The Narrator

Hovering above the terse confrontation below unseen, a dark, handsome and inky presence observed with exuberance, his luminous green eye fixated on the happenings below.

His recording was going as planned.

The Narrator rubbed his spectral hands together, the fun had finally begun, the journey would soon start, all was well and good.

The tense staring contest below him was but the beginning of something greater, something wonderful.

The Narrator just couldn't wait to see it unfold, to see what Mr roach and Lescar did.

Whatever that would be, would be great! and hopefully, get him many more eyes watching his work of art in the making.

He could almost taste the success already.

'So many more juicy eyes.... '

The Narrator licked his jagged toothy lips at the thought but reeled himself back in.

He could indulge in his earnings later, for now, he had to focus, to lead, to record...

Yes, he had to record every part of this conflict, of this story...

The Narrator chuckled to himself as he narrated his own thoughts and actions.

It was time.

With a gleeful and elaborate wave of his hands, the Narrator bid the fight to begin.

Neither Lescar or the roach being aware of his presence.

The Roach

I stared hard at the girl, and she stared back, her eyes narrowed, brimming with iron.

A drastically different look compared to the one she had been wearing earlier.

I was impressed.

...Then she stabbed at me and I was less so.

The kid was seriously trying to stab me! Which naturally I wouldn’t allow.

'Ungrateful child' I growled.

Flicking my head upward I deflected the stab with my armored mandibles before rushing forward and slamming my body into the kid.

Moving with the blow, Lescar twirled, slipping to my right like a performing matador and reaching out with her blade rapidly at the same time.

Blade singing towards my right eye, I jerked my head to the left, deflecting the strike with the hard plate on the top of my head, lightly grazing it.

'I don't enjoy metal in my eyes thank you very much.' I chattered lifting a forelimb and swiping at Lescar driving her back a step.

With a few seconds free of trading blows, I reevaluated how much of a threat this Lescar was too me, she was hitting above her weight class if her stats truly were accurate and even managing to damage my thick carapace,

She was much more deadly than the stats suggested and that frustrated me.

I should have had this fight in the bag or so I had thought

But the stats had already proven themselves to be inconsistent, my old mental stat of zero being enough evidence.

I had to take this fight seriously and actually risk myself.

'Humans truly are as annoying as I remember.' I remarked before my lower jaw twitched then I chortled 'Ahh well victory is all the sweeter when earned.'

This little girl would learn right here and now who was in charge, and it certainly wasn't her.

Surging forward without warning, I rushed the girl pretending to go high. my jaws gaping inviting Lescar to seriously consider her next move.

She decided to matador me again.

'Silly girl that trick won't work on me again!'

As Lescar tried to sweep past me I dropped to the ground spreading my long legs in every direction tripping Lescar up.

Lescar stumbled over a claw, which I promptly lifted and kicked with, using only a fraction of my real power, I didn't want to puree her... yet...

Lescar crashed to the ground a good five meters away, wheezing and lying half collapsed on the sewer floor.

Doing my best to be regal, I sauntered over to Lescar, who was propping herself up, hauling herself to her feet with a nearby hanging vine.

I wanted to break this girl, to show her who was the boss in the oncoming discussion I would be having with her, that boss being me.

Unsteady on her feet, the girl still had fight in her eyes, I could see it.

But she had clearly changed tactics, she, no longer advancing to close the distance, instead, glancing all around her trying to find something or perhaps think of something, her face scrunching into a frown.

Then her face brightened slightly and she began moving in an obvious pattern she was leading me towards the thick vines.

I snorted, was she expecting to entangle me in a couple of vines merely to hamper my movement, regardless it was meaningless.

I crept forward 'I would allow her to keep the happy dream of ensnaring me in such a simple trap then I would thwart it.'

The girls smile widened and I heard her shout something out mockingly or rather I felt it through my legs and antennae, I only recently realized I didn't hear, but instead I felt.

I was in a way deaf, so whatever words that were said were lost on me but I could tell it was something offensive.

My antennae twitched 'fine I'll play your little game for now girl, but soon it will be my game,'

Playing the part I charged forward recklessly.

What did the girl have in mind? how would she deal with a charging pony-sized insect?

I was interested but still wary, I watched my surroundings in all directions with my compound eyes.

Nothing here posed a threat it was only thick vines and Lescar.

'What did she...'

I spotted her hand sliding out of her jacket, 'something round? a black band? what is that?'

Perturbed I used analysis.

Modified beast bind collar

A collar specifically designed to force rodents and insectoids into mental servitude to the holder of the collar, it is extremely ineffective on other creatures, especially sapients, enslavement by this collar being almost impossible.

Slavery has always been a lucrative trade, and even vermin have their uses.

made by Sterge Plaintis Graftof.

'Oh wonderful! I am a fool!'

Surrounded by vines on all sides that impeded movement, I was left with two rotten options, try to hide behind the many but thin vines or charge Lescar down in the hopes that I could reach her first.

Having no good alternatives I scurried faster pumping my legs hard.

Going at my top and impressive speed, it was no wonder that Lescar's eyes widened in disbelief.

But I still wasn't fast enough, flustered Lescar threw out a couple of collars in a hurry.

One missed me by a long shot.

And the other didn't.

I cringed expecting something to immediately crush my mind or place me in a trance, but... nothing happened, save for a lone system message.

{mental incursion detected rebounding/boosting}

I felt unchanged, no I felt angry, really angry.

I was going to beat that little girl black and blue.

I rose to my feet, having curled in fear of mental assault and glanced at Lescar, I was soon surprised.

Lescar was gasping and clutching at her neck her face full of confusion, disbelief and now horror.

Thin, chain-like yellow bands of light were curling around Lescar, who at this point was clearly panicking, ignoring my presence in preference of tearing at the magical chains that were slowly coiling and solidifying around her neck, wrists, and ankles.

Immediately after the glowing subsided another pop up appeared in my view.

{succesfully reflected beast bind collar}

'Eh? what?'

{Take Lescar Gestalt the human as familiar Y/N}

My lower jaw twitched again as a smile spread across my hard face.

'Hmmm... heh... heh.. heh heh! heh! HA! HA! HAAA! HAAA!'

'Is this a cosmic joke! or is the universe just being kind to me' I purred.

'The collar failed to affect me, and bound this silly girl to my will instead, oh this is rich.' I snickered.

The words remained in my vision and I only hesitated for a moment.

This girl had sealed her fate when she threw that collar at me, now at least she would definitely be useful to me.

I willed yes and the prompt faded.

For a few seconds nothing seemed any different, Lescar was still clawing at her developing glowing chains, and I was still just watching.

For a short time, I thought that the ability had failed or perhaps not even activated, but my worries were ill-founded as soon the reflected magic made its appearance.

Lescar struggled vainly, shouting and tugging at the glowing bands, I, watching the process with fastidious interest ‘magic seemed to be a very powerful tool and one I wanted to get for myself at some point.

The glowing chains slowly darkened and dimmed becoming less like serpentine liquid and more like classical chains, the coiling chains having finally hardened, Turned into plain looking bands of black metal,

While most of the bands stopped at that the one on Lescar's neck grew a small chain that lengthened out towards me as if saying, ‘touch me’

Lescar's eyes at this point met mine, and I could feel her fear, taste it even.

Her eyes were moist and it looked like she might even cry again.

'There was no need for that'

Soon she would belong to me and I would be sure to take good care of 'my' belongings.

Chittering to myself, a little excited I raised my right foreleg and hooked it into the waiting chain, Lescar seeing this desperately sprinted at me leaping towards me with her sword outstretched shouting something in a high voice.

Too late, my leg hooked into the proffered chain as Lescar descended on me with her sword {familiar confirmed instigating command and familiar law}

{mental bonding in process}

Lescar collapsed right on top of me, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she turned into a limp noodle.

I clacked and pulled the prone girl off me, placing her on the floor.

'Well... now, what do I do?'

My self-directed question was soon answered

I felt the siren call of sleep pulling upon me strongly.

'What? a level dream now! no that's.... a terrible..... Idea.... '

The Narrator

Falling on his side, legs kicking in the air, Mr roach unwillingly entered the world of dreams

Lying snug up against the sleeping Lescar, the two's minds touched and a bond that neither had planned sprung into existence.

A bond that would bind their fates together.

The Narrator pushed his long fingers together lifting it to his face and grinning a toothy smile his single green eye narrowed in satisfaction.

'It is done, let what comes, come.'

With a merry cackle, the Narrator returned to ether.