‘I’m going to go talk to Jalmi, you wanna come?’ Semari looked around – the place was cleaner, Janaxia’s creepy spirit thing having made a decent job of it. Still run-down and crap, but most of the layers of grime and dust had been cleaned away, leaving just the stained and worn wood beneath. Stathis had left sometime earlier, to go check up with her guard friend. Having someone on the inside was always helpful, and there was definitely something up here, the place felt odd, and primed to explode. Even worse than before, and then it had actually exploded! Even if that had been sort of slightly her fault, just a little bit. And whatever had happened between Stathis and Janaxia at the temple had pissed Janaxia right off, she’d spent the time since attacking the dust with more vigour than she used to actually fight, even cleaning herself as well as using her spirit-thing.

Janaxia waved at the spirit, sending it to clean another corner. ‘Yes, I think some fresh air would be welcome, after this. Parth, Hakara, kindly keep an eye on the place while we’re gone.’

Hakara was cleaning with both magic and mundane means, scrubbing away with a rag as the dirt lifted itself off the walls, borne away by blue sprites. Semari poked one, the thing feeling like sticky air as it wisped away, leaving her finger coated with dust. Parth had gone up to the look-out point, keeping an eye out just in case there were demons or something, or the watch showed up. Semari herself had spent the time checking through the place for anything interesting left behind, finding a stash of drinks (the good stuff) and a box of coin, which she’d handed over to Parth for counting, after taking a cut for herself first.

‘Allow me to change into something more appropriate first.’ Janaxia’s current outfit, all dark and severe, looked weird, creepier than when she was creepy, no red for once, just a normal dress, even if it was a bit tighter and fancier than most would wear to clean in. And even with a mundane apron over it, dirty from actual work. Her doing work was creepy and weird, but it did make the place nicer. Leaving her to it, Semari went outside, kicking around some of the garbage. Seemed mostly to be trash that had been tossed over the walls, stuff that couldn’t be burnt or sold to the scrappers. So junk, basically. Far more of a dump than the elven place, that had been super fancy. All the food and drink they wanted, and hot springs! Shame about the ghosts, and the unicorn had been a prick, but she’d gotten to go flying, sort of. Although getting turned to stone had sucked.

‘Are you ready to go, Semari?’

She looked up to watch Janaxia descending the stairs. ‘I believe this attire should be suitable.’ Semari looked her up and down. The corset looked too tight, and the lace around the bust (and the low line of the material, the edge of her demon-tattoo-mark just visible) and wrists might draw some attention, but it was a lot better than her usual stuff, and wouldn’t get her jumped the instance they stepped outside. The brassy chains and metal discs wound around her horns were a bit flashy, and were very close to what some of the local girls wore when looking for some money and a good time. The horns were also a bit freaky, but could pass as a weird decoration.

‘That was quick. Might get some gold for renting you out, I guess. Let’s go! I want to see what’s around.’

From the look on Janaxia’s face, she was pretending to not notice that comment, as Semari wrestled the gate open, letting Janaxia pass through before getting it shut again. Hakara’s warding spells shone for a moment before fading away.

Janaxia moved slowly, forcing Semari to slow herself or leave her behind. She was looking around curiously, meeting the eyes of those around with a polite smile, although was sensible enough not to let anyone get too close.

‘Did you say that you had been here before? It feels as though it has gone rather downhill, many of the houses look to once have been rather better maintained and built for the elite of society. The area appears to have previously been quite grand.’

‘Yeah, way back when. When I was here it was sliding south, although a lot livelier. It was a work thing.’

‘I would imagine a hideout, rather than a place of employment? The costumes are rather telling – they suggest an establishment that was doing fairly well, and catered to something of an upmarket clientele, rather than a common bedding-house. Of course, I prefer rather more stylish establishments, such as the Golden Serpent.’ She moved in closer, lowering her voice. ‘Have you had much opportunity to talk to Stathis about her recent misadventures? I do think that the injuries inflicted upon her by the Black Songstress may have sapped her spirit as well, she seems a touch depressed, and her actions earlier today were frankly bizarre. I can remember feeling a touch fraught at the temple, but there was, I’m sure, no need to treat me quite so roughly. Simply carrying me back to rest would have been quite sufficient, I’m sure! And her wounds – most unsightly, and I worry it may be more than simple physical damage.’

‘Yeah, it probably hurts. Guess that thing did, like, oogie soul stuff to her, like when you got nommed by that ghost-dragon thing, you were out of it for days, and your hair went wierd. She’ll be fine though. She’s tough. And I don’t think she’s, like, possessed or anything. And you get weird sometimes, so it could be that. Remember when your hair turned blue? That was funny.’

They turned down an alleyway, the passageway suddenly broadening out into a wider street without any seeming reason. A yell came from ahead, a group of people swaggering towards them, Jalmi leading them. Semari looked over her shoulder, where there was a similar group coming from behind them, holding impromptu weapons; clubs and bats. She smiled, then glanced at Janaxia, who was looking around uncertainly.

The usual insults and banter started, the groups getting closer, then charging, weapons at the ready. Semari hooked a leg between Janaxia’s, taking her off-balance and shoving her backwards against a wall, with a loud ‘oof’, hopefully out of the way of immediate violence. She’d probably get in trouble with Stathis if Janaxia came back all bashed up, or did something spooky and dark to everyone.

Then the fight was on. Semari ducked beneath a club stepping inside the reach of the attacker and punching her attacker twice in the chest, sending them flying backwards. She sprang backwards to avoid something coming at her, sunlight gleaming on a nails hammered into a wooden club. She rose to her feet, kicking back and hooking the club on her foot, tossing it up and slamming the grip into her attacker’s face. Jalmi was fending off more attackers, her swords darting out, driving attackers back, before she finished them off with hilt-punches or kicks.

One of the thugs charged towards Janaxia, a club in each hand, poised to strike. She looked mildly taken aback, then made a shooing motion, a blast of energy smashing into them. He flew backwards, leaving her to daintily stoop and pick up a club, crimson energy washing over it.

Semari leapt into the fray, blocking strikes and ripping weapons out of hands, her hands chopping into weak points. A pipe swung at her, so she spun, redirecting the force and twisting it from her attacker’s hands, throwing it aside before giving him a headbutt, sending them backwards then finishing them off with strikes to the gut.

More blasts of energy came from Janaxia’s hands as she picked off a few stragglers, or those trying to stand up and re-join the fight. It didn’t take long for Semari to work through the rest of the mob, grabbing a stray arm, twisting it and flipping the last one up into the air. He landed with a heavy thud, groaning as he landed, but at least smart enough to stay down.

Janaxia carefully poked one with her foot. ‘Well, that seemed rather rude. Is this sort of thing usual?’ She gave one of them a sturdy kick, met by an answering groan. ‘Do you suppose they were attacking us for money?’

‘Nah, gang stuff.’ Semari pointed at some squiggles on the wall. ‘See? Gang signs. Don’t think they expected us. Jalmi, hi, how’s it going?’

‘All the better for that, thanks for the help. These guys are just thugs, but it’ll be easier without them around. So, what you out for, other than company?’ She gestured at Janaxia. ‘I was only paid to show you to the house, nothing more. Less you got anything else to say, this ain’t really your business, less you want a fight yourselves.’

Janaxia supressed a snicker with a cough. ‘If you must deliver threats, then please do so with correct posture. Straighten your spine and shoulders back. And enunciate. Mumbling is scarcely intimidating, child.’

Jalmi growled back, drawing her other sword. ‘I’m not taking that from some slut!’

Semari stepped between them. ‘She’s no trug, she’s a blooded cove, believe it or not. So, you’re the jackman of this lot? They’re a bit of a sorry bunch, right?’

‘You think you’re better? That you can beat me?!’ Jalmi growled again, then attacked. She was fast, feinting with one blade before stabbing with the other, making Semari sway backwards, using the back of her hand to push the attack out of alignment. Semari kept dodging, curious to put Jalmi to the test – she had some innate skill, but it was rough and choppy, the hacking of a street fighter rather than a polished warrior. Although at least she was polite enough that she wasn’t trying to kill, just wound, and to salve her pride. A few tricks in there, but nothing that fancy.

Semari ducked, grab a wrist, twisted and then bent at the waist, flipping Jalmi off her feet. She kept hold off the wrist, turning it to force the sword to be dropped while she moved into a lock, bracing the woman’s arms so she couldn’t move. ‘Not bad. There’s a lot of gaps, but I’ve seen worse. You might be able to beat her’, she pointed at Janaxia, ‘unless she gets, like, occult at you.’ She tightened the lock, getting a groan in response. ‘Hey, you guys still do the whole “challenge” thing? I beat all the gang bosses last time I was here, that was fun. Had, like, a bunch of minions and stuff, and never had to buy my own food or drink! Good times. Well, except for almost getting eaten, and the place burning down. That was shit.’

Janaxia came over, carefully stepping over the downed opponents before looking at Jalmi, brushing a stray tuft of hair out of the woman’s face. ‘Interesting. You are rather finer-featured than I would expect. Although this’, she plucked at the woman’s clothing, a cheap waistcoat and plain shirt, ‘is not doing you any favours. At least something a little more striking, I think. It is rather hard to be dashingly intimidating in what appears to be the uniform of a common worker, I would think? Perhaps some armour at least, and maybe do something with your hair? Although I do like those tattoos, they really are quite striking.’ She gently touched beneath the woman’s eye, where several red triangles had been tattooed, Jalmi trying to pull away, squirming against Semari’s lock.

No-one deserved to have Janaxia criticising their style on top of a defeat, so Semari gave Jalmi’s arm a final squeeze before letting them go. ‘So, does this mean I’m, like, in charge now? ‘Cos I wanna go for a drink, anywhere good nearby?’

Jalmi twisted her shoulders warily, but was smart enough not to reach for her weapons again. ‘No, that’s not how it works. Shit. What the hell is with you?’

Janaxia flicked a finger, a blast of energy knocking a dent into a stone wall. ‘Watch your language, if you would be so kind. I take it that you are the leader of this band of rapscallions? You have some talent, but it would be appreciated if you would direct your ire elsewhere. I imagine the guard will be here soon as well, and so it may be best to absent ourselves posthaste.’

‘Yeah, so, ignore her, she’s weird and posh and eldritch. Anyway, you wanna grab your dudes and get out of here? She’s not wrong about the guard, and I’m hearing bad stuff about them. The others are probably going to be getting up soon, and I can’t really be bothered to fight again. Drinks would be good though? Or we can go another round if you want.’ Semari picked up the sword and passed it back, waiting until it was sheathed to relax, everyone beating a retreat as guard bells sounded nearby.

The place they ended up in was barely a bar. It was barely a building, two walls standing, the others just heavy cloth, or propped-up planks doing a poor job of enclosing the space. The drink was pretty bad, but it was free, and they had even managed to find a bottle of something Janaxia deemed acceptable. From the look on her face, it wasn’t very good, but she was being determinedly polite. Semari knocked back another shot of the local rotgut, something with the consistency of tar and an odd, bitter-sweet flavour and a burning aftertaste. It was definitely growing on her, although that might be because she’d had most of a bottle.

‘So, what’s your gang called, Jalmi? No offence, but they’re a bit shit, aren’t they? You even got a cool name or anything? You’ve gotta have a cool name, otherwise you’re, like, just a bunch of thugs. A cool name makes you a gang.’

‘We’re not a gang! The Duke’s a corrupt, mad bastard, and needs to go down. But he’s sent his bullyboys to beat us up; that’s who those guys were, out to collect money and beat up anyone that disagrees with him. We’ve got some support from up-city, but it’s all secretive, I don’t know who’s behind it – enough to keep us getting openly ganked by the guard, but that’s about it.’

Semari wavered her hand in the air. ‘So, you’re, like, fighting an evil duke or something? That makes you, like, rebels or something, I guess? That’s cool, although you’re still pretty shit. You need to get your stuff together, get some, y’know, matching outfits or something, show you’re not just some gang.’

‘We do what we can, OK? The Duke’s already capped off most of the other gangs. He’s getting nasty, keeping everyone squeezed tight.’

‘Yeah, you wanna do something about that. Next thing you know they’re grabbing people off the streets and the whole thing is a blood sacrifice murder cult, demons all up in the everything. Just look at her.’ Semari pointed at Janaxia, who was currently stretching slightly, enjoying the looks she was getting from the gang members, her dress somehow now tighter than it had been. ‘Raised all fancy, but she’s, like, eldritch and evil and stuff. Got ancestors and everything, you know how that goes! Starts with fancy parties, then BAM, sacrifices and eating souls and all that stuff.’

Jalmi looked at Janaxia, then whispered back, looking concerned. ‘Is she OK? She’s not going to kill us or anything? Is she a demon or something?’

Semari waved a hand. ‘Nah, she’s normally fine. Just weird ‘n spooky. Give her enough food and booze and someone to fuck occasionally and she’s pretty chill. So, you’re, like, rebels or something? That’s cooler than being thugs. You need to be a bit showier though.’

Janaxia leant in, drifting into the conversation, probably having decided none of the audience were up to her standards. ‘Fighting against an unjust lord? That has a certain dramatic flair to it, and I’m sure Stathis would approve. The arrangements here do certainly lend themselves to a certain overt tiering of society, do they not?’ She gestured at the cliff above them, the castle looming above them and dominating the view. ‘Although, for once, I do agree with Semari, in that you are rather lacking in presence. You need a little more style and verve, and rather more charisma.’ She took another drink, draining off most of the bottle. ‘A few, no offence, hoodlums, fighting in the poor part of town is scarcely a threat. But a revolutionary cadre, that is rather different and suggests intent, especially paired with matching uniforms, as Semari suggests.’

Semari took one of her empty bottles and sniffed, recoiling. The stuff was strong! Although the stuff she was on weren’t much better, but something with some real kick was a change from all the elven fiddly stuff, all flavour and no bite. Although Janaxia was getting a little wobbly, a stray strand of hair not yet tucked back into position. ‘So, you gonna go do something about it? Hey, didn’t you say the Duke was a dick? Could get at him. Nobles always have good stuff, and probably better drink we can nick. Paint something on the wall, show we mean business. And if he’s, like, evil and stuff, then it’s all fine, you’re allowed to take stuff off evil rulers, that’s, like, in the rules somewhere.’

‘But first you need to dress better. The group of you should at least match!’ Janaxia clicked her fingers. ‘I’m sure there are appropriate costumes we can procure. Some rather more impressive masks, and there seemed to be quite a number of crimson cloaks.’ She cast her eye over the assembled group. ‘Yes, there is definitely some potential here, but it needs some work to tease out. Fortunately, my skill in such things is exquisite, so have no fears there.’