Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Swordsmen and Thief. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I do not own any rights to Fairy Tale, Hiro Mashima, Kodansha and a few others that I may write about.
Clell blinked and looked down at the chains that bound his arms. He guessed that was a good countermeasure for a thief like him.
"And why should we believe you", Clell heard from Erza. In Clells' mind, he thought 'Why black out a room if he could hear voices?'.
"Do you honestly think I'd turn myself into the police for no reason", Clell said to Ezra. "I might be a thief, but I'm not stupid!", he exclaimed.
"I have no reason to believe you", Clell nodded and shook his head in disgust.
"I know that. I felt like telling you there is very little reason for a thief to surrender himself to law enforcement, unless they felt it was the best move". "You of all people should know that", Clell stated as he cracked a slight smile on his face.
Clell couldn't tell how much of him they could see. He did take a guess and believed they could see the expressions on his face clearly. The police were studying him to see if he was lying or not.
"You don't know who this man that hired you is?" Erza asked. Clell shook his head at Erza's question and grit his teeth angerly.
"These people didn't 'hire me'. They killed a member of my group, a friend. I either did the job, or they'd come after the others in my group. My friends chose to leave and take any leverage they might have had." Clell stated, rage pooling in his eyes.
He didn't blame Erza for not trusting him. She was a member of a long and respected guild; he was a thief famous enough to have a reputation amongst at least a few towns.
"You asked for us why again? We could simply leave you in your cell and carry on finding out whoever this was." Clell rolled his eyes, not that he could see who it was due to a bandana and the sheer darkness of the room.
"Then why are you here still listening to me? I've told you everything I know, I'm not stupid, what reason are you entertaining the question of a talk with me?" Clell asked, raising an eyebrow at this.
Clell heard several murmurs as he guessed they were debating over what to do next. Clell simply rolled his shoulders, trying to get any knots out of his back and arms.
"Do you plan on atoning for these crimes when you are released?" Clell hummed and nodded.
"I would if they don't kill me first. My group usually only steals from other criminals. Illegal, yes, but my group usually only raided people who fully deserved it. I'll let you make of that what you will to begin with." Clell sighed and leaned back in his spot on the ground.
More murmurs, at least they didn't want to discuss details like what to do with a potential threat around them. It took them a minute to come back close enough for him to be able to hear them.
"The warden said he would release you…. if you can lead us to whoever is behind this theft of resources." He heard, once again from Erza of all people. He shouldn't have been surprised that she was the one addressing him. She had honor, he didn't, nobody had any real reason to trust him.
"I will help you. I owe whoever attacked my group a death sentence. My friends have more honor then me when it comes down to it. The sheer fact that this coward tried to rip them off and stabbed Alex to a damned tree." Clell hissed, his voice was colder than ice.
Erza studied Clell; he seemed angry at these bandits if they did indeed exist and weren't a fabrication. Erza didn't see a secret motive for Clell getting himself arrested, but most people now adays could harbor one.
"You must hate them a lot." Clell narrowed his eyes with rage, felt by everyone in the room.
"They murdered my best friend, forced me to commit a robbery, something I don't do against innocent people, … and they're probably going to hunt down my friends ruthlessly murdering each and every one of them. I'm very past 'hate them a lot'. I want them dead or rotting in a cell worse than this one." Clell crossed his arms as much as he could with the chains attached to his arms.
He sighed, knowing that getting captured was a risky move. Fairy Tale was the best way to bring down the animals hunting his group. He wouldn't spare them if they showed so easily, they would slaughter his friends to get him to side with them.
"Then I'm hoping when you help us that you're willing to play ball with us." He heard from the group as he cracked his neck in response.
He smirked, eager to get to work taking them down. He was planning to rip through them all. Clell couldn't wait to fight these groups.
Author Notes
Phew, another chapter done! I want to apologize for the format and non sequiturs. Next chapter will show more about Erza and Clell bonding and such. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!
P.S: Lucy and such might be getting a story down the road along with some other anime stories.