After parting ways with Noor, their employer, Rigel and Mina boarded the wagon they had hired to take them to the City Forgotten by Time. As it trundled through the city streets, Rigel turned to his sister.
“Do you mind if we take a quick detour, Mina? There’s somewhere I want to visit before we leave the capital.”
Mina poked her head above the packed lunches stacked high around her seat, courtesy of the hotel they had stayed at. “Hmm? Sure, okay.”
Rigel turned to the wagon’s driver, a rugged-looking man who resembled a bandit. “You heard her, Mr. Hans. Please take us to the place I mentioned to you.”
“You got it, kid,” the driver said. “Want me to stay with the wagon when we get there?”
“Please. It shouldn’t take long.”
The wagon’s extra stop, it turned out, was at Galen’s trading house. The twins made their way toward it while Hans waited on a nearby side street. The building had just come into view when two familiar, rough-looking men stormed out.
“Tsk! After breakin’ our backs day in and day out, they fire us over the smallest inconvenience!” one groused. “What a joke!”
“Who needs such a worthless job anyway?!” the other shouted in agreement. He seemed on the verge of continuing his tirade when he locked eyes with Mina. “Hmm...?”
The beastfolk girl stiffened reflexively, letting out a soft whimper. “I... I’m sorry!”
“Well, if it ain’t the little brat. Out with your brother? Where’s your new owner, huh?”
“I think they’re alone, boss.”
One of the men was Mina’s former owner—the same man her employer had apprehended for beating her in the street the day before—while the other was one of his lackeys. They quickly scanned their surroundings. Seeing no one else, they exchanged a knowing look, their lips curling into cruel smiles.
“What do you think?” one asked. “The boy’s worth a fortune, from what I hear.”
“I think it’s our lucky day,” the other replied. “The money we get from selling him should make for a pretty severance payment.”
“Hah! Lucky for us; not so lucky for them.”
No sooner had the men taken their first step toward Rigel than Mina stepped in front of him, throwing out her arms. “I... I won’t let you touch him!”
“Well now, look who’s grown a spine all of a sudden! You’ve got a lot of nerve for a girl who, as of yesterday, couldn’t even be bothered to work. How do you intend to stop us, huh?”
Mina murmured a weak protest, her voice trembling as much as her legs. “I... I’ll, um...”
“You know, it seems fair to say it was your fault we got fired,” the first of the men mused, closing in on her.
His companion snorted in agreement. “Guess we’re owed compensation, then, aren’t we?”
“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” a new voice called out from behind them.
The men turned around to see the old receptionist of the Galen Company standing in the doorway. “Do my ears deceive me?” one asked. “Don’t tell me you’re sticking up for mere slaves.”
“I’m just pointing out your lapse of judgment,” she replied, evenly. “That’s why we all got fired, you know.”
“What did you say?!”
“Those brats aren’t worth the rust on a copper to me. You’d do well to leave them alone—for your own good.”
Mina’s former owner scoffed. “So, you’re worried about us. Is that it?”
“Worry about your own problems!” his lackey chortled. “Like finding your next job!”
A calculating look suddenly crossed the first man’s face. “You know...” he said to his companion, “that old nag must have a good amount of coin on her.”
“You make a good point. We getting them both, then?”
“Yeah, I think we are.”
“S-Stop!” Mina cried. With trembling hands, she drew the dagger from her hip and leveled its tip at the men. “I... I won’t let you hurt either of them!”
The more senior of the two men sneered, chuckling at the sight of her shaking hands. “Pfft. You’re going to fight us? With that?”
“You think you can stop us?” his lackey asked, equally amused. “Go on, then. Give it your best shot.”
“Huh? Can I?” Mina blinked, then nodded obediently. “O-Okay. Here goes...” For just a moment, she vanished, and a strong breeze rippled past the men’s flanks.
“Hmm? Was that you?”
“Y-Yes,” Mina stammered. “Mr. Shawza taught me that move. He told me to use it if I ever ran into you again.”
“‘Shawza’? Where have I heard that name— Hmm?”
The men’s shirts fell apart, fragments of shredded cloth drifting to the ground. Now half naked, they cried out in surprise.
“Wh-What the hell did you just do?!”
“I... I’m sorry!” Mina yelped in fear.
“Mina...” Rigel said. “Mr. Shawza also told you not to show when you’re afraid, didn’t he?”
“O-Oh, right. Um, what was I supposed to say next, again?” Mina paused in thought, then cleared her throat and attempted her best forceful voice. “Y-You better watch out, or I’ll pull the sausages straight out of your bellies!”
“Sausages?” everyone repeated.
“Um, Mina...” Rigel interjected, “I think you meant to say ‘intestines.’”
“Oh, yeah! That!”
The men drew closer, anger etched on their faces. “So, this was your fault! Look at our clothes, brat! How are you going to repay us?!”
Mina shrieked. “I... I’m sorry!”
“If apologizing were enough, we wouldn’t need courts or laws, now would we?”
The two men drew knives from their hips and slashed at the girl without restraint—only to be taken by surprise when she caught both with her dagger.
“Huh?”
“The hell? Even for a beastfolk, how’s this twerp so strong?”
Mina yelped again. “I... I’m really sorry!”
So jarring was the contrast between her frightened apologies and apparent strength—enough to best a grown man with ease—that her attackers began to waver. Nearby, the old woman breathed a deep sigh.