Baxter's Mission Part 2
A World of Draconica short story
By Dan Wright
By Dan Wright
Mrs wade paced up and down with feral madness, her fingers tapping against one another. The floorboards were starting to leave a line of footprints where she paced. Her husband placed his hands on her shoulder. “Honey, you should take it easy.
“They should have been back by now!” Mrs Wade stammered. “They told us they would be back before sundown.”
“I’m sure they are on their way back,” Mr Wade assured her, though his outer confidence betrayed what he was feeling inside. He didn’t know why they entrusted such a delicate mission to those freaks – but they had exhausted all options.
“My poor baby, all alone up there,” Mrs Wade said, tears flooding her eyes.
A knock came at the door. Mr and Mrs Wade glanced at each other hopefully, before both rushed to the door, nearly colliding heads. They opened it wide at once.
“Mr and Mrs Wade!” Baxter said with a bow.
“You!” Mrs Wade gasped.
“Did you find her?” Mr Wade asked.
“Your daughter is alive and well,” the drunken knight proclaimed.
The Wade’s hearts were lifted, and Mrs Wade’s tears almost broke through again.
“Behold,” Baxter said, pointing his arm toward his panda and penguin companions.
The Wade’s turned their gaze to follow him, ecstatic with the thought of seeing their girl once again. They saw Bey-Bey, Win-Win and... an eastern girl?
Mr Wade’s heart sunk and his veins boiled. “That’s not our daughter!”
“Oh?” Baxter asked. “Are you sure?”
“Does she look anything like us?”
Baxter’s gaze shifted between the Wades and the girl they rescued. “Now you come to mention it, you don’t really look alike. It did confuse me at first.”
“Then why did you bring her here?” Mr Wade snarled.
“Well, everyone seems to have diverse children these days, nothing to say a eastern girl can’t have western parents.”
The glare from Mrs Wade burned a hole through Baxter’s brain. “I. Want. Our. Daughter!”
“Um. Will you excuse us for a second? Companions?”
Bey-Bey and Win-Win groaned; the panda smiled sheepishly. “You’re such an embarrassment, Baxter!” Win-Win could be heard snapping.
“I think it’s a embarrassment,” Baxter replied.
“It’s an!”
“Are you sure?”
The rest of their conversation on proper grammar could not be heard as they disappeared back into the forest once again. Mr and Mrs Wade stared at the girl, left behind. She looked somewhat nervously back at them.
“Would you like some food, dear?” she asked.
A few hours later, another knock came at the door. The Wade’s rushed towards, to be greeted by a girl with light red hair, the same colour as their own.
“Papa!”
“Sophie!”
Mr and Mrs Wade flung their arms around their daughter, tears falling from their eyes. “Oh, thank Jeova you are safe!” Mrs Wade cried.
“Did they hurt you?” Mr Wade growled.
“I’m fine, Papa,” Sophie wept, glad to be held by her parents again.
Mr Wade dried his eyes and turned back to the saviours of their daughter. “I cannot thank you enough for… what the hell?”
A line of cathouse girls (all with different degrees of clothing) formed behind Baxter. “I couldn’t remember which one was your daughter – so I took all the girls, just to be sure.”
“Why would you do that?” Mr Wade screeched. “We clearly said red hair! None of these girls have red hair!”
Baxter gasped. “Did you just assume their hair colour? How do you know these girls don’t identify as having red hair-”
“Baxter, just shut it,” Win-Win said, tapping the side of his boot.
“Just trying to show how socially aware I am,” Baxter complained. “It’s very important you do that these days – I think.”
“What are we going to do with all these girls?” Mrs Wade asked.
“You could give them a home?” Baxter replied
“We don’t have room for all these girls!” Mr Wade shouted.
“Please, Papa!” Sophie begged. “These girls were taken from their homes and mistreated.”
“Sophie…”
“Please? They won’t be any trouble and they’ll help out around the house! Please?”
Mr Wade never could say no to his daughter when her eyes went wet. He sighed hard. “Honey, what do you think?”
“I’m sure we could move a few things around to make space,” Mrs Wade said. “They’ll have to share rooms of course.”
“Thank you both!” Sophie said, hugging her parents once more. The other girls seemed happy as well – they were sure this would be a nicer home than their last one.
“Ahem,” Win-Win coughed. “Sorry to interrupt, but I believe that there was a matter of payment.”
“Oh, of course,” Mr Wade said. “75 gold, right?”
“That was for one girl,” Win-Win said. “But we brought back seven of them.”
“Win-Win!” Bey-Bey gasped. “We didn’t agree to-”
“Bey-Bey, this is why I do the negotiations,” Win-Win said curtly.
“525 gold?” Mr Wade cried.
“Yeah, you’re right, that was a bit high,” Win-Win agreed. “Let’s call it – 500.”
“We don’t have that kind of money!” Mr Wade protested. “And anyway, we didn’t agree on that!”
“Are you telling us that you won’t pay?” Baxter snarled.
“Excuse me, but no one was talking to you!” Mr Wade snapped.
Baxter moved in closer, his beard starting to ruffle and take shape. “You dishonour us, sir. We had a handshake agreement and that is sacred! We risked our lives to bring you back your daughter and her friends – and you have the nerve to tell us you will not pay?” His beard turned into a giant fist, which hovered over the couple. "Tell me again that you won’t pay us!”
Mr Wade turned his head slowly towards his wife. “Honey… will you – get my purse?”
“500 gold!” Win-Win exclaimed as she tossed the bag up and down, catching it in the end of her wings. “That’s one of our best days yet!”
“A fine reward for a day’s work!” Baxter agreed. “Let us toast to our success!” He took a drink from his never-empty jug. “Ah! Now we *hic* should probably find somewhere to celebrate. I know *hic* a good tavern from here. The Harlem Scorpion!”
“We just came from there,” Bey-Bey reminded him. “Twice! We were lucky Arnis and his cronies weren’t there the second time.”
“Errrr…” Baxter drifted off.
“So, where next?” Win-Win asked.
“Ooooh,” Bey-Bey said, pulling the wanted poster from his bag. “We could go after this one.”
“Yeah, right, you just want to do that because her breasts are bigger than her head!” Win-Win pouted.
“Really?” Bey-Bey asked. “Can’t say, I noticed.”
“That wasn’t your cue to stare, you pervert!” Win-Win shrieked, smacking him round the face. Her eyes then turned to the reward at the bottom of the page. “Mind you, look at that reward. We could live like King’s with that.”
“Oh?” Baxter asked. “How can one so pretty be guilty of so many crimes?”
“Hang on,” Bey-Bey said, “her name. Dragonkin. She’s not – one of the Dragonkin do you think?”
“Who cares?” Win-Win said, rubbing her wings together. “Think of all the money we’ll make when we bring her in!”
“Says here the last place she was seen was – Brittana?” Bey-Bey said, reading the poster. “But that’s miles away.”
“We have more than enough to get a ferry there,” Win-Win said. “First, we should get some supplies. Where’s the next town from here?”
Bey-Bey then took out his map, scanning it with his paw. “Stokencharch is just a day away.”
“Then we’ll go there to get provisions,” Win-Win said. “Then we’ll head to the port. We should be there in a few days. Baxter, you in? Baxter?”
Baxter lay snoring on the ground, his jug to his side.
“Oh great, he’s passed out again,” Win-Win moaned.
Win-Win and Bey-Bey grabbed Baxter by his boots and started pulling him. “You know, we could just leave him?”
“We can’t do that,” Bey-Bey said.
“Why not?”
“Because – well… um… we owe him?”
“Huh?” Baxter grunted, opening his eyes. “Oh my, I appear to have shrunk. Bey-Bey, Win-Win, I am now your size!”
This Zarracka better be worth all this hassle! Win-Win thought.
TO BE CONTINUED
“They should have been back by now!” Mrs Wade stammered. “They told us they would be back before sundown.”
“I’m sure they are on their way back,” Mr Wade assured her, though his outer confidence betrayed what he was feeling inside. He didn’t know why they entrusted such a delicate mission to those freaks – but they had exhausted all options.
“My poor baby, all alone up there,” Mrs Wade said, tears flooding her eyes.
A knock came at the door. Mr and Mrs Wade glanced at each other hopefully, before both rushed to the door, nearly colliding heads. They opened it wide at once.
“Mr and Mrs Wade!” Baxter said with a bow.
“You!” Mrs Wade gasped.
“Did you find her?” Mr Wade asked.
“Your daughter is alive and well,” the drunken knight proclaimed.
The Wade’s hearts were lifted, and Mrs Wade’s tears almost broke through again.
“Behold,” Baxter said, pointing his arm toward his panda and penguin companions.
The Wade’s turned their gaze to follow him, ecstatic with the thought of seeing their girl once again. They saw Bey-Bey, Win-Win and... an eastern girl?
Mr Wade’s heart sunk and his veins boiled. “That’s not our daughter!”
“Oh?” Baxter asked. “Are you sure?”
“Does she look anything like us?”
Baxter’s gaze shifted between the Wades and the girl they rescued. “Now you come to mention it, you don’t really look alike. It did confuse me at first.”
“Then why did you bring her here?” Mr Wade snarled.
“Well, everyone seems to have diverse children these days, nothing to say a eastern girl can’t have western parents.”
The glare from Mrs Wade burned a hole through Baxter’s brain. “I. Want. Our. Daughter!”
“Um. Will you excuse us for a second? Companions?”
Bey-Bey and Win-Win groaned; the panda smiled sheepishly. “You’re such an embarrassment, Baxter!” Win-Win could be heard snapping.
“I think it’s a embarrassment,” Baxter replied.
“It’s an!”
“Are you sure?”
The rest of their conversation on proper grammar could not be heard as they disappeared back into the forest once again. Mr and Mrs Wade stared at the girl, left behind. She looked somewhat nervously back at them.
“Would you like some food, dear?” she asked.
A few hours later, another knock came at the door. The Wade’s rushed towards, to be greeted by a girl with light red hair, the same colour as their own.
“Papa!”
“Sophie!”
Mr and Mrs Wade flung their arms around their daughter, tears falling from their eyes. “Oh, thank Jeova you are safe!” Mrs Wade cried.
“Did they hurt you?” Mr Wade growled.
“I’m fine, Papa,” Sophie wept, glad to be held by her parents again.
Mr Wade dried his eyes and turned back to the saviours of their daughter. “I cannot thank you enough for… what the hell?”
A line of cathouse girls (all with different degrees of clothing) formed behind Baxter. “I couldn’t remember which one was your daughter – so I took all the girls, just to be sure.”
“Why would you do that?” Mr Wade screeched. “We clearly said red hair! None of these girls have red hair!”
Baxter gasped. “Did you just assume their hair colour? How do you know these girls don’t identify as having red hair-”
“Baxter, just shut it,” Win-Win said, tapping the side of his boot.
“Just trying to show how socially aware I am,” Baxter complained. “It’s very important you do that these days – I think.”
“What are we going to do with all these girls?” Mrs Wade asked.
“You could give them a home?” Baxter replied
“We don’t have room for all these girls!” Mr Wade shouted.
“Please, Papa!” Sophie begged. “These girls were taken from their homes and mistreated.”
“Sophie…”
“Please? They won’t be any trouble and they’ll help out around the house! Please?”
Mr Wade never could say no to his daughter when her eyes went wet. He sighed hard. “Honey, what do you think?”
“I’m sure we could move a few things around to make space,” Mrs Wade said. “They’ll have to share rooms of course.”
“Thank you both!” Sophie said, hugging her parents once more. The other girls seemed happy as well – they were sure this would be a nicer home than their last one.
“Ahem,” Win-Win coughed. “Sorry to interrupt, but I believe that there was a matter of payment.”
“Oh, of course,” Mr Wade said. “75 gold, right?”
“That was for one girl,” Win-Win said. “But we brought back seven of them.”
“Win-Win!” Bey-Bey gasped. “We didn’t agree to-”
“Bey-Bey, this is why I do the negotiations,” Win-Win said curtly.
“525 gold?” Mr Wade cried.
“Yeah, you’re right, that was a bit high,” Win-Win agreed. “Let’s call it – 500.”
“We don’t have that kind of money!” Mr Wade protested. “And anyway, we didn’t agree on that!”
“Are you telling us that you won’t pay?” Baxter snarled.
“Excuse me, but no one was talking to you!” Mr Wade snapped.
Baxter moved in closer, his beard starting to ruffle and take shape. “You dishonour us, sir. We had a handshake agreement and that is sacred! We risked our lives to bring you back your daughter and her friends – and you have the nerve to tell us you will not pay?” His beard turned into a giant fist, which hovered over the couple. "Tell me again that you won’t pay us!”
Mr Wade turned his head slowly towards his wife. “Honey… will you – get my purse?”
“500 gold!” Win-Win exclaimed as she tossed the bag up and down, catching it in the end of her wings. “That’s one of our best days yet!”
“A fine reward for a day’s work!” Baxter agreed. “Let us toast to our success!” He took a drink from his never-empty jug. “Ah! Now we *hic* should probably find somewhere to celebrate. I know *hic* a good tavern from here. The Harlem Scorpion!”
“We just came from there,” Bey-Bey reminded him. “Twice! We were lucky Arnis and his cronies weren’t there the second time.”
“Errrr…” Baxter drifted off.
“So, where next?” Win-Win asked.
“Ooooh,” Bey-Bey said, pulling the wanted poster from his bag. “We could go after this one.”
“Yeah, right, you just want to do that because her breasts are bigger than her head!” Win-Win pouted.
“Really?” Bey-Bey asked. “Can’t say, I noticed.”
“That wasn’t your cue to stare, you pervert!” Win-Win shrieked, smacking him round the face. Her eyes then turned to the reward at the bottom of the page. “Mind you, look at that reward. We could live like King’s with that.”
“Oh?” Baxter asked. “How can one so pretty be guilty of so many crimes?”
“Hang on,” Bey-Bey said, “her name. Dragonkin. She’s not – one of the Dragonkin do you think?”
“Who cares?” Win-Win said, rubbing her wings together. “Think of all the money we’ll make when we bring her in!”
“Says here the last place she was seen was – Brittana?” Bey-Bey said, reading the poster. “But that’s miles away.”
“We have more than enough to get a ferry there,” Win-Win said. “First, we should get some supplies. Where’s the next town from here?”
Bey-Bey then took out his map, scanning it with his paw. “Stokencharch is just a day away.”
“Then we’ll go there to get provisions,” Win-Win said. “Then we’ll head to the port. We should be there in a few days. Baxter, you in? Baxter?”
Baxter lay snoring on the ground, his jug to his side.
“Oh great, he’s passed out again,” Win-Win moaned.
Win-Win and Bey-Bey grabbed Baxter by his boots and started pulling him. “You know, we could just leave him?”
“We can’t do that,” Bey-Bey said.
“Why not?”
“Because – well… um… we owe him?”
“Huh?” Baxter grunted, opening his eyes. “Oh my, I appear to have shrunk. Bey-Bey, Win-Win, I am now your size!”
This Zarracka better be worth all this hassle! Win-Win thought.
TO BE CONTINUED