Eighty Thousand Gold

Macha's intense stare pinned Gabin in place and she moved forward so she would not have to yell. Her arms crossed over her chest as she strode towards him with purposeful steps. The golden threads embroidered into her shirt glistened with each step.

Her voice was low, as she looked him in his eyes, "What do you think you're doing here?"

When he peeked down at Macha, he swallowed down the lump of fear that balled up in his throat. He did not remember his biological mother and had always seen this small woman as a sort of mother figure.

"I'm here to..." his voice trailed off as his gaze moved to stare at the dirty ground. He was ashamed that she caught him sneaking out of the house.

Slips of torn betting cards lay on the stone floor and the tip of his boot pushed them around. There was a small crack in the floor that he wished he could sink into and never come out of.

She tapped her foot impatiently. Her head tilted to the side and her long dark hair fell off of her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked sternly, lifting an eyebrow.

Speaking louder, he fiddled with his hands, "I sorta came to fight..."

After Gabin admitted to his reason for coming here, Macha grabbed his arm and pulled him behind her. She turned to address the large men who stood before her. Her brows were still together, and she wagged a finger at them.

"He will NOT be fighting. I'm sorry, but we're going home."

She still held onto Gabin's wrist, so she turned around and started to leave.

The two burly men rushed past her, standing side by side to block their path. They looked down their noses at her and cracked their knuckles.

The smaller chubby man took a step toward them. At first he thought she was a child, but the way she acted and the swell of her breasts beneath her loose fitting top said otherwise.

He twirled a golden ring on his finger. It was embossed with the guild's crest, a dagger which crossed over a long stretching road.

In an oily voice, he explained, "Sorry babe, this little guy has a contract with us. We already paid him in advance and he's gotta work off that debt. Ain't nothin' you can do bout it."

Macha's head snapped to look up at Gabin. Although he was just a teenager, he was now a head taller than she. Her eyebrows shot up at the realization that he did such a drastic thing.

"What? Why?"

The boy's mouth twitched and he kicked the floor with a grey boot. He did not know what to say about his actions. It all seemed like a good idea at the time.

She turned to the smaller man who looked to be in charge, "I'll pay back the money he owes. I don't want him fighting."

Her voice was steely as she tried to check her temper. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The roaring of the crowd made it difficult to calm down, but she needed to deal with the situation with a clear mind. Gabin's actions hurt her, and she did not understand why he did not come to her if he lacked money. She could have let him work in the pie shop.

The man snapped his sausage-like fingers, and a rolled up parchment was placed in his hand.

"Babe, it's all in the contract. If he breaks it, he'll be fined eighty thousand gold pieces. I mean, you can pay that if you want."

An oily smile spread across his face because many people liked to try to break contracts. This woman seemed to have some expensive jewelry on, so it looked like she might be able to scrape up some money. Her clothes left him unsure though because they were not what the noble women wore.

Hearing the fee for breaking the contract, Macha's jaw dropped. She thought that was a ridiculous number. That amount of money could go towards so many other things.

"He's just a boy! How can you expect him to sign a contract like that? Is this even legal? He's only sixteen. Let me see that!"

She grabbed the parchment and read through it. Her dark brown eyes searching for a way out of their situation.

"He's old enough to sign contracts like this. The Mercenary Guild would never break the law."

The man was becoming impatient and annoyed. As he looked at the small woman, a worker came up to him and whispered in his ear.

Macha did not know what to do. Either she or Tyr could supply the gold to break the contract, but Gabin would still have to fight tonight. It was late and there was no way to get the money here in a timely manner to deal with the situation. She had not brought any of her business cards with her and it seemed wrong to spend so much gold for a few fights.

As she sorted through her options, she realized it might be possible for Tyr to come down here fast enough if she A.E.M.ed him. Unfortunately, if he took care of the problem, he would be stern with Gabin and she worried that he would be too harsh.

The small man shooed the worker away. He continued his conversation with Macha, and a friendly smile spread across his chubby cheeks.

Wiggling his eyebrows, he offered, "It appears the higher-ups are offering to let you take the boy's place, if you want that is..."

He had not realized this woman was the secretary for the Obsidian Dragons. If she fought, it would be more entertaining and bring in more money than this nobody. It seemed like his boss was willing to alter the contract for a larger profit margin.

Now he waited and watched as the small woman deliberated on what to do. His eyes glistened at how nervous she appeared.

Of course, Macha wanted to take Gabin's place. She just worried that if she was beaten up, Tyr would raise hell. She would probably get in trouble and who knew what would happen as far as the guild leader. This was a different guild than theirs and they made the rules here.

She ran through the things she could say and do to calm him down if he found out. She exhaled shakily after drawing in a deep breath and squaring her shoulders.

"I'll do it," she nodded.

Gabin spun her around, "Macha no, I can..."

"Silence," she commanded. "You're still a child. I've been in fights before AND train daily. Do you really think I would let you go in there and fight when I can take your place? Is that the sort of person you think I am?"

As she said this, she pointed to a large ring in the middle of the coliseum. Bright lights shined down on the stage illuminating the two figures who fought in it.

In the ring, a strong man held a woman in a headlock. She struggled to get out, pounding her fists against his arms that were as thick as tree trunks. Through her struggles, he continually smashed a fist down into her face. Blood splattered onto the floor and the crowd cheered as the woman's body went limp.