Beneath the Surface VIII

I approach the shadow who starts to tremble slightly, before shouting at me, "S-stay back! Don't come any closer!"

"Hold on, Fluffy. She smells... The same smell she did from the papers... He is the one we are looking for." M'rissi calls out, resting her hand on my shoulder, stopping me for a moment.

I temper my growing rage by taking a deep breath before calling out to the coward in the shadows, "Hey, you're Creep, right?"

"Y-yeah? What's it to ya?" Creep calls back from the shadows.

"Then this is your lucky day, seeing as you have something I want... You're going to tell me where you got that book that you sold to that Argonian." I tell him as I walk into the shadows, making him quickly back himself against the tunnel's wall before I trap him with an arm on either side.

"A-and why would I-I do that? Y-you're on my turf, now! You can't touch me! I'm with the Thieves Guild, and they'll rip you to shreds with just one word from me!" Creep blusters and bluffs, trying his best to seem intimidating.

"Ha... Ha ha... HAHAHA!" I can't help but laugh, at his pathetic attempt to intimidate me.

"W-what's so funny?!" Creep questions me in a panic, looking around frantically for an opening to slip away from.

"Oh, nothing much... Even if I wasn't a part of the 'Oh-so-scary' Thieves Guild... Do you see anyone here who could stop me from removing your head from your shoulders, and leaving your corpse here for the skeevers? Because, I certainly don't..." I say with a malicious smile beneath my mask as I pull out a dagger and hold it to his throat.

"I-I'll talk! I'll talk! Just put it away!... I... I was out searching for a mark when I happened on what looked like an abandoned shack. Being the curious type that I am... I went inside to look around, but instead of finding dust, I found this old Khajiit..." Creep says before going quiet.

I take my hand and grip his wrist tightly before twisting it harshly almost snapping it as I growl at him, "Think... Carefully... I know it's hard for you, but what happened after you found the Khajiit?"

"Ouch! I-I drew my knife and told him that I wouldn't hurt'em if he stayed still, and he said I could have anything I wanted as long as I didn't take that book... So, I thought it was a special book worth a little coin, so I took it... B-but he... He..." Creep goes quiet once more, refusing to look at me or M'rissi.

I twist his arm even further, until I hear a resounding CRACK, before I simply say, "Speak..."

"He tried to stop me and I struck him!" Creep shouts trying and failing to free himself.

"Struck him with what? Your knife?" I ask, holding firm as he starts trying to pry at my hand with his free arm.

"It's not my fault! I just wanted to wound him a little, not kill him! If he'd just stay still like I fucking told him! And the book was worthless anyways! I'll even mark it on your map, so just let me go damn it!" Creep curses as he struggles to free himself before I unexpectedly let him go.

"Y-you're letting me go?" Creep asks me with a shocked expression.

"Mark it on the map... And then you can walk away..." I tell him with a blank look as I pull out the map and an ink vial and quill.

"O-of course, thank you! Thank you!" Creep thanks me as he quickly marks the location on my map and quickly turns to walk away.

"Fluffy! How could you let her kin killer-" M'rissi starts to chastise me before I look at her with cold eyes.

"Kitten... Hit his leg... Then go and watch the girl... I don't want you to see this..." I tell her as I put my forehead against her's before walking away further into the darkness as I leave room for M'rissi to take her shot.

"Okay, Fluffy... She will listen..." I hear M'rissi mumble beneath her breathe as I walk away before I hear the tightening of her bowstring and a Swish as an arrow flies past my side and nails Creep in his calf, knocking him to the ground as I slowly make my way towards his crawling figure as I wait to hear M'rissi walk away.

"But, you said I was free to go! You fuckin liar!" Creep shouts at me as he tries to crawl further away only for my foot to crush the ankle of his uninjured leg with a sickening crunch making him scream in agony.

"I rarely lie... I said you could walk away... I never said how far... So, I'll give you one more chance... Stand up... And walk... Away..." I say, sporadically grinding my heel into his shattered ankle before taking my heel away.

"You fucking bastard!" Creep shouts as he looks up at me in rage.

"Tick, tock... You're running out of time... Ten... Nine... Eight..." I say, standing up to watch him struggle as I count down.

"Fucking, fuck! Screw you, mother fu-" Creep curses at me as he struggles to force all his weight onto the leg M'rissi had shot before I shout at him.

"FUS!!! Four... You should really stop laying around and get serious... Three... Two..." I say continuing to count as I see his limp body get flung down the hall, skidding and scrapping against the stone floor for several feet.

"Ack! You piece of sh-" Creep starts to curse at me before I bring my foot up and slamming it into it his jaw hard enough to knock out a few of his rotten teeth across the stone floor and into a nearby sewer grate.

I can feel my rage radiating off of me with every move I make as I bend down and pull Creep up by the throat as I pin him to the wall as his three damaged limbs dangle downwards as his one good arm tries to claw at my arm as I hold him there... Looking at him struggle.