Lescar- about thirty minutes later

"He's here," Tommy whispered as he slipped through the door that had been kicked down earlier, Lescar nodding silently in response, giving the slim boy a thankful smile, as she leaned on the wall next to the damaged door, she had made sure to stick that door back on its frame, if haphazardly.

Turning her head slightly, Lescar looked upon the person beside her, the wiry Mart, the young man who looked curiously smaller than she remembered from a year ago, Lescar furrowed her brows at this before she asked in a distant voice.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I don't need your help." Lescar pushed coldly, cooly observing the shorter ab-human next to her.

Mart, his deep brown sclera unflinching as his eyes met Lescar's own, grinned toothily without reacting further, "Think nothing of it Lez, we're just d'taking da next best opportunity dat comes our way, before you came we were just gonna split and run and hope he didn't chase us down, but wit' your beasties 'ere," Mart gestured at Dwanye who was crouching behind a wide table, doing his best to hide and then towards Roulette who was posed on top of a shelf ready to pounce, "we might be able d'to strike a meaningful blow d'to da git."

Mart did not bother to point out Dewey, who was also in hiding, the blue blob wobbling tentatively under a chair, gelatinous form ready to contract and nibble at any hostile ankles too close to the centermost seating.

Taking her gaze away from Dewey, Lescar focused back on the ab-human before her, Mart smiling impassively at her, his eyes revealing nothing as he gestured about himself towards his urchin followers, "So you'd be doing me and my crew a favor by getting rid of Fab, da bloody git's had it coming for a while now."

Her words having stirred no meaningful reaction from the scraggly ab-human, Lescar narrowed her eyes and went to prod her ex-friend again, but was stopped in her tracks.

"Stop that Lescar," a rustling voice hissed, "this is no time for grudges or unsolicited anger," the voice paused shortly before adding sternly, "we have an objective to achieve here, ignore personal discrepancies for now."

Taldur, shifting restlessly, still hidden in the folds of her hood ran a feathery antenna over the nape of Lescar's neck scathingly, the hard prongs at the end tapping her on the top of her head in reprimand.

"This will go a lot smoother if we have back up, don't antagonize our only ally!"

The big bug himself sounded loathe to trust Mart, judging by the vague aura of malice he projected towards the ab-human, that or Lescar was missing something crucial, either way, there was truth to the insect's commands.

Knowing this, Lescar grimaced internally at the bugs words, but relented, she had wanted to scare Mart when she had first seen him again, but Mart was just too casual and sanguine to really be affected. It didn't help the resentment she harbored towards him at all, a resentment that still stained her feelings, for she had not forgotten how Mart had failed her as a friend over a year ago.

Mart, still grinning took his place in the center of the room at the table, a few of his more iron nerved urchins sitting beside him, Tommy and the winged ab-human girl who had caught Lescar's attention, sitting there as well.

They were the bait or distraction as Mart called it, Fabran was apparently rather fed up with Mart and would likely approach him immediately upon spotting him.

Lescar wrinkled her brows as Mart sat nonchalantly with his urchins as if they weren't about to engage in bloody combat, she was still more than a little upset at Mart for practically abandoning her to Fabran's crude whims, but Taldur was right, she couldn't afford to bite off any helping hands offered to her.

Her soon to be opponent, while vulgar, was formidable and would not stand down without a fight, it being especially likely that he would fight to the death once challenged in any way.

The plan agreed upon was for Fabran to enter the room having spotted Mart, following which Dwayne would leap out and hold the door, keeping the rest of the gang from interfering while Lescar challenged Fabran for the right to lead the coyotes. Lescar would then beat Fabran and take control of the gang, or alternatively, if Fabran refused to accept Lescar's challenge, Roulette would jump down and join Lescar in her attack against Fabran, Mart and his own crew likewise assisting Lescar.

It was a simple plan, and a lot could go wrong, but there really wasn't too many other ways for Lescar to get a gang quickly,

'Besides...' Lescar grit her teeth, her expression twisting, 'I really want a crack at that bastard for what he did to me...'

A quick rush of images coursed through Lescar's mind, a powerful reminder of her present spite both towards Mart, and far more strongly, against Fabran.

A pressure pushing her down from behind... a clawed hand squeezing her flesh mercilessly... A hoarse laugh as the stronger boy overpowered her... The flash of yellow serrated teeth as he took what he wanted...

Lescar felt a cold tingle and itch, as her skin crawled from the momentary memory, her hands bone white as they clutched forcefully onto her sword.

It had been over a whole year ago that she had endured those hardships, but the pain and humiliation still shone vividly in her mind. She hated Fabran, possibly more than she hated Joel, at least Joel had done what he had done with survival in mind, Fabran had no such excuse.

'He's just a vile sick individual! an abhorrent pervert!' Lescar reflected hatefully, already bone-white fingers beginning to creak with strain as she clamped down hard on her weapon.

His feelers twitching inside her hood, most likely picking up some of Lescar's negative feelings, Taldur whispered in her ear in a subdued voice, an antennae gently patting the top of her head.

"Easy now partner, you haven't told me what exactly this Fabran has done to you, but I can hazard a guess," Taldur acknowledged almost sorrowfully, continuing to stroke the top of Lescars head "I promise we will make the bastard pay, but first, make sure to stay calm and collected, rage does not suit you, it only clouds the mind."

Lescar sighed then straightened up and breathed deeply, stilling her violent rushing emotions, Taldur was right again... that sickly beast Fabran was nearing and she needed her wits about her.

Reaching up to tug at the antenna patting at her head, Lescar said tiredly

"Thanks,"

Tipping his head, the bug turned alongside Lescar when the subtle sounds of boots on cobbled earth neared, and as they neared Taldur clacked and addressed all of his familiars, climbing up to sit perched on the back of Lescar's head.

"Is everyone ready? We only get one shot at this, so let's make it count my familiars!"

Taldur's question was answered by a chorus of immediate reply's

"Yep! I'm ready, and can we eat them after? I'm hungry!"

"Certainly my king, I will relish this opportunity to crush more skulls beneath my claws."

"!!!! !!!!!!! :D"

The bug nodded serenely at the enthused responses, Lescar looking up at the feathery insect sitting partially on her head as his attention turned to her.

"And are you ready, partner?"

"Naturally," Lescar replied with a closed mouth smile, deliberately mimicking the insect's typical response to a question.

Lescar felt a touch of levity radiate from the insect before he responded with a more lighthearted statement, "In that case, I shall leave this up to you partner, call me if you require my aid in the fight to come, real fights have no honor and neither shall we."

The big bug crawled back into the darkness of Lescar's hood after that, leaving her to contemplate his words.

She agreed, that in this fight she would not hesitate to take any advantage, but she disagreed that all fights lacked honor, paragons had honor, they fought the evils of the world wherever they were and were warriors of great renown, what else could that be but honor?

Lescar shook her head and turned to the present readying herself for the soon to be future, as she did her best to look cool and levelheaded, the chosen persona she would be maintaining for her duel with Fabran.

A single quiet gasp disturbed Lescar as she did that, the winged girl from earlier pointing at her with wide eyes, having spotted the large insect slide quickly in and out of her hood.

Lescar paused at this, then raised a finger to her lips and said "shhhhhh," before smiling kindly at the winged urchin, staring steadily at the pale girl without blinking.

The girl blanched at Lescar before huddling closer to the rest of the urchins, clearly now unnerved by both Lescar and the giant insect she kept housed in her hood.

Lescar felt a rueful grin stretch her face, she was scary to that girl at least.

Feeling a little better, the seconds passing by felt more bearable, even as a tense air filled the room, the approaching footsteps enforcing mood, until finally, the door opened, or rather, someone attempted to open it, the steel bound wood failing to shift as it should.

'Whoops' Lescar thought to herself as she stood in the dark, she had kicked it down earlier on a whim, and now it looked stuck.

"The fuck! What's wrong with the door!" a coarse voice Lescar couldn't misplace growled.

"Uh, maybe it's just jammed boss? Here let me try." a second male voice said.

The door shuddered as someone tugged on the opposite side again, the wood of the door groaning and creaking.

"It's no good boss, the thing is jammed up tighter than a whore with no pay." the man said helplessly.

At this point, a higher-pitched female voice said, "No, you just need a little finesse that's all, let me past, you're just too much of a simpleton to manage this door."

There was a muttered grumble of "freaking bitch..." then a short pause before the door squeaked and rattled, but did not open, much to the woman's surprise.

"Odd, I was sure that worked the last time It was stuck."

Frustrated, the first voice that Lescar knew and despised said angrily.

"Ughh! get out of the way you fools, I will handle this myself!"

There was a muted scuffling followed by a solid *THOOOMP!* as the door for the second time today, came crashing down, a large glaring figure behind it.

"Mart you little bitch! What the fuck did you do to my door!?" the figure bellowed as he glanced at the broken entryway having not expected it to bust so easily.

The figure stepped into the room his slitted cornflour blue eyes narrowing as they began to adjust to the dark state of the building.

Unnoticed, Lescar studied the figure, he was just as she remembered him. Large, heavily muscled if lean, possessing short cropped sandstone coloured hair, as he wore a sleeveless black jacket with a shoddy symbol of a coyote emblazoned onto the back, dirty yellow teeth sharpened into points being his most prominent feature, with small claws adorning the tips of his thick calloused hands.

It was none other than Fabran the Ferret.

Lescar felt her anger rise but suppressed it, remaining still in the dark, not yet seen by the large angry ab-human or the rest of his gang.

Fabran, angry and pissed, strode towards Mart, who for his part was casually sitting down sipping a cup of water as the rest of his urchins trembled in fear at the big ab-humans approach.

"Something the matter boss?" Mart said easily, while looking curiously at the looming Fabran, completely at ease as the bigger ab-human glowered at him, very much unlike his urchins, who all looked pale and ready to faint.

"What... did you do... to the door...?" Fabran growled in a slow voice, "you were supposed to mind the base, not wreck it!"

The big ab-human turned his head and then glared at the urchins sitting around the table, causing many of them to recoil in fear, trembling as they withered under his furious and wrathful glare.

"And what are these pathetic meatbags and pureblood shitstains still doing here?!" Fabran spat, eyeing up the human urchins with particular hate, "I told you to get rid of that useless trash, we don't take pureblood scum anymore."

Lescar grit her teeth hearing the words 'pureblood scum,' she remembered being called that every day by the cruel ab-human boy, often before he took what he wanted from her, whether that be her physical possessions or something more intimate yet unwelcome.

Mart took a moment to sip his cup of water again before he responded evenly, undisturbed by the clear aggravation and vitriol in Fabran's words.

"Yeah, I remember dat order I d'think," Mart scratched his chin thoughtfully as if digging through his memory, "It went something along da lines of, 'grrrr Humans bad! Grrr no weaklings!'"

Fabran's eyes narrowed and the larger ab-human said in a low rumble, his hand on his large broadsword "Are you mocking me Mart?"

Mart feigned surprise and shock, and said in an almost affronted voice.

"Ahh! Of course not boss! Not me! never! I just forget your exact words sometimes."

Mart gesticulated with both hands, playing the part of the stupid cowardly underling professionally, Lescar couldn't help but acknowledge that in terms of moxy and acting ability, Mart likely surpassed her easily.

"If that's so," Fabran huffed, "then why are they still here?! and WHY??? is my door broken?!!"

"Because you kicked it down?" Mart offered helpfully, a slight twitch of amusement in his lips, visible to Lescar from where she stood and surely to Fabran as well.

The air froze suddenly as Fabran clenched his fist, the glint of killer intent in his eyes becoming clear, Mart's expression crumpling briefly as he realized his slip up.

"So you do mock me Jackrabbit..." Fabran breathed, his hands clenching tighter.

The whole building was still for a time, the atmosphere frosty with tension, then, in an instant, that changed as the gleaming blade on Fabrans waist was suddenly screaming towards Marts head, Mart reacting at the same time, kicking his chair forward into the attack as he rolled away, Fabran smashing the chair to splinters as he glared at the insurgent Mart.

"To answer your original question, 'boss,'" Mart emphasized mockingly as he stood up straight, weapon in hand, some of his urchins positioned around him, their own tiny daggers and shivs bared, "I did mind the base, and I didn't break da door, dat pleasure went d'to a certain visitor of mine."

Mart pointed behind Fabran at Lescar as she stepped forward into the light, Fabran's eyes widening then narrowing again as he spotted her.

"You, Marts little pureblood bitch friend, the one that ran away, I remember you."

Fabran glanced around him, saw that he was surrounded, and then said audibly, sword raised high, "coyotes to me!" just as Lescar shouted her own call to arms.

"Dwayne, do it now!"

"GLORIOUS!!!"

Knocking over the whole table he had been crouched under, Dwayne burst out from his hiding place, maw hanging wide in a fierce ear-splitting base roar as he lunged towards the entrance, Farbran swung at him as he passed, but Dwayne simply lept over the attack before landing at the entrance.

"By my pride! None shall pass!!!" Dwayne bellowed slamming his fists into the ground driving Fabran's gang back.

"Boss!" that second voice from earlier yelled, a thin dark-haired lanky boy with large bird-like talons on his fingers, "Boss! Shit! they've got the boss cornered!"

"Fabran!!" the female voice screamed afterword, "We've got to get him out! The revolution is worse off without him!"

That voice belonged to a short ab-human girl with grey slick skin and a fish-like tail, in fact all of the gang blocked behind Dwayne were ab-humans, different from last time, as when she'd last been here, there had been at least a few humans.

"Revolution?! hmmm..." Lescar heard Taldur mutter, her own thoughts more preoccupied with the form of her enemy.

"This is a good trap Jackrabbit," Fabran growled appreciatively, both hands on the hilt of his broad sword as he stood cautiously waiting, "have your favorite human bitch corner me with her pets, then strike the final blow yourself, ambitious as ever."

"Hardly," Mart laughed as he watched Fabran without erring, "dis was her plan after all, I'm just here for da ride and benefits."

Fabran's brow furrowed and his gaze flicked over to Lescar.

"You came back at the wrong time pure scum!" Fabran spat spitefully, as he edged around Lescar, watching his flanks warily for Mart and the urchins, "or did you want another taste of what all pureblood bitches like you deserve."

Lescar felt her face twist into an expression of disgust and contempt, she saying in a cold dispassionate manner.

"Fabran the ferret, I challenge you for the right to lead the coyotes, do you accept this challenge?"

There was gasp of surprise before a multitude of different voices called out from behind Dwayne angrily.

"Don't accept Boss, she's a dirty human."

"We would never follow a human!"

"Abyss swallow you pureblood bitch!"

"Humans are the source of all evil!"

"Fuck you bitch! we would never let you lead us!"

Gaze moving rapidly from member to member, Lescar quickly scanned the coyotes blocked off behind Dwayne, all of them were ab-human, she recognized none of them. And each one of them looked hostile and more than ready to beset them violently.

"It seems they don't hold humanity in very high stead around here either," the bug hidden in Lescars hood groused bitterly, "Was it always like this?"

Lescar pressed her lips together in an expression of grim agreement.

"No... not always," she said warily, an on-edge expression darkening her face, "When I was last here, it was a mostly even mix of humans and ab-humans, something must have changed since then."

"Probably something to do with that so-called revolution..." Taldur muttered before saying in a barely audible voice, "huhhh... Just dandy, there goes one of my options, the ab-humans look to already have a figurehead of sorts... a real shame."

Lescar shifted slightly at this, but did not react further, Fabran beginning to laugh darkly, she brought the attention of the bug back to the present, "I think our plan is already botched Taldur, should we switch it out?"

"Mmm yes... Plan two then," Taldur whispered in a resigned tone from his place in the hood, "Dwayne, Roulette, if you would,"

In response, Dwayne nodded then roared again and swatted in warning at the approaching ab-humans.

"Begone you lesser gnats! My king demands it!"

The gang not dispersing, with a burst of motion Dwayne batted the advancing gang members with a single fist, sending many of them tumbling.

"Aaargh!!! it's attacking! kill it!"

"Kill the monster, and get to the boss!"

"To the boss, to Fabran!!"

The ab-human gang members rushed Dwayne attempting to get past or to harm the big bat, the herculean monster barring its fangs angrily and clubbing any to approach, ignoring the tiny cuts he was taking to his thick hide.

"Come then scrawny ones! Let us fight!!!" Dwayne roared before getting serious, beginning to use his razor claws to great effect.

"I will take any challengers!!! Just approach and face death!"

Dwayne screeched this battle cry and set to mowing down any ab-human to near him, the cries and screams of the injured or fighting becoming rampant.

Hearing his gang decry any claim to leadership Lescar had, and begin their assault on the bat, Fabran, still chuckling heartily from their rejecting words stopped, before smiling confidently at her.

"It looks like my loyal crew, has decided what I should say to you on that matter," Fabran said satisfied, "now, I will kill you pure-blood bitch, that is," Fabran said with a lascivious expression, a hand stroking the hilt of his broadsword, "unless you get down on your knee's and beg to be my slave like any good pureblood bitch should."

"How crass," Lescar vaguely heard Taldur say, the bug picking up on the predatory atmosphere the ab-human was releasing, but she herself was too consumed with her own boiling blood to respond to her insect passenger.

Wrath surging, Lescar was about to tell the ab-human to go fuck himself as she drew her sword, when another voice said angrily on her behalf.

"Like hell she will!" Mart yelled stabbing at Fabran before rolling away as the bigger boy retaliated with a slash.

The fight was on, and Mart was the first comer.

The slash went wide, the rabbit ab-human leaning back just out of reach before he twisted his own blade towards Fabrans exposed body, far too close for the bigger abhuman to easily defend against.

"Hrrrrrr!" Fabran grunted irritatedly before placing his own blade in the way with a single hand and swiping with his other hand, the small claws on his fingers enlargening into formidable weapons clearly capable of causing grievous damage.

"No fricking fair!" Mart hissed disappointed as he leaped backward a good ten feet, powerful legs carrying him over in a single bound at the risk of being eviscerated by Fabrans wicked claws, "rabbits don't have proper claws!"

"That's because rabbits are prey," Fabran responded haughtily while advancing slowly on Mart, "and I am a hunter."

Looking rueful and annoyed Mart paused and then turned his head slightly to quickly address those behind him.

"Are you newbies gonna help or what! if not den piss off till later! I haven't got da time d'to babysit you!"

The urchins who had not immediately fled the room upon the fight breaking out, fidgeted, and one of their number dashed out of the room into the back where Marts hidden escape route was, leaving just one human boy and the winged ab-human girl from earlier, the two youth picking up their small shabby shivs and advancing nervously.

"Right! So you d'two are da ones with guts ey?! I'll remember dat," Mart nodded without turning his head, eyes intently focused on Fabrans large form, "now you newbies follow my lead and only attack after I engage his blade! you got dat!?" Mart turned his head slightly towards the two urchins both of whom were nodding their head rapidly in affirmation,

"Good! Den let's show dis overconfident blowhard how a real gang works d'together," Mart smirked darkly, the ab-human leader leaning over into a running stance, his coiled legs tensed for launch.

Lescar was surprised, but had to admit Mart was a rather inspiring leader for a mere small-time thug in the black district.

'Since when did he become like that?' Lescar thought mildly impressed.

Unlike Lescar however, Fabran did not seem so impressed, the large ab-human laughing at Marts encouraging words before swinging his sword in an intimidating singing flash of steel, "Your weak bitches joining you won't make a difference Mart, I'm going to butcher you, cut off your arms and legs and make you watch as I ravage your pureblood girlfriend over there, right after I dismember your tiny crewmates."

Lescar felt her heart begin to thump with contained rage once more, her hand tight on her sword hilt, but Mart was not shaken by Fabrans claims, only gesturing to his two shaking urchins before whistling aloud, "Oh, Tommy!"

At that instant, a shadow emerged from the darkness behind Fabran and lashed out, forcing the ab-human to turn rapidly to defend himself, a gleaming knife just barely deflected by his larger broadsword, the attacker revealing themselves to of course be teeny Tommy, the human boy from earlier, his knife shining with a thin trail of blood.

"Ahh I can't forget about you, pureblood brat," Fabrans growled, his long pointed tongue licking the blood from his face, the thin cut on his cheek oozing red from Tommy's almost successful stealth attack, "I should have had you thrown out months ago like all the others-"

Fabran was cut off mid-sentence as Mart immediately attacked from behind, his two urchins beside him.

"Hmmmm, so there is some good talent here..." Taldur muttered appreciatively as Lescar herself began to run forward.

Mart was on the offensive, the courageous urchins including Tommy, the winged girl, and the other human boy, darting in and out in turns to harass the larger ab-human, assisting Mart in his efforts, the unnamed boy was even pausing occasionally to piff rocks at the ferret-like ab-human.

Fabran reacted to these consecutive attacks by swearing, weaving, and swinging about, with almost supernatural grace, dancing past a number of blows to smoothly counter attack, his broadsword whistling like a pipe, the air very suddenly flowing and coursing around him unnaturally.

'Magic.' Lescar frowned having almost reached the fight, the fight having moved further away from her in the ensuing clash.

Mart and the others were quick and hard to hit, hopping back or rolling around each of Fabrans attacks, but it would only be a matter of time before Fabran cleaved someone in half.

Not one to leave all the fighting to others and now right behind Fabran, Lescar dashed forward, her own shortsword unsheathed as she swung her blade on a deadly path, aiming to cut the head from Fabrans shoulders.

*Clang!*

Lescar's formidable blade met the solid metal of Fabrans broadsword.

"Pureblood whore!" Fabran hissed, the airflow speeding up around him.

"Racist degenerate!" Lescar responded just as venomously, a spark of lightning briefly manifesting on her blade as she held her own against the big ab-human, the two blades briefly locked together.

Kicking at her in that next moment, Lescar twirled away from Fabran only for Mart to take her place, quickly slashing at the bigger boy before he too dodged into relative safety, Tommy following up swiftly to strike at their enemy from behind.

"Don't forget about Me!" Roulette chirped, whipping and flicking her razor tail at Fabran having leaped from the cabinet and approached unseen, the rat gouging a cut into the gang leader before he could react.

"Shiiit!!! Fucking sneaky rat!" he cursed, clutching his side as he chased Roulette away, getting immediately re-engaged by Lescar, Mart and Tommy, who prevented him from following up on the rat.

They had him fully surrounded.

Like this, the three of them pressured the ab-human leader, tapping in and out like they used to during any combat a year ago, Roulette supporting them as the other two remaining urchins helped where they could, both of them having taken to just throwing rocks instead of getting directly involved in the mele.

This tactic was proving successful, it wasn't fair, and it wasn't sporting, but no one who mattered cared. Fabran under so many concentrated attacks, had already taken a number of small but painful wounds, while on their side they had taken none, it was a dirty tactic entirely worth using.

"I should have expected this from you Mart, you and your filthy human friends!" Fabran panted, furiously backpedaling as he evaded the consecutive number of attacks coming his way, steadily being worn down, "but it all ends here now!" the ab-human roared a strong gust of wind forcing everyone back.

Fabran raised a hand from his sword the rushing air around him filling the room with the howls of a gale as it sped up even faster, the man was about to use his trump card.

"He's about to cast his magic!" Tommy said shrilly, covering his eyes as the wind whipped by.

"Brace yourselves," Mart called out, "be ready d'to evade or you're dead!"

"EEEEeeeee! I dont wanna become a red smear!" the winged urchin girl panicked seizing the human boy next to her by the shoulders and hiding behind him.

"H- hey get off!" the boy cried.

Lescar was stood in front of the others as Fabran charged up his attack, she couldn't get closer as the air around him was beginning to get to the point where it cut her if she ventured nearer, forcing her and everyone else back.

Lescar felt an energy fizzle inside her as she observed the growing velocity of the sharp winds that made them retreat, a thought rising in her head.

'I can do magic too, can't I?'

Lescar flexed her sword arm and felt the fizzle again, a tiny stream of lightning running up the edge of her blade once more.

Yes, she had not tried this before intentionally but maybe...

Lescar was disturbed from her thoughts by a loud gaffaw, making her look up at her foe. Smirking victoriously at the mortified and worried party behind Lescar, Fabran said with a huge sharp-toothed grin, his razor winds surrounding him like a shield.

"You bitches shouldn't have messed with me!" the ab-human crowed, "I'm a mage and you are all just lowly gutter trash, get blown away by my might!"

"Yeah, you tell 'em, boss!" one of the Coyotes said encouragingly, a host of other coyotes also shouting out loud.

"Kill them good!"

"Waste em for me boss!"

"Make those traitors into mince padd- AHHHHRgh!"

"I still hold the door foolish gnats!!" Dwayne bellowed, striking down a score of ab-human gangsters with a scything claw as they diverted their attention.

Not even noticing his crew possibly getting slaughtered, Fabran pointed his foremost finger forward, the ab-human launching the spell with a rush of surging air pressure.

"Get dusted you bitches!!!" Fabran screamed over the sound of his stirring spell.

*FWOOOSH!* The newborn spell tore through the room, disintegrating wooden furniture and bits of flotsam, as it smashed it to rubble and dust, the abused door from before being lifted off the ground then shattered into a million splinters of iron and old oak.

The sight of oncoming death prompting her, Lescar reached inside herself, operating on instinct, her experiences with Taldur's intense mystic energies, and the memory of the last time she had triggered it. Lescar drew out her own power, electricity crackling on the tips of her fingers and blade, her hair beginning to lift into the air from being charged, the scar on her face that ran down the entirety of her body lighting up with a sickly greenish glow.

She had done it, she had called on her own magic, the image of an emerald storm of gargantuan proportions briefly manifesting in her mind before dispersing just as swiftly.

"Whoa!" Lescar gasped as the scar she had only recently gotten flared up painfully before numbing and tingling strangely, a passive set of whispers in the back of her head that was definitely not Taldur's.

"Anchor... gone... where anchor?"

"Lost... find it..."

"Can't find... frustrating!"

The voices Lescar heard when channeling Taldur's more intense power were still there, but they were far more subdued, not nearly as loud or demanding, and they had not yet noticed her. Lescar was certain it was that horrible Nemato woman thing or at least parts of her, and with a shudder she blocked out the distant voices, focusing instead on controlling the flow of the energies inside her, she was on a time limit and couldn't afford distractions.

"Lescar..." Taldur said warningly, having felt the change and distant presence of the voices, the thin tendrils of his influence creeping down into her soul protectively.

"Trust me Taldur," Lescar responded with a grimace, the swirl of energy inside her suddenly resisting her will, "I've got it this time."

There was a pause then the cockroach said in a softer voice "...Very well, I trust you."

Lescar felt Taldur's tendrils pull away, leaving her able to manipulate the forces of magic freely.

Nodding once at Taldurs response, Lescar cracked down on reigning in and controlling her powers, forcefully shunting the energy around to where she wanted it, achieving a level of success.

'Got it!' Lescar thought confidently, the glow around her strengthening, becoming visible to those not gifted with magical senses, deep green glowing scar, lightning, and all.

"What da!" Mart startled as he saw the girl in front of him abruptly light up, emerald electrical offshoots forking away and off her.

Lescar furrowed her brows as she did her best to wield the forces inside her body, using her own power wasn't the same as using Taldur's, hers did not bubble up seemingly without limit and instead was consistent and easy to control, 'a lot easier to control,' for starters she could maybe...

The sword in Lescar's hand, the one her brother had given her all those years ago, began to shine as she pushed a large quantity of her newly found power into it, the blade growing in length, an ethereal afterimage of a shifting edge pushed far beyond the normal reaches of the weapons physical length.

It was now almost the length of a twohanded sword, but no heavier, the currents of electricity running up and down the blade non stop.

"Wow," Lescar said entranced by what she had done despite her precarious predicament, "I really can do proper magic."

"Well done, my magical girl!" Taldur said not nearly as surprised as she'd thought he'd be from the safety of her hood, "but you should really focus on that tiny hurricane moving towards us before you gawp at your accomplishment, being made into mincemeat is another thing that is bad for our health."

"Right," Lescar said with a slightly glazed over grin as she faced the hurricane.

She had done real magic intentionally!

Gripping her weapon tightly, Lescar felt her grin slide slowly off her face, some of her joy fading at the sight of what she had to defeat, a turbulent typhoon of bone-shattering devastation.

Becoming serious again, Lescar knew exactly what she should do, the current of her own energy running through her blade.

She had always treasured the weapon, as it had been an important memento that reminded her of her older brother, but now she understood it was more than it appeared. Another secret of her brother's that he had not told her, it was an enchanted weapon.

The sword attracted certain magics from what Lescar could tell from her recent understanding, which was why she was able to channel through it, but it also repulsed magics not compatible with it, evidenced by the air currents becoming displaced around her as they came into contact with the blade, meaning...

Lescar stood firm before the approaching whirlwind of destruction and yelled to those around her.

"Get behind me! I can deal with this!"

Spotting the green lightning and her glowing scar, Lescar's allies hurried to adhere to her words, Mart behind her to her right, Tommy slightly on her left and the two urchins cowering directly behind her, practically hugging each other as they watched wide-eyed from her shadow, Roulette curiously also hugging with the two fearful urchins.

The air whipped about her rapidly, the true body of the magical devastation almost upon her, a thing of conjured natural wrath capable of sundering flesh and bone to crimson mash.

Even with magic of her own, and her desire to see Fabran pay, it was still a fearsome thing to stand before.

'If I screw this up we all die,' Lescar said aloud in her mind, a heavy dollop of fear and self-doubt suddenly filling her.

The hurricane yanked up the chairs only a few meters away from her, pulling them to pieces and reducing the stools and chairs to nothing more than chips of wood, throwing them at Lescar as she shielded her eyes and leaned forward trying to stay in place.

'Was this the right idea? could she actually stop that?!' Lescar faltered, her uncertainty beginning to overcome her, despite her earlier confidence, the lightning around her beginning to sputter and fizzle out.

The hurricane seized the heavy table in front of Lescar, lifting it into the air, the sturdy wood creaking and cracking before it was erased, this time not even wood chips remained, broken down to nothing but swirling dust.

Lescar paled, She couldn't beat that! even now she could feel her magic being whisked away by the fearsome spell and dispersed into the atmosphere.

Lescar took a hesitant step backward, her sword hands trembling and shaking.

Sensing her budding despair, her passenger Taldur said loudly, an angry, lecturing, and bolstering tone to his words, his hard legs tickling the back of her nape admonishingly.

"What is this!? Giving up?! " Taldur hissed," What happened to the girl determined to handle this on her own?! What happened to the girl who swore she would pull herself out of the dirt into glory?! The girl who would go as far to make a deal with a devil like me?! Pathetic!!!" Taldur rumbled further, mandibles clicking madly, "Stop deluding yourself fool girl! you've got this! I would never have picked a weakling as my partner! I know you are a strong capable talented girl, so..." Taldur paused then said in a blackened spiteful voice not directed at her, "...break that fools confidence with your next move! Show him that he can't stand in our way! That he picked the wrong set of foes to oppose! That we will crush any morons too slow to step aside!!! For this is our right as the future masters of this world!!!"

Lescar opened her mouth, then closed it, startled and touched by the bugs spiel before smiling weakly. The insect's dual nature was really something, he was both cruel and ambitious at the same time as being oddly affectionate and parental to those under him.

Taldur had mentioned the word Tsundere to Lescar and seemed to hate the idea of being one, but Lescar personally felt it was more of a mark of greatness, something that made the alien nature of his mind more human, approachable, and easier to trust in.

"Taldur..." Lescar began, her heart suddenly in her throat, the bug interrupting her.

"Don't speak, just act." the bug said shortly, the insect sounding suspiciously anxious for her to move on from his recent motivational words.

Understanding the bugs discomfort, Lescar nodded silently with the ghost of a knowing smile on her face.

Taking a determined stance, a resolute feeling stilling her racing heart, her partner's confidence in her, reinforcing her ego and will to fight, Lescar stood her ground against the nearing maelstrom of wind, her ethereal blade held in a two-handed grip.

She would face it and win.

"Here it comes!" Mart called, looking at the luminous Lescar with uncertain brown eyes, a note of concern in the tenor of his voice, "you sure you know what you're doing Lez?"

"I'm sure," Lescar said shortly without turning, her voice even and without a quiver.

Stepping forward into the outer edges of the hostile spell, leaving the others at her back, Lescar pushed forward without stopping, the power concentrated in her blade growing by the second as she maintained her efforts, the tiny bolts of electricity that surrounded her fending off the sharpest of the bristling winds, Lescar pressed on, her attention taken by what lay on the other side of the magical gale.

Beyond the chaos of the whirlwind, Lescar could see Fabran gloating, his disgusting sharp yellow teeth bared in a sneer, a smug look on his unpleasant face.

"I'll turn that smirk upside down you pig! just you wait..." Lescar whispered under her breath, the power in her blade condensing even further, it was ready and just in time too.

The core and most volatile part of the spell struck her and as it did, Lescar with a heave, swung her now enormous ethereal blade down, striking the spell with one of her own creation.

Instead of slicing straight through it like she thought it would, her sword instead cut deep into the flowing construct of living atmosphere with a sound similar to a shriek, the force of the wind around her halving.

"Skkkkiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" the wind howled liplessly as Lescar's blade hummed, digging itself deeper into the opposing spell, the core of the spell resembling a pulsating blue helix with fine ghostly strands whipping about it in a spiral.

In the distance, Lescar could see the smug expression on Fabrans face collapse as he realized what Lescar was doing, the ab-human shouting something angrily that Lescar missed standing in the center of the storm, his hands raised as if to support something.

Lescar felt a notable increase in difficulty, she even felt herself sliding back a few feet, the wind regaining its prior force and more, growing sharper and ever more hazardous.

Fabran was now directly supporting his spell, Lescar realized, not just letting it run wild as he had let it do so before.

The extra power was pushing her away slowly from the core of the spell, her weapon likewise slowly being pried out of the centermost core of the spell itself.

If this kept up, the spell would no longer be impeded by her own, and would be at full power with Fabrans direct aid, and she wasn't sure she could survive that.

"Keep going," Taldur urged positively, "you've almost got him!"

Lescar grunted in response and tried to get closer again, but for every step she made, she would slide two backward.

She needed something to brace herself she needed-

"?????? !!!!!! !!!!!!" a certain voice pinged, a moist presence directly behind her heels.

"Dewey?!" Lescar gasped with effort as she tried to maintain her position, "what are you doing here?! get out of here you'll get torn to shreds!"

The blue blob was wobbling wildly, his gelatinous body taking hit after hit from the bladed air currents, but each attack seemed to do little to the blob save for his eyestalk which was barely hanging on by a sliver of mucus having been severed multiple times.

"...... ???" the blob responded sadly, but ignored Lescar's command, instead, wrapping itself around the back of her boots.

"What are you doing you silly slime! I said get out! get out of here before you- Ohh!"

Lescar realized she wasn't sliding back any further, the sticky slime was keeping her gummed in place.

"Well, I really I ought to give the little snot more credit," Taldur said in surprised praise while twitching in the darkness of Lescar's hood "he's much much smarter than his stats would suggest."

Lescar looked down at her boots and saw Dewey clinging with all his might to the bottom of her shoes, the slime waving his damaged eyestalk in a merry if clumsy salute before it was finally chopped off by a particularly vicious gust of wind.

"Alright then Dewey," Lescar sighed with a smile she couldn't help, "you can help, also Taldur just said you were very clever-"

"Don't tell him I said that! It might give the little booger a fat head-"

"And-" Lescar interrupted a grumbling Taldur, "I don't doubt it either now, just stick to me Dewey and we will get this bastard together!"

Dewey shuddered in what Lescar assumed was some sort of abashed pleasure, before perking up and Cheering "!!!!!! !!!!! !!!!! ＞︿＜" in a determined buzz.

Lescar swore she was beginning to understand Dewey's strange way of communicating, it was becoming easier to read what the slime was trying to say off what little body language the slime had.

With Dewey's sticky and welcome aid, Lescar advanced back towards the center of the maelstrom, her weapon still embedded in the spell, and pushing back down on it again as she approached.

She was now close enough to notice something interesting about the lattice work of the hostile spell.

Close up Lescar could see, or rather feel, that the whirlwind was not so much a construct of wind and energy, but almost something alive. It moved, reacted, and to some extent, even felt.

Strange and sad, Lescar felt a brief pang for the creature only recently born for no other purpose than to kill her and her allies, but not for long.

Heart hardening, Lescar clenched her jaw and pushed even more of her reserves into her own spell, the humming of her blade turning to something that more resembled a mixture of hungry growling and static crackling, her blade eagerly carving its way through the enemy spell, tearing it asunder like a ravenous beast through a defenseless chick's neck.

Her magic as juvenile as it was, was more potent, having no issue overwhelming the weaker spell.

*Grrrzzztttt!* The blade rumbled ripping through the resisting spell with ease, that spell letting out one final strange shriek before going dead silent

*SKKKKKKKIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...*

The wind began to still, the gale died down, and in the background, Lescar heard Fabran say furiously, "No!" the ab-human staggering from the recoil of his destroyed spell, his once boisterous followers still locked behind Dwayne, now speechless at the sight of their bested leader.

"No way!" one of the coyotes finally whispered in disbelief, "that pureblood just survived a direct hit from the bosses terror twister..."

"Did she use magic?! is she stronger than the boss?"

"That's not possible! there isn't anyone stronger than the boss only nobles and mob bosses are stronger!"

"Wasn't the boss supposed to lead us ab-humans to freedom? he can't lose here!?"

"No waaaay!!!"

The protesting and fearful voices of the Coyotes rang out over and over as Lescar stood with her now massive ethereal blade, the emerald flash and sparks of electricity still forking around her, ready to advance on the ab-human foes before her.

Fabran on the other hand looked exhausted, his face pale, and his grin more of a pained grimace now, his many wounds bleeding profusely, broadsword held limply in hand.

"Since when did you become a mage you- you dirty bitch!" Fabran wheezed hatefully.

Lescar couldn't help but notice he didn't call her pureblood bitch this time, but said nothing, there wasn't much to say to a dead man.

Lescar advanced a step, her enormous enchanted blade in hand, Dewey popping off her feet with a happy ping as she walked forward.

Fabran in response to her silent approach staggered back with wide eyes, a sudden realization that he was in a really bad position. Cut off from allies, drained, deprived of his trump card, and facing an enemy still in possession of their own.

"Wait! wait! wait! bitc- I mean uhh... Lescar!" Fabran waved both of his hands as he backed away, a frightened look on his face," It doesn't have to come to blows again! we've tested each other! You're clearly very strong! Let's reassess what was said at the beginning, yes?"

Lescar paused mid-step as Taldur commented thoughtfully on the ab-humans words.

"We could bargain with him, but I have a creeping feeling he would only backstab us later, I shall leave this decision to you, partner."

Lescar took a deep breath in through the nose at Taldur's welcome words, then looked down at Fabran whom was not yet within the reach of her extended magical blade.

The ab-human man Fabran was smaller than she remembered, he was still taller than her but hardly felt as oppressive as he once had to her, he actually looked rather pitiful as he lifted both his hand in a gesture of passivity.

"Perhaps..." Lescar replied to Fabran, trying not to bite her tongue as she said this.

Having the coyotes under their control like she and Taldur had originally planned would be a boon, but only if they could truly maintain control of the gang...

As Lescar internalized this thought Fabran warbled ingratiatingly, "Ohoh! well, let's discuss business then," a sickening servile smile developed on his face, his eyes flicking between Lescar and her nearby blade

It was a repulsive attempt at groveling and trying to get on her better side and Lescar almost retched at the sight, some of the coyotes still battling Dwayne clearly not liking what was going on either.

"Boss?! don't make any deals with her she's a human!"

"Whats going on?! What's the boss doing!?"

"He's selling us out!"

"No Fabran would never do that!"

"Shut up you idiots!!!" Fabran barked, a bead of sweat running down his brow, clear strain and desperation in his voice, his serrated yellow teeth flashing. "I'm talking business here!"

The gang quieted down and started mumbling amongst themselves no longer trying to pass by the huffing Dwayne only staring at their leader with narrowed eyes.

Crew no longer actively fighting, Fabran turned his head and snarled, "What are you guys doing?! keep trying to get through!"

The coyotes looked at each other than one stepped forward, the grey-skinned fishtail girl from before, the taloned boy next to her.

"Were you going to hand over leadership of the coyotes to that pureblood over there?" the girl asked in a deadpan voice, the rest of the coyotes now silent as they listened.

Clear anger and frustration in his tone, the ab-human panned his head to observe his crew scathingly before spitting out in response.

"What does it matter? I am the leader here and that means I make all the decisions!"

"I see," the ah-human girl stated simply, looking around at her fellow coyotes before saying plainly with a disappointed voice, "in that case I am leaving, there is no way I'm sticking with a weak leader that bends to humans will."

The grey-skinned girl turned around and without another word, left, a few other coyotes mumbling before beginning to tail the gray girl off into the wider black district, many others soon following her, casting disapproving glares or rude gestures at the shocked Fabran.

Realizing he had alienated his only possible allies Fabran called out fumingly, clear fear and desperation mounting ever greater in his voice at the retreating backs of his once gang members.

"Wait! come back! don't leave me here! you need me for your movement!! YOU NEEED MEEEE!!!"

The gray girl turned around with a scornful look and shot back, "we do not, your magical strength would have made things easier, but you are selfish and have led us to great misfortune today, you are weak and we do not need you."

The ab-human girl pointed to the many injured and bleeding ab-humans around her, all casualties of Dwayne's righteous fury, miraculously no one was dead but many were gravely wounded, a testament of Dwayne's prowess.

No apparent words to further speak to the aghast Fabran, the girl turned and walked away, the main body of the coyotes following behind her.

In the background, Lescar dimly registered Marts muffled laughter at this occurrence, the words he cackled darkly being, "I d'told da dumb git d'to watch her and he didn't and now she comes and bites him on da arse just as I said she would, heh heh, Fabs having a really bad day."

All the coyotes trickled away slowly after that, leaving the hulking Dwayne unopposed save for a single hanger back, the lanky dark-haired boy with the large raptor-like talons on his hands.

"Bye-bye boss," the taloned boy said with a contemptuous wave of a claw, "I can't believe you would really sell us all out just to save your own hide," the boy shook his head in disgust, "Ella was right, you are weak, in here," the claw handed ab-human motioned to his chest with a single-digit before following the other coyotes out of the street.

"Wait, please! Come back! COME BACK!!! I'll do better just don't leave me here with this human! WAAIIIT!!! FUUUUUUUUUUUU-"

"And... there go's my recruits," Taldur wistfully said watching the last of the coyotes disappear before looking upon the one remaining, practically screaming ab-human with no interest, "and this guy has no worth or bargaining power anymore, we should dispose of him now."

Lescar did not respond to her partner but instead watched for a moment as Fabran began swearing violently out loud, cursing every one of his 'traiterous fucking shithead' gang members, his 'ugly bitch Lieutenant Ella' for abandoning him, and the 'bloody useless revolution' which had consumed the minds of his followers.

It was almost cathartic for Lescar to see one of her most hated enemies powerlessly ranting within the palm of her hand, but it was also ugly and unseemly.

Lescar watched a little longer before she began her advance once more, enchanted blade crackling in anticipation.

Hearing this and looking up as Lescar approached, the supernatural weapon clutched in her hands. Fabran stopped his ranting and turned ashen grey, his face already pale from blood loss, becoming even more ghostly, his once avaricious and hungry eyes now filled with nothing but fear for his life.

"You won't kill an unarmed man will you L- Lescar," Fabran trembled as he tossed aside his blade and knelt on his knees, "Don't kill me, I promise I won't bother you again."

Not dissuaded, Lescar kept walking slowly, raising her weapon higher.

Changing tracks Fabran gibbered, "You want money! resources!? I can get you them! I can show you where we stashed our hauls! How's that?! just don't kill me!"

Lescar did not stop moving, her weapon almost above her head now.

Practically sweating bullets and crying buckets at this point, Fabran, the once-feared leader of the coyotes, blubbered face down, shaking like a jelly.

"PLEASE DON"T KILL MEEEEE!!! IM SORRY!! IM SORRY!! FOR WHAT I DID!!!! I MEAN IT! PLEASE SPARE ME!!!"

Lescar, now standing only a few feet away from the groveling ab-human, felt her disgust rise again, 'this' was man she had feared and hated for so long? ...this husk?'

Fabran was sobbing and heaving like a slug on the ground, his eyes scrunched shut as he trembled on the spot, he truly was pathetic to gaze upon now.

Lescar raised her blade, preparing to cleave the sorry head from this man's shoulders but then stopped, her forehead wrinkling as she looked down on the quaking man before her, soon lowering her fizzling weapon in revulsion.

This was not how she had wanted this to happen, she had wanted to fight Fabran until she had beaten him down into the ground with her own strength, forcing the large ab-human to submit.

She had not expected him to cave so easily before she'd had her fill of vengeance, it was... unsatisfying.

"Urghh!" Lescar said in a disgruntled tone as she stood over Fabran, letting her main sword hand drop to her side, "I'm not gonna stain my brothers sword with the blood of a craven wretch this spineless."

"Are you sure?" Taldur asked quizzically, "this guy could be trouble in the future."

"yes, I'm sure, he is broken," Lescar replied in an iron tone, as she stared in utter disgust at being below her, "his pride will never recover from this."

"Since this is your grudge, so be it..." Taldur acknowledged simply, clearly not approving but not opposing it either.

Lescar turned her weapon away from Fabrans throat and stepped away with a snort, the ab-human peeking through his fingers, to first blink, then cry out loud in pitiful tears.

"Oh, thank you! thank you! Thank you! you won't see me ever again! I swear!"

Fabran seized the bottom of Lescar boots and began kissing them, which made her stomach instantly turn.

"Get off me you vile slug! and get out of my sight!"

Lescar kicked the ab-human hard in the jaw, sending him scrabbling, the knocked prone man scrambling to his feet and beginning to limp away, an almost insane look upon his face.

The ab-human hobbled swiftly to the entrance where Dwayne was looming, the bat standing off to the side of the door, his orange glare studying the comparatively small ab-human as he passed.

Fabran wobbled on a few meters more before he turned around and smiled his yellow toothy grin, a triumphant look on his face, he had escaped alive.

The gleam of the ab-humans stained grin however refreshed the memories of abuse Lescar had suffered under the man, coming on strong as a rush of malice into her heart.

Taken from behind... forced to submit... violated...

Having a dark change of heart Lescar said out loud abruptly, an almost whimsical air about her.

"Actually you know what..."

Fabran froze as he heard this, sweating thick beads again, only a meager 10 or so feet from the door.

"It turns out I don't want you alive after all." Lescar finished indifferently as she glanced at her fingernails.

Fabran's eyes twitched and then he began to run as fast as his wounded frame would allow, panting and swearing miserably like an animal.

"Taldur I don't want to get my sword dirty, could you please hunt him down for me?" Lescar said out loud in a sweet voice, Mart's head turning to regard her as he looked for the Taldur he was thinking of.

"Hmmph, if you insist partner," the large insectoid clicked, with an appreciative gleam in his yellow eyes, "I will be back shortly."

Slithering out of the folded down hood, Taldur clacked to the floor, landing smoothly on his chitinous feet before quickly skittering off, pincers flexing on the end of his tail as he chased down his wounded quarry.

Rotating on the spot, Lescar lazily glanced at her allies as the sounds of a man screaming in pain and terror echoed behind her before cutting off in a series of wet ripping crunching sounds.

The edges of her lips turning upwards at that sound, Lescar felt suddenly lighter, saying soon after in a relaxed manner, "That really was quite the battle wasn't it?"

Lescar leaned her still luminous sword against her shoulders, small bolts of lightning flaring up immediately around her.

"Um yeah..." Mart said slowly, the normally snarky ab-human looking slightly cowed much to Lescar's delight, his confidant smirk gone, his eyes constantly running up and down her glowing form.

She had given him a scare for a change, it felt great.

With the tip tap clacking of his hard spiny feet on stone, Taldur returned at that moment, his profile covered in gore and visceral materials, something round and bloody clamped between his dripping mandibles...

Lescar smiled more openly as Taldur returned with bloody jaws, dropping the round object at her feet, the nature of the ovoid object being revealed when it rolled over revealing a distorted and twisted face frozen in terror, distinctive serrated yellow teeth glinting dully in the open mouth.

It was Fabran, or what little of him remained.

"A little souvenir my magical human girl" Taldur clicked, "perhaps we can get it stuffed at a taxidermist later."

Nodding wordlessly, Lescar felt her lips twist even more as she looked upon the remains of her enemy before she looked back up at her ex-friend Mart.

"So," Lescar propped herself up against the closest wall casually as Taldur flicked the bloody fluids from his maw before leaping up to settle on her shoulders stretched out and curled like a cat, "care to discuss further business Mart?"

Mart shifted uncomfortably, Tommy audibly gulped and the two urchins likewise stared at Lescar, looking petrified, their eyes shifting between her, and the disfigured lump of meat and bone on the floor that used to be Fabran.

Shifting restlessly from foot to foot as he regarded her, the slight ab-human Mart muttered in response "...Ehh... Maybe just a bit of buisness..."

The smile on Lescar's face widened as she heard Marts words, Today had been a great day.