I didn’t understand humans.

I didn’t understand why this fight had started, or why they were trying to kill me. I stared into my opponent’s eyes and tried to look for answers. All I saw was hate and a thirst for blood.

He raised his sword over his head and swung downward. I twisted out of his way and stepped away from the follow-up swing. Against zombies, I could wield a sword efficiently, but zombies didn’t swing back. If I treated him like I would a zombie, I wasn’t confident that I wouldn’t permanently maim him. The problem was that if didn’t fight back, I was going to lose.

He swung again, this time aiming for my neck. When I stepped back I bumped into a table, keeping me from getting out of the reach of his sword. Without proper footing, my block was weak and only slowed his blade. The tip drew a thin red line above my collar.

I ignored the pain and grabbed a mug from the table and threw it at him. He swatted the mug away, but his sword was less effective against the beer. The liquid splashed on his face, giving me a few seconds to act.

He wiped his eyes with the back of his sword arm, allowing me to rush in close. He tried to bring his sword down, but I dropped mine so I could grab his arm. I pushed it over his head to keep the blade away from us and jabbed him in the stomach with my left fist. He started to move to his left so he could twist his arm down, but mid-step he stopped and fell forward.

I cradled him and guided the unconscious man to the floor. Behind him, Val stood with a thick stick in her hand. It didn’t look like much, but it had been enough to knock the man out.

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“Are you okay?” It sounded like there was concern in her voice.

I rubbed my neck. I was bleeding, but the blade hadn’t cut deep enough to be deadly. I’d need to bandage it, but I wasn’t in any danger.

“I’m fine,” I picked up my sword and looked at the others. Only two were still fighting, one was pinned to the floor with a knife in his chest and the rest were unconscious.

I gestured at the pair, “Shall we?”

She nodded and we advanced on them. We didn’t make it halfway across the bar.

The swinging doors exploded inward and four guards in full armor rushed inside. Each was carrying sticks similar to the one that Val had. They hit the pair with them, adding two more to the unconscious total. Then they turned their attention to us.

“Drop the sword!” One of the metal cans screamed.

I gripped my sword tighter. I had no doubts that I’d lose to these guards, but I didn’t like the idea of being forced to take a nap. I decided to bluff.

“I’m a Bokor!” I stood up as straight as I could, “Is this the thanks I get for helping you put down a drunken mob?”

The guard didn’t know what to say. He lifted his visor so he could look at me better, “Where are your marks?”

“He’s Bokor, Jax,” Val sat down on a chair and put her stick on the table, “I saw his papers.”

“Oh, yes, but…” Jax began but stopped.

I sheathed my sword. There was no point in having it out anymore. If the armored guards decided to attack, then I’d fare better with both hands-free anyway. Now that they knew who I was, it would be better to rely on my affiliation than my weapon.

I looked around the room. Max was still on his bar stool, nursing his mug. Judging by the stupid grin on his face, he had enjoyed the fight. He also didn’t look surprised to see the guards either. Considering Val’s sister was the only other person at the bar, I guessed that it had been the other wrangler who had gone for help.

I turned my attention to Val, “What now?”