I was walking away from the Youthful Maiden when I knew that I was going to be accosted this night. I slipped into an alley and slid all of the coins I had earned into my shoes. I would not let them get away so easily today. I took a deep breath and reached down into the magic of transformation and began to make the muscles of my body much denser and powerful, like the coiled muscles of one of the great hunting cats in the wilds of the eastern lands.

Rolling my shoulders and head I could feel the pops and cracks fade as I stepped back into the streets. I could tell from the taste of danger in the air that the different gangs and groups were going to be on the hunt on this dry night. I would teach some of them a lesson in going for the wrong prey. Maybe words of my mighty prowess would make sure that I was safe for the rest of the nights I was here in Greenstown. I let my eyes change to be able to soak in more light for me to see in the dark. The long studies of the different bodies of animals once more coming into handy.

Walking along the streets I delved once more into the memories of Trevor for the more dangerous places in town. Places that the guards had been paid to avoid. I walked along the streets and the same woman emerged from the alley that had accosted me a few days ago. She had a dress that revealed plenty of the hills of her breasts. Her skin sickly pale and a bruise was spreading across half of her face. THe other men that had been with her fanned out behind her and started to slowly surround me.

I did not balk at the open hostility presented by the men and woman. Some of them slapped makeshift clubs into their palms in general attempts to intimidate me. I took a deep breath and readied myself to hear their demands.

Her voice was still silken and full of promise, but this time it was of violence and not of pleasures that she might offer other men. “You better fork up your coins this time. I don’t want our guys to chase your dumb ass through the streets again. You won’t be able to slip away like last time.” As she finally ended I felt the eyes of others coming from the alleys behind me.

I shook my head, “You better let me through. I won’t be so gentle with you all this time.”

She smirked dangerously, “Get him boys!”

Before any of them moved I bolted forward going straight for the woman. Her eyes went wide at the open hostility as I charged her. She struggled to pull a knife free from somewhere hidden when I was upon her. I reared back and rammed my fist deep into her stomach. The air was forced from her lungs in a mighty huff as my blow physically lifted her from the ground.

She collapsed vomiting on the ground from the sheer might of the blow. Her dress spilling out around her legs as her hands wrapped around her guts. I felt the whistling of the air as someone was upon me. The blunt instrument hit nothing but air as I leaned forward out of the way. I whipped my head over my shoulder and locked eyes with the man that had just attempted to strike me down.

I turned and threw my entire weight in a swiveling kick into the side of his knee. It buckled under the blow with a mighty crack. It gave under his weight as he began to scream under the pain of his knee being shattered. I ended his suffering with a straight punch across his jar, rattling his brain in his skull. I watched in fascination as his eyes rolled back into his head as he collapsed bonelessly to the earth next to the woman.

I locked eyes with the next guy in the circle now to my left. I could see fear in his eyes as he realized the sudden failure of the attack. I leapt over the fallen man and rushed my next target. He pulled back to swing but was too slow as I checked his gut as his arms and pushed them over my shoulder. I flexed my back lifting him off the ground while gripping his hips.

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Another man was there to strike me and I threw my captive at him bodily. The swinging club pounded into the back of my captive knocking him sideways. The new attacker was already reeling back when I bolted at him. Mid swing I snapped my hand forward and let it slam into my palm like it was nothing to me. I felt the nerves of that hand go numb from it but I paid it no heed.

I pulled the club out of the man's hand with a jerk as his eyes went wide at my sudden power. I sent a swift kick to his manhood crushing it into his pelvis as he leaned forward from the sheer voice of the blow. As he bent forward I broke his club over the back of his head sending him crashing to the ground. A open gash on the back of his head let blood start to pour out of the wound.

The man I held captive started to get up on his hands and knees. As he was trying to rise up I reared back and kicked him with all my power into his gut. It sank into him and he joined the woman in vomiting onto the ground. I couldn’t send another blow into him to finish him off as I was tackled sideways away from him. The fifth and sixth men, the last of the threats I had to face.

The sixth man stood quickly around me to stomp upon my head as the fifth tried to pin me. I bucked my hips hard, and forced the man higher so he couldn't pin my legs.. He tried to keep his head into my shoulder as the sixth stomped down for the first time. I twisted my head sideways to avoid the blow. Our bodies skidded sideways as I kicked my legs to move us hard enough to knock over the stomping man. His weight was all on one leg as it was hit hard with the weight of two men.

As the man slipped and stumbled backwards to keep from falling over I snapped my legs around the torso of the man trying to pin him and squeezed with all my considerable might. His air came out in a rush as I heard his ribs creak under the sudden pressure. He sat up and started to struggle to pull himself free of me. The man started to attempt to rain blows down on my head but I beat him to it. Snapping the back of my fist into his nose and I could feel it crunch under the power of it. Blood spurting down across his chin.

The sixth man had recovered enough to be back above my head as he went to kick my skull. I lifted my shoulder to take the blow as the first of the fifth’s man ribs cracked under my squeezing. His face went purple with the lack of breath he had. He struggled in vain to force my legs far enough apart for him to breathe once again. Deciding he was panicking too much to strike at me I lifted my arms and reached for the last of my enemies. He stepped back making sure I couldn’t pull him down with me.

The man in my legs went limp as another rib cracked from the intense strength I had put into it. I took another blow on my shoulder and shoved the fifth man free of my legs before I rolled out of yet another blow. I stood and stared at the man and I could see the courage drain from his face. Instead of fighting me he turned and fled into the alleys around us.

I was surrounded by the brutalized men and woman that had dared attack me. My hand and shoulder were numb from the repeated hits they had taken. I had held back enough not to kill the men as easily as I could. I started to sift through pockets and collected all the coins from them as they twitched and groaned trying to get their senses back to themselves.

I stood with another two pence and six bits worth of coins. I knelt and straightened out the woman as she had recovered enough of her wits. Her eyes were dangerous but defeated. I gripped her by the chin and mouth forcing her lips into a pout. “Now, I saved you the last time we encountered one another by running away.” I took the dagger that had fallen and pressed it against her cheek. Keeping just enough pressure to threaten slicing her face open without doing so. “You will tell all the different groups around town that they shouldn’t be accosting any minstrels in the streets. If I do get jumped by another group I will find you and make sure you aren’t pretty enough to get any more customers that aren’t into scarred women.”

Tears fell down her cheek as she did her best to nod without cutting her own face open. I stood and let her slump back to the ground. I slipped the knife away as I could sell it to a blacksmith or someone looking for a small knife to protect themselves with. I dropped a bit at my feet before walking away. I spat on one of my attackers that collapsed as I passed them and left them all to suffer.

Featherdown called my name as I made my way to it. I straightened out my clothes and lamented that they would need a wash after being forced onto my back onto the streets. Soon I was in front of Featherdown and I walked inside. The man’s son was at the counter and he looked at me with his tempered desire. “Good night young man. Don’t stay up too late.”

Soon I was in my room and I stripped off my now soiled clothes. I looked at the lack of water in the large bowl that was used last time I had to wash something. My traveling clothes though were fine. I would wear them tomorrow as I didn’t have the Rutherfords to impress. Their kids would be just fine with me being in something less than my best.

Now in my underclothes I laid down in the bed and put my arms behind my head. I reverted all the changes I had made to my body to something far more normal than the augmented one I had used. Knowing that I might have made even a small difference in the safety of the night I slipped away into sleep.