“Oh, that was cute,” I spluttered with laughter, shaking my head at this skinny scarecrow trying to look cool. She hadn’t lucked out in the looks department. I might have thought she was a man if not for the curves under her t-shirt and her long, matted hair.
The girl glanced at the ceiling before turning on me. “Shut up, freak! Shut up while you’re still in one piece! Not another word!” Another glance at the ceiling, she drew a finger across her throat. “Or you’ll be dead!”
“Fuck off, skank,” I said, keeping my tone disinterested. “You cheap lapdog. Go suffocate and die trying to get your tongue even further up your boss’s ass.”
“You...”
“I said, fuck off!” I half-stood and raised my voice. The girl wasn’t the only one who shuddered at the anger vibrating in my voice — Yorka flinched too, and a goblin at the table next to us fell off the bench.
There was silence... The girl froze with her mouth half-open. But then her self-preservation instinct kicked in. I could see in her eyes that the sight of this goblin with old arms didn’t pose a threat, but her subconscious was screaming ‘Shut up, shut up, you idiot! Don’t say anything! Turn around and leave!’ She wanted to leave, but orders were orders...
I had to help her. I sat back down and muttered without looking at her:
“Tell your boss that Ninety-One has more than paid off her debt! She owes you nothing anymore! Not a single sol! Tell that to all of your people, you hear me, girl? Ninety-One owes you nothing anymore! Now fuck off, you piece of shit!”
“How... How dare you...”
“Fuck off!”
That was enough. She lowered her eyes, turned around, and quickly walked away. To report.
“The show isn’t over yet.” I warned Yorka before she could open her mouth.
I was right. The girl took three steps and turned around. She looked at me, then at Yorka, then at the ceiling, then at Yorka again. Her words oozed malice as she promised:
“You’re dead, bitch! You’re dead! They’ll cut you into pieces! You’ll be nothing but a worm, bitch!”
Then she left for real. I gazed after her with as a broad a smile as I could muster, one that could be seen from everywhere, even from behind.
“We’re fucked. Now you’re fucked too.” Yorka said, with surprising calm.
She was burnt out emotionally. The worst part was over: she had been brave enough to say ‘enough!’, even if she did need my help doing it. That was the scariest part. Everything else, the potential beatings and injuries, were not nearly as scary.
“No way,” I said. “We’re not. We’re just gonna keep waiting.”
“Do you think they’ll show up?”
“How many people like you do they have? Goblins and orcs that bring them tribute, I mean.”
“Ten or so. They all gather in one place in the evenings. Usually path 9. It’s kind of silly... We stand in a line, give them what we got that day, get punched in the face, and promise to work harder tomorrow, wait for the merciful nod, and go our separate ways. All this without even looking at each other — because it’s shameful to look like a stinking cowardly goat that gives away everything they earn and can’t say ‘no’. How? How did they make me do that?! I didn’t even do anything wrong!”
“They sensed weakness in you,” I explained. “Found your weak point. A soft spot. And struck with a poisoned claw: threats, pressure, the right words that they knew would work flawlessly. At first you let them persuade you, then let them punch you. The next step would be opening your mouth or spreading your legs.”
“Fuck you! Die!”
“No joke, Yorka. That’s what would have happened. You’re a pretty girl. One day, one of them would demand...”
“Johnny,” Yorka interrupted, nodding slowly. “That’s right! He punched me. And he also hinted that if I didn’t bring them something fantastic tomorrow... I’d be in for a surprise that I might even enjoy...”
“That one, though,” I pointed towards where the evil messenger had gone. “She’s already been fucked. No other word for it. She was a victim, now she’s their slut. A spiteful henchman who only dreams of someone else getting shafted like she did. She just couldn’t wait to see you thrown down onto the dirty floor too. But the tables turned. You managed to show bravery and finally say ‘No! Enough!’“
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t stop me.”
“Yeah. I didn’t stop you from digging our grave. They’re coming. What should I do?”
“Just sit there,” I said.
“But what if we can’t come to a peaceful agreement?”
“Oh, we won’t,” I told her, one eye on the delegation coming towards us.
“You said there was a chance we could negotiate! Peacefully!”
“Yes. I said that.”
“And?”
“I hadn’t seen Johnny then.” I sighed sadly, looking at the man in question, who could have passed for a real orc if he had green skin.
“Shit! What are you saying?! We have to negotiate! We have to!”
“Calm down. He’s not the kind of person you can negotiate with. You can see from a mile off that he’s stupid, greedy, and far too proud. See how he puffs up and growls? He’d sooner lose profits than his own made-up reputation.”
“But what if we can? Elb!”
