05-23-2014, 01:55 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-23-2014, 06:41 PM by ImagenAshyun.)
Spoiler:
The first phase was to find a goblin willing to take in the coin to provide the parts, the men, and the rumors.
The second was to get the extra hands into the Stockades after a bit of madness at the docks.
The third... let's get to that.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Sixth day of the week. Twenty-seven minutes into the twenty-third hour. Pig and Whistle Tavern. The timid-looking doctor sat with his right side to the bar, having ordered the same thing he has been ordering the past several nights: two slices of roasted pork with steamed vegetables on the side, complimented with moonberry juice. As he slipped in a fork full of potatoes into his mouth, he checks on the time again. 23:30. They should be coming in now... and here they come.
Six of the Stormwind Guard, with their shifts just ending, come rumbling in with their plate armor clanking and clattering as their boots stomp merrily along the wooden floors. The doctor lowered his head, the lights of the tavern reflecting off his spectacles and effectively hiding his wandering eyes. He examines the officers carefully, though by now he can identify who is who among them. An even three men and three women, all sergeants. Giorgina Bardi. Cheryl Cobb. Thuy Baine. He doesn't pay attention to them much; they were unimportant. He focused primarly on the men: Peter Piron, Michael Mograine, and Gilbert Gregory. Specifically Officer Gregory. As the six friends gathered at the bar, Rene glanced towards the group without turning his head while he relied on the reflections of the tavern lights to hide his scanning icy blues. He was more or less ignoring Piron and Mograine for a reason--Piron was too wide and too tall of a man while Mograine was too short and too thin. Gregory was also in the slender side, but his height is similar to Rene's. He's perfect.
Rene hoped to strike sooner, but he had to force patience into himself. He could have simply lept onto the guard when he was alone. He could have lured him to the docks, feigning danger. He could try bribing him. He could blackmail him. All these possibilities in how to get what he wanted could be his, but Rene knew better. Six friends. There was a seventh there, though he was almost always absent from the guards' socializing. Rene knew better than to upset the seventh friend, however. One wrong move, and his plans with the greenskins in the Stockades would be over.
He must remain discreet.
23:47. The Guards have ordered to eat, and they have already begun drinking. Rene tuned out from their conversations for the most part; these topics were not important. He cared less for Bardi's new grandson, Cobb's crush, Piron's breakup, or for Mograine's preparation for his wedding. Intimate information, for sure, but they had nothing to do with Gregory. Rene was starting to become a bit irritable as hardly any intimate regarding Gregory was coming up for him... perhaps the man is simply private, or his life was generally boring. He talked about pay and his least favorite dessert, but that's it. Rene lifted the mug to his lips, a frown dripping from them despite their dryness. Perhaps he's come at a bad time. Perhaps he should try another tavern where officers frequent often. Perhaps...
23:58. Finally, something perfect.
"How is the new house, Gil?" Mograine asks as he turns to his buddy. "Has the new furniture come in?"
Gregory holds up a finger as he finishes up his whiskey. "Ah! Doing great, though Charlotte and I had difficulty with the bed. We accidentally broke the frame. Thankfully it's fixed, but we ruined the mattress in the meantime. We're going to get a new one tomorrow."
Rene began writing the mental notes right away.
"How will you two be sleeping, then? Still at your mother-in-law's?"
"Unfortunately."
"Light damn, it's been... four months? It must be frustrating between you and Lottie."
Gregory sighs as he drinks from his mug. "Five, actually. We barely recovered from the Dragon's flight, and house hunting is hard as is. We're just lucky we got our own roof over our heads now. Maybe once this is all over, we'll start trying to get kids."
"I haven't been able to locate your new house," Baine says as she leans back to speak to Gregory more directly. "I think I keep going to the wrong one. S'one with the flowers and trellises?"
"No, no. That's our neighbor." Gregory starts gesticulating as he gives directions towards Baine over Mograine and Piron's backs. "Ours is further northeast of Crystal Lake. Lottie and I use the Tower of Azora as our reference point and go from its left, past this weird looking rock that looks like a sitting duck. You'll find our house then, with the red roof. It's a bit hard to find, I know, but that's why Lottie and I like it."
"Oh!"
"Remember the duck rock. It's really weird, but it's memorable and a good marker."
"Got it!"
Rene smirks. He's grateful Baine was sitting relatively far away from Gregory in order to give her directions, for the confirmed married but childless man had to speak loud enough for Rene to hear. Surely others would mind their own business and not pay the officer any mind, or they could forget the directions easily. Not Rene. Especially in regards with the rock.
Seventh day of the week. 00:36. The six guards have eaten their dinner, chatted their hearts away, and must all go home. The night is foggy, and everyone must use lanterns to see better as the stars and moon become less reliable to light the roads. Sergeant Gilbert Gregory had to take the roads, with the rails providing him guidance on his way home to the wife. Armed with his sword and shield, he feared for no beast or bandit that may be hiding in the mist. He whistled nonchalantly, keeping himself mentally occupied to keep the tiredness from plaguing him.
He almost didn't notice crying on the side of the road. Gregory turned around to shine his lantern further east. There, a very small boy curled up with his arms crossed over his knees and his head buried in the to hide his crying. The fog was dampening his tattered and dirty clothes and soaking up his holed and muddy shoes. Gregory sucked in his breath as he gazes upon the lost boy, and he didn't think twice before he approached him. "Hey, kid!"
The boy shook as he looked up to the officer. "Oh...."
"What are you doing out here? It's past midnight!"
"I'm..." the boy starts as he looks past Gregory. He then covers his eyes. "I'm... lost."
"Where did you come from? Do you need help finding your way home?"
"Yeah...."
Gregory removes his helmet to show his face to the child--a fairly youthful face with green eyes and a blond beard. "Don't be afraid," he says with a smile. "I can get you home to your mom and dad with no problem at all. Where do you live?"
He sniffs. "Uh..."
"Hm?"
"Uh.... well.... we live.... close.... to the lake.... and the mine..... with all the kobolds..."
"Lake? Mine? Wait... Crystal Lake? Jasperlode Mine?"
The boy nods.
Gregory raised his brows in surprise. "Huh! So that would be.... oh.... I think I know where you live, kid." He stands up, a smile returning to his face. "You don't live that far from me, in fact! We're actually not too far away at all from where you live... in fact, we're probably..." he says as he turns his lantern north of where he stood. "...directly south of your house. We just need to find the bank of the lake, but we should be careful--there are murlocs all over the place."
"Y-yeah...."
The officer extends a hand to the child. "Don't worry about being attacked. You got a strong and brave soldier to go with you!"
The boy looked up to Gregory, then glanced past him again. His teary eyes meet Gregory's, bright and brave. He takes the man's hand and gets up, staying close to the officer as he and Gregory climb the fence to proceed north. He keeps crying, however. But this time, not because he's lost.
It didn't take long for Gregory and the boy to find the house. In fact, it was a little easy. The roof has lost some of its shingles, windows were shattered, and the door was falling off its hinges. Gregory was aghast with the state of the home, and he began to assume the worst. "Wh-...What happened here?!"
The boy didn't answer.
"Kid! Was your home raided?"
The boy looked up. "...I-..."
"Is...this really your home?"
He clenched his eyes shut as he turns his head. He says nothing.
Gregory let go of the hand and proceeded inside. He stepped onto glass, dusty and wet from the fog, as he lifted the lantern while he examined the home's wrecked interior. Cobwebs hung from every corner, with dirt caking on the floor, the chairs and tables hole-ridden with termites and the curtains with moths. Gregory's brow furrowed as he turned around to face the boy, figuring out quickly that, on top of being dilapidated and ruined, this home hasn't had any occupants in a very long time.
"This can't be the right home, kid. Where is your home?"
The boy froze up on the spot, his eyes widen with terror.
"...Kid?" Gregory removes his helmet again, exposing his face to reassure the boy. "What's the matter? Where is your real home?"
"I-...."
Gregory acted too late. As soon as the boy spoke, glass cracked behind him despite the officer not moving his feet. Gregory turned around, only to get a large chunk of wood swinging for his unprotected head. The officer didn't react fast enough to defend himself, and he fell down as his sword and shield dropped with him. Though he wasn't knocked out unconscious, he was dazed long enough for the man behind him press his weight upon him while a garrote wrapped around his neck. Gregory couldn't fight the weight off--whoever this was atop of him was heavier than himself and his armor put together, the smell of a dog's breath over his head as furred fists brushed against his face. Gregory tried rolling and grabbing the beast atop of him, but it was no use--his mind was too focused on the rope around his neck. As he fought the panic for clarity Gregory searched for his sword... only to see the boy has taken it. As the officer's vision was blurring, he can see the child crying while the beast strangles the officer breathless. Gregory finally collapses as the creature spoke to the frightened boy...
"Good work. Leave the sword with me. You're free to go now... but remember: if you tell anyone, I will find your sister and I will do he same to her like I will this man and his wife. Got it?"
"O-okay..."
Gregory tries to speak up, but it was too late. His eyes closed as he passed out completely.
Thump. Thump.
Gregory's hands smacked against wooden sides as he awoke. Wherever he was, it's pitch black, the air thin, and his posture flattened to his back upon stiff wood. As Gregory breathed, he could feel his breath hitting his face back. He lifted his arms to feel where he is... but they couldn't go far. His palms press as forward as they could, and his feet lift and kick as far as they possibly could attempt... they could not. Stretching his toes would have his feet scuff along a wooden lid. His elbows couldn't straighten. He could barely breathe.
Thump. Thump.
Gregory could hear and feel it. The sound of dirt piling atop of a coffin. The sound was muffled, and Gregory could feel pressure building atop of the lid; however, the fact he could still hear the piling dirt meant that whoever was burying him alive just started. He immediately began to scream. "Hey! Let me go! Let me out! Please!"
The shoveling stopped. Whoever was up there took a moment to pause and think.... only to continue shoveling. Thump. Thump. "Hm. You woke up sooner than intended.... Well, then." He continues to pile on the dirt. "Everything you need to know is provided for you within the coffin. I believe it's beneath your bum."
Gregory had no choice but to comply; he wasn't going to stop burying anytime soon. He scoot to the side as much as he could to search for whatever the man told him to find. It wasn't exactly under his buttocks, but scuffed to his thighs. Gregory found a gnomish lighter and a piece of paper. He lights up as quickly as he could and holds the note over his face:
Beast Wrote:Good eve to you, sir.
You are buried 6 feet beneath the earth. You wife will be buried in a similar manner. Your fellow officers will be notified of your predicament, and they will have to find you. I have provided them clues on you and your wife's location. However, I have chosen a time to bury both of you when the Guard would be on the peak of their performances. You have less than six hour before you and Charlotte would have consumed all your oxygen, leaving you to suffocate and settle into your graves. But worry not: your friends will be given hints on your location. They will have six hours to find you. Pray to your Light they will in time.
--Beast
P.S., Using that lighter will deprive you some of your oxygen. Use wisely ~❤.
"Let me out!!!" Gregory began screaming on top of his lungs.
Rene, taking a moment to savor the officer's fear and panic, decides to stop so he can taunt. "Now, now, officer. Screaming will use up your oxygen too~."
"Please!! We did nothing to you! Let me out! Let Charlotte out! I'll do anything!"
"Oh, if I had a copper for every time someone says that," Rene says as he keeps shoveling dirt into the hole. Eventually he decides on a faster method and tosses the tool aside. He sets his worgen paws onto the pile of dirt, the transformed wolf deciding on more animalistic means to his goal by simply digging the pile back into the hole with his claws. The dirt collects atop of the coffin faster, and Gregory starts crying and screaming louder.
"PLEASE! LET ME OUT! LIGHT HELP ME!! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"
Rene brushes the dirt off his paws before he lowers himself to his newly acquired set of Stormwind armor. "You should have thought of that before you joined the Guard," he says one last time before he presses a clawed finger to his lupine lips. He throws a kiss to the ground as he points his nose towards where Gregory was buried. "Thanks for the armor," he says as his form shrinks to the bespectacled little man, the timid frown on his face now replaced with a fanged grin that stretched from ear to ear. It was his turn to whistle nonchalantly as he walked away.
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