DREADWOLF

◈ Chapter 121:

The rundown area they were in became even more rundown as Rain carefully picked his way through the streets.

 

“Is this the right way?” he gravelled, eyeing Lyra who was leaning over his head.

 

“Mhmm. What better place to hide than the low leveler slums? There aren't going to be any truth lenses for miles around and guards only come in here if something big happens, probably.”

 

He murmured his agreement as he moved deeper into the slums. Unlike the shining white buildings of the districts he had just been in these ones were dirtier and shacks had been built onto the walls to expands the amount of livable space. This of course narrowed the streets and they became shadowed, the azure sky a thinned jagged line above broken by rickety bridges spanning from building to building.

 

“Where?”

 

“Erm, w-well I hadn't thought that far, I, uh, haven't actually been here very much, but I know there’s probably some abandoned places, we can hide there until night!”

 

“Really? This place looks pretty packed to me, like stuffed to the brim with levelers” said Opal, wriggling as she moved to look around at the crowd.

 

She had a point as Rain had to move awkwardly to avoid a number of Lapine passing by, their dirty ragged clothing the first time Rain had seen a Lapine without their signature chevron arrow fashion. They weren't the only ones with poor clothing, many of the species walked barefoot across the mud and trash smeared cobble, and many of them sported crippling injuries, missing limbs, horrific scars. In fact he was sure he’d seen more people with a limp in the first ten minutes than he’d seen in years, even the normally exuberant Orcs and Minotaurs looked hunched and surly here.

 

He peered into the nearest alley hoping to find it deserted, but this too had occupants, a number of Humans and Lapine in rags huddled against the walls.

 

“I don't think any place will be abandoned here, not if there are so many living on the streets.”

 

“...I suppose. I-I didn't think it was this… bad.”

 

Rain moved on from the alley and peeked into the next, and then the next, but each of them was peppered with levelers, hardly a promising sign of finding somewhere private. He wandered deeper and deeper into the endless warren with no luck, increasingly thinking they would have to give up on the potential safety of the slums and hunt for something in one of the other districts. But then, at last, he found an alley deserted. 

 

It was almost a surprise, why were there no people here? 

 

“I think this might actually be abandoned,” murmured Lyra, “S-see I was right…” Her words didn't hold much confidence as she eyed the few empty windows that lined the otherwise blank flat walls of the narrow alley. No one appeared to live here.

 

He hesitantly entered. The place remained eerily still. He took another few steps, gaining confidence. This place could be exactly what they wanted, yes. 

 

He was peering up at the tall walls wondering if they truly were deserted when he stepped over a pile of trash in the middle of the alley. 

 

The trash exploded. 

 

Caught mid-stride there wasn’t much he could do and a thrashing body collided with his legs, the invisibility shattering, something clawing and biting at him before leaping away with an ear-shattering screech.

 

Rain swiftly backed against the wall, unsure where the attack was coming from, then blinked as he saw what it was that had bitten him. 

 

The thing was pink-red, but not a nice pink-red, the pink-red of damaged irritated sickly flesh, of flaking cracked skin. 

 

It was shaped something like a very skinny and lithe Kobold but even more lizard-like in form with what looked like the ragged and torn up remains of neck frills hanging limp around its neck. Its narrow muzzle was parted by a pair of enormous five-inch fangs, incredibly fine things with needle-like points. Its bloodshot eyes were an unsettling pink and its talons that weren't broken were so long and fine that they were nearly transparent.

 

It was a lizard creature that had no scales, the flesh beneath exposed and raw, flesh patterned with reddened pits where its scales had once been.

 

“Why is there a monster here Lyra?” growled Rain as he dropped Opal and Lyra behind himself and readied to fight. “Why would it be allowed to live in a place like this starved for leveling?”

 

“I-uhm, don't know, I don't know the low leveler areas very well, maybe it’s just hiding out here?”

 

The monster had been pacing them as Rain spoke, softly hissing as it carefully eyed him, then Opal and then finally Lyra. 

 

The monster’s pink eyes stared at Lyra as she spoke for a moment and then started to turn back to Rain. But then Lyra shifted and the bag on her hip came into view. The creature’s demeanour immediately changed, going from an animal defending its nest to insane rage in a flicker of motion. 

 

The monster let out a blood curdling screech that echoed off the walls of the alley.

 

“SKRIEEEEEEEE! THE PLaCE! tHe PlAcE! ThE pLaCe! tHe PlAcE!!” 

 

It ran at her in a berserker rage, long needle-like claws raking at the air.

 

“W-wait hold on! Why is it going after meeeeee!” wailed Lyra.

 

Rain swung a fist, about to hammer down the thin creature in one deadly strike, but before he got close the both of them were drawn up short by a flash of white, a flash of white fur.

 

Rain froze finding a child in the path of his paw and halted in his tracks, awkwardly stuck mid strike.

 

He stared at the child, toddler? A tiny goat kid with fluffy white fur all over and floppy ears. 

 

The tiny goat had her arms spread wide, the lizard thing behind her hissing and spitting but holding back, she was defending it? She glared up at him with big blue eyes. 

 

“D-DON’T HURT BEAN!” the goat child seemed to struggle to get the words out, as though she wasn’t used to speaking.

 

It took a moment for Rain to realise that ‘Bean’ was supposed to be the horrifying lizard thing behind her.

 

He tilted his head in confusion.

 

“Why do you care? you’re a leveler,” snapped Opal, “Just eat the monster already wolfy.” 

 

“Nnnn-not M-monster, l-leveler!” 

 

Rain, Opal, and Lyra all stared at her, and then up at the lizard thing standing behind her. It was twitching and jerking as yellow foam dripped from its mouth. One eyeball had started rolling off in its own direction and was winding its way upward until it disappeared behind the things pink eyelid. A long black tongue licked some of the yellow foam rolling down its chin and fangs.

 

“There’s no way that- that horrible THING! Is a leveler!” said Lyra jabbing out a finger at it as if for emphasis.

 

The tiny goat girl petted the thigh of the lizard thing, its thigh was head height with her she was so small.

 

“Is! Is leveler!”

 

“Does it matter? Leveler, monster, whatever, eat the insane thing already wolfy, look it wants to attack again!”

 

She was right, the lizard thing’s eyes had found the bag on Lyra’s hip once more and its breath was accelerating as it stared, fixated, claws rising.

 

Rain hesitated, but then as the thing took a step forward he readied.

 

“N-NUU!” cried the tiny goat girl, grabbing hold of the lizard thing’s thighs, “Bad Bean, be nice!”

 

The lizard thing didn't seem to understand and it tried to force its way by, the goat child’s feet sliding against the muddy ground as she was pushed back, despite leaning fully into its legs.

 

“THE PLAAAACCCEEE!” hissed the lizard thing, eyes locked onto a panicking Lyra.

 

Rain lifted a paw to end the clearly insane thing before it reached Lyra with those needle like claws, even as the goat girl started to cry.

 

“Keep your slave under control damn you!” bellowed a voice, and a man burst from the nearest door. He had long black wavy hair and a weathered face below which was an oiled and trimmed beard. He wore heavily patched leathers along with a shirt that had seen better days. Walking with a limp he hurried over, the startled lizard thing flinching back as a working man’s hand slapped down on its shoulder and then roughly shoved it aside. It went rolling across the mud with a yelp before bouncing to its feet with a kettle like screech.

 

“Pickle come here, get back from that thing, it’s dangerous.”

 

The goat girl glared at the man. “No throw Bean!”

 

“...She’s named Pickle!?” said Opal trying to keep a straight face.“Pickle and Bean!?”

 

The goat girl rounded on her. “Good names! Good!” this only seemed to increase the difficultly Opal was having in keeping her face straight.

 

Lyra whisper hissed up at Rain, “This isn't good! This really isn't good!”

 

“No, it is not, Lyra Bellerhorn,” said the Man, eyeing Lyra as he drew Pickle close. “I know it’s you, people of your standing don't come round here unless they have problems. I’ve seen the posters, what you look like, you’ve got the kind of bounty that makes waves.”

 

“Why does everyone know my name!” 

 

“You are here for her head?” growled Rain, his body language radiating danger, shifting position to kill the man.

 

“You’re here for my head?” Echoed Lyra.

 

“...No. I don't think I can kill a monster like this you have here. I figure for you to have stolen it from a Lord as vindictive as Lord Wranvyre it must be worth its weight in gold, or rather leveling, and that means it is, hrmm, extremely strong.”

 

“Wha-? I mean, uh, yes? Yes, I stole this monster and yes, it is crazy strong, like smash a town flat strong! You would die in less than a second if you fought it!”

 

“And it does as you command because you have control of its heart pin.” The man grumbled in thought and petted Pickle’s head who was hugging his leg.

 

“Yup! One hundred percent control! Rain lift your leg in the air!”

 

Rain gave the sheep girl a dead flat stare and didn't move an inch.

 

“Eep! W-well mostly! He’d break you in half anyway!”

 

“I get that impression. Fine. I want to cut a deal.”

 

“Er, deal?”

 

The man nodded. “When you kill this monster Lyra Bellerhorn I want you to let my Pickle help. Allow Pickle here to take a knife and slit its throat alongside you.”

 

“What? That's so fucked up!”

 

“A child…” growled Rain.

 

“...Pickle!?” giggled Opal, “Pickle and Bean!” she laughed harder.

 

The man gave them a stoney faced look. 

 

“She named herself as that, she also named Bean here. She is… creative with names.”

 

Lyra waved her hands frantically, “Hold on, even if that was something I would consider you’re just asking for that? Like, straight up?”

 

“No. I know you need time before the killing, otherwise you would have done it on the day you thieved the thing. Look, In exchange for letting little Pickle here slit the monster’s throat I can keep you safe and out of view from the rest of the city. Nobody will find you, you will have food, warmth, and shelter, and enough room for that monster of yours.”

 

“Yes, agreed, bargain, deal, done, transaction complete,” said Lyra marching forward and grabbing hold of the man’s hand then shaking it enthusiastically up and down. “Take me to warmth and safety and dinner thank you mister- ah, what is your name?”

 

The man seemed to be struggling a little with how quickly Lyra had agreed.

 

“It’s… Warwick, call me Warwick.”

 

“Well mister Warwick take us away from this dingy alley!” she flapped her hands at Warwick who had an increasingly strained expression.

 

“...Sure.” He scooped up Pickle and returned to the door, looking over his shoulder to check that they were following. “It’s up here, command your slave to follow.”

 

“Are you taking us to your home?” gravelled Rain. 

 

“Ah, it’s just your home?” repeated Lyra, a little disappointed.

 

Warwick gave her an annoyed look. “No, not quite.” He turned and disappeared inside, Pickle looking over his shoulder at them as she disappeared from view.

 

Lyra jumped up the steps to the door and waved back at Rain. “Well, come on, better in there than out here and exposed right? Right?”

 

Rain glanced back at Bean who was busily burying itself in a pile of rotting trash. Then he turned and followed Opal and Lyra up the steps to the door.