Lescar

"No queen ever 'took' power without a trail of corpses in their wake, if you really want what I offered you, you must be prepared to kill without mercy."

Being left with those harsh words Lescar did not feel any better for them.

No.

Lescar felt awful, she felt terrible.

She wasn't feeling terrible because she was injured or ill, far from it! in that regard she felt excellent better than she ever had really.

Her physical health had never been better despite eating nothing but rats cooked over burning slime secretions for the past few days, actually, she felt really strong!

In fact, she felt stronger than ever before, strong enough to break a man's arm barehanded with a single blow!

Of course, she hadn't tested that out on a person but the many dire rats she been ordered to fight had been telling examples of her greater prowess.

The rats who had once given her trouble were no longer such a grave threat to herself, she could evade their attacks with ease, it felt like the rodents had simply gotten slower weaker and clumsier.

But she knew that was not the case, she had gotten stronger and her master was the reason for that.

She had been feeling like this ever since she fell under the master's thrall, although she still didn't like calling him master, the Giant devil bug that was her master at least had kept its promise in part, as Lescar felt a little more powerful every day.

But right now Lescar did not feel strong or mighty, she felt queasy and nauseous, her knees felt weak and her stomach unsettled, it wasn't due to any actual ailment but rather what Lescar was having to watch before her.

Severed heads, torn jugulars, and rent flesh.

Men fell screaming as they were attacked from behind.

The bloodbath was awful, and Lescar felt a sense of disgust rise within her, she wanted to have nothing to do with this murder, she clutched her short sword in one hand stroking the hilt habitually while holding the quivering slime in the other, seeking comfort as she watched her master impassively attack the people in front of him.

Her master had no qualms about killing innocent people and viciously gouged at the frontmost human forcing the old woman to hop back.

Lescar studied her enormous cockroach of a master with narrowed eyes as it traded blows with the frontlines of the human formation, the devil wanted these people dead and was merciless in its dealings while equal parts cold and calculating, Lescar was sure it wouldn't hesitate to discard her if she depleted her use.

It was just such a blackhearted creature, it had no empathy in its heart, no sense of morality, it was just cold, pragmatic and always hungry for more.

Lescar didn't trust her master but that annoying whisper in the back of her mind kept insisting things were fine, perhaps a part of her had been corrupted by the devil before her, even then she still didn't trust it.

Any pretenses the cockroach made of having a heart had to be false, the time it had offered her kind words when fighting that troll must have only been said to save its own shell, she was sure the fatherly air it showered upon the white rat was also an act, A monster so evil looking could never harbor such feelings, It just couldn't!

Lescar was slow to trust people and even slower to trust monsters, even ones she had fought side by side with to survive, she was just that kind of person.

The cockroach was a monster down to its rotten core, it was selfish and manipulative, Lescar wasn't a fool, she had seen its type before on the streets of Octaal all too often, beings with little else but self-gain and rotten desires at their center.

A silver-tongued deceiver, a narcissistic betrayer, a con artist with bloody plans.

A devil... It would destroy her the moment she ceased to be useful, she could not think of any other alternative for this self-serving evil.

But... she had no other option but to stick by this being's side, she needed him and as long as it saw her as useful it would keep her alive, so she endured the cries of her fellow man, turning her head away slightly from the carnage. 

Lescar was no stranger to violence and brutality having lived on the streets for years, a place where one could never be too careful, but even then the scene before her turned her stomach.

Lescar watched from the shadows as Roulette that 'oh so friendly little sister' quite happily tore a man's throat out.

Since Lescar had met the bladed rodent she had constantly felt... pressured? harassed? The little rat had constantly bugged her with questions once the cockroach, in turn, had enough of her pestering, half of the questions being nonsensical blather like.

'Hey! Big sis! Why do walk on two legs? Four is faster!' 

Or

'What's the deal with your butt? Where is your tail? Did you lose it?'

The rat was the least intimidating of the monsters Lescar was surrounded by and to some extent, Lescar found her, perhaps, a little endearing but despite that she had never lowered her guard.

Lescar never truly believed the childish and innocent facade that the white rat had maintained and wasn't surprised when it turned out she was a ruthless killer, she had already seen the rat in action before but this time it was different Roulette seemed very worked up.  

She did not even spare a glance for the bleeding man before dashing forward to attack a second human.

That human was not instantly killed as he jerked to his right, avoiding decapitation, but Roulette was not to be deterred and after a brief period of struggling, Roulette wrenched the injured man towards her before ripping into him with ferocious and delighted zeal, swiftly ending that mans life in a scarlet spray.

However, incited by the mans dying struggles, this time Roulette did not rush forward to attack again, and instead, eyes full of appetite she ripped at the pale human Lescar had heard was named Jaquesin, tearing large chunks of cloth and flesh from the dead man's body.

While the man was certainly dead it still sickened Lescar when Roulette dug into his abdomen disemboweling the corpse in an effort to reach the juicy organs.

Lescar tasted bile in her mouth as she struggled to keep her lunch inside of her, watching other humans even ones who were apparently her enemy be devoured was... unsettling.

The kills that Roulette claimed were not the last and soon others fell to Lescars fellow familiars and her master, slowly but steadily beaten by the devil bugs might.

Dwayne lept from the ceiling flattening one man under his weight and engaging the humans in a lopsided brawl, one that heavily leaned towards the bat's favor.

Her master the devil scythed at the humans with his sharp forelimbs condensing the frontlines.

It appeared like the poor adventurers would soon fall to the monster's greater brute strength.

Even while pity and guilt shrouded her thoughts Lescar did not move to help the people or in any way try to stop the fighting, instead, she stood still.

Lescar played witness to the murder of her fellow man and did nothing, not because she didn't know them but because she was afraid and because a selfish desire burned in her heart.

Her master had promised her she would become a great queen, honestly, she still doubted those words, but... if they were true...

It would be a dream become real, queens never went hungry, never had to grub in the dirt or rob people, or fight off other kids and thugs, she would get to live a life without fear of constant death, and queens were also powerful, very powerful.

Lescar didn't know too much about royalty in general but she did know of the kingdom or perhaps queendom to the east of Octaal, it was ruled by a powerful queen who was treated like a goddess, in fact, Lescar had heard that the people of that land considered her one, and if Lescar herself became a queen like that maybe she could find her brother with all that power.

'Brother...' Lescar felt her eyes begin to water again and quickly stopped thinking about it, now was no time for sentimentalities.

Of course, Lescar's own desires were not the only driving forces behind her actions, fear was also a powerful motivator.

She was afraid of what her master might do if she defied his wishes, afraid of how she would survive if she didn't have the masters support, her insectoid master was not at all a kind creature, but Lescar needed him and for some reason, Lescar had not puzzled together yet, the devil needed her.

On her own even if she escaped the sewers alive she knew her time on the surface would be short-lived, she had been left to die by a noble and if she returned alive it would sully that nobles honor, and nobles took their 'honor' very seriously, thus Lescar was more likely to be assassinated or shanked in some backstreet alley if she simply returned to the surface, but with the master on her side...  

Anger bloomed like a firey weed in Lescar's heart as she remembered why she was even in this precarious situation.

"Cursed Joel... wretched Tiaahn, piece of shit Sereth!" Lescar hissed under her breath, with the master on her side perhaps she could get a little revenge too and not only that...

Lescar knew that her master had plans, big plans, she had no idea what kind of plans they were as the large insect had yet to share them with her, but she knew it wouldn't be something menial.

If Lescar had learned one thing about her Master from the past few days, it was that he was ambitious and didn't think small, and if the bug went on to do something great or terrible Lescar would surely be dragged along.

Maybe during this process, Lescar could succeed, thrive, as despite what grandiose goal her devil of a master might have in mind Lescar felt he actually could pull them off.

Something about the intelligent insect was just alien, unfathomable, her master knew things, things that didn't make sense to Lescar, but a fragment of what the insect was trying to impress on Lescar shone through.

He was on the road to conquest and Lescar could either get on or get trampled.

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The choice between perhaps becoming a queen and death was a simple one.

Lescar's survival and well being took priority over the lives of complete strangers, she found it very sad that the devil would not spare them but her own wellbeing came first, a lesson her brother had drilled into her many years ago, 'don't put your eggs in a strangers basket' was particularly prominent on Lescar's mind.

Lescar had no real option but to put her 'eggs' in the master's basket as the adventurer's basket before her was particularly wretched, they likely couldn't even protect Lescar from the forces on the surface, siding with her master was the best choice here even if she had to harden her heart.

Besides, rebelling against the devil bug would be difficult.

Lescar fingered her neck wincing as the black collar that marked her as a bound slave materialized, the collars were always invisible until touched or revealed by specific magics.

'At least the bug has not forced me to do anything yet.' Lescar mused bitterly, her master may have promised her things but even then being a slave was not a compelling existence, normally it was one filled with great hardships and misery unless you were very lucky.

Lescar was uncertain if she was very lucky, but she sure hoped she was, at least she wasn't as unlucky as the adventurers.

What was happening before her was nothing more than slaughter, a one-sided elimination of humanity, Lescar was not a particularly soft-hearted individual, the streets of Octaal had long since beaten that out of her, but even then she couldn't easily stomach what was happening before her.

"Ughh... Lescar groaned, flinching as Dwayne broke a man's hand badly with a popping crack.

It looked like the humans were finished three men were effectively downed and the rest were struggling vainly, Lescar felt pity again as she watched the desperate expression on the people's faces, they were doomed.

But even as the men seemed doomed to Lescar, they still continued to fight without wavering.

Lescar was impressed by the team's professional resolve, she would have liked to be on a team like this, Lescar felt her heart again ache towards the people who were almost certainly doomed and quickly quelled the feeling, she couldn't afford feelings for dead men.

Having sealed her heart in some part towards the plight of the adventurers, Lescar stepped forward to get a better look, the light of the adventurers' torches flickering on her, she watched with narrowed eyes, studying the adventurer's movements and tactics rather than getting distracted by the blood and gore.

The human adventurers were performing very well considering three of the members already being fatally struck down, parrying attacks and prolonging the conflict, watching more closely Lescar realized something, the adventurers were stalling?

'What could be gained from stalling?' thought Lescar questioningly, if they didn't eliminate the enemy they would never survive, it was impossible for the adventurers to escape, they were surrounded and if they somehow managed to break past either side, they would never outrun Lescars bestial counterparts.

'What are they-' Lescar began but then stopped suddenly understanding lighting upon her as her eyes passed over the blonde woman in the center of the formation.

 Defensive formations, stalling the fight, a seemingly inactive combatant in the safest location.

Lescar had heard of similar tactics, these people were holding out for a spell, probably a powerful one, Lescar had not a clue on how magic really worked even now that she seemed to have some of her own, but she still recognized the signs, another trick courtesy of her missing brother.

Lescar's fellow familiars and her master advanced on the remaining humans oblivious to the looming threat, Lescar couldn't let her master lose, if he lost she was almost definitely a dead woman.

"Master! wai-" Lescar started in her mental voice, but never managed to finish.

Then-

Light, blazing radiance, Lescar could hardly see, so sudden had the flash of light been, she heard a roar of pain a squeak then silence.

Blinking, Lescar shaded her eyes with an empty hand realizing quite suddenly that Dewey was no longer in her hands and that the fight had gone in a bad direction.

Hands glowing like two tiny suns Lescar watched the blonde mage woman blast at Dwayne dropping the bat, injured on its haunches, then the mage turned around and spotted Lescar, previously obscured by the dark now very visible under the sun mages great light.

"Crap!" Lescar said to herself knowing full well she was under scrutiny from a living weapon, if her fellow familiars crumpled forms were anything to judge by.

Hoping her master had some sort of contingency plan Lescar looked towards him, Lescar was not very adept at reading the emotions and thoughts of insects just by their posture, but she thought the master looked apprehensive... and afraid, like at any moment he might turn and flee.

Lescar had already thought he was a coward if a dangerous one, but it was very obvious now, the giant insect was practically scared stiff, the devil would split off and run any second now, she just hoped the giant insect wouldn't leave her behind to die like those noble brats. 

One leg, then two, the giant insect was edging away, slowly retreating, antenna motioning silently for Lescar to follow, Lescar was relieved that the master did not intend to abandon her but also felt some revulsion at his cowardice.

'Was she really enslaved to a coward?'

Lescar did not ponder this any further as soon the blonde mage hurled a bolt of light at the master prompting him to dodge.

Right after that, the blonde mage addressed Lescar in a dispassionate voice.

"Don't move or you'll find yourself nursing a foot wide hole in your chest."

Lescar had no idea what she should do at this point, running forward to attack felt futile, even with her increased physical capability she doubted her ability to avoid beams of light and flee was viable either, indecisive, Lescar didn't answer the blonde mage, remaining silent despite her speeding thoughts.

"Tell them nothing, little girl" her master spat, a slight but notable tremble in his voice.

Even if he were losing right now and was a coward Lescar still felt her best bet was with the bug so she gave no answer to the blonde mage who looked at Lescar with narrowed glaring eyes.

Stepping forward a second woman questioned Lescar, this one was old and gnarled looking like a weathered oak, she held a long spear at the ready in her off-hand.

"Who are you? and why have you attacked us?" 

Lescar didn't answer this person either and just looked around trying to observe any obvious flaws she could exploit, there were none.

The old woman gritted her teeth as if tasting something unpleasant and said with barely contained resentment.

"I said, who are you? and why have you attacked us?"

A second bolt of light crashed into the floor by Lescars feet, turning the spot into molten slag, a clear threat, and warning.

Once more Lescar said nothing glancing up at the old lady with defiant eyes, but she was getting very anxious now, when would her master take action, fleeing or attacking would be better than standing around and dying, she hoped he hurried up and came to a conclusion.

These adventurers were quickly growing tired of her silence.

"Tight-lipped huh?" The crone said with open hostility "Well I'm sure the city Guard and interrogators will beat it out of you!"

Motioning to the blonde woman beside her, the old woman gestured at Lescar.

"You can blame this on your own poor decisions," the blonde said derisively to Lescar, obvious disdain and hate on her face as her hands begin to glow brighter. 

Lescar did not like the sound of that one bit.

Glancing at her master Lescar saw him moving away in subtle shifts,

The giant insect kept slowly edging away and Lescar was waiting for him to make a sudden dash for safety, but instead, suddenly, he stopped.

Expecting the masters plain fear and trembling to continue, Lescar was surprised by what came next as the massive invertebrate's atmosphere changed once more.

Lescar saw his head swivel pointing to where Dwayne was lying, head tilting slowly before his Jaws clamped together hard making strained creaking distressing sounds as he crushed his jaws together, Lescar felt something strong and clear roll off him, anger, indignation, rage and hunger and finally something softer.

It was clear that the dying and mortally injured Dwayne had said something, something that had relit the fires of the master's desire to fight, but whatever it was Lescar had not heard it as Dwayne had not shared the message with her.

Her master straightened no longer low to the ground and retreating, but standing at his maximum height and glaring, eyes once more focused in on the enemy and not the exit.

'What had Dwayne said that had inspired this change?' Lescar had not a clue but the true power broiling inside her master could no longer be denied.

Something burst, and Lescar felt a strength unlike any other rolling over her soaking her in its potency filling her with its might and triggering a violent response.

Abruptly Lescar was assaulted by an ungodly sensation as the power continued to course through her like a typhoon, it was a terrible feeling, like sinking into fetid muddy waters but it was not your body that was stuck but your mind, waking up something inside her.

But at the same time, it was exhilarating, invigorating and dimly Lescar realized that she had felt this way one other time before.

Lescar knew something was wrong, she felt... changed, but her brain, too caught up in the high could barely register that, as another compulsion from the darkest recesses of her soul surfaced and the conscious part of Lescar was swallowed up in a red mist.

"Heh heh... heh heh heh..."

Lescar began to giggle she couldn't contain herself, 'it just felt so... so...'

'Delicious! the humans looked absolutely scrumptious.' Lescar suddenly forgot what she had been thinking and instead felt her attention drawn to the walking meat bags in front of her, a thin trail of drool dripped out of the corner of her open mouth as she eyed the humans, the foes of her beloved master.

"Hee hee hee... Hee! hee! hee!"

Lescar giggled with barely contained joy, 'six meat bags to offer to her beloved master.'

'No... wait...' Lescar said scratching her head even as she chuckled violently, the tiny voice that represented Lescars waking conscious crying out in a tiny voice trying to convince the other part of herself to stop.

'What if... I took those meat bags for myself? the master surely doesn't need that many...'

The tiny voice inside Lescar was drowned out more and more by a laughter, a laughter Lescar had heard only in her dreams but now instead it was her voice laughing.

"Hee hee HAAA! HAAAA! Heee! hee! HAH! HAH! HEE! HEE! HE! HAAH! HAAH!"

Normally this would make Lescar fearful, unsettled, petrified, but she was in no state to think such logical thoughts. 

Seeing Lescar's sudden change in mood and feel, the adventurers looked suddenly unsettled, uncertain, restored confidence wavering, 'It was cute.'

Unable to help herself Lescar dropped into a low runner's stance eager to dash forward and tear into the fodder before her, the darkest wants of her being, and desires alien to her, mixing into a potent bloodlust.

'Come here children of the garden! Let me feast on your essence! let me draw out your hearts! Let me ascend once more!'

Foreign words and thoughts ran across Lescar's mind as the laughter grew ever louder, the whispers of her other half growing more and more distant.

Lescar was just about to dart forward when a presence jostled her, startling her out of her bloodthirsty reverie.

"Enough"

"Ma- Master?"

Lescar's head cleared, and the laughter died down forced back under by the master's inquiring presence, subdued but not silent, dizzy, confused and still more than a little hazy on things Lescar listened to the bugs words. 

"Drawback Lescar, you said you didn't want to participate earlier" 

Fully noticing for the first time how abnormal her thoughts had been Lescar felt sick to her bones, that hunger she had been experiencing turning into revulsion.

'Had she wanted to eat people?' Lescar felt her face turn green as she remembered the desires she had possessed but seconds ago.

Lescar's head was clearer than before but still bogged down with unnatural weight she responded slowly, with some effort.

"Yes... But its hard to focus what did you do? I feel strange... wrong..."

The large cockroach seemed to sigh before it gave a brisk command, not a trace of that earlier fear in its motions.

"I have done this before but it seems you forgot last time, just drawback and try to resist whatever crazy urge you get, I will explain later."

Still dazed, Lescar nodded and moving at speed she didn't know she could reach, raw power still flowing through her, she left the glade retreating into the cave, she knew that her master wouldn't lose now or at least that nagging if gentle whispering voice was telling her that. 

Lescar remembered that tantalizing and awful feeling that came over her when she lost herself and shivered, the only things that had stopped her from completely losing herself had been that quiet whisper and the master's presence, what was wrong with her?

The brief time in that state made her powerful but also less, less her, less Lescar, it was frightening, would this happen again? would she stop being her?

Sitting on a patch of soft moss, the one she had been using as a bed for the past few days, Lescar pulled her knees together and hugged them to her chest, her remaining hand still clutching the old sword at her waist.

What was wrong with her...

Lescar felt tears begin to surface in her eyes and with no one to watch, she let them flow.

The battle between man and monster raged on outside the cave, Lescar heard her masters screech, she heard the adventurers shout and scream, and she heard thousands of little feet scamper and crawl, she couldn't care less at the moment.

Her tears wet her sword which shimmered strangely once more before Lescar pulled the scabbard and sword from her waist, clutching it to her chest as if were a teddy bear.

It was all too much, her brother had disappeared, leaving her to fend for herself, she had been betrayed attacked belittled by those who thought themselves superior, enslaved by a monster and now not even her mind was her own.

Time passed as Lescar sat consumed with her own worries, sobbing quietly in a cave, alone in the dark, the gentle whispering voice in Lescar's head went quiet leaving Lescar to her mourning.

So consumed with her sorrow, Lescar failed to notice that she was not as alone as she thought she was, until it was too late.

A vengeful shadow appeared behind her sword raised, ready to dish out his hatred.

He had no compassion for witches.

Not anymore.