Stealing From Thieves

[Hobolympic 1093]

Long they had trudged through the mud. Rain hailed from the sky, whipping up the earth below them, and staining the armour with droplets of wet dirt. Darius and his friends were looking forward to a well-earned meal and rest, having spent nearly one year on the mainland, ending the rebellion and earning money through the two things they knew best; trade and mercenary work. Velkyn keep was only a few steps ahead, and the encroaching fog had just settled around them. What they expected to meet was a fort overgrown, most likely in need of renovations due to the time spent away. Truth was far away from such an assumption though. With a clear view of the first gate, a banner met their eyes, unlike their own in both pattern and colour. John walked next to Darius, inspecting the gate up front, scratching his head. “This is not ours... and what is this smell?”, he said, squinting his eyes slightly and looking up at the now quite unfamiliar-looking keep.

 

 

“These fools. Who are they? And what happened to the courtyard!” is heard from the back of the group. Darius shakes his head, and proceeds forward to the gate. Pulling out a huge key ring, he grabs one of the attached keys and shoves it into the gate locking mechanism. He soon discovers that the lock doesn't budge at all, nor did it look familiar. He shakes his head, scratching his chin, before he shouts towards the towering fortress.

 

“What is this trickery? Come forth and answer, whoever is inside!”

 

Only the breeze answered, howling in the distance, and the pine trees nearby, shivering slowly in the wind.

 

“John”, Darius said. “Hand me a paper, inkpot and feather. We will let them know of their terrible mistake.”

 

John plops his backpack down on the ground, retrieves the writing kit, and hands it to Darius. Sitting down on the nearby rock, he quickly scribbles down something on the note, and after he has finished, he picks up a smaller stone. Wrapping some rope around it, he tucks the letter under it, and places the stone directly into his palm. He walks forward, the group behind watching quietly as Darius pulls his arm back, aiming at the nearest window, and swings his arm up front, letting go of the heavy stone. It soars through the air and breaks through the glass window.

 

Darius smiles and turns to his men. “I give them three days. Three days to undo this theft."

 

Cold air sifts through the broken window, the stone lies dead on the floor. Attached to it is the letter, with something to tell whoever the owner of the fort is.

 

“Highly esteemed so-called keep commander of Velkyn Keep,

Had I known you would’ve taken what is in our possession behind our very backs, I’d have slit your throat long ago. Velkyn Keep does not belong to you, and my friends and I are far from happy to see our hard work in the hands of someone who holds their honour so cheaply. We demand that the keep is returned to its rightful owners, and that all possessions of ours are left untouched within. Failure to comply will be interpreted as a hostile action, and shall be dealt with accordingly. I expect a letter in response resting in the Kraltan Aviary. You have 3 days.

-Darius Mercer and colleagues"

[DRAGON117op 34]

*The old man watches them from a distance, grumbling under his breath*
"They have taken so much... It must be time to put an end to their little game."
*He spits at the ground, walking off.*