Oakhaven had never felt so suffocating. Above, the night sky, usually choked by industrial smog, was now split open by a halo of silver light—The Eye of Justice. It was a high-level tracking spell used by the Church only for the most high-priority heretics.
Alaric crawled out of a steam vent, his body radiating heat and smoke. The Star-Steel fused to his arm pulsed, sending waves of agonizing cold through his nerves. On his shoulder, Evelyn hung limp, her face as pale as parchment.
"Evelyn, stay with me," Alaric rasped. His voice was cracked, sounding more like a beast's growl than a human tongue.
"Varkas..." Evelyn murmured weakly. "We have to get to Varkas's shop... the secret passage under the hearth... it's the only way out before Gareth seals the gates."
Alaric looked toward the commercial district. Thick black smoke was billowing into the air. His heart sank. If Gareth had descended into the arena, the Inquisition would have already purged anyone remotely connected to them.
"They've already burned it," Alaric said bitterly. His golden eyes caught the silhouettes of silver-armored knights beginning to blockade every street corner.
"No... Varkas has a... prototype," Evelyn forced herself to stand, her trembling fingers gripping Alaric's scale-covered arm. "He wouldn't let himself be taken without a fight. If the shop is burning, it means he triggered the self-destruct to cover our tracks."
Suddenly, the clinking of metal echoed from the shadows of an alleyway. Alaric immediately dropped into a fighting stance, his Star-Steel arm glowing with a sharp, lethal blue light. However, the figure that emerged wasn't a knight, but a thin man in black—the Seeker from the tunnels.
"You're lucky I still want to get paid, Ghost," the Seeker said, tossing a pouch containing mana-suppressing elixirs toward them. "Gareth has declared martial law. He's not just looking for you; he'll level the entire Lower District if he has to."
"Why are you still helping us?" Alaric asked warily.
"Because that Star-Steel in your hand is a key to something much bigger than you know. If Gareth gets it back, he'll be unstoppable. And me? I prefer a messy world where I can do business," the Seeker smirked, revealing yellowed teeth. "Follow me. I know a path that isn't guarded by Holy Light."
Alaric glanced at Evelyn, then back at the silver light in the sky drawing closer. He had no choice. The Paladin-turned-monster had to trust a rat to escape the eagle.