Working for the people
After the last run I was tired, getting shot at is no fun. I slept for a whole day, then Bear woke me, feeling I needed to get out and go for a walk. Sometimes I wish he was just a teddy bear I could stick on a shelf and forget, pull down and remember happier times. However, he is quite persistent and I did not want to hear it. I dressed, my hidden holster holding my favorite small Bang bang, my blades secured, I left my apartment.
The barrens are a unique sight for a shaman, for in some ways it is more alive than other parts of the city, but that life is a blend of resilience and pain, love and sorrow. Some wonder why I would choose to stay in this forsaken part of the city, however as Sister Sarah is fond of saying “A physician is needed where the sick are, not where the healthy is”.
As I cut through an ally where some of the best devil rat on a stick is sold (truly delicious, someday I will learn how Two Finger Pete spices them), I heard my name called out. Drawing the pistol I stood ready as a bedraggled woman came out from behind a pile of refuge. Noting her appearance, lack of weapons, or any meat to her at all, I holstered the pistol, but stayed on guard.
“Can you help me Wuxia?” She was way too familiar with me, and me not with her to my comfort, assenting I could see she was duel natured, but could not tell much more of it, except for her aura, full of sorrow and loss.
Feeling nothing but pity for this wrench of a woman, “How can I be of service to you?”
“I need a package delivered, I cannot pay you much, but I will give you what I can. It is only a little way into the barrens.”
Like a fool I agreed, she gave me an address and said that it would be stuck in a sewer drain right outside, just at arm’s length. She also gave me an address I recognized as Sister Sarah’s Orphanage. She said to give it to Amy, figuring it was one of the volunteers, I started off.
Leaving the relative safety of the tourist zone I stayed aware of my environment, till I found the address. Reaching down I found a small box, not much to it, wrapped in gold foiled paper and tied with a red ribbon. Still remarkably dry considering. So a present, okay, weird place to store it, it had a bit of weight to it, but I am a professional, and as there did not seem to be any tags on it, I booked to the orphanage.
On my way I stumbled on Old Grendel and the Bao-wolves, a small time street gang, worth avoiding normally, but somehow missed their “Toll Troll Ambush”.
“Choices, you have three: Pay the toll, Fight me and die, or refuse and my wolves will kill you”
Not in the mood to deal with this fool I look at him and go “Choice 4, you let me go to spare yourself the pain”
His charge was predictable, calling on Bear I summoned forth his strength (I had already been sustaining the speed of). Drawing my sword the battle was quick, him with a giant club (talk about a stereotype) me blocking till an opening, he never expected the sword to make it so deep in his gut. He charged again, only to be met by a lightning bolt. Stunned and hurt he told his boys to charge. Pushing myself a Manaball knocked them out.
At the orphanage finally, nursing some exhaustion and a fair shiner from where he got a lucky shot in, I was ready to give the package, get paid and go home. Asking Sister Sarah, she told me that Amy’s room was at the end of the hall. Taking the package I saw a young girl, maybe seven years old. However she stared at me with dead eyes, and a face that an orc would call ugly, scared by fire. My heart went out to this poor orphan. Giving her the package, I opened it for her, a small gold locket with a picture of a pretty girl and the woman from the ally, both with a family resemblance. Putting the locket on the girl's neck, I walked out.
Sister Sarah was in the hallway…
“What happened to her?”
“It was her birthday, the apartment she lived in with her mother started to burn, her mom tossed her out a window, but the fire had already burned her face, and her eyes, well the operation to fix the scarring and her eyes would cost 10k, we just cannot afford it”
Transferring 10K onto a credstick I handed it to the Sister, saying get her what she needs and walked out. Looking at Bear, I know the evil little teddy bear was smiling…
