Everyone
stopped talking and looked at the boy.
The fat
man pointed at the tools in his pockets and belt. "He knows how
to fix things."
The man
took George's hand and showed his palm to the crowd. "See his
hand's clean and soft. Betcha he hardly got experience working with
his hands. He's a young thing. Nice and pretty too."
The
crowd stared silently at George.
George
at that moment felt uneasy to be the center of everyone's attention.
Since the Vixens wanted someone with less qualification, he had been
set up front as an example of the other extreme of experience.
Yay, he
got to be part of a joke.
Both
Vixens pointed at George. "You're hired!" they announced
together.
That
brought another wave of protests from the crowd. Everyone was
shouting their dissatisfaction over the Vixen's selection. The
Scarlet Vixens, a well-known group of adventurers, were looking to
hire someone and they had picked the most inexperienced of those
present. Possibly the most inexperienced in that commercial district.
Why, the new hire was probably still a kid. And how did a kid get in
that bar anyway!?
George
decided that it was not a good idea to show his ID to the crowd.
The
argument continued. Hey, yeah, a clean kid like that did not belong
in such a place. Come on, there were more qualified people. Argh, it
was so infuriating. Why, one could PUNCH!
And that
punch set off a series of tempers. Fists and furniture started
flying.
The fat
man released his grip on George's collar so he could join in the fun,
one he was forcefully drawn into when someone threw a metal mug at
his face.
Oh, wow,
it was George's first bar fight! Not that he could do much anyway.
After all, he was a small guy. He should not be throwing puny
punches. Instead, he should be- Ah, flying saucer! Duck!
Okay,
the situation was getting a little dangerous. And illegal too. George
should get away, fast! Before the Enforcers incarcerate him for being
there. That was if he was not sent to the hospital instead. But which
way should he go? There were fights all around the bar. Ah, flying
fist heading for his handsome(?) face!
Suddenly,
the fist was deflected with a downwards chop. The brown-haired Vixen
was there. She thrust a palm at the assailant's chin. Then as he
reeled from the blow, the Vixen turned him around and shoved him
away.
She
grabbed George's hand. "Come on, we've got to go!"
The
Vixen swiftly pulled him through the brawl, neatly around a fight and
gracefully under another. Then as she rose up from her crouch, she
was hit by a thrown stool in the side of her head. The Vixen stumbled
and released her grip on George. With a snarl, she picked up the
stool and sent it flying back.
George
was grabbed by his collar. When he turned his head, he saw that it
was the other Vixen. The taller woman pulled him towards the exit.
She shouldered a man out of the way and followed another patron
through the main entrance.
"Let's
hurry," the darker Vixen urged as she started to jog down the
street.
George
followed after her. It required considerable effort on his part since
his legs were shorter. And he was out of shape from city life.
On the
street, an Enforcer van passed with lights and siren on, no doubt to
impose order on the bar brawl. The boy was glad to be away from the
scene. He definitely did not fancy spending his free day in the
Enforcer lockup.
The
Vixen led them to a small park where they stopped for a breather.
"Are
you hurt anywhere, Squirt?" the taller Vixen asked George.
George
shook his head. "No."
"I
hope you're worth the trouble hiring." It was the other Vixen.
Somehow, she had caught up with them.
"Wait,"
George said in between breaths, "What do you mean I'm hired?"
No fair that he was panting heavily. The other two women did not
appear to be gasping for air.
The
Vixen spoke again, "Oh, that means that you've the privilege to
work with us, the Scarlet Vixens."
"Work?
Doing what?"
"Adventure
in the wasteland, hunt weird monsters, collect treasure," she
replied vaguely.
"There's
a tower we want to raid," the taller Vixen said, "Pretty
routine stuff - go in, get past traps and guards, haul off all the
goods."
The
brown-haired Vixen nodded in agreement.
The
taller Vixen continued, "We don't expect traps and locks but
it's better to bring someone who knows the technical stuff just in
case."
"Don't
you already have someone?" George asked. He had heard from
rumors that one of the Vixens was a genius with technology.
"Oh,
you mean Laura." The brown-haired Vixen sighed. "Laura's
away. Family emergency. So we've no one to break locks for us. And
fix things. And build things."
"That's
where you come in," the tall Vixen said, "In case we find
something that needs fixing or taking apart."
Was
George's dream of adventure about to come true? "But why me?
There are more qualified people, like that woman earlier."
No comments:
Post a Comment