Flashback A Sneaky Lil' Brawl [Nick Marin]

[Kreig Messer]

5th of spring 511 A.V.


Kreig sipped at his mug as he sat on a stool at the Pig’s Foot, his back resting against the bar counter as he surveyed the tavern. It was a bit too quiet this time of the season, it was only a few days after the start of the new year ‘ Petch sake, you’d think Sunbirth being orderly it’s so petching quiet’ He groaned as he took a sip from the mug and wondered what he ought to do to liven’ things up a bit. Now Kreig isn’t one to say he’s a heart of any party but he did know how to be the shyke that that stars a right and proper brawl.

Everyone in this dump, which is actually pretty clean even by Sunberth’s standards, knew the brawler was just that ; a brawler, his entire reputation being the guy who’ll start a fight, finishs it then petching start another. Another one has ‘im stepping in between a fight, headbutting both participants and thus turn it into a free for all. Problem was, he just needed a good trigger…. No point in startin’ a fight if there ain’t even something ta have as just an excuse. Sad fact is there ain’t a good one, surprising the lot are on their best of behavior.

He sighed at that as he suddenly took a deep chug of his mug, emptying it and setting it aside, only for it to be refilled for him without his asking…. He’d start a fight on that but he respected the old bastard who ran the place, his first hurt like shyke and any man who can throw drinks as well as give ‘em a good pint is tops on his list. Kreig scanned the bloody place, it was a damn full house with everyone more or less behaving, he couldn’t get his head around that…… though he noted there was tension in the air, as if they know someone was bound to start something and everything is going to go to shyke. He was sure some of ‘em eyed him as the inevitable catalyst and while he liked to hold the honor of starting one of the first brawls of the year he knew anyone else could start it too…..

“Just wish one of ye bastards do it already….”

x

[Nickolai Marin]

In all the days of his young life, never before did the young prowler encounter an establishment as aptly named as the Pig's Foot. The place was, quite literally, a dump by his standards; which being a poor youth from Zeltiva wasn't much! Regardless, Nickolai found himself seated in one of the shadowed corners of the tavern, allowing his eyes to sweep over the sordid scene. Being that Sunberth was now a home away from home, the young larcenist thought it proper to become accustomed to the typical watering holes of the downtrodden...and it didn't get any more shykey than this. Holding his arms folded across his chest, Nickolai watched the tavern with a relatively smug expression on his face. "Getting coin from this lot'll be like pulling teeth." he muttered, now reaching for his tankard of cider.

For a moment, the young prowler indulged in a hearty sip of his beverage before lowering it to the table; causing a small clatter. Of course, this noise was lost in the relatively tame chatter that filled the Pig's Foot this evening. Honestly, that was another thing that stood out to Nickolai. In Zeltiva, the tavern was oftentimes much more rowdy than this; so much so that the Wave Guard came by on occasion. But the Pig's Foot was another story. Despite the fact that it was filled with the underbelly of the civilized world, the establishment was pretty much calm...and that threw Nickolai off immense. However, at the end of the day his aim was to lighten a few purses whilst making his own fat; and as such he quietly rose from his seat.

As always, the young larcenist moved in the shadows as much as possible; for he did not want to draw undue attention to himself. Being that he was a thief, anonymity was as essential as breathing! Stepping rather lively, Nickolai came upon a relatively easy target...and a subsequent means of covering his tracks. Seated at one of the tables was a man placing all of his attention upon the wench seated upon his lap...and not upon the coin purse sitting casually beside his drink. With decent timing, Nickolai made a simple swipe of the purse, quickly pilfered most of the coins, and placed it upon the adjacent table; where another patron was literally sleeping. It was then that Nickolai made his exodus from the brewing conflict...but he took a seat in a neighboring booth just so he could watch the fruits of his labor.

It took a few chimes, but the man decided to reach for his coin purse. Perhaps it was to encourage the wench to give him a happy evening or something...but the moment his fingers met wood instead of fabric, a frantic search began. He looked around the table, on the floor, and ultimately spotted what was his. "Oi! Who the petch do ya think ya are?! Grabbing me money ya blasted thief!" he cried, grabbing his coin purse whilst punching the sleeping man square in the jaw. The unfortunate soul flung from his seat onto the floor...while his friend rose from a nearby table and literally tackled the aggressor to the ground. A brawl had begun and, more importanly, Nickolai was a few mizas richer!
.

[Kreig Messer]

A brawl!!! thank the petching gods a brawl began! And what was the excuse apparently? Some bastard taking a money purse that didn't belong to him....and boy did the theif looked surprised. Kreig grinned, he was watching.... watching pretty good. His eyes weren't the best but they were good enough to notice the true theif's hand as it pilfered the pouch and place it on the sleeping man's table. The results of that action were predictable, doubt anyone would care for the reason by the end of it... a bunch of broken bodies and drunk louts at the end of it is whats going to be expected.

Kreig didn't much care for the theif himself only in that the guy presented the excuse for the brawl, but he thought about it.... he himself wanted a good way to start brawls, didn't much care for stealing but he did care about not being the center cause of the brawl ' Good petching way to paint a target on my bum' And he didn't want that, no siree.

A feral grin then began to form on the brawler's face as he looked at the man who took the naboring table to his 'victims'. ' Don't think light foot there realizes just what he started...' If the man thought he started a regular brawl, he was sadly mistaken.... this one was a free for all where a lot of collateral damage is to be expected.

Indeed, fights were breaking out in different occasions and Kreig himself had to get out of his seat and step away as a couple of bastards crashed into his stool and against the bar counter. Kreig's grin grew wider as that as he saw both man struggle, one trying to over power the other. He picked up one of the broken legs of the former stool and thought about the best revenge for the poor ol' stool, if it had a soul then he sincerly wished Dira guides to stool paradise! He stood next to the two louts, watching them struggle at an uncomfortable distance only to see them stop mid-way as they noted the awkward stare coming from Kreig.... suddenly it was lights out for one of them as Kreig beaned him on the head with the stool leg, letting go of the other. The other was about to utter a thanks but an uppercut from the Brawler's strong hands caused him to stumble over the bar counter and stay behind it for the remainder of the fight... or so he would have if it weren't for the bar tender and also propriator tossing him over it again.

Kreig chuckled as he walked away, trying to go through a wider and safer path to where the true thief was sitting. Flashing him a knowing grin as he turned and stood in front of his only viable escape route.... and the little bastard would be hardpressed to try and escape pass Kreig. x

[Nickolai Marin]

Much akin to embers left unattended in the midst of a field, the conflict quickly erupted and spread. It grew to consume quite a large number of the tavern's patronage, and left the young larcenist fearing for his personal well-being. At this point, Nickolai felt as though he had managed to pull off the swipe without notice; but even so there was still a threat posed to his health. As such, it was now time for him to vacate the premises! Rising to his feet, the young prowler took a moment to survey the mayhem that he had created...only to see a chair being flung in his general direction. Dropping as quickly as he could, Nickolai barely evaded the furniture which careened over him and crashed into the wall behind him. "Oh petch. Oh petch. Oh petch." he said frantically between rapid pants.

Leaping to his feet, Nickolai gave the room yet another scan; this time making a fruitful discovery. The frontmost entrance was blocked off by the majority of the scuffle, but he could always attempt the secondary exit. This one was only blocked by a single individual...who looked directly at him and smiled...At once, a chill raced down Nickolai's throat as he assumed the worst. Had this man seen him start the brawl? Or was he simply a drunkard with a goofy grin plastered upon his mug? The battle raging before the young larcenist did not afford him an opportunity to linger upon these possibilities, for a glass of liquor came flying out from the scuffle. This, Nickolai managed to evade with a quick dancing to the left inbetween the tables.

With brisk steps, the young larcenist began to brave the battle. He ducked, crawled, and clawed his way through the thicket of men pummeling the petch out of one another, until finally he arrived only a few paces away from the exit. Drawing a calm breath, he then took a moment to collect himself before striding forth. In his mind, common courtesy was the best remedy to any hostilities, so perhaps addressing the man at the door nicely would inspire him to move out of the way. However, if that went sour, Nickolai had a dagger on his person and was not afraid to use it...although he was terrible at it. Coming to a halt before him, Nickolai spoke as calmly as he possibly could. "Good evening sir," he began, regarding him with a respectful nod, "would you be so kind as to let me past?"
.

[Kreig Messer]

Kreig laughed inwardly, the young gent's look of surprise amused him greatly 'Didn't think you'd get caught,eh? Sorry to burst your bubble then. Kreig was also amused by the man's polite accent, now someone speaking politely in Sunberth is a rare thing... Kreig being one of the few sods who did that, but he knew when and where to uae that politeness and in a city such as Sunberth most people would just laugh hysterically whilst cheerfully beating the lad to a pulp for his presumption that this was a place with a very healthy sense of common decency.

He guessed he was an outaide from his accent, it didn't have the cynical and mocking tone most sunberthians seemed to have "I'll consider that for a moment my dear boy..." Kreig lifted his head up a bit in mock consideration then bluntly lowered it with a cheerful smile "Nope, mainy because I have a favor to ask of you." Kreig said cheerfully with his hands in his pockets.

"You see.... I'm not what you call a lightfooted individual. Not that ut botger's me much.... in fact it bothers me very little. But I do love to cause a bit of mischief here and there. Cause fights an' all that" He then suddenly pushed thr lad to the side, grabbed an empty bottle of ale from the table and slammed it over a drunkard who was a bit too obviohs with his movements. The drunkard fell unconcious nuttering an obscure curse before delightfully snoozing over the floor. Kreig then pulled the young larcenist back and smiled.

"Now, I'm not asking you to do this for free... I ain't paying money though I am certain we can come to an.... agreement." Kreig emphasised the last word, like a boy knowing what his siblings did and hanging it over their heads.

"So.... what say you?"
x

[Nickolai Marin]

For a moment, the young larcenist simply gaped as the man before him spoke. With each word, the horde of butterflies within Nickolai's stomach continued to swarm about, causing sweat to moisten his hands. He began to entertain the thought of making an escape; somehow, someway. However, before he could even think of an exit strategy, the towering man made a rather condescending gesture. With mockery plastered about his face, he shut down Nickolai's request to pass...and he had asked so nicely! Swallowing hard, the young larcenist continued to listen...whilst allowing his eyes to wander ever so slightly.

Obviously, going past the brute of a man was an impossibility; and Nickolai was not about to see himself pummeled for attempting. However, with the ruckus going on behind them, a quick run into the fray might put enough distance between them for the young larcenist to seek another exit. A window, perhaps? However, before Nickolai could so much as take a step backwards, the man moved suddenly. With pronounced quickness, he struck down an approaching patron with an adjacent bottle; like it was nothing.

And that could easily have been Nickolai.

Just the thought of being decimated by a bottle was enough to cause the young larcenist's thoughts of escaping to come to a close. However, luck would have it that the brute was not seeking to reprimand him for his theft...but to ask for tutelage in how to sneak about. While the request was mind boggling to say the very least, it was much better than the alternatives. The way Nickolai saw it, he had very little say in the matter...but if there was an exchange up for grabs, he would gladly take it. Exhaling calmly, he began to respond. "So you wish to do as I...Very well, I'll show you what I know." he began, eagerly racking his brains for what to say next. "I suppose that, in exchange...How's about you show me how not to get my arse handed to me in a tavern brawl?"
.

[Kreig Messer]

Kreig's grinned widened at that as he began to mock claps, he teaches the lad how to throw a proper punch and the lad teaches him how to be a sneak! A match made by the gods if he thought so himself "AHahahaa, very well lad. I'll show you how to survive the chaos, which by the way you started so careful next time...not that I mind it!" He showed a blood thirsty grin. He suppose since the proper environment was already about then the lessons would be immediate.

"Very well lad.... I suppose the first things ye best be learnin' about this chaos you started, is that you got to know the cardinal rules about one!" Kreig announced as he moved forward and grabbed one of the crazy bastards out of the fray, the man yelped in confusion as he was held tightly by his head and looked at Nickolai "See one of these kind folks 'ere? This lovely tavern patron, a human like the majority of the civilized folks, relatively speaking of course, is a cardinal of rage, stress and instincts ready to come out and play, get all those frustrations out. This man is not a brawler, just a chump who happened to jump in one and will like 'ave his arse handed to him." The gent was about to complain about Kreig's description of him only for him to be pushed back in the fray and get a wopping smack in the face by some bloke who randomly threw a punch. He then put an arm around the young thief and pointed to some of the few people who look like they're faring the storm quite well.


"Now those people on the otherhand, while also looking to relieve some stress or just otherwise lookin' for a good ol' fight like yours truly, are the ones ye have to not cross. Often they'll only hit the people who come after 'em, yet just as often they'll punch someone for the 'eck of it or if they find them annoying little petchers. This leads to cardinal rule number one in surviving a tavern brawl, know yer audience lad, often enough these people will be predictable in what they'll do so navigating through this shykestorm should be a cakewalk after a while, its when one of the latter folk set they're eyes on you that you'll be in trouble." Kreig then removed his arm from the lad and began to wave his hand around...

"Now for the second cardinal rule!" Kreig said as he moved into the fray himself, interrupting a fight between a couple of petches, kneeing one in the family jewels and as he turned to face the other he got a solid punch to the face that sent him stumbling back...only for him to move forward and give the bastard a back hand to be reckoned with, one would think it enough but Kreig then grabbed the petcher by his hair and gave him a good ol' headbutt that struck the man in his nose, sending him stumbling back on a table.

Kreig turned to the young thief as he smiled with his face somewhat bruised "And I suppose this would be more important to you, if ye find yourself unable to avoid one than best fight like the petching bastard son of Rhysol, though I suggest you stay away from hostage taking an' the whole evil shtick. Never a pretty road to travel on" Kreig announced.

"Oh, by the way...." The brawler began as he appraoched the theif from behind "....The third cardinal rule is; To get better in brawls, you gotta be right in the middle!" And with that the brawler decided to give the poor ol' theif a shove and then followed him right in the middle of it all!

"This is gonna be a petchin' fun one"
x