“Could you tell us where you last saw him?” Aguero asked calmly, and the girl rubbed her temple as she tried to remember.
She was about to tell them where it was, but a person suddenly arrived at their table with a tray of drinks. “Would you like another drink?” Asked the older lady with a colorful dress. At her sight, the young lady froze and began to shiver as she heard the woman speak. She was aware of her real personality and true voice.
“There is no need. We haven’t even finished the current drinks.” Aguero immediately could tell that something was wrong, but he had to play, he had to act.
The woman’s eyes went straight to the slave sitting beside Aguero. “Are you enjoying the company, sir? Or would you like to switch her?” The woman asked, thinking of the young woman as an item that can be switched, not a real person with feelings.
“Of course, we are enjoying the company; she is great.” Aguero answered as he then took a sip of his drink and finished it almost instantly. “On second thought, I could grab another drink.” The woman placed one cup and took his previous, before she walked away, she took a look at Navia.
Once she was out of their sight, Aguero had to ask, “Who was she?” Even the bartenders seemed on edge once she arrived.
“She is the owner of this brothel… Lady Minerva… She bought me…” The girl answered, but she stuttered and didn’t stop shaking out of fear.
Suddenly, Navia stood up, her stature stiff and eyes forward. Before Aguero could ask what it was, she answered, “They are onto us… That bitch recognized me!” The three bartenders left their station and moved toward their table with weapons in hand. Two of them had bats while one man had a hammer.
Aguero was about to stand up as well to join the fight, but the girl was holding him strong; she was seeking protection and comfort. He only left a sigh and shouted, “I’ll try to cover your back…”
Navia suddenly kicked the table with drinks on it. It went flying at the man with a hammer, making him stumble to the ground and getting stained with the drinks. Her strength surprised them all even Aguero but the man that was the one who poured them the drinks seemed the most courageous.
He swung the bat at Navia, thinking the job would be done in a second, but his arm stopped moving even though he was pressing with all his strength. Navia blocked the attack with her forearm, part of the bat was damaged, and the splinters pierced her skin. Even though it should hurt, the man’s courage wavered as he saw her smirk.
The blood rushed from her wound and onto her hands, hardening and turning into reinforced gloves. She swept the bat aside, and the man moved forward, moving right toward her fist. With the hit square to the face, the man went flying to the counter, crashing into it.
“You fools! She is the Liones from the pit! Don’t attack her one at a time!” The old woman shouted aggressively like she was about to beat them up, but she wasn’t about to move into action as she felt safe behind the doors.
Navia suddenly dashed forward, ignoring the third man, who was the only one unharmed. Her eyes were locked on a target, on the man trying to stand up from the rubble of the bar. Once he got the piece of wood away from his face, he saw the Lioness leaping toward him. His courage went away with his front teeth, and the rest of it was washed out with that sight. Once she got close to him, she landed another punch to his face, breaking his nose and making him lose consciousness.
“One down, two remaining…” Navia was so focused on finishing one of them and then moving onto the next one that she didn’t follow the movement of the previous two. The second guy with a bat was standing right behind her, swinging his wooden weapon at her.
“Look out!” Aguero shouted to alert Navia about the danger, but as he screamed, she turned around and her gloves turned into a knife that cut the bat in half and slashed the man across his nose. As the man raised both of his arms to grab his injured nose, he left his lower half vulnerable. She didn’t turn her blood into any weapons for this attack since it could kill the man as she aimed for a specific spot, the liver.
As the fist sank into his stomach, the man was quick to drop his weapon and fall to the ground, where he groaned in pain. The pain was pulsing and constantly reminding him of his injury.
“Why did I even worry…” Whispered Aguero, admiring Navia’s combat abilities. “She is on par with elite guards. I wonder how she compares to each one of us.”
Aguero looked for the lady who informed the bartenders, but she had already left the scene. “I can’t leave everything to her.” He locked onto the remaining bartender with a hammer. “Hey, big guy!” Shouted Aguero to turn this man’s attention to him. The girl hiding behind him flinched and looked at him in disbelief. Why would he do this?
“Let’s dance!” Aguero began to shuffle his feet around in a loop, his arms swinging close to his body. The man wasn’t aware, but those moves weren’t just dance, it was a fighting stance of capoeira. Along with his legs and arms, fire moved, leaving marks on the ground and distorting the air around.
The man hesitated; another person with a gate was in the same room with him. He could only think of running away, but it was too late. Navia closed the doors and stood in the way. He had to choose him or her. The two guys who faced Navia went down with heavy injuries, while Aguero was unknown to him.
“Time to warm up!” With just a few sidesteps, Aguero appeared right beside the barman. The man swung his hammer right at the head, but with a single step, Aguero avoided the attack and, without stopping, he made a half kick. The hammer hit the ground as the man was forced to drop it. Right after the half kick, Aguero made a wider swing, a roundabout kick that would knock down the man in an instant. The attack didn’t land, but the fire grazed the man, making him close his eyes. Once he opened them, Aguero was out of his sight. He was kneeling on one leg while the other was extended. Using that single leg, he jumped, placing his whole weight on a single arm while the leg moved upward. With a loud thud, the bartender was kicked in the neck, immediately losing consciousness and falling to the ground with an even louder bang.
After knocking him down, Aguero straightened up and took a deep breath. He then turned to the lady, “You should be safe now. At least from them… We’ll take you to the Golden Zone, and you should be safe. It’ll be a witness protection program, so until the problem is resolved, you’ll be safe.”
“You’re from the Golden Zone?” The girl asked, surprised that a man like that walked into a brothel. “Thank you. It means a lot to-” Aguero was about to lead the girl into safety, but Navia blocked his path. He looked at her, wanting to hear why she was doing it.
“You’ll take her after she tells me where Markiz is.” Navia said firmly, her eyes on the girl. All she wanted was the location.
“She will tell us as we escort her to the other side of the wall.” Ensured Aguero as he prioritized the lady who was in an unfortunate situation.
“I don’t have time for that. You can escort her while I save the girl.” Navia didn’t waver and made her stand clear. She had no interest in helping this lady.
“And I have to… help you.” Stuttered Aguero as he almost slipped what the president told him.
“You will help me by giving me the location. Or would you rather resolve it another way?” Navia clenched her fists; she felt like she was losing precious time. The idea of fighting Aguero was on her mind, but as a last resort.
“Okay… But try to wait for me at least for a bit.”