by Brad Carr
Calloused hands, we work to the bone,
Crops to save, welcome to our home,
Pour the drinks, let’s drink to our feast.
Carve the goose, let’s devour the beast!
Let us go! Let us go! To the district we all know!
All is well! All is well! Laugh at the face of hell!
Let us go! Let us go! To the district we all know!
Come with me! Come with me! This is the place to be!
Angus sat upright on a bench, curling his knees up to his chest. Bundled in a multicolored feline fur coat made from multiple cats, he shivered. Winter nights were bitterly cold, but the days were typically warm. A cold streak had moved into Mitton, leaving an average temperature of negative fifteen degrees celsius throughout the day and night. Tonight was Winter Solstice. Sitting inside or sleeping the night away didn’t seem like a fun activity. Recruits were granted a day of rest the following day. Reeves stepped outside the barracks door.
“Hey, let’s go. I want to go to that new place.” said Reeves, wearing a feline coat similar to Angus’.
Angus nodded and stood up, “It’s about time, I was waiting on you.”
Reeves and Angus began strolling towards the newly constructed tavern. It was located close to the underground entrance that Rebecca Yu revealed to him on the first day he arrived. Although Tyra’s Keep was now common knowledge to all the recruits; they were restricted to enter until they graduated from basic training. The MCA felt the need to allow a tavern to be built for morale. It was completed only four days ago, just in time for the Winter Solstice.
“The Broken Harpoon” was inscribed into a bronze metal plaque near the entrance. Its walls were constructed from sandstone, and trimmed with brown paint. The Broken Harpoon posed as a petite building at first sight. But as Angus and Reeves entered the door, a large staircase and elevator filled most of the foyer floor. Descending down the staircase, an open area filled the rocky cavern. In the past, the cavern was used as a common room for the first explorers, but now it was repurposed.
A circular bar with white marble counters centered the room. Affixed barstools with blue vinyl coverings surrounded the outer diameter of the bar. Bartenders were stationed near all cardinal compass directions. To the South, was a dance floor. Galvanized metal filled up the floor of a squared area. Thumping techno metal music, pulsating colored lights, and many drunk patrons, staggered onto the dance floor.
On the East side, lounged patrons filled up seven yellow cushion couches. Some couples engaged in foreplay. At the lightly stained hardwood tables, gamblers competed in strip poker. Most were enjoying their drinks, socializing with their friends. In a corner, two women, played chess with their bare breasts exposed. Apparently, they had lost their personal shirts to the gambling tables.
To the West interior, a bartering station stood in use. Similar to Tyra’s Keep, the patrons would turn in furs, jewelry they fabricated, trinkets, clothing, artwork, and whatever the station deemed valuable. In return they would get credits scanned to their optic chip. Spending these credits was reserved for the Tyra District only. Soldier recruits, like Reeves and Angus, earned monthly credit payments for training. It was an automatic download without the required bartering.
“What can I get you?” asked an emaciated male bartender.
“We’ll take two mugs of Capital Ale. Each.” ordered Reeves. Angus was about to get his optic chip scanned when Reeves intervened. “Nah uh, this is on me buddy. Scan my chip bartender.”
“Thanks Reeves.”
“Don’t mention it. Let’s get hammered and watch the fights.”
“You won’t hear me complain.”
The bartender scanned Reeves. Holding a glass mug in each hand, they began walking over to the North end of The Broken Harpoon. Down four carved steps was an entrance to the arena. Bleacher benches raised up two flights, arching around one side of the fight area.They sat beside each other on the first empty space on the benches available. People were screaming and yelling, watching the match below. The sparring area was the shape of an oval. A metal cage surrounded it, to protect the fighters from any foul play from the audience.
“Doesn’t that woman ever take a break?” asked Reeves looking at the arena. Angus wasn’t paying attention yet because he was staring at an attractive female yelling in the stands. “Angus!” Reeves raised his voice and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. “Look who is in the arena.”
Angus could view Mei battling a woman and two men in the arena. An elevated and muscular toned pale woman looked gigantic compared to Mei. The fighter also had a tooth missing in the front. She took a swing at her. Mei dropped down to the floor and kicked her in the ankle; toppling her forward and crashing to her stomach. Springing herself up with one arm, Mei rotated her body one hundred and eighty degrees, and hopped up to her toes. As the woman fighter attempted to rise, Mei held down a pressure point on the back of the fighter’s neck, which put her asleep instantly.
Trying to take Mei down from two sides, the men teamed up. One of them was olive toned and skinny. The other was light skinned and portly. As they drew near, she escaped them. Trying to corner her, she ran up the surface of the cage and pivoted into a flip. Landing behind them, Mei kicked the portly opponent to the back of the knees, dropping down. Next, she jumped on his shoulders, springing off with a rounded kick to the skinny man’s jaw. The lanky fighter drooped unconscious. Mei grabbed the portly man from behind, putting him in a choke hold until he gave a signal to admit defeat by tapping on the floor with his fist.
Half of the crowd cheered, the other half booed her because they just lost credits. Mei stood there, emotionless and focused. This gave Angus a yearning attraction to her. Her skills in martial arts aroused him.
“Meishen June is the winner,” announced a voice over the speakers. “Next fight is in ten minutes. Can anyone last more than two minutes against our champion? Place your bets now!”
A screen popped up in Angus’ vision from the optical chip. It was a gambling screen. On the left side an image of Mei appeared. The right side had a blacked out picture reading simply as, “Masked Man.” Below each image was an empty box for credits to wager.
“No wager,” Angus confirmed. The fight screen disappeared from his vision.
“No wager? Are you kidding me Angus? Mei is unstoppable,” stated Reeves in disbelief. “It’s a sure bet.”
“I’m not a betting man Reeves, you know this.”
“But it’s a sure thing. Hell, I’ll put twenty credits on her.”
“Nothing is sure. We don’t even know who she is fighting.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ve never seen an elite fighter in hand to hand combat like Meishen.”
“Well, I just hope she doesn’t get hurt.”
“Ohhhh…you don’t want her to get hurt do you? Got a chubby on for Meishen? Can I take a look?”
“Stop it Reeves.”
“I think I struck a nerve buddy. It’s okay, you know I’m kidding. I see the appeal though. If I were into women, I could see trying to get in her pants. She’s got that silent bad ass vibe to her. Don’t worry, Angus, your secret’s safe with me. How come you hardly talk to her?”
“She doesn’t talk much Reeves.”
“Neither do you. I always got to pull your lodged head from your ass.”
“And I’m glad you do Reeves. Really I do. But I don’t know how to talk to women anymore. Hell, I can’t even remember how I talked my wife into marrying me.”
“Hey, that is a blessing in disguise. Times change. Gives you focus on the here and now,” Reeves paused for a moment, then he commented,”I can get her to talk to you buddy. I’ll figure it out for you.”
“I appreciate that Reeves, but I’m sure I will figure it out if I want to.”
“Okay…but the offer stands if you need my assistance. I’m a great wing man.”
“No thanks, really.”
They sat in the stands drinking their ale. Reeves downed both mugs of
ale down his gullet within two minutes. Angus, took his time and only finished half his mug before the fight was about to begin. Reeves looked at the full mug Angus was still holding onto.
“You um…gonna finish that?” he asked.
“Hell yeah, I’m going to finish it. I like to savor my ale not breathe it,” Angus laughed.
“Well shit man, I’m gonna be drunk way before you. That’s no fun.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll drink faster. But I’m not carrying your ass back to the barracks.”
“Well I sure won’t carry you, you big beast,” Reeves laughed.
Somehow the conversation switched to their children. Angus spoke highly of his son Fraser, hoping to hear from him soon. He talked about Fraser’s overwhelming empathy. Many used to tease Fraser because he cared too much about people. But Angus remembered consoling Fraser, reiterating how proud he was for having genuine concern for others.
Reeves spoke about his grandchildren. The youngest was now twenty years of age. He called her “Little Bird,” a nickname given to her because of her ability to tame eagles as a child. Apparently Little Bird also had telepathic abilities. Possibly due to lack of training, she gradually lost her talent. Or perhaps, it disappeared at puberty. Reeves didn’t have the answer.
“Bets are in!” The announcement permeated loudly through the audience, interrupting their conversation. Drums began to thrum when Mei stepped into the chain-fenced rink. “In this corner, the amazing Meishen!” The crowd cheered in thunderous applause. Some fans produced a whooping sound with their voices.
The drum beat alternated a different pattern for another fighter entering the opposite side of the arena. The figure had a male physique. Covered with a black hood, a brown cloth wrapped around his mouth. His eyes and the bridge of his nose were revealed. The fighter wore a tight fitted blackened leather trench coat, belted at the waist and fanning out above the knees. Dark chocolate colored cotton pants reached down to the top of his ankle, tucking into matching boots. Gloved hands of black vinyl ended at the knuckles.
Again, the announcer spoke,” In this corner we have a mysterious opponent who wishes to remain anonymous. But we’ll call him…. Bait!”
The audience broke into mocking laughter. Ding! Both opponents walked towards each other. Neither rushing to make the first punch. Mei preferred to remain in a defensive stance before counter striking any opponent. Bait waited patiently for her move, standing at a relaxed pose with his arms resting on his waist. Realizing that this man wasn’t going to strike first, Meishen raised her leg and swung towards his face. Bait, ducked under her roundhouse kick and leapt backward.
Forming his defensive pose, placing his left foot in front of his right, Bait stood patiently. Angered by his motionless attacks, Meishen began whipping her fists. Swinging and jabbing at every possible direction, he dodged every thrust. Bait didn’t even need to block her shots, he swiftly moved mere centimeters away from her attempted strikes. This went on for at least a minute before Bait finally started using his forearms and calves to block any blows near his body.
Meishen knew she had her competition working harder to protect himself. Swinging and kicking while forcing herself closer, he retreated from her stride step by step. Another minute passes as the sparring continued, but no harmful strikes happened. Meishen finally landed a kick near the left side of his ribs. Although he blocked it with his arm, the force from the blow made him gasp for a breath of air. Wearing him down, the time had come for her to become more aggressive and unpredictable.
The crowd perked up as both opponents threw blows and actively blocked each other’s shots. Three minutes passed. This was the longest match Meishen had been a part of for a very long time.
Sensing that Bait was getting more tired as the match went on, she attempted a knock out blow with her elbow to the back of his cerebellum. Bait avoided the hit, catching her left forearm in the process. Mei was caught off guard when he struck a blow with the tips of his fingers to a section under her shoulder blade. Retreating a few meters from him to reset her focus, Mei couldn’t move her left arm. Perhaps she was frightened or maybe she was just rightfully furious, but Mei lost her emotional control. Screaming she lunged towards him with her right leg aiming for his chest.
Bait dropped below her projected move, circling his right leg, sweeping her off her feet. While in mid air, he stood, grabbing her by the neck and slamming her to the floor. Gasping for breath, he crouched on top of her. Poking his fingers to a shock point on the rear side of her neck. Motionless on the dirty arena floor, she felt helpless. Struggling to get up, Bait flipped her body over; striking multiple spots on the back of her legs in a rapid speed. He stood erect and respectfully stepped away from her. Only her right arm was operable as she tried pitifully to crawl away. Mei never felt so helpless in her entire life.
The crowd was in awe at the spectacle they had just witnessed. A quiet hush filled the arena until the silence broke with an announcement. “And the winner is….Bait!” A few cheers from the people who gambled against Meishen filled small sections of the bleachers.
Bait removed his hood. Revealing his identity to the crowd, it was the face of Brakion Vol. The audience stood up in roaring applause. Reeves and Angus bewilderedly looked at each other. Brakion approached Meishen’s tired body on the floor. Squeezing a few pressure points on multiple areas of her body, she rose to her feet. Full feeling restored to her. Firmly holding her by her wrist, and raised her arm upward. In a show of admiration and honor, he complimented her.
“Meishen June, you are a fantastic fighter. I am honored to have sparred with you.”
Meishen, bowed her head in respect of Brakion and said, “No Sir, it is I who am most honored to be beaten by a warrior such as you.”
Both smiled at the audience with their hands interlocked raised above their heads. Letting go of her hand, he gave her his arm to escort her to the exit. Brakion faced her as she was about to exit. Angus raced down the bleacher steps to check on Mei.
“Meishen, I need a favor from you.”
“Whatever you wish AG Vol.”
“Give Angus this note,” handing her a small roll of paper, “Tell him to report to Lieutenant Yu in the morning. I have an important message for him.”
“Yessir, I will.”
“Good luck Meishen, I see a lot of potential in you.”
Without any further conversing, he exited to the other side of the oval arena. Brakion gave one more wave to the people in the stands. Shortly thereafter, he disappeared from sight, and traveled back to his home to rest.
“Meishen! Are you ok?” asked Angus when he arrived to her.
“Yes,” she said shyly. “I was told to give you this note.”
“Thank you,” said Angus grabbing it from her hand. “I’ll look at it later,” he paused sliding it inside his pocket. “You did great tonight.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“Listen,” Angus tried to have courage to ask her out for a date, but instead settled with an alternative, less obvious proposal. “Would you like to come with Reeves and I back to the bar area? My treat.”
“I don’t drink.”
“Well, we could use your company.”
“I’m not good at talking. I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
“Sure, I’ve noticed,” he agreed. “But Reeves does all the talking for everyone anyway. I just listen to his humorous stories.”
Meishen hesitated for the moment. She wanted to go with him back to the bar, but she felt tired and bruised. Mei wasn’t ready to socialize tonight. “I think I need some rest. Maybe another time?”
Angus looked rejected, “Okay. I’ll see you back at the barracks.” He began to turn and walk away.
Mei touched his arm and said, “Thanks Angus. I really do mean it though. Another time would be fine,” she suggested. “Oh, AG Vol said to report to Lieutenant Yu tomorrow morning.”
“I will, thanks.”
Mei softly grazed his shoulder, smiled, a
nd headed towards the door. Reeves walked over to Angus and slapped him playfully on the back.
“Did you strike out?” Reeves asked jokingly.
“Actually, I don’t believe so. I think she just needed rest.”
“After that whooping, I would guess so.”
“She can still kick our asses so I wouldn’t mention that to her.”
“Fuck no! I ain’t saying shit about it. Sucks I lost some money, but hey, it was a good fight. Wanna go over there and play strip poker?”
“I don’t think I would want to look at your wrinkled ass if you lost.”
“Wrinkled? I have the ass of a twenty year old mister,” Reeves joked. “You afraid I might turn you?”
“If I was homosexual Reeves, you would be the first guy I would try.”
“Damn right you would,” he chuckled. “Okay, let’s get another ale.”
Chapter 13
A rusty iron door graced the front entrance of the “Tyra District: AG General Office Building.” Angus pulled the note out of his satchel to take another look to confirm. The address read, “001 Satellite Street, 7:00 AM.” It was the correct building, but he felt unsure and nervous. Meeting a former king, and a Capital Kingdom legend would give anyone a moment of pause. Even though AG Vol was his family, his stomach felt queasy.
Opening the door, Angus was greeted by two imperial guards draped in red cloaks and hoods. Dark blue cloth wrapped around their heads and faces.
“Appointment sir?” asked the guard on his left.
“I have an appointment with AG Vol,” Angus responded in a hush tone.
Rebecca Yu interrupted the conversation. “You can let him pass.”
The Imperial Guards didn’t turn their heads towards Lieutenant Yu or even respond. Silently they moved aside. Angus waited for the awkward silence from the guards to stop and give him permission to proceed, but they didn’t speak any further.
Angus passed between them and approached Rebeca’s desk. She gazed down a list of orders she had to accomplish that day on her electronic tablet. Looking up at Angus, she greeted him.
