It was past dawn by the time she managed to get back to an area she recognised, a few stragglers still with her. The streets were deserted, although that was hopefully just the earliness of the hour. A sound behind her made her whirl, sword in hand, to see Parth, gesturing at her from an alleyway.

‘Alive.’ She nodded, looking satisfied.

‘Good to see you too. What the hell happened?’

Brina pushed past, quickly hugging Stathis. ‘We bolted out the back, Semari showed us a hidden exit. Taking on that many guards coulda been risky, especially with everyone still half-asleep. That Janaxia’s tough to get movin’ as well! Although when she heard you’d been taken, she wanted to raise hell, probably woulda murdered any guards she found.’

‘Where is everyone?’ She let herself be guided inside, somewhere at least off the street and out of sight.

‘Lookin’ for you, mostly. Semari wanted to go tear the tower down, and Janaxia went with her, looked pissed. Didn’t think she’d give a damn, but she looked set for murder. You look like a bit shit though.’

‘Yeah, it was a long, crap night. I got taken to the arena, they’re taking people there and sacrificing them. We need to go save them.’

Brina held her hand, humming a soft tune, marking Stathis feel more energised, even if still battered and bruised. ‘Sounds good, but we’re a bit light on numbers. Hakara’s sleepin’ upstairs, recoverin’ her mystic energies or whatever.’

Parth laid a large bundle onto a table, metal clanking. She unwrapped it to reveal Stathis’ armour and weapons. ‘Prepared.’

‘Oh blessed gods, finally! Now I can fight properly. Thanks, Parth. So where are the others?’

‘Out. Searching.’

Stathis began putting her armour on, while turning to Brina for a better explanation. ‘Out lookin’ for you. Went with Jalmi, goin’ go scare up some contacts, I guess. Heard that those masked guys showed up again at a guardpost, ripped the place apart.’

‘So, definitely not with the Duke? That means we’ve got two groups of demon-bastards going against each other? That’s better than them being allies, I guess. What about Dalin?’

‘He went up to the castle along with a load of his own men. I woulda gone with, but I wanted to check on you. I’m guessin’ there’s gonna be a full call-up of the guard, a load of the checkpoints are lockin’ down. And there’s been a few guard raids down into Undercliff, people dragged out kickin’ and screamin’. Bad business.’

‘Parth, are there any confluences or weird stuff in the heavens happening soon? Good times to summon demons, eclipses, blood moons, that kind of thing?’ Parth shook her head. ‘That’s something, at least. Fuck.’ Stathis clenched her fists, as Brina took her arm, strapping a vambrace on.

‘Yeah, this is shit. But we’re gonna pull through, right?’

Parth mimed shooting an arrow. ‘Swift solution.’

‘Let’s leave assassination for later, OK? You know anyone that can help, Brina?’

‘Not been here long enough to get many contacts, especially those that might wanna go the wall for me. This place is goin’ down, and goin’ down fast. Those you freed are gonna spread tales, and not the sort to keep people happy ‘n peaceful. Heard this place burnt bad not that many years ago, and your mother wants this place intact, guess it’s for her plans.’

‘Well, then she should have sent more damn people! Are there any other guards around you trust? Anyone at the arena is a bastard, but there’s probably some that aren’t that bad.’

‘Maybe, but everyone thinks I’m a flirt that’s sleepin’ up the ranks, so probably not gonna listen to me much. Guess I played the part too well, sorry.’

‘OK, at least warn them, I guess. Can we get in touch with Semari and Janaxia at all?’

Parth shook her head. ‘Vengeance.’

Stathis sighed. ‘I appreciate the thought, but I’d rather they had either helped me escape, or stuck around to wait for me here. Fuck me, this is messier than Redcastle.’

‘Sister?’

‘I don’t have any way of getting in touch with her. But she would be useful right now, for once. Or even that damn magic goat. Is Hakara OK to come with us? She seems a bit twitchy in cities still, and all this stuff probably isn’t improving matters.’

‘Yeah, she seems to think everyone’s a criminal. Which, well, she’s hanging out with you lot, so isn’t that far from the truth.’ Brina grinned, and flicked Stathis on the breastplate, creating a harmonious chiming sound.

‘Hey, if it wasn’t for dumbass bastards summoning up fucking demons, then everything would be fine! This is a bit worse than pickpockets and thieves’ guilds and stuff. OK, let’s go see what’s happening, and then move from there.’

Brina left to wake Hakara, leaving Parth and Stathis alone. She stared at Parth. ‘If there’s anything going on, please tell me. No elven bullshit, and I know you can speak properly, even if you don’t bother much.’

She shrugged, Stathis continuing to stare at her, until she finally relented. ‘Strife. Human strife. Allies to purge the evil.’

‘OK, that makes sense. Be a lot easier if Semari and Janaxia hadn’t buggered off. Don’t suppose you’ve got anything to track them?’ Parth shook her head. ‘Fair enough.’

Brina returned with Hakara, who rushed downstairs as she saw Stathis, giving her an impulsive hug, before backing off awkwardly. ‘You survived!’

‘Had to bust myself out, but, yeah. We’re going to go see what’s happening, and figure out what to do. Have you prepared all your spells and stuff? I’ve no idea what’s going to happen, so I’d be prepared for a fight, if you can.’

‘I thought as much, so have prepared attack and defence spells. Mostly defence, and spells to disable groups of opponents without killing them, as Miss Janaxia seems to have pure offensive power appropriately covered.’

‘Good work. Whatever’s happening, it’s not going to get better, so let’s get out there.’

The streets were far too quiet, everyone staying indoors or hiding themselves away, windows shuttered, doors locked. The few people outside gave them a wide berth, not wanting to get dragged into anything – although as Stathis and Parth were fully armoured, that was scarcely a surprise. Even Hakara had a faint shimmer of magic around her, her flesh looking grey and stone-like. Stathis could see smoke trailing up, thicker than usual, but quite some distance away – further away than they could get to quickly, at least.

They hadn’t gone far when they heard shouts and yells. They headed towards it, Stathis keeping one hand on her sword, but not drawing it. They came to a square, one end dominated by a guardhouse, a raggedy crowd yelling and throwing stones as a black wagon rolled towards the gate. Stones and bricks rattled off shields, a squad of guards protecting it as it moved.

‘Hakara, can you do something to stop them?’

The gate was starting to rattle open, sound covering Hakara’s swift invocation. A sphere of yellow gas flew from her hands, flying forward and expanding into a thick, cloud haze. Several of the guards immediately retched, the others flinching, movement stopped as they tried to control themselves. Stathis strode forward, pushing through the crowd.

She shouted at the wagon driver, trying to look as strong and confident as possible, projecting her authority into a single word. ‘Stop!’

The reins cracked, the wagon slowing as her command took hold. She advanced further, sword still sheathed, staying outside of the toxic gas. Several of the guards, those not currently puking their guts out, approached her, weapons at the ready, but all looking queasy and uncertain. Stones and other missiles rattled against their shields and armour, the crowd getting riled up.

One of them, more aggressive than the others, drew close. She stared at him, letting more power flow through her, knowing that her eyes would be filled with a glowing light, dazzling anyone that tried to attack her. He tried to muster up the courage to attack, hand gripping his sword tightly, not quite able to force himself to make an attack.

‘You will let these people go! NOW!’ The guard took a step back, as more bricks and stones rained down. She took a deep breath, then stepped forward, trying not to breath in the gas. She approached closer, still staring at the guard. He was shaking as she approached, then knocked the sword out of his hand. It hit the ground with a loud clatter, before Stathis cuffed him around the head. ‘Let them go, leave your weapons, and go. This place is going to get unfriendly, fast. So unless you want to be in the middle of a riot, go and hide, and hope you’ve not pissed off enough people to come drag you out. Get out while you can, and don’t do anything stupid.’

She took a deep breath, managing to ignore the reeking, acrid stench, shouting as loud as she could. ‘All of you! Lay down your arms and leave, or I cannot guarantee your safety!’ She gave him a shove. The guards looked at each other, as more succumbed to the gas, spewing and struggling to breath. One of them broke, tossing their sword aside and running, ripping their helmet off for good measure. Stathis slowly strode forward, up to the wagon, reaching out for the heavy wooden bar keeping it shut, trying to breath as little as possible, the smell of the gas noxious and toxic. There was a cry from her side, as a guard charged at her. She swung her arm in the way, trusting her heavy armour to take the blow. They strained against each other, before Stathis kicked out, catching him on the shins, then moving close in, slamming an elbow against his head, metal clanging against metal as her armour smashed against his helm.

‘Unless you want to get torn apart, fuck off. You really like the Duke that much?’ She gave him a shove backwards, then turned back to the wagon, managing to get the bar out of the way. A dart of ice shot passed her, as Hakara made sure they stayed down. The bar fell to the ground, before the hatch was shoved open from inside.

The smell of vomit washed out, Hakara’s spell having penetrated inside. ‘Everyone out!’ They didn’t need telling twice, already scrabbling for the exit, Stathis moving away herself, glad to be out of it and able to breath deeply again. The guards were backing away and fleeing, the crowd yelling and jeering at them as they ran. Several crossbows could be seen poking over the top of the gatehouse, as Stathis turned back to the crowd. ‘Stay back, I don’t want anyone to get shot.’ Then she yelled up at the guards. ‘You can either stay up there and hope we’ve not got anything to bring it down, or surrender now, and make things easy for everyone. Everyone else is holing up somewhere, so you’re not going to be getting any support. So I’d recommend making this easy for yourselves, before anyone starts getting thoughts in their heads about starting fires.’

The crossbows drew back slightly, as the guards muttered to each other. ‘If you could hurry up, the crowd is getting restless, and you guys haven’t been making many friends lately.’ She lowered her voice, speaking back to the others. ‘Parth, ready a warning shoot?’ Parth pulled her bow back, lining up to target the gatehouse. Hakara struck a dramatic pose, magical energy swirling around her hands. ‘Think fast!’

There was a crash, as a crossbow was thrown down. Moments later, the gatehouse door opened, the guards moving out. An arrow streaked past, clattering against the stone, narrowly missing one of the guards, who flinched back. Stathis looked back to see Parth sniggering.

With the gatehouse empty, the crowd rushed in to grab weapons, before the portcullis ground upwards, allowing them to proceed. They pushed on, some of the crowd following along, although staying at a safe distance, even the ones with weapons. Something else must be going on, as no forces appeared to stop them, no bells of warning rang. They passed another guardhouse, this one clearly damaged in strife. It had been taken over by city-folk, brandishing weapons, the flag pulled down from the top.

‘That’s where the masked guys attacked overnight.’

Stathis checked the damage. The stone had been blasted by some force, strange marks etched into the stone, as though acidic ropes had been pulled across the walls – it must have been a magical attack of some kind. A watcher on top shouted down at her.

‘Watch out, friend! The rich districts locked down, the guards are sitting pretty in gatehouses. Lotta crossbows pointin’ out, and not many ways in.’

‘Thanks for the tip. Long as they stay inside, then there won’t be a problem. Everything calm here?’

‘Yeah, guard got scared off last night, we nabbed the place back. Not seen any of them since, guess they’re all up-city.’

‘Any idea where the masked guys went?’

‘Nah, they hit here, then moved on and I ain’t movin’ to find out. How’s Undercliff?’

She filled him in on the details. ‘You got everything under control here? Got anyone you can spare? We’re heading up-city, going to see what we can do to help.’

‘We’re keeping things quiet here, but not got a lot of people. Some might wanna go. Hey, any of you lot wanna go upcity?’

There was a vague murmur from beneath him, as a few people filtered out. They’d only managed to scavenge up rough attempts at armour, although were armed with fresh weapons. More people were better though, at least as long as they weren’t caught in an attack by guards. Or if one of the Duke’s pet wizards attacked with a blast spell. The rest of the area was similar, far too quiet, a slow trickle of extra people flowing into the group behind Stathis. Hakara drew close, looking concerned.

‘Miss Stathis, what are we doing? This seems like it could end badly, there’s a lot of people behind us.’

‘Yeah, be ready to disrupt spells if anyone shows up that looks like they might be casting something. I don’t want them to get hurt.’

‘Isn’t this likely to cause a riot or something though?’

Stathis shrugged. ‘The Duke’s either summoning demons, or too stupid to realise his wizards are doing it. Either way, he needs dealing with. If we can find Dalin, or anyone else to help us, great. Otherwise, we’re doing this by ourselves. Although I hope we can find Semari and Janaxia, some decent fighters would be useful. Or even Jalmi and her boys. At this point, at least this area is slightly under control.’

Hakara glanced over her shoulder at the crowd. Actually quite large now, and many of them armed, having becoming become more of a “mob”. At least they were behaving, and looking nervous rather than bloodthirsty, some even breaking off to go check on friends or relatives, without any signs of looting, although Stathis did make sure to keep an eye on some of the more suspicious-looking members of the group as they passed by expensive-looking shops, glaring at them until they moved on.

A loud, guttural cry came from somewhere ahead of them, an explosive release of breath, then a body flew past them and slammed into a wall, sinking to the ground with a moan. A figure lashed out with fists and feet, holding a gate by themselves, a small mob holding back, trying to stay out of reach. The figure paused for a moment, before spinning, bringing a foot slamming down onto another commoner, smashing them to the ground.

Another figure charged in from the side, a flying kick barely missing them. They traded blows, the stranger matching Semari’s blows, fists flying out faster than Stathis could follow, as they blocked and deflected each other’s blows. Stathis began pushing through to get close enough to help, as the fighters locked arms, Semari somehow twisting the stranger’s arms into a painful lock, leveraging more weight onto it. He grimaced in pain, then it broke, bone splintering and puncturing flesh, blood splattering everywhere, as he twisted free, saying something Stathis couldn’t hear. He kicked back, pushing Semari away, then fled, sprinting away at a pace, leaping up onto an adjacent building, one arm still clearly ruined and broken.

A cheer rose from the crowd, as they surged forward, carrying Stathis along with them. Semari saw them, dropping back into a side alley. She was still panting heavily, bruised and battered from her fight. She spat, blood splashing onto the ground.

‘Hey, you’re not dead. Cool.’ She was twisting and shifting her arms and shoulders, checking herself for injuries.

‘Where the hell have you been, and what’s going in?’

Semari shuffled her feet, looking awkward. ‘Well, things are, like, kinda weird now. I think that hot captain might be trying to be in charge or something? Seen some guards fighting guards. Oh, and Jalmi’s lot are with him as well, so I guess she might end up as queen? That’d be nice, she seems pretty cool.’

‘OK, so, firstly, where’s Janaxia? Secondly, any sign of the masked bunch of demon cultists? Thirdly, any sign of the Duke’s demon cultist-wizards or whatever they are? Fourthly, Dalin’s launched a coup?’

‘Janaxia’s finishing off back there. Uh, no demon-wizards. Well, other than Janaxia, but that’s pretty normal for her. She had something she wanted to tell you about the other masked lot.’ She shuffled awkwardly again. ‘And yeah, I guess? He’s, like, got a load of dudes up in the castle fighting the Duke’s dudes. It’s kinda confusing, as they’ve all got the same colours on, makes it really hard to tell who to punch. No idea where the Duke is though, or his wizards. Looks like you’ve got a pretty decent mob though, cool! We gonna go all mob-justice on someone? Never strung someone up before, that could be fun.’

Stathis sighed. ‘No. Well, probably, although if the Duke does show up, I’m guessing it won’t go well for him. Any idea where Dalin is? We should try and get this over with as quickly as possible.’

‘Dunno, him and Jalmi were at the castle, leading the charge. They fight pretty well together, it’s quite sweet. Hadric always moans I charge ahead, when it’s him being slow and can’t keep us, and he wants to hide somewhere and backstab people. Wuss.’

Stathis tried to separate out anything useful from Semari’s rambling. ‘Fine. Let’s get Janaxia, and then go find Dalin. Where the hell did you go last night? It would have been nice to get some help busting out!’

‘Was going to, but then we kinda got distracted.’ She patted Stathis on the shoulder, rapping a knuckle against the metal. ‘Looks like you got out though, right? So, what’s the plan?’

Janaxia strode out from the gatehouse, in something vaguely sensible for once, her dress tighter than it needed to be, but at least light enough that she could easily move in it. She was carrying her wooden sword, glowing with energy.

‘Ah, you survived, and escaped! I am relieved to see you well, and that you appear to have survived your travails. Very good. Now, shall we move on? This place has been quite thoroughly quelled, now that Semari has dealt with that last troublemaker, and I have defeated the other guards. And you seem to have found a baying mob; quite the stylish accessory! Although I always thought that burning torches and pitchforks were rather more the standard, although as this is an urban environment, I suppose such tools are rather lacking. Very good. And back in armour, I see. Very sensible, although you seem to have acquired some dents already.’

‘Yeah, there was a fight. I see you managed to come through unscathed.’

Janaxia brushed a barely-visible speck of dust off her shoulder. ‘Thank you, I do try, despite rather trying circumstances. These fellows are annoyingly stubborn, but Semari managed to deal with the most recalcitrant. Now, the Captain appears to be making a move of his own; bold, but he appears to have quite the following; I surmise he may have been preparing for such a moment. If you were to lend your mob to him, then this little affair will likely be swiftly settled, and having the favour of a newly raised Duke is no small thing.’

‘Well, he can’t be worse than the current one. Any sign of anything demonic?’

‘Not as yet, although we have yet to investigate the tower from earlier.’ She craned her neck, looking over Stathis’ shoulder. ‘Although that is rather worrisome, I suspect. The arena usually emits rather less smoke, does it not?'

Stathis turned. A plume of smoke, thick and black, was rising from the arena, fighting visible on the walls around it. ‘Shit. Right, let’s go see what’s going on with that, it’s a lot easier than getting involved with whatever is going on at the castle. Brina, you know anything about what Dalin might be up to?’

‘Sorry, first I’ve heard of it. Seems a decent guy though, or at least not workin’ with demons. Guess he might just want a shiny hat?’

‘Well, he can’t be goddam worse. Let’s go see what that is. Everyone else, you ready to move? They might be summoning some more demon stuff, so we go in heavy, take down anyone that looks occult.’