The recalled halls of the past...

"Its s- s- so c- cold! Where c-could br- brother b- be!! I hope h- he's ok"

A voice said in between chattering teeth as the owner of that voice tried to curl into a ball. attempting to protect her trembling limbs from the frigid bite of natures freeze.

Even in the urban heart of Octaal city, the winter chill reached here. Nowhere was safe from mother nature's constant harsh hand.

Shivering and filled with a sense of ever-present trepidation, a small and bony child sat trembling under a thin rag like blanket, a blanket that was more hole than cloth. An even thinner and more weathered rag serving as a makeshift shelter as it lay stretched across a crude tied-together wooden frame. The simple shabby structure doing little to shield the little girl within from the falling snowflakes and cold.

Nose red from the chill, and fingers aching as she shivered uncontrollably, the small girl pulled the patchy covering around her tighter. Patiently, if worriedly, waiting for her older brother to return.

He had left earlier in the day back before it had started to snow, promising to return with some food and better shelter against the winter, but had not returned since then and now it was nearing nightfall.

Alone and isolated in an alley out of the direct path of the frostbitten winds, the girls' mind drifted back over the course of her own life, in an attempt to distract herself from the steadily dropping temperatures.

The little girl had not known her parents well, one of the last memories of her mother before she had been chased out, being that of a passed out woman surrounded by bottles, and the stink of alcohol. Something that she had seen one final time only hours before she had been thrown from the ramshackle rented house.

She had only been one year old at the time, so most of what happened was incomprehensible to her now, but she definitively remembered having an enraged intoxicated mother pick her up by the hair and toss her out the door, after calling her a useless drain on her resources, before beginning to beat her mercilessly.

As for her father, only her older brother knew anything about him, refusing to say much about the man other than that he was a selfish asshole. Only rare bitter stories about her father ever surfacing from her older brother's mouth when he was feeling melancholy.

The little girl did not miss her mum or her dad for that matter. She did not remember much but she did remember that her mum was always either yelling at her or throwing empty bottles instead.

It had even been a relief when she was thrown headfirst from the house that final time. Her only true family, the one she shared any meaningful bond with, her older brother, abandoning sure food and shelter just to protect her.

Her older brother had stalked from the house after hearing their mother's drunken rage, spotting the adult woman beating his sister and coming to her rescue, putting himself between his mother and his younger sibling, trying to stop the adult in her violent tracks.

"Mum! Stop! STOP!!!" 

Even then their mother had not stopped and continued in a blind intoxicated fury, to punch and claw at the little girl, instead, pummeling and carving bloody grooves into her son, who stood still, unblinking but with eyes that steadily were beginning to fill with tears as the crazed woman lashed out.

"Little shits... useless little leaches... you don't do anything! I DO EVERYTHING!!! YOU TWO ARE JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER! SINFUL! GOOD FOR NOTHINGS! LIVING AT MY EXPENSE!!! I BET YOU WILL RUN AWAY AND LEAVE JUST LIKE HIM!!! YOU UNGRATEFUL SHITS!!! WELL GO AND LEAVE THEN!!!"

A particularly heavy fist slammed into the small girl's brother squashing one of his eyes shut as it began to rapidly swell up.

Even while taking a beat down, her older brother had tried to calm their mother down, his arms held before him in a gesture of passiveness, his one open eye, watering with emotion more than pain, as fists rained down on him.

"Mum... We... Wouldnt..". Her brother had begun only to be interrupted by desperate screeching.

"Shut up! SHUT UUUUUP!!! 

The light of insanity shining in the woman's eyes, the little girl had felt more scared than any other time at that point in her life. The look of absolute madness and desperation in her mother's gaze had been terrifying.

The little girl had cowered behind her brother, listening as words like this were screeched over and over, the rush of blows and tearing nails not slowing down until eventually, huffing and panting, fists bloodied. the Inebriated adult staggered back into the house, bloodshot eyes unfocused, making it inside before a distinct crash rang out followed by quiet sobbing.

She had collapsed into a stupor on the floor just inside the house.

Her brother had only been eleven at the time and had been severely bruised and beaten by the larger adult, even if she was a woman, It had not mattered, he had been only eleven.

This had not been the first occasion their mother had exploded out of control but it was the only time the little girl remembered with any clarity, the outburst being the most vivid.

After shielding his younger sister from their mother's wrath, the little girl remembered her brother saying aloud, one eye swollen and black as a few tears leaked from it, his breathing rapid and fists clenched. 

"That's it... We- we can't stay here anymore..."

Scarlet streams running down her brother's torn face, mixing with the already present tears, her silent brother had possessed a look in his eyes that spoke of pent up resentment. A spark of malice fanned by abuse into a hateful flame that was directed at where their drunken mother had just wandered off too. 

A Mother's last gifts to her son, his face was stony and stoic with barely contained anger.

After her mother had left, not fully understanding things. The little girl had remembered clambering to her bruised legs to touch her brother's face, cupping her older brother's chin as he stared vehemently at their mother's house.

"Taldur! your hurt! you need a bandage!"

The raging inferno in her older brother Taldur's one good eye had died down before petering out completely as he had turned it towards her, a softer regard in his eye as he gently brushed her tiny hands away before glancing back at the house one more time.

Expression narrowed on his eleven-year-olds face, Taldur had muttered in a more controlled voice.

" I'm fine Lescar... come on we are leaving, ...She isn't our mum anymore."

With those even words and on that very same night, her older brother had gone through the house taking anything that might be useful before they had both disappeared into the night, leaving their unconscious mother where she lay in a whimpering stupor. 

It had been 5 years since then, and now things were different if just as hard. Lescar was six now, and while she no longer had to worry about her mother attacking her; that woman having died a year after both she and Taldur ran away. She now had other problems.

Namely, at the moment, as she sat in her worn through tent, that it was very very cold and she was hungry. Two sensations that she had grown quite familiar with, in her and her older brothers struggle against the unforgiving nature of life.

The 5 years of living on the streets in hovels, begging for scraps, had not been pleasant, but then Lescar had never known much else, being grateful for the few coins that were tossed her way even if what little she managed to beg barely afforded Lescar enough to fill her belly.

In fact, the amount she did manage to get from her daily begging was so little that she could not even afford a bowl of gruel with a week's worth of earnings.

If she had been by herself, she was sure she would have starved by now, but somehow every now and then, her brother would inexplicably disappear only to appear with armfuls of either food, clothes, or even small satchels of coins.

Lescar was not sure how exactly her brother obtained these life-saving items that he had continually managed to secure, but every time he came back from disappearing, his eyes were a little harder, a little more full of steel and little colder. Those eyes always turned gentle when he looked at her, but at all other times, his eyes were sharp and piercing.

Taldur was not the same person he had first been when Lescar had been just one. She had seen her brother beat down a low ranking noble for purposefully stepping on Lescar's hands when she put them up to beg.

He had shattered the noble's jaw by slamming the young noble's chin into the sidewalk before stomping on the back of his neck and breaking all the man's teeth, fury and intense hatred blazing in his murderous glare as he had beaten the pampered noble to the point where the noble was reduced to sobbing toothless on the ground.

It had taken Lescar begging him to stop before Taldur had restrained himself from beating the noble any further.

That toothless noble had never touched another little girl again, and Lescar and Taldur had had to stay low profile for a long while until the guards stopped searching, something only possible because Taldur made sure both of them looked as unremarkable as possible, Lescar even having to dirty her hair with ash at all times to keep her distinctive auburn hair hidden, a color that was exceedingly rare here in the city of Octaal.

That event had been over a year ago now, and her brother had only continued to grow ever more bleak in his outlook since then. Still returning in between long intervals with new bundles of precious goods that she still had not a clue from whence they came.

Even though he continued to grow harder and more morose, Lescar never felt as if she was in danger around her older brother, instead she worried for Taldur's wellbeing when he was gone, Doing her best to keep their tiny hovel clean, and the more valuable odds and ends hidden, in a small effort to help her brother out.

Not that her help seemed needed.

With brutal efficiency, Taldur obliterated any fellow street urchin that threatened Lescar even remotely, until most of the small-time criminals and petty thieves got the idea, stay away from Lescar or get hurt. Her brother in the process, even gaining a loose street name and a reputation to match as his victories over his fellow street urchins kept piling up.

 'Grinner the jawbreaker.'

As a result of her brother's fierce reputation, the locals in the area rarely troubled Lescar, her brother's little title and reputation keeping the more dangerous opportunists at bay.

A reputation Lescar was told by her friend, another street kid called Mart, that her brother had gotten because when he fought, he often had a creepy weird smile on his face, even when he was getting hurt.

Mart was not wrong, Lescar had seen that look on her brother's face many times, always when he was fighting.

Despite her brother's odd and often intimidating qualities, Lescar had faith in Taldur, but also feared for him.

Of late, Taldur had been especially on edge when he got back from his excursions, his eyes constantly glancing behind him as if checking for someone, even though she knew he didn't need to do that in order to know whether or not he was being tailed.

Something wasn't quite right about that behavior, was there something illegitimate about how her brother got his supplies...

Even Lescar, with her 6-year-old mind, knew that people wouldn't take kindly to ill-gotten products and their new owners.

Anyone caught stealing by the city guard could have a finger or even an entire hand lopped off as punishment, a fate Lescar did not wish upon her dear brother.

She would just have to hope that her brother came home in one piece like he always did-

*Rrrrrrrrrrr!*

An audible rumble interrupted the young girl's thoughts. Her stomach restlessly turning in on itself, the hunger pushing itself into the forefront of her mind.

Rubbing her barely existent gut, the six-year-old Lescar grimaced.

She also hoped Taldur had something to eat this time when he got back.

She was getting hungry enough to try eating the worn leather shoes she had gotten from Taldurs last haul.

Although... if she did that, she wouldn't have anything to cover her feet against the freezing cold, and it was reaaaally cold. Lescar had seen other kids toes fall off from not having shoes during winter, her friend Mart had even taken to collecting these lost toes.

A hobby Lescar did not share with her eccentric friend, It was a grotesque past time.

Unable to decide between eating her shoes to fill her stomach, or leaving them to keep her toes intact, Lescar picked a middle ground instead, chewing on the fabric of her blanket in a bid to placate her demanding hunger, not swallowing or ripping into it but mouthing it mindlessly.

The cloth tasted awful, it had not been washed in a long time, but Lescar didn't care, she needed something to distract her right now or she was going to eat her shoes and lose her toes to frostbite.

It was a real dilemma.

Staring out the rips in her tent-like hovel, Lescar gazed with unfocused eyes towards the snow strewn horizon. A single thought on her mind.

'Come on Taldur please come home...'

Slowly however her mind slipped towards other things as she watched the snow gradually pile up around her tent on the uneven cobble floor. Each snowflake falling ponderously slowly, Lescar sat in a trance just observing the sky's white powder fall.

She did not like the cold, but she had long grown numb to it, even taking to watching it fall when she had little other choice.

The snow was pretty if looked at in a detached way, the tiny structures of the falling snowflakes being so intricate and complicated that Lescar sometimes wondered if they really were handcrafted by faires.

She'd heard from Mart, that it was fairies that made snow the way it was, but she wasn't sure that was the case, because there were a lot of snowflakes, and those fairies couldn't possibly have the time to carve each one out. That would just be a waste, not to mention Mart liked to say lots of random things, the fellow street kid being a bit of a weirdo.

'But...' the little girl thought as the snow continued to fall, 'If fairies were the ones making all the snow I would want them to take a long break from their job.'

It was plenty cold in Octaal, so those fairies did not need to work so hard anymore. That's what Lescar thought anyways...

'Even though it was cold, at least none of the monsters that appeared only in winter ever made it into the city,' Lescar considered vaguely as her teeth chattered.

Every year during winter, a period of time nicknamed the monster solstice or sometimes the frostpurge would take place, various hostile monsters appearing in large numbers for at least a week before vanishing just as quickly.

No one knew where these monsters came from or where they went once a monster solstice ended, but the results were always the same. the creatures would attack anyone who they saw oftentimes causing regular damage to both lives and livelihoods.

While it always lasted at least a week, a single frost purge could last as long as the entirety of winter.

Mart swore on his lucky stars that he had seen one of these fierce winter monsters, but Lescar doubted those claims, the creatures were supposedly especially vicious and never left anyone alive in their wake unless they were slain.

Mind drifting away from her friend Mart, Lescar continued to idly watch the snow fall, almost failing to notice the crunching footsteps of someone's approach.

Blinking and snapping to attention, Lescar narrowed her eyes, squinting at the approaching figure still shrouded by the snowfall, people rarely ever came down this alleyway and when they did it was best to be on guard.

Slowly getting to her feet, Lescar prepared to flee. Even if it was nothing but a passerby she could not afford to be careless. The last time she had been too carefree she had almost been kidnapped by a passing slaver. Only her brother's timely arrival stopping the man from carting her away for the slave trade.

In a slight crouch now, Lescar was ready to sprint off if the need arose, her narrowed eyes tracking the person's movements.

The person was not particularly large as far as Lescar could tell, but they were tall, and possessed a certain gait Lescar found notable as they struggled under the weight of a large clump of what looked like a bundle of cloth, the material being so bountiful the person's face was not visible behind its mass.

Peering around the corner of her tent Lescar eyed the approaching man carefully, the desire to flee ebbing away. She was pretty certain she knew who this was, and she was overjoyed to see him.

Waiting in the interior of the patchy tent, Lescar paused a little longer before the man holding the bundle of clothes stopped several paces away before calling out in a tired but very comforting voice.

"Gee, I wonder if a certain sister of mine would like to come out and help her older brother unload the haul, maybe then he would share some of this delicious candy he managed to acquire."

Breaking out into a smile, Lescar burst from the tent before running over and hugging the young man* in a tight embrace, almost knocking the boy over with her enthusiasm.

"Brother your back! I was worried!"

With one hand her older brother patted her on the head before saying in a drained but happy voice.

"Sorry about that, I ran into some complications while I was out, but I think, I managed to deal with them."

Face still mostly hidden behind the clump of goods he was carrying, Lescar watched as his single visible amber eye blinked down at her belatedly if warmly as she clung to his waist.

"Are you going to let go? Not all of the stuff I'm carrying deals to well with the cold you know Lescar."

"Oh y- yeah!" Lescar said stepping away as she wiped some of the tears that had sprung unbidden into her eyes, "Let me help."

Together, the two of them moved the things her brother had managed to get into the small tent, there was a lot of stuff. Her brother had not been idle.

Not only had brother managed to get a whole lot of warm, if oversized looking clothes, he had also grabbed a large collection of assorted baked goods, ones that Lescar had only ever seen through glass windows, a couple of pouches of coins, and even a new thick tarp for the tent.

And finally, on top of all of that, her brother had also gotten a small bag of sweet-smelling candies.

Lescar's favorite item out of the bunch, she had only tried them on one other occasion, but she had never forgotten the sweetness.

Stacking the less valuable items into a dry corner of the tent, while the more prized ones were carefully stashed away, Lescar lay her brother's two shortswords off to the side carefully. Taldur had never let her hold them unsheathed, and she had never seen him use them, having gotten them from some sort of exotic trade he had made two years ago.

Shrugging as the short thought of where the swords actually came from fell away from her attention, Lescar bent over to pick up one of the heavy coats, slipping the large jacket over her shoulders, the oversized coat coming to hang down by her ankles even when she rolled the hems up.

Pinching the fluffy underfelt of her coat between her fingers Lescar cheerfully huggged her arms to her sides. It may have been too large for her and smelt of smoke, but Lescar didn't care, it was thick, warm, and would keep the cold from her extremities. It was perfect.

Feeling like a newlywed in her fresh coat, no longer hostage to the chilling air, Lescar was quick to settle on the floor next to her brother as he sorted through his own pile of loot.

The two of them now settled on the floor inside the shelter of their small tent, Lescar asked curiously as she clutched merrily at the fabric of her jacket.

"Where did you get all this from Taldur? they're so good!" Lescar said, having taken a liking to the baggy clothes.

"Well..." Taldur said, amber eyes turning away wistfully, "Let's just say those who didn't need them graciously donated them to us..."

"Really?!" Lescar said surprised but pleased as she picked up a loaf of bread ready to rip it in half, "How lucky, they must have been nice people then."

"Oh yes... Very nice people."

Lescar blinked at the odd tone in Taldur's voice before looking at her older brother, he was refusing to look at her as he stared off to the side with a determined if bitter frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" Lescar said concernedly, placing down the of the loaves of bread on the clean fold of cloth it had been wrapped in.

Even though she was really hungry, it could wait a moment. something was strange with her brother's behavior.

"Hmm?" Her brother said before turning towards her and smiling, the frown falling from his face, "Oh! Nothing's wrong little sister, I was just thinking that's all."

The smile on her brother's scraggly bearded face was wide but something in his eyes said that was not what he was actually feeling.

Squinting as she peered at Taldur, Lescar studied her older brother, taking in his appearance.

Taldur was large for 14-year-old, having sprouted into a being almost as big as most men, with a lean wiry build that lent itself to speed and endurance over brute power. Not that her brother wasn't been able to dish out the hurt when he needed to, chasing off many would-be predators, people, and beasts alike.

Her brother had angular features and a strong jaw covered in a sparse and somewhat scraggly beard, his beard being the same color and temperament as his hair, auburn, and straight much like Lescar's own hair.

Taldur also had bright amber irises, being considerably lighter than Lescar's darker honey-colored one's.

Looking up at her older brother, Lescar asked slowly.

"Is that true? Is nothing wrong brother? you look kind of bothered..."

Under her constant wide-eyed gaze, Taldurs smile twitched before wilting into a more, actively exhausted look, a slight upturn of his lips stopping him short of looking haggard.

"Huh," Taldur said before combing his left hand through his greasy hair with an exaggerated sigh, "well Lescar, you are a sharp one for a kid, guess I shouldn't expect anything less from my own little sister."

Reaching out to ruffle Lescar's hair affectionately with his other hand, a more genuine grin settled on Taldur's face as he leaned back, pausing for a moment before saying aloud.

"I was just thinking of having you join me when I went on my little supply runs in the future, you know, teaching you the ropes and all that, what do you think?"

Lescar's mouth was frozen mid breath as she heard that. Her brother would let her come? In the past, he had done all in his power to keep her from accompanying him when he went on his supply runs.

But now he was just offering to take her with him.

Lescar could not turn that down, she wanted to see how her brother did it, so she in turn could do it and help her brother out.

She wanted to carry her weight, to be useful, to support her brother like he supported her.

She wanted to be capable.

Without any further needed thought, Lescar blurted out.

"Yes! I want to come with you next time."

Lescar expected Taldur to smile again like he normally did to such enthusiasm, but this time he remained silent an indescribable look in his eyes as he watched her before he said without emphasis.

"Alright... Next time I go out, you will be coming with me, be sure to listen when I do, otherwise, I won't bring you again."

A little perturbed by her brother's uncharacteristic response, Lescar still quickly managed to say, "Yes! I'll listen! I'll get good at supply runs too!"

Expression still blank, save for something Lescar couldn't identify in Taldur's eyes, her brother nodded before saying in a more animated manner as he pulled the bag of candies around to the front of his lap.

"Now, Let's see what kind of delights I managed to get us ey?"

"Oh! Yes! Yes!" Lescar said her eyes lighting up with childish desire, briefly forgetting about her brother's odd actions as he dangled the unknown confectionaries in front of the six-year-old girl.

After the two of them swiftly put the new and considerably less hole-ridden tarp over the frame of the tent, the two siblings settled down to enjoy their meal, in a simple, if relative comfort.

The simple fare was delicious to the two homeless children and together they finished off two whole loaves of bread with some thick slices of cheese that Taldur had also managed to obtain.

It was a feast for one as deprived as Lescar and the best part had yet to come.

'The candies!'

Barely being able to restrain herself after they had finished eating their fill of bread, Lescar took a single candy after her brother opened the pack and popped it into her mouth.

For a blissful few seconds Lescar chewed, the candy was smooth creamy and melted in her mouth, but most of all it was sweet, exquisitely so.

"Mmmmm! Its soooo good!" Lescar said as she finished the first candy, eyes glittering as she ran on the spot, earlier fatigue from the cold forgotten as she lifted her hands up in a begging posture, "More please!"

Laughing as he chewed on his own candy, her brother handed her a second piece, "Careful sis I hear these things rot your teeth if you eat too many." Taldur snickered.

"That can't be true!" Lescar replied still running on the spot as she put the second candy into her mouth before clasping her sweet-filled cheeks in bliss. 

"There is no way something that tastes this good! Can be bad for you! It's not possible!"

Chortling and shaking his head Her older brother went to put another candy in his mouth before he stopped suddenly, dropping the candy he had been holding onto the floor as he froze up.

Not immediately noticing her brother's aberrant movements, Lesacr said with a squeal, "Taldur you just wasted one!" the small girl reaching down to pick the candy up before brushing it off and holding it up to her still brother, "here I got it for you, It's a bit-"

"Quiet!" Taldur hissed abruptly, his whole light-hearted demeanor from earlier completely dispersed, replaced with that steely-eyed hardness he often possessed.

Cutting her own voice off, Lescar remained silent, her brother had sensed something. Somehow her brother always knew when something dangerous or hostile was nearby, a sort of supernatural intuition he had been born with.

Lescar called her brother's intuition the 'spy-free sense' since he always seemed to know when someone was watching him.

Pushing the bag of sweets into Lescar's hands Taldur inched to his feet, gradually reaching for the two sheathed shortswords before he gestured to Lescar with a single finger to his lips then to the tent floor 'to stay quiet and stay here.'

Just as her brother was about to leave the tent he turned his head and whispered in a deadly serious voice.

"Whatever you hear, do not come out of the tent... I will be back."

Nodding in understanding Lescar bit her lips as her brother pushed open the tent flap before stepping outside. She had no idea what could be the trouble, but she hoped whatever happened, it worked out for both of them.

Moving to the entrance flap of the tent, Lescar peeked through the slight parting in the thick tarp getting an incomplete but pretty good view of what was going on outside.

Ears twitching and eyes staring, the little girl watched the proceedings outside with dread-filled obligation, had that nobles servants found them?

Blinking Lescar watched Taldur stand in the empty alley, his shortswords hidden behind his back, tied securely under his clothes as he stood alone before three armed men, each one as tall or taller than he was, possessing unseemly wolfish expressions as they leered at the lone Taldur, the three men pacing around him like sharks.

One of the men being far more visible than the other two as he wore the odd mixture of a floral patterned button-up shirt and a pair of shorts, a wardrobe choice very out of place here, considering the large amounts of snow all around.

None of the men looked that old, and the oldest of them, the one wearing floral print, could have only been about 19 years of age, but that did not take away from the clear air of violence and intimidation that hung over them, each one being older than Taldur easily.

Unaffected by this and without waiting for the three young men to speak, Taldur said with a cold voice.

"What do you three want?"

Briefly taken back by Taldurs direct and fearless words, the three men shared a glance with one another before one stopped circling and stepped forward with a wry grin.

The one that stepped forward was the middlemost youth who wore the out of place floral shirt, a strongly hooked nose like the beak of an eagle being the youth's next most prominent feature. With a confident 'hmmph!' the floral man looked Taldur up and down before snorting and glancing back at his two followers behind him, a bemused and entertained expression coloring his face as he turned back around to face the waiting Taldur.

In Lescar's six-year-old head this man's name was surely hooknose.

"Oooooohh! so stout so brave!" Hooknose grinned while shaking a finger at Taldur, "Looks like my two buddies here owe me a drink, you see we made a bet on whether or not you would crumble and cower the moment the three of us showed up at your doorstep, and it looks like I was right, you didn't."

Taldur did not respond immediately, as the two young men looming behind him grunted and the leader looked increasingly amused, but continued on speaking regardless.

"I'm sure you are wondering why I and my boys are here today" the hooked nosed man stated out loud to the silent Taldur, as he casually approached, his two men spreading out either side, "well it's rather simple, were here to teach you a lesson you- POACHING PICKPOCKET!"

Before the young thug leader had even finished his sentence, his fist slammed into Taldur's gut doubling Lescar's older brother over, the wind knocked from his lungs. The other two men behind Taldur holding him in place as they seized his arms.

Lescar gasped and clutched at her mouth as she watched, she had expected her brother to weave to the side and hit the hooknose man with a straight left, not stand still and take the blow. 

'Her brother was faster than that! she'd seen him do it before! What was going on?!'

Flexing his fingers casually and cracking his knuckles, the hook-nosed man kept speaking as if he had never stopped, his two goons holding Taldur still as he sucked in great gasps of air.

"You see, Grinner, Your alibi is Grinner right?" the hookman asked looking at the non-responsive younger boy before shrugging and moving on, "We run a tight ship around these parts, and we like it when everyone knows how things work, and my boss the Boffer loves that particular principle the most," the hook-nosed youth said with a nonchalant shrug, "so it really upsets him when a crummy little nobody like you, steals things on his turf without paying the fee first, It gets him really riled up you see, and when he gets all riled up, he makes life hard for rest of us honest thieves, just. like. THIS!!!"

Three more fists slammed into Taldur as Lescar watched horrified, one driving the air from his lungs again, another striking her brother in the ribs and the last cracking against her brother's face, snapping his head sideways.

"Brother..." Lescar whimpered as she clutched at the tarp.

Why wasn't he fighting back? Her brother always fought back.

A couple more blows resounded into Taldurs gut before the lead thug stopped then motioned for his two underlings to let go, dropping Taldur unceremoniously into the slush of the street before the lead thug turned away, speaking once more in a formal fashion.

"Now, normally when someone encroaches on our turf and touches our marks, we execute them on the spot, but with you, I have a little deal to make."

"..."

Lescar's brother did not respond and made no sign of listening as he spat out a mouthful of slush onto the floor.

Ignoring any perceived rudeness, hooknose turned back to face Taldur, explaining further, "You, my young friend, are a pickpocket and thieving natural, it took me quite some time to track you down, and I consider myself somewhat of a professional when it comes to that, which means you have skills."

Crouching down suddenly before Taldur the lead man said while gesturing to his two underlings.

"I want those skills for myself, as in, I want you to join my little posse," hooknose said smilingly, running a hand through his hair casually as he talked down to the floor strewn younger man, "Ordinarily when recruiting people I prefer not to rough them up, but I am obligated to do this much at least by my own boss, if not, he would have my neck."

The colorfully dressed man adjusted his collar having said that with a wince before offering a hand to the downed Taldur, a confidant smirk sitting on his face.

"So, do you want to join me?" Hooknose asked smugly, "The benefits include protection from my more bloodthirsty and merciless associates, or my boss for that matter," Hooknose added tapping his nose, "almost complete free reign on what you can steal, a cut from any jobs you help with, and a free dental appointment once a month! Is that good or what! what do you say?!"

Lescar couldn't see her brother's expression, as he was facing away from her, but she could clearly hear the solid conviction in Taldur's voice when he pulled himself into a sitting position before saying with a steady if subdued voice.

"... No..."

The smirk fading from the his previously smug face, Hooknoses brows rose with surprise as he leaned closer with a single ear, disbelief etched on his features.

"What was that? did I hear you correctly? For a second there I thought you said no? which can't be correct, because that would be suicide!"

Tapping his proffered ear again hooknose wagging his other finger coughed before saying with an oily and slightly exasperated voice.

"Come on now, what could the harm be in joining my little band of friends here, you know that if you aren't part of my group, you will inevitably run into my compatriots, and face a much harsher punishment than the little beating you have received from me, so-"

Sitting up sharply and glaring at hooknose Lescar watched as her older brother said in a low interrupting growl.

"...I said no."

Jerking back with a distinctive frown, Hooknose looked briefly angered, before a short flash of what may have been respect glinted in his eyes, the strangely dressed man sighing and straightening up, a more neutral and whimsical air to him than earlier.

"Tsk tsk, what a shame," Hooknose clicked, before shaking his head in disappointment, "Well, I'm a merciful guy so after my boy's here give you a proper thrashing, maybe you will come to your senses before anyone else from the gang shows up and purree's you."

Turning away with swaggering steps, Hooknose began to walk, gesturing back dismissively as he strode on.

"Alright fellas, have at em, come back once you finish up, just be sure to leave him in one thinking piece."

"Yes boss," one of the heavyset men either side of Taldur grunted with a coarse chuckle.

Nodding as he shifted his head slightly at his goons words, Hooknose walked to the corner of the alley before he paused and said briefly as he turned to look back at the bruised Taldur.

"Oh, and I go by the name of Beaky, so be sure to remember that if you change your mind Grinner."

Eyes gleaming with a shrewd light, Beaky stared at Taldur, offering his words of farewell.

"I will be waiting at Sintels corner if you want to revisit your employment options, just ask for me by name and the others should leave you alone, but until then, Toodaloo."

With that last statement, the so-called 'Beaky' vanished around the bend in the alley, leaving just his two thugs behind.

Lescar was tempted to run out at that moment and help her brother up, but she remembered his strict words to stay in the tent, and so she remained still, jittering at the edge of the tarp.

Taldur would kick their butts, she had never seen him lose before, he'd just let that third guy get away unscathed so he could beat the other two by themselves.

Turning to look at each other with pleased expressions as Taldur began to clamber to his feet, the two thugs in a sort of synchronized movement kicked the smaller youth in the back, flinging the younger boy off his feet back into the slush filled mud where he tumbled before coming to a stop.

Now facing towards Lescar and the tent after the tumble, Lescar could see the constrained icy rage in her brother's eyes as he once more slowly rose to his knees, the goons already advancing on him.

'Now that there are only two of them,' Lescar thought as she watched pensively, 'surely brother can beat them.'

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She had seen him beat up small groups of other people before on different occasions when other street livers had gotten rowdy, so he could win this time too!

The henchmen arriving before Taldur swiftly, the results were not what Lescar wanted to see.

Instead of lashing out and fighting back like Lescar expected Taldur to do,  she instead watched aghast as Taldur was beaten one-sidedly, with her brother making no attempt to fight back, instead only protecting his vitals and head as the two goons bashed, kicked, and stomped at him.

With a heavy kick that sent Taldur rolling away from the force, the bigger of the two goons said disappointedly with a huff, a distinct grimace on his face as Taldur simply lay there staring up stonily at them.

"Ahhhh! its no fun when they don't put up a resistance Hanks" 

"What do you mean Yort?" the second slightly smaller goon said wrinkling his brows as he kicked at the curled up Taldur, "It's better this way, then we can just get the job done and leave."

"Yeah, I guess..." The hulking Yort said hesitantly before replying further, "but there is no satisfaction no... oomph when they just sit there like a rotten potato."

Rolling his eyes the second goon Hanks snorted, "Pfft I don't see the issue with that, I prefer it this way, look!"

Hanks with a particularly heavy blow struck at Taldurs gut, causing Lescar's now bloodied brother to wheeze and grunt.

"Now isn't that satisfying? Your very own fleshy punching bag that even grunts in pain, that's pretty good right?"

After a moment of consideration, and another kick to Lescar's brother, Yort shook his head, "Mmmmmm... Nah it's just not the same Hanks, I like to win, to brawl, this," Yort pointed at the downed Taldur, "this is just a free pass."

Shaking his head in exasperation Hanks sighed before making a suggestion, "Hahhh... alright well, we still gotta beat this guy a bit more, maybe you can egg him on to fight you, you know, call him names or something."

Yort blinked at this comment before staring down at their victim, doubtful words on his tongue, "After the conversation we just had in front of him, I doubt it."

"You never quite know," Hanks shrugged before he stepped back from the beaten Taldur and gestured, "Go on give it a shot."

"Hmmm," Yort pondered for a full second, fingers on his chin thoughtfully before inspiration struck and he spat out aggressively. 

"Oi, you red-haired dipshit! your mother was a fat whore and she can suck my dick!"

Taldur bleeding from multiple abrasion and having a swollen eye did not even bother to respond and merely spat out another mouthful of blood as he slowly began to pick himself up once more.

"Nice one Yort." Hanks said deadpan, as he palmed at his face.

"Thanks," replied Yort, not noticing the sarcasm as he studied the gradually rising Taldur.

"It doesn't seem to have done the trick though," Hanks remarked pointing at Taldurs clenched but hanging loose fists.

"Yeah..." Yort said scratching at his chin.

Clicking his tongue at his coworker's simple statement and its ineffectiveness, Hanks glanced around before pointing over at the tent Lescar was still hidden inside. 

"Maybe he might get upset if you smashed up his little house instead."

"Good idea!" Yort said genuinely looking impressed at his friend's wisdom before striding over to Lescar's position raising his huge ham-like fists.

Lescar gasped and stumbled back from the entrance of the tent, that Yort man was getting to close.

But just before Yort arrived at the tent, a low and threatening voice rang out across the alleyway

"Don't you dare... touch that tent..."

The one who spoke those words was, of course, Taldur, heady anger and warning dripping from his words.

The two goons stepping back at the sudden change, the duo of thugs paused before Yort burst out laughing and stepped forwards, a wide grin on his face. 

"Hoh hoh! that seems to have gotten him all riled up! you're a genius Hanks"

"O- Of course I am," Hanks said a little perturbed by the sudden change in their victim.

Stomping right up to the now standing Taldur, Yort's grin grew only disgustingly wider.

"What are you gonna do about it dipshit! if you don't fight me now, I'm gonna smash up that piece of trash hovel of yours, and everything inside it."

Taldur did not immediately respond, but his fist were so forcefully clenched that his hands had turned entirely white, all traces of blood flow cut off.

Watching Yort leering at her brother, Lescar observed as the big man practically spat in her brother's face as he spoke less than a foot away, one of his ham-like fists curled around Taldurs collar.

"So you had better fight m-"

Crunch!

Yort staggered backward, his nose streaming red and facing on an odd angle as he reeled from the forceful punch to the sniffer he had just received. The man regaining his balance before mumbling appreciatively as he straightened his broken nose with a pleased grimace.

"Now we're talking! Let's go little man!"

Yort sprinting in with a left haymaker, Taldur and Yort began exchanging blows at a rapid pace, a flurry of Taldur's lighter if faster punches, against the raw overwhelming strength of a few of Yort's.

"Sock him good in the lungs Yort!" Hanks cheered as he stood off to the side watching the two men duke it out

Lescar wanted to cheer her brother on as well, but it was clear he was at a disadvantage, having already received multiple injuries and being unable to see out of one eye as swollen as it was.

Nonetheless, her older brother lived up to Lescar's expectations, dishing out as much as he received even while injured, covering a panting Yort in a menagerie of bruises that made the big man wince as he moved.

"Damm!" Yort crowed with a smile as he backed off, looking at an equally tired Taldur with newfound respect, "you are pretty good! no wonder the boss wants you on our side!"

The smile on Yort's face however slackened when he muttered wistfully, "That said I still gotta beat you senseless here, that's my job after all, so... sorry, but...  Hanks help me out."

Single open eye widening, Taldur went to swerve to the right but was too slow.

"Right here!" Hanks shouted locking Taldur in a partial sleeper hold from behind, having snuck off while Yort had distracted him.

Holding Taldur in place with some difficulty Hanks looked up at his bruised friend before he asked simply.

"Satisfied?"

"Satisfied." Yort responded happily, before laying into the restrained Taldur without holding back, each blow thundering into Taldurs unprotected abdomen causing blood to stream from his mouth in pained wheezes.

"Cheaters!" Lescar said shrilly out loud before quieting down, the awful violent scene cowing her, the two men beating her brother black and blue, each punch spraying blood across the white snowy streets.

Face entirely bloodied and swollen from the relentless beating, Taldur was barely recognizable, only the amber glow in his remaining good eye identifying him as Lescar's brother, most of his body covered in blood from his oozing wounds

Trembling as she watched the two thugs land blow after blow onto her brother, Lescar superimposed the form of her mother over the crooks. Back then she had not done anything to stop her mom, being defenseless and scared as the insane woman hit her brother over and over again.

And it now it was happening again, and Lescar still felt terrified, but she knew a bit better now. Just like her older brother, she would stand up for both herself and those she loved.

Even if later her brother berated her for her stupidity.

Taking a deep breath and stilling her zooming heart, Lescar burst out of the tent at top speed, sprinting towards the man holding Taldur still.

"Huh?!" Yort said before making a wide armed swipe at Lescar which missed as she ducked under it.

Too quick for two men to react to in time, Lescar slammed into Hank full force causing him to lose his grip on Taldur who fell to the ground in a boneless pile.

"Brother!" Lescar cried out as she saw Taldur lying on the ground unmoving.

He wasn't getting up...

Before Lescar could even try to call out again, a rough hand seized her by the arm, drawing her up to eye level painfully, this had had not gone as Lescar had hoped.

"What's this?" Hank chortled in amusement more than in annoyance, "did our poaching thief have a little birdy to feed?"

Swinging her feet and kicking at the man as she hung suspended by her arm, Lescar shouted, "Let go of me! Don't touch my brother you ugly pig-headed turd fucker!"

The amusement faded from Hank's eyes as he looked at her darkly, "She has quite the mouth on her for one so small! Maybe Yort... we should rough her up too, the boss never mentioned anything about not beating the crap out of a little girl."

Looking away for a moment from Taldur's still body Yort looked uncomfortable, "Ehhh... I'm not into beating up little girls, maybe we could just sell her to the slaver's? I hear they are buying even kids at the moment especially ones with red hair."

"No! not the slavers! Let me GO!" Lescar screamed, swinging her little feet even harder but to no avail.

"Not a bad idea Yort! not bad at all!" Hank laughed as he observed Lescar's panic " Even you can come up with good ideas every now and then."

*Shink!*

For a few passing seconds, Hank stood still with closed eyes waiting for Yort's response, when he did not receive one Hank blinked, twisting as he held Lescar by the arm in Yort's direction. 

"Yort? What's wrong with you? YORT!!!"

"Ugggklgk!"

Lying in the snow and clutching at his severed jugular as he choked on red, Yort thrashed violently as his liquid life essence drenched the icy cobble, a bloody figure crouched over him, amber eye glowing a sickly sheen as it unsheathed its second blade, the first already awash in Yorts blood.

Stumbling back as he stared at the dying Yort and his killer, Lescar was dragged along too as Hank backed away rapidly, any sign of levity and amusement, gone, entirely replaced by shock, fear, and anger.

Throwing Lescar to the ground hard, Hank reached into his pocket and pulled out a compact crossbow, leveling and firing it at the bloody creature.

With untraceable speed, two whistling blades knocked the launched bolt from the air with contemptuous ease, the creature barely moving in the process.

Save for its lips which curled upwards into a leer, the startling white of its teeth contrasting violently with the dark blood coating it from head to toe.

Blanching at this sight, Hank grabbed the stunned Lescar the moment his bolt failed to hit, blubbering out loud as he pointed his sword at the creature with one hand.

"How did you move so fast?! how can you still move at all?! we beat you to a pulp you shouldn't be able to move an inch!"

Refusing to respond with words, the creature covered all over in blood, its own and that of its victims muttered in an audible and hair raising voice as its amber eyes gleamed with retribution, unnatural waves of forboding rippling forth, both of its shortswords glinting wickedly as they shimmered.

"You would sell my sister... You don't touch my sister..."

Looking up from its kill as it straightened up, the creature stared at Hanks, its feral and almost unhinged face splitting grin contrasted by gleaming eyes that burned with barely constrained wrath.

It was frightening and peculiarly familiar to Lescar somehow, although Lescar herself was not scared, she could feel there was something definitely wrong with this figure, a figure she knew well.

"Taldur!" Lescar called out immediately, not for a second being fooled by her brothers disturbed and deranged look.

Even though his presence felt so very different, Lescar knew that this was her brother.

Molten eye's flashing at her as Taldur blinked and stepped forward, Lescar felt herself being drawn up closer to Hank as he hurriedly backpedaled, his weapon drawn and held to Lescar's throat.

"Not a step closer you freak! or your precious sister loses her head."

Lescar felt cold steel against her neck and a prick of pain as she began to bleed a little.

"Now I'm going to leave, and if you put one foot from where you stand! I will slit this little bitches throat! Got it freak!"

Lescar watched as her brother got gradually further and further away, not moving an inch as his lone eye burned fiercely never straying far from Hanks movements but most importantly locking onto Lescar's own.

What was her brother doing, was he waiting for a moment of weakness?

Lescar squinted at her brother as they neared the corner of the alley, spotting him nodding slightly before she lost sight of him.

He was waiting for a moment, one that Lescar would have to make...

Understanding her brother's silent communications, Lescar redoubled her struggles against the visibly sweating Hanks

Struggling to free herself even as she wriggled fruitlessly, Lescar kicked hard, only managing to get herself cut on the sword at her neck.

"Stop wiggling you little bitch," Hanks panted as he edged away from the alley into a larger but still empty street.

Ignoring her captor, Lescar, now pressed right against Hanks as he backed away, raised herself up by the arms before sinking her teeth deep into the Hanks restraining hand.

"AGH! shit! You fucking bitch!" Hanks cursed as he dropped Lescar before reaching out to grab her again, "Come back here you little brat, you're my ticket out of here!"

Scrambling to the side Lescar scooted away backward as she tried to stumble to her feet. doing her best to avoid the looming form of her foe.

Lescar rolled away from one hand and began to turn and run only to find another hand on the neck of her thick coat, she had been caught.

"Got you! You little snot!" Hank said beginning to reel her back into his chokehold.

She might have been caught but she had made an opening. And that opening was all that was needed.

A red form abruptly blurred into fruition, two razor tips spearing towards Hank's undefended neck.

Eyes as wide as saucers, Hank abandoned his hold on Lescar as he leaned to the side moving to avoid one blade and deflecting another with his sword.

Gasping at the display of prowess her brother had demonstrated, Lescar blinked and suddenly found herself almost 30 feet away from she'd been sitting, a little confused, but firmly gripped in her brother's arms in a princess carry style as Hank stared disbelievingly at the two of them.

'What!?? Did we just teleport or is Taldur just that fast!' Lescar thought, feeling dizzy and a bit light-headed.

She did not know Taldur could do that!

Likewise stunned but for other reasons, Hank burst out with a cuss as he staggered backward, still off-balance from the blow he had just defended against.

"The hell! Who the heck are you!? The boss said nothing about fucking magic!"

Feeling Taldur pull her closer, Lescar sat motionless as her brother checked her over for major injuries, too dizzy to resist, her brother did not even bother to look up as he replied to the astonished crook.

" No one important," Taldur said very calmly, "just another bastard kid on the streets."

Taldur was no longer wreathed in that hateful air from earlier, instead, a faint regret seemed to linger over his features as he looked down at Lescar, the overflowing almost insane wrath dispersed.

Beginning to turn away and stride back to their home Taldur stopped briefly when Hank shouted victoriously as he began to run in the opposite direction.

"When my boss hears that you killed Yort, he will have your head! you hear me! No one messes with the Boffers boys!" Hanks shouted shrilly.

"Your boss won't hear a thing," Lescar heard Taldur whisper impassionately under his breath before calling out loudly without looking back, "You should get that little cut on your neck checked out shouldn't you?"

Lescar looked back at the distant Hank with wide eyes spotting the man as he incredulously touched a deep groove in his neck, A thick steady flow of red pouring from the fatal wound that had not seemed to be there earlier.

"Oh..." Hanks said surprised before Lescar watched him tumble to the ground in a growing dark stain.

Calling out with the last of his strength Lescar heard Hank say disbelievingly.

"But... I blocked your attack..."  

Pausing mid-stride Taldur stopped long enough to mutter soberly "Not well enough I'm afraid,"  walking on without further comment as Hanks struggled, grew cold, and died.

Making his way back to the tent, Taldur did not bother to loot the corpses, and Lescar knew why, nature would dispose of the cadavers, there was no need for the bodies to be hidden.

Already Lescar could see a couple Barreta hound gathering at Hanks still warm body, more would be here soon, they had a nose for death.

Rolling back into her brother's arms Lescar stared blankly up at her brother as he walked on.

A somber and depressed air hung over her brother, something Lescar also felt heavily.

She had just seen two men die, and even if they had been bad and hostile men, Lescar had not wanted them to die.

'The world was a harsh place if you wanted to live...' Lescar thought sadly as her brother moved unsteadily back to the alley where their tent was located.

Clutched in her brother's arms as he walked her back to the tent, Lescar felt Taldur stumble a few times as they neared their current home and felt the need to walk on her own strength.

"You can put me down brother you don't need to carry me, I'm barely hurt."

Lescar felt her brother's grip on her tighten before it suddenly slackened and her brother released her. Slumping on the spot, it became immediately clear that Taldur was still badly injured, the many bruises, and breaks in his skin still entirely intact.

"Here let me take some of your weight," Lescar said as she sympathetically eyed the many open wounds on his person, her brother was tough but he wasn't invincible.

Investigating the wounds more in-depth as she helped Taldur limp home, made Lescar wish they still had some of that herbal ointment they had gotten one time in the past, that stuff would have helped with the obvious pain her brother was in.

Passing by Yort's already cold corpse the two siblings hobbled into the shelter where Taldur promptly collapsed, exhausted.

After about five minutes of silence where Lescar tried to tend to Taldur's many wounds, Her older brother decided to speak, surprising her with the topic as she had expected him to lecture her about her disobedience.

"When you saw me getting beaten little sister, I was doing my best not to antagonize the Boffers, a criminal gang, without joining them."

"Oh..." Lescar said feeling small, she had definitely messed that up.

"But I'm not mad," Taldur sighed while looking wistful, "well not at you at least, it was my fault the Boffer's even caught on to me, I made a mistake."

Blearily Taldur shook his head as he talked on.

"Originally I had intended to try and stay out of the Boffers way, but as pickings got scarce this winter, I took more risks and so made unintended contact with them."

Lescar nodded wordlessly, she had only heard rumors about the large street gang known as the Boffer's, rumors that came from her kinda unreliable friend Mart. Still, none of those rumors were good, and all of them pointed to avoidance being the best decision when it involved the Boffers

With sober words, Taldur finished evenly while rubbing at his temples.

"So don't feel too bad Lescar this is more my fault then your's"

Fidgeting with her hands, Lescar didn't know what to say, she'd always suspected how her brother got his goods was illegitimate, but she had no objections, both of them would probably be dead if he had not taken to stealing.

Eyes tired but still glowing with an inner strength they sat in silence for another minute before Taldur looked over at Lescar with a serious expression.

"So even having a good idea of what exactly it is I do, do you still want to learn?"

Outstretched before him, offered to Lescar, Taldur held one of his shortswords, the gleam of the metal dulled by the still moist blood upon the blade. 

Looking at her brother and the blade he was offering, Lescar remembered the fear, the pain, and the anger that coursed through her, in her short confrontation with the thugs, it had been horrible and paralyzing.

But that was not all she had felt during that time... she had felt the thrill, the rush, and a sense of empowerment.

Slowly, with some trepidation, Lescar reached out to grab the hilt of the shortsword, almost dropping it when she misjudged the weight. 

Taldur did not say anything as she seized the blade for a few tense seconds, his inscrutable amber eye simply observing her impassively before...

"That's my little sister," Taldur chuckled approvingly, reaching out to ruffle Lescar's hair awkwardly from his position on the floor, "No matter what, we have each other's backs ey." Taldur continued, some of the warmth returning to his tired voice.

Still holding the sword as Taldur stroked her hair, Lescar felt herself trembling.

This very same piece of metal had just been used to kill another human being, and yet she hardly felt repulsed at all.

Was this normal?

Holding the blood-stained blade up as she got a feel for its weight, Lescar locked eyes with her brother, only pausing long enough to wipe the blood off the sword before she replied with a genuine if uncertain smile.

"Yes brother. Always."

A degree of relief appeared on Taldur's face, a fatigued grin following soon after as he leaned back even further, his eyes closing slowly, the 14-year-old yawned out loud.

"Well then my studious little sister, the lessons will have to wait for later, That fight wore me pretty thin and I'm going to need a nap."

Opening a single eye lazily Taldur pointed a finger at Lescar as she cradled the shortsword in her arms.

"Wake me up in about 5 hours or if anything else turns up, otherwise let me sleep, I'm beat."

And with that Taldur's eyelid slid closed, a brief period of silence ensuring before gentle snoring assured Lescar that brother was actually asleep.

Watching her brother snore quietly for a few seconds, Lescar climbed to her feet before examining the blade she was holding again. It still had a few spots of drying blood on it and showed signs of frequent use, but Lescar thought it looked pretty cool, her brother had never let her touch his swords before and today had been the first time she had ever seen him use them to bloody and effective results...

Lescar frowned as she thought back to the recent violence.

She did not enjoy watching those guy's die, or anyone for that matter, but Lescar could not deny that she felt a certain buzz from watching her brother utterly demolish the two men when he had.

It had just felt... good.

Lescar held the sword up to her eyes as she chewed a finger thoughtfully, perhaps someday she could be as strong as her brother.

Glancing at the sleeping Taldur before narrowing her eyes, Lescar took up a stance holding the blade out in front of her with some difficulty, the sword being pretty heavy.

With a deep breath and her thoughts focused, the four-year-old brought the blade down, decapitating an imaginary bad guy, before dropping the blade to the ground with a loud clang.

It was just too heavy for her right now.

Embarrassed and scolding herself for her thoughtlessness, Lescar looked concernedly at her brother. Maybe she had disturbed his rest with that loud noise?

"Zzzzzzzz."

Nope, Taldur was still fast asleep, which was a sign of just how exhausted her brother was, as normally he would wake up at the slightest sign of danger.

Picking up the heavy blade, Lescar slid it into its scabbard before placing it on the ground securely.

She would wait for her brother before she messed around any further with the sword. She didn't want to accidentally break something while she played.

Sword put away and no longer a hazard, Lescar stared down at her sleeping brother, his normally hard features softened to the point where he actually looked his age instead of looking like a jaded full-grown man.

Lescar almost never saw him like this, as Taldur always woke up first and was the last thing Lescar would see before she fell asleep herself.

It was a refreshing sight.

Getting down on her hands and knees with a wide smile, Lescar dragged one of the new blankets Taldur had stolen over, before snuggling up close to her unconscious brother, being sure to cover her brother with the thick blanket as she burrowed into his side Clinging to her older brother as if he were a giant life-sized teddy bear.

Comfortable, with her brothers shared heat warming her, Lescar lay there next to her gently snoring brother until eventually her own eyes grew heavy and she felt her eyelids droop closed.

The world went dark as Lescar entered the welcoming embrace of sleep, something shifting and changing in the space around her, but going unnoticed as the six-year-old slept cuddled up to her protector and guardian, eyes firmly shut as she lay unmoving.

Slowly and with the most subtle of whispers, a quiet voice hissed as if from far away, a multitude of similar other voices growling after it.

....... ssssearch...

....... obtain.......

....... where issss itsss

....... where isss our'ss anchor?

Her mind barely surfacing from the clutches of sleep, Lescar turned over as she slept, grumbling aloud.

"Mmm Taldur... go to sleep, no... talking..."

Homing in suddenly at the young girl's words the voices crowed abruptly with lascivious joy.

"There itss isss... We hasss found our'ss treasure againsss!" One voice hissed only to be answered by another more coarse one.

"Yes our'sss treasure let ussss takess it'sss!"

Thin filaments of thought began to trail across a mental landscape seeking to bridge the gap between themselves and their target of desire.

Beginning to sweat and frown as she slept, Lescar tossed and turned fitfully, a deep sense of unease rising in the unconscious girl.

Something was wrong... Someone was close... Closer than someone ever should be...

It was slowly crawling up her waist, making its way towards her head...

She had to wake up... but she couldn't, she was trapped by some unseen force, immobilized, completely vulnerable.

Unconcious but able to feel every slither of alien intent as it oozed over her, Lescar cringed but continued to remain dormant, the foul entity sliding over her body eagerly, reaching her mouth ears and nose. Pausing as if in gloating before it burrowed in en mass.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lescar wanted to shout, scream, and claw at her face as the worm-like creatures poured into her, but instead, she remained utterly still as more and more filled her mouth ears and nose, digging into her flesh, breaching her throat and wriggling as each individual worm sought to devour and consume her. Until finally, they reached the soft tissues that housed the four-year-olds essence.

Her mind, her soul, her heart... they wanted it all.

It was everything the worms desired, everything they needed, everything they required to become flesh once more.

Lescar could already feel it, something was shifting inside her, she was forgetting something.

Yesssssss we will have'sss our freedom!

Become'ssss oursssss! acknowledge your heritage!

Gradually the voices grew less and less numerous fusing together until only one remained, one that was eerily familiar, that voice breathing in an unsettling purr. 

"Soon... we will be inseparable, relax and let yourself go~" 

It was her own voice warped and twisted by thousands of different minds as each inflected itself upon her.

Sheer terror radiating in her soul, Lescar tried with everything she had to move and open her eyes, she couldn't let this happen!

At first, it felt as if she was pushing against a sturdy wall, but with every attempt to shake herself free, the wall crumbled a little until finally, it shattered into dust.

"Stop! Stop! why must you make this so hard!?" Lescar heard the false Lescar growl before control of her body returned to her.

Eyes shooting open, Lescar bolted upright tearing the clumps of worms from her face that had been trying to burrow into her ears. Face free of parasites she clutched at her stomach before gagging as she vomited streams of worms from her mouth, dry retching until she was sure she had brought out every last worm.

Panting hard, no longer suffocating or choking on worms, Lescar studied her surroundings, she was not in her brother's tent any more, her older brother being nowhere to be seen.

'No, Instead she was...' Lescar gaped at her environment, 'she had no idea where she was.'

Lescar was standing on a rocky outcrop and on every side she could see turbulent red water as far as the eye could see, the sky being no more than a collection of ominous thunderclouds that lit up with a flash of scarlet lightning occasionally.

The whole place felt unstable, hostile, and dangerous. Even though she didn't have a recollection of it, Lescar was sure she had been here before somehow.

Standing up, Lescar searched the floor for something that might help her and soon noticed the muted glow of something metallic on the ground.

Walking up to it as she scanned her surroundings nervously, Lescar examined the object.

It was the shortsword Taldur had given to her, unsheathed and as worn as ever.

Bending over and holding it in her grasp, Lescar noted that it felt lighter than earlier, not to mention it was glowing a silvery gold.

Confused and still very much afraid, the six-year-old almost dropped the blade when a distorted if playful voice rang out, Lescar's own voice.

"You had to go and make this more unpleasant then it had to be, didn't you fleshling? Oh well, I suppose anything worth having requires effort."

Turning around from where the words originated from, Lescar stared at the enormous pile of twitching worms she had thrown up, the pile of slimy creatures was reforming into a vaguely humanoid shape, twisting and coiling around one another to create the illusion of a single whole.

Scrambling backward while brandishing her glowing blade clumsily, Lescar continued to put some distance between herself and the freakish conglomerate of tubular creatures.

Slipping and sliding over one another, each worm wriggled and writhed until it found its intended position. The tiny animal's bodies smoothing over as they melded together perfectly with no seams or blemishes, creating a singular shapely entity.

Holding her breath as she watched disgusted, apprehensive, and fascinated. Lescar observed the now fully formed being move from the bent-over position it had been in, surprised by what she saw.

Arching its back like a cat as it stretched, the finished appearance of the creature was that of a statuesque naked woman, albeit a woman with strange pink-purple skin, and thick waist-length constantly moving snake-like hair.

"Ahhhh~ that's better~" the woman crooned as she began to straighten up, "It's been too long since I have taken a form like this. Normally I just can't seem to hold myself together, tee hee!"

The naked lady paused to giggle before she looked up at the staring four-year-old, revealing the true nature of her appearance.

Angular slitted eyes, a small but sharp nose, strange seashell like ears and protruding canines.

The woman, even if exotic and alien-looking, was indescribably beautiful, possessing greater looks than even the prettiest noble girls Lescar had seen.

She was tall and perfectly proportioned, being curvy and full-figured, had flawless skin, and carried herself with a natural grace that was embodied with every fluid movement she made.

Lescar would have been blown away if she had seen someone like that on the streets of Octaal, the woman's presence alone spoke of authority and confidence, something that was only belied by the cruel glint her crimson eyes held.

Eyes sparkling, the woman met Lescar's with her own, the blood-red of her irises holding Lescar prisoner, a sensual smile growing on her face.

"Like what you see~ tee hee! My my! youth are getting so bold these days."

Coming back to herself Lescar blinked and pointed her sword at the woman. She had not forgotten that this woman creature was made out of the same worms that had tried to eat her from the inside out.

A smirk still on the otherworldly beauties face, the woman gestured at herself, a flowing and refined gown appearing before sliding onto the woman's naked body as if it had a mind of its own.

Clothed, the alien of a woman sighed out loud with satisfaction before turning to watch Lescar raise her blade with a delighted if slightly bothered expression.

"Such hostility!? and we have yet to even exchange names, how boorish... Although you should have known my name..."

The exotic woman said shaking her head disdainfully even as she took a sudden step forward.

Ignoring the creature's words, Lescar choked out hastily, sword swung about in a warning.

"That's close enough you- you monster! don't come any closer!"  Holding her blade out before her like a spear Lescar backed up rapidly.

Unphased much by Lescar's attempt at intimidation, the woman glided soundlessly over the rock with smooth movements, her long swaying locks of hair twitching and flicking about as she pressed on.

Scampering away, it was not long before Lescar felt her feet reach the end of the rocky outcrop, only the disturbed waters of the red ocean behind and below her. She was trapped.

Eyes darting from side to side, as she realized this, Lescar considered jumping into the uncertain cloudy waters, but decided against it. She was sure that was no place to be, a sort of unpleasant hunch telling her that worse things lay in its depths.

Watching the smaller girl backpedaled rapidly. The woman thing? shook its head before pursing her lips, a few loose strands of what passed for her hair falling about her face before she brushed them aside, the creature's deep ruby eyes watching the movements of Lescar's glowing blade very closely.

Making sure to keep the sword between her and the wormy woman abomination, Lescar asked waveringly.

"Who... and what are you,"

The mass of worms in the shape of a woman tilted her head on an angle, an expression of surprise on her face before she looked down shadowing her expression, her shoulders rising up and down slowly.

At first, Lescar thought she might be having some sort of fit and quickly gripped her weapon tighter.

But she was wrong, what happened was even worse.

A deep thrum echoed through the red ocean, the figure of the woman quivering, some sort of raw unfiltered emotion coursing through her curvaceous frame. 

 "Heh heh... Tee hee hee... ha ha ha ha ha, HAAAA! HAAAAAAA! HAAAAAA!"

Begining softly the woman soon started to shake violently as her outburst grew louder. Mouth stretching into a manic leering maw, the alien woman was laughing in a hair raising and all too familiar way, not a single drop of mirth to be seen in her maddened gaze, only bitterness.

"Hee hee hoh..." the cackling woman exhaled rubbing at her forehead as her bombastic laughter calmed down and she whispered, "Oh how I have fallen from grace. To think that not even-  fleshings- ... blood ...-dants ...-meber me,"

Lescar could not hear all the exact words the worm woman was muttering, the woman having mumbled far too quietly for Lescar to make out. Clearly, though, she was upset about... something...

With a grimace coming over her delicate features, the woman spat out ardently in the next moment before chuckling,"That bloody bastard! When I see him next... heh! heh! heh!..."

For a second longer the woman's chucking persisted, then as if recalling someone was still in front of her, all malice and spite disappeared from the alien's face, instead replaced by a tender, possibly forced smile.

With one hand over her mouth, the monster having eased its discordant laughter and venomous whispers chuckled again, this time in a much more lively fashion.

"Oh ho ho ho! foolish young fleshling... you know me, I've been with you since you were conceived, you just forgot."

Waggling a single finger towards Lescar as if berating her for forgetting, the exotic women paused in thought before adding, her fingers bridging together tentatively as she looked away briefly.

"Although... if you don't recall, I suppose I could allow you to know one of my many names," The figure considered,  "you may call me Nemato, your brother knew me by that name too."

"Nemato?!" Lescar babbled out loud before she could stop herself, she had never heard of anyone with a name like that nor had her brother ever mentioned someone by such a name.

Shifting uneasily, Lescar shuffled on the spot, the monster woman had answered one of her questions but raised others, and she knew brother?

Glancing at Nemato who seemed to be standing there with closed eyes and a wide smile, savoring the sound of her name being said aloud, Lescar hovered uncertainly.

'How did her brother know this woman? and what was the nature of their relationship?'

Opening an eye and spotting the wavering expression of confusion on Lescar's face, the woman catching on, smiled confidently, placing two fingers to her lips coquettishly.

"Hmmm, yes your precious brother knew me very well... some would even say intimately~❤."

Nemato coyly placed her hands over her cheeks in imitation of a lovestruck maiden as if in mock adoration before she returned her gaze back to Lescar with a sly expression.

After a moment of mental cogs turning Lescar caught on to what Nemato was insinuating. The six-year-old would have gagged if she was able to, the thought of her brother being with this Nemato woman was just revolting, but she was too worried to let that distract her.

Lescar braced herself by taking a stance with the sword. she had seen this woman form out of a gross pile of worms after all, Who knew what else Nemato was capable of?

Brandishing her blade before her Lescar questioned the pile of sentient invertebrates once more, voice quiver with both fear and anger.

"What do you mean!? My brother would never associate with a horrible monster like you! You just attacked me!!"

Shaking its head, long locks swinging wildly, the worm woman pressed at her forehead, eyes closed as she said haughtily.

"Ara ara~ It seems you don't understand completely yet, oh well, your understanding doesn't really matter. I just wanted to talk with someone other than the rest of me before we commenced." 

'Commenced?!' Lescar internalized, making sure to hold her blade level as Nemato lifted her flawless arms out in an expression of indifference, the purplish woman trying to casually circle past Lescar's leveled sword only to be stopped by that same glowing weapon as it continued to track her, the smaller human girl attempting to keep her distance.

Her mind had not changed and she trusted this freak about as far as she could stomach its sickening presence, which was not at all; she had to find a way out!

Eyes rapidly scanning for anything that might constitute an escape, eventually, Lescar concluded that there was none. Cringing, Lescar bared her teeth in frustration.

It didn't make sense! How did she even get here?!

Last she had remembered she had been lying next to her brother then she had been attacked and now was she stuck in this horrid place.

Shaking her head clear Lescar focused on the monster woman Nemato, eyes sharpening, it didn't matter how she had gotten here, only that she survived, and the only way she could possibly think of doing that was by beating this monster woman somehow.

She had to fight.

As she founded this conviction, a part of Lescar pondered whether she had done this before?

For some reason, it felt like Lescar had been in these situations fairly often although she never had.

Why did she feel this way? her brother had always done all the fighting, even so the weight of the shortsword was comforting and familiar to Lescar, as if she had used it in times past.

Strange...

Gripping the blade tight, Lescar brought the shortsword around to bear, holding it in a position that simply felt right.

She was ready.

Wrinkling her brows at Lescars stance, Nemato after an exasperated sigh, straightened up, her presence growing heavier as she motioned at the sword before pointing down to the ground with a sweet, oddly ringing voice.

"Now why don't you put down that toothpick so we can talk things out, what happened before was nothing more than a misunderstanding, I'm sure we can work out our differences with a good heart to heart chat, yes?"

Nemato said all this in a kindly manner, her eyelids fluttering as she tilted her head on an angle, an open palm offered to Lescar, crimson eyes flashing alluringly.

While Nemato's words sounded silky and had a strange compelling impact to them that made her want to lower her weapon and listen, Lescar remained still, blade outstretched. She refused to even consider approaching the false women, let alone surrender her only means of defense.

"What! don't trust me?! how hurtful!" Neamto said with feigned exaggeration as she paced just beyond the reach of Lescar's sword, waving both hands in a gesture of assurance, "Fine how about if I place my hands behind my back, will that do?"

Waving them about for a second Nemato placed her arms behind her back, a confident smirk about her lips.

She might only be six, but Lescar could tell when someone had bad intentions, anyone who lived on the streets was best served by developing a strong sense intuition, something her older brother Taldur had made sure to drill into her.

And this worm woman gave Lescar nothing but bad feelings, she couldn't trust a word this monster was saying.

Lescar felt that odd impulse to lose herself in the creature's voice strengthen but repulsed it a second time, as she considered calling out Nemato on her bullshit.

Meeting the beguiling gaze of Nemato Lescar was about to curtly respond when suddenly Nemato's smile lengthened into one of triumph and Lescar felt herself freeze up on the spot.

Breath catching in her throat as she struggled astonished. Lescar discovered she couldn't move at all. An unnaturally strong desire to relax and stare into the deep scarlet jewels of blood that acted as Nemato's eyes pulling her down into a trance.

Quivering but unable to shift an inch, Lescar found that her sight was forced to follow the gleaming red of her opponent's pupils, a foggy haze slowly falling over her panicking mind, gradually pushing all thoughts of escape or fighting back into oblivion, only a tiny part of Lescar still railing against the forced suppression.

As her mind dulled, a sudden realization formed in her clouded thoughts, 'why was she so hostile? nothing was wrong here, it was entirely ok if she let that pretty woman get a bit closer...'

"Good girl, that's it," Nemato whispered encouragingly, making sure to never break eye contact with the spellbound Lescar, "I mean you no harm."

Swaying in a daze, Lescar slowly began to lower her sword but paused, blade hovering as the last dregs of her screaming awareness caught on the tail end of her obfuscated thoughts, mumbling out a single sentence dizzily.

"Y- you mean me no harm...?"

"Yes of course," Nemato replied without hesitation, a reassuring expression on her delicate features as she offered a hand to the swaying girl.

Enraptured by Nemato's enthralling ruby eyes, Lescar began to reach out to take the offered hand but stopped dead in her tracks, when just before she touched Nemato's hand something changed.

Unable to look away, Lescar even in her befuddled state couldn't fail to notice the sudden gleam of victory and smugnesses in Nemato's alluring gaze.

A doubt blooming indistinctly in Lescar's head, the part of Lescar not yet subjugated was quick to leap on the weakness, prying it open and reaching for more thoughts that ensured doubts.

'Why does she want to touch me now?'

'What is this place?'

'Didn't she try to eat me earlier!?'

Doubts increasing the weaknesses in the spell every new moment, arduously the un-subjugated fragment of Lescar broke the enthrallment down, Lescar regaining more and more of herself with every passing instant, allowing a proper conscious stream of thoughts to reemerge.

Half of her mind restored, Lescar struggled with the other half of herself in a formless brawl, thoughts and reasoning being shot back and forth at a breakneck pace.

'Nemato isn't bad...'

'She is trying to destroy me!'

'She just wants to take care of us.'

'No! she wants to take away something from me!'

'But she is so pretty...'

'A mere tool for manipulation!'

Exchanges like this raced by in the blink of an eye, until finally, the pro-Lescar side won out, the shrinking outside infuence banished as its arguments fell apart under critical observation.

Reestablishing herself as the master of her own body, Lescar felt intense anger boil up inside her, she had just been violated in the worst possible way she could think of.

Wrenching control back, the whole process of retaking her mind having occurred in mere seconds, Lescar snarled before without a moment of hesitation lashed out with her brother's shortsword at the shocked Nemato. 

"What!? How did you-" Nemato said dumbfounded as she raised a hand to shield herself, her arm unraveling into a thick clump of hardened worms.

BZzzzzzzzzt!!!!

The very instant the glowing blade touched the skin of Nemato's raised arm, a shockwave boomed out, staggering Lescar, but doing a lot more to the beleaguered Nemato.

As if struck by the hammer of a giant, Nemato practically flew backward, skidding and rolling like a tumbleweed until she arrived by the edge of the rocky outcrop, crashing into the slight edge with a wet splat.

Lescar stared at the results of her attack, 'a bedraggled and now badly deformed-looking Nemato,' before glancing at the sword she clasped in her hands.

'With this maybe I could win,' Lescar thought as the image of her brother drifted through her mind, even here her brother was looking out for her. 

Disturbing her optimism, a chilling cackle rebounded about the rocky outcrop.

"Heh heh, heh heh heh, hahhhhh... what a surprise."

Voice harsh, high pitched and with an unusual wet tone to it. Nemato rose smoothly to her feet, her clothes in a state of disarray and her perfect appearance ruined.

Face half pulverized as the worms that made her up writhed, still reeling. Nemato was not looking nearly as enchanting as she had before, many of her limbs seemingly disintegrating back into long tendrils composed of flexing tubular bodies.

Instead of being angry or disappointed at her ruffled and disheveled state, Nemato looked exultant, her voice degrading further from excitement.

"Such drive... Such strength! In one so young! Now my doubts are broken asunder fleshling! I- we! must have you!"

With these animated words, the water around the outcrop broiled, vast slabs of fleshy tendrils rising from the red waves to coil around the woman, Any semblance of humanity discarded as Nemato joined back up with her larger self, flesh melding into one, more terrifying whole, only Nemato's upper body remaining from her last shape, her eyes blazing as she muttered out one last coherent statement.

"You should have taken my first offer silly little fleshling girl," the still unfused half of the woman sniggered, "now this will be a lot more unpleasant for the both of us. but at least you have shown your strength."

The pitch of Nemato's voice became starkly different as her human appearance evaporated, only the brilliant scarlet gleam of her eyes remaining.

"Too bad there is no way out! you will be staying right here until I'm- WE'SSS ARE FINISSSHED WITH'SSS YOU!!"

Nemato's voice becoming coarse and shattered again, more tentacles rose from the sea foam, hundreds of them wavering and looming like behemoths above a petrified Lescar.

Lescar almost let her sword fall from her nerveless fingers as she stared wide-eyed at the vast nature of her enemy, her heart fluttering like a dying bird.

Even with her sword, there was no way she could fight all that! she wanted small Nemato back!

Shuddering and convulsing occasionally, not waiting for the girl to come to terms with her possible demise, dozens of tendrils close enough to strike, lashed out, the thin rasping hooks at the end of each limb whipping through the air like thirsting knives.

"Eeeeek!" Lescar squealed hopping left and right as she barely avoided the numerous attacks flung her way. Slapping a couple of reaching coils of flesh off-course desperately with a fist as she jumped about like a harried animal.

Its many voices seemingly coming from all around, the monster spoke down condescendingly towards the resisting Lescar.

"Evadess usss all you'sss likesss ssssmall fleshy one, ssssoon we will havessss you."

"Yesssss then we will feed."

"It hasss been sssooooo long sssssince we fed."

The many fractured tongues of the monster that was Nemato grew louder, ecstatic almost, as each clamored to hiss out their jeers and the appetites they would satisfy once they had their prey.

Whipping and lashing with razor hooks, Lescar did not even have time to counter-attack, the tentacles were coming in just that fast and hard.

The best she could do was put her shining sword in the way, which seemed to scald, burn and knock the tentacles away but did little else other than enrage Nemato further.

This wasn't sustainable, already Lescar was tiring with no notable damage inflicted on her seemingly endless foe, and when she inevitably failed to avoid a single attack, things would quickly go south.

Flailing about with her sword as attacks came from every angle Lescar jumped, dodged and weaved with all the grace of a startled rabbit.

She couldn't keep this up, every now and then with increasing regularity, one or two tendrils would slash at Lescar's blinds spots primarily from behind and below her, forcing Lescar to turn and block or risk being skewered.

Sweating profusely, Lescar's breathing was fast and labored, She could really use someone watching her back right now.

Suddenly as if hearing far away through dulled ears, Lescar recalled certain words she had heard in another strange otherworldly place.

...You would have armies at your beck and call, legions of servants, and not just that... you would always have someone guarding your back...

'...You would always have someone guarding your back...'

Someone she knew had promised to have her back, so where were they? Lescar could not remember precisely who had promised her this but the memory rang true in her head.

As if her conscious acknowledgment of this fact triggered it, Lescar heard a cold if somewhat comforting voice whisper in her ears.

Wake up, this is a dream...

Lescar felt an abrupt headache come on as the world around her wobbled and blurred, the ocean and sky shaking as if they were barely substantial, even the huge form of Namato faded for a second, her attacks passing harmlessly through Lescar in the moment that everything stood in doubt.

Reacting immediately to this change, Namato thrashed about, sending foamy red water everywhere, the speed and rate of her attacks increasing threefold.

"NOOOooo!!!" the hulking mass of worms hissed angrily, "That sssssstupid interloper againssss!? getsssss losssst! Ssssshe issss ourssss!!! Yousss are ruining oursss work!!!"

The red of the ocean regained its vividity for a second at Namato's outburst before Lescar heard a distant whisper again shake the very foundation of its existence.

Wake up, little girl, no time to lay about...

Lescar, her head feeling like it might split, grunted in pain as a few attacks made it past her sword to tear into her, barely aware of the attacks, as a veil of memory she had not even realized that was lying over her, crumbled away.

She was not six, she was fourteen, and it had been a long time since she had last seen her brother. She had only forgotten how things really were because of something she was sure Nemato, as she called herself, had done.

Now fully aware of the fact that this whole place was nothing more than a dream, one with consequences. Lescar stood upright, growing taller on the spot as she resumed her true age and form.

Combined with the knowledge that she was in her own dream, the whispered words from earlier had a massive impact on Lescar's surroundings, doing more than just giving her a headache.

The Ocean lost its dark and gloomy nature, and the rolling thunderclouds and flashes of crimson lightning were replaced by the calm sight of the moon and stars.

Waters clearing and her influence receding, Namato's hulking form was continually restricted to the few remaining blots of blood-red ocean that were rapidly dissolving.

"Ssssstop it!" the shrinking conglomeration of red cried out almost desperately, its many voices discordant, "we'sssss mussssst have her! we'sssss needssss her!!"

Watching dispassionately as Namato lost more and more places to lurk, Lescar now fourteen, clothed in her customary leather armour and wielding her blade with a single hand, fended off the few remaining tentacles with a speed and strength her six-year-old self would have never dreamed off, her glowing blade now cleanly slicing through the tendrils in a single brilliant slash.

Having precious little space left to her, as her hold on Lescar's mind diminished, Namato returned to her more beautiful human form, a rigid grimace laced with displeasure sitting firmly upon her jaw. the monstrous woman offering calmy spoken words that were charged with suppressed emotion.

"Well done fleshling girl, or should I call you Lescar?" Namato proffered without receiving a response, "perhaps the next time we meet, it will be on more even grounds..."

The monster woman's words were more a spoken promise than a suggestion, one that Lescar would be sure to remember. Slowly sinking into the last part of remaining red ocean Namato added, "Your little friend won't be able to protect you from me forever, I will have you eventually."

"But not today," Lescar finally replied to the sinking creature.

"Not today..." Namato agreed before she vanished into the last of the red which then disappeared altogether.

Then she was alone, well not quite...

Standing on the rocky outcrop looking out over a far calmer and even scenic ocean, Lescar gazed up at the huge luminous moon before muttering out loud.

"Thanks, Taldur,"

"You are welcome," came a voice Lescar had grown to trust, a voice which shared the same name as her brother, "Now go ahead and wake up, we have much to discuss, even more now that I have witnessed this whole troubling fiasco."

Staring up at the moon and the twinkling stars of her own dream world, Lescar briefly wondered why every dream like this had been on the ocean before she closed her eyes and willed herself to wake up.

This had been one hell of a nap.