The wheezing stopped, and the thug seemed to freeze obediently. But with his body and arms motionless, he started to crossed his legs slowly, cautiously, like a disobedient child whose pissed-off mother had grabbed by the ear. I pointed my chin at the second criminal mastermind and said:
“Look how well that goblin’s behaving. Good goblin! Be more like him!”
The ‘good goblin’ was cradling his punctured thigh, curled up under the wall ledge, pretending to be dead. Not making a sound, just lying there and... stinking up the place. Literally.
“Which one of you just shit your pants?” I asked roughly. “Who’s the little fuckwad?”
“I-I-I... A-a-almost...” The one with the awl in his shoulder bleated sadly.
“Fucking coward. Squeeze your cheeks closed, you dumb fuck! And listen! Both of you, listen! I’m tired of giving you warnings. It’s easier for me to just stab you rather than keep wasting my words! If I see you one more time... One more fucking time...” I drew the words out slowly “Do I need to say more?”
“No!” They said at the same time.
“Now fuck off!” I gave the awl a sharp jerk, expand the wound, then tore it out of the thug’s body and wiped it on the whining goblin’s t-shirt. “Now!”
They scrambled to get away, but couldn’t even do that right. The one with the wounded leg jumped to his feet, but clearly didn’t realize his injured muscles were already numb and unwilling to cooperate. He jumped up, and fell right back down. He tried again, reaching out to use his friend for support — but his friend was already gone, turning tail down the hallway, grasping his injured shoulder.
“Lex!” The thug’s plaintive cry almost moved me with its sincerity.
“Here’s a life lesson for you, asshole: that piece of shit is not your friend, and will leave you in the dirt as soon as things get rough. Remember this if you don’t want to end up as plux food.”
Once they had both vanished, the stench faded.
“I knew you weren’t dead!” Yorka grumbled, twirling the club. “Is this for me?”
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“I would have bought it myself! Everyone equips themselves! That’s the rule.”
“Did you make that up?”
“No, I heard it. And learned it!” She crossed her arms proudly, almost stepping on Bask’s hand.
“Explain, partner,” I said, crawling onto the ledge and stretching my legs in relief. “While I check on my injuries.”
“What’s there to explain? I heard some people talking at the next table over — back in our clux. They said everyone in a group has to equip themselves. Pants, boots, or at least sneakers. And they have to get their own weapons. And if you have any respect for your group at all, you’ll get at least the cheapest awl, the one that costs five sol. Or a spike for your club, which is even cheaper. Like that one.” She pointed to the blood-soaked spikes sticking out of the club.
“Wipe it off,” I said, nodding at the dirty t-shirts lying near us.
“Oh, right!”
She started cleaning the weapon, and I added:
“Everyone equips themselves... That’s bullshit. Maybe that would work if this was a video game, but it’s not. We’re a group, we have to watch each other’s backs. Our lives depend on each other’s actions, skills, having the right equipment, and how good our equipment is. Would you really be okay with us going somewhere dangerous if you didn’t have a club?”
“No, but... That’s what they said...”
“Let them say and do whatever they want. We have our own group, and I’m the one who makes the basic rules here. Any additional rules we discuss as a group. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Bask, I can tell you’re listening. Do you understand?”
“I understand...”
“Any objections?”
“No.”
“No.”
“Great. Here’s a rule for you, then.”
“The first rule?”
“No. Just one of the important ones.”
“Okay.”
I glanced at my companions, then continued:
“Each member of the group is in charge of making sure their own clothes, equipment, weapons, and everything else are in good shape. Inspect them quickly in the morning, and during any breaks longer than ten minutes. Then check everything thoroughly in the evening before you go to sleep. If your shirt’s ripped, fix it! If your awl is bent or dull, straighten or sharpen it! If the sole of your shoe is coming off, glue it back together! Make sure every element is always in perfect shape!”
“Element...” Yorka repeated, shaking her head “Now that’s a word...”
“Yorka!”
“Yes, understood! I’ll remember - and I’ll forget my old, wrong idea. I’ll keep my stuff in good condition.”
“One more rule: If there’s something you want to buy for yourself, use your own money. Either buy two separate sets — one for work and one for yourself — or one set that’s the same as mine.”
“Your new stuff looks nice.”
