The roads north through Gridania had been full and the taverns and inns along the way were packed every night as travelers raced north to the newly opened city of Ishgard.
Korbin was remarking over the good luck his tavern had run into. The middle aged elezen was currently cleaning tables from the night before as light of the afternoon sun spilled in through the windows.Â
The common room was almost clean of split beer and tracked mud and it seemed like they would be ready for the inevitable rush that would descend upon them once the sun began to set.Â
But, for now, the elezen was calmly rubbing tables down with a wet rag, trying to remove the sticky, spilled beer he had left unwashed the night before.
At the moment, only his young son and a patron at one table were present with him. His son, like himself, was cleaning diligently. The traveler was quietly sitting at a table, looking over large map while drinking a glass of water with two lemon slices in it.
The patron was unique, not so much for his his shirtless attire, which allowed his mass of coiled muscles to shimmer; but the fact that he was just so huge for a miqo'te. Korbin had been around awhile and never had he seen a Seeker so well built. Korbin had been self-consciously walking around with his abs tensed trying to make himself fell better about his body compared to the feline adonis.
Though the strange miqo'te was very pleasant and he had been paying for the water regularly, so Korbin was content to allow the miqo'te to stay and make Korbin feel self conscious.
The door to the room opened.
The sounds of jingling spurs and the smell of tobacco smoke suddenly reached Korbin. The elezen stiffened and he tried to turn. He knew who it was.
But a boot caught Korbin at the back of the knee and he buckled. He fell to one knee as a iron like hand grabbed the back of his neck and began choking him as he felt himself being dragged towards the door. Korbin craned his neck and saw that it was the miqo'te mercenary Ki Grimsong who had seized him. Just as Korbin had feared.
"Your protection money is late and the Chief knows ya have it." Ki muttered, smoking rising up from his lips. The mercenary stopped by the door and pulled out a knife. Korbin cried out in fear as the knife point was put to his left ear.
"I'm gonna cut off the ear. Once I do, you have ten minutes to find the money you owe the Chief or I'll cut the other one off." Ki blew smoke out of his nostrils as he shifted the cigarette hanging from his lips.
"I'll get it! I'll get it!" Korbin hollered. "I've just been busy and didn't have time to-"
"Yeah, shoulda made time."Â Ki held on to Korbin as the elezen flailed around, trying to break the vice grip on his neck.
"Please! I'll get it, I'll-"
"AHEM!" came a loud, thunderously loud and yet theatrical voice. Both Ki and Korbin looked over the large, shirtless miqo'te now standing before them. Ki gave a long whistle.
"Damn. You ever hear of a thing called a neck? Supposed to be between your shoulders and your head." the merc snorted. "Less you want to have your overcompensating guts blown all over the floor, sit down."
"I believe the man asked you to let him go. Would be rude not too." said the huge, muscled male
Ki blinked and cocked his head top one side as he sheathed his knife before he then unslung the large bore firearm from his back and leveled it at the shirtless miqo'te's chest.
"Sit your dumb ass down before I shoot your dick off. This isn't your business."
"There you are wrong." the massive male answered, raising his hands over his head. Ki noticed a small face was painted onto each hand and he blinked his mismatched eyes in surprise before meeting the jade green eyes of the muscle covered male.
"Making goodness fill the world is my business and there seems to be a drought here as of late. And when a drought in goodness comes, my fists make good rain."
Ki gave a look of disbelief and he began laughing.
"Fella, you are one dumb-" Ki started.
"And so do my feet." the shirtless male said calmly as he suddenly stamped his left foot. One of the long, parallel base boards that made up the floor was driven down on the end where his foot stomped. The whole rest of the board bowed upwards. Ki had just enough time to realize that the opposite end of the arching board was between his legs and that the nails holding the head of the board down were giving before the end of the board snapped up and slammed itself into his crotch with a thundering smack.
Ki howled and dropped his gun as the air was kicked out of him. Tears filled his eyes and he felt the pain rise up from his balls into his abdomen as he clutched his bruised manhood. Ki fell to the floor.Â
"Owwwwwww." Ki screamed. He was in so much pain that he never saw the large foot that kicked him in the gut and then scooped him up into the awaiting arms.Â
Over the pain, Ki sensed that he was being carried out. The massive hands then found the mercenary's chocobo and lashed him to the saddle. Ki realized what was about to happen through his water filled eyes as he saw the huge miqo'te draw his hand back.
"Hey, no!"
"Meyaw!" the shirtless miqo'te shouted as he smacked Ki's mount on the flank. The chocobo gave a loud caw and then began rushing off, dragging the mercenary behind the bird.
"I'll get you for this!" Ki hollered, his voice much in a much higher pitch than normal as he bounced off a pot hole. He whimpered as more pain rolled through his body.
The massive miqo'te dusted his hands off and returned to the establishment. He walked in to see a bewildered Korbin and Korbin's son starring at him. The large male blushed at their awed expressions.
"Uh, can I get some more water, please?" the male asked.
"I...I...thank you sir!" Korbin said, bowing low. "You've saved my ears."
"Not yet I haven't" the massive male said, giving a thumbs up and a grin.Â
"Huh?" Korbin stammered.Â
The massive, shirtless miqo'te with white hair shrugged.Â
"I mean, he's not dead and might be back with friends. So things could get messy."
"Then why let him live?" Korbin felt his gut knot.
"Because, he was only one. Better to lure more wolves out. Now then, about that water."
"I...water...okay." Korbin said, scared and confused. "Two lemons, Mr...."
"Mr. Elk Moro is what they call me." the miqo'te thumped his chest and nodded eagerly. "And yes, two lemon slices please. I'll need to be well hydrated for when they come back. Also you might want to find a safe place to hide in case they do. Better safe than sorry!" Elk Moro gave a friendly grin. Korbin just gave a weak smile.
"Horray...." Korbin muttered weakly.
Korbin was remarking over the good luck his tavern had run into. The middle aged elezen was currently cleaning tables from the night before as light of the afternoon sun spilled in through the windows.Â
The common room was almost clean of split beer and tracked mud and it seemed like they would be ready for the inevitable rush that would descend upon them once the sun began to set.Â
But, for now, the elezen was calmly rubbing tables down with a wet rag, trying to remove the sticky, spilled beer he had left unwashed the night before.
At the moment, only his young son and a patron at one table were present with him. His son, like himself, was cleaning diligently. The traveler was quietly sitting at a table, looking over large map while drinking a glass of water with two lemon slices in it.
The patron was unique, not so much for his his shirtless attire, which allowed his mass of coiled muscles to shimmer; but the fact that he was just so huge for a miqo'te. Korbin had been around awhile and never had he seen a Seeker so well built. Korbin had been self-consciously walking around with his abs tensed trying to make himself fell better about his body compared to the feline adonis.
Though the strange miqo'te was very pleasant and he had been paying for the water regularly, so Korbin was content to allow the miqo'te to stay and make Korbin feel self conscious.
The door to the room opened.
The sounds of jingling spurs and the smell of tobacco smoke suddenly reached Korbin. The elezen stiffened and he tried to turn. He knew who it was.
But a boot caught Korbin at the back of the knee and he buckled. He fell to one knee as a iron like hand grabbed the back of his neck and began choking him as he felt himself being dragged towards the door. Korbin craned his neck and saw that it was the miqo'te mercenary Ki Grimsong who had seized him. Just as Korbin had feared.
"Your protection money is late and the Chief knows ya have it." Ki muttered, smoking rising up from his lips. The mercenary stopped by the door and pulled out a knife. Korbin cried out in fear as the knife point was put to his left ear.
"I'm gonna cut off the ear. Once I do, you have ten minutes to find the money you owe the Chief or I'll cut the other one off." Ki blew smoke out of his nostrils as he shifted the cigarette hanging from his lips.
"I'll get it! I'll get it!" Korbin hollered. "I've just been busy and didn't have time to-"
"Yeah, shoulda made time."Â Ki held on to Korbin as the elezen flailed around, trying to break the vice grip on his neck.
"Please! I'll get it, I'll-"
"AHEM!" came a loud, thunderously loud and yet theatrical voice. Both Ki and Korbin looked over the large, shirtless miqo'te now standing before them. Ki gave a long whistle.
"Damn. You ever hear of a thing called a neck? Supposed to be between your shoulders and your head." the merc snorted. "Less you want to have your overcompensating guts blown all over the floor, sit down."
"I believe the man asked you to let him go. Would be rude not too." said the huge, muscled male
Ki blinked and cocked his head top one side as he sheathed his knife before he then unslung the large bore firearm from his back and leveled it at the shirtless miqo'te's chest.
"Sit your dumb ass down before I shoot your dick off. This isn't your business."
"There you are wrong." the massive male answered, raising his hands over his head. Ki noticed a small face was painted onto each hand and he blinked his mismatched eyes in surprise before meeting the jade green eyes of the muscle covered male.
"Making goodness fill the world is my business and there seems to be a drought here as of late. And when a drought in goodness comes, my fists make good rain."
Ki gave a look of disbelief and he began laughing.
"Fella, you are one dumb-" Ki started.
"And so do my feet." the shirtless male said calmly as he suddenly stamped his left foot. One of the long, parallel base boards that made up the floor was driven down on the end where his foot stomped. The whole rest of the board bowed upwards. Ki had just enough time to realize that the opposite end of the arching board was between his legs and that the nails holding the head of the board down were giving before the end of the board snapped up and slammed itself into his crotch with a thundering smack.
Ki howled and dropped his gun as the air was kicked out of him. Tears filled his eyes and he felt the pain rise up from his balls into his abdomen as he clutched his bruised manhood. Ki fell to the floor.Â
"Owwwwwww." Ki screamed. He was in so much pain that he never saw the large foot that kicked him in the gut and then scooped him up into the awaiting arms.Â
Over the pain, Ki sensed that he was being carried out. The massive hands then found the mercenary's chocobo and lashed him to the saddle. Ki realized what was about to happen through his water filled eyes as he saw the huge miqo'te draw his hand back.
"Hey, no!"
"Meyaw!" the shirtless miqo'te shouted as he smacked Ki's mount on the flank. The chocobo gave a loud caw and then began rushing off, dragging the mercenary behind the bird.
"I'll get you for this!" Ki hollered, his voice much in a much higher pitch than normal as he bounced off a pot hole. He whimpered as more pain rolled through his body.
The massive miqo'te dusted his hands off and returned to the establishment. He walked in to see a bewildered Korbin and Korbin's son starring at him. The large male blushed at their awed expressions.
"Uh, can I get some more water, please?" the male asked.
"I...I...thank you sir!" Korbin said, bowing low. "You've saved my ears."
"Not yet I haven't" the massive male said, giving a thumbs up and a grin.Â
"Huh?" Korbin stammered.Â
The massive, shirtless miqo'te with white hair shrugged.Â
"I mean, he's not dead and might be back with friends. So things could get messy."
"Then why let him live?" Korbin felt his gut knot.
"Because, he was only one. Better to lure more wolves out. Now then, about that water."
"I...water...okay." Korbin said, scared and confused. "Two lemons, Mr...."
"Mr. Elk Moro is what they call me." the miqo'te thumped his chest and nodded eagerly. "And yes, two lemon slices please. I'll need to be well hydrated for when they come back. Also you might want to find a safe place to hide in case they do. Better safe than sorry!" Elk Moro gave a friendly grin. Korbin just gave a weak smile.
"Horray...." Korbin muttered weakly.