The guards obediently fell in behind Arek as he lead the charge out of the alley, cutting down any stray wyrms that headed in their direction. The orc batted a beast out of the way with his shoulder and thrust his guandao into its chest. He could feel his movements start to slow down as weariness started to set in. He had to keep the wounded guard out of harms way while fighting any of the beasts that grew close.

“We need to find the rest of the guards outside the circle,” Arek said. “If we’re alone for much longer, the wyrms will overrun us.”

“There should be a larger group to the east,” one of the guards said in between gasps of air. “The captain was gathering us there. He sent us out to find Tev, the guard you’re carrying.”

Arek glanced in the direction that the other man had indicated. There wyrms in the street, but not as many as other locations in the city. The orc adjusted his grip on the guandao, holding it in his right hand while keeping the bleeding guard steady with his left.

“Then east we shall go,” Arek said. “Do not fall behind.”

He charged down the street, weaving past broken buildings and debris. Wyrms turned as they grew closer, baring their teeth. Arek used his body as a shield, catching their blows on his armor while returning strikes with his guandao. His armor gathered new scars and more and more of the wyrms’ attacks got through his defenses and cut into his skin.

Arek didn’t slow for a second. His weapon let out a dull hum as it spun through the air, dissecting any monsters foolish enough to get within his reach. The guards took up positions alongside Arek, keeping the wyrms from flanking them as they pressed through the thinning horde towards what Arek hoped would be safety.

“Down this alley!” One of them yelled. “I think I can see barricades!”

Arek turned, finishing off the wyrm before him. The alley was small – not even large enough for a single wyrm to fit into. A hastily constructed barricade made of parts of houses and city signs had been erected at the far side.

The wyrms had gathered from all the violence and were starting to press towards them en masse.

“Go!” Arek ordered, passing the wounded man to the guards. “I’ll finish this group off and join you.”

They didn’t have time to argue. The guards ran down the alley as fast as they could while Arek transferred his weapon to both hands and shifted his stance. If the wyrms all rushed the alley at once, they might break the buildings making it up, which would weaken the barricade.

Arek hurled the guandao. It punched through a monster’s head, pinning it against another ones side. It ripped free and Arek charged towards them, grabbing the shaft midair and killing the second wyrm before it could even scream.

The rest of the wyrms surged towards Arek. He spun, his guandao flashing in the fading light as it carved through flesh and scale. Blood splattered his helm and made the ground beneath him slippery. His breath was getting harder and harder to catch.

Arek narrowly avoided a claw that would have gone clean through his chest. He slashed at the wyrm’s face. It recoiled with a hiss of pain and Arek thrust the guandao through its chest. The remaining wyrms watched him warily, their primitive minds finally registering the smell of blood and death that had thoroughly soaked into the orc.

“What, is that it?” Arek growled, keeping the pain from his numerous wounds out of his voice. He didn’t even want to think what kind of diseases he could get from the wyrm blood mixing with his own.

The wyrms didn’t move forward. Their numbers had been slightly reduced, but it wouldn’t be long until new ones arrived. Arek turned and dashed down the alley towards the barricade. He glanced over his shoulder as he ran.

Some of the wyrms were watching him leave, but the rest had just started cannibalizing the ones he’d already slain. Arek’s lip curled in disgust.

Arek slipped through the gaps in the defenses, his chest still rising and falling heavily. The barricade had been erected around the town square, several blocks away from the beginning of the blue shield. Several dozen guards paced their makeshift walls, their weapons drawn and expressions tight.

The group of guards that Arek had escorted stood in the center of the square around the wounded man. Belmont knelt beside him, a pink glow emanating from his staff and flowing over the guard.

Arek let out a sigh of relief at the familiar face. He walked towards them, his armor clanking and squelching against the ground. Belmont glanced up and his eyes narrowed. He rose to his feet and pointed the staff at Arek.

“Arek?” Belmont asked.

“It’s me,” Arek growled. His voice was still gravelly from the battle rage, but exhaustion and his wounds had started to drain it. Now that there were no enemies in sight, the red had turned to a faint pink.

“You’ve never used full armor before. You look like Warch— oh. You’ve used the full extent of your magic, have you?”

Arek replied with a curt nod.

“Are you still in full control?” Belmont asked carefully.

“I believe so,” Arek replied. He cut his connection to the magic, allowing it to fade. The armor melted away and his weapon exploded into motes of light that flew back into his claws. Arek staggered as the weight of his wounds seemed to double.

Belmont took a step forward, his staff lighting up as he touched it to Arek’s chest. The orc let out a sigh of relief as his wounds stitched themselves shut. The heavy weariness that had settled over him showed no signs of fading, but at least he wasn’t aerating his guts anymore.

“Thank you,” Arek said, wiping the blood away from his face in disgust. “What’s the situation?”

“Not good,” Belmont said, slowly lowering his staff. “But it could be worse. I’ll fill you in.”