Meeting Knox

Raphael leaned against the wall with a sigh, letting the slip of paper drift back down to the rough, uneven table that wobbled beside him. He glanced out the broken window at the moon. An hour or so had passed since being in this dingy hovel and he had already gone through both packs thoroughly. Twice. Judging by the moon, it was only a few hours until sunrise. He heard some rustling, frantic breathing. The only light in the room flickered from the weak lantern that sputtered on the floor next to the two men who were currently trussed to a pair of chairs. One of which who had just woken up, looking alarmed and desperately trying to crane his neck to see about the room. Raphael leaned against the back wall, knowing that he could not be seen by the humans in such dim light. Even with his halfling eyes, it was a tad difficult, but he could still make the two out.

The one who had just woken up was older than Raphael by at least a decade, about average height and weight for a Talmistian. Raphael had dubbed him Silver Fox for his hair, which was much more gray than brown, but his face did not match the aging. That being said, worry lined every feature of his face, if it wasn’t apparent by his mannerisms that Raphael had observed previously, the anxiety carved into his face was already there. He had been carrying a crossbow, worn but well cared for, which Raphael had relieved him of, surprised that he didn’t have any other weapons. Toad was the first animal that entered Raphael’s mind when he saw Silver’s companion, and it fit all too well. He was small and disgusting, his girth straining against his bonds as he overflowed the edges. Raphael had quite literally gagged when he had wrestled the toad into the chair, his stench was overwhelming. This one must have had a dull weapon stashed in every fold of his body, Raphael marveled at how many there were. It had been almost a game to find them all.

Raphael watched as Silver continued to fight against his bounds, taking note that he had checked on the condition of his companion. For some reason, Raphael doubted Toad wouldfound have done the same for him. He didn’t miss the relief that flashed in Silver’s eyes that his friend was asleep. Speaking of which, Toad was beginning to stir, grunting as he awoke. “What da hell?,” he slurred, blinking down at his tethered arms. Silver leaned over to try and murmur something but was completely ignored by Toad, who was trying to kick out from the chair. That wasn’t going to work. Not seeming too disappointed by Toad’s dismissal, Silver sighed, looking ahead, right at Raphael. His eyes widened then squinted, trying to get a better look into the darkness. Raphael pushed off against the wall. Here we go.

“Ah, you are awake,” Raphael said casually. Toad’s head whipped around, his eyes bugging out as Raphael stepped out of the shadows, but Silver’s surprise was more subtle, just the quickness of breath. Unfortunately, Toad seemed to be the leader of the two, so Raphael stopped short just in front of him. “Look at me, sweetheart,” Raphael cooed, gripping Toad’s chin so that he was forced to look up at Raphael. “You certainly had no qualms about ogling me before.” He watched as that disgusting emotion leered on the man’s face, before Toad crushed it, replacing the expression with bravado. Raphael was used to people looking at him like that, Toad had in the tavern, both women and men alike, but it usually turned into fear or disgust when they realized what he was. Sometimes, it even made the looks worse, as they considered him a novelty, if you will. Something to play with, something to try. They never owned up to it though. Love could be between any gender, but of course not love for halflings. Raphael forced the thoughts out his mind as he stared into Toad’s murky eyes. This filth would certainly not confess to it, for absolute certain, despite what Raphael had heard him saying to Silver at the bar early that evening. In a raucous tone, Toad had boasted of the excellent price Raphael would catch. His stomach rolled at remembering what exactly the disgusting creature had said he wanted to do to the halfing before looking for a buyer.

“Whadda gonna do about it, dog? Don’t tell me ya didn’t like it.” Toad looked calm, despite his position, speaking to Silver, instead of the threat in front of him. No, not calm, just confident, so nonchalant.. He honestly had no idea what was happening. Raphael could feel Silver watching him nervously, but kept patiently watching Toad. He hadn’t lived his entire life controlling his emotions to let something as unoriginal as this get to him. Regardless, it was so hard to keep that smooth smile on his face, and to resolved to keep the silkiness in his voice. If this man wanted a pet, so be it. He was going to have to watch his mouth pretty soon.

But before Raphael could say anything, he heard a hesitant “F...f..finch.” His eyes flicked to Silver, surprised that he had spoken up (and also that that man was named after such a delicate bird). He was even more surprised when the nervous man met his gaze, swallowing hard, but continuing to stutter out, “I th...th..thin...I believe-”

“What’s amatter?” Toad/Finch taunted, interrupting Silver. “Yer scared of da dog?” Silver ducked his head, dropping Raphael’s gaze. But Raphael continued to watch, hands behind his back as Toad sneered, “Yer nothing. Worthless. Can’t eva stand up to dirt.” He then spit at Silver’s feet. Raphael allowed himself to arch an eyebrow, but Silver refused to look up still. Yet even from this angle, Raphael could see the flush of red spreading across the man’s face. Toad continued his tirade, “Maybe ya shoulda joined da scum, ya lil puss-”

That was enough. Raphael’s blood felt like ice as he darted forwarded. Without thinking, he reached behind Toad, grabbing a fistful of the mangy hair. Wrenching it back and down, he forced the man to look up at him. Toad strained to get away from him, but could not due to the combination of Raphael’s vise-like grip and his tight restraints. Before either captive could react, Raphael had slipped his knife from his boot, pressing its tip firmly to Toad’s thick throat. “Don’t,” he breathed. Even he himself was unsure what exactly he was referring to, was it the way this cretin was speaking to Silver? Why did he even care? Or was it to stop him from such useless struggling? Silver had jerked his head up, leaning as far away as he could from the two. Although Raphael’s tone was even and quiet, he could see a touch of fear flicker through Toad’s eyes, enough so that he stopped struggling, panting. “Look at me,” Raphael repeated.

“Yah? I’m lookin, whadda want?” Toad retorted, his Adam’s apple bobbing frantically. Raphael was tired of this. Such fake bravado. Men like this were cowards, bullies who rolled over and showed their bellies when challenged. At least those men knew when they should quit.

“You think you can sell me to the highest bidder because I am a lesser being? You think that you can use me for you…” Raphael paused for effect. He trailed his knife almost tenderly enderly down Toad’s throat. From that calculatedly gentle caress, a faint trail of blood followed his blade. He continued, “pleasure? Because I am an object? A toy? A mutt?” He leaned closer to Toad, whispering in his ear, not caring if Silver heard him as well.

“I am more human than you will ever be. Remember that, love.”

And with that, Raphael released Toad’s hair and turned away, returning to the table in the darkness. He could feel Silver’s eyes on him, not sure of what emotion they held. Toad seemed unable to speak, making only sputtering noises. Raphael didn’t really care if he did speak again, but knew he would. They always did. He wished he hadn’t gotten so worked up. Well, to these two, he was calm cool, collected, but inside, he was twisting, fuming. Halflings. Half humans. Beings who had no control over what-or who-their parents were. Why couldn’t anyone realize that? Raphael let his shoulders slump slightly. Why did it even matter that he was only half human anyway?

His thoughts were interrupted by that toad, who had unfortunately regained his ability to speak. “Ya bastard!” Raphael did not acknowledge him, reaching for one of their bags again for a moment’s distraction so he could clear his head a bit. But apparently Toad was not used to being ignored, raising his voice, as if that conceited moron thought that Raphael couldn’t simply hear him. “YER NOTHING! YA HEAR ME, YOU MUTT? YER NOTHING BUT AH-” He was cut off as his head whipped back as Raphael whirled around, kicking him across the face. Remaining silent, Raphael picked up the entire chair, along with Toad still strapped in it. He wasn’t struggling under Toad’s weight this time though, as he carried the entire screaming, cursing package out of the shack.

The shack was located near a stream, easy access to running water. Toad’s bellows continued as Raphael walked to the bank, his mind clear through the noise. He paused, waiting for Toad to quiet, but the man continued his tirade. Raphael waited patiently, simply holding Toad in midair. Eventually, it became too much. He swung the chair over the stream, swollen from the previous night’s rain. Fear flashed over Toad’s face but, if anything, he got louder.

“Hush.” And then nothing but a splash, drowned out by the noise of the rushing water. Raphael watched for a moment, then turned back, returning to the shack. Gently shutting the door behind him with a click, he grabbed one of the remaining chairs at the table and dragged it before Silver, settling down in front of him. Silver tugged on his restraints, trying to get away from Raphael. Was he scared of him for being a halfling or was it just the situation all around? Raphael wondered. He surveyed the man before him. There was...something there. Raphael wasn’t sure, maybe it was the way that Toad had been treating him, or the hesitant, reluctant way that Silver had been acting towards all of Toad’s orders, but there was. There really was something about this man.

Raphael crossed his legs, folding his hands in his lap. “What is your name, sir?” Silver looked so confused at the polite question that Raphael wanted to laugh. He could see the older man studying him as well.

“K...knox. Knox Nikkel.” Silver dipped his head in greeting. His eyes peeked up, and Raphael noticed how pretty they actually were, a blueish green like the ocean. “Th...th-thank you,” Knox stammered.

Raphael blinked. “Whatever for? You are in quite a predicament.” He nodded towards Knox’s bound form. As an unconscious response to his question, Knox glanced towards the closed door. Realization bloomed in Raphael. Maybe the pair’s relationship had been worse than he suspected. “Ah, your friend-”

“He is not my friend!” Raphael smiled when Knox seemed shocked by his own outburst. Interesting. “I m...m-mean,”

Raphael set a hand on Knox’s knee, causing him to jolt. This poor man was so jumpy. “Sir, calm down,” Raphael apologized. “My name is Raphael.” He kept his full name out of this. He paused, before adding, “I am not going to hurt you.” You won’t end up like Toad, he mentally promised Knox, and himself. For some reason, he wanted to reassure this man.

“Knox,” Silver repeated.

Raphael smiled gently, shaking his head slight. “I believe we had already established that, yes.” He instantly regretted his words when Knox’s cheeks burned red. Trying to quickly repair the already crumbling bridge, Raphael asked, “Why don’t you tell me about yourself? How did you become such unfortunate companions with that unsavory fellow.” He nodded to the empty spot beside Knox. “Or about these ladies.” With those words, he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. Knox seemed to stop breathing, his eyes trained on the worn sketch.

Raphael had found the picture in one of the bags, apparently Silver’s. It was a portrait of a lovely woman and two little girls, appearing both to be about ten years old. Twins, from what Raphael could gather from the rather skillful portrayal. It rivaled some official portraits he had witnessed in high class homes. But this one wasn’t still like those, no, Raphael could see the love taken with every line. When he had first discovered the paper, it had reminded him of how much care Griffon took in his own sketches, although Griffon’s work usually consisted of the flora and fauna of their journeys.

“P...p-plea..please be careful with that!” For the first time, Silver was straining against his bonds, trying to get to the little piece of paper in Raphael’s hand. Not wanting to torture him, Raphael nodded, understanding. This was important to Knox, obviously his family. He carefully folded the sketch back up, taking note how it was creased in such a way as to not obscure any of the faces, and placed it back into the book where it was once hidden. Once stowed away safely once more, Raphael rested his chin on his palm, waiting expectantly for Knox’s story. He imagined how they must look: a grown man bound to a chair, a halfling free to move about.

Raphael could see that Knox was trying to gather his thoughts. After a few moments, he laughed nervously, “I’m...I’m-I don’t know where to start.”

“Start at the beginning. Or in the middle.” Raphael grinned. “I can put it all together.”

Knox’s next laugh was less guarded, and he took a deep breath. “Th...that picture, it is a portrait of my girls, Willow and Sara and Gracie, my wife.” He smiled. “They are my world. The tw...tw-the girls are ten, so much life in them. I don’t know where they get it all from.” A shadow crossed his face and the smile dropped. “Th-that wou...wou-I could really use it now, actually, especially in this line of work.” He looked at Raphael. “I’m...I’m...I-I’m good with a crossbow crossboy, trained as a boy, but I’m a jeweler by trade. Not this job, by the Ones, no not this. P..p...p-please believe me.”

When Raphael gestured for him to continue, it took a minute for Knox to compose himself. “S...sara got sick. Th...there wasn’t anyone who could help her. Th..th...th-doctors couldn’t do anything. I went everywhere I could, begging for help. Th...they either didn’t know what was wrong with her, or I didn’t have enough money to make them tell me. H-her hair was falling out, she was just wasting away. S..so all...so all I could do was go out and still search.” Knox shook his head. “N...nothing. Until I heard a rumor. The Blightoath.” The name sent shivers down Raphael’s back, causing the hair on the back of his neck to raise in anticipation.

The Blightoath was the organization that sought to eradicate halflings, or really anything good or different in Verascass. They were brutal and cruel and everything that the Monarch Society fought against. For as long as Raphael could remember, it had been the Society versus the Blightoath. It used to be little things here and there as the Society squashed small operations as they heard word of them. But more recently, the Blightoath had gotten bigger, bolder. They were killing halflings in the streets, no longer dragging them back to torture for fun, but simply killing them in front of the public, who, in turn, would turn a blind eye. Raphael gripped his leg before forcing his fist apart. Knox definitely did not fit within their ranks.

Raphael realized that he had zoned out for a minute as Knox continued, “Th...th...th-they said they had a cure. They said they could help me if I helped them. I was so, so stupid, but I was desperate. F-finch,” he almost spat the name, “was the one I was in contact with. B-before I kn..kn-before I realized, I was trapped. They didn’t actually have a cure. They knew where my family was. Th-they threatened my girls, Raphael.”

Knox coughed, his voice had grown raspy. Raphael got up to grab a waterskin from the table, trying not to think about how this was the first time the man had used his name. He wordlessly moved to Knox’s side, gesturing for him to tilt his head back. The man flushed, but tilted his head back so Raphael could pour him a drink. There was only minor sputtering, but Raphael said nothing, taking a swig from the skin as well before turning it to the table. When he sat back down, Knox’s chin was to his chest, looking too weary to raise it.

“My Sara is still so sick, I can’t bare to see her like this, but I have to just sit and watch her die!” Knox made a choking sound. “No, I have to kill the innocent as I watch her die!” He leaned forward, looking at Raphael in earnest. “The Ones made all creatures, I truly believe that, and loves each one. It is not my place to do what I do,” his face crumbled, “and I pay for what I have done every day. I just wanted my little girl to live.” Tears streaking down his cheeks, he pleaded, “Please forgive me.”

With that, Knox appeared finished, lowering his chin back to his chest. Raphael didn’t think he realized it, but Knox had stopped his nervous stuttering about midway through his tale. Raphael could see it, just simply hear and see how much this man loved his family. How he would, no, Raphael corrected himself, had, done whatever he could to make his little girl well. The heartbreak was so apparent in his face, harsh lines of worry and stress had been carved into Knox’s features. It might simply be from being trussed to the chair, but Knox’s entire posture was stooped, so broken from the burdens he must have been bearing, the guilt he so obviously felt. It was that genuine emotion that made Raphael realize that he did forgive Knox. He hadn’t even had to ponder about it, he just did. It was also that genuine emotion that helped him make his choice. Fuck, I hope I don’t regret this, he thought as he rose from his seat.

“Thank you, Knox, for sharing your story with me.” Knox nodded, visibly exhausted by his speech. Hiding a wry smile, Raphael thought, Probably from a lot of things, actually.. The smile he let Knox see was sad. He knew it matched the sadness shining clearly in his eyes, because he could see it in Knox’s as well. The man smiled wearily back at him, unsure as to why.

It was when Raphael unsheathed his knife. He watched as all light left Knox’s eyes, replaced with unease and fear, his smile dropping off his face as his brow furrowed in confusion. Raphael moved steadily forward to the bound man, the knife dangling at his side as he walked. “W..w...wa-st...stop, what are you doing?” The stammer was back in full force, making Raphael’s heart pang, but he shoved it away.

“Shhh.” Raphael had reached Knox’s chair, standing before him. To his credit, as terrified as the man obviously was, Knox looked up at Raphael, his eyes now pleading.

“Please.” It was so soft, Raphael didn’t even think that Knox knew that he had even said it. It didn’t matter either way. Raphael had made his choice.

“Thank you, Knox,” he repeated. And with that, he swung his knife. The hilt slammed into Knox’s temple and the man slumped in his chair, the only thing holding him up was the tight bonds that kept him in his seat. Raphael surveyed him for a moment. Shaking his head, he tossed the knife in midair, catching the blade by the handle. He cut Knox from the chair, catching him easily before he hit the floor. Laying him out carefully, Raphael checked Knox’s head, wrapping it with gauze, just in case. He didn’t have Griffon’s medical prowess, but he knew enough to be dangerous. Knowing that Knox wasn’t going to be moving for a while, Raphael prepared a note, scratching out half a page’s worth in flowing script before slipping it, along with other supplies, into the man’s bag. He checked to make sure everything was secure on his person and then crouched down to scoop Knox up over his shoulder.

Raphael walked for a while through the forest, Knox thudding gently against his back. He tried not to think during this time, not wanting to consider how easily this could have been a mistake. Getting a safe enough distance between himself and the abandoned shack, he gently lowered Knox from his shoulder, leaning him against the trunk of a large tree. Tucking the bag around Knox’s chest and under his arm, Raphael stood up. This part of the Pippilo Forest, Knox would be safe. Daylight was just starting to barely poke through the branches, signalling another day. Turning on his heel and without a look back, Raphael moved on, working a path that Knox would hopefully follow. If Knox was the man that Raphael thought he was, he would be seeing the nervous man very soon.