Wilson walked while the still unconscious Jim enjoyed a piggyback ride. Or rather, he pretended to still be unconscious so as to benefit from a free ride on Wilson's surprisingly comfortable back. His well-defined muscles felt like a cushion.
For hours, they continued like this. Wilson was not sure if the hunters would be able to take care of the tiger snow, so he would occasionally pick up the pace and run until finally, he was too tired to go on. By this time, it was almost night time. The sun hung, half hidden from their sight, displaying a beautiful blend of various colors. It made the sky and clouds look red, further adding to the unique beauty. The snow had stopped falling about an hour ago.
"It has been several hours. When do you intend to get off my back." Wilson asked Jim as he stood on a small protruded white rock and watched the sun set.
"What in the world do you mean?" Jim asked as he tightened his hug with a small smile on his face.
"Are you trying to sleep on my back?"
"What do you think?"
"Off my back, right now!"
"No!"
Wilson was stumped. No? This was his back. As in, it is a part his body, isn't it? Isn't he being too much? That does it. Wilson released his hold on Jim's legs and grabbed his arms that were hanging over his shoulders.
"What are you .....Ahhhhh!"
*thud*
Wilson threw Jim over his shoulders. Jim landed on the snow with a low thud sound and groaned exaggeratedly.
"It's getting dark. Let's get ready." Wilson said.
"Eh! Look at you taking charge. Don't forget that I'm the one in charge here." Jim said as he sat up and looked up at Wilson who was still standing on the rock and staring at the direction the sun had finally set at.
"I already risked my life to save yours, so, consider the debt paid. I do not owe you anymore and that means no one is in charge. Both of us will contribute to both our survival." Wilson spoke confidently.
"Heh!" Jim chuckled. "What gives you the assurance that you do not owe me anymore. Do you know how many the times the snow tiger came after our asses while you were asleep?" He asked.
"Likewise!" Wilson simply said and got off the rock, wiped the snow and his footprints off it and sat on it. He felt it was better than sitting on the bare snow.
Jim wanted to talk some more but changed his mind. He really was not that thick-skinned. He could not bring himself to lie his way into making Wilson believe he still owed him. Now that he thought of it, he was lucky Wilson had a sense of pride. If not, Wilson could have just left him and run away. After all, he attempted to do that to Wilson first.
Jim quietly brought out the tents, some food and an artificial firewood set and set them in place while Wilson watched attentively and asked questions about some aspects of the setup that he did not understand.
After eating, Wilson asked about Tiger City.
"Tiger City is home to all kinds of people. Any kinds of jobs can be found and done there. There is none of those police or law enforcement over there, making it the ideal go-to place for those trying to escape from the law. In there, any strong person is his own law enforcement. As long as you are strong enough, you will be able to survive. And if you are too weak and knows nobody that is strong, then you are on your own. Merely staying alive would be a problem. It is the only civilized place where the jungle rule is so very apparent and even supported by the Tigers family who officially rule the city. At least, they are not hypocrites like the nobles found in every other city.
The city has its own networks, civilization and well, you know...those kinds of things. That is because even though, it is in the territory of this our dear kingdom, Tiger City is seen as a separate place from the kingdom. After all, the magnetic interference in that place is not something that the kingdom can handle. As soon as you enter the range of Tiger City, it is impossible to contact the outside world, regardless of what you use. Just like those remote villages the teachers loved to mention at school. And also, the Tiger family is said to be more dangerous and far more powerful than the King himself. So, nobody is willing to cause them trouble."
"So, does that mean there is no way to know what is going on outside the city?"
"Actually, on the contrary, Tiger City is the ideal place to go for any kind of information. As long as the information exists, there is someone somewhere in Tiger City that is privy of it. It is also ahead of most cities tech-wise. I guess it is because of all the outlaws and merchants that frequently move in and out of the city and the Tigers' power and influence."
"So, do you know anyone in Tiger City?"
"Yes!"
"Who?"
"A childhood friend." Jim answered with a chuckle.
***********
Meanwhile, the childhood friend Jim was talking about was flirting in a bar.
"Hey ladies!" He greeted a little loudly as he sat on an empty seat at their table. He had a dashing smile on his face that was capable of making even men daydream. "Anyone ever told you girls just how beautiful you really are?"
This was a very cliche line even in the future. But it was effective when it came out of the mouths of good looking men such as him, so the ladies played along.
"No..." One of the ladies said. She had not even finished speaking when he interrupted in a very loud voice.
"Good, cos you ladies are ugly as f*CK!"
Oh wait, did I say flirting, I meant seeking death. He was well known in Tiger City as the 'Greatest Death seeker of all Time'. Literally, the GOAT of death seeking.
Needless to say, the ladies were shocked, then they were very embarrassed when they realised the whole bar was openly looking at them, some looked just as shocked but the majority was laughing in amusement. Then, the embarrassment turned to anger, which then turned to pain for this bold, dear friend who foolishly chose (or is the correct word to use, 'dared'?), to remain sitting and smiling even at this time. The ladies synonymously screamed.
"KYAAAAAA..."
Followed by various sound effects caused by a team of furious ladies' attacks on a good looking idiot who had no limits.
*BOOM* *BANG* *Whee* *crash*
"Ouch!!" Jim's friend said.
*WHOOOSH* *piak"
"Ouch!!" He said again.
*whack* *whack* *whack* *whack* *numerous whacks*
"Ouch! Ow! Oof! Uhh! Ouch!..." Numerous exclamations also followed each whacking.
His vocal expressions of pain were lacklustre, though, and because the ladies knew it, their heartache was not even close to being soothed.
Then, one of them had an epiphany. She looked lower.
"Hmmmm? Please no!" He begged when he noticed where her gaze landed. As it happened, he was already spread eagled on the broken table on the bar floor.
"Hold him!" She said with a sadistic grin. The ladies quickly held him down. He struggled to no avail.
"No please don't! Any other place, please!"
"Hehehehe! Kyaa.." She snickered, yelled in a high pitched tone and kicked.
*skreeee*
"*snort* AHHHHHHHHH!!"
Jim's friend yelled to the high heavens, his waist raised high in the air. Pain constricted his face from good looking to ugly.
Tears rolled down his face. The ladies snickered joyfully. They finally found a way to make him feel pain.
Is this the end? Of course not.
"Me, me, me. I want to go next!"
"What?" Jim's friend said.
And so, the ladies took turns kicking.
*scrackkk*
"MUMMYYYYYYYY!!?!!!"
*crunckk*
"DADDYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!"
*crench*
"UHHHHHHH!!!!"
*criiick*
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!"
*shiiinkkr*
"GOD WHY??!!!"
The ladies then left the bar, satisfied. As for Jim's friend, he lay there for the next several minutes, writhing in pain, afraid to even touch his dear crotch. That thing was most likely gone for life.
Poor Jim's friend!
"Oof! That was hard!" A man who seemed like the leader of a group of ten men approached and crouched by his side laughing.
"How is your crotch!" Another answered concernedly, although the laughter that followed made him sound like he was only mocking him.
"Having a bad work day!" Jim's friend answered. The men roared in laughter again.
"Anyway, here's your pay. Fifty thousand like we said." The leader said and dropped a wad of cash on Jim's friend's chest.
"And a tip for delivering exceptionally." Another man in the group said, dropping another fifty thousand on his chest, before walking out with his group.
And just like that, several other groups of men came past him laughing and tossing and dropping several wads of cash of varying sizes and extra tips in his hands or on his chest, with some even choosing to stuff it in his shirt and pants.
When they had all gone...
"Well, that was a job well done." Jim's friend said to himself. He was definitely set for the whole month.
'So much money! Should be about seven hundred thousand, right?' He thought with a sigh and put everything in his space ring.
'Such a genius idea.' He gave himself a mental pat on the back as he slowly stood up on his feet and grabbed his crotch in pain.
He painfully walked to the bar counter and paid for the damage before passing the back door out.
The barman on duty shook his head and chuckled. He still could not believe it even though this kind of entertainment came up once every month for the past four months. Jim's friend, Vox would seek death in a hilarious way and get paid for it. Vox had always been seeking death intentionally and unintentionally. It was a habit he could not get rid of. And he always found a new way and person to seek death with.
The barman happily laughed as he kept the money, reminiscing on how he had jokingly given him that idea five months ago, only for Vox to actually try it out and realise it was more lucrative than they both thought.
Talk about a business mind, right?