Tamma opened the door a crack, leaving a gap just wide enough for one of Daego's eyes to be visible. "You found some girls that are willing to help us out?" the hunter asked.
"Yeah, I did. And they wanna come inside. Open the door some they can come in."
Tamma stepped back and pulled the door wide open. Both her and Miwah let out a loud gasp when they were greeted by a pair of big, grungy men standing in the middle of the doorway. Daego stood in front of them, his confident smile gone and replaced with sheer disappointment.
"Never thought you'd be useful," the biggest man said. With one arm he pushed Daego to the side and stepped in the room. He was just as tall as the door frame itself. His wide girth blocked the light that came from the hallway, making the room a shade darker. The man's tattered white top covered next to none of his arms and chest. Black stubble covered his square jaw while a dingy bandana pinned down his unruly black hair. He smiled, flashing his yellowed jagged teeth and the gaps in between them.
As the massive man entered the room, Miwah and Tamma began to put their hands over their necklaces. He quickly raised one, his eyes darting between the two Purifiers as his sadistic grin made them pause. "Hold on now. I know what you two ladies are capable of. Don't go about using your magic just yet."
He stepped to the side, revealing a group mangily dressed people behind. Each man bore the look of anger, as they peered into the room. Miwah and Tamma turned towards each other, staring with widen eyes. "Cutthroats," Miwah said in disgust as she faced the small crowd standing outside the doorway.
"That's right!" the bandit replied with a nod of his head. Daego stood with his back turned, slowly creeping to the door. "This guy here has been luring prospective suckers here for us to loot for who knows how long!" The brute grabbed Daego by shoulder and made him face the Purifiers. His eyes shied away from the women's contemptuous glares. "Be sure to thank him. If you ever get the chance, that is!" He ended his statement with a gargling laugh as he shoved Daego to the ground.
"What do you want from us?" Tamma declared, jumping from her bed while still clutching the Beacon tight. "It wouldn't take much for us to cut you and the rest of your boys down to size!"
"Let me introduce first. My name's Wystan." He advanced another step into the room, prompting the two women to clutch their Beacon's tighter. Wystan paused his movement but maintained his grin. "You've met the leaders of our gang, right? Narrita and Horace?"
"Of course," Miwah replied sternly. "Oh." The seamstress tapped her finger on her chin and looked up at the ceiling in feigned bewilderment. "And there was a third one there, correct? A snake I believe?"
"You always manage to bring that up, don't you lass?" Tamma's response was accompanied with a swift eye roll. "Even at the most inopportune of times."
"That's exactly why we had to bring every single Cutthroat resting in this inn to come to this floor. The rest of the gang is busy out searching for you. But lucky me!" Wystan pointed to himself with his thumb as he angled his body to the side, flashing the holster to his cutlass towards Miwah. "I managed to find you two! Narrita offered a hefty reward to anyone that managed to kill you. An even steeper sum if you two were brought in alive."
"Please!" Daego cried out as he darted between Wystan and the other two. "I thought you were just going to take the necklaces!"
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
The grin on the Cutthroat vanished. He raised his hand and smacked Daego with the back of it, sending him to the ground on his back. "Narrita doesn't care what happens to ya. Or the rest of the staff in this raggedy old place! As far as we're concerned, everyone in this building is collateral!" In a flash, Wystan reached for the hilt of his blade and withdrew his weapon. The tip of the sword stopped inches away from Miwah's face. "And that's why you two aren't going to use that wild magic that you used to kill one of our own!"
"What do you mean?" a startled Tamma shouted back. She kept her hand on her necklace and held it an inch away from her heart.
"The moment you two transform, I'm sending the rest of my men to take out anyone they can in this place!" Wystan turned towards his men. They all nodded in compliance.
"You wouldn't do that!" Daego shouted as he pulled on Wystan's arm. "We've been housing you and the rest of the Cutthroats for years!"
The bandit pulled his arm away, freeing it in with a single tug. "There's plenty of other places that would be honored to house a gang like us. Besides, we won't have to resort to such violent measures if these two girls just comply." Wystan stretched out one hand with the palm opened wide. "Hand them over. You don't want the blood of the kind people of this establishment on your hands? Do you?"
"There's no way the two of you can take them all," Yalch said with a sigh.
"I have half a mind to let them try their luck after the way the patrons of this place have been treating us," Tamma said as she reluctantly pulled her Beacon over her head.
"You must be the smart one." Wystan snatched the dangling jewel from Tamma's hand. He eyed the stone with lust before facing Miwah. "Come on now," he said while tapping his foot. "Not like we got all day. Go ahead and follow your friend's example."
Miwah looked up at Yalch. With sorrowed eyes, he nodded. The seamstress did the same as the hunter and removed her necklace and handed it over to the Cutthroat. "Ah! That went much easier than expected!" Wystan said with a long grin. He stashed the loot into a pouch tied to his waist before walking towards the door.
"What are we going to do with these two?" one of the other bandits asked with sword drawn and pointed towards the pair of Purifiers.
"Take them down to the cellar. There's only one way to exit. We'll leave them there until Narrita comes back. She'll decide what to do with them." With a hearty laugh, Wystan parted through his comrades and dangled the pouch of necklaces above his head. "You guys decide among yourselves who's going to keep watch of these two. The rest of you are welcome to join in the feast on the ground floor. Free food and drinks for every Cutthroat!"
The bandits burst into an uproar. Among the ruckus, one man could be heard asking "who is paying?" Wystan turned around; his head tilted back from his laughter. "The owner of the inn, of course!" The Cutthroats continued their raucous cheering as most of the gang stormed down the steps. A few of the other tenants of the inn stepped out of their room to see what the source of the noise was before hastily returning to the safety of their quarters upon the realization that the Cutthroats were on the march.
Three bandits remained behind, all with their swords on the ready. The one closet to Miwah and Tamma gestured towards the door with his thumb. "Come on now. We're not missing the feast for you two!" he barked. The remaining Cutthroats seized Miwah and Tamma by their arm and pulled the pair towards the door. Daego rushed behind, closing the door as he left. From the rear of the procession, he watched as the Cutthroats mumbled about their upcoming meal while Miwah and Tamma gave him scornful stares as they were taken down the hall.
Daego placed one finger to his lips, indicating to the Purifiers to remain silent. Both shook their hands and faced forward once more. Daego trailed close behind, keeping close to the group but not enough to draw the attention of the bandits. With careful movement, trailed the others down the steps. After a sharp turn through the tumultuous dining area, they disappeared through a door in the back of the room. He waited in anticipation, ignoring the sounds coming from the rest of the room.
In a matter of minutes, the three men emerged from the door leading to the cellar. The same Cutthroat that led the group down took a chair form the dining room and wedged it between the door and ground. He then gave it a firm tug, nodding upon realizing that it was secured. After some self-congratulation, the trio of bandits joined the rest of the gang in celebration.