Gary barely kept a snort from escaping his mouth after hearing that. For someone who described his lies as "obvious" and "clearly thought up by a moron", Brandus was quite the hypocrite.
With the thinly veiled threat and an enraged scowl that was sure to emerge once they were alone, it was clear that wouldn't be a civil discussion.
He watched on as Brandus began to march away, gesturing for him to follow as he headed towards a secluded corner of the room.
With the hope that someone would speak up in his defense, Gary flashed a pitiful look towards his teammates. One that was immediately met with both sneers and hollow laughter.
Well, he couldn't say he didn't try. Maybe Brandus would be a bit more forgiving this time.
Granted, asking to not be left bleeding out on the floor was a low bar, but heck, he'd take it.
Begrudgingly leaving it up to fate, he slumped forward, trailing behind Brandus as he guided him further away.
After thirty seconds of walking, Brandus abruptly stopped, causing Gary to narrowly miss colliding against his armored back. Gary almost swore, but choked back the words before they could escape his mouth. Still, how inconsiderate.
Not cool, dear Brandus. Not cool.
Facing each other, they stared across in silence as Gary tried to hide his tension. It was far from a pleasurable experience for Gary. The longer it went on, the more frustrated he became.
'How much longer is he going to glare like a disappointed father?' he thought, feeling aggrieved at being treated like a toddler. Believe it or not, even he had a limit to how much disrespect he could tolerate. That patronizing look... it really... really made him want to add some more coals to the fire. He was already in trouble, might as well make it fun (and a lot worse).
Ah, fuck it. In for a penny, in for a pound.
"So," Gary asked, putting on the thickest shit-eating grin he could muster. "Are you gonna keep staring at me like a moron, or are you gonna use your big boy words and talk?" he paused, before ending it with the finale: "Come on, you know you can tell daddy anything."
The antagonization worked. It must of. But how was he so sure?
Because after he said it, Gary felt his body become weightless for a split second, before violently colliding against the wall that had magically appeared behind him. A mailed glove kept him pinned against it, the cold steel wound tightly around his neck.
The force behind the collision left him seeing stars, still unsure of how his field of vision had changed so drastically.
"Don't play coy with me," Brandus growled, shoving Gary even harder against the stone wall. "We both know what you did, you little rat. What did I say? Gary? What did I say about lying to me!?! How many damn pages did you even steal?"
Finally regaining his wits, Gary desperately pulled at the hand wrapped around his throat to little avail, the grip growing tighter with each struggle. He could feel the anger coursing through Brandus. It was hard not to when it directly correlated to his breathing.
"Ack-- te-technically, I didn't lie, Urgh!" He choked out, his complexion turning a shade of purple.
"You didn't tell me the truth, that's for sure," Brandus dismissed. "It might as well be a lie."
"T-that's m-more of a personal opinio-- AH!"
"Enough with the semantics!" His hand slid Gary up a few inches higher, brushing off the wildly wailing kicks that came his way.
"It's-- Argh! -- Ph-philosophy..."
"ENOUGH!" Now, Brandus really was trying to kill him.
Double not cool.
Gary was-- by all accounts --fighting for his life. Even if his words didn't do him any favors. Yet no matter how much effort he used, no matter how intensely he swung his arms against the armored glove, nothing could loosen the stranglehold.
They may both be swordsmen, but Gary was a magic swordsman, while Brandus played a more traditional role. One valued versatility, while the other specialized in brute force.
When it came to physical prowess, there was simply no comparison.
Grunting and spitting, Gary was barely able to move his lips, which were now a sickly shade of purple, unintelligibly uttered out a chant: "[F-force]"
A small invisible ripple emanated out from around his body, sending Brandus and his despicable hand backward.
The power behind it was not incredible. His focus was poor, and the level was low. It would have never been able to knock any melee fighter worth his salt onto the ground.
But it could force them to take a step back.
It was enough.
Finally free of the vice grip, Gary slid down the wall, landing on all four of his weakened limbs. He proceeded to scurry away-- gasping all the while --from Brandus's reach, should he choose to finish the job.
"To think I even had the pity to drag you away from the others." He looked on, marveling at the sad display that Gary put on as he knelt to catch his breath between coughs. "You deserve to be seen as the pathetic creature you are."
"Cough-- ...well, that's a little harsh." Gary rubbed his poor throat, feeling the swelling already taking place. He would be lying if he said the comment didn't hurt him. But then again, his skin was a bit thicker when it came to shame. The bruises that had begun to form were proof of that.
"It's the truth." Brandus stated coldly. On the bright side, he appeared to be in a slightly less murderous mood.
"Heyyy, don't be like that." Gary spoke with a hint of condescension. One had to give him credit, when it came to shrugging off attempts on his life, he was a pro. "Besides, I have improved, haven't I? I mean, the old me was such a worthless, no-good loser, he would have just lied to your face without a hint of shame. Now, instead of committing such an abominable sin, I choose to be an honest-- and silent --man." He righteously proclaimed, like a man who had seen the error of his ways. He almost lost himself in the act with how thick he put it on.
"Doesn't it just bring a tear to your eye, Brandus? Seeing how much I've grown?"