She's a villain

Tyler had lost sight of the boss as his opponent wielding a two-handed sword, shifted position, making it impossible for Tyler to see him. The opponent's actions conveyed a clear message: if Tyler wanted to reach the boss, he would have first overcome him.

A blue glow of mana enveloped the opponent's sword, and then he signaled for Tyler to approach with a motion of his fingers. Tyler lunged forward, guiding the mana into his legs and claws, his movement blurring. He initially aimed straight for the enemy but swiftly changed direction, sidestepping to flank his foe.

The boss of the attackers reappeared in Tyler's field of vision briefly, only to be instantly obstructed again by the sword-wielding warrior who materialized in front of Tyler. With a strike from the flat side of his sword, the warrior struck Tyler in the body. The impact sent Tyler staggering backward, experiencing a dull pain in his chest.

Tyler suppressed thoughts of pain and leaned forward, digging his claws into the ground as his torso began to grow larger. His hair lengthened and spread over his back while his face stretched into a wolf's maw, halting the transformation. Hybrids couldn't shapeshift completely or only partially. Tyler partially overcame this limitation, but his transformation remained far from an actual wolf's. He now resembled a werewolf caught amid a transformation, yet despite his unsightly appearance, it granted him greater fighting prowess.

His opponent raised a hand and unfastened his cloak, tossing it aside and revealing his appearance to Tyler. He was a black-haired man donning expensive armor, his eyes cold and steely. Tyler was taken aback; he seemed too well-equipped to be just some slum thug.

Tyler and the black-haired man assessed each other briefly, and as Tyler made a move, the man mirrored his actions. A crashing sound erupted as metal met metal, sparks flying in all directions. Tyler aimed his claws at the man's face, but the man skillfully blocked them with his sword. Tyler's other hand targeted the man's stomach, but the claws merely scraped across the unyielding armor, producing a screeching sound.

In retaliation, the man swiftly elbowed Tyler in the muzzle, causing blood to drip from his nose. Undeterred, Tyler clamped his fangs onto the man's hand, although the sharp teeth failed to penetrate the armor and instead left small dents on its surface. The man growled, releasing his sword and gripping it with just one hand, striking Tyler between the eyes using the hilt.

Whine

Tyler let out a pained whine, jerking back and momentarily losing focus as his vision blurred slightly. The man scowled at the dents Tyler had created on his armor, his expression emanating icy fury. Then he looked at Tyler, whose body hair stood on end. His instincts warned him that he was screwed.

*****

Samael spat angrily on the ground while watching his opponent bounce on his tiptoes, sword pointed towards him and one hand behind his back. Damned Duelists were his most formidable adversaries. Not only did they match his speed, but they also wielded dangerous and agile steel weapons with a greater reach.

He had already sustained a few bloody gashes across his body while managing to land a few hits on his opponent, but none of them had pierced the Duelist's defenses. This wasn't just a gang fight; it was a damn slaughter! Rank didn't matter when the other side had superior equipment. Even ordinary gangs from the slums could barely afford Rank 1 weapons.

Samael sheathed his daggers in a flash and pulled out eight smaller blades instead, gripping four blades in each hand between his fingers. He infused mana into his fingers and the blades, causing them to spin independently. Gradually, they climbed up his fingers like propellers before he shot them toward the Duelist.

The Duelist stood upright, raising his sword horizontally. The blade flashed with blue mana instantaneously as he swung it downwards in one fluid motion. With each descent of the sword's blade, mana missiles transformed into swallows, colliding with the spinning blades and clattering to the ground. Samael had to swiftly dodge as the mana swallows continued to fly out until the tip of the Duelist's sword touched the ground.

Samael endured a few more bloody gashes, gritting his teeth in rage. Just as he was about to grab his daggers again, he was interrupted by a scream from behind where Dioner stood. The moment he turned his head, he froze as he felt cold steel against his throat. Without fully turning his head, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the Duelist, who had taken advantage of his momentary distraction and held the blade to his throat.

"Shit," he cursed at his own stupidity.

*****

Dioner stood in the corner of the room with her four children and one of their oldest members hiding behind her. She was an old lady who had never fought but had carefully cared for and taught their youngest. The children ranged in age from seven to twelve.

Dioner observed the entire situation nervously. She could see that her opponents were much more formidable. She bit her lip, trying to figure out the identity of her attackers. While it was not uncommon for gangs to fight against each other, they were not currently engaged in any major feud. Moreover, their territory was far away from the others and not particularly prosperous. So there shouldn't be anyone who would want this place that badly.

She shifted her gaze to the colossus that was approaching them. The rest of the gang consisted of either commoners or Rank 1 members. The giant had no trouble taking them out with his technique. Everyone struck by the mana giant's palm remained on the ground, unable to get up. Those who got close enough to the giant were struck with several blows, and one or two were even strangled unconscious.

In the end, no one was left between her and the giant. Dioner raised her hands and began to guide her mana into her palms. They glowed, and a transparent dome shaped like a turtle shell formed around them.

The giant walked up to the barrier Dioner had created and looked alarmed as he inspected it. The man picked up and rubbed his hands, which began to glow blue. He placed them on the barrier, and his mana palms also glowed. Dioner shivered and sent as much of her mana into the barrier to nourish it as possible.

"Children, run if the barrier breaks," she said softly to those hiding behind her.

The giant pushed, and waves ran across the turtle barrier. Dioner felt the pressure being applied to her barrier. She frowned and noticed the green eyes of the man under the hood.

"Leave us alone," she demanded but saw that his eyes smiled.

"It would be better if you just gave up," he replied, shocking her. His voice was soft and smooth.

Dioner pressed her lips together, stubbornly defending them. The giant suddenly stopped pushing, locked his hands together, balled them into a fist, and his mana palms clenched similarly. All four fists began pounding the barrier in rapid succession. Dioner gasped as the tremors vibrated not only the barrier but herself as well.

Dioner gritted her teeth as the impact shook her, sweat pouring down her face. The youngest of the children started crying behind her, which made her even more nervous. Dioner could only defend them and hope that one of the others would come to her aid or that the giant would run out of mana.

She briefly checked the situation with the others, and her heart dropped when she saw a warrior with a two-handed sword throw Tyler off him. Tyler somehow managed to get on the warrior's back, but before he could get up, the swordsman grabbed him by the back of the head and brutally slammed his face into the ground.

She swallowed in fright and looked again at the green-eyed giant, who didn't even slow down with his punches. She could feel the instability in the barrier and tried to fix it by adding more mana, but she could feel it squeezing the last drops out of her mana pool. Squinting her eyes, she saw the first visible cracks appearing on her barrier. However, she was determined to defend the children to her last breath.

Crack...

Crack...

Sounds of cracking echoed as her shield splintered, and Dioner fell unconscious to the ground, having used up all her mana. The children screamed, and the old lady threw herself before the terrified children to protect them with her own body.

The giant rubbed his bloody and red fists together, then looked calmly at the frightened group. "Stay," he told them before bending down and grabbing the unconscious Dioner, throwing her over his shoulder, and carrying her to the others.

*****

Tyler opened one good eye and looked around. He must have fallen unconscious for a moment because he found himself on the ground, with Dioner unconscious next to him and only Samael sitting on the ground with his arms folded.

Tyler was badly beaten, with one eye swollen shut. He could taste blood in his mouth, and his nose was probably broken. His ribs groaned in pain, and he likely had bruises on every inch of his body. But he was alive, and nothing was broken. In fact, the others seemed to be in much better shape than he was.

Their attackers stood around, watching them. When the swordsman noticed that Tyler had started to move, he raised his head and announced, "He's awake."

Another cloaked person joined their group, the boss of the attackers who hadn't joined the fight and had just watched. Tyler couldn't help but curl his lip as he growled softly but jerked when the swordsman turned his head sharply towards him.

The boss clapped a few times before speaking. To Tyler's surprise, it was a woman's voice. "For now, you can call me Lady. I want to keep you employed. You'll be working under me from now on," the woman replied.

Tyler pursed his lips and glared at her angrily with one good eye. "We don't work for anyone," he retorted, gathering his strength to pick himself up.

The lady sighed. "I don't recall asking for your opinion," she said, nodding to the swordsman, who walked over to Tyler and pinned him back down with his foot, perhaps a little more violently than necessary.

"You're a wolf. Or at least a partial one. Those are the rules, aren't they? When the stronger one wins, they become the leader. And I won. Naturally, you should submit," the Lady continued.

Tyler gritted his teeth. He despised this woman's arrogant words and hated even more that she was invoking the pack rules on him. "But this isn't a Wolf Race pack," he growled. "And you didn't win anything. Your subordinates did."

Lady shook her head. "It may not be a pack of wolves, but you consider your gang a pack. You consider yourself the alpha. So those rules apply too. And I don't see the problem with not fighting personally. You didn't fight alone, either. And we were even outnumbered."

Tyler grunted again but couldn't get up because the swordsman still held him in place with his foot on his back.

"Did you think we'd start working for you just because you beat us? Dream on," Samael echoed, his voice brimming with venom.

Lady turned her head towards him. "Sure, that was my main intention, but don't think I'm not ready Samael."

Samael flinched when she said his name.

Lady turned her head to Tyler again, piercing him with violet eyes. "You will thrive under my guidance. I will get you out of this hole. You will gain the true power you desire. You will be no my slaves."

Tyler was silent for a moment, really considering this. Whoever this Lady was, she certainly had money and lots of it. The words she was saying were tempting. His goal was to have a pack of Hybrids surpassing all other Animal Races in strength and power. To show them what a mistake they had made in throwing them away. But he would have to submit to this mysterious woman. Just the thought made the hairs on his body stand on end in disgust.

"What if we refuse?" he finally asked cautiously. As proud as he was, they were still in their power, and he had to keep an eye on his pack as their leader.

Lady chuckled. "I guess you didn't hear me before. You have no choice."

Tyler growled, and Lady squatted down to be closer to him. "Don't growl at me, doggie. If you don't know what's good for you, I'll just make you do it. I don't give a shit about your pride or hatred. You will do what I say, and I won't argue with you about it anymore."

Tyler was silent for a moment. "And how are you going to make me? Torture? Kill someone?"

Lady snorted and straightened up again. "So tacky. I'm no barbarian. No... I'll take something you hold dear, so you won't even think of defying me." The lady turned to the big man.

"Bring the children here and the old woman too," she ordered.

Tyler's heart skipped a beat when he heard that. He braced himself against the ground with all his might but only caused more pain when the swordsman stepped on him. He dug his claws into the floor. "Leave the children alone!" he barked.

Samael moved too, but the Duelist brought the tip of his sword to his throat again.

Lady turned her head to him and smiled. "Are you worried about them? There is no need. If you listen, they will be well taken care of."

Tyler watched as the large man brought Mother Green and the four children, clinging to her fearfully, toward the Lady. The Lady walked over to them, and Mother Green tensed, hugging the children tighter. She didn't dare move as she felt the presence of the big man standing behind her.

Mother Green watched as the Lady looked over each of the children one by one. She shivered nervously when she saw the corners of the woman's mouth curl down in displeasure. "Hm... strange," the Lady mumbled, then sighed as she turned away.

"So, to ensure you don't think of rebelling against me, I'll take your precious children with me. Every three days, I'll send someone with one of them to see you so you can reassure yourself that they're fine. In the meantime, here is my first order: you are forbidden to participate in, or even come near, the Festival of Lights."

Tyler, glaring hatefully at the Lady, froze in confusion at such an order. "Uh..." he made a confused sound and flinched as a purse suddenly fell in front of him, opening on impact and spilling many gold coins.

Everyone stared at the gold in astonishment. "Here's some money. Use it to buy equipment and everything you need to travel. You will follow me east for a week after the Festival of Lights," the Lady continued idly, not caring about their stunned expressions.

"East?" Tyler repeated in confusion, looking at the gold coins for a moment longer. He had never seen such a quantity before but finally tore his gaze away and looked at the Lady.

"Yes, east. Get ready for it. If you need more money, send a note with one of the kids in three days," the Lady waved a hand casually.

Tyler regained his composure and glanced at their pack's four children, still pressed against Mother Green. He gritted his teeth but finally nodded. He had no choice but to comply if he didn't want to put the children at risk. He would have to figure out how to get them back to escape this woman's control.

The Lady smiled. "Well done. That went much faster than I expected. Take the children and the old woman, and let's go," she said to her subordinates before turning and heading for the door.

The large man lightly pushed Mother Green in the back, and she reluctantly moved forward with the children, looking back at Tyler with a concerned expression.

The warrior with the two-handed sword was the last to leave, keeping Tyler on the ground. Warrior, too, walked away without taking his eyes off them.

Tyler didn't try to do anything in his condition and just watched them walk away. When the warrior disappeared from his sight as well, he clenched his fist and angrily slammed it into the ground. "Fuck! You bitch!"