"Was it poisonous?" It took a little bit of searching but I managed to find a tanner/leatherworker in Lork (you'd think with all the morons coming and going and blowing money someone would want something as a reminder? Or new pants? but no none of that here).
"Look lets just skip this discussion and you just make a belt out of it, if you could feature the head on the buckle that would be great." I didn't want to get angry at him, its one of those things that people get wrong all the time, and getting angry doesn't help. He looked dumb founded but agreed to do as I asked and I provided the coin to get things going (where I got money back then was mostly from the pockets of the dead, I've omitted these parts from the story as its rather boring). I'd been cooling my heels for two whole days in Lork, Lorissia had appeared once to tell me that things were going "Ok" and then disappeared back into the Blooming Rose, I swear I thought she was ditching me to entertain herself (she was, I guess when you've been raised in a martial church the idea of being all about you is lost). Oh I almost forgot she also got more money from me, apparently she didn't have any, yeah so I was bankrolling her good time and waiting around for her to find Mervis (Yes as if being ugly wasn't enough his name was Mervis, I mean my name is Trezlan for gods sake and I could make fun of him). I was cursing the waiting when I ran right into a mountain of flesh.
"Where's Morley?" No excuse me, no how do you do? Nope right to the where's someone I met once five years ago.
"See you're off, you're supposed to say excuse me." There were two of them, the smaller one talked, the larger one who ran into me (that's my story and I'm sticking to it) just spoke with what he had been given, his rather large fists. The large one introduced himself by hitting me in the gut with a solid left right combination that had me gasping for air (you'd think I'd learn to just burn first and ask questions later, but no, no I always mouth off and end up paying the price). I was about to offer a follow up suggestion of civility, but all I got was a large boot the face and the darkness of unconciousness. When I awoke I was tied to a chair, gagged, naked, and I swear I felt slippery, I don't want to think about the slippery part.
"Mr. Lorentino I want to dispense with the bullshit, you are gagged so I don't have to listen to your whining and pleas for your life, I want to find Morley, you're going to help me, you either nod yes, or swing your head no. I will warn you, if you say no my associate will break one finger on your hand for each no, starting with you right hand." Small man was talking again, room was dark, a single lamp illuminated it, I wasn't blindfolded (bad sign, if someone blind folds you they anticipate letting you go and don't want you telling others what you look like, if they don't, well don't expect to live).
"Do you know where Morley is?" Now see the real answer here is no. I had to say no, I was already starting one finger down. I looked at my right hand in a solemn answer of sorry, the large man snapped my index finger up, it broke like a shiver of pain, I screamed against the gag and felt more trapped than I had prior to the finger going up.
"Will you help us find Morley." I started sobbing against the gag a little bit, I didn't want to say no, my hand begged me to say yes. But honestly I didn't want to find Morley, I didn't want to know what these two wanted with him, and so with regret I shook my head no and my middle finger was broken in kind. The little man took a moment and came close to me, his eyes beady little things stood apart on an overly large forehead (he wasn't bald but his hair was losing the fight with that that massive head).
"Trezlan I know this hurts you, and I want you to know I just want to find Morley, I don't care about you at all, so just cooperate ok, because if you don't we'll have to get creative after we break all of your fingers." That's the rub, "creative" I've been there believe me, my creativity is admittedly limited (well it was once, I now have access to things that would make these two look like rank amateurs, which they admittedly honestly were), but the threat is always there, "talk with us now or suffer until you die." I sighed and wimpered a little bit, the little man pointed to the bigger man and he withdrew from beside me.
"I'll give you sometime to figure this out Trezlan, think about it please for the sake of being able to hold something ever again." I did think about it, a lot, and part of what I thought of was what the little guys eyes would look like on a new belt, see thats the thing with messing with me. You may think you have the upper hand, but history has shown, no one keeps me down forever. Even governments have eventually fallen to the might of Trezlan Lorentino. These two would prove no different. First mistake? Leaving someone who conjures fire alone in a room not shackled with some kind of anti magical thing! I mean come on thats like magic 101!
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