Jace Gets Bested
More from the author: Misspellings abound I'm sure. It wasn't meant to be professional so much as something to do out of boredom and to get the creative juices flowing. All characters are general canine anthros that lean somewhat toward the human qualities. I meant to add a sex scene but didn't get around to it. Maybe next time. I do hope to write more stories. Criticism of all kinds is appreciated.
"Heh, not so tough are ya without your fancy weapons and armor, Mister City Guardsman," said the brute ahead of him, putting as much scorn as he could on his last words. Unfortunately, due to a recently torn lower lip, it came out less scornful and more slurred than he'd intended as he hastily wiped away a line of drool with a sneer. It mattered little however, in the street before a light crowd of onlookers in front of McHale's Ales, as the rain poured onto the group of thugs and the fellow the apparent leader had addressed.
He seemed so unfazed by it all; the rain that peppered his nearly nude form, matting his grey fur and giving the onlookers the pleasant sight of his body sculpted from several years of training that was betrayed by his easy, balanced stance. Nor did he seem concerned by the increasingly restless gang, about a dozen or so he noted, and an individual in the back that looked as though he could uproot a small tree with ease. The source of their ire, the handsome, green eyed Jace, had to grin at the one with the torn lip. Finally, he'd have a chance to apply his combat knowledge in a real world situation. And who knows, he thought with a glance to the shapely barmaid who stood among the spectators. I may finally get a chance to apply some other knowledge...
That brief moment of a hormone driven thought nearly cost him dearly as he noticed movement at his back, one of the thugs predictably behind him hoping to quickly run him through with a thrust from his long sword.
Quicker than all those watching thought possible, Jace side stepped the stab and back toward his attacker, blindly snapping back his elbow on instinct alone and connecting with a satisfying crunch.
As both hooligan and sword dropped, Jace 'caught' the falling blade with the top of his right hind paw and he 'threw' it at the next attacker on his right. The brute stopped short and blocked the awkward toss with his shield, buying Jace the moment he needed to deal with three more on his left. He charged at them and they hastily raised their weapons in defense to meet his sudden attack, he even made as if to strike out with his fists.
It was all a feint however, as he suddenly stopped, turned, dropped to a crouch, and kicked out into the knee of the one in the middle. He fell back with a howl of pain, clutching his broken limb. Jace then turned back the other way and stood, grabbing the spear thrust from the one to his right as he did and turning it out wide. The thug, overbalancing as he'd foolishly put all his weight behind it, came face to paw with snapping kick. Jace couldn't finish him fully though as the one on the left finally came at him and the one from earlier charged at his back.
The handsome canine caught an over head swing from the shield less one by the hilt, stepping in and bashing him with an elbow, dazing him enough for Jace to turn and direct his sword to parry a mighty chop that had been aimed at his back. His purposed served, Jace hit him again with a closed fisted blow to the side of the head, sending him on his way to the muddy street with his fellows.
The shield user growled and came at him with several thrusts from alternating angles, pulling up short each time so as not to over extend his advantage on the unarmed and unarmored Jace, forcing him to back fast toward a wall though never out of balance. Thinking he finally had his fleet footed quarry, he came on suddenly, sword aimed at Jace's midsection... or at least he started to.
Sensing he'd run out of room from the sudden attack, Jace anticipated the move even as it began, turning his hips and snapping his palm into the blunt side of the sword, sending it harmlessly out wide. He followed it up by grabbing the thug's wrist. A duck and turn under the arm left him behind his attacker and holding his sword arm. One shattered elbow latter, the thug was suddenly much less concerned with Jace. Oh how he howled!
Again, purely on instinct, Jace suddenly dropped to a crouch, narrowly avoiding having his head removed by the war hammer that sailed over him and through the wall he'd been backed toward. Turning, still crouched, he prepared to take on the remaining hoodlums. Where there had once been a dozen aggressive looking thugs, now stood a small handful of very nervous looking thugs, save one. They seemed to grow a bit more confident as the largest brute, two heads and more taller than Jace himself and the one who likely threw the hammer, strode forward. Their comrades whimpering and clutching shattered body parts on the muddy ground kept them from becoming overly confident, however. The brute snorted in defiance of the fear of his fellows.
"Hmph. I'd like ta see you try toes fancy, shamcy moves on me!" he declared, setting his feet and squaring his shoulders before the now standing Jace. He grinned wickedly. "I down tink thail work too good against Crag O'Conner!" Jace, as unflappable as ever now, smiled as well at his latest opponent. Then, taking care to set his feet, he crouched and lept suddenly, high and toward the beast of an anthro. Crag, anticipating the leap and thinking the slippery Jace had made his first and last mistake, stood a bit straighter and prepared to catch him and non to gently hug him... just as Jace had hoped.
His legs had been drawn up close to his body mid leap. They both struck out to the sides now, fast as a cobra's strike and keeping those tree sized arms at bay. Neither kick did any real damage, but they weren't meant to. Landing smoothly and in perfect balance before the surprised Crag, he crouched and threw a heavy punch to the inside of knee of the leading leg, the result of which had the giant crumbling to an awkward kneel. Jace wasted no time capitalizing, pushing up with his left hind paw he exploded out of the crouch, connecting with the most painful looking kick to the chin anyone had ever seen before Crag's knee had even touched the ground. The force of the blow was enough to get even the massive Crag airborne as he landed in a sodden heap on his back in that rain swept street.
That was enough for the less brave and still standing of the thugs who took off down the boulevard, the leader simply dropping the bag containing Jace's belongings in his haste.
Jace, giddy after the battle, tried to look calm, smoothing out his fur in some places as he retrieved his equipment. Grinning like a pup at the dumbfound expressions of his little audience, he merely shrugged sheepishly as he approached the tavern, gently draping an arm around and leading the wide eyed barmaid inside.
"What do you say we celebrate a little," he suggested to her. "I'm parched..."
"That's a dozen separate accusations of a brutal misuse of authoritative power, Jace!" the commander of the small city's guard yelled at his subordinate.
"It's all lies! There are at least that many witnesses-"
"Who were either drunk or have otherwise refused to say anything on your behalf!"
"But they were trying to steal my-"
"Oh yes, please," the commander implored dryly as he now took his seat behind his desk, sitting back as he regarded Jace, "do enlighten me. Why did the scoundrels attempt to make off with you weapons and most of your clothing? And better yet, how were they able to pull off such a feat?"
Jace's ire disappeared the instant his commander asked those dreaded questions. His mind replayed the images of what happened earlier, from a 'disagreement' between himself and the leader of the thugs, his later distracted, near mating with the slender female barmaid, the brash theft of his things while distracted, and the rest of the events that followed including the many ales he sampled and assurances that his commander would cover the damages to the wall of the building down the street. All of it happening while on duty, of course. If that wasn't enough, he didn't even report what had happened for obvious reasons, though he was now regretting that decision. All told he had violated enough City Guard protocol and regulations to fill a mage's tome. Jace was silent now, his shoulders slumping somewhat. He was already on probation for similar reasons. It didn't matter what he said at this point, he and his commander both knew. Despite the support of the furre before him, there were only so many strings that could be pulled so many times.
The commander sat back and closed his eyes, sighing audibly and receiving a bad taste in his mouth as he spoke his next words, "... Jace. You are here by suspended without pay for an indefinate length of time. You are to leave your uniform and all other city loaned items with the quartermaster on your way out. Dismissed."