Tobi had gone back to the merchant district and then to all of the inns he could find, every one of them was out of his price range, or barred him access. He couldn’t blame them, he was dressed in rags, covered in blood with what was obviously stolen money. He decided he needed to find the slums, every city in every world had them, it was just a matter of finding someone who knew where.

You couldn’t just ask someone “Hey. Do you know where I can find the lawless area populated by only the poor and destitute? Thanks.” he had learned that the hard way from some awkward looks and harsh word. Instead he decided to find someone who knew where it was and follow them, he decided on a particularly unsavory looking individual. He looked to be an adventurer with his scuffed leather armor and longsword strapped to his hip.

The grimy gleam in his eye and the way he spoke in hushed tones with an even shadier looking cloaked individual, lead Tobi to choose him. Even if he didn’t lead him to someplace he could pay with his ‘unlawfully acquired tender’ then he could just follow someone else. The sun had set hours past and the street was lit by torches and magical lanterns hanging high above the masses on poles set in the stone ground.

Tobi watched the adventurer’s interaction with the cloaked man silently, hidden behind refuse and broken boxes in a nearby alley. He liked alleys. He couldn’t make out what they were saying but from the exchange of a coin pouch from the cloaked man to the adventurer, it didn’t seem to be something the city guard would be fond of.

The adventurer turned away from the cloaked man and started towards the southern side of the city, straight towards Tobi’s hiding spot. Tobi ducked down lower and hid deeper back in the shadows, pushing his body between two piles of refuse. The man walked past him, only sparing a glance towards his hiding place, and went further down the alley which led back to a side street lined with homes.

Tobi got up from his place and began to silently follow the man, making sure not to step on anything that would betray his presence. The man went in a more or less straight line, occasionally cutting through alleys and side streets. Tobi followed him for nearly an hour, hiding behind garbage and ducking around corners when the man looked behind him.

“Why ya followin’ that guy?” asked a familiar childish voice. Tobi knew that the man would hear him if he started to speak, so he reasoned that if puddle buddy was in his head, he could talk to him in his head.

Testing. Testing. One two… three?

“You sound weird when you do that. Like you’re talking underwater.”

Works well enough for me. Why do you care anyway.

“Just curious. There’s only so much a Chaos construct can do before getting bored ya know.” puddle buddy replied.

I guess that makes sense. I get bored easy too. Anywho, I’m following Shady McShaderson over here because he might lead me to someplace I can spend my, um, unusually acquired money.

“Thats pretty clever, especially for you.”

Thanks? I think…

“You’re welcome.”

By the way, do you happen to know where Spooky has gone? I haven’t heard from him or any of the gang in a while.

“I already told you this,” a mental sigh, “I blocked them out in the Chaos when I was born.”

Why’d ya lock up the gang?

“I-I don’t really know. I was new to this world, I was alone and scared.” it shuddered, “It was so easy to lock them away, they don’t understand this world like I do. I was born here, and I received the knowledge inherent to all monsters. But they, they are something else. I don’t know how powerful they will be once they start to understand.” Puddle buddy sounded afraid again.

Understand what?

“That they can do things that shouldn’t be possible, by this world’s rules, or your old one’s.”

Huh, maybe they should stay in timeout for a bit. Do you think you could show me how to let them out if I wanted to?

“I don’t know… I did it in a panic last time, it was a wild attempt. I don’t know if I could even replicate it. When you want to let them out, though I don’t know why you would, just try to manipulate the Chaos in your mind, there’s plenty there.”

Okee dokee, thanks buddy. I’m just gonna go back to sneak following our shady friend here.

“Alright. I guess I’ll just go back to being bored.” it sighed forlornly.

Don’t worry, I’ll take you out sometime soon. Might even try to make you a body.

“R-really? Thank you! I would enjoy that immensely.” Puddle buddy sounded excited and it made several strange sounds that may or may not have been giggles, before disappearing into the Chaos of Tobi’s head.

During this mental conversation Shady McShaderson had followed his generally straight but roundabout path, inching ever southward. As puddle buddy metaphorically hung up the phone, McShaderson had turned into yet another alley. Tobi inched towards it and poked his head around the corner, at the end of the alley was a run down building, similar to the other run down shacks around it.

The red door was illuminated from inside by a smoky orange light, casting an eerie glow to the refuse scattered about the entrance. The sounds of raucous cheering echoed from inside, and the smell of sweat and sex permeated the air. Tobi knew that he would stand out even more inside a back street brothel like this one, so he kept to the outside of the alley’s mouth, waiting for McShaderson to appear.

And appear he did, with a lady of the night on his arm, while Tobi might have technically found himself in the slums he stayed around. Not even he knew the reason why, maybe it was the allure of nightlife, or perhaps the strange feeling of familiarity, or even the feeling of a memory half remembered. The man and lady were laughing with each other, and both were stumbling slightly before catching themselves on the dirt streaked walls.

The lady wore a skimpy red outfit that showed more skin than cloth, and the man groped at the open areas of her body. His hands leaving grimy streaks on her pale skin, while they both laughed with each other, only the man seemed to be truly enjoying himself. The woman had a gleam in her eyes, one he had seen before in cornered animals that knew the hunter was upon them.

While the man stumbled drunkenly, the woman tried to pull away, only to be gripped tighter, a cry for help half spoken in her throat. They turned the corner, exiting the mouth of the alley and moving away from Tobi, deeper into the winding spiderweb streets of the slums.

Tobi followed them deeper into the slums, past broken homes and shops that once were. Deeper and deeper they went into this depraved rabbit hole, skirting around forgotten sons drugged out of their minds, and forgotten sisters left to rot in the trash.

The man ignored these sights while the woman’s eyes grew crazed as her situation set in. She renewed her struggles, the man jerked her forward violently and spun her to look at him, “Stop screaming or this will hurt more, whore.” he growled.

He tossed her to the ground and tore at her clothing. She screamed, “Please! Somebody help!” The man backhanded her, raising a nasty welt, and tearing a line across her cheek. She still struggled so he struck her again, and she fell still, but tears still streaked her face, not yet afforded the bliss of unconsciousness. The man began to pull off his own clothing, his breathing heavy.

Tobi watched, his own breathing heavy, though not in lust. His hands clenched and opened, as another memory struck his mind. Her blood red hair streaked with her own blood, matted to the floor. The fat pig atop her, still rutting, though she had long ago stopped breathing. His own helplessness making his limbs leaden, his eyelids heavy as they begged for him to let it all go away.

But he didn’t fall back into the soft arms of sleep, he didn’t let it disappear. He stayed conscious through it all, ingraining every feature of that disgusting beast into his brain, searing it into his memory. He stayed awake for it all, even as his blood seeped into the carpet under him, staining it a brilliant red. Just like her hair.

A strange sensation welled inside him, it was a hot, burning feeling. So hot he felt it would scour away anything else, it felt like bottled lava, or a snapshot of lightning coursing through his veins. Anger. Fury. Hatred. He knew it’s name, he had let himself into its fold, he had felt his mind go red, and he had let it bring his hand to bare and let the red out.

Out

OUT

LET ME OUT

The anger roared in his ears, blasting away conscious thought. He knew what was keeping it at bay, he knew the Chaos puddle buddle had used locked away this feeling. This rage. He reached for the veil that separated the wolf from him. And he tore it down.

Tobi straightened from his hiding spot, both eyes shooting wide. His pupil shifting from its normal yellow to a more lupine one, a wolfish smile curled his lips and his body shivered. Not from the cold, but in delight.

He took slow steps towards the man, waiting for him to see him. It didn’t take long, he turned away from his latest conquest, still sobbing on the ground. He stood and grabbed his blade, pointing it at Tobi, “Get the fuck away junkie! You won’t last long, and she’s mine.” he punctuated his claim by jabbing a finger at the woman.

“Have you heard the story of red riding hood?” he asked, swaying lazily.

“I’ll give you three seconds to get your grimy ass away from here.” he gripped the hilt of his blade tighter, the whites of his knuckles showing through.

“No? Shame... It’s such a good story.” he wiped brushed away a lock of hair obscuring his eye.

“Three...” the man growled out.

“It begins with a girl, garbed in red.” he began.

“Two... You better fucking go.” he waved his sword drunkenly.

“Her mother needed her to bring a basket of food to their grandmother, so she sent little red through the woods.” he tilted his head to the side, his hair moving aside to reveal his missing eye. A small line of blood trickled from his empty eye socket to his chin.

“What the fuck are you talking about.” he took a step backwards, “I’ll give you one last chance, go!”

“But there was one issue.” Invisible to the man waving his blade threateningly, multicolored light coursed out of his body, and coalesced in a ball in front of him. The ball of light stretched and flattened, until it resembled a facsimile of the prostitute’s own red dress. He solidified the dress’s existence and held it out towards the man.

“What the fuck is that for?” A note of fear entered his eyes, “Where'd you even get th-”

Tobi cut him off, “The problem was, the woods didn’t belong to little red. They belonged to the wolf.”