Rat Removal(closed)

All the men were still speechless, well everyone expect Addison, "No one has ever beat our leader."

"Former leader," John corrected him.

"Former leader," Addison repeated, "What should we do with this pathetic pile of...."

John cut him off, "You will take MacGrath to my friend. He his a doctor. Have two of MacGrath most trusted men take him there. Addison pointed out two men and they came and picked MacGrath up. John whispered O'Riley's address to them and they were off. "Oh before you leave please my partner down here. Him and I have business to do."

The room stood quiet. John was starting to feel the awkwardness of the room. "Oh don't just sit there. Let us through a small party and let me meet some of you men." John said with a fake smile. He hated people to be honest. "And Addison grab me my gear."

Joseph freed the men he had beaten up, allowing them to follow him into their tents and recover. Joseph was led back to John by Addison. "Good work." Joseph said. "Couldn't have done it better myself."

"Thank you," John said with a smirk, "It looks like you did pretty good yourself." he said with a slight chuckle seeing the men Joseph had handled.

"Ah they were nothing. Hardly broke a sweat. So how are we going to do this?" Joseph inquired.

John leaned in and whispered to Joseph, "We need to do this quickly, but correctly lets move into the head tent and figure this out before we end up putting a foot in our mouth." He gestured Joseph to the tent where MacGrath came from.

Joseph followed John into the tent.

As they entered the tent, John turned to Joseph, John spoke with has"We to do this quick. You have proven you are skilled with your shooting and close range with that fight you had. Now you need to convince them that it would good for them let us switch power to you with us having to fight. So do you think you can wing a speech?" He had a face of 'you better' on

"Speeches are my speciality." Joseph chuckled. "Ready whenever you are. Father them outside."

"Lets go then," They both step out. "LISTEN UP!" John shouted.

Every man slowly turned their focus on to John and Joseph. "I may have just earned this title, but I am passing it on to this man!" He gestured to Joseph while stepping back. The crowd was in a up roar. John could hear both confusion and anger in the crowd. "You turn hot shot."

"Silence!" Joseph shouted, loud. As the uproar quit, the men listened in. "I am here today, not as an ambitious man. I am here for the better interest of The Rats. To improve upon a simple idea, and create a stronger foundation for the already strong gang.

Your old leader was weak. And as such, he could not adequately lead you. You were cheated by him. By his incompetence. By his shit wage . And by his damn idiocy. Your old gang was weak. Robbing stores is child's play. Any street theft can do that.

But I say out with the old, and in with the new.

I come before you to announce the creation of a new organization. An organization with equal oppurtunity, fair payment, job openings for everyone, and unparalleled training. A new order, full of adventure, honor, and fortune. No man in this room will be excluded from his share of the fortune we encounter. Every man in this room will be trained in the proper way of fighting. And every damn man in this room, will be making coin by pushing themselves, and striving for self improvement.

I come before you to announce the decimation of the Rats, and the creation of The Knights. We will conquer, and we will plunder. And no knight shall walk away from such an offer. " Joseph ended by taking his sword and raising it in the air passionately.

The crowd just sat there in silence for a bit. Then a few men started to laugh and slowly a few more would add in until over half of the men were laughing. From the looks of it, it was the older men. It looked as if anyone about twenty was laughing. The young men/ boys of the guild were just sitting there, some seem like they had the face of pondering.

(Good laughing or bad laughing?)

(bad laughing as in they are laughing at your idea.)

Jospeh grabbed his pistol from his hip and shot the man nearest to him who WA slaughing right between the eyes. "Any more questions?"

"You idiot," John murmured to himself. John could see a mixture of feelings in the crowd. The younger members had both fear and anger in their faces. The men in there twenties looked mostly shocked and the older men had anger in their faces hidden under a mask of shock. Joseph might have gone to0 far.

John pulled Joseph back a bit, "Don't you think that was a bit far?"

"They need to respect me as much as they need to fear me. I have told them it is in their best interest to follow me. And now it is clear that I am dead serious. And I'm not afraid to pull the trigger. They now fear me, and they know I can bring them money and glory. They have no reason not to follow me." Joseph smirked. John obviously knew nothing about persuasion. Or argumentation, for that matter. "I know how to make men follow me."

John made Joseph face him. "You know how to make young men and boys follow you, but look deep into the faces of the ones who have been doing this for probably longer then you have been a live what shows on their face." John points at Addison. His face shows the same as the rest of the older men. He looked scared, but when you looked into his eyes it showed anger.

"They have to make a decision. Whether they will adapt to the new standards, or they will leave and try to make a new life. Ex criminals. Giving up future fortune and infamy, only because they were too ignorant to do otherwise. I think they'll grow to like The Knights better." Joseph didn't look worried at all. He patted John on the shoulder. "I know what I'm doing. Else I wouldn't be doing it."

"So you are willing to split father and sons then?" John spoke the words before remembering what Joseph has gone through.

Joseph paused and fought back his memories. "I will do what I must. Under my leadership The Knights will prosper. I will do whatever it takes to ensure that happens."

"Joseph I had such hopes in you," John said with sadness in his voice. He truly wished Joseph was not just a power hungry Templar, but when he came down to it he was.

Then stepped forward and spoke standing straight up and chest outwards. "You have heard his plan and his goal. If you stay you will be come a knight, but if you go you will not go with out options."

John then looked at Joseph with a somber face, then looked back to the now confused crowd. "I came here on a job. A job to give this man power and as of now he has that power over the thieves guild the rats. And as of now I have no more loyalty to this man other then my payment." John actually felt bad saying that but he did not show it.

"I, John K. Willams, will lead any man who do not want to become a Knight. I will lead you all who come with me as I should of from the start. Together we will make your GUILD better. We will not destroy the way of your old leader, but strength him. After my fight with him I could tell he was a good man and by looking around I can tell by looking around that this GUILD knew what they were doing, but your skills were used against the wrong people.

"I do not say this not as a noble, or a store owner, or land owner. I say this as a street rat who clawed his way to the top and stepped out of the sewer, but you do not need to join me, you can join the knights, or you can just walk away and forget both of us. It is your choice!"

(You can pick how the crowd reacts. I think that's only fair since I picked how they reacted to you.)

Joseph pulled his second pistol, and shot John in the back. Literally and metaphorically. The mercenary betrayed him. And Jospeh doesn't take kindly to betrayal.

The crowd was shocked. But they now saw Joseph as a man who didn't take risks, a man who decimated opposition, and a man who isn't afraid to take what belongs to him, and his followers.

"I won't further beckon you with rediculous words and accusations. This man back stabbed me, a loyal friend. Why wouldn't he backstab you? Dont let him fool you for a second. I came here to give you all an equal oppurtunity at fortune and infamy. If you don't want that, get the fuck out." Joseph put his pistol back in his holster and walked up to John.

The older men were brought to life by Johns speech. But they felt Joseph had a point.

"I will show mercy because of our past affiliation. Leave. Now." Joseph stood five feet away from John, staring at him.

(You can live from that. Or you can have blocked it partially with armor, (Joseph uses strong pistols, so it would still penetrate at bit) or you can come up with another option. But from that range Joseph definetly wouldn't miss.)

John could feel where the bullet had hit. It had not gone that deep in. Thank god he had put his armor back on. If things came down to it now Joseph and John would be on even playing field for close range fighting.

John slowly got up with a smirk. He was now facing Joseph and he spoke loudly. "You are lower then a normal Templar. I never fought one that would break a deal." John said laughing. It hurt to laugh. John said did this for two reason. First he was not going to let some little brat act like he knew how the world worked and secondly he could draw, throw and hit Joseph with his ax, before Joseph could draw his rifle or get close enough to him.

"Joseph, I never broke our deal. The paper work even says so. I quote "For mission to be clam as a success and complete the leader of the Rats must be slayed and power must be transferred to Joseph Wiles" "I have done so. The men who leave would not be in your rats. So how does it feel to be a criminal now, and one that has prof against him?" John said with a smirk.

"Even the Devil can quote scripture to support his cause. You betrayed me, and these men even saw it. You are challenging my honor, and in return I have protected it. My honor, and the honor of The Knights. And for that, you are nothing more than a scoundrel. Leave now, or be killed. It's simple, really."

Joseph took a few steps back occasionally, increasing distance. He didn't want to take any chances. He drew his rifle.

Before Joseph could fully drew his rifle John had drew his ax and throw it. It suck deep into the rifle barrel making it useless. John smirked a little cocky as he got ready to draw his sword if Joseph drew as well. "The Devil maybe able to quote scripture to support his cause, but the devil can not believe in those scripture like the court believe in signed paper work. I did not challenge your honor. An experienced man would have known that, but a boy who's own father would not stay him would not know that. Who would follow a pup that would shot a man in the back because he thought his honor was at risk. Only a coward shots when a man's back is turn. A coward has no honor to be challenged"

John had made this personal now. John wished Joseph would have been more reasonable. John was ready to kill Joseph if he had to. John also knew there was a good chance that John would die here, but that would not leave Joseph spotless. O'Riley knew what to do if John did not returned and with MacGrath at O'Riley it would look Joseph was in the wrong.

At this point John and Joseph had ended up in the center of the circle and the crowd waited to see what would happen next, since no one was set anymore on a side.

"Let us both go our separate ways. The men who want can follow and the men who want to stay can stay. I will burn the paper and we will let this all be done." John said trying to finish this bloody mess.