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Lorian Volkas was having a bad day.
This was not an uncommon occurrence for Lorian Volkas, but this particular bad day ranked higher than most, sitting somewhere between being sentenced to death and that one time he accidentally insulted a fae duke's daughter and got chased for three days straight. Both had been unpleasant. This felt worse.
He was pressed flat against a jagged obsidian wall near the bottom of the tower, his back cold, his breath shallow, Veil Resonance wrapped tightly around his body as he rendered himself completely invisible to sight, sound, and scent. He peeked his head just barely around the corner, squinting with one eye as chaos unfolded beyond the wall.
A demon guard's arrow slammed into the stone inches from where his head would have been.
Lorian recoiled instantly, heart slamming against his ribs as he sucked in a breath he absolutely should not have taken.
'Okay, new rule. No peeking. Peeking is for idiots and corpses.'
The bottom levels of the tower were nothing like the narrow stairwells above. This floor opened outward into a wide circular platform ringed with thick stone pillars and half-built battlements, clearly still under construction, with scaffolding hugging the inner walls and ramps spiraling down toward the demon city below. Red moonlight spilled in from the open sides, mixing with torchlight and lightning flashes that illuminated the night sky beyond the tower. Wind roared through the open structure, carrying the smell of ash, smoke, and iron.
And right now, it carried the smell of blood.
Ako was a blur of motion.
She moved on all fours, muscles coiling and releasing with terrifying speed as she darted between demon guards, claws flashing as she tore at exposed joints and throats. Spears thrust toward her, swords swung in wide arcs meant to catch her mid-leap, arrows rained down from higher platforms, and she avoided them all with feral grace, her laughter sharp and wild as she skidded across stone and launched herself at another soldier.
"COME ON!" she shouted, ducking under a blade and raking her claws across a demon's chest. "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?!"
Lorian winced from behind the wall.
'She is going to get herself killed, and she is going to make me watch...'
Lorian reached out the corner of the wall like he was going to help. But he snatched it back.
'Pfft. Why do I care? Should help though...No. Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. No! Hell no!'
Garruk, on the other hand, was having the time of his life.
The Giantblood stood near the center of the platform, towering over the demon soldiers like a walking siege engine. He did not dodge. He did not block. He simply reached out, grabbed a demon by the head with one massive hand, and squeezed.
There was a wet pop.
Garruk blinked, staring at the limp body in his hand with mild fascination before tossing it aside like discarded trash. Another demon charged him with a spear, shouting something in their guttural tongue, and Garruk tilted his head, caught the spear mid-thrust, and yanked the soldier forward before headbutting him so hard the man crumpled instantly.
"Oh," Garruk murmured, sounding genuinely pleased. "Heh."
He grabbed another guard by the ankle and swung him into a third, sending both skidding across the stone in a tangle of limbs.
Ako glanced over mid-fight and snarled, "HEY! YOU'RE STEALING MY KILLS!"
Garruk frowned, then gently set down the demon he'd just picked up. "Sorry."
Lorian pressed his face into the wall.
'Why am I here and not somewhere safer, like literally anywhere else in the world? Why did I accept that Elf's offer?! Vorenna! Screw you! Why is she so hot?!'
A spear clanged against stone near his feet, snapping him back to attention. The guards were regrouping, pulling back into a defensive formation, trying desperately to compensate for the fact that they were being dismantled by a feral beast-kin and a curious mountain of muscle.
And none of them could see Lorian.
Which was good.
Very good.
Still, he stayed put, invisible and silent, because stepping out right now would be suicidal, and Lorian Volkas was many things, but suicidal was not one of them.
After several more seconds of screaming, cracking bones, and the unmistakable sound of someone being thrown through a half-built railing, the fighting slowed.
Then stopped.
The last demon guard fell with a wet thud, and silence settled over the platform, broken only by the wind and distant thunder.
Garruk stood in the center of the carnage, holding a severed demon head in both hands. He tossed it upward lightly, caught it again, then frowned at it as if considering something important.
Ako stalked over, panting lightly, blood splattered across her arms and cheek, eyes still glowing faintly red. "You done playing?" she snapped.
Garruk looked up. "Oh. Yes."
He tossed the head aside.
Lorian finally released his Veil Resonance, shimmering back into view beside the wall with an exaggerated stretch. "Alright, that's enough, big guy. We're trying to escape, not redecorate."
Ako rounded on him instantly. "YOU DID NOTHING!"
"I survived," Lorian shot back. "Which, historically speaking, is my greatest contribution to any fight."
They were halfway into another argument when Garruk stopped walking.
His heavy footsteps echoed as he moved toward the open edge of the platform, where a long ramp descended down the outer face of the tower. The ramp was wide, sloping gently but steadily downward, stretching at least a hundred feet before disappearing into shadow near the base.
Beyond it lay the demon city.
Dark stone buildings clustered tightly together, carved from obsidian and basalt, their angular shapes illuminated by red moonlight and flashes of lightning that split the sky. Villages sprawled outward from the tower's base, smoke curling from chimneys, distant figures moving below like ants.
Ako's expression softened slightly as she looked down. "They'll come," she said quietly. "Atlas and Seris. They'll make it. I believe in him."
Lorian glanced at her, surprised by the certainty in her voice. He smirked. "Why are you such a fangirl for that short prick anyway?"
For a split second, Ako's mind went somewhere else entirely:
A dark forest, flames licking at tree trunks. Shouts, dogs barking, nets snapping tight. Pain, her fear, and the smell of blood coming from her back. Hunters closing in to her—before their throats were slit in silence. Then finally a hand, scarred and burned, reaching through smoke toward her.
The memory vanished as quickly as it came.
She scoffed and crossed her arms. "None of your business," she muttered. "I just think he's the coolest, okay?"
Lorian snorted but didn't press further.
They began walking down the ramp together, Garruk bringing up the rear, massive footsteps echoing behind them.
That was when they heard the whistle.
It was sharp, fast, cutting through the air like a blade.
Then—
BANG.
Something slammed into a building near the base of the ramp, stone exploding outward as dust and debris filled the air. The impact shook the ground beneath their feet, forcing them to stagger.
"WHAT THE—" Lorian started.
The dust cleared.
Seris lay crumpled in the crater, blood streaming down her forehead, her breathing ragged as she coughed and tried to push herself up.
Ako screamed her name and sprinted forward, dropping to her knees beside her. "SERIS!"
Lorian jogged over more cautiously, wincing at the sight, while Garruk followed, expression blank but eyes attentive.
Seris slid down the edge of the crater, her strength giving out.
Lorian dropped to his knees dramatically, catching her just before she hit the ground. "You okay, beautiful?"
He brushed her blood soaked silver hair out of her face—trying his hardest to smolder.
That was until Ako elbowed him hard. "MOVE."
"Ow!" Lorian groaned holding his nose.
Seris groaned and weakly pointed upward toward the tower. "F...ighting...a...lone."
There was a hole blasted clean through its side.
Then came the sound of steel clashing.
A moment later, another explosion rocked the structure as two figures burst through the tower wall mid-combat, tumbling through the air in a blur of motion.
Atlas.
And the demon.
They fought while falling, movements so fast most of the Deathforged couldn't track them. Atlas slashed with his dagger, strikes precise and lethal, but the demon blocked each blow with elongated claws, his expression twisted in amusement, not even drawing a weapon.
The demon kicked Atlas hard in the stomach, sending him flying.
Atlas hit the ground near them, landing on his hands, flipping into a crouch without a sound. He tried to stand, staggered, then coughed violently as blood spilled from his lips. He clutched his side, a deep gash visible through torn fabric.
"Shit," he muttered. "We got a problem."
The demon landed gracefully, straightening as he walked toward them, smile wide, pale skin glowing under red moonlight, grey fur cloak swaying in the wind, eyes burning.
The air felt heavier.
Dangerous.
And the fight was far from over.