Ongoing battle

Swaine and Franco were originally tapped within the box or magic protection they had around them.

There were many at their back and front which did not allow them to retreat so they had to stay within the protective barriers until reinforcements arrived.

The footsteps grew louder and closer then a large armed group arrived with armour and weapons out.

They were people from the city guards and members of the Seshat familia, among them was Oars who lead the charge. "Surrender peacefully and you will avoid being hurt!"

Those which had been blocking the escape of Swaine and Franco had been quickly intimidated which allowed an opportunity to present itself.

The barrier dropped on one side which was facing the exit so Swaine and Franco ran out.

There were still a couple which had chosen to still target them despite the warnings and intimidation but there were very few among them that was strong enough to pose a real threat.

From both sides, the people at the exit were the ones trapped between two sides but their overall unity had already fell apart.

Swaine punched someone in the face before blocking a slash of a knife with his sword. "Get lost!"

Franco was agile and nimble enough to avoid any injuries as he used his own dual knives to cut his opponents. "Remember not to kill them you fool."

Most of their attacks were directed at the limbs of their attackers so that they would be unable to continue fighting.

Oars shouted again. "Last warning! Give up!"

His foot stepped forward as he threw out a spear into the air then took one from his back.

The people behind him walked forward in a formation and started to clear a path while subduing anyone that tried to resist.

Meanwhile a couple of weapons hit Swaine and Franco several times due to them being surrounded and being a little careless once they were closer to reaching where the city guards were.

The protective barriers formed around their bodies which blocked the attacks which made then let out a sigh if relief.

Swaine looked behind him towards the small and frail boy that had fallen from the rebound. "Cannot underestimate the kids.."

The small children were not as easy to spot among a crowd and could launch a sneak attack at any moment but it was lucky that he had talismans still on his body which were ready to activate when he was in danger.

The tactics of the people in the slums were cruel but very effective because they were not against turning children into killers.

Children would usually be seen as the least threatening and most would be against attacking them so they made excellent assassins for people which could train them and chose to make use of them in such ways.

Franco looked over and agreed. "So close but we need to keep going!"

They both continued to push forward and they were gradually getting closer to the exit.

Once they had reached Oars and the others, Oars raised his voice again. "People of the slums! You have all attacked people of the Seshat familia! From now on.. if you refuse to submit then you will only be making things more difficult for yourselves later!"

Since the people of the slums had actively taken part in an attack on the two new members of the familia which had played an integral part in the building, protection and running of Visa City, the Seshat familia had every right to retaliate.

While it was a plan which had been laid out to draw out those involved in the previous assassinations, it could be used to catch a few bad people within the slums and gain a chance for the city guard and the familia to personally take action and investigate an area which had been neglected for too long.

As the fight had broken out in the slums, no guards had come to investigate or offer aid because they were already on the payroll of the bosses within the slums.

Such a thing was very strange because there should at least be one person from the guards which would come to investigate but there was nobody which had come after some time had passed.

Those that had neglected their duties would be put under investigation and punished depending on the severity of the crimes and ignoring ongoing crimes within the slums.

For the people of the slums to have control over the city guards and bribing them was not a good sign when the safety of the city was concerned.

Those involved in the plan were only those which had been chosen by Mallory and the familia which prevented the plan from being leaked but to also test the response of the city guards near the slums.

None of the guards near the slums or their superiors heard of the plan or anything else so they did not expect a sudden inspection at that time so they were caught off guard when people barged into their guard posts and buildings.

They were all quickly subdued and taken in for questioning while their lives would be put under investigation.

Later they would be found out for taking bribes to ignore the ongoings of the slums and how they had participated in some other unsavoury events or looked the other way as they went on.

Very few of them actively participated in the crimes because they had become or were already henchmen of one of the crime bosses in the slums.

A little earlier further into the slums, Mallory continued to dodge among the many people which turned around and started swinging their weapons at her but they could not land a single hit. "Barrier!"

She appeared near one of the exits and quickly closed it off with a barrier then shouted. "Flash!"

Mallory jumped back into the crowd and started to disarm as many as she could while wounding any which continued to fight on.

The blinding light helped to disorient her opponents and let her move among them to the next location. "Barrier!"

Those that tried to escape were stabbed or cut with her kunai, one continued to run and got close to one of the paths as Mallory was just closing off another one. "Barrier!"

A kunai was thrown out towards the back of the leg of that person which caused them to fall down.

Some which had a healing potion had started to heal themselves and climbed back up to fight so Mallory showed a look of annoyance. 'I was trying to hold back and practice a little in a real combat situation but I have to remember that this is a fantasy world where magic and other things are possible.. even the poorest of people could save up for a healing potion or they could be handed out to ensure the success of a plan.'

Mallory heard the loud shout which came from the other side of the slums then a new opponent appeared in front of her which was different from the others who lacked real skill, physical strength and experience. "So there was someone skilled hiding among the crowd. Nice to meet you."

As she greeted the person opposite her, her grin revealed her sharp fangs which destroyed her beautiful appearance and made her look more menacing.