Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Wilting Away (Part 8)

Unhappy worgen weren't exactly the most appealing thing to look at. The creatures weren't exactly appealing as it was, much less so when they were trying to express displeasure. Watching their toothed appearance bend downward and their eyes narrow, and their ears fall somewhere between slicked back and perked up. Nothing about it was pleasant to see.

It was even worse when such an expression was directed at you.

Simmons couldn't help but feel that, given the proper opportunity, Redamous might do a few unpleasant things to him at present. After intense debate, much of which had consisted of Simmons and the elf proposing different ideas followed by Redamous swiftly ruling that they were nonsensical, the trio had finally managed to come to a conclusion that didn't completely make the worgen wish to murder the other two.

When it became apparent that he wasn't going to allow a collar around his neck, nor a muzzle on his face, they did the next best thing they could come up with. They tied a rope to each of their belts, so that the two of them were tied to the worgen, and he to them. At the very least it might give the impression that they had captured some wild beast, for long enough that should anyone attempt to consider it, they wouldn't realize how stupid their method of containment was until the three were far gone.

The other two had of course used the glamours Xanthe had brought to take on the appearance of the guards they had recently relieved of consciousness, and were looking properly elven in turn. Xanthe seemed almost perturbed by the change, not that Red could blame her. Going from one near withering to at least appearing healthy probably wasn't the most pleasing change, especially knowing it was all an illusion.

Simmons was taking the difference a bit better. He stood at one of the windows, having cleared off some of the dust, and was slowly making faces. The palm of Red's hand hadn't left his face for at least a solid minute. Apparently Simmons caught on to the fact that the attention in the room was on him, and finally turned, motioning to himself, "How do I look?"

Redamous finally pried his hand from his face, "Like a damned prick. Can we get this over with now."

The other man frowned, letting out a sigh. Bringing a hand up, he pointed to the worgens hat, "After you take that off." Shooting his eyes up at the thing, the worgen just canted a brow. Simmons crossed his arms, "You're supposed to be some feral animal. Feral animals don't tend to do hats."

With no small amount of grumbling, the worgen reached up, pulling that hat off and leaving his head bare. Once the thing was tucked firmly in his belt, he motioned towards the door, "Go."

Appearing at least somewhat smug, Simmons made for the door, Xanthe following close behind, the worgen getting tugged along. Hitting the streets, Red couldn't help but feel the numerous gazes people were giving him. Every now and then he shot a glance at the crowds to make sure that no one was prepared to make a fuss, only to find looks of sheer horror peering back at him. He couldn't help but snort. These people had demons running around their city. Like hell if he should upset them.

Eventually he determined that despite the odd sight, no one appeared to be overly concerned with their proceeding down the roads. A few of the guards gave them queer looks, but the moment one of the other two muttered the word "Menagerie" they shut their gobs and kept going. Soon enough they had crossed a number of city blocks, and managed to keep going, stopping only when Xanthe needed to determine which way they should be going. The deeper into the city they drew, Red couldn't help but wonder if she even knew where the hell they were supposed to be going anyway.

It wasn't until they stopped in front of a barred door, having tucked into another set of dark alleys, that he regained a bit of that lost faith. Another set of guards stood in front of it, both of them raising their weapons when they came closer. Simmons raised a hand, hoping it would set them at ease. Red's jaw clenched when he realized the man was probably prepared to open his mouth and spew out something on Common, letting out a sigh of relief when Xanthe beat him to the punch.

He couldn't understand a lick of what the woman said, but she appeared to say it well enough. The guards gave the worgen an odd look, but one eventually produced a large ring of keys. As he turned to unlock the door, Xanthe turned to the worgen, muttering a short request under her breath.

The second guard had barely raised his head to note the worgen approach them. Within a moment the beast had grabbed them both by the throat, with the guard who had been unlocking the door facing in the opposite direction, and slammed their heads against the wall, releasing them to allow their limp bodies to fall to the ground. Smirking, Red reached up, turning the key in the lock and pulling the door open. It took a bit of shoving to get it to open enough for them to walk through, given the unconscious elves pressed against it. Closing it behind them and locking it once more, they began their descent once more into the bowels of the city.

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