24 Jake (1/2)
Will gauged the situation in front of him. Jake being held down by the two thugs while their leader held the blade. He had three options; talking the men out of the action, paying the money, or defeating him. The three of them were pretty much set into their task, so there wouldn't be any talking them out of it. If he showed he could pay, they would demand more or they would hold him for ransom.
Will sighed, 'third option it is.' he thought as he finally gave into the situation. ”Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked as he scratched his head. ”Is my friend there really worth your dignity?”
The three men stared at him. They were much larger than him, they had a knife to his friend and he was still calm. ”Kid, I don't think you understand the situation you're in.” the bald thug with the knife said with a smile, ”do you really want to be responsible for this kids death?” pointing the knife to Jake's throat, a bead of blood forming under the tip of the blade.
”You see sir, I just claimed responsibility for my friend there,” he pointed to Jake. ”If anything happens to him it would be like me going against my word,” he said with an innocent smile. ”So would you kindly let him go?”
The bald man stared at Will for a time. 'This kid either has a death wish or he really doesn't know what's going on.' he thought to himself. Suddenly he started laughing. ”Sure kid, prove your word and give us all the money you have!” saying between breaths as he laughed at Will.
Will only smiled at the man. Of course he wouldn't be taking him seriously, Will was just a kid. Anyone else in the city would probably just turn their heads from Jake and wait until later to see his face on the news as a result of a brutal murder. Will hated the ones who would turn their heads more than the ones who would actually do the deed. In a city like New York, there were millions of opportunities to stop a situation like the one he was dealing with. Will knew how dangerous these people were to the inhabitants of the city, if left alone, they would just return to what they were doing when he left. Jake was an infinite money token, if he wasn't saved from this situation, he would no doubt be put back into it again within minutes after he paid.
”I know how that turns out,” Will said with a smile. ”The only way for you three to let go of my friend,” suddenly his smile vanished and a murderous glare replaced in his features. ”Is if you are incapable of holding him anymore.” Suddenly the nice cool day turned to a blazing heat as Will unleashed his aura. He allowed his disdain for the three men show in his disproving glare. If he didn't hold back only a little, the man and his friends would undoubtedly be dead within moments.
The three thugs had enough at that point. A kid no older than eighteen was threatening them. That in itself was enough for the bald one to switch his knife from Jake to Will. ”Kid if you think you have what it takes to take me on, I'll show you just how wrong you are.” he said while flashing the knife in front of Will.
”Fine then sir,” Will looked at the man while in a haze of murderous intent. ”You take the first shot,” he said with a smirk. ”Show me how wrong I was.” Will was ready for anything. He had been through hell and back in less than a year. He had been to a different world in which he only knew suffering. Maya's face flashed in his mind. He was not ever going to lose an innocent again, as long as they were within his ability to save, he would bathe in blood before allowing even one to feel pain.
Jake just stared at Will, he had been around a lot of people in his life. Some of them had been as friendly as Will, just to turn into something else completely after a threat had emerged, though none of them had been that young and not hardly as intimidating.
What could he possibly gain by helping him? He was putting himself in the line of death, just to protect someone like him who had no value within the world. If he could only get away from the two henchmen, he would at least be able to give Will a running start. But as he looked at the other man, he was completely calm. If he were yelling or screaming obscenities it wouldn't be as bad, but as he looked into Will's eyes he saw someone who shouldn't even be talked to the wrong way. It was as if he were a completely different person from the one who approached him. He knew somehow, Will wouldn't lose this match.
As he was being held down, Jake saw the bald man lunge for Will, he could see that by the man's movements, he wasn't a stranger to using the blade. His movement was quick and calculating, obviously going for a kill with the first strike.
Had he not had extensive training by his uncle, Will would undoubtedly been hit by such a strike. Seeing the blade coming for him, Will side stepped to the right, sending his elbow towards his assailants exposed neck from behind. The bald man was knocked off balance by the surprise counterstrike as he stumbled past Will. He had to hold back almost all his strength so he didn't accidentally break the man's neck, but he figured just that should have been enough to make the man back down. Will didn't feel as though he should kill this man. If he did, what would make him any different from his assailants?
Hardly able to keep on his feet, the man finally regained his balance, turning around he sent a murderous glare to the boy that was staring at him as if nothing happened. Will only smiled back at him, obviously not even feeling the severity of what he had just done.
Will felt sorry for this man. It wasn't too long ago that he was in the same position, fighting an inevitable defeat. Will had been beaten so many times without any hope of success, he knew what must be going through this man's head. First the wraiths, then Michael. He had even lost Maya because he wasn't strong enough. He had made a silent oath after that horrible defeat to never let someone he cared about be harmed again, that he would be strong enough to fight for those who stood with him. Now it was time to live up to that oath and show Jake he was a man of his word.
With new conviction, the man entered a barrage of stabs towards Will, though nothing compared to what he had to deal with when sparring with Michael. He dodged every blow without any help from his aura. Jake could clearly see the look in Will's eyes as he dodged every blow. The man felt as though he were a ghost. Just before the bald man landed a hit with the knife, Will simply stepped aside as though he were just avoiding an object.