Chuck promised to give the guild a tour of his truck that afternoon. In the meantime, he wanted to look around the capital a little and he also needed to stop back to see captain Lux sometime. Chuck figured he would see Lux tomorrow. That should be enough time to get his reward in order. Since this was the capital, he decided to wear his hood and take his shotgun to be on the safe side. The bat looking people he saw last night kind of freaked him out. He really hoped spider people weren’t a thing. He didn’t know if he could handle that. Liss offered to guide him around the capital but Chuck just wanted to wander on his own. The streets were even more crowded in the daytime. Numerous street vendors plied their wares. That reminded Chuck that he promised to bring back souvenirs for Raz and Maz. He really had no idea what to get but figured he would know it when he saw it.
He was taking in all the sights when he came across a market selling seafood. Chuck was amazed at the huge variety of fish and other strange looking things from the sea. He couldn’t identify half of it. The next market he came to seemed to be selling exotic goods. It made sense that they would get trade goods from all over since it was the capital and a port city. He managed to find a necklace that would suit Maz and a fancy looking knife for Raz. By that time he was getting hungry so looked for a food stall. A wonderful smell drew him to an alley where a vendor was selling fried fish. It was only right to eat seafood for lunch. Chuck was enjoying his fish, leaning against the wall in the alley when he heard a shout and crash farther down the alley. He glanced at the vendor who just ignored the sound. Sighing, Chuck grabbed his shotgun off his back and went deeper into the alley.
He told himself he was probably making a mistake and it was none of his business but he had to check it out anyway. Chuck slowly approached a bend in the alley and heard another crash, much closer this time. He carefully peered around the corner and saw a fight in progress or a beating to be precise. Two hulking Minotaurs were using a goblin as a kick ball. They took turns kicking the goblin into wooden crates that lined the alley. Goblins were the only ones shorter than Chuck so he took it kind of personally. He stepped out into the alley and yelled at the bullies. “That’s enough!” To make his point, he fired into the wall beside the nearest bully. The loud gunshot reverberated down the alley and debris from the wall hit the bully. The Minotaurs both jumped in surprise and spun around. When they saw Chuck they looked at each other and started laughing. “Who do you think you are to spoil our fun. Do you want to take his place?” The nearest bully said with a grin. “I’m an otherworlder and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now before I get angry.” Chuck said, pumping the shotgun and lowering his hood. The spent shell casing clattered down the now silent alley.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
The Minotaurs were shocked when they saw Chuck’s face and traded worried looks. “An otherworlder…” the nearest bully repeated, glancing at the damage to the wall. Then whistles started sounding in the distance. “The guard. Time to go.” The other bully spat out, turning to run. The bullies both ran past the injured goblin and down the alley, away from Chuck. He let out a deep breath and lowered the shotgun. “That was a close one.” He muttered under his breath. He knew he could have shot one of them, but the other would have been on him before he could reload and it would have been game over. He approached the goblin who was trying to sit up. “Thanks for saving me.” It said gasping in pain. “No problem. Take it easy and I’ll find some help.” Chuck replied.
It sounded like the whistles were getting closer so he went back the way he came and waved down a guard from the street. The guard was surprised to see him and Chuck realized he had forgotten to put his hood back up. He led the guard to the injured goblin who quickly explained what had happened. Another guard showed up and Chuck gave his own statement. He was about to leave when he was stopped by one of the guards. “Otherworlder, was that your weapon that made that loud noise? It could be heard for blocks.” He said looking Chuck over. “Yes, it is pretty loud.” Chuck said, patting the shotgun. “Please tell captain Lux that I’ll stop by tomorrow.” He continued, waving to the guards as he returned to the street.