(belated) Birthday Fic for Imladra!
Title: The Bounty
Fandom: Tsubasa RC
Characters: Kurogane, Fai
Rating: PG
Notes: This is a Sword and Sorcery type AU written for Imladra’s birthday.
The border town was lively in a rough sort of way. A resupply stop on the trade routes, it also catered to less savory modes of business far removed as it was from the more civilized cities. Most importantly, it had a small office of the guard where one could collect bounties.
Kurogane walked down the dry, packed dirt road that served as the center of town heading determinedly towards that building. Behind him he could hear whispers starting up as the occupants of the town observed the sword by his side and the man trailing behind him, blonde head bowed, manacles around each wrist and ankle. The chain connecting his ankles gave enough slack for him to walk but not run. More chains ran from each wrist to the iron collar around his neck. Kurogane had a firm hold on those chains and seeing the attention his captive was attracting, gave a slight tug. The blonde stumbled forward. He walked through the open door of the guard’s outpost, noting the just barely visible cells in the back of the building. There were several gasps of surprise as the guards looked up from their dice game and saw his prisoner. Kurogane stopped in the middle of the room, feet planted solidly on the rough wooden floorboards and paused for a moment, feeling the stares of guards and townsfolk alike.
Kurogane grinned. “I am here to collect the bounty for the wizard Fai D. Flowright.”
There was a stunned moment of complete silence before clusters of disbelieving chatter broke out. The guard captain pulled down a wanted poster from the wall and approached the pair. He studied the picture on the poster and the chained man before him. Kurogane used the hand that was holding the chains to push the notorious wizard’s head up so the captain could get a better look. Throughout the entire conversation the wizard stood listlessly, staring blankly at a wall. After a long moment the guard captain nodded. “It’s him alright. I don’t know how you managed to capture him, but it’s him.”
Kurogane pushed Fai forward a few steps. “Now that that’s settled I’ll hand him over to you and collect the reward.”
The guard eyed the mage warily and made no move to take him.
Kurogane crossed his arms and snorted. “The chains are strong and tight and he’s pretty worthless without his spell components.”
“You searched him thoroughly?” The captain asked.
“You think I’m an idiot?” Kurogane glared at the man.
The captain cleared his throat. “Well where are his spell books and artifacts? We can take charge of them.”
Kurogane shrugged. “The bounty is for him, not for his stuff. I sold everything else to some traders we camped with the other night.”
The guard captain frowned, but handed over a heavy pouch of coins. He motioned two of his guards to escort the prisoner to the cells. Cautiously, each took hold of a chain and guided the wizard away, careful not to get too close.
~~~~**~~~~
Kurogane settled into a table at the inn. Two silver coins got him a meal, a room for the night, and a heavy pack of provisions. He placed another silver on the table. “Keep the ale coming.”
The buxom serving wench rubbed against him invitingly, but he was far more interested in the mug of dark brown ale and bowl of heavy beef stew that she brought. He managed to get through most of his meal before the other patrons of the inn mustered up the courage to approach him.
“I can’t believe anyone managed to capture Fai D. Flowright. Most bounty hunters don’t even try.” A tall, stocky man spoke up first.
“We all thought that bounty would never be filled.” Another man added.
“How did you do it?” The first man continued.
Kurogane grunted and washed down the last of his stew with a large swallow of ale. “I don’t share my secrets.”
“But how did you overcome his magic? Are you a mage too?” A third, scrawnier man spoke up.
Kurogane just gave him a look. Mages did not carry impressive looking swords.
The man swallowed hard and backed down.
The first man sat at his table, ignoring Kurogane’s warning look. “We understand you don’t want to share tricks of the trade with potential competition, but it’s no fun to celebrate good fortune alone.”
Kurogane glared at him. “Fortune had nothing to do with it and I prefer not to be surrounded by idiots. If you want to drink then go catch your own bounty.”
The man’s expression darkened and his voice carried a warning tone. “You’re being rather rude.”
Kurogane stood up, drained that last of his ale, put the mug down firmly on the table and punched the man in the face. Within moments the inn was embroiled in a full fledged brawl.
~~~~**~~~~
After being gingerly shoved into a cell by the two nervous guards, Fai sat on the floor and leaned back against the prison wall. He drew his knees up to his chest and looped his still chained arms around his knees. He started humming softly to himself.
After a while a guard approached and banged the hilt of his sword on the metal bars. “Cut that out!”
Fai titled his head towards the man and stared at him. The guard shifted nervously.
A commotion in the front room grabbed their attention. Over the noise Fai heard someone yell, “Bar fight!” The guards quickly scrambled, leaving only two behind to watch the cells.
Fai smiled and hummed while he released the hidden latches on his wrist cuffs. Reaching down he opened the manacles around his ankles. A quick tug on the collar divested him of that as well. He reached behind his neck and pulled two vials from inside his shirt collar. One contained sand; the other held scented oil. Fai stood and walked to the door of his cell. With one finger he traced a design on the lock in oil. A few softly chanted words and the lock clicked open.
He walked into the front room, smiled and waved at the two remaining guards. “Hello!”
The guards cursed, reaching for their weapons. Fai blew a handful of sand at them. Both guards dropped instantly. Fai walked out of the guard house, sticking to the shadows, leaving the snoring guards behind.
~~~~**~~~~
Kurogane waited until the guards were thoroughly immersed in the bar fight. He slung his pack over a shoulder, picked up the nearest combatant and threw him out the inn’s back window. It shattered nicely. Mindful of the shards of glass, Kurogane climbed out of the window and slipped unnoticed down the ally.
Fai was already waiting when he reached the clearing where they had hidden their horses and Fai’s pack. He sat on a bolder, manacles slung carelessly over one shoulder. Kurogane had asked him once why he had a set of manacles with a fake lock and a safety catch, but at Fai’s slow, lascivious smirk had quickly declared he didn’t want to know.
“Hey.” Kurogane pulled out a meat pastry from the sack the innkeeper had sold him. “I got food.”
Fai was off the rock and wrapping his arms around Kurogane’s neck before he could blink. “My hero!” He gave the swordsman an enthusiastic kiss on the cheek before grabbing the proffered pastry.
Kurogane saddled the horses while Fai ate, delicately wolfing down the food. It was a contradiction Kurogane had never been able to get his head around in the year he’d traveled with the wizard. Fai finished the pastry and licked each of his fingers clean in a way that made Kurogane wish they weren’t in a hurry.
Instead he mounted his horse and waited for Fai to follow. “Next time, we get a real job. To many stunts like this one and pretty soon I’ll have a bounty on my head to match yours.”
Fai waved a hand dismissively. “You worry too much.” He turned his mare to follow Kurogane’s lead. “We were starving and it had been weeks since our last paying job. For all the inconvenience of having a bounty on my head, it’s only fair that it occasionally comes in useful.”
Kurogane snorted. He had never asked what Fai had done to make King Ashura personally put such a large bounty on the wizard’s head and while Fai treated the whole affair with his usual cheerful indifference, he was not very forthcoming with details. “I’m serious. I’m a swordsman not a con artist.”
“Well if you weren’t so picky about jobs we could have a nice easy position guarding a caravan.”
“Like hell am I working for Fuuma.”
Fai sighed and let it go. “Well with luck the next town we come to will have a dragon that needs slaying, or at the very least a couple of orcs.”
“Tch. It better.”
Fai laughed and urged his horse closer to Kurogane’s, trying to dig in the sack for more pastries.
Fandom: Tsubasa RC
Characters: Kurogane, Fai
Rating: PG
Notes: This is a Sword and Sorcery type AU written for Imladra’s birthday.
The border town was lively in a rough sort of way. A resupply stop on the trade routes, it also catered to less savory modes of business far removed as it was from the more civilized cities. Most importantly, it had a small office of the guard where one could collect bounties.
Kurogane walked down the dry, packed dirt road that served as the center of town heading determinedly towards that building. Behind him he could hear whispers starting up as the occupants of the town observed the sword by his side and the man trailing behind him, blonde head bowed, manacles around each wrist and ankle. The chain connecting his ankles gave enough slack for him to walk but not run. More chains ran from each wrist to the iron collar around his neck. Kurogane had a firm hold on those chains and seeing the attention his captive was attracting, gave a slight tug. The blonde stumbled forward. He walked through the open door of the guard’s outpost, noting the just barely visible cells in the back of the building. There were several gasps of surprise as the guards looked up from their dice game and saw his prisoner. Kurogane stopped in the middle of the room, feet planted solidly on the rough wooden floorboards and paused for a moment, feeling the stares of guards and townsfolk alike.
Kurogane grinned. “I am here to collect the bounty for the wizard Fai D. Flowright.”
There was a stunned moment of complete silence before clusters of disbelieving chatter broke out. The guard captain pulled down a wanted poster from the wall and approached the pair. He studied the picture on the poster and the chained man before him. Kurogane used the hand that was holding the chains to push the notorious wizard’s head up so the captain could get a better look. Throughout the entire conversation the wizard stood listlessly, staring blankly at a wall. After a long moment the guard captain nodded. “It’s him alright. I don’t know how you managed to capture him, but it’s him.”
Kurogane pushed Fai forward a few steps. “Now that that’s settled I’ll hand him over to you and collect the reward.”
The guard eyed the mage warily and made no move to take him.
Kurogane crossed his arms and snorted. “The chains are strong and tight and he’s pretty worthless without his spell components.”
“You searched him thoroughly?” The captain asked.
“You think I’m an idiot?” Kurogane glared at the man.
The captain cleared his throat. “Well where are his spell books and artifacts? We can take charge of them.”
Kurogane shrugged. “The bounty is for him, not for his stuff. I sold everything else to some traders we camped with the other night.”
The guard captain frowned, but handed over a heavy pouch of coins. He motioned two of his guards to escort the prisoner to the cells. Cautiously, each took hold of a chain and guided the wizard away, careful not to get too close.
~~~~**~~~~
Kurogane settled into a table at the inn. Two silver coins got him a meal, a room for the night, and a heavy pack of provisions. He placed another silver on the table. “Keep the ale coming.”
The buxom serving wench rubbed against him invitingly, but he was far more interested in the mug of dark brown ale and bowl of heavy beef stew that she brought. He managed to get through most of his meal before the other patrons of the inn mustered up the courage to approach him.
“I can’t believe anyone managed to capture Fai D. Flowright. Most bounty hunters don’t even try.” A tall, stocky man spoke up first.
“We all thought that bounty would never be filled.” Another man added.
“How did you do it?” The first man continued.
Kurogane grunted and washed down the last of his stew with a large swallow of ale. “I don’t share my secrets.”
“But how did you overcome his magic? Are you a mage too?” A third, scrawnier man spoke up.
Kurogane just gave him a look. Mages did not carry impressive looking swords.
The man swallowed hard and backed down.
The first man sat at his table, ignoring Kurogane’s warning look. “We understand you don’t want to share tricks of the trade with potential competition, but it’s no fun to celebrate good fortune alone.”
Kurogane glared at him. “Fortune had nothing to do with it and I prefer not to be surrounded by idiots. If you want to drink then go catch your own bounty.”
The man’s expression darkened and his voice carried a warning tone. “You’re being rather rude.”
Kurogane stood up, drained that last of his ale, put the mug down firmly on the table and punched the man in the face. Within moments the inn was embroiled in a full fledged brawl.
~~~~**~~~~
After being gingerly shoved into a cell by the two nervous guards, Fai sat on the floor and leaned back against the prison wall. He drew his knees up to his chest and looped his still chained arms around his knees. He started humming softly to himself.
After a while a guard approached and banged the hilt of his sword on the metal bars. “Cut that out!”
Fai titled his head towards the man and stared at him. The guard shifted nervously.
A commotion in the front room grabbed their attention. Over the noise Fai heard someone yell, “Bar fight!” The guards quickly scrambled, leaving only two behind to watch the cells.
Fai smiled and hummed while he released the hidden latches on his wrist cuffs. Reaching down he opened the manacles around his ankles. A quick tug on the collar divested him of that as well. He reached behind his neck and pulled two vials from inside his shirt collar. One contained sand; the other held scented oil. Fai stood and walked to the door of his cell. With one finger he traced a design on the lock in oil. A few softly chanted words and the lock clicked open.
He walked into the front room, smiled and waved at the two remaining guards. “Hello!”
The guards cursed, reaching for their weapons. Fai blew a handful of sand at them. Both guards dropped instantly. Fai walked out of the guard house, sticking to the shadows, leaving the snoring guards behind.
~~~~**~~~~
Kurogane waited until the guards were thoroughly immersed in the bar fight. He slung his pack over a shoulder, picked up the nearest combatant and threw him out the inn’s back window. It shattered nicely. Mindful of the shards of glass, Kurogane climbed out of the window and slipped unnoticed down the ally.
Fai was already waiting when he reached the clearing where they had hidden their horses and Fai’s pack. He sat on a bolder, manacles slung carelessly over one shoulder. Kurogane had asked him once why he had a set of manacles with a fake lock and a safety catch, but at Fai’s slow, lascivious smirk had quickly declared he didn’t want to know.
“Hey.” Kurogane pulled out a meat pastry from the sack the innkeeper had sold him. “I got food.”
Fai was off the rock and wrapping his arms around Kurogane’s neck before he could blink. “My hero!” He gave the swordsman an enthusiastic kiss on the cheek before grabbing the proffered pastry.
Kurogane saddled the horses while Fai ate, delicately wolfing down the food. It was a contradiction Kurogane had never been able to get his head around in the year he’d traveled with the wizard. Fai finished the pastry and licked each of his fingers clean in a way that made Kurogane wish they weren’t in a hurry.
Instead he mounted his horse and waited for Fai to follow. “Next time, we get a real job. To many stunts like this one and pretty soon I’ll have a bounty on my head to match yours.”
Fai waved a hand dismissively. “You worry too much.” He turned his mare to follow Kurogane’s lead. “We were starving and it had been weeks since our last paying job. For all the inconvenience of having a bounty on my head, it’s only fair that it occasionally comes in useful.”
Kurogane snorted. He had never asked what Fai had done to make King Ashura personally put such a large bounty on the wizard’s head and while Fai treated the whole affair with his usual cheerful indifference, he was not very forthcoming with details. “I’m serious. I’m a swordsman not a con artist.”
“Well if you weren’t so picky about jobs we could have a nice easy position guarding a caravan.”
“Like hell am I working for Fuuma.”
Fai sighed and let it go. “Well with luck the next town we come to will have a dragon that needs slaying, or at the very least a couple of orcs.”
“Tch. It better.”
Fai laughed and urged his horse closer to Kurogane’s, trying to dig in the sack for more pastries.