A/N: Another Bad Things Happen Bingo spot filled! If you have any requests for a Bad Things Happen Bingo, please let me know! Check out my bingo card on my Tumblr, writer-of-worlds!
I don't own Dragon's Blade. Garrett, Zeph, Saber, Terra, Adam, Don, Jed, and Bob belong to me.
ENJOY!
Zeph hated working by himself in this damned Inn.
Dealing with the chores was bad enough, but of course, he had idiotic customers who irritated him over the smallest thing. Their order was wrong when they did not request it specifically? It was all Zeph's incompetence. If they made a mess in the rooms? It was his job, not theirs, to clean it up. Zeph wondered how Aunt Rose dealt with this nonsense for twenty years.
Aunt Rose had left the Inn for a few days to visit a friend of hers—she said something about her friend being ill. Terra was currently in the infirmary across Larkwood, healing unexpected visitors from their wounds and illnesses. Saber… he had no idea where he ran off to. Which made sense, knowing him.
As for Garrett? He was out shopping for food and other necessities for the Inn. At least he would be back in an hour.
Zeph's heart skipped a beat at the thought of his Knight boyfriend, and a small blush crept up on his cheeks. Ever since they successfully defeated Lawundi and closed the Underworld for good, he and Garrett began dating. Being a Blackguard, he had no idea about what love was exactly. But thanks to Garrett, it was the best feeling he had, and he hoped that it would stay that way.
He shook his head to make himself focus on his task. With an agitated sigh, he stood up from his chair and headed towards one of the dirty tables left by those stupid customers. Surprisingly, no one was here besides Zeph, and the Blackguard thanked the Gods for giving him a break. Without being interrupted by people's demands, he would be able to clean up the messes they left behind quickly.
Producing a white cloth and wetting it in one of the wooden buckets nearby, he headed towards one table and began scrubbing. The whiskey stains, along with debris of what appeared to be bread and meat, made him shake his head in disbelief. How did these people live? He scrubbed harder; his hand pushed against the wooden table as he finally got rid of the disgusting stains.
One down, twelve more to go.
He sighed again. At least he had no customers to deal with—
SLAM
Zeph's head shot up upon hearing the sudden loud sound at the front door. His eyes widened before leaving behind the now-filthy cloth on the table to head towards the door. Were those customers? No. They wouldn't have made that noise. Some may not knock, but not something that loud.
"Who's there?" Zeph asked. He placed a hand on the doorknob—
Only to be blown back by a strong force when the door slammed open. He tumbled to the wooden floor with a thud, and before he could recover, two strong arms gripped his smaller arms.
"What the hell?!" Zeph yelled, struggling against the man holding him.
Four more men stood in the doorway, their weapons out and ready to cut down Zeph if they so choose. Their faces were hidden under metal helmets that shrouded their entire heads.
Robbers.
"Let go of me!" Zeph cried, kicking and squirming against the fifth robber's grip. He was rewarded with a backhand to the face with a steel gauntlet from another robber, leaving behind a large gash. Blood dripped down from his new injury.
"Quit yer squirmin' boy!" The robber holding him growled in his ear.
Zeph didn't listen, as he continued to thrash about. He yelled out one of his spells, hopefully to burn the bastard holding him captive.
"Miasma of—mmph?!"
A filthy hand clamped over his mouth, silencing him before he could unleash his fire spell. The smell of the man's hand made him gag, bile rising up from his stomach.
"Wait… Miasma?" One of the robbers—the leader, Zeph had guessed, judging by his largest frame—questioned.
The leader approached the young Blackguard. Commanding his friend to remove his hand from his mouth, he lifted his chin up to study his face. His fingers squished his cheeks, to which Zeph let out a pained grunt. The man turned his head left to right, studying Zeph's features. When he forced Zeph to look at him dead into his eyes, he grinned.
"This is one of those Heroes who stopped the invasion from the Underworld," the leader said, his breath so foul Zeph's eyes watered. "Who would've thought? It's our lucky day today, boys."
The last two men approached, looking over Zeph like a trophy they had captured. Zeph glared at each and every one of them, but said or did nothing.
"Heh, it's that Blackguard freak," one of them sneered. He poked the red gem on Zeph's forehead, to which Zeph growled in pain.
"So whaddya want us to do now, boss?" The other man asked. "We still gonna rob this dump or…?"
The boss' grin grew wider, to which Zeph—for the first time—felt genuine fear. He gulped, his red eyes growing wider.
"Tie 'im up," the boss ordered. "This place can wait. We could fetch a pretty penny for this freak."
Zeph's heart throbbed in his chest faster. He was going to be held for ransom. And he knew/i that Aunt Rose and everyone in Larkwood would not have the large sum of money to save him.
As the man holding him dragged him off, Zeph tried to stop this by keeping his feet firmly on the floor. To his dismay, the man lifted him up, before carrying him towards a chair another robber had placed.
He was pushed to the chair so forcefully the chair nearly fell over, but Zeph continued fighting. He kicked and bit at his captors, but it was no use.
He yelped in pain as one man crossed his arms behind the chair. As he tried to struggle free, he felt coarse, rough ropes wrapping around his wrists before being tied off. The twine began to bite into his skin, but Zeph could care less. He had to escape. He had to fight back.
"You bastards won't get away with this!" Zeph spat out, struggling against the men that were beginning to bind his legs to the chair's legs. "When the soldiers find out about this—"
"Shut the fuck up!" The leader yelled, before punching him squarely in the stomach. Zeph grunted before coughing from the sudden blow, leaving him speechless for a few moments. When he recovered however, he began chanting another spell, only to be cut off by another hand slapping over his mouth from behind.
"Got somethin' to gag him with?!" The leader cried, as he and his comrade finally bound his legs down. He grabbed another long coil of rope from his bag, as he looped around the thrashing Blackguard's chest.
The man behind the leader glanced around for a moment, before spotting the cloth sitting on the table Zeph was cleaning just a few minutes ago.
"Got something!" He called, picking up the dirty rag before twisting it in his hands.
Zeph yelled out muffled threats as he squirmed and fought against his bonds. When the hand keeping him silent was removed from his mouth, he turned his head away from the rag as the man attempted to shove it in his mouth.
"Quit it!" the man with the rag growled in frustration. Without warning, he gripped a fistful of long black hair from Zeph's head, pulling it hard.
Zeph gritted his teeth to suppress a yelp of pain. However, after a few painful moments, he gasped.
The man shoved the rag between his teeth before tying it tightly behind his head, to which Zeph grunted as he shook his head to rid of the dirty gag to no avail.
Once the robbers finished their work, they glanced down at the bound-and-gagged Blackguard with large smirks, as if he was a delectable meal.
"Now don't ya look nice like that," the leader chortled, gripping Zeph's chin to study his face once more. Zeph growled, before mumbling threats against their lives. The cloth keeping him quiet rubbed the corners of his lips as he tried to speak, his glare so fierce it would frighten even the strongest of monsters.
"Awww, he's acting all big and tough!" the other man cooed, before ruffling Zeph's hair. "Ya think we could have some 'fun' with him when we take him with us?"
Zeph's eyes widened, gasping behind his gag. Beads of nervous sweat rolled down his forehead. They were taking him somewhere. Somewhere far away from here. And his survival chances were slim when they took him.
"Heh, not a bad idea," the leader chuckled. "For now… I bet this shitty place would have something nice an' shiny for us to take!"
The men surrounding Zeph laughed, as if all of this was just a game to them, before leaving him. As they rummaged through the bookshelves and the Inn's cellar, Zeph tugged against his bindings, mumbling curses towards his captors. The ropes bit into his skin as he thrashed about, and as time went on, he felt something hot and wet dripping down his wrists. Zeph winced in pain, feeling the blood pooling in his palms.
At one point during his desperate struggle, he accidentally tipped over the chair with a shout of surprise. When the chair hit the floor, Zeph's side of his head made contact with the hard wood. He cried out in pain as dizziness took over him, before shaking it off. When he did so, he saw small drips of red flying off from his head wound and landing on the floor in tiny sizes. He winced when his head began to throb, as the blood dripped down on the side of his head.
Before he knew it, his chair was lifted back to its legs. He cried out in surprise behind the rag when he felt the cold steel of a dagger up to his throat.
"Keep that up, boy," the leader growled in his ear. "And we'll make sure you'll never get out of here alive."
Zeph shivered, gulping down a large lump in his throat before the dagger was removed. The leader walked away before he continued to destroy the Inn, searching for any treasures that were hidden.
He sighed through the disgusting rag, tasting the hours-old dried wine and the decomposing meat in his mouth. He gulped back the bile that rose in his throat. So this was it? He was going to be taken by these ruffians to Gods-know-where, and be tortured until he either dies, or the ransom was paid somehow.
He thought back to his family, his friends. Aunt Rose. Terra. Saber. Garrett.
…Wait. Garrett!
His eyes widened at the realization. Garrett was coming home soon. And he would end up walking into this mess. If he was caught…
Zeph shut his eyes tightly, doing something that he never thought he would do: pray. Pray hard that Garrett would stay away, and that he wouldn't be involved in this…
Garrett walked down the dirt streets of Larkwood, a bag full of food in his arms. He hummed a small tune as he continued on, daydreaming of what he would make for dinner.
Boiled fish? Maybe the mutton that he bought that was on sale? Or perhaps something simple, like rice and chicken?
He sighed happily, and when he saw the familiar blue roof of the Larkwood Inn, he smiled. Zeph must have been busy taking care of customers and chores while he was away. Maybe when he began to cook, he would serve Zeph some black coffee, his favorite beverage, to cheer him up.
He chuckled at the thought of his Blackguard boyfriend. The two had been closer than before after they scaled the Underworld and defeated Lawundi, and eventually, the two fell in love. Garrett never thought that Zeph would fall in love with someone like him, of all people. But he wouldn't want it any other way, and both were happy with their loving relationship.
He walked towards the Inn… and his eyes widened when he saw the front. He stopped abruptly when he studied the area.
The front door was on its hinges, threatening to fall off if the slightest breeze hit it. Large footprints lead from behind the Inn to the front door. What alarmed Garrett the most, however, was the axe-like slashes that littered the wood on the door.
Someone had broken into the Inn.
And Zeph—
Zeph's in there.
His heart nearly stopped, and he dropped the bag of groceries on the ground. Zeph's in trouble.
He gritted his teeth, holding down the urge to break down the door and fight whoever broke into their home. But chances were good that the robbers were heavily armed. They would even hold Zeph hostage against Garrett if he tried to fight back. He had to head in with caution.
He unsheathed his axe from his back, holding it with two hands as he crept towards the broken door. He peeked through the crack, and spotted a red substance on the floor, along with what appeared to be broken tables and chairs.
The red substance made him gasp. Blood.
He opened the door slightly, and he spotted a dark figure sitting on a chair, their arms arched behind the back of the chair and their head down. Upon hearing the door squeaking, they looked up with wide red eyes. There was a cloth that was tied between their teeth, preventing any speech.
His heart lurched in his chest as he opened the door all the way, seeing Zeph tightly bound and gagged to the chair. A large cut was on his cheek, and the side of his head was dripping with blood. Garrett's eyes widened at the horrifying sight.
"Zeph, oh Gods!" Garrett gasped, his heart breaking in two as he studied his lover's helpless form for a moment. Whoever had done this to him, they will pay.
He lifted his axe as he approached, but he stopped after two steps in when Zeph screamed out through his gag. He thrashed against the ropes holding him to the chair, his eyes growing wider. His gaze was focused over Garrett's shoulder.
A warning.
Garrett turned, but it was too late as a blow to his stomach threw him to the side. His axe fell further away from his reach before it landed blade first on the floor.
Zeph screamed in horror, struggling in his ropes once more. He yelled out a muffled cry as his captors rushed towards the Knight. Just as when Garrett got to his feet, one of the men wrapped his thick arm over Garrett's neck, nearly choking him.
"Shouldn't 'ave interfered wit' us, boy!" The man holding him laughed, before placing his axe up to his face. His grin was hard to miss.
Garrett grunted, kicking out as he tried to pry himself out of the man's hold. "Release Zeph!" Garrett demanded, his eyes locked to Zeph's panicking form. Zeph looked back at his lover with guilt and worry in his eyes.
"And 'ave him rat us out? Not a chance, kid!" The man sneered, before squeezing Garrett's neck. Garrett's face turned into a tinge of purple, to which Zeph begged through his gag to stop before they ended up killing him.
"Isn't he one of those Heroes as well?" Another man asked, looking over Garrett's white hair and blue clothes.
The leader took Garrett's axe out from the floor, examining its structure. The steel was from nowhere else but Larkwood. He grinned before turning to the struggling Knight.
"Looks like our pay will be doubled with him as well!" The leader said, throwing away the axe as if it was a broken toy. He commanded the three other men to gather up the things needed to hold their new captive in place.
Garrett snarled as he thrashed about, trying to bite his captor's arm to get him to release him. His eyes never left Zeph, who slumped in his bindings whimpering in defeat. His gaze was away from Garrett's, as if he was ashamed.
Seeing his Blackguard so helpless broke his heart. He should have been more careful. He should have heeded Zeph's warning sooner.
When the three men returned, they held more ropes and another chair. They set the chair beside Zeph, and Garrett's captor dragged him towards it.
He bucked and wriggled against the arm, his glare set on the men about to tie him up.
"Do what you will with me," Garrett growled as the man holding him forced him to the chair. "Just release Zeph! If you need a hostage, take me instead!"
"Shut up," the leader muttered, as he and his companions began to tie Garrett to the chair.
Garrett growled in pain as the men tightened the knot around his hands, but he didn't struggle. He looked towards his beloved Blackguard, who could only watch as these bastards truss up his would-be rescuer. Garrett saw the tears forming in his eyes, and his heart was broken into even more pieces.
"I'm so sorry, Zeph," Garrett apologized. "If I had stayed home, none of this would have happened. I failed to protect you. I'm sorry…"
Zeph shook his head before mumbling comfort, but it was rendered unintelligible thanks to the gag. No. It wasn't Garrett's fault at all. If he had been stronger, he would have fought back against those robbers. It was all Zeph's fault for dragging Garrett into this predicament.
Garrett winced as the men tightened the ropes around his chest. They had bound him in a similar position as Zeph, but Garrett noticed that they used more ropes to secure him. It was a precaution, Garrett realized, since he had fought back.
He glanced towards Zeph, determination filled in his eyes as he spoke again. "I will get us out of this, Zeph. I promise."
"I said shuddup." The leader growled. After he finished up his and his comrades' handiwork, he gazed down at their two captives. The other men, satisfied with their work, left them alone to rummage through the Inn again.
"Heh, not so tough now, huh kid?" The leader taunted.
"Damn you," Garrett muttered. His fingers wiggled to find a knot, but it was out of reach. He gritted his teeth and scowled in an attempt to look defiant. Although, truth be told, he was terrified. For both himself and for Zeph.
"Y'know, your little boyfriend is quite pretty," the leader laughed. He looked towards Zeph, a hint of lust in his eyes. "Perhaps we can… borrow him for a while?"
"Don't you dare!" Garrett yelled. He squirmed against his ropes, hoping beyond hope that he could find a loose knot. Alas, he was expertly bound.
"Oh, protective, aren't you?" The leader teased. He placed a hand on Zeph's unbloodied cheek, caressing it lovingly. Zeph begged through his gag to stop as he shook in his chair.
"Leave him alone! Don't touch him, you sick dastard!" Garrett screamed, his glare intensified. Desperately, he began thrashing against his bonds. The chair creaked as he tried to break free. He had to protect Zeph. To get this bastard away from him. However, the ropes remained strong, and he felt the twine scratching up his wrists.
"How many times am I gonna say this?! Shut up!" the man yelled. Without warning, he landed a backhand to Garrett's cheek. Garrett cried out in pain, and the blow caused the chair to fall on its side. He crashed on the floor with a grunt of pain; his head barely missed the wood.
Zeph screamed through his gag, thrashing around in a desperate attempt to protect Garrett. His pleading eyes were set to the man who hovered over his lover. These bastards won't get away with this. Breaking into their home, harming his kind beloved.
The man ignored his cries before he kicked Garrett's face, his steel boot leaving a nasty bruise on his cheek. Garrett bit back a yelp of pain and grunted instead.
"Now, you gonna shut up or what?" The man said.
"Damn you," Garrett spoke, "You'll never get away with this—"
Without warning, the steel boot met his face again. This time, it hit him squarely on the nose. Garrett screamed out as he felt blood dripping down from his broken nose. He breathed through his mouth—he could still breathe through his nose, but the pain wasn't worth it.
Zeph whimpered through the gag, begging, pleading to the leader to hurt him instead. To leave Garrett alone.
"Aaaw," the man laughed, "is the big bad Blackguard gonna cry?"
Garrett glared up at the man. "Don't speak to him that wa—"
Another kick to his face. This time, hitting his eye. By instinct, he closed his eyes to defend them from being gouged out. While it did its job, it left a black eye. I'd rather a black eye than a lost eye, Garrett thought.
"I'm gonna say this one more time," the leader warned. He squatted down to pick up the chair and Garrett. As soon as he put the chair back on its legs, he punched Garrett's stomach repeatedly. "Shut. The. Fuck. Up!"
Garrett grunted, coughed, and let out a few pained breaths as the man punched him ruthlessly. It only lasted a few seconds, but to Garrett, it felt like it was painful hours. He turned to Zeph, who had tears running down his face. He could only watch as their kidnapper beat his Knight for his actions.
"Now," the man growled. He shook his fists to relieve the pain from the flurry of punches. "You gonna shut yer mouth or what?"
Garrett coughed and sputtered. He was sure some bruises had been formed on his stomach from the repeated blows. However, despite the pain, he glared up at his captor.
"Fuck… you…" Garrett muttered. While Garrett rarely cursed, the pain and the fact that Zeph was in danger made him slip. His glare burrowed into the leader's soul, as if he was trying to kill him by looks alone.
"Guess not," the leader tched. He walked away, and the two lovers were alone for a few seconds before he returned. He held another white cloth in his hands. Approaching the bound Knight, he lifted his chin up to force him to look at him.
"Open up," the leader commanded.
Garrett did the complete opposite and kept his mouth shut. The leader groaned in annoyance.
"I said open up, you little shit!" He yelled, before grabbing him by his short, white hair. One quick tug was all it took for Garrett to gasp in pain, leaving him vulnerable to be gagged.
The man stuffed the cloth in his mouth, tying it around his head tightly. Garrett bared his teeth, his glare still strong.
"That's what ya get for mouthing off, boy," the leader chuckled. Tousling Garrett's hair messily, he continued with a sneer, "Now, sit tight while we find yer treasures. We'll be back for you two shortly." With that, he left the two alone, joining his comrades to rummage around the Inn.
Garrett glanced at his lover, guilt filling his eyes. The pain from his broken nose intensified each breath he took through it. This was all his fault. Because of his recklessness, he and Zeph were now hostages, their fates up in the air. All the two could do was sit here, bound and gagged, and wait until the robbers were finished.
And finished they were, as a few minutes later, the five returned. They looked over their captives, evil smirks on their faces. Three of the five of them were looking down at Zeph, with two of them licking their lips, as if he was a slab of meat for predators to eat.
Sick dastards, Garrett thought with anger boiling inside him.
"So which one should we have our fun 'ith?" One man asked.
"They both look fun to play 'ith, but I like the little Blackguard freak."
That made Garrett snap. He yelled out through his gag, thrashing against his bonds in an attempt to reach the man making such a comment. He was not going to sit here and let them put their grubby hands on his boyfriend. Thoughts of murdering these men flew in his mind. If they leave another mark on him, I swear—
"True, but the little Knight 'ere is so cute when he's mad. Especially/i when it comes to his boyfriend."
"Damn you!" Garrett cried, albeit it was muffled thanks to the gag. He struggled and strained, screaming out unintelligible threats against the men's lives.
"Aaaaw," one man cooed, "look at him! Being all protective of his little boyfriend!" He tousled Garrett's hair, to which the Knight growled like a dog ready to bite its target. If he wasn't gagged, he would bite the man's hand for touching him in such a way.
"All right, boys," the leader began, "that's enough fun. We wasted enough time here. We need to load up our cargo and head home."
Garrett turned to Zeph, eyes wide in fear. Zeph looked back, eyes also wide and with unshed tears in his eyes.
This was it. Neither of them made any progress on freeing themselves, and they would be taken to these men's hideout and tortured. The only thing they had to rely on was extreme luck. And even that was nowhere in sight.
"Jed, Bob," the leader turned to two of his men, "take the treasures to our carriage." He turned to the two other men. "Don and Adam, chloroform the two. Make sure they won't try to get away."
"Sir, yes sir!" The four men saluted, evil smirks on their faces. Two of them, Don and Adam, looked at Garrett and Zeph with lust in their eyes.
Garrett's stomach turned in disgust. Zeph shook his head desperately, begging the two to not do what they were told, to leave them alone.
Don and Adam ignored him, each pulling out a cloth and a bottle labeled "chloroform". With sadistic grins, they opened the corks free from their respective bottles and poured the sweet chemical on the cloths. Their eyes were dripping with sadism towards their two hostages.
Garrett growled, his glare so intense that both the men would drop dead if looks could kill. Zeph shook his head harder, tears falling down his cheeks. He begged through his gag, telling them to not do this to them.
Don and Adam approached them; Don to Garrett and Adam to Zeph.
"Now," Don whispered in Garrett's ear, "be a good boy and breathe in the nice smell."
Garrett yelled through his gag, moving his head from the cloth that was nearing his face. Don tried again, but Garrett moved his head once more. If he was going to be taken like this, he would at least go down by giving his captors a hard time.
Adam, meanwhile, had no trouble as he shoved the cloth on Zeph's face. Zeph cried, whimpering as the sweet smell of the chloroform hit his nostrils. He tried to hold his breath to no avail thanks to the filthy rag limiting his breathing.
Garrett, spotting this, yelled out a threat, his glare saturated with hate. He unintentionally stopped moving his head as he did so.
Unfortunately, this was Don's chance as he shoved the cloth onto Garrett's face. Garrett cried out, thrashing his head around as he yelled out muffled threats. Alas, Don kept the cloth firmly on the Knight's face.
As he struggled, he spotted Zeph's eyes slowly closing from the chloroform. He screamed out to him, begging Zeph to stay awake, to not give in.
Alas, the chloroform did its job, and Zeph was out like a light. Adam held the Blackguard's body and chair before he removed the cloth from his face. Pocketing the cloth, he pulled out a knife next to cut Zeph free from the chair, presumably to readjust his bondage.
Garrett's vision blurred as he tried to fight against the drowsiness. No. He wasn't going to give up here. He had to fight off the sleepiness, break free, and kill these men for harming Zeph. He couldn't just give up now!
Despite his best efforts, however, he closed his eyes, falling into a deep, unwanted sleep…
The men hurried but carefully bound the two back-to-back, tying their hands together as a precaution. Once they were done, they threw them in the carriage they parked in the back of the Inn, being none too gentle.
When they were finished, they closed and locked the carriage door, smirks plastered on their faces.
"We're gonna be rich with these two!" Don laughed.
"Can't wait to get out of this damned country. This will be my chance!" Adam chuckled.
"Okay boys," the leader piped up. "Let's get out of this shithole. We have some 'fun' waiting for us when we get back."
"Yeah!"
With that, the five climbed into the carriage and drove off with their hostages. None of them were aware that a familiar figure with dark green hair was watching from the bushes.
