//------------------------------// // Chapter 24 // Story: Mocha's Story // by Mocha Star //------------------------------// I got the plates stacked and cleaned up my girls’ faces, then mine. The city was actually a really clean place. The streets were well traveled so there were a steady flow of janitors, or whatever they’re called, that cleaned the streets of animal droppings. Yeah, street maintance, them guys. They dood a gooder job than we dood now. Heh, just being silly. This’ a long trip after all, gotta keep it from being too serious. I walked across the street to the cart, which was parked on the right side of the street in the direction of the mountain, when I bumped into one of those horned dweebs. “Hey! What’s the idea, smalling?” he growled and sneered. Shirtless, leather pants, battle axe on his back with a heavy strap across his chest to hold it up. Not to mention freakishly perfect humanoid upper body with fur here and there. The bull head and horns weren’t too amazing since almost all of them had horns of differing sizes. “I-I’m sorry, I wasn’t watching where I wa-” “Then pay me to not end you where you stand.” I felt the core my being tremble inside my body when he roared at me. I stumbled back and fell to my butt, my face betrayed me as he grinned and reached to me. Grasping me by my uniform jacket he lifted me into the air and brought me to his face, my feet maybe a couple hooves from the ground. He spoke in a hushed whisper to me as a crowd began to form and currency was prepared to trade in betting. “You’re less minotaur than any creature I’ve seen, human,” he said raising his eyebrows, “I have no want to start an unnecessary skirmish. Pay me one coin to make this seem fair, and you go on with all your limbs attached.” “Y-you know about my people?” I asked softly. Not to be quiet, but I was terrified. “Pay me,” he said in a normal tone. “Uh, ah, I…” At a total loss of words he roared at me again. Fight or flight kicked in at that moment and I did something I regretted immediately; I brought my left fist up and uppercut him in his jaw. It hurt, a lot, on my hand. But it seems bovine jaws are padded a little more than humans, so I didn’t break any bones. He looked back to me and growled. “Very well,” he said in a low bellowing voice, “now you pay.” He let me go and I felt the world slow down as I fell to my feet. He pulled his left arm back and the same time I touched the earth I felt every muscle on my left side tighten. I pulled myself out of his strike by a split hair. The wake of rushing air passed my face and I felt like someone had blown a puff of air in my face. He was aiming to really hurt, maybe kill me in one strike. As his arm reached its max extension I brought right foot to the ground behind me, crouching slightly. He dropped his elbow to clock me on my head. Not gonna happen, I thought as I started to take account of what was happening. The scene, the motions he was making, the sounds he used as tells. Two moves and I was already onto him. I used my combat skills dodge his attacks and stay crouched while leaning to the left and avoiding his elbow, then I made my first strike; I right hooked him right where a human’s kidney’s should be with all my might. I connected and he grunted in pain taking a step forward which I used to my advantage. I brought my right fist back while my momentum stopped and moved in a counter swing striking him in the obliques. I leaned back by habit. Skippy would drop his arm and make a passive sweep to get me, just in case. The minotaur missed, having used the same motion it was easily dodged. I landed standing tall and sprang at him, shoulder checking him. He fell over as the crowd cheered and bets were traded. He got to his hands and knees, pushing himself up, taking his sweet time. His back to me, he cracked his neck. The same time the pop sound left his spine his right arm came swinging back at me, just like that one that sent me into three month recovery. I bent backwards and, even though I knew it was gonna hurt like a bitch, I did an arc backflip, sending a boot worth of dirt across his body, especially his eyes. I landed poorly, with a slight cramp in my back and I smacked my right knee on the ground sending a numbing stink across my whole leg. He covered his eyes and roared. I couldn’t wait for the pain to pass. I put my left foot into the dirt and pumped it with all the effort I could, sending me at him again. Left fist balled again, I struck him square in the muzzle. As tough as he seemed, he screamed pretty loudly at my strike. He covered his muzzle and screamed into his cupped hands, his horn nearly hitting me probably would have won him the fight. Blood poured from his hands as he curled over himself and stayed down. I kept my combat stance as a guard pushed the crowd of the way. “What’s going on here? A fight? It ends now,” he looked between me and the minotaur on his knees, “the human is the victor; pay him and be on your way,” he said in a deep voice. He turned to me and stared me down while change jingled. A hand touched him on the shoulder and he opened his in response, a bag was dropped in it and the crowd dispersed. He opened the bag, counted ten coins, then closed it, tossing it to me. Not once breaking his stare on me. “What are you waiting for, be on your way,” his deep voice rumbled. Normally a person would have been scared or intimidated, but his voice was on par with a corporal that was pushing for a promotion. Not as scary as a trained sergeant in my military, like Cadence. “What about him?” I asked. “Leave him. He’s earned his coinage,” three coins were tossed to the minotaur I couldn’t believe I beat, “all is fair and paid.” The guard turned and walked away. I took a step back from the minotaur as the last of the crowd went on their way I turned to check on my girls. “Girls, are you okay?” “Da-,” Heart stopped herself, “Mocha, that was so neat! How’d you beat him so easy?! The last one almost killed, you,” she said the last part in hush as he eyes widened. “Heart, Lom? I’m fine, see? I’m not-” A heard a growl behind me and my shoulders went up, I winced. The girls shrank. “He’s right behind me, isn’t he?” Lom nodded quickly. “Look, I don’t want any more trouble.” “Human, you’re lucky I took the fall.” “What?” I asked turning around in surprise. He had a small but on his snout. That was it. I felt like I did a super attack against a high level boss, and he stood tall and faked losing?! “Buy me a drink and we’ll negotiate me not killing you in an alley then selling your horses into slavery.” I took my sidearm out, safety off, then I shot him with a stun round. Now, how those work is a lot like a stun spell, only with technology. He froze in place, body locked tight, his eyes looking at me but he couldn’t move. Longest ten seconds of his life, I bet. I had turned and covered the girls again, given the order to move, and was sitting on the wagon moving away. The stun dart was drained, which had an unusual reaction in him, in so that he didn’t fall or pass out. He took a couple leaping steps and walked right behind the cart. My smug smirk was frozen on my face as my heart races, again, and my mind went blank. This’ how I die. Thought it’d be more epic, like flying into a mushroom cloud screaming. Heh. I stand by it. “You’re a unique one. Most humans, I’ve heard, will kill on the spot and leave. You used your weapon and I’m still alive. Are you a rebel, a mercenary, a traveling fool?” I smirked again. “What’ll you trade me to know?”