SEVIKA

"What could've caused this?"

Sevika, viewing the whole scenery, at that moment, couldn't know if her henchman was talking of either the chaos that gripped the Lanes or the earthquake that brought all that up.

And, right now, she wasn't bothered by it.

If anything, at least the Last Drop withstood all that, as well most of Zaun's larger structures, whose architecture allowed them to wave off most of the shakes' effects like rattlesnake tails, a once in comparison to topsider constructs.

That didn't mean Zaun went unscathed though. Some buildings around the lanes *did* collapse, especially those tied to the walls where the new fissures bursted open like ripped open wounds. Babette's brothel, down the main street, had it's front entrance caved in. A tenement block, an old one, fell forward, collapsing into a rubble barricade. To not mention the catwalk bridges that weren't designed to withstand the tremors had cracked open and indeed fell down, as well as some roofs and outdoors as well.

Sevika could also see, on the street, some cracks that did form up, making the main street uneven, almost incapable of immediate automobile transit. Any longer with those tremors and no doubt that street would've caved in as well. Taking the Last Drop, the brothel, the other buildings and everyone else with it...

Most were outside, surveying the damage, moving rubble out of the way, helping in anyway they could. It definitely would take a while before businesses, legitimate and otherwise, would be on their feet again.

Calling it 'lucky to be alive' was an understatement. What could've caused this, indeed...

"You think it was... *her*?", the henchman asked.

Sevika stared at the henchman, an overweight Chem-Thug carrying some makeshift double barrel shotgun. "You don't?", she asked, not even smiling. "You should've be asking 'what for', instead."

"And she needs a reason, that one?", another henchman, thinner than the first and carrying a pistol and a lead pipe, said.

"You remember what happened last time, Loggs?", Sevika asked. "When she blew the Shimmer?"

"That whole sister deal?", Loggs asked. "Who around here don-"

A gunshot interrupted the conversation, catching Sevika and the Chem-Thugs' attention as, far from the street, some figures emerged running into the Lanes, apparently in desperation, sporting weapons of their own as well.

"Run!", one of them roared as another fired again, as if covering fire for the retreat. "Get outta here!"

Sevika recognized them as members of her own crew. And if they were retreating, clearly someone wasn't wasting time in making new grabs.

It didn't take long for the pursuers to show up, and indeed in numbers and in force.

They mostly seemed like bald ones in brown-ish overalls, though some others seemed to be using rags of old clothing. A good quantity were using mostly melee weapons of their own. And they ran with reckless abandon towards the main street and it's crowd.

"Judgement's upon you all at last, Baron-licks!", one of these roared.

This mob, more like a horde, advanced towards any whom could find, beating down, hacking and slashing those whom came in their way, some being dragged away screaming as many other bystanders did run away, several to within buildings in an effort to lock themselves in, but the buildings would be broken into as well and invaded.

"FORM UP! WITH ME!", Sevika roared as she charged forward. The henchmen drew their weapons and opened fire on the attackers, covering for Sevika and the retreating Chem-Thugs whom could reunite with their boss and start firing back as some others reloaded. Sevika drew her blade from her prosthetic arm and slashed the leg of another one of the advancers, clearly fanatical, whom collapsed to the ground yelping.

"This one to the corner!", she ordered. "Breathing! Kill the rest!"

Two of the Chem-Thugs grabbed the fanatic and dragged him away as Sevika and the rest proceeded with the counterattack, Sevika mostly using the sword to stab and slash off once or twice several of the followers, confident that the Chem-Thugs would finish off the job. Eventually, as one or two of the fanatics did last a bit longer and one did hit her before she punched and kicked him back, she triggered the Shimmer injection mechanism within her arm, which came to life and pumped the purple chemical straight into her veins.

The Chem-Baroness felt the sudden tinges of pain and all muscles contracting as the nerves and blood veins went into overdrive due to the caustic chemical. It then gave her that refreshing feeling that did come with it, afterwards.

Life. Strength.

Power.

Sevika charged forward and landed the blows, stabs and slashes with renewed speed, strength and vigor, as if she were a one-woman army against the charging fanatical mob. Her blade as well started being injected with another chemical, as it started unleashing a caustic, fiery glow.

One which, as Sevika performed a slash in close combat, it unleashed a caustic wave that seared through the attacking fanatic, gashing a deep wound into him that had him collapse to the floor. Sevika took this chance to wildly wave the blade around, sending out further caustic waves, searing, lacerating and cutting through anyone unlucky enough to be in Sevika's way. Many of the waves brought down several of the charging mob to the ground for the Chem-Thugs to move in and put down, with guns, bats and other weapons.

One of the fanatics tried priming a double barreled weapon of sorts that wasn't ever seen before, and aimed it at Sevika before he was shot down by two of the Chem-Thugs, whom fired repeatedly without hesitation.

What few remained of the fanatic mob by then had apparently grown a brain and scattered away, under fire from the Chem-Thugs, whom roared in savage triumph to scare them off and far. Two of the retreating ones were indeed shot down.

Sevika could then catch her breath, surveying the chaos that was the main street, looking more like a battlefield than any of the recent confrontations with the Enforcers, or even that chaos on the bridge that Jinx caused, days ago. Funny that she thought of the Loose Cannon as the possible author of this cataclysm, but this sudden assault couldn't be just a coincidence...

"Nutjobs...", she muttered, glancing then at the Chem-Thug, one of those whom fell back. "Suppose this isn't the last of them, Bek?"

"A shitload more of 'em out there, boss.", Bek, the Chem-Thug answered. "They came out in real numbers, pouring out everywhere, going on everyone on sight, just like here. Several even went to the turfs of the other Chem-Barons."

"The other turfs?", Sevika asked, in disbelief. "Even that worm Finn didn't have that much number for such!"

Sevika then took a glance at the amount of the overall fanatics she put down with the gang, indeed in a number too large for a typical Chem-Baron offensive. "Unless...", she approached one of them and knelt, analyzing him.

Clearly bald and pale, despite the hole in his head, and the upper torso and shoulders did have tattoos of their own as well. One of them stood out due to it's spacing, almost like a spider, forming a tubed mask as well, in a specific view.

"Clearly didn't have a sun in ages...", Sevika mumbled. "And the tattoos look like a prison job. And there's only one such, that close to here..."

"The Dredge?", Loggs asked, before he shook his head. "No, can't be, boss, I've been to outside the place, even this quake wouldn't be enough to crack it!"

"Then how do you explain this?", Sevika angrily asked, getting on her feet. "Maybe our new buddy can help out..."

Sevika traversed the bloody scene back to an alley close to the Last Drop, as the two Chem-Thugs held the wounded fanatic still on his feet, his supposed weapon dropped to the ground.

"You're those religious people preaching around anyone's nerves, aren't you?", Sevika started. "Taking advantage of the disaster... Wonder if you'd still have *these nuts* with no quake around."

"You don't frighten us, lickspittle!", the fanatic retorted, in pure defiance, only for one of the Chem-Thugs to punch his gut. "We've been through worse..."

"Deep down at the Dredge, you mean.", Sevika followed. "And I'm the one in charge, by the way."

"One of them...", the fanatic growled. "You must be new. Regardless, your time's coming, just like all the others! He'll see to it!"

"Your boss?", Sevika answered. "Glad you mentioned. What's he look like, where is he, and what's his name?"

The fanatic laughed. "You were told already, you said it yourself how we annoy you about him!", he answered.

Sevika's blade drew and she stabbed the fanatic's shoulder, making him scream in pain, before pulling it out and grabbing the fanatic's cheek with her mechanical arm. "An awful time for your preaching crap!", she warned.

"See for yourself, then, leech!", the fanatic retorted. "The sign is right before your eyes. The Dreadnought is released and walks among us all, now!"

"Why don't he show his face, then?", Sevika asked. "I'm right here, waiting."

"Foolish, spoiled one.", the fanatic answered. "He shall reveal himself to you at *his* pace, not as you whi-"

Sevika, this time, stabbed him through the throat and retracted the blade, denying the captured one his final breath, as the Chem-Thugs let him drop to the ground as a flesh mannequin. She then turned around, to see the still surviving civilians all gathering up, clearly shellshocked, some falling to their knees before the bodies of clearly loved ones, collapsing in anguish and tears. Others were tearing down in despair, for good reason indeed, while a few tended to the severely wounded lying down.

"We need a party ready.", she decided. "Get as many as we can and bring them-"

"Sevika!"

The new voice, an elderly female one, came from close by as Sevika turned around to it's source, a very small one with long ears with rings on them and lush hair, clearly feminine. And clearly limping, having been as attacked as everyone else by the fanatics of the so-called 'Dreadnought'.

This one, a Yordle of all people, was the one Sevika ran to when she fell to her knees.

"Babette.", the Chem-Baroness called the Yordle woman, kneeling to pick her up. "Talk to me."

"D-dead.", Babette struggled the pain. "The brothel, Pim, Clara, Dyne, all of them, they came in and..."

"The Dreadnought nutjobs...", Sevika concluded.

"No.", Babette shook her head. "No, not mad men. He's worse than you think."

"He's real!?", Sevika asked, in disbelief.

Babette nodded. "Find Chross.", she said. "Or Renni, or Smeech, any of these. Ask about *Urgot*. Urgot, remember the name."

"Urgot...", Sevika repeated, baring her teeth. Of course those other Chem-Barons had more skeletons in their closet than she thought.

"S-Silco knew, too.", Babette added, shutting her eyes tight to the pain, as this caught Sevika's attention. "One of the secrets he kept too close..."

"You said enough.", Sevika nodded, getting to her feet, carrying Babette. "Just keep breathing.", she then handed Babette over to Bek. "Get her and everyone out here to the bar, get'em patched up and covered.", she then turned to Loggs. "Form the posse, recall whomever you can back here. We'll need the manpower. And get Chross here, I don't care what it takes!"

Sevika immediately reached for her belt satchel and picked up a large piece of dark green tissue, where she wrapped around her lower face, covering her nose and mouth, revealed to be a bandana. She then lifted the rear part of her wine-red poncho, into a hood covering her head and started walking forward, through the Lanes.

Loggs knew what it meant, as it was the same since she was given the locations of Chross' hiding place. "Boss.", he called. "What if you don't make it back?"

Sevika stopped and turned around, facing her henchman with her covered face.

"You know what to do.", she answered, bluntly, walking off.