PREAMBUL; And Now... You're Dead. Again.

Lame-O

Alesh gripped her knife, stopped attacking as the Jlanxs simultaneously retreated and dropped their weapons. They laugh — Loud, dirty, evil, piercing, and pathetic. She went limp, knowing what this meant.

"No..." She stares at Berton, who walked past the Jlanx... Alone. No Eidlan on his side, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?"

"Just revealing a small fact."

That lead Alesh to read his mind and fails her breath. That was absolutely not true. Eidlan is her friend, she cares about him, so do the twins.

"YOU..." Alesh punched his cheek and pulled Berton's hair until he fell, "ARE..." Alesh beat his jaw and hit Berton's back until it cracked, "SUCH..." Alesh threw him to the ground and broke his nose, "A JERK!"

Berton unconscious when Alesh punched his chest. It made her fingers' bone crack, but she managed to cure it in seconds. He wasn't dead, just knocked out for at least a week.

"Y'ALL SUCH A FOOL!" She screamed, "YOU'VE BEEN USED! YOU THOUGHT WHO MADE US LIKE THIS? NOT ORDINARY PEOPLE!"

The Jlanx did not answer, they were furious once Alesh made Berton — Who seemed to be their leader with Draen as his representative — unconscious. Alesh fights well, so far there hasn't been a single Jlanx that hurt her. But Alesh also realized that sooner or later she would lose, a thousand to one system is undeniable.

Alesh saw Draen running toward her through the tail of her eye, she turned and attacked Draen's calf. Draen limply stood, tried to attack Alesh again.

"How dare you yelled like that!" That girl tore Alesh's right eyes to her chin, "HOW DARE YOU HURT BER—"

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAKING TO ME!" Alesh's knife barge in, "JUST SHUT UP!"

Alesh was so focused on Draen that she was unaware of two Jlanxs aiming her back. She fell down, pulled two arrows lodged in her back and threw it at the attacker. She missed, but at least she did not give up.

"HEY, DRAEN!" Called a Jlanx, Alesh was too busy fighting, she didn't have time to turn, "TAKE THE WEIBI!"

She frowned. What is Weibi? Puppy's name?

A Jlanx punched her, making dust billow around Alesh. Alesh coughs softly, her allergies start to appear.

Draen limped and slowly walked toward him, "You're weak, your friends will die, your efforts are in vain."

"WHERE ARE THEY?" Alesh slash a knife and staggered back, "What are you doing? Are they...?"

Drean laughs, the Jlanx ran in front of her and beat her. Alesh tried to avoid, fight and recover at once. She saw Draen from a distance. That woman certainly knows where her friends are, what happened to them.

"Go, Draen!" Cried a Jlanx who attacked Alesh, "take the key with you!"

Alesh gulped, mobilized all her strength to attack the Jlanxs and ran towards Draen. Draen remained silent, she finally knew physically attacking her is in vain act.

"All three of your friends are dead," Draen said.

"No!"

She wildly snatches, grabbed some of the Jlanx's weapons and used them, then threw them away. Slam heads to the ground, kick a nose and breaks.

Nevertheless before long, Alesh closed her eyes, feeling how her chest wanted to explode, eyes began to watery, as small bumps filled her hands. Burning, those really held her strength.

The Jlanxs beat her with their hands, maybe they tried to do 'good' by throwing all their weapons. Alesh tried to fight back, but someone throws dust on her eyes and the other shoot her shoulder. While growling, she falls to the dirt.

"Weak," Alesh heard Draen mocked, "you basic incompetent idiot. Always tried hard to lose."

Unconsciously, Alesh began to playback her memory, she had felt this a long time ago... Similar words with different people...

"Stupid!"

Alesh opened her eyes, but her body couldn't move. She tried to stop thinking, but every hit she received made her unavoidably remember that again...

"Stupid!"

"You are going to be nothing, you realize that!?"

"Mommy! I'm sorry!"

"Stop it, guys, don't be so rude," Draen said, her voice sounds far. She approached Alesh, "how painful is the slap?"

"It hurts..." She groans, closed her mouth with her hands, bending like a fetus. Nevertheless, her mouth still says, "so much... I'm sorry..."

"Mommy! I'm sorry!"

"You such a shame...!"

"FREAK! FREAK!"

"If you only join us, Alesh." Draen pats her head, "we wouldn't do it to you. But you have to choose: Join or die."

"I rather... ARGH!"

"FREAK! FREAK!"

"You're not pretty, you're not smart, what will you become? A successful failure. That's it."

"Please... I'm sorry!"

"How can I gave birth to someone like you...?"

Alesh saw herself sobbing, shouting that it was clearly not her fault, whatever the case is. Then she saw Draen and the Jlanxs, they looked pity and sympathy instead of being harsh and wild like before.

Draen crouched down and sprinkled something on her nose, "Good night..."