3

They split up at the main gate. Taffin lived in another part of the city, and it was getting late, so he split off here. Melea accompanied her only three minutes longer before she, too, turned onto another street. Yenlette waved to her friend once more before she disappeared into the gathering darkness, then headed her way. She was less than fifteen minutes from home. They'd been out of town a bit too long today, she thought. Dusk had already begun, and with a slight twinge of uncertainty, she glanced down the next street. It was true that quite a while had passed since the day everything had changed, and Tywalg's loyal minions were practically nonexistent in the city, but that didn't mean the city was safe after dark. The tenuous position of the guard appointed by the new city administrator didn't yet offer complete peace and order. Now, the usual thugs from a dark star became a threat. Yenn's small stature didn't give her much chance in any confrontation with the man. She looked again at the shadowed alley. It wasn't completely dark yet, and taking a different route would add a few minutes. She sighed and entered the alley. She told herself something, it was still perfectly light, and she'd been walking this way forever and never encountered anyone strange. She walked confidently, though carefully observing the shadows. The gaps between the buildings could hide something more than just a stray dog ​​or cat. She had walked more than halfway to the other end when a nearly two-meter-tall shape appeared before her.

"Well, well, well. The girl seems to be getting home a little late," the shape said, and began to approach.

Yenlette turned back, only to come face to face with the second man. He swung to catch her, but missed as she dodged to the side. She turned and threw herself into the gap between the buildings; she could have escaped that way if not for the second attacker. He caught her hand in time and pulled her toward him, nearly breaking her arm. She groaned in pain.

"You'll stay here, little one," he growled, pushing her back toward his companion. The other man grabbed her from behind and locked his arms.

"These kids are so stupid these days," said the attacker, holding her from behind.

"Yes, yes. Stupid and careless, they keep taking the same routes," the second man replied to his companion. Then he turned to her. "You see, honey, these are the times when everyone needs money.

" "Not bad," said a voice from behind the girl.

The two-meter-tall thug smiled to himself. "Well, maybe I'll become a poet." Then he began searching Yenn.

During that time, she managed to get a good look at him. He had dark blond hair and a few days' stubble. She couldn't see his eye color, but they looked dark. Surprisingly, the man didn't look slovenly. Despite the stubble, he was well-groomed and even smelled pleasant. For a second, she thought they might just take what he had and leave it at that. She changed her mind when she noticed the buckle on his belt. A buckle, shaped like a snake with a gaping mouth. The symbol of Garath's army, composed mostly of scum in elegant packages. As the man finished searching her pockets and counting the change he found, she noticed that she was still meekly allowing herself to be robbed.

"Help!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Help..." The man slammed his fist into her face. Not hard, but she still tasted blood in her mouth.

"Don't scream, little one, and nothing will happen to you." The man sighed and showed her the coins he'd found in her pockets. "Your mother has a thriving bakery, and that's all you have?" he asked doubtfully.

"How much is it?" asked the bastard holding her.

"It won't even be enough for a night's lodging.

Sure, the bakery's sales increased after the liberation, but why the hell would Yenlette have more than a few copper coins with her? These people are really stupid," she thought.

"That's all," she replied, tears welling in her eyes after receiving the blow.

"That's not good.

" "We have to get something out of this," the man holding her interjected. "And I even know what. She smells really nice," he said, and Yenlette shuddered as he felt his face move closer to her neck.

The dark blond man caught his companion's hint, as he began to look at her as if she were a woman, not a child. Despite her small breasts, her figure already looked completely feminine and alluring. The man pocketed the money and grabbed her around the waist. "Come here, little one, let's have some fun."

A wave of fear washed over her, followed by icy chills as she realized the other man was licking her neck and shoulders. Her tears dried instantly. She didn't think about what she was doing; she simply wanted to save herself. She jumped in place and began kicking her legs, simultaneously trying to free her arms. She hit the blonde in the stomach, and when he bent his head slightly, he backed away, cursing. The other man also began to curse at the resistance, but she couldn't break free from his grip. He twisted her wrists even harder, causing her to fall to her knees. By this time, the blonde had regained his composure and approached, delivering another blow to her face. This one was harder. A pounding sound echoed in her head. Blood sprayed onto the alley. He had certainly damaged her teeth.

"You want to have fun, let's have some rougher fun," the blond drawled, then took out a short knife. He cut open her blouse and the straps holding her tanglun, exposing her breasts. "You probably haven't felt a real man inside you yet, and it's high time," he stated, and began licking her nipples. "Small, but very shapely," he said, running his tongue over the entire surface of her breasts.

Yenn's head cleared after the blow.

"No," she said briefly, feeling another hand shove down her pants from behind.

"Shut up, and you'll be fine." The blond placed the knife against her cheek, while massaging between her legs with his other hand. "You'll like it," he said, shoving his hand into her panties.

For some reason, panic and other emotions subsided. All Yenlette felt now was anger.

"No!" she repeated in a stronger tone.

The man straightened and looked at her. He removed his hand from her panties and swung it open to strike with his fist. He clearly had no intention of cutting her, though. Yenlette ducked and her fist passed millimeters above her head, striking the man holding her. He loosened his grip a bit.

"No!" she screamed, simultaneously jumping with both legs as high as possible, risking breaking her wrists and striking the blond in the process.

At the same time, as her boots connected with his chest, she jerked her head back. The rebound she gained from kicking her legs amplified the head-first blow. Luckily, she landed squarely on the face of the bastard holding her. He released her in a second.

"Die!" she screamed, kicking the blond in the groin again. A punch to the chest wouldn't have stopped him, but the kick caused him to double over at the waist, cursing her with the harshest of curses. She

followed up with a kick to his knee, not noticing that the armband on her forearm had begun to glow with a faint blue light. Without waiting for the consequences, she pushed past the blonde and broke into a run.

"Don't let her get away," she heard from the bastard holding her.

The blonde was clearly still quite agile, as she heard him running after her. She quickly glanced back. The nearly two-meter-tall figure was right behind her.

"You'll die, bitch," she heard.

She looked ahead, trying to squeeze as much of her muscles as possible. She was already at the exit of the alley. She burst into a larger street and felt a blow to her back. She staggered and fell, scraping her hands. Now she noticed that her wrist was glowing with an increasingly bright light. But she couldn't think about it, as the man grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up. Yenlette was practically boiling with anger. The man threw her against the nearest wall. The impact knocked all the air from her lungs, and she fell to the ground. The man rushed at her, raising his knife to strike. Yenlette wouldn't have had time to get up, she covered herself with her hand with a scream of anger on her lips.

Wuppppp, her hand glowed, and an invisible force threw the attacker just centimeters from reaching her. He flew upward like a feather, striking the wall next to the first-floor windows. He fell haphazardly to the ground. Yenlette slowly stood up, disbelieving her eyes. Her mind was spinning, as if she'd been in some kind of trance. She glanced at her arm, where the medallion had been attached. It was still glowing faintly. She heard a rustle nearby and glanced toward the alley where she'd been attacked. The second attacker turned and began to run. It began to dawn on Yenn what had happened, and she looked at the blond man. He still lay unconscious, or even dead. She looked around, strangely, but there was no one there, as if no one had seen anything. She decided not to make a fuss but to disappear and think about what had happened. She turned and took a few steps toward the house when something cut off her consciousness. Darkness fell and she fell unconscious on the road.