TWEEEEET!
The shrill blast of Abacus Su’s brass whistle echoed right beside the four cracked black-stone floor tiles where White-Tiger Warlord Hu Ba was stuck headfirst like an upside-down turnip.
“Mmmph! Grrr-mph!”
Hu Ba braced both of his thick, furry hands against the edges of the floor crater and pushed with his Rank 6 Golden Core strength, finally popping his head out of the floor with a loud PLOP.
His proud white tiger ears were flattened sideways, a crisscross waffle pattern from the heated floor tiles was stamped squarely across his nose and forehead, and a piece of gray tile grout was stuck to his chin.
Before he could even wipe the tile dust out of his eyes—
SWISH—SNAP!
Two nimble tax clerks wearing black sleeve-guards stepped behind him, slipped a bright, neon-yellow cotton vest over his broad armored shoulders, and buttoned the brass front clasps shut with practiced speed!
