest against you, but the fact of the matter is you're a necessity."
"Ha, and if I report you all immediately?" Hikan asked.
"Then nothing. We go into hiding and the fortress is less protected. With Stravitch gone and the guard disbanded, no arrests have been made. It's only fear that's kept them in line. We need to keep the guilty scared, we need to keep the innocent full of faith in the system."
Hikan went silent, his face stony. He looked over the motley trio, the expectation visible in their eyes. He slowly shook his head. "I'm not going to wear some fruity outfit."
Szondi turned around, arms folded across his chest. Dark Hawk rolled his eyes expressively behind his mask. "Maybe not a full costume, no, but you'll need to hide your identity. No sense having some farmer recognize you and talk over a drink in the mess."
"I don't know. Can I have time to think about this?"
"No," Istrath's avatar said. "You have to decide now. That way we can decide how to deal with you."
"Of all the..." Hikan snapped. But he took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Fine. Yes, I'll join up, but don't think it's because I like any of you assholes. It's because this is the only way I can see to do my damned job."
"Good. Put his sack back on him. Take him back to his room."
Hikan started to complain, but he was set upon by the trio, burlap sack at the ready. He didn't even bother to fight; what was the point? Better not get a blackened eye or a busted jaw, and get time to figure out how to gracefully, and properly, handle this whole absurd situation.
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Topic: Migrursut: What Comes After The World Ends? [Epilogue] (A Community Fort) (Read 390810 times)