Everyone’s eyes were suddenly riveted to the woman, and for good reason!
She was changing, mutating, transforming, right in front of us, in broad daylight!
She was staring at her hands and arms as they grew a grey fur on them, as her hands and fingers slowly seemed to melt and mold themselves, becoming humanoid paw-hands. She suddenly reached up to her ears, her eyes wide in shock and abject terror, as they seemed to balloon outward in flat circular discs before turning slightly folded. Then her mouth and nose and cheeks all seemed to shift a little bit, puff out, and then grow into a kind of half muzzle, half face, with more fur growing on her skin and whiskers popping out of her face.
Suddenly, she arched her back, like something was pushing against her backside!
Groaning in pain, she reached around and ripped a hole in her dress above the small of her back, and a long, pink tail began to slide out of it, swaying back and forth as it continued growing longer.
“A, a tail?” She muttered in shock, staring at it for a moment, before she shuddered and looked down at her altering body.
I could only stare in continued shock, along with everyone else present, as her body continued to change, obviously growing fur damn near everywhere, even as her body shifted and became more voluptuous in a strange, lithe way. At least, for all that her body was melting and remolding itself like a wax statue, she didn’t seem to be in any great pain. Just horror.
Oddly, she looked like a beautiful beastkin, but I’d never heard of a breed that resembled…a mouse?
“Did she really just turn into a mouse beastkin, right in front of us?” Orna whispered in shock.
The woman’s feet suddenly altered as she quickly kicked off her boots and we saw feet-paws, and then the changes suddenly seemed to stop. She didn’t shrink, or seem to lose her mind, even as she just stood and stared at her own body in numbed disbelief.
“There are no mouse breed beastkin.” Maggie muttered, equally numb. Truthfully, we all were deeply rooted in place, so disconcerted that we could barely think straight.
“Seems there are now.” I muttered, for a want of anything else to say as the woman’s body seemed to solidify and become a stable flesh and blood body once more. Just flesh and blood body that was now covered in fur, and looked like an odd blend of human and mouse.
Before anyone could contemplate any of this any further, the purple light shot out again, bathing another woman in its light!
She immediately started crying out in terror!
“Target that son of a bitch in the windows!” I roared, my blood ramming through my body as raw terror and rage combined together to help push me past my open mouthed shock. “Keep him from blasting anymore of us!”
I whirled back around and opened fire on the windows in the building across the street, aiming in the general direction the last shot had come from. The Pinkerton men and various gangsters with firearms around us opened fire, and a disorganized salvo peppered the street across from us.
The gangsters on the other side of the road had taken the time to find cover around the buildings and alleyways, and were now starting to shoot back!
The little street war between all of us was officially underway.
However, it was instantly clear to me that the so called Dead Cats, and their boss Berwick were already winning the preliminary opening volleys. That had to change, and fast, or we were all doomed! They’d just keep us pinned down while their strange mutation-purple-light sniper on the second floor picked us off one by one.
Those that he didn’t get would probably panic, do something stupid, and get cut down by the more mundane lead throwing guns aimed at us.
This mess needs to change, and in a hurry before they pin us down and hit their stride! I thought frantically as I glanced around, assessing the mess. It was clear to me we couldn’t stay on defense, not with an elevated sniper taking potshots at us, the exotic nature of his weapon aside. My mind instantly started analyzing the various strategies we could reliably use in our current position, and it was like I’d never left the Union Army.
A straight bum rush charge would get us peppered with withering fire, and those that survived would be cut down the old fashioned way, given how many of these street gangs seemed to like bladed weaponry.
However, it was clear we needed to either fully retreat, pull a feint that lured them out of position, or attack. While a retreat was appealing, it wouldn’t get us anything, and was no guarantee to our safety, since our enemy knew this territory, and was clearly prepared for us. A feint was unlikely to succeed, given the nature of the terrain and distribution of everyone’s forces. This may have been a street fight, but it was similar enough to outright military war that the same rules that governed that world still applied here.
Both sides had a set of goals to achieve in order to claim victory.
We had to win, get what we came for, and get out.
They just had to wait, and either win now, or wait for us to come back.
That only left us with one real option, which made me sigh as I reached the conclusion I had been hoping to avoid. It’s like the damn giants all over again! I mentally groaned as I looked for the leader of the Pinkertons before crouch-walking over to him.
Behind us I could hear one woman squeaking in terror and misery, and another screaming in horror, but who was also starting to squeak more than scream. I resolutely refused to look and get distracted again. Time was of the essence, and I was in a hurry to get out of this fish barrel.
“I need two men good in close range combat!” I shouted to him as he looked over to me when I reached him. “The rest give covering fire! A lot of it. Those men and I will charge through them, and head up the stairs to get that sniper son of a bitch!”
“They’ll want to protect him and follow after you!” He pointed blinking in confusion, before he instantly caught on, and grinned viciously. This man knew his trade, and most importantly of all: he had experience. He understood.
If we charged their group, it was just a very deadly, chaotic street brawl, and the advantage went to them. If we charged their prized ace in the hole, they would be forced to break cover and protect him, opening themselves up to getting shot. And inside a cheap rickety tenement building, it was all about tight spaces and close quarters, killing the advantage that larger numbers usually gave.
“God I hope so!” I laughed darkly. “And I hope the rest of you are good shots!”
“Bet your ass we are Ranger!” He shouted back, before looking around our group. “Taylor! Frichie! Front and center! Everyone else, get ready to pour it on!”
There was a loud shot over the gun shots and general sound of battle in affirmation. Even the gangsters were following along with the orders. Two short, stout, rough looking men quickly half walked, half crouched their way over to us, and we were ready to get going.
“I’ll be going as well!” Maggie said from behind me, nearly making me jump, which was doubly terrifying as that damn purple beam flew over our position once again, hitting another gangster! Again another woman, and I suddenly got a sick feeling that this sniper had a particular preference of target.
The woman started to scream, and then just started sobbing and running around in a blind panic as fur started to sprout on her.
I honestly wasn’t sure which part was worse; the actual transformation, or the raw, primal fear it created.
“Don’t do that you damn cat!” I snapped, annoyed as I struggled to hole my emotions in check.
“Scaredy cat.” She laughed in a playfully haughty manner, which didn’t suit a battlefield at all, but somehow seemed both hilarious, and natural on her. Just like every cat that I had ever known, ever. Beastkin, animal or otherwise.
“I shall go as well.” Halona called out as she carefully ducked and crouched as best she could behind the large wagons, her own pistols out. “I can better block up the bottom floor and cause chaos, guarding your back.”
“You’ll barely fit inside that pile of bricks!” I snapped, glancing from her to the buildings across from us.
“I will come.” She stated with finality, and I just didn’t have the strength left to argue with her.
“Fine, ya damn horse!” I snapped, rolling my eyes.
“I can fire a shot that will create a bright light and cause electrical shocks to bounce around some of them.” Orna chimed in, covered in mud and yet totally focused and determined, her gun clutched in her hand in a very steady grip.
“Excellent!” I replied, no longer caring who was joining in. We had to get moving, now, before our side collapsed into panic and chaos, which was close to happening with the three screaming, panicking, transforming, squeaking women in our ranks.
“Fire when ready Orna!” I snapped, gesturing from her to the other side of the street. “Everyone else, start blasting as soon as it lights up, just don’t shoot me or our attacking team!”
Everyone half shouted, half laughed in acknowledgement as Orna carefully climbed up next us, popped out the large front loaded cylinder of weapon, and spun to a certain spot. She popped it back in place, and reeked herself for a moment, the rest of us quickly doing the same as we got ready. With her weapon ready, she took a breath, then quickly peeked over, pointed, and squeezed the trigger on her large, strange coppersmith pistol.
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There was a sound of air and gas spewing, then a quick thump, and for a moment, nothing.
A moment later, a sudden ball of white light covered the whole street, followed by shouting and screams of pain!
“Go! Go! Go!” I shouted, and I, Taylor, Frichie, Maggie, and Halona charged over our barricades!
I and the two Pinkertons had to scramble over the wagons, while Halona just leaped between two of them, and Maggie half climbed, and half leaped over them. Everyone behind us opened up with their guns, hammering the other side as we scrambled over the barricades and started sprinting across the street. I glanced and saw that Maggie had somehow landed on Halona’s back and was getting a ride across the street, laughing as she did.
Us poor humans had to simply run on our own two legs.
Cats. I thought with a wild laugh as we crossed the muddy, and now bloody street to the tenements on the other side.
As the brutal light receded, I saw several men and women down, and several jerking as electrical arcs jumped between them over and over.
Still, I knew it wouldn’t last, and our little force scrambled to the door of the building that the sniper bastard was in as the covering fire from our side began to slacken. A moment later, Taylor set his shoulder and arm, and rammed the cheaply made door! He knocked it clean off its hinges, and he actually let out a surprised shout as he met almost no resistance, and practically flew through the hole right behind said door.
“Well, that works!” I shouted as I ducked in behind him, everyone piling inside as we did so. “Up the stairs! Now!” I shouted, my pistol already pointing to the narrow stairs at the end of the of the small littler foyer.
“The horse and I will cover the ground floor!” Maggie shouted, leaping from Halona’s back to land on a gangster who’d been crouching nearby. The man screamed as the crazy cat beastkin woman landed on him, her claws and fangs going straight for his throat!
“Get that sniper master!” Halona yelled, turning with pistols out to cover the door, her bulk forcing her to move carefully.
“Will do you crazy mustang!” I shouted back. “Don’t let her get hurt, you bloody little house cat!”
“Don’t get yourself turned into a mouse!” Maggie laughed back. “I’d hate to be arrested for eating the Wild Mouse of legend!”
I actually laughed as the Pinkerton men and I made made our way up the stairs, slowly, as there was no real light, hardly any windows or lanterns, and none of us wanted to get shot.
Either with lead bullets or with the mutating beam of light.
“Clear!” Taylor snapped, as he whirled into one tiny room.
“Clear!” Frichie called out, crisply and professionally as he whirled into another tiny room.
“Damn little bastards either hiding or moving.” I muttered darkly as we made our way down the grimy, cramped hallways, clearing rooms as best we could with almost zero light. Our pistols were out, cocked, and our fingers were growing increasingly twitchy on the triggers as we kept finding nothing, door by door.
Downstairs, we could hear shouts, screams, and the sounds of gunfire and close quarters combat.
We were running out of time!
Then, as we burst through yet another door to another set of rooms, we saw a flash of light as someone moved through a connected door to another room!
“Movement!” I called out. This room even had an actual window, and I knew we were finally on the right track.
“Moving!” Taylor declared, and he moved forward with Frichie and I behind him, covering him. We quickly moved through the grimy, furniture crowded room before coming to the door. Nodding to one another, we squeezed together on either side of the door, and waited.
A moment later, Taylor reared back and kicked the cheap piece of flimsy wood, again knocking the door right off its hinges!
He ducked to the side, and just in time as a beam of purple light blasted out of the room! It was followed a moment later by several pistols shots.
Frichie and I whirled inside, shooting as we went.
The bastard was alone, behind a table in a corner with a pistol out and a strange contraption next to him on the table. The thing actually looked kind of familiar to me, but I couldn’t focus on it, as the shooter had my full attention! He got off one more shot that winged Frichie in the left arm, before both Frichie and I hammered him with multiple shots, each.
The man went down with short scream before slumping to the ground, now forever silent as blood began to pour out of multiple holes in his body. For a moment, there was silence, and then both Frichie and I were able to gasp in a breath.
However, before we could do anything, even look at Frichie’s wound, the sound of the battle downstairs ratcheted up a notch, and I knew we had to get back there, or we’d soon be overwhelmed ourselves.
“See to your wound.” I told him, quickly making several decisions. “And guard that device! Don’t let those bastards get their hands back on it. Taylor and I are heading back down.”
“Aye sir.” He nodded, and headed over to the table next to the dead gangster, and began to take up a position, reload, and to quickly look over his wound.
A hardened professional, through and through. I smiled as I turned and walked back out, Taylor at my side with a nod. Carnegie knew how to get quality, it seemed.
Taylor and I quickly reloaded on our way through the hallway back towards the stairs, and then with a nod to one another, our pistols ready, we quickly descended the stairs back to the foyer.
What we found was bloody bedlam and chaos!
Several of the so-named Dead Cats had made their way inside, being led by the little bastard Kirby Berwick himself. With a quick glance it looked like everyone had run out of ammo, and no one had the time or safety to reload, and so now it had gone from guns to blades. Halona had her own knife out, and between that and her hooves, she was holding her own even as the gangsters tried to surround her.
Hell Cat Maggie alternated between leaping onto someone, or leaping back onto Halona’s back to get clear before she was swarmed. While on Halona’s back, she would cover for the centaur’s sides, allowing themselves to block for one another. Still, it looked like Halona’s back was getting slowly ripped up from all the claws in Maggies feet that dug into her whenever she landed on the centaurs back.
The women were holding their own, but the gangsters were slowly hemming them in and forcing them into a corner, with a combination of long hammers, meat cleavers, knives, and swords slowly pushing them back.
Taylor and I opened fire as we charged down the stairs into the mess, dropping some of the better armed gangsters who were closer to the ladies. After that, we both dropped our guns and pulled our blades out for close-in work. I had my cutlass saber that carved through clothing and flesh just fine, while Taylor used some kind of gladius style short sword for lots of close, in-your-face thrusting.
The gangsters rallied and forced us back, with Kirby Berwick himself crossing blades with me.
Behind us, Halona reared up suddenly and kicked outward, catching a nearby gangster right in the face! Another rushed in to gut her, but was tackled to the ground by Maggie, and Halona jumped right over them and slammed bodily into the main press of the group, pushing them into me and Taylor. Just like that it was a pushing, shoving mess for the gangsters caught in the middle, allowing both Taylor and myself to focus on our own fights, while Halong half trampled, half stabbed her enemies.
Out of the coroner of my eye I saw Maggie, her face covered in blood with a wild, toothy grin on it as she leaped from gangster to gangster, her claws and fangs as terrifying as any blade.
After that I had to focus on the little bastard in front of me, who had a long, thin, rapier style sword, which gave him some advantages with speed and thrusting capabilities.
We glared at each other as we each stumbled around, swiping and cutting at one another. All thoughts of some kid of formal duel where out the window, as it was all anyone could do at this point to simply not trip. Even as we all attempted to kill each other.
Finally, he thrust high at me, going for my heart or shoulder area!
I brought my blade up to catch it, and then brought up my other hand with my empty pistol on it, crossed the two together, and briefly trapped his blade. I surged forward and slammed his face with my sword hand, the curving cross guard handle acting as excellent stand-in brass knuckles. He shrieked in pain as I heard his nose crunch beneath my pommel, and in his pained distraction, I shouldered him backward, and then whirled and swiped, slicing deep into his chest and ribs!
He screamed in pain as blood poured forth, but I was unwilling to wait, and swing in a wide, sweeping arc once again, to take his head clean off his shoulders!
The other gangsters screamed in rage, but by now there were only a few of them left, and they bolted for the door. We let them go, and after a few moments of heavy breathing from us, we heard some shouting, and then the shooting stopped.
Then the shouting stopped, and suddenly, a moment later, there was silence for all.
We all looked around the little foyer, and realized we were the only living people here, and from the sounds of it, the rest of the Dead Cats had retreated.
Fights over, I guess. I gasped as my body suddenly felt so heavy, and I started gasping desperately for air. Sounds like we won. Hurray.
All of us began feeling the effects of the fighting start catching up to us, and we began gasping for air, now that we could be breath again.
“You’re looking more roughish now, Wild Ranger.” Maggie gasped with a laugh, pointing to her cheek. Blinking, I put my weapons away, brought my hand up to my face, and saw blood on my fingers when I looked at them.
The little bastard had nicked my face when I blocked his final thrust.
Yeah, and there’s the pain. I thought darkly as now that I was aware of it, a sudden line of fiery pain started screaming across my face. I sighed in a mixture of exasperated annoyance at the pain and exhaustion, while smiling with wild joy that I was still alive.
I quickly looked myself over for anymore injuries, as did everyone else. Fortunately, only Halona’s horse half back was injured, and that was from the claws of Maggies feet more than anything. Taylor and Maggie were both bloody, but that blood seemed to be other peoples, not theirs.
Suddenly I heard some shouting, and what sounded almost like marching. It frankly sounded like a lot of people were getting worked up or agitated by something.
“Shall we go and see what new outrage is about to happen?” Maggie asked me, gesturing for the stairs with a wiry grin. I looked at them and sighed. Having an elevated position would be nice, and I did have to check on Frichie.
But still, after everything else…stairs.
Glaring at the grinning cat woman, I began half walking, half stomping up the stairs, with her following lightly behind me.
Well that was fun. I sighed as I walked through the hallways back to where Frichie was at.
“Frichie!” I called out as we neared his position. “Fights over, we won. We’re coming in.”
“Aye!” His voice rang back out, and a moment later, Maggie and I were standing back in the room with him. He’d bandaged up his wounded arm, and was sitting with his pistol out, but relaxed.
“So, that’s the toy that turns women into human mice?” Maggie asked, her blues eyes focusing on the strange contraption.
“So it would seem.” I told her, not wanting to look at it yet as I carefully headed over to the window, glanced out, and saw that our people were indeed the only ones now in the street. Wondering where the noise was coming from, I saw a commotion coming towards us from further down the street. Carefully looking down around the window to the what I could see of the road, I saw our group, and several locals standing around yelling at a new force.
The police.
“Oh joy.” I muttered darkly. Then frowned as I looked deeper into the crowd of blue coated men. “Huh, well that’s odd.”
“What is it?” Maggie asked, joining me at the window with a curious look on her furry face.
“The police.” I answered, staring at the middle of the crowd. “And someone else. Someone big.”
“Well now, this explains so much about today.” She hissed with a dark grin on her face as she stared at the large man in the middle of the pack of cops.
“Why?” I asked, curious and wary now as I watched the police slowly force their way to us. “Who is that?”
“The leader of the local New York Democrat Party.” Maggie answered, glaring while smiling, in the way that made her seem both impressed and furious. “The lord of Tammany Hall and would be king of the city. Also a corrupt and talented thief and cheat, who seemingly never gets caught or called on his stunts. And he owns all the local police stations. Every single one.”
“Impressive.” I sighed, irritated, because somehow I had a feeling this was a further mess I was at risk of being dragged into. “And his name?”
“Oh, it’s very simple and straight forward.” Maggie shrugged. “Everyone just calls him by it.”
She nodded to the window.
“Boss Tweed.”