Augustus came back with the last table and jumped in to help them finish setting up their new food court/café area.
Nyssa and Jemima stood to the side, heckling and laughing, while Arthur, George, Augustus, and Theobold shifted the tables around. They ended up in a circle, with one in the middle. All spaced out far enough to be easy to move between.
Once they’d placed enough chairs for six people to sit at a table, Arthur found himself shooed away from the proceedings. He watched with interest as Nyssa grabbed a bundle of tablecloths and set the table. Jemima shifted chairs and placed glasses.
Their movements were efficient, and between the two, the job was over quickly. Arthur looked at the juxtaposition of fancy tables and the cracked streets they sat on with a shake of his head.
The setup they’d gone with looked nice, but he couldn’t help but feel there was something missing. As the rays of light shifted with the setting sun, he snapped his fingers.
“I’ll be right back,” he called to no one in particular as he hurried back inside.
Moments later, he returned, moving to the table in the center. With as much care as he could manage, he set two cracked bricks on the tablecloth. Behind him, Nyssa mumbled something about dirt, but he ignored her as he set the moss torch between them.
Murmurs sprang up around him as he stepped back to admire his work. At first, it wasn’t much to look at; the blue glow barely illuminated a sliver of the table. Then the sun dipped below a skyscraper.
Blue beams of light shone from the skull’s eyes and leaked out from various spots underneath. The previous white tablecloth shimmered blue, and the plates that the skull faced reflected the glow, causing them to sparkle.
To his surprise, Nyssa moved forward and took off the skull, allowing the light to leak out. It spread, illuminating the table and making it a beacon in the approaching darkness.
“Maybe fewer skulls around the food?” She suggested as she handed it to him.
He nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
“What’s all this, then?”
Arthur almost jumped at the voice, whirling around to see Jeff approaching. Others followed him, including Lucy, Billy, and Thomas. The three kids held a struggling juvenile crocodile.
“Hi Arthur,” Lucy said, and the other two mumbled greetings as well.
Billy was busy looking around, confused, as some of the adults glanced around and whispered amongst themselves. All of them looked bewildered at the sight, but not in a bad way. At least, as far as he could tell.
Almost all of them carried corpses, and so he turned back to the store. “I’ll explain inside. Lucy, Billy, and Thomas. Can you wait off to the side? I need to talk to you.”
From the corner of his eye, he could see Jemima smiling at that as she joined the crowd. Nyssa and Theobold were chatting with people as well. More than once, Augustus and Theobold needed to stop people from simply taking the knives that were laid out. That made him wonder how much extra security he might need to hire.
Inside, he handed out and collect coins at a rapid rate. Corpses vanished, and people purchased products. A steady stream of customers hung out for their turn to use the basement box.
Everyone else moved back outside, joining the others milling around the table. Several of them were already filled as people sat and chattered together.
“So, why did you want to see us?” Billy asked during a service lull.
Arthur looked at the annoyed boy, his arms folded across his chest. He was glowering, while Lucy and Thomas both appeared nervous. With a shake of his head, he did his best to put on a warm smile. The last thing he wanted was for them to think they were in trouble.
“I was wondering if you were interested in something easier than croc hunting.”
That got their attention, and he saw Lucy shoot a look towards her younger brother. From what he remembered, none of the children ever received healing. However, he didn’t know how long that would last.
“Well, um, sir.” Lucy stumbled over the last word, and her voice sounded strange. As though she was mimicking something she’d heard someone else say. “We might be interested.”
“What do you want us to do? Fair warning, we aren’t going to do anything stupid.” Bill scowled as he spoke.
“Define stupid?” Arthur asked, genuinely curious.
Billy stabbed a finger at him. “Crawl into small spaces looking for supplies.”
To his surprise, Lucy piped up next. “Act as a distraction for monsters getting near the base.”
Thomas shuddered and clutched Lucy’s hand tighter. He looked as though he was about to cry. Arthur glanced outside and forced himself to look back at the children. That wasn’t something he wanted to think about, nor something he could deal with.
“No. None of that.” With one hand, he gestured outside. “You saw the tables. I need people to do simple things. Deliver food, wash dishes, and take orders. You’ll get paid by me and will stay by the store.”
Lucy and Thomas both looked intrigued, but Billy shook his head.
“Sounds lame.”
“Oh?” Arthur said. “What would you prefer to do?”
It didn’t take long to see the boy looking out, eyes locked on Theobold. The horse mutant was chatting with a small group he vaguely recognized.
“Security?” He guessed when Billy didn’t respond.
The young boy nodded. “Yeah. I want a weapon and to help fight!”
“Hmm.”
“That’s not really the safe role Jemima would have had in mind,” he thought as he drummed his fingers against the counter. “Though he wouldn’t be in much danger. Not if he sticks with Augustus or Theobold. Would keep him under eye and out of trouble.”
“Alright. You can be trainee security. One major rule!” Arthur said, as Billy’s expression turned to one of pure excitement. “Augustus and Theobold outrank you. If either of them or I say something, it goes. Do that, and you’ll be fine. Disobey, and you’re out. Agreed?”
“Agreed!” Billy called out and grabbed his hand.
“How about you two?”
Lucy and Thomas both nodded as Lucy spoke. “We can do that.”
“Excellent. Welcome aboard.”
The cheap pay shocked him, but he supposed it was only a little behind Nyssa. That made him frown, and he went into the interface. With a click of the button, he brought Nyssa’s pay up to fifty. The same amount as Augustus.
His smile grew as he saw her jump and turn around. She waved at him through the window, and he returned it.
The other two were much the same, though Billy was part-time for an extra hour and got paid fifteen Golden Pennies.
With that done, he clapped his hands.
“Alright, why don’t you all get to work? Lucy and Thomas, why not go collect some orders? Money upfront. Billy, tell Theobold and see where he wants you.”
Each of the children threw him a messy salute and moved to join the throng outside.
***
It surprised Arthur at how people took to the sit-down experience.
People now filled all the tables. Not all of them ordered, but enough that he felt good about the coins flowing in. Lucy and Thomas were trying their best. Their faces screwed up in concentration as they took orders.
Billy marched around the area with Theobold. His stride was an imperfect mimic of the mutants practiced march. Arthur was grateful that no one had given the boy a weapon. Though he doubted that would last forever.
He could see that Jemima was watching them as well. Also, her table was ordering the most. Small things, but enough to keep both of the children busy. That worked fine for him. The payouts from the quests wouldn’t earn themselves back.
“Arthur, another meat plate, please!” Lucy asked as she placed an empty plate on the counter.
“Can do.”
He swept the coins she’d put down and handed over the meat. “How are you finding it?”
“Good?” She sounded pleased. “Better than having to fight. It smells less up here than in the sewers.”
“I’d hope so. Keep up the good work.”
Lucy tossed another sloppy salute his way before darting off with the plate held in both hands.
The meal lasted for another hour, but eventually everyone needed to leave. George stayed to help him pack up, which he appreciated. When they finished, he tipped the man a few golden pennies for his trouble. That earned him a smile.
“When do you think you’ll get those lights?” George asked.
Arthur shrugged. “When the knights get back with their loot. Soon, I hope.”
“Yeah, me too. Goodnight Arthur.”
“Night, George.”
After he was gone, Arthur found himself left alone with Nyssa, Theobold, and Augustus. Dr. Muriler hadn’t emerged from the basement, which worried him.
“Is your dad okay?” He asked Nyssa as he moved back into the store, winding around the tables and chairs.
“Yeah, he’s always been like this.” The sigh in her voice was more implied than articulated. “He’ll come out when he’s done.”
“I hope so. On a happier note, how do you think tonight went? I saw you talking to people out there.”
Nyssa shrugged and made a so-so gesture. “I think people are enjoying the novelty of it for now. Will people keep doing it? Maybe. It’ll depend on what new things we can offer them.”
Arthur nodded. It didn’t surprise him that this would be the case, and he was glad that he’d sorted that out first. Though as he checked his slightly depleted Golden Pennies hoard, his worries about that piled up. Though he figured he should have enough to pay everyone and take whatever the knights bought. Provided everything went as planned.
With a quick check, he saw he had almost enough experience points for the next store level. Which would leave him with one to go until the upgrade Pydes promised.
“What’s up, boss?” Theobold asked.
He shrugged. “Money. I’m hoping we have enough for everything.”
Augustus gave a squeak and reached out to put a hand on his shoulder when an ungodly loud alarm went off. It sounded more like a dragon roaring and flames crackling than the electronic beeps he was used to.
He whirled around to see a red outline floating in the air underneath the light shining outside the front door. It was an imp, judging from the size and general shape. It was holding something, and it dropped the object as it dashed off.
Mad cackling mixed with the alarm as Arthur put his hands over his ears. He thought about turning off the alarm. That didn’t work. His next attempt was to say it out loud, and he got a box asking him if he was sure.
With a mental click, he selected yes and breathed a sigh of relief as it all stopped. Once the ringing subsided, he gave a sigh and turned to a cringing Nyssa.
“Well, at least we know the alarms work.”
The object dropped turned out to be a simple slip of paper.
However, as he read it over, he noticed a simple change. No longer did they offer to help him leave the city for the box. It was a simple ultimatum. Leave, or they would use their resources to make his life a living hell.
He didn’t appreciate the pun.
Though his annoyance mixed with worry. He’d originally assumed that only the lanky demons could turn invisible. A special ability that set them apart. However, the knowledge that the imps could do it as well made him worried. He shuddered as he imagined one of the rectangular boombox demons appearing from nowhere.
“Arthur?” Nyssa asked, sounding worried. “What do we do?”
With more courage than he felt, he moved to the door and held up the piece of paper. He wanted anyone watching to see. In two swift tugs, he ripped the page in two and let it fall to the ground.
“There’s your answer!” He called out into the darkness. “How’s this for a deal? Leave us alone, and we’ll do the same.”
No response came to his shout, and he shut the door and turned towards his employees. Each stood watching him with a concerned expression, and he shrugged.
“Pydes made it clear what my options were,” he said as he moved towards the back office. “I guess our plan is to get some sleep and see what they do next. We have other things to worry about, and nowhere near enough to go on the attack.”
“Suuuuure,” Nyasa stretched the word out as she spoke. “I’m going to go say hi to dad.”
“We’ll keep an eye on the door,” Theobold said, as Augustus squeaked.
“One of you will. I want the other rested.” Arthur turned from his spot in the doorway to the break room. “The last thing we need is for both our security personnel to be out of action. Try to get some rest. If we’re lucky, the knights will show up tomorrow. That’ll be fun.”
With that said, he moved into the backroom to get some sleep, praying nothing else would turn up tonight.421Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQSOJC7xWn
