Slave Girl 2: Chapter 29

After saying goodbye to Cas I walk back out the front door excited to return to my place and tell Rosa that I got a job.  Unfortunately I could see by the way that Lucas was standing in my path and by the spirited look in his eyes that I was going have to contend with him first.  As I step out into the open area between the main buildings I catch a handful of other men closing in from left and right.

“What’s this?”  I ask as I get to within a few paces of Cassie’s brawny brother.

“I heard you liked my sister.”

Closing my eyes I sigh and rub the bridge of my nose before looking back to him.  “Your sister is a lovely woman…”

“OUR sister.”  Says one of the other men who had a striking resemblance to Lucas but just a touch younger.  “And she doesn’t need some no account pretty boy charmer coming here from nowhere and turning her head.”

“Pretty boy?”

Before I could say more Lucas pulls two stout cylindrical three foot lengths of wood from behind his back.  One he tosses onto the ground between us and the other he grips tightly in his right hand.  Every boy raised in the Empire knew the length of a gladius and very few of us had not grown up battling other youths with sticks or rods just like these as we pretended to be brave legionaries or gladiators.

I look back to Lucas.  “You’ve got be joking.”

He swings his ‘sword’ left and right.  “You wear a weapon.  Let’s see if you know how to use one.  Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you too bad.”

“Careful.”  The younger brother scoffs.  “You heard about what he did in town.”

“I heard it Felix, don’t mean I believe it.”

I glance back over my shoulder in hopes that Cas or Horatius might see this nonsense and put a stop to it.  They were nowhere to be seen.  The other five men around me just wanted to see a fight for a bit of entertainment.  I was on my own.

“Do we really have to do this?”  I say.  “Don’t y’all have work you should be doing?”

“We got time for this.”  Says Lucas with a grin.  “Pretty boy.  Let’s see what kinda man you are stranger.  You fightin or you runnin?”

“I’m walkin.”  I say right back then take a step forward.

Predictably he lunges straight for me, coming at me with a big overhand swing.  Expecting it my next step is a long one directly toward him, throwing the range of the attack completely off.  My hand snaps out to catch his forearm mid-swing.  Lucas was as strong as mule…but I was stronger.  The swing stops dead where I catch it.  In a flash I twist the stick from his grip with my other hand then bring it down over the dumb bastard’s skull.  With a loud clonk reminiscent of putting a hammer to a hollow log I hit him just hard enough to leave a goose egg.

“OW!”  He barks and rubs his sore skull.

Shoving him back on his ass I drop the wooden shaft at his feet then keep on walking.  There are some ooo’s and ahh’s and laughter among the other gathered men.

“Hey!”  Cries Felix.

I hear the other brother hurry in behind me, pausing just long enough to scoop up the weapon I’d refused.  I spin around just in time to see him coming.  Keeping my spin going I sidestep his charge, being sure to leave a foot out behind me for him to trip over.  Cassie’s other brother goes sprawling face first in the dust, his chin bouncing hard off the packed earth.  That would leave a mark.  By this time Lucas had gotten up.  

Rubbing his noggin with an infuriated look in his squinting eyes he comes at me again.  More cautious now he hunkers down into a fighting stance, his right hand at the ready for when I got close enough.  I fake a lunge and cause him to flinch followed instinctively by a defensive swing of his weapon.  The moment the tip whizzes harmlessly past me I step in and drive a knee up into his exposed flank.

“Guhhhh!”  He groans as the wind is forced from his lungs.  Staggering back he attempts a defense but I could have knocked him cold right then had I wanted to.

“Leave my brother alone you son of a bitch!”  The other brother rushes me from behind in a full suicide charge.

I turn just in time to give his club wielding hand an open hand strike throwing the trajectory off just enough to miss my cranium, though close enough for me to feel the wind rustle my hair!  I parry another backhanded swing then dodge another before grabbing the younger by the neck.  In one grand motion I swoop down to thrust my palm into his crotch with the other hand before heaving the wriggling Felix right up over my head.

Lucas’ eyes widen as he gawks up at me with his brother held high over head.  Too late does he realize where Felix would be coming down.  I dump the full weight of the younger brother onto the older one and the pair of them go down in a heap.  Groaning and swearing the brother’s roll over each other then crawl in defeat to a safe distance.

I give the remaining men a look to see if anybody else was going to give me a problem.  What I get coming back are smiles and cheers.

I straighten my tunic and brush it off, despite the fact it hadn’t even touched the dirt, then say.  “See y’all in two days.”

And with that I turn and do the slow walk away.

“Gods damn!  You see that?”

“Mars hisself couldn’ta done better!”

“You two done got whooped!  Ha ha haaaa!”  All five then have a laugh at poor Cassie’s bruised brothers.

“Yeah…well…he’s just lucky is all.”  Grumbles Lucas, before calling after me.  “I’ll be ready for you next time big man!”

Just then comes the master of the estate’s booming voice.  “What in the Styx you all doing standing around here for!  Get to work!”  As I hear the men scatter and the brothers blubber about what they were doing to their father, and my current boss, I carry on walking without a backward glance.  “You two ignorant dolts!”  Knowing his sons too well Horatius chews them both a new one for trying to rough up the new neighbor and bellows for them to get their behinds back to work.  I am nearly out of earshot when I hear the pair getting another whoopin, this one from their Ma.

“They did WHAT!?”  Cas shouts.

Whap!

“Ow!”

Whap!

“Ouch!”

Whap!  Whap!

“MOM!”  The brothers cry in unison.

Now THAT was justice.  The city folk could learn a thing or two from us rubes.  Despite myself, a huge smile is plastered across my face as I walk unhurriedly back to the road flanked by two beautiful, golden, unbroken expanses of wheat.  I think I was going to like this family.

Chapter 30