186) Émeutes dans le Cacheé

As I ran through the alleyways, I weighed my options for resolving this situation. Fighting in unfamiliar territory wasn't the best alternative; I hadn't expected these low-level criminals to be part of such a large group.

My options were limited. The transformation had given me the ability to handle the situation, but it had also restricted me in several ways.

I couldn't teleport in the middle of a fight, and I wasn't familiar enough with this place to lose them in the chase. Invisibility was also out of the question; it was almost impossible for me to control it, especially if I had to keep the girl hidden as well.

My magic had been suppressed, at least by 75%. I'm not talking about power or quantity, but control. I healed the girl's face with my healing magic, and even that was complicated; it was as if I had regressed in time and my ability was as clumsy as it had been at the beginning. For that reason, my other magical abilities were out of the question.

Perhaps if I hadn't transformed, everything might have gone better, but I had already done it and the risk of reverting to this form was too high. I wasn't afraid for myself, since this was a clone, but I couldn't risk anything happening to the girl.

I had to come up with something, but time was against me, and in this form, I felt much more impulsive, making clear thinking almost impossible. My instinct told me to fight, to crush those ants daring to challenge me, but I still retained enough rationality to ignore it.

The only positive in this situation was that the girl no longer resisted as she had at first, which I appreciated; it made things easier. I had to find a way to protect her, but I wasn't sure what to do. I couldn't just leave her somewhere; even if I hid her, I didn't know if those bastards would have a way to locate her while I fought or distracted them, so I needed to come up with something else.

With an idea forming in my mind, perhaps not the brightest, I abruptly changed direction.

...

In the middle of La Cachée, wizards and witches went about their shopping or lived their lives normally, just like any other day in the magical world.

The sun was shining, shops were promoting their products, an old woman was haggling prices, children were enjoying the street performances, when a hooded figure emerged from the alleyways, dragging everything in its path...

...

CRRRRAAACKKKK!!!! (sound of destruction)

A shower of debris and fragments flew into the main street as a strange hooded figure, moving at great speed, burst out from an alley, followed by a barrage of spells aimed at them.

Civilians screamed in surprise and fear. Some of the spells that missed their target hit outside the alley, damaging both the infrastructure and the people in their path. No one saw it coming, and panic quickly filled the area.

I ran down the main street, drawing the attention of everyone who saw me, or at least the blur I left in my wake. It would be hard to identify me; besides my animalistic appearance, I was well covered.

For a moment, I felt the spells aimed at me stop, but then they resumed. They seemed to hesitate when I burst into the crowded area, but perhaps the girl's value to them was greater than I had anticipated, as they soon resumed their attack, more desperate than before.

I was no longer in the alleyways, and what I was dodging were not just the spells from my pursuers, but also the people blocking my way. The screams of the people were annoying, especially with my heightened senses, but it was something I could endure a bit longer.

The girl in my arms trembled even more at the people's screams, but I couldn't focus on that right now; things were getting even more complicated.

I had run through a few more streets when the local law enforcement appeared: the French Aurors. I knew this would happen and hoped they would give me the time I needed... it wasn't the brightest idea considering my suspicious appearance.

"Arrêtez-vous là !" (Stop right there!)

I veered off my path once more, also dodging the Aurors' spells as they cast immobilization charms when I didn't stop. I zigzagged, avoiding my new enemies while heading toward my old pursuers, or rather, towards their surroundings.

It wasn't long before a full-blown battle broke out. The criminals had no time to escape, though they seemed to want to, and with few options, they engaged in the confrontation with the Aurors.

I suppose no one expected things to escalate this way, as more and more people appeared on both sides. Whether they were criminals trying to help their comrades escape the confrontation, or Auror reinforcements arriving because the situation had become more complicated.

The place turned into chaos quickly, and now I was fleeing from two opposing sides, but thanks to the chaos, they weren't as focused on me. Still, I couldn't let my guard down; even though I wasn't the center of attention anymore, the whole place had become a battlefield, and I had to think carefully about what to do.

"Gi-gh-rlggg," I pronounced, causing the girl to look at me with fear and confusion.

I tried to speak, but in this form it was quite difficult; the words came out strangely, making them hard to understand. Another point against me. I shook my head and thought of another way.

In front of the girl's eyes appeared a blue screen with writing, surprising her. She tried to touch it but couldn't; it seemed as if a ghostly paper was in front of her. She attempted to read what the blue thing said, but unfortunately...

"Je ne comprends pas..." (I don't understand) she whispered.

"???"

For a few moments, we stared at each other, both confused as I continued to flee. I sent several [Messages] more, but the child seemed increasingly dizzy trying to read them amidst the shaking.

Seeing the problem, I sent a few more messages, but short ones, almost single words, and we barely managed to understand each other. It was understandable: I didn't speak French and she didn't speak English, and even with the [Subtitles], we couldn't understand each other well.

Scratching my head, I looked for a place to rest for a while and found a small corner. I thought of something and ended up pulling out some food from my inventory, pushing it towards the girl. She seemed scared and on the verge of crying as she saw me putting the food into her mouth.

She whimpered in fear, but eventually swallowed what I offered. Her fear mixed with confusion when I pulled out more food and gave it to her. This food was something I had prepared earlier, though unfortunately, I hadn't cooked much in a while, and my cooking level had only reached level 2, with a small improvement in effects and increased quantity produced.

The child stopped crying when she saw me eating as well, especially when she felt her mind clearing up, although she also felt bloated after eating so much. The messages appeared in front of her again, but now she seemed to remember some things better, which helped her understand a bit more, even if only slightly.

Noticing someone approaching, I grabbed the girl again and resumed running. I started sending messages as before, equally simple. Our communication was precarious, but after many dysfunctional exchanges, we managed to reach some understanding.

I held the girl and ran through the streets once more, this time avoiding the area of intense combat. I looked in the direction she pointed with her finger and ran through the streets, dodging everything in my path.

At one point, the child spoke louder, pointing to a store in the distance, and from her words, I knew she was indicating a clothing store... or so I hoped.

Then, I sent a new [message] that appeared in front of her eyes, which practically explained the following:

[You-Family-message-me

You-Danger-message-me

Not-message-me-find-you]

accompanied by gestures to make it clear what I wanted to say.

As I approached the place, I covered the child with a blanket and some other things from my inventory and threw her towards the door, hoping she wouldn't get hurt too much. Without the child in my arms, I reached out to a streetlight pole to help me make a U-turn.

Free from the weight of the child, I stopped holding back and let the wild side within me take control, joining the fray unfolding before my eyes.

I tried to be as conspicuous as possible, hoping that the battle would move away from this place along with me.

Gabrielle rolled on the floor; she had hit the door, but it was nothing she couldn't bear. Luckily for her, the door was still open, or the impact would have been much more humiliating and painful.

She quickly moved to hide better inside the store. She was trembling, and the absence of the strange werewolf made her feel even more insecure. She waited there in the store, feeling the noises from outside intensify and then fade, as if they were moving away.

She was nervous; this was the store she had come to with her sister, but now she wasn't here. She was scared, and tears kept streaming down her cheeks. She was desperate, wondering if she should use that contact magic with the werewolf to have him find her; at least in his embrace, she felt warmth... but just at that moment:

"Gabrielle !!! Gabrielle, où es-tu ?!" (Gabrielle!!! Gabrielle, where are you?!)

Her sister's voice resonated, sounding as desperate as she was. Without thinking, though it was reckless, she ran out of the store, searching for the source of her sister's voice, and it wasn't hard to find it.

Fleur had been shouting around the store for a while, ever since she discovered that her sister was no longer with her, since she reported the disappearance to one of the Aurors guarding La Cachée, and even when the chaos began.

Tears streamed down her cheeks; she was mortified thinking about what might have happened to her sister. She knew she shouldn't have brought her; it was just a shopping trip with her friends, but things got out of control too quickly for her to process.

Even when her "friends" fled due to the disturbances, leaving her alone, she didn't stop searching for her sister. She witnessed the fight before her eyes, but all she could do was hide until it calmed down and then continue searching.

She was almost out of strength and about to fall to her knees in tears over losing her sister, knowing the tragic outcomes that could befall them, especially for beings like them, full of charm. Just as she was about to give up, she felt something collide with her, and when she looked at what had clung to her, her previously empty eyes filled with life.

"Gabrielle !"

"Fleur !"

The sisters, both crying, hugged each other, with a mix of intense emotions in their hearts. But the noises in the area pulled them out of that moment, with Fleur carrying her sister in her arms and starting to run to safety.

Fleur ran with her sister in her arms, wishing to leave that place and return home, but some arms abruptly stopped her.

"Ma poupée !"

"Lâche-moi !" (Let me go!) She tried to resist, about to grab her wand to defend herself, but then recognized the voice and the nickname. "Papa !" She looked at the older man holding her; it was her father.

"Mes trésors," (My treasures) he said, hugging his two daughters tightly for a moment before letting them go and pulling out a pocket watch, placing it in his eldest daughter's hands. "C'est un transplanage pour la maison. Utilisez-le et emmenez votre sœur. Nous parlerons plus tard, sortez d'ici !" (It's a Portkey to home. Use it and take your sister. We'll talk later, get out of here!)

Fleur took the watch her father handed her and, without hesitation, held her sister tightly before activating it and disappearing from the battlefield.

With his daughters out of danger, Monsieur Delacour continued with his work, guiding the group of French Aurors who followed him to quell the disturbance.