"Aah"
Saho grimaced as the punch landed on his stomach, doing his best not to vomit all over his captor. Another punch, his knees buckled, but the two guys holding him made sure he stayed on his feet.
A hand grabbed his neck, pushing his chin upwards, making him look into his eyes, eyes which conveyed anger and cruelty which Thomson have been holding in but not for much longer.
"Listen Saho, tell me where that orb is, otherwise I will make sure the gutter from where I picked you from feels like a thousand times better where I will put you.
" I swear to Elena, it was the Philanders who ambushed us. We were outnumbered, I was the only one who got away. "
"How the fuck did Philanders get wind of this? " Thomson growled.
"I... don't know" Saho barely managed to stutter fearing another punch.
Thomson looked at the crying boy in front of him. A gaunt, frail-looking boy who was more than a head shorter than him. He couldn't possibly be lying to him. Still, he didn't want to take any chances.
"Hundi, take him and put him in prison. "
The large guy to the right of Saho bowed his head and started dragging him out of the hall. Saho did his best to get on his feet, holding his pain in, getting dragged along the stone floor and stairs wouldn't be a good experience.
Their gang headquarter, although looked small from the outside had a lot of space inside. The old building had changed hands many times in the past few hundred years. The not so artistic mix of marble, bricks and different kinds of flooring showed the repairs which took place over the years.
Passing several corridors, stairs, they reached the front door of the basement. Left to which was another set of stairs that went further down to where the prisoners were held. Anyone who pissed their boss, or if a merchant got lucky and made a good haul had his children kidnapped would also find their stay here.
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In a small, damp and dark room, Saho sat with his back against the wall, the cold stone floor sent chills down his spine but he was too tired to notice it now. After two more visits from Hundi to enquire if he had managed to remember something else and a few rounds of beatings he was barely conscious now.
He was so thirsty that he didn't even notice the hunger. He only craved water now.
It was long past evening when someone arrived with some food and water. Saho drank greedily and by the time he put the bucket of water down and noticed the empty mug and a bowl of broth on the floor the guard had already left.
Holding the bowl, he ate hurriedly while it was still warm. Satisfied he tried to lie on the floor to get some sleep, a small cry left his lips.
"You there alright kiddo? " A voice came from the adjacent room, it was slightly hoarse giving away the years behind it.
"Yeah, just some bruised ribs" replied Saho shifting to the other side and moving his arm under his head to act as a pillow.
The old man sighed, "you shouldn't have pissed that monster off. I once went against his orders and now am stuck here. There are days when I regret ever crossing him. As you see there isn't much here to do but to mull over your misery. Anyhow what got you here? "
Saho stayed silent for a while, thinking that the old man would have heard the shouting guard asking about the orb already. So it didn't matter if he talked about it.
"I don't know really, I knew the orb was important to Mr Thomson, but I let it get taken away," Saho said in a low voice, even speaking slowly hurt as the cuts across his lips had clotted by now.
"Nah, he just wanted to vent his anger and you just were there. What did expect a kid to do against the Philanders by himself? " Said the old man doing nothing to hide his resentment.
"It's ok, I just need to stay here for a week or so and I will be alright. "
"Its sure is fun to be young, smiling even after that beating".
" I was an orphan, begging in the streets, wouldn't have survived another winter if it wasn't for the boss. He picked me up even taught me a martial skill. I am rank 1 and in a few years would progress to rank 2. So it's only right for me to repay him". The words sounded like Saho was trying to convince himself as much as the old man. But it did comfort him and provided some warmth in the cold night.
"Well, working for him sure is better than dying out there. So how did you even lose that orb"? Asked the old man
" Those fuckers from the Philander gang must have found somehow. By the time we noticed anything weird we were already surrounded. I was at the back. During the fighting, I was able to get away. But the commotion must have tipped off a large number of people and even if they got the orb, it should still be in the town.
They talked some more. Mostly the old man rambled on and on about how he was wronged. As the night grew darker his eyelids grew heavier and soon he was asleep.