Always have to remember the goal.  There was no way I was going to take all these guys in a fight, unarmed and without Buster.  My ultimate aim was simply to escape uninjured.

The big guy was talking again.  “Seeing as you’re new ‘round here, how about you buy us a drink, then, eh?”  His friends indicated their approval by displaying a variety of improvised weaponry.  One backed up his leader: “Yeah!”

“Thass a very good idea, for I am..”, I replied.  They didn’t get to find out what I am because I accompanied my speech with a grand theatrical gesture, wide and sweeping, which threw me off balance and sent me crashing, with a giggle and a “whoops!”, into my chief antagonist.

By the time he had reacted and made to push me away, I had already plucked the dagger from his belt and plunged it into his thigh.  With an oddly high-pitched scream he collapsed.

In a panic situation, people will often follow the first voice of authority, even if that voice had apparently been too drunk to form coherent words a moment ago.

“Quickly!  Help him.  Do something, he’s bleeding.”

Some of the men started towards their downed companion and while their focus was on him, I slowly backed away.

I was far enough away from the group that by the time the injured man managed to direct his gang to the culprit, I already had a good start.  They were all heavy-set men more suited to drinking than running and I was sure that I could outrun them.  However, I had a busy night ahead of me and I didn’t want to exhaust myself having to sprint through the unfamiliar streets of this section of DownTown.

Instead, I made sure that I had sufficient distance between me and my pursuers.  Then I hopped onto a window still, pulled myself up onto a second story balcony.  From there it was an easy climb onto the roof.  Remembering that DownTown buildings can be in poor repair, I took care to be sure of my footing.  I looked over the edge of the roof to see the men milling below, looking like dogs that had treed a squirrel.

One of them had the bright idea to throw something at me, but at this distance I wasn’t concerned that he would be anywhere near his mark.  Whatever it was he threw span off into the night.

I gave the frustrated men below a jaunty wave and set off across the rooftops.