“Of course, I hadn’t forgotten. I’d rather not walk around this mine aimlessly.” Xerxes says to his comrade as they fully enter the mine. He knew that information was paramount in successfully completing this mission. He correctly assumed, however, that the quintet of men that originally guarded the entrance would not have any information that would benefit the quest. They were, for lack of better terms, expendable hence the fate they met.
As they walked, Xerxes decided to break the monotonous silence and ask about the dark weapon in his right hand, Breaker. It was striking and masterfully crafted, something that caught Xerxes’ eye as soon as he saw it. Ikazuchi did not have the weapon when they first met a short time prior so he was curious just where he found such a weapon. During their conversation, Xerxes learned that Ikazuchi himself had crafted this weapon as a culmination of everything he learned after secluding himself for two years in the Worth Woodsea wilderness. This weapon was the direct result of his knowledge, his blood, his sweat, and his tears. Xerxes could only marvel at the craftsmanship of the weapon and silently wondered to himself if Ikazuchi’s talents could repair his family’s heirloom, the Spear of Horus. The spear had not been touched in some time but, if he had made such a weapon from scratch, Ikazuchi might be the one to do it. While briefly mentioning the spear, Xerxes sought it best to bring up his request at a later point. Excited at the prospect of returning his family’s most treasured possession to its original glory, Xerxes continues ahead with renewed vigor.
As they continued forward, Xerxes suddenly stops talking and raises his hand up. He could faintly hear the sounds of footsteps approaching. “Someone’s coming.” He whispers as he begins to draw his spear. Before fully unsheathing it, he stops; remembering Ikazuchi’s words of capturing one of the men first in order to interrogate them for information. “Old habits…” he mumbles to himself while sheathing as he opts for a different approach. He skulks ahead, keeping his center of gravity low towards the ground as he spots the source of the footsteps he heard earlier. It was a miner, one who was surprisingly larger than Xerxes himself, carrying a pickaxe casually slung across his right shoulder. Xerxes knew that he had to do this quickly and quietly as to not alert everyone in the mine of their presence just yet. He creeps closer, perfectly blending in the shadows as to not startle his prey. Inching closer, he comes within a few feet of the man, smelling his overpowering cologne with disgust. Seizing his opportunity, Xerxes sneaks up and puts the man in a chokehold, tightly locking his arms around the man’s neck. His pickaxe clangs against the ground as the man attempts to scream but finds himself unable to. In a desperate effort to get Xerxes off his back, he continually rams his back against the mine walls. Pain shoots throughout the Desiertian’s body as he is repeatedly rammed into the wall, however his grip around the man’s neck remains as tight as ever.
During the scuffle, Xerxes could faintly hear more approaching footsteps, likely another miner or two in the area that decided to investigate the noises. “Ikazuchi…if you please.” Xerxes says as he shakes his head over in the direction of the sound before being violently rammed into the wall again. Deciding to once again focus his attention on the man, he plants his feet on the ground, using his superior strength to keep the man at bay before tightening the grip. The man begins to weaken as he drops to a knee, the hold still locked in. He furiously attempts to grab the pickaxe at his feet but Xerxes transitions the choke into a grapevine around the man’s burly frame before the man passes out.
“Hey…wake up.” Xerxes says as he forcefully slaps the man across the face. The man slowly comes out of his haze and attempts to lunge towards Xerxes but finds himself tightly tied up to a pillar with chains. He goes to speak but finds that his mouth has been taped shut. The man glances around, seeing the dead bodies of his comrades lying about Ikazuchi standing in the midst of them with Breaker drawn while Xerxes remains slightly to the man’s left. “Oh good, you’re awake.” Xerxes says as he uses the man’s shirt to wipe the blood from the tip of his spear. The man attempts to lunge once more but is restrained by the chains. “Really?” the Desiertian sighs as he walks away from the man while dragging the bladed point of his spear on the ground. “So, here’s how this is going to go. In a moment, I’m going to remove that tape from your mouth and you are going to tell us everything we want to know about this mine. How many people are here, the most profitable locations in this mine and so on. Now, I want you to think about something before we remove that tape. Look around you, take a good look around you. Do you see what happened with your friends? Most of this was his handiwork but we both can do a lot more. You peacefully give us the information that we require and you are good to go. You can leave and likely never hear from us again.”
Suddenly, Xerxes closes the gap and stabs the tip of the spear into the ground, mere centimeters away from the man’s groin. He lets out a muffled scream as his face turns white, desperately attempting to escape. Xerxes’ features darken as he leans his face closer to the man’s and begins to speak once more. “However, if you attempt to spit on my generosity, if I hear anything coming out of your mouth that is not what my partner and I want to hear, my spear will meet your spear. Understand?” All traces of defiance gone; the man readily nods in agreement as a smile spread across Xerxes’ face. “I’m glad we are in agreement.” He says as he rises up, removing the tape as he does so. He leaves the spear in place as a message that his words were serious. “Come on now. Please don’t keep us waiting.”
WC: 1,059
TWC: 2,274/2,250 (10% WCR)