Sigma/Star: Aftermath

Chapter 141: The New Era

Porter ducked under the fist as it flew towards him. He jumped back a bit after, dodging any follow up that might come his way. He felt his back press against a table, and he knew he was running out of space in the cramped bar. It was hard enough walking through here carrying a couple drinks; fighting was a whole different story.

Rallying cheers went up from some of the patrons. Others had begun to scatter, clearing the way for Porter and his adversary. The lights hummed overhead. The bartender kept on cleaning glasses and setting them away, only programmed to do those tasks and to serve drinks. And Sigma sat in a corner, hood up to cover some of his face, cloak wrapped around his purple frame to hide his presence. But he was definitely smiling. Porter was sure of it.

"Come back here, you little freak!" The man yelled, charging forwards again to continue the fight. Porter wasn't really sure who he was, just some drunk they had been hitting up in the bar minutes before. And it had been Sigma who had upset him and pushed them into this brawl. It was all a game to him after all. This would be his entertainment for the night.

The drunk's footwork was all over the place. He staggered, he stumbled, he couldn't properly carry himself as he went for punches or tried to grab at Porter on the way by. It was easy to predict and dodge, easy to deflect if it got to close. It was nothing compared to the kind of duels Porter was used to with Sigma. Months of trying to land a hit on a hyper advanced robot could make you feel rather powerless sometimes. Didn't make it easier when he was your older brother too.

"As I was saying sir, I'm really sorry that my friend said those things."

"Your friend?" The man bumbled into a table and chairs, sending the people previously sitting in it scrambling back to get out of the way. They never lost their beers though, as people developed superhuman powers when it came to saving their drinks in times of need. "Ain't no friend, it's you who said those things."

"Right, sure, me." Porter rolled his eyes and ducked another hook, this one getting a bit close for his comfort level. He got a whiff of the man as he drew in closer, an overwhelming odour of alcohol mixing with body sweat. Porter's nose crinkled at contact with the stench, and he did his best to bear through it and survive. He was being attacked from all angles, it seemed.

"Listen," Porter continued, jumping onto a table to avoid a kick. He carefully stepped around coasters. He had already learned, from a terrible prior experience, that those things were basically landmines in a bar fight, and he didn't want to end up on his back again. "I'm just looking to see if you know anything about a guy with glasses. Kind of nerdy and gangly, I heard he drinks here sometimes. Somebody told me that at least."

The man tried to grab at Porter to get him down from the table but he still couldn't hit his mark. Porter leaped down, not wanting to risk slipping up on the metallic table's surface. "Again, if I could just get that information, I would be on my way out the door."

"Get bent!" the man shouted before crashing into a group of women trying to enjoy a night out in a booth. They dumped drinks out onto the drunk's head, with one of them even smashing her glass over his head.

And just like that, it was over.

Porter sighed, wiping himself off a bit before returning to Sigma in the corner. "Well, that was a bust."

"I don't know, I thought it was pretty funny," Sigma replied, flipping a coin up into the air and watching it spin. "But your reactions were a little off, you'll never stand up in a real fight like that."

"I wasn't expecting a real fight," Porter spat. "Thought we would just quietly try to find out if anyone knew about Ardwen and get out of here?" Porter observed the coin going up again before Sigma caught it. It had been going on for hours. "And would you cut that out already. Yes, it's a novelty coin, I get it, it's cute."