Arek bounded across the rooftops, crackles of green energy hissing and popping in a trail behind him. The streets below him were a disturbing sight. Teeming masses of wyrms filled every bit of open space. Many were dead, but an uncountable amount of them still lived.

All across the city, small explosions and magical blasts flashed in the sky. The sun had started to set beneath a thick bank of clouds, casting the day in purple and orange hues. Wyverns dotted the sky, occasionally swooping down towards a larger pocket of resistance.

The smell of ash and fire mixed with blood filled Arek’s nostrils. If they city managed to survive, it would have a lot of rebuilding in front of it.

Arek idly thrust his guandao down into the head of a wyrm that tried to snap up at him, killing it. The blow didn’t even interrupt his momentum. A wyrm wheeled in the sky above him. The orc’s eyes narrowed and he scanned the city, locating a larger building with a flat roof that had probably been a market of sorts.

He bounded over to it, barely avoiding a wyrm that snapped up at his legs. Arek pounded his chest and pointed the guandao up at the monster in a clear challenge. Wyverns weren’t as intelligent as many other monsters, but it was smart enough to recognize the motion.

The beast tucked its wings in and swooped down at him with a loud screech. Arek braced himself, then thrust his weapon towards the creature as it grew close. It pulled away at the last second and lashed out at Arek with a claw.

Arek took the strike on his shoulder, where it slammed into an armored plate but failed to penetrate it. He stepped forward, driving the guandao into the wyvern’s side. It let out a roar and threw its body into him, knocking him back and forcing him to lose his grip on the shaft of his weapon.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Arek asked, breathing heavily. His claws shimmered and he raised his hand. The guandao ripped free of the wyvern’s hide in a spray of blood. It tumbled through the air and slammed into his palm. He spun it and lowered back into a fighting stance.

The wyvern turned and bounded towards the edge of the building, its wings unfurling as it tried to take flight.

“I don’t think so,” Arek snarled, rearing back and hurling the weapon at its back. The tip of the blade punched through the back of the wyvern’s head, killing it in a single blow. His claws crackled again and the weapon ripped itself free, flying through the air and back into his hands as the wyvern’s corpse tumbled off the edge of the building and into the crowd of monsters below it.

Nothing new emerged to attack him. Arek took the moment of reprieve to glance at his weapon, a hint of worry breaking through the battle rage. He’d never been able to control his weapon like that before. The magic crackling through his veins felt like liquid lava, and the new designs on his armor concerned him.

Arek shook his head. He didn’t have time to think about the future consequences of using this much magic. Worry was a luxury that nobody in Red Mount was able to afford.

The crowd of monsters a short distance to Arek’s side erupted in a blast of green energy. The orc spun, his eyes narrowing as a large man leapt out from the center of the horde. He slammed into the roof of a nearby building, coils of slippery looking magic twisting around him like snakes.

He wore light, silken clothing that looked traditional to Red Mount.His tanned skin was covered with blood and gore, but the man’s eyes were locked with Arek’s.

“Another Blessed One,” Arek growled, his chest twisting. He licked his lips. Something seemed to take control of his battle rage, twisting and redirecting it against his will. The green energy surrounding him sizzled eagerly. It took all of Arek’s strength to keep himself from leaping at the man. “If you don’t want to fight, you should leave. I can’t control myself in this state. We need to defeat the monster horde – there’s no time for this.”

“Hm. I have no particular care for Red Mount,” the man said. His voice was elegant and contained notes of confidence that only came from great power or wealth. “There’s been an uptick of new Blessed. I can’t very well pass up on so much free power. The horde can wait.”

“You’re a fool,” Arek forced out, but the thrum of the battle rage was ringing louder and louder in his ears. His will gave way. The red light emitting from his eyes grew brighter. The stone roof under Arek’s feet cracked as he leapt forwards, bounding forward and leaping over the horde of wyrms.

He slammed into the building the other Blessed One stood on, obliterating the wall and stumbling inside a small dining room. Arek spun, bringing his guandao up as the man walked into the room.

The energy around his arms expanded, turning into a long, thin sword. The man took hold of it and lowered into a fighting stance, gesturing for Arek to make the first move with his other hand.

Arek hurled the guandao at him. The man slipped to the side and it passed over his shoulder, disappearing through the hole in the wall and into the crowd of wyrms below them.

“Foolish. You shouldn’t throw your weap–”

The hilt of the guandao slammed into the man’s shoulder, spinning him in a circle as it flew back into Arek’s hands. The man caught his balance and raised his sword just before Arek swung at him again. A loud clang rang out as the two weapons connected. The man skidded back a foot.

Whoever the man was, he was strong. He’d blocked Arek’s strike with a sword held in a single hand.