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The sun had climbed higher in the sky and at least an hour had passed since Vitas appearance. She had taken Danil, Eloise and Brill to one side and was addressing them gravely;
'I'm relying on you three.' She began. 'We can't afford to let the enemy get any information out of Elspeth. She's a tough nut to crack, but she's far from invincible, and she has the information vital to the northerners if they're going to try and invade. Me, Ryker, and Lux are going to find her. We'll set out as soon as we're ready. When we've gone, wait until dusk and then leave aswell. Two groups leaving the same location together, especially a bakers, is bound to draw some attention.'
The small group nodded their understanding.
'What do we do once we're out?' Danil asked.
Vita looked at him
'You're going to find the Brawlers guild.' she said. 'The Thieves alone are going to be no match against any possible invading force from the north, plus whoever else they've managed to rally against us by now. Even at our best, we couldn't hope to outmatch them. With the Brawlers behind us, however unreliable they are, we stand a much better chance.'
The trainees saw the sense in this and nodded once more.
Brill cut in with a deep and powerful grunt
'Any ideas where to start looking?'
Vita considered.
'Your best bet is to get into a tavern and get into a fight' she said with a grin. 'The Brawlers guild doesn't listen to anyone who can't prove their worth in the ring. They have a presence in every tavern in the city. They'll find you.'
'Brilliant' said Danil quietly. The subtle approach had apparently gone out of the window.
'It shouldn't be too hard after you've done that to contact one of their senior members. Then it's just a matter of convincing them to help us. I'm sorry I can't give you three more help. Ryker and Lux are going into uncharted territory, and they need all the help they can get.
She said this as she turned from them, and went over to convene with Ryker and Lux.
Eloise piped up now and turned to Danil. Being the most experienced, he'd become the automatic leader of the group without anything being said.
'I don't like this.' she said.
'Neither do I.' agreed Danil. 'But it's necessary if we're going to stop Misteria from being overrun. Those Brawlers are nothing but trouble. They don't like Thieves coming into their territory either.'
They settled down to wait as the other group made their final preparations. When Ryker opened the door to downstairs, he and Lux turned;
'Good luck' Ryker said with a grin. 'Try not to do anything stupid.'
'Aside from getting in to an illegal underground fight?' Danil replied jokingly
'Yeah' he said. 'Aside from that.' Lux wished them good luck aswell, and Vita gave a final 'Be careful' as she shut the door.
With that, the only sounds they heard were the creaks and groans of the rickety bakery.
--------
After what Danil judged to be a long enough wait, going by the low position of the sun and the dimness that had fallen in the room, he stood up and gestured for the others to do the same.
'Time to split' he announced.
They made their way downstairs and passed the baker, on his way to the ovens to take out another batch of bread. They thanked him briefly and continued out, ignoring the quiet remarks of 'Could be killed for this' from behind.
Just before they left the store, each of them unbuckled their long cloaks and reversed them. What had been a seemingly heavy, dark blue and utilitarian cloak was now a flowing traveller's garment, identical to the soft cotton ones being worn by the bustling crowds outside the bakers shop. They made sure their weapons were well concealed but within easy reach, and made their way outside.
As they made their way to the nearest tavern (although near was a relative term) they stuck to the sides of the street, their cowls left down but their collars up, observing the flow of the crowd and running with it. Talibut was a huge, sprawling city. The buildings never tended to stand exactly straight, and rooftops were bunched close together. The cobbles on the streets below were dirty and worn, with a multitude of people milling along them, going to markets and shops, or heading back from their work place. Wherever possible, they would slip unnoticed into a side alley, and reappear on the main streets. Disguise was all well and good, they reasoned, but better not to stay in the open for too long.
After 20 minutes they pulled out silently from a darkened alley. Their destination was in front of them. The Hunters Dog was a unassuming affair when observed from the outside. It's many chimneys smoked calmly from up above, but the group knew that when the sun had set and the small pub was in business, so to would be the brawlers' guild, holding illegal and dangerous fights in the cellars below establishments as these.
They had arrived when the sky was overcast and blood red, staining the cold thoroughfares of the city in an orange dye, and catching in more smoke from the chimneys of the multitude of cooking fires being lit throughout Talibut. In short while, the tired laborers and frequenters of The Hunters Dog would begin arriving and the business of the night would begin.
Danil motioned the others back into the alleyway and lowered his voice.
'Move back a bit. We'll wait here until there's some more customers, then go in'
The other two realized the wisdom of this. Going in as small group would mean they were more likely to be looked at as they walked in, and every set of eyes meant a potential witness that could give the Keeper's guards information on their whereabouts. Better to walk in after another group, so people went back to their drinks before they could be bothered to see who was coming in last.
An hour and a half later, as the evening was turning cool and their cloaks were wrapped tightly around themselves, they looked up as they heard a bark of raucous laughter from down the street, and eyed a large group of men approaching.
'I think this is us' muttered Danil in muted tones. They each melted back into the shadows as the men continued up the street and passed their alley. When Danil judged them to be close enough to the tavern door, he strode boldly out from the shadows, his two companions following in his wake, Eloise pulling her collar up to make her feminine face less noticeable. Women were uncommon in rough cut taverns such as this one.
The men in front pulled the door open and a cacophony of slurred speech and drunken singing emanated from inside. They moved inside in single file, behind their marks. None of the Tavern's customers noticed the three youths walking in casually, by then all their attention returned to their drinks and conversations.
As soon as they were inside, the three of them followed the outside edges of the room, sticking to where the light thrown out by candles and huge hearths was the dimmest to keep their face in shadow. They made their way swiftly to the bar area. Tonight was a busy one, with most of the tables dotted around the wooden floored room occupied. Large tankards filled with ale stood on all of them. There was frantic movement behind the bar as the demands of food an ale from customers were trying to be matched. Danil shouldered his way through two arguing men, retrieved a silver coin from his cloak and knocked it on the bar. One of the staff saw him and moved over to take his order. When his eyes fell upon the youthful face, he grinned conspiratorially.
'What can I get for you three gentlemen?' he asked, before his eyes fell on Eloise standing at the back of the group.
'Pardon Miss. You two gentlemen and a lady'
Eloise surreptitiously hunched her shoulders to push her collar up further while Danil leaned in towards the barman and checked around himself to make sure no one was listening in.
'We're looking for a fight. We've been led to believe the Brawlers guild do some business here...'
The barman gave a short bark of laughter.
'I bet you are! I'm after the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, but that's never going to happen either.'
Danil drew his eyebrows together angrily and began again
'I don't think you understand--'
The barman's smile faded and he regarded the young man before him.
'No sonny. I don't think you understand. I'm fully aware you and your two little friends in those very distinctive clothes are definitely not supposed to be here. So why don't you get the hell out before I make you get out.'
He jerked his eyes towards the door and turned his back on them, reaching up for a tankard hung on pegs above the bar. He only got half way before an iron grip seized him on the back of his collar and pulled him down onto the rough wooden surface he served on. Brills dark, stony eyes appeared before his own and he looked into them. This was no child, he thought. Brill saw the fear in the mans eyes and let him up, dusting off the mans shoulders.
Luckily the majority of the taverns patrons hadn't noticed anything amiss. The ones that had now went back to their conversations as they realized the situation had diffused.
The man, who had looked furious before, had now picked himself off the counter now and was regarding Brill with respect.
'You may be young but you have a hell of a fire in you lad!' he laughed.
The barman stepped back and whistled quickly. A man sitting on a stool at the end of the bar stood up lightly and walked over. The two had a hushed conversation which ended with the man nodding. He gestured to the three trainees now, pointing towards a trap door behind the bar.
'Follow me. I'll get you your fight.'
They descended the long flight of stairs into a large, brightly lit space roughly the size as the floor above. If they thought the main floor was loud, this was twice as so. Whereas the main dining area had a wooden floor and was cramped with tables and chairs, down here was a sandy, worn floor. The room was stuffed to the brim with laughing, drinking men, with the occasional woman in between. A large, round ring stood in a depression in the middle, with wooden slats for sides, and markings painted in red on the floor. At present it was empty.
The bar man pointed to a gesturing figure seated on a high chair at the back of the ring, who was handing out slips of paper to the waving masses below him.
'That's the guy you want to talk to.' their guide said. He winked.
'Have fun.'
He made his way back upstairs as Danil, Eloise and Brill squeezed their way through the sea of onlookers and towards their target. The man looked up as they approached and laughed loudly. Several others around who had noticed did the same.
'What have we here, what have we here?' he said, in a high, manic voice. 'Contenders!?'
'It would appear so, now wouldn't it?' Brill replied steely.
The man smiled broadly at this.
'Yes, so it would appear! A bout is just about to start, but I'm sure we can fit you in after. Matches last as long as it takes for a clear winner to be decided. There's no eye gouging, ear biting, or hitting below the belt. You fight the winner of this one. Take a position at the front there, and enjoy!' he said with a mad smile.
They moved to the front of the ring and were waiting for the round to begin, when the combatants entered the ring.
'Oh my Gods!' Eloise whispered. 'That's who we have to fight?'
The combatants were both huge, and massively built. Their pectoral muscles rippled as they took up fighting stances opposite each other, flexing their tree trunk arms in turn, both trying to find a weakness in the eyes of the other man. They wore only long, flowing cotton trousers fastened at the ankle and waist, the man on the left of them wearing black, the other white. Both were covered entirely in tattoos, with breaks in between for multiple scars to be seen. The men could have been brothers, their shaved heads and thick necks more or less identical.
As they took all this in, final bets were being made. Men shouted about who was more likely to win, judging by their stances and the crazy looks in their eyes. A bell sounded once and the crowds quietened. A moment passed, and another bell sounded. It began.
What the three expected, a quick, darting start to the fight never occurred. The two men circled; testing out the others foot work, making quick jabs towards each other, then pulling back before they committed. This continued for some time, the fighters trying to gauge each others skill. The man in suddenly lunged and didn't pull back. There was a cheer as he landed two blows to the other mans kidneys. The second hit was only glancing however, and the mans opponent managed to compose himself and aim a stomping kick to the ribs of his attacker, who recoiled quickly. Sweat was pouring from them freely, the short spout of action having taken its toll. The crowd was roaring; cheering for their favorites, the atmosphere pure electricity as the fighters engaged once more. They weaved back and forth as blows were exchanged. A straight, lightning fast punch was aimed at the contender in white, which he blocked smoothly with the inside of his right forearm. He countered with an left armed elbow swing aimed at Black's temple, which was swiftly pushed away with the palm of a hand. A wide, backhand fist was swung at White, the man in blacks meaty fist flying through the air audibly. What happened next was so quick the three almost missed it. The fist swung through the air, looking as though it was going to connect solidly into face, but at the last moment, White stepped backward. The man in black, sure of a connection, was suddenly met with no resistance at all. He stumbled forwards, and at the same time, the man in white lifted his knee up savagely into the mans jaw.
There was an audible 'crack' of broken bone, followed by a collective sounds of pain from the crowd as the contender's teeth met in his mouth. The man's eyes rolled up into his head, and he collapsed, unconscious and utterly defeated, to the ground.
A roar went up from the crowd as a winner was realized. The men who had lost their bets sat more gloomily, while those that had won stepped up exuberantly to the bookkeeper claim their prize. A referee stepped into the ring and lifted the man's arm above his head.
'Winner! Yaruk!'
The beast in white cheered at the crowd in a deep, monster sounding tone, and the people gathered there cheered back, pushing their fists up in the air.
Danil had watched the match in wide eyed horror, and now he was seriously considering the sanity of what they had to do. Brill, a person of few words, but quick on the uptake, noticed his disdain.
'Don't worry.' He growled. 'I'll fight him'
Eloise' mouth opened in horror.
'You can't!' 'You'll be killed!' he's not just some meathead, he was fast as well, none of us are a match for him.'
Brill showed one of his rare smiles.
'Well that's a vote of confidence. Don't worry. I'll see you in a minute'
With this, he stood up and made his way to the referee exiting the ring, who pointed him to a preparation room to one side of the fight area. Brill took one last look at Danil at Eloise, who were gazing at him worryingly, before disappearing behind a cloth curtain.
Danil's mind was working furiously as he attempted to think of a strategy to counter the beast of a man he had just witnessed fighting. A contest of strength was out of the question. However strong Brill was, the man he was facing was fully developed and shockingly powerful. A direct punch from him to the head effectively ended the fight. Brill's only chance lay in the martial arts all Thieves were trained in, but even Brill, skilled as he was, was not a master.
His train of thought was cut off as Brill, now in black, and the white trousered mountain entered the ring, both topless, as was custom. A ripple of laughter went through the crowd as they saw the previous winner's new opponent. Hard muscled as Brill was, he looked positively scrawny next to the man he was facing. Bets were made all around. Danil was sure that a huge proportion were placed against his friend.
They took up fighting stances opposite each other, and there was another gaggle of conversation as the onlookers noticed the relaxed and experienced pose Brill fell in to. Last second bets were placed. The room fell silent at the first bell. Then it tolled again to indicate the start of the bout.
There was a loud gasp of astonishment as it almost ended before it had begun. The man in white, Yaruk, had foregone the cursory circling and instead leaped forward and aimed a devastating hook at Brill, who managed to duck just in time. He threw a quick, powerful punch at the man's gut to retaliate. The crowd laughed at the attempt as Yaruk barely seemed to notice it, and cheered as he countered with two quick jabs, which Brill swiftly ducked again.
Brill backed up to give himself some breathing room. The punch he had got in early on had probably hurt him more than his opponent, and he rubbed his knuckles in anguish. He couldn't continue like this. He would tire before he even...
That was it! The huge man in front of him was incredibly powerful, but his extra bulk meant he would tire quickly if he was enraged into attacking without thinking.
As he was thinking, Yaruk had approached slowly, and now threw another punch his way. This time, instead of ducking the strike, he allowed himself to bend to the side, supple like a twig in a breeze. He incapacitated the arm in a lock with his left arm, and followed this up by poking the huge man with his fore and middle fingers, directly into a pressure point located in the neck.
His attacker now grunted in annoyance, and swatted his hand away, but not before Brill jabbed him twice more in the face.
Yaruk was red with rage. He ripped his arm from the lock and advanced once more, swinging his meaty forearm and following up with a sweeping kick from the side. Again Brill dodged and weaved, poking and prodding pressure points and weak spots and allowing his opponent to become angrier and angrier as the incessant youth before him evaded his crushing attacks.
Brills moment came as Yaruk tried to use the same move that had won him the last round. He managed to grab the back of Brills neck in a vice like grip, and brought his knee back to end the fight with one swift attack to the face.
As the knee came forward, Brill wrenched his head back and suddenly moved his leg up to step on the oncoming limb. He tensed and pushed upwards. This and the force behind the knee propelled him upwards and out of Yaruk's grasp, and for a moment he hung, suspended in the air. Yaruk never knew what hit him as Brills elbow came swooping down onto the top of his head, the entire force of his arm, upper body, and gravity behind it. The elbow connected with a sickening 'thunk'. Yaruk slumped to the floor, unconscious, and with a pool of urine spreading around his lower half. The crowd stood in a stunned silence, until suddenly;
'Oi up lads! Shouted a man from the crowd. The yung-uns made 'im piss himself!'
The crowd went wild, cheering and laughing at the impossible move Brill had just pulled off and the defeat of the giant in the white trousers. Danil and Eloise vaulted into the ring to raise Brills arm into the air. Although exhausted, he was otherwise okay. The traditional acceptance of the win by the referee was forgotten as they moved out of the ring, Brill being slapped on the back by those who swore they 'knew he would do it all along' to any who would listen to them, their bets forgotten in din of the extraordinary act they had just witnessed.
Danil and his companions looked up as a shadow fell over them and a large bulk blocked their path. A man stood before them, even more heavily muscled than Brill's defeated opponent, and with a tattoo of an ox emblazoned on his bare shoulder. The man had a small golden fist embroidered on the thigh area of his trousers, and Danil realized this must be one of the senior members of the Brawlers guild.
'Brilliant fight lad. I've never seen something like that before in all my thirty years. What do you call yourself?'
Brill freed himself from his friends grips and stood up a little straighter to meet the man's eye.
'Brill' he said quietly. 'And we have some business to discuss.'