Barrett shook his head back and forth, trying to scratch his itching nose against the black sack over his head. His eyes adjusted to the dim light of the tunnel he was being held in. A bandit gang had converted the old storm drain system into a crude stronghold. Standing before him was the haggard face of his former soldier Malaise. He wore his grey hair long, and carried the weathered old crossbow he'd been issued in D'Hara a lifetime ago.
"We're's the treasure?"
"I spent it. Your mother's pricy but she's worth it," Barrett chided.
Malaise kicked him in the stomach.
"Oof! Heh! What's wrong old bean can't take a joke?"
Malaise stooped down getting closer to Barrett.
"You owe me," Malaise insisted, "you left me here to die. I could spend a year torturing you and and you wouldn't suffer half what I've been through. Face it I'm being more than fair."
"You would have left me here if you'd gotten the chance," Barrett countered.
Malaise pressed his crossbow against Barrett's boot.
"Your last escape attempt had me thinking I need to hobble you properly," He threatened.
"Don't you dare," Barrett challenged, his eyes narrowing.
Malaise squeesed the trigger arm and a bolt shot straight through Barrett's foot.
"BASTARD!" Barrett yelled in what Malaise assumed was pain.
"Think on it," Malaise said as he turned and walked away.
As soon as the ex-soldier's footsteps disappeared Barrett reached with his bound hands and plucked the arrow from his foot, without so much as a cringe. Checking to make sure no one was coming he slipped the boot off to check the damage. The bolt had left a hole clean through the wooden foot but the brass fixtures were untouched and those were the important parts. What I'd do to him if he'd caused real damage... Barrett thought.
He slipped the wooden foot off, which allowed him to easily remove the ropes from his legs. Then he set to work cutting through the bindings on his wrists using the head of the bolt.
To be continued...
