Running through the streets. The area around her is mostly silent. She doesn’t know what to do. She doesn’t understand… She doesn’t understand why this is happening!

I have to get out of here... I have to get away… I have to get away!!

“Get back here, Claris! It’s not going to get any better if you make me run after you!”

The woman sprints down an alleyway and hides behind a wooden container holding garbage; the rotting food in the receptacle smells disgusting.

This alleyway is a dead end. The walls of the city are blocking her escape but it doesn’t seem like the man chasing her saw her go through here.

She hears footsteps come closer to the entrance of the alleyway. Heavy shoes. The man is particularly large.

“Claris!”

An angry yell from a man. A man who had just…

Why… Why is he… after all that… why!?

The woman, Claris, holds her breath as warm tears stream down her face. The night air is cold right now and the tears feel nice. She slows her heart rate down as her body prepares for its end.

Is this it? Is this the way her life will end? Thrown away like trash? Like the garbage she’s hiding behind right now? 

Claris hears the footsteps of her pursuer move away from the alleyway. She slowly exhales and starts quietly sobbing.

“Claris.”

Suddenly, the man appears right in front of her.

“There you are, Claris… Why did you have to make me chase after you? I just wanted to get this done and go home to my son… Sigh… Whatever, let’s get it over with.”

Claris looks up in shock as the man grabs her left forearm with his strong right arm and pulls her to her feet. So nonchalantly. This man speaks of taking her life like… like he was getting rid of garbage.

“Why? Why are you… Why are you doing this, Dirn? What did… What did I do?”

“Forget about it, Claris. The answer isn’t going to make you feel better. I’m really sorry but…”

“No! You… You fucked me! You just fucked me! What’s… what’s wrong with you!? You finish in me and then you try to fucking strangle me? I know… I know I’m not worth much but… why did you--”

“Claris, you’re not good for much else other than that, right? That’s basically all you do and now you can’t even do that… I was just having a taste while I still could, that’s all.”

Claris is held up against the wall of the city. She is in the worst corner she has ever been in. Claris panics and--

“AAAAAAIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”

Claris screams as loud as she possibly can. Her last scream in this world, perhaps.

But… no one will save her. No one would go out of their way to save a beastkin like her… Someone poor and worthless, without family, without purpose, except to live another day. Someone who can’t do anything right...

“That’s enough, shut up now.”

The man before Claris places his hands around her neck. He starts choking her. She cannot force air into her lungs… she can force it out but she would just lose that air forever.

Claris thinks about her life until now. A life of… misery and… is this even living?

Claris tries to pull the man’s hands off of her neck. She can’t do it. He’s too strong. She thinks about kicking him but he’s too close to her and… her fate might just become more painful.

Can she… Can she gouge his eyes out? No… the world is getting blurrier. She can’t think straight… She can’t fight back… She’s… She’s about to…

“I’m sorry, Claris. Well, that’s life-- Ah!!”

Claris feels the man’s hands leave her neck. The man backs away. She collapses to the floor and coughs as she feels air enter her lungs once again. Her consciousness, that was in the process of fading to nothing forever, returns with a vengeance.

“Ajax, what’s the matter with you? I could get here on my own, you know. You didn’t have to fucking princess-carry me...”

“Sorry, sorry, Shaula, I wasn't really thinking… If you hate it so much, I won’t do it again.”

“Well, it’s… it’s not that I really hated it… just warn me next time. I mean, why walk when the person you love can carry you, right?”

“Shaula… People will misunderstand with words like that...”

“Shut the fuck up, Ajax. So… what’s happening here then?”

Claris hears the voices of two people as her ears start to once again process her surroundings. She looks to her right and sees… a man and a woman.

A young man wearing a beige shirt and brown pants with an unkempt beard and black hair. An average looking man in most respects it would seem. Tall but not as tall as the man who was just strangling Claris.

Beside him is a young woman wearing the same male outfit with long, chestnut hair and… a very beautiful face and body.

They’re both humans… What are they doing here? Are they… Are they here to help me or… No, that can’t be it… are they Dirn’s friends?

Claris crawls back from them slightly.

Dirn, the man who had been strangling Claris, has retreated from Claris as well. Certainly, it was possible for someone to appear to try and see who screamed but… Dirn didn’t expect anyone to jump from the wall.

There was no one patrolling at the walls in the area right now anyways…

“Oh, an animal person?”

Claris sees the young woman look at her with curiosity. She had seen humans look at her with disgust, with depravity, but curiosity… not in a while… at least not from the humans she’s normally able to meet nowadays.

“Shaula, I think I remember Alin calling them beastkin, that’s what I’ve been calling them anyways.”

Claris narrows her eyes. Perhaps they came to save her thinking she was just a human. The screams of beastkin and humans are identical after all. Probably best to lower expectations then... 

“Yeah, whatever, Ajax. Talk to her, will you? This is your show, right?”

“Alright. Um, hello, miss? Are you alright? You were the one who screamed, right?”

Claris looks up to the young man in surprise. She tries to respond to the man the woman had just called Ajax.

“Um--”

“Hey, who the hell are you two?”

As Claris tries to answer Ajax’s question, Dirn interrupts in irritation.

“Be quiet. We’ll speak to you when we’re ready.”

The woman, who Claris heard referred to as Shaula, snaps at Dirn in irritation of her own. Shaula crosses her arms.

“No, this beastkin and I have some business here that you two are interrupting. Perhaps it would be in your best interest if you leave here while I’m still being gracious.”

“We’ll leave when we’re good and ready. Shut the fuck up.”

“What!? How dare you speak to me that way!”

Dirn erupts in anger and walks forward. Suddenly… 

“Whoa!”

Dirn backs away from Shaula. Claris looks at him, his expression showing fear. Claris notices a light coming from where Shaula is. Claris looks over at Shaula to see what Shaula just--

“Wow, Shaula, you’re getting better at that!”

“Thank you, thank you! Honestly, at the very least, I’m much more intimidating here than on Earth!”

Claris looks in utter shock as she sees fire emanating from the eyes of Shaula. Pure, bright blue fire. As if she were a deity...

“So, miss? You need help, right? This man was trying to choke you, right?”

Ajax and Shaula saw Dirn backing away from the woman as Ajax jumped over the wall but they didn’t see what preceded that.

However, from the other side of the wall, they could hear the sound of a person choking and one of the two hearts they’d heard began to thump slower so it was obvious what was happening.

Claris had been about to die. She had almost completely accepted it. The finality of it all. But now… now someone is…

“Y-Yes. I need help! Will… Will you help me? Please, will you help me?”

Claris tears up as she looks at Ajax and towards Shaula whose eyes are still expelling streams of blue fire. Ajax looks at her with a warm smile.

“Yes, we will. What’s your name?”

Claris’ pointed animal ears on the top of her head of dark, purple hair perk up and her fur covered tail starts shaking back and forth in joy. Has she ever felt so relieved?

“I’m… I’m Claris… Claris Merdalie!”

“Wow, that’s a nice name! So Shaula... how should we deal with this guy?”

Dirn has already pulled out a long knife reminiscent of the weapon known as the machete on Earth. His fear is gone.

“So you can do some cheap magic tricks… you think that’ll stop me? You kids should have thought twice before coming to the rescue of a fucking beastkin!”

Shaula narrows her eyes. Shaula herself is a tall woman, almost as tall as Ajax. Dirn however is a bit taller, more physically imposing and holding a weapon.

Dirn likes his chances as he aims for Shaula first. He lunges at Shaula with his machete and--

Thump!

Dirn falls and drops his weapon. He slides backwards a few feet from Ajax, Shaula and Claris. He feels dumbfounded. He doesn’t know what just happened.

He didn’t even see her move. He just felt a push, not even a strike, to the centre of his chest.

“Claris… What did this man do to you right now? He was trying to kill you, right? Why?”

Claris who was just watching Dirn on the ground in amazement hears Ajax ask her this question. In truth though… Claris doesn’t really know. She doesn’t understand why this is happening.

“I-I don’t know… Dirn over there first… first he… first he pinned me down and had sex with me… When… When he finished… he tried to strangle me without any warning. I got away from him and just started running.”

“He… He pinned you down and... Did… Did you agree to it?”

Ajax’s expression turns to one of shock.

“Uh… No, I didn’t agree but he went ahead and--”

“So… So he raped you. Did you actually consent to it?”

Claris hears Shaula’s cold voice. Claris looks over at her face but Shaula is not looking at her, she is looking at Dirn.

“Did you rape her?”

Shaula speaks to Dirn in a tone that would freeze the world over. Dirn ignores her tone, barely even registering it as he picks up his machete again and gets to his feet. He smiles in a depraved, malicious grin.

“Raped her? She’s one of my boss’s beastkin whores! She’s used for fucking so I made use of her! That’s all she’s good for... I didn’t need anyone’s permission to play with her used-up body.”

“Claris… I’ll get you out of here, would you get up for me?”

“O-Ok.”

Ajax helps Claris to her feet. She is slightly shorter than both him and Shaula.

“Hey, boy, you’re not going anywhere!”

Ajax looks at Dirn with a gaze of disgust and anger.

“Try to stop me, you piece of shit! She’s coming with me and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Go ahead, Ajax. I’m going to interrogate him for information. I’ll find you later.”

“...Are you sure you’ll be fine here?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine. Just go. I don’t think you want her to hear this guy’s screaming, right?”

Ajax holds Claris right hand in his left and walks with her, not even trying to avoid Dirn in his path to exit this alleyway. As if Dirn is nothing to him. Who are these two?

“You piece of shit… Stop mocking me!”

Dirn swings his left arm holding his long machete at Ajax. He’s stopped before the blade can reach Ajax’s neck. Holding his left arm and preventing him from moving is Shaula. Shaula yanks Dirn’s arm and pulls his body out of Ajax’s path.

“Ah, fuck! Shit!”

Claris looks at Shaula in shock as she keeps walking with Ajax. Ajax isn’t phased by her motions or actions in the least. Claris however didn’t even see Shaula move. Dirn tries to pull Shaula’s right hand off of his left forearm as he feels the bones in it creak.

When Shaula pulled him, she almost dislocated his shoulder. She’s abnormally strong.

Claris looks one last time at the two of them. Her saviour is holding her hand and leading her out of her certain death. She smiles softly. The tears don’t stop flowing as she turns the corner with Ajax.

~

“So, you raped that woman, Claris, and then you tried to kill her. Why did you do that?”

Shaula lets go of the man without taking away his machete. She stands in front of the entrance to the alleyway preventing this man from pursuing Claris.

“I don’t have to tell you anything, you bitch! Get the fuck out of my way!”

Dirn, having not fully learned his lesson, uses his right arm, his dominant arm to swing the machete at Shaula’s neck. The blade cuts through Shaula’s jugular and a stream of blood flows onto her beige shirt.

Shaula smiles.

“What was that? Was that supposed to do something? Something other than staining my top?”

Dirn looks in bewilderment as the cut to Shaula’s neck closes as if it had never even been opened. The blood that flowed from her neck didn't disappear however and stains her clothing.

Sigh… My only shirt… Maybe Claris can give me some of her clothes. Oh well, so long as this guy is intimidated.

“Wh-What? How did you use healing magic so quickly like that?”

“Who cares? What’ll you gain if you learn now? You’re just going to die anyway...”

Dirn feels chills as he considers the strength of the woman he’s facing as well as her not-so-empty threat. It appears to Dirn that a wound like that doesn’t even register to her.

A cut to the neck that would kill any normal human in minutes… just like that… healed.

Shaula grabs the machete from Dirn’s hands. She pushes him to the ground. He scrambles to his feet as he considers what’s about to happen now that his weapon is gone.

He looks at Shaula holding the metal blade in her right hand. The blade… turns bright and… melts, overflowing from her right palm. Drops of molten steel land on the ground and harden.

“Fire magic!? Who are you!?”

“Just answer my questions, insect. Or, would you rather...”

Shaula grabs Dirn’s right hand with her left. She gestures to him as a small pool of metal sits in her right palm. She holds Dirn’s right hand close to the bright pool in her right palm.

In a panic, Dirn strikes Shaula’s face with his left hand repeatedly with his most powerful hits. Shaula’s jaw shatters and her nose breaks. She bleeds for just a moment before her face resets to its normal condition.

Strikes like that would at least force her body backwards or make her collapse, maybe even break her neck if she were a normal woman. But, this woman is as solid as a rock, as if she is made of iron.

Shaula frowns. Not from the slight pain of her bones breaking but because it seems this man needs to learn a lesson.

“Sigh… Perhaps, you’ll be a better informant with some punishment.”

Shaula grabs Dirn’s right hand with her own right hand and forces the small pool of steel to invade Dirn’s skin.

“AAAAAIIIIII--”

Shaula covers Dirn’s mouth with her left hand to muffle his screaming. She doesn’t want anybody to come to this man’s rescue or stop her fun.

Dirn feels liquid invade the layers of his skin, shredding the blood vessels in his hand and invading even the bones in his fingers and palm. Each moment of this is a torture beyond anything he’s experienced since his time as a soldier.

Shaula looks at his sweating face with a grin.

“So, can you tell me now then? Why did you try to kill her?”

“I-I was ordered to by her pimp!”

“...Keep talking.”

“C-Claris became useless as a s-streetwalker when one of the guys who had sex with her b-beat her up a bit! She refused to do any more work for us so the pimp ordered me to get rid of her!”

“...ok. And before you tried to kill her… you raped her.”

Dirn sees the disgust and hatred behind Shaula’s icy cold expression. His eyes tremble. From pure fear, not out of a realization that what he did was wrong or worthy of the treatment Shaula is giving to him.

She was just a beastkin after all, nobody would even miss her!

“I-I… please don’t kill me! Please! Y-You can’t kill me! You don’t want to face the Linis Syndicate… I-I’m one of their respected-- AAAAH!”

Shaula strikes Dirn across his right cheek with her left hand as her right hand still clutches what remains of Dirn’s right hand. Dirn feels his cheek. Shaula had burned his face so easily with a simple slap of her hand.

What kind of fire magic could do something so fine-tuned like that without any magic preparation?

Shaula didn’t like what she was hearing. The way he begged for his life was pathetic. So she struck him.

“I-I… I have a son! Please don’t kill me! My son… My son’ll grow up without a father! Please! Please!! I can’t leave him alone here!”

“...huh? What does that have to do with anything?”

“...What?”

“You have a son. So what? You just raped and tried to kill a woman. Who cares if you have a son? You fucking piece of shit, are you planning to raise your son to be just as much of a piece of shit as you are!? Why would I ever send you back to him!?”

Dirn feels anger. This woman tortured him and now disrespects his son. His son is worth more than all the beastkin on this earth!! The nerve of this woman, a human just like him, a race traitor!

“She was just a fucking beastkin! She doesn’t even have any family anymore! She would have died on the streets anyway or by overdose, what’s the difference!? I have a kid! I’m a human, I’m not a beastkin like her! I’m a good, god-fearing human! I would never do that to another human or to a human woman like you! I--”

Shaula takes her left hand and strikes Dirn's chest, breaking through his thick clothing and his sternum with a solid punch. Dirn doesn’t scream. He realizes it. He’s already dead.

“That’s enough. You’re simply not fit to live in this world.”

Dirn starts to bleed from the hole in his chest but Shaula amplifies the heat in her left hand to as hot and condensed a fire as she can produce without causing the surrounding area to catch fire.

A fire hotter than the surface of the sun penetrates Dirn’s blood vessels, his bones, every last muscle, every last nerve, every last brain cell.

For a few moments, Dirn’s body lights up as fire engulfs it completely. Every last drop of blood evaporates and every organ and bone of his body burns to nothing.

Shaula sees the skin of his form disappear in the fire, then his muscles, then his blood vessels and organs and finally what’s left of his skull and bones, All that’s left over is… ash. The remains of his bones, the carbon in his body, nothing else remains.

Shaula looks at what’s left of his body. Nothing that would cause any suspicion to anyone searching for him. Ashes that would be blown away by the nightly winds.

Shaula smiles. She giggles a little. She feels better. She’s felt a pit of hatred in her heart ever since she saw that beastkin man’s corpse. Now, she’s given a little bit of justice to her reality.

She walks out of the alleyway with a spring in her step.