Chapter 1 - part 2After ensuring his wrappings and hood obscured the majority of his face, Demus leaned on the long-since-washed wooden surface and waited for Bassim to approach. He didn't have to wait long before he heard the sound of heavy footsteps thudding against the oak floor and the jingling of facial adornments."What're you drinking?" Bassim asked as he came to a halt in front of Demus. "Actually" Demus replied, his eyes shifting focus from the patrons to the owner, "I was looking to obtain some information on the whereabouts of a certain individual" Demus' hand disappeared inside his cloak before emerging again with a crumpled piece of parchment, which he laid out flat in front of Bassim. "Has this man passed through here within the last few days?" Bassim picked up the picture and inspected it for a few seconds with a look of indifference. "Yeah maybe, maybe not. Who knows?" He put the picture back down and scratched the side of his nose. "I thought you never forgot a face?" Demus replied, his gaze not leaving Bassim's eyes. "Ah, but you see my memory is very hazy these days, I think maybe I could remember if I had a little something to help to process, if you know what I mean?" Demus had expected this might happen, but it was a price worth paying if it meant he got a definite answer - especially if it meant he could come back here in the near future without having to fight his way in. Again he delved into his cloak, this time removing a small sack of silver coins and tossed it in front of Bassim, who quickly and eagerly swept it off of the bar and into his pocket. "Oh I think those coins might be magical, suddenly my memory's coming back to me!" Bassim chuckled as he picked up the paper again. "Yeah he came through here yesterday. Best customer I've had in a while, too; he ate like a horse, paid his tab and left." His smile faded away and he propped himself on his left elbow. "What's your business with him anyway? If Demus told him he was chasing a bounty word might get out, and then he'd have competition. He tried to avoid the question "You needn't burden yourself with such useless information. Now tell me, which direction did he leave in?" "Maybe I'm just curious, huh? Maybe I need a few more of those magical coins of yours?" Bassim pressured. He mulled his options over for a few seconds, but figured it couldn't be helped. Even if he did have to beat other bounty hunters to it, he'd have a head start. "I've been offered a reasonable reward for his head." The wry smile that had been persistant on Bassim's face up until now suddenly disappeared. "No no no no, I don't help bounty hunters track down my customers, no way, this conversation's over." "Damnit!" Demus thought to himself. He hadn't expected this and he needed that information one way or another. Even worse, mercenaries hated bounty hunters; he needed to shut Bassim up fast. He quickly withdrew another two coin bags from his clothing. "Are you sure? I can make it worth your while..." Demus said as he threw the two pouches in front of Bassim. "No way, you'd need more than a few silver to make me sell out to a bounty hunter." He instantly pushed them back toward Demus, "this is meant to be a sanctuary. If people start thinking I'll sell them down the river, then who's gonna keep coming here, huh? All my customers will be gone and I'll be broke!" Bassim went to turn away, but before he could do so Demus' hand shot out like a bolt of lightning and wrapped its fingers around the large gold bar through Bassim's nose before slamming it down - along with the rest of his face - onto the hard wooden counter. This evoked a rather loud cry of pain from Bassim and immediately people in the vicinity stopped and turned to stare at the spectacle, unsure of how to react. "You're going to tell me which way he went, if I have to beat it out of you." "Fuck you!" Bassim muttered through pained, stifled breaths, "GUARDS! GET THIS SON OF A BITCH OFF ME!" Immediately Demus could see the helmets of several of the hired muscle moving behind the crowd toward him. He quickly counted three to his right and two to his left. If he let go of Bassim to fight, he'd get away, and if he didn't he might get killed. Turning back to his captive, Demus found he'd unwittingly provided a solution. The barman's chunky fist was wrapped around a dagger intended for Demus' neck. He relinquished his grasp on the nose piercing and grabbed the offending hand, twisting it round until Bassim let out an anguished yelp and dropped the knife. Demus instantly caught it, slammed the now empty hand down on the bar, and with horrendous force, drove the dagger through it, straight down to the hilt. An even louder scream errupted from Bassim, who was now firmly nailed to his own bar. "That should keep him still for a while." The two guards on his left emerged from the crowd, swords drawn. Seeing their employer, their eyes involuntarily widened a little and they paused, assessing the bizarre situation. They quickly regained their wits, however; "Kill him! Cut his damn head off and bury him!" Bassim yelled. They didn't need telling twice; both immediately made their way toward Demus, just as the other three found their way into the semi-circular ring formed by the patrons. The first swung his sword with his right hand, aiming for Demus' neck. Demus swiftly moved toward him, inside the sword's reach. Simultaneously, he gripped the forearm with his left hand, and drove his right -clenched in a fist- precisely into his assailant's throat. Before he could fall to the floor choking and the guard next to him could react, however, Demus positioned his leg behind his victim's, and flung him into the second, sending them both tumbling into the crowd. The three behind him were now in striking distance, and the closest lunged forward in attempt to run him through. Demus instinctively knew the ameteur had put too much force behind it, and turned his body so that the blade narrow missed his gut. Sure enough, |
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