(Some of Reid's actions in this section will be slightly inspired by Camila's animations of Glitchtale. Powers in souls and all that, alike to Frisk's determination barriers and to Betty's spear.)

My eye immediately widened out of shock, and the fox monster noticed out of the corner of his eye. No one else seemed to notice, either into deep conversations or drinking a little too much.

"Doctor?"

My hands shook, holding the piece of paper so tightly it was making creases into it. Glancing to Fadelle, who was catching up with his bartender friend, looked happily busy.

Another beat of silence as I looked to the fox monster who had a look of concern.

"Are you alright, Dr. Reid? You look pale."

I signed shakily, 'I will need your knife.'

"Pardon?"

'No questions, please. I need your knife, trust me on this.'

The fox looked confused, but reached behind him and pulled his three inch knife from his belt sheath anyway.

Once I had the knife, I signed 'thank you' quickly and swiveled on the stool, rotating to get off.

In a swift motion I got up and silently strode to the door. The fox monster called out after me. I won't keep them waiting long.

"Doc!"

"Miguel? What's going on?" Sounded like Fadelle.

"Sir! Dr. Reid just went..." The fox monster's, now dubbed Miguel, reply faded out.

Their voice went out of earshot as I pushed open the doors with a little bit of extra force, and the doors swung open easily for me. A couple of monsters hanging around outside backed up a step or two as I passed, my coat whipping behind me as I sped into the alley in a mix of fear and agitation.

I remembered that two suits stayed behind to watch Lilac. If they got her...then that meant...

The two were either dead or in a lot of pain right now.

I gritted my teeth, hiding the knife and sheath on my hip with my coat. My hands were shaking again.

They will pay...somehow. I don't want to kill anybody. I...don't think I could.

My hands shook with utter rage as I remembered my human mom. The blood.

Dead.

I shook my head and continued, assuring myself that's not going to happen.

There won't be any death, not while you're here. You're a high schooler, not a emo teen on a psychological rampage.

I slowed my steps as I came into a small clearing between buildings. What came into my view isn't quite what I expected and I stopped in my tracks.

Lilac was there, terrified, as a lizard held the young bunny by the shoulders. The amphibious animal just reeked power, but not the same as Fadelle does. You could feel the fear monsters had for her. Lilac had her ears flattened and her eyes were wide in silent terror, too scared to call out probably because of the lizard woman.

You could see it too. Black four inch heels, business casual, nice hat to match all of the black. She had a hardcore look in her green eye.

"Huh..." The lizard woman started with a smooth voice, "they weren't kidding when they said you were human. What a surprise...my name is Shalene Drea of the Drea Family."

I narrowed my eyes slightly, commenting, 'You must be the one who invited me here, I assume. What is it that you want?'

"Just information, 's all. About the so called 'Junction Dread'?"

I blinked, pausing for a moment then signing, 'it isn't in my jurisdiction to-'

She cut me off, raising her voice a little, "Like hell it is, human scum. You'll tell us everything you know..."

The lizard placed a switch knife to Lilac's throat and the child squeaked.

"...or the bunny child dies."

My heart lept, but I barley kept my face stock still as my eyes went to Lilac's. Hers pleaded, mine answered silently. I looked back to Shalene and her narrowing eyes, looking a little more irritated every second that goes by.

Something came to mind, so I decided to give it a shot.

Better than giving the information up forthright.

'This isn't much of a game, madame.'

"Is it now? Too unfair for you?"

'Not quite so. You see, this isn't my style of negotiation. Precisely why I was sent down here was to create a peace between the Drea Family and Fadelle's family. Why don't we settle this some other way? ...a child doesn't have to die in the process.'

"I'm not giving up the child, if that's what you're after," Shalene gripped slightly tighter on the knife pressed against Lilac's throat.

I shook my head and raised my hands again, 'I'm not making you give up a life...I'm replacing it.'

I saw my soul appear in front of my chest, my hands surrounding it gently. It glowed a soft grey color, my mind flitting back to Toriel and how she showed me how to summon it...how to use it.

"You're going to come with us?" Shalene seemed surpised, "that easily?"

'Not exactly...'

I widened my stance, shifting my right foot backwards. The words flowed before I could stop them, my brain going too fast for my hands to keep up and process.

'...I want to see if your worth following.'

Shalene's eyes widened, but squinted along with a mischievous smirk.

"I see. I never knew a doctor had training for ground battle."

I don't, but might as well go with it.

'You seem surprised. I have hobbies; all do. Mine happen to be getting into fights.'

Usually one-sided, I thought, remembering the trio of douche bags I had to deal with on the surface.

Shalene laughed, her laugh rough and scratchy as a stark contrast to her smooth voice. She released Lilac, and the bunny came running over to me. I mouthed 'father', and pointed to the street. Lilac, close to tears, nodded and hugged me before hopping off. As I turned to look back I caught a glimpse of Miguel on top of the building.

"Let's see if your any good."

Assassination Classroom, don't fail me now. I didn't sneak onto computers in the library just to be killed by a lizard!

'As to you,' I signed politely, beginning to notice that some of the monsters around her were drawing weapons.

Killed by a lizard and her goons. Okay...a little much.

I stood my ground, but shifted a little. This wasn't good.

"Getting a little nervous, Doctor?"

My eyes snapped to Shalene again, watching her summon a magical mace into her hand. The lizard seemed confident, but not cocky. A little more dangerous.

'I cannot lie, I didn't expect your family to join in,' I signed, carefully keeping an eye on the monster goons now starting to surround me.

Shalene replied calmly, tongue flicking, "when you fight one of us, you fight all of us."

A couple of monsters launched at me from either side, using her words as a cue. I observed in a split second that one had a blue knife, and one had a pipe. They were coming straight for me on my left and right.

Instead of running, I forced my feet to glue to the ground and wait for a second, seeing the one with the blue knife come close enough for dagger range. As they charged, I swiveled and let the dagger just miss my chest by an inch, my heart beating faster than I could handle.

Then I saw the pipe coming for my face.

I reared backwards and rolled away, hearing a yelp. Getting up, I realized the monster with the knife hit his family instead, right in the chest. My blood froze once more. The wounded monster shot out his unoccupied hand, barley catching himself from falling on his face.

I heard a screech come from the monster that stabbed the other, screaming, "Pluto!"

The monster turned to me enraged, bellowing, "You little-!"

He with the knife, and a few more that were bare handed, launched at me their faces painted with burning anger.

I shifted and focused on the one closest to me, aiming a punch at my face. I thought back to Kurasuma and how he blocked such attacks.

My right arm shot up and hit his wrist, throwing his punch sideways.

Ow.

It threw him off, so I took that second to move the same arm and jab him in the solar plexus as hard as I could. He gasped and stumbled off to the side.

Turning I focused on the next, taller monster closest to me. He towered over me and had his arms outstretched so he could grab me. I ducked to the left under his arm, losing my hat in the process. With my position I grabbed his arm in the process, using the monster's weight agaisnt him and throwing him into a couple of his buddies. All three fell backwards.

'Sorry about that' I sign quickly.

My brain whizzed and hurt as I had took a good left hook to the face, stunning me for a second. I stopped his next oncoming punch, but had to stumble a couple of steps back as he pushed hard. Gathering myself, I threw my balance into the monster, glaring face to face with the sheep monster.

Out of the corner of my eye I see the previous monster with a knife coming at me from my right.

Shifting to the left, I turned sideways and let the monster I was holding continue to pit his balance into now thin air, taking a couple of unbalanced steps forward and smacking his nose straight into the brick wall. I heard a sickening crack and I winced.

With a small step to the side I reached in my coat to my hip and finally flicked out my blade I had borrowed from Miguel and raised it, raising my clasped fingers to snap.

Suddenly feeling my body shoved forward, I slammed into the ground face first. I gasped, winded by hitting the air out of my lungs. I heard my knife skitter away from my grasp.

"Gotcha!" I heard above me. Craning my head, I realized that Shalene had a family member pin me at the right second. He gripped my arms behind me, pressing his gun into my spine.

I heard Shalene's heels click near, stopping for a moment and my ears caught the sound of the knife I dropped being picked up.

I laughed softly, thinking, making your family do the dirty work. Shameful.

Wincing, I shift a little but immediately freeze when the knife came close to my face. My dad immediately came to mind and my hands shook.

Oh shit.

My heart dropped to my stomach and my mind went blank.

"Aww, is the poor little doctor afraid of knives?" Shalene purred, pressing the blade gently to my cheek. I jerked my head away, but the monster on me grabbed my hair and forced my face back up.

"I'd think you'd be used to them, seeing as you work scalpels all day. On children, no less."

Children?!

"You seem surprised. Didn't think I'd know?"

Shalene went about on a small rant, trying to get under the doctor skin that wasn't all that deep since I knew absolutely nothing on what she was spewing. Noticing a movement in the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of brownish fur and suits I knew.

Fadelle's family! They're all here.

"Got nothing to say?" Shalene inquired, smirking and placing the knife under my neck. My face was strained. Not because I was listening to her, even though I was fairly aware of the knife, but it was because I was doing something else.

"I will do what I can to teach you, my child."

I gave a small smile as I was finally able to snap my fingers, a small explosion going off and covering myself and the monster pinning me. I heard Shalene and a couple others backing up in suprise.

The monster loosened his grip in the startled moment, letting me twist and snap again, blowing him off of me. He landed somewhere near Shalene, her letting out a grunt of suprise.

Dusting myself off as the smoke cleared, I walked over to my dropped hat and picked it up, also dusting it off. Placing it firmly on my head, I faced the Drea Family once more.

I signed calmly, 'I will give you another chance to think about my way of negotiation.'

Shalene looked utterly pissed, hissing, "you WILL follow me doctor! Whether you like it or not!"

'Nah, I'm good. But, thank you Shalene. I can now evaluate just how well you treat your family.'

Shalene stopped, narrowing her eyes once more. From the corner of my eye behind the Drea Family I saw Miguel's face twist a little into confusion.

I signed on, 'from they're weight when I threw your largest, he was suprisingly light. For the elbow to the solar plexus I had no problem finding his ribcage. The one with the knife had swung wide and had no tactical swings at any point. The nose smashed into the wall wouldn't have happened if the bone was more developed. I also recognize a black eye when I see one, especially on a sheep monster where I can see his jawbone very clearly'.