After a ten minute jog through the woods, they reached Arcadia.
It was a small village nestled along the bank of a river, water wheels half submerged in the current clearly showed where they got their power from. The buildings were all made of wood with stone foundations, except for what looked like a temple sitting at the end of the main road. It was made of iron sheeting with precious metal designs laced along its edges. In the morning sun, it seemed to glow from the inside out; Circe could barely look at it.
Despite it's small size, the village seemed to be alive and busy. People were riding horses, children were playing with the animals in the barn near the river, and a group of women were down by the river washing clothes. It seemed like a peaceful place.
"I don't see any cars." Jason said, eyeing a man on a horse as he trotted by. "Wonder if they have a spare horse or two."
"Are we really gonna ride a horse all the way to the Seventh Kingdom?"
Jason shook his head. "I'd really prefer not to; the rashes riding horseback will give you are not pleasant. But unless there's something with wheels in this tiny town, it seems like our best shot."
"So, who do we talk to first?" Circe asked, waving at a group of kids playing by the river. They stared at her like she'd just dropped from moon, then continued playing in the sand. She couldn't blame them; she looked like she'd just walked out of the pig pen.
"Well, I think that if anyone has a house made of precious metal, then they'd outa have a car." Jason said, pointing at the temple. "And no, Circe," He said, before she could say anything, "I'm not going to barge in and choke the man until he gives us his ride. I'm just gonna go up and knock."
"Uh huh." Circe said, not believing a word of it. Jason seemed to only have one speed: fight. She'd love to see him be diplomatic for once.
As they walked down the main road, Circe noticed people staring at them as they passed. Ladies on their porches glanced at them with frightened looks, then continued their frantic whispering with each other.
"Wonder what happened there." Jason said, nodding at a building under construction. A hole the size of a sedan was being repaired on the side of a small house. The walls were scorched, as if there had been a fire but was put out relatively early. The men rebuilding stopped to glare at them as they passed. Circe got the feeling that they were not welcomed here.
"Maybe a fire burned the hole." Circe said.
"Except that the edges of the whole aren't scorched like the rest of the house. Plus there's only debris on the inside, not out on the road."
Circe saw he was right; a man was sweeping splintered planks and shattered glass into garbage bags just inside the house. "So what do you think happened?"
"I think something broke right through the side of the house, from the outside. Something big."
That sent chills down Circe's spine. What could've done something like that?
A commotion came from the barn, then a high pitched scream.
A little girl.
Jason and Circe glanced at each other before sprinting across the road. As they reached the entrance, a herd of little kids ran out, screaming. Circe caught one by the wrist. "Hey! What happened?"
The little boy was on the verge of tears. "D.D! She fell in the bullpen!" He paused when he realized her face wasn't one he knew and wrestled away from her. Circe sighed, standing up.
Since they had arrived in Arcadia, she'd felt like neither of them were wanted here, with all the foul looks they've been getting. Circe was sure Jason came to the same conclusion as she: if they wanted help, they had to help out first. So much for diplomacy.
Circe turned to Jason. "You ever fought a bull before?"
"I milked a cow once. Does that count?"
"Close enough. Come on!"
The barn was bigger than it looked on the outside, 20 or so smelly pens filled with cows, pigs, and goats taking up the main floor. Another scream led them to a large sub level pen near the back, the fencing around this one was metal instead of wood. Circe peered over the edge and saw a little girl, no more than 8 years old, shaking in the corner. With the world's largest bull closing in on her.
The animal was raw muscle, horns three feet long, and scars covering it's body. For a moment, Circe wondered if this was the animal that caused the destruction she saw earlier. She looked at Jason. "You got a plan?"
He saw a straw cowboy hat hanging off a nail and donned it on his head. "Mo' less." He said in the worst southern accent.
Before Circe could respond, Jason climbed the fence and dropped into the bullpen.
* * *
"Yeeeeeeeehaw!"
The smell somehow gets worse once I drop down. The best way to describe it would be a mixture of fermenting shit and moldy hay. Which probably is exactly what I'm stepping on. I hold my breath and charge across the pen at full speed, having absolutely no idea how to stop a raging bull. Oh well.
The animal's muscled rear end gets closer and closer, front legs kicking the ground, preparing to charge. I reach into my jacket for the Merc's gun I took on the HoloTram, 11 rounds left in the magazine. A few well placed shots should take it down.
"Jason, don't! The kid!" Circe yells from beyond the barrier.
I groan loudly, realizing blowing an animal's brains out in front of an 8 year old is probably not a good idea. Plus this might be the town's prize winning bull or something. We're trying to win their trust, so that only leaves me with one option.
Time to wrestle a 1,800 pound bull.
The animal's less than 20 feet away now, looking ready to thrash D.D. to bits. Most it's muscle is concentrated around its back, neck, and legs. I need to hit it where it's weakest. And I doubt the bull does sit ups.
I drop and skid across the floor of the pen like I'm sliding into home base, stopping at a kneel just beside the raging animal. With a yell, I deliver a savage right uppercut into its underbelly, feeling the reverberations down to my elbow.
The bull goes wild, stumbling to the side. It rears it's head, staring at me right in the eye. I swear, I saw tiny flames in it's eye balls. It completely forgets about D.D and trots in a circle to ram me head on, but I move towards the side of the pen before it can align itself.
"D.D! Make your way over to my pal, Circe, she'll pull you out. I'll distract Quarter Pounder."
She stares at me, still shaking, and for a moment I worry she's gonna ignore me like the rest of the town, but eventually she nods, and starts inching her way along the wall.
I keep one eye on the bull, wondering how exactly I'm suppose to take it down. Well, since I'm not killing it, I just have to keep it busy-
Quarter Pounder charges, head bowed down, horns level with my chest. I yell as I run to meet him halfway, eyes on his pointed head ornaments. Once we're less than 10 feet away I slow down and grab his horns, and slam my knee directly into its long face. A sound similar to a cough and crack comes from it's mouth. Despite being stunned, it's momentum carries me back 15 feet before I'm able to climb onto its back. It bucks, trying it's damndest to knock me off, but my grip is too tight.
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeehaw!" I yell, waving my cowboy hat in the air.
"Jason, I got D.D! Come on!" I hear Circe yell somewhere behind me.
I rock back and forth, which along with it's constant bucking, causes the animal to sway. In one final lunge, I dive to one side, horns still gripped firmly, taking the whole damn bull down with me. I roll away last second, not wanting my leg crushed, and haul ass across the pen, still dizzy from the ride. After a quick climb, I'm back on the right side of the fence, tired and dizzy. I can't help but smile.
Circe looks up from the child in her arms at my goofy grin. "What?"
"I can finally cross 'Ride A Bull' off my bucket list." I pant.
By now a crowd had formed around the pen, mostly adults with stunned expressions and kids cheering. No suspicious glares. Hooray.
I kneel down in front of D.D. "Alright kid, go find your parents."
Suddenly the barn goes silent, and armed guards emerge from the crowd, rifles raised.
At us.