Even with the darkness that hung deep below the house he could just barely make out the tiny grasping hands as they wrapped around the feline's neck that sat curled in a ball still looking rather hatefully at him. For reasons beyond Darian, the cat didn't seem to mind the rough grasp that found its way around its' neck, and didn't even retort violently when the childlike arms dragged in unceremoniously back through a hole in the floor, though the monstrous feline did manage a yowl at such rough treatment. There was but a few moments of quiet after that before a young boy's voice cried out for his ma, his words lost through the thick wooden paneling, but their intent was easy enough to understand. The boy had found the injury, and likely wanted his mother to make things all better. He'd have much yet to learn in the coming years of a harsh life lived on the streets of Sunberth. If all went as planned the boy and his family would make it through the coming harsh winter, but they'd do so decorated in chains with their wills broken, and servitude a second nature to him. Callik was rather talented at breaking slaves in.
Stashing the dagger away, he looked around briefly before he started clawing forward through the muck underneath the house, heading ever so slowly towards the yawning hole he hoped would be enough for him to fit himself through. His shoulders where rather slender but filled with muscle that needed more toning that he had time to build at. The mud seemed to drag tightly at his clothing, pulling him down into the murk, but flexing his forearms and grabbing the supporting beams above him, he slowly pulled himself along and ever closer to his goal. His muscles strained and screamed with effort while his hand flared with pain repetitively as he moved along but he simply gritted his teeth through it all and moved on, slowly reaching the hole that spilled now a warm glow from above. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he could see that it was well into night now outside though it hadn't seemed like that, and with a heave of effort he slapped his hands against the edges of the hole and pulled himself up with what was left of his strength so that he landed heavily against the wooden paneled floor when he rose from the pit.
Just on the other side of the thin wall he rested unwillingly next to he could hear the loud laughter of the children, along with even the occasional muttering of the fussing mother. The clatter of wooden spoons on clay plates told him they were eating dinner and he'd counted himself lucky for it. He didn't need to be just lying here, but there wasn't much he could do about it as his muscles were utterly exhausted from sprinting and crawling through the muck down below. They'd find him soon enough though, he had to get up and fast if he didn't want to get caught resting on the floor by those who resided in the house. That would end up very messy he knew very well, and he didn't need that, he needed them alive.
With every ounce of willpower he had left he pushed himself up from the hewn wooden floor, and slowly shambled to his knees, and then his feet as he leaned heavily against the wall. His legs felt like wet sand, and the weight of the mud clinging to his entire body didn't make it much better. It was all in the mind now when the body seemed to give up on itself, it was up to his own willpower to see him through this predicament. Slowly he took his first step forward his boot squelching noisily against the ground as it smacked against the solid wood. Thankfully the noise in the kitchen hadn't dimmed in the slightest and quickly after he took another shambling step forward and then another. The threshold to the room was just a few paces before him, and getting closer with every shaky step he took forwards until finally he was leaning heavily against the wall just inches from the open portal. He could hear a young voice just beyond it, and something soft, purring perhaps? The lad's whose hands he seemed earlier spoke up and reflexively Darian tensed at how close he was. Maybe there was a way of bringing them all to Callik with him saving much of his strength.
In the next heartbeat he acted on his hastily thought out plan, spinning around the doorway only to scoop up the child in his hands, and press his hastily drawn dagger edge first against the hollow of the lad's soft throat. "Breathe and the child dies" Darian growled finding the strength in the waves of adrenaline to pick up the child slightly off the ground and better secure his dagger close to the boy's throat. The woman involuntarily screamed at that, and instantly her children started to cry including the one he held aloft in his own hand a boy barely three years old it looked like.
"Please sir, we haven't a miza to our name, you can't expect to get nothing from robbing" She bawled out cradling her other two children close, as she looked up at Darian tearfully. She'd find no remorse in his eyes though. "I'm here to give you new residence in the tents of the market, and you'd do well to do what I say and come with me or see your boy with his throat split open" Darian growled out again, his rumbling voice and cold eyes leaving no measure for argument. The look of utter confusion on the woman's face was almost laughable, but he had no patience today, and the shuffle of stuff in the background told him that someone else was joining the little gathering fairly soon. "Keep your mouth shut, or I'll kill the child and then come after the others" He spat in a hushed tone, his eyes cutting narrowly at the woman just before he backed up and wrenched himself around the corner with the boy in tow. He could hear heavy footsteps come into the room just a few moments latter, and wrapping a hand around the boy's mouth, he leaned completely still against the wall.
"Meridith, what happened, why are you on the ground?" A deep voice rumbled, and turned even more angry when the woman simply continued to cry wordlessly. Then all of a sudden there was a odd silence, one that was just barely offset by the creaking of the wooden boards underneath the man's heavy footsteps. Darian's whole body went rigged at hearing the stealthy attempt by the man, and pulling the kid up higher from the ground an idea came to him for an subtle move of his own to throw off the man who was somehow now alert to where he was. The mud streaking the floor almost made he swear but it didn't matter now, or even in such context as the woman likely would have pointed out the way went regardless. All he could do was follow through with his plan.
The man's steps were closer now, just a few paces beyond the threshold, though Darian could still tell the man was trying to be as stealthy as possible. Shifting his own weight between his widespread feet, he pulled the boy up higher with his dagger arm tucked just underneath the lad, while his other hand still firmly gripped the boy's mouth to prevent him from screaming again, but the boy seemed stricken even then so quiet and still was he. Unexpectantedly the man whirled around the corner with a large butcher knife leading, and Darian only barely managed to bring the boy to bear as a makeshift shield in front of him when the knife crashed dead center into the boy's chest to emerge from the other side. From just behind the boy Darian watched as the man's smirk turned into horror, and complete disregard it seemed as he pulled the boy from Darian's arms to cradle him in his own. Sifting his grip and stance, he stood up a bit straighter in front of the kneeling father, and just as the man looked up to cast a confused glance over at Darian, the would be blades man drew his blade sharply to the side, the tip of his dagger grazing deep into the soft flesh of the man's neck. For a moment he simply stood there and watched intently as a gash opened up on the man's throat, and streamed forth hot life blood to pour down the man's dirty tunic. He hadn't time to waste watching blood pour so freely though, and stepping around the two soon to be corpses he crossed the threshold again, this time empty handed and covered in blood.
The woman's screamed and even tried to crawl away but a booted foot slamming against her lower back stopped her pathetic attempt at escape short, and reaching out he caught the little girl's hair before she too could try to run away. The oldest, a lad looking like he was 11 summers young, stood just beyond his reach, but Darian simply laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. "Come on boy, I'v got your mother and sister here and if you don't want them share your father's fate, I suggest you all do what I say" His voice was dead calm, even when he took his booted foot off the woman's back, and picked up the young girl to carry over his shoulder. Just below him the woman slowly scrawled to her knees, whimpering and muttering hushed sayings in a language he did not understand. "Of course, of course, just please don't ye hurt any of my babies" she cried out, slowly pulling herself to her feet and taking a step towards Darian defensively when she saw her girl cradled over his shoulder.
"Take another step and find yourself and her without fingers, you'll get her when I get the three of your back to the slaver's markets. You'll have plenty of time then to have quality time together." Darian growled waving the dagger before him though his grip was less than sure on it's handle. The woman was hardly a fighter, and was unarmed and helpless it seemed though, and with the deepest resignation, she took a step back and pulled her remaining son into her embrace, cradling him close. "Move, lead the way, I'll be close behind!" Darian growled to send the woman running and quickly behind her he was off, never putting away the dagger their entire trek across the fields and even when they navigated the tangle of streets in the city proper, and kept them moving fast prodded with insults and veiled threats. To Callik's resident they found themselves and Darian rid himself of the troublesome baggage to leave towards his own quarters, more than happy to put this night behind him. Even to one as him, sometimes such activities left a bad taste in his mouth when coupled by past memory. Slaves indeed they all seemed to the vices that played out in the city, leaving him to wonder the rest of the night was anyone truly free in the city?
