Chapter 2: A pushover called Rufus part 1
"Oi! Kid! Get those bricks up here," yelled a construction worker.
"Yes," Rufus answered.
"Kid! Bring us some water. We are thirsty."
"Yes! Coming."
"Kid! We need more cement."
"Ah. Of course. Just a sec."
Rufus was running around a construction site with a bright smile. The other construction workers looked at him as he was doing the work of three people with ease and without complaining.
"Damn. That Rufus sure is helpful, hard worker polite. Ask him to do a double workload, and he will say yes, no problem," said a construction worker.
"He must be to only pushover in the entire Jacob Kingdom."
After the day ended, the construction workers gathered around. They gave pay to everyone, including Rufus, with him, unfortunately, getting clearly less than the others. He had agreed to work for less pay only because he was asked.
Later that day in the evening, Rufus left the construction site toward his home. He lived in the capital city of Jacob Kingdom, Jacobstadt. He worked odd jobs here and there for minimal pay, and as you had just seen, Rufus was a professional pushover.
Last week he was asked to sell some produce at the market and promised a ten percent profit from all the sales. After doing a great job of selling all the sellable produce, the owner decided to give only one percent of the profits to Rufus.
Yesterday he was asked to help bring a carriage from outside the walls. It turned out they didn't have horses to drag the carriage. So Rufus was asked to pull the carriage by himself. He was literally worked like a mule.
"Well, this day's pay is good. We might be able to get some meat on the table for the great harvest festival. Hope big sister Harley would be able to take it a bit easier in the factory thanks to this," Rufus thought.
~~
Rufus walked to the eastern part of the city where the slums of the city were. Even though the city had seen its better days already, the slums were the worst of the worst. A real red pimple on an already ugly face.
The entire slums were run by different gangs. The soldiers didn't even bother entering the slums anymore and the rule of the gangs had become the law. Streets were littered with kids without parents, and those who had one were not in a much better situation.
~~
Rufus passed by a gangster who was forcing himself on a woman while her children were watching helplessly and crying. It was no uncommon sight to see a gangster harassing or even murdering a person for some unknown reason in plain sight. It was common knowledge in the slums not to get entangled with them if you valued your life.
"Hey you bastard!" yelled Rufus with a lowered fake voice and threw a rock at the gangster.
"Oi, you son of a bitch…I'm gonna make you hold your guts in your hands after I rip your sto…." the gangster yelled before he was stopped by Rufus.
"Mister. The rival gang's members ran that way. The same one who threw a stone at you," Rufus explained, trying to fool him.
"Hurry up! He is going to get away, or do you want your boss to know that you let your rival gang member get away after he dared to touch you?!"
The gangster looked confused.
"Aargh. I'll come back for you later, woman. Since your husband can't protect you anymore, your all mine," Yelled the gangster before running off in the direction where Rufus pointed.
After the gangster was nowhere to be seen, Rufus got closer to the mother and her children. The children got terrified of Rufus, and they hid behind their mother.
"Thank you. After my husband died at the hands of some noble after they argued, I have had to deal with those gangsters myself. My husband owed them a lot of money, and I have no way of paying my late husband's debts," said the mother and left with the children.
The mother then saw that Rufus had already left while on the ground were a few coins. The mother tried to look around where Rufus had gone, but he was nowhere to be found.
~~
It had already become dark. Rufus climbed a building and entered inside through a window on the roof.
Inside was a woman with bright blonde hair. She was beautiful, and she was sleeping on a hay mattress on the dirty floor. Rufus tried to sneak slowly past the woman without waking her up.
"Oooooooi. Do you know what time it is RUUUUUFFFUUUUUS!?" said the woman coldly without opening her eyes while being on the mattress.
Cold sweat started to flow through the skin of Rufus.
"Plank!!!!" yelled the woman.
"Yes!" answered Rufus and started to hold a plank position.
The woman stood up. She started to walk towards Rufus like a drill sergeant and sat on Rufus's back.
"What time have we agreed you'd return, Rufus?"
"Before sunset."
"And what time is it now?"
"Well past sunset."
The woman felt irritated.
"Don't say it so happily! Squat position!"
"Yes!"
The woman got up and started to lie on the mattress.
"Listen, Rufus. I've said to you so many times not to be pushed around. Day after day, you do exactly what other people tell you to do. You need to be able to say no to these people. To be able to stand up to them. At least you didn't have any run-ins with the gangs of this area."
"No sister Harley. That is not true. I threw a rock at a gangster on my way here," said the struggling and shaking Rufus obliviously.
"Handstand!"
"ah….yes," Rufus said submissively.
The woman was Harley. She was the adoptive big sister of Rufus and had taken care of him from the age of seven when she found him in the slums of Jacobstadt. Harley had taken care of him until this day for fifteen years. She was strict but fair and dedicated her life to caring for those she cared for. Harley worked seven days a week in a factory to provide for her loved ones and was a few years older than Rufus.
"Taking care of one stubborn person is full-time work already but having to take care of an idiot as well on the side is hard enough," said Harley while stroking her eyes in frustration.
"He is already old enough. He should be able to take care of himself, "said a girl who came right out of the window.
"Thank you, Haley!!!!" yelled Rufus.
"You are an idiot, though. Idiot because you let people run all over you," said the girl glaring at Rufus.
The younger girl was Haley. She was fifteen years old and was the biological sister of Harley. She looked almost like Harley in every way with her blonde hair and pretty face.
Haley had been cold towards Rufus for a long time and didn't like spending time with him even though she had been raised together. Recently she had been hanging with questionable people in the slums and other parts of Jacobstadt.
"And where have you been Haley, aaaaah? You came later, so you have no reason to call anyone an idiot you stubborn mule," said Harley to Haley.
"Calm down, sis. Unlike this idiot, I don't work for pennies," said Haley and dropped a bag of money on the floor.
Both Harley and Rufus watched in awe. There was enough money to get by for many days.
"Seeeee. Don't worry, sis, and just let me take care of things instead of this idiot," said Haley with pride.
"How did you get this?" Harley pointed at the money.
"That stupid works for chumps just because he doesn't have the backbone to say no."
"Don't call him an idiot or stupid. He is your brother, and answer me. Where did you get this money from?"
Haley was startled for a few seconds and stepped a few steps back.
"Why do you care how I made this money? I provide for us. If you'd let me start working, I would earn more than you. And why should I call this bird brain my brother? He is just some gutter runner kid you picked up out of pity who doesn't provide for us in any way. It's not like he makes a lot of money." Haley ranted.
"Haley shut up," said Harley.
"He doesn't know how to fight or defend us as other men of these streets do."
"Haley, just be quiet!"
"And it's not like he has any friends. His friends have used him since he'd do anything if they asked. He is more of a nuisance to us."
"I said SHUT UP, HALEY!", yelled Harley, "Take this money and get out. I don't want questionable money in here."
Haley picked up the money she had dropped on the floor and put it into her pocket.
"Fine. More for me, anyway. I'll just go and eat at old man Haufen's bar. I heard they still have quite good food there. Haven't eaten out in a while." said Haley and left.
"Stupid Haley. Causing trouble for her big sister."
"You okay with her leaving like that?" Rufus asked.
"Well, it's not like I can stop her, and it's not like she would listen. I don't have the power to stop her. But anyway, how about you? You are her big brother. Why do you let her stomp all over you like that?"
"Well, it's not like I can stop her and she is right. I am weak individually and don't have enough charisma to make people follow me or help me," Rufus said with half a smile.
Harley then hugged Rufus from behind.
"Don't worry. You are divine in your way. People are just too stupid to realize it. When the right people see what a wonderful person you are, they will follow you to the end of the universe," Harley said with a warm voice soothing Rufus in her embrace.
Rufus felt at ease and closed her eyes. He thought that he could fall asleep right at that moment.
"Thank you, Big sister Harley."
"Uuuuuuuh. Why did you call me big sister at the same time you called my name," said Harley and stepped back, "You have a sister fetish or something? Ugh, disgusting."
"Well done. Way to ruin the mood....."
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