As they got closer to the arena, there was active combat, guards up on the walls shooting down at the mob, only able to counter with improvised thrown missiles. Stathis ducked around a corner as a crossbow bolt whizzed past, narrowly missing her ear, Parth calmly returning fire, a scream coming from the walls above them. Parth moved behind cover again, then jumped out and shot three times, each at a different target, taking them all down.

This gave Stathis the chance to advance, running towards a melee that had erupted at the gate, a trio of guards holding attackers back, long halberds chopping and stabbing. Stathis knocked the point of one out of the way with her shield, getting in close and knocking them out of their formation, giving an opening for the crowd to surge forward, swiftly disarming them and dragging them away. That just left the gate itself – significantly more daunting from the outside, although Parth was doing a good job at keeping the bowmen at bay, her arrows streaking out whenever one showed above the wall, while blows smashed against the heavy wood without affect.

She saw Janaxia and Hakara both gesturing, and hastily gathered up the attackers, dragging them out of the way as multiple blasts of darkness impacted the wood, followed by a stream of acid from Hakara. Parth leant covering fire, preventing any guards from attacking the pair of casters as the door slowly succumbed to their combined power, melting and shattering under the attack, finally collapsing.

Stathis led the charge through the gates, yelling at the group to stay together, their numbers counting for more than their skills. It looked less intimidating in the sunlight, although had clearly been patched and repaired to try and make it more defensible, most of the entrances bricked up, channelling them to fight against the defenders on their terms. The guards here were more determined, defending the main entranceway, crossbows shooting down from the high walls, attackers hidden from view. Several of the black wagons had been driven into the entrance, blocking visibility and making a charge impossible.

‘Parth, Semari – get up there and distract them.’ Stathis felt a bolt strike her armour, but without enough force to penetrate. ‘Hakara, try not to get shot. Brina, look after her. Janaxia, you’re with me. We’re going in. If you’ve got any protection stuff, cast it now.’

The air around Janaxia shimmered for a moment, a shimmering force forming itself around her body. ‘Is this really necessary? Matters seem to be getting settled in a rather meaningful manner, without any need for us to put ourselves at such personal risk.’ From the sounds coming from just out of sight, the combat was brutal and messy, screams of rage and pain echoing out of the entrance tunnel.

‘Yes. Whatever’s going on, is going on here. The Duke’s doing something, and there’s still those masked bastards to worry about. We can settle this, and then worry about Jalmi and Dalin and whatever they’re doing. Plus, if you want to practice your sword skills, then this is the time.’

Janaxia was looking at her strangely. ‘I thought that was settled. Nevertheless, this is all rather brutal and undignified, and not particularly within my area of expertise.’

Stathis gestured at Semari and Parth, who immediately moved into action, Semari scampering up the walls, Parth’s hands flashing as she launched arrow after arrow upwards, arcing them high to come down onto her targets. ‘I need someone I can rely on to go in with me. I know you don’t like getting close up, but you’re the only one that can keep up. I’ll lead, you watch my back and blast anything that looks dangerous.’

The flattery softened her expression somewhat, but she still looked unconvinced. ‘Would your little friend not be a better choice? After all, you seem perfectly well acquainted.’

‘Brina’s not exactly geared up for this, and she’s not as tough or skilled as you are. You’re the only one that can do this.’ She touched Janaxia on the shoulder, staring into her eyes. ‘Please?’ Janaxia’s face flushed slightly before she appeared to regain control, energy swirling around her wooden blade again.

‘Oh, very well then. I suppose it will make for a bracing story to recount later.’

Stathis didn’t waste any time, pulling Janaxia along behind her, sprinting forward, shield held high, feeling shots impact against it, ignoring the startled squeak from Janaxia. They charged at the wagons, Janaxia keeping up, as Stathis dropped into a skid, bouncing and scraping along beneath the wagon, tumbling back to her feet. A guard gawped at her, before she slammed her shield into him, knocking him down. Several bolts of darkness shot from behind her as Janaxia caught up, her shots delaying another attacker.

The guards here were outnumbered but had the training and equipment to make up for it, blades making short work of any rioter that got too close, while their armour could turn blows from the crude weapons of their attackers. Stathis waded in, slamming straight into one guard and taking them off-balance and letting the other rioters deal with them, as a sword-swing bounced off her armour. Her counterattack cut into his arm, then she slammed her hilt into his helmet, dazing him, giving them the chance to advance past.

Everywhere was a cascade of tiny fights; no overall battle or plan, just countless individual battles, terrain restricting vision, the overall scope of events impossible to determine. Even getting into the arena proper was a sequence of chaotic brawls and close-up fighting, Stathis punching with her shield or swordhilt more often than she was able to properly swing, Janaxia keeping up, one hand flinging arcane blasts, as the other swung her sword, striking with far more than physical strength, although still managing to keep out of any serious confrontations, Stathis doing what she could to shield Janaxia from stray attacks that might harm her.

The short passage between the entrance and the arena seemed endless, but finally, the large space of the arena opened in front of them. In the daylight, the atrocities committed here were brutally apparent, the stakes in the centre surrounded by ashen marks, dotted with bones. Figures were chained to more stakes, writhing and trying to escape. Around the edge was another entranceway, now disgorging a group of guards.

‘Janaxia, do your darkness thing, over there!’

Stathis winced in pain as Janaxia cast her spell, the shattered and fragmented non-words searing her mind. Darkness sprung into being just ahead of the guards, hopefully keeping them distracted and confused. There was a scream from above, as Stathis reached out and grabbed Janaxia, hauling her out of the way just before a body slammed into the ground. Stathis glanced up, to see Semari darting around on the top level, attacking the guards up there, knocking them off the edge.

‘Thank you for saving me. Although I believe it may be wise to move away from the walls, before we are squashed beneath someone else. Scarcely a dignified end. Although, in this case, I don’t think you need to carry me.’

Stathis let Janaxia go, and they moved away from the edge. A few guards were emerging from the darkness, armour melted and covered with ice, and not in any hurry to fight further. From the centre of the arena came a tortured scream, one of the stakes bursting into flames. The body writhed and contorted in agony, as a fierce heat washed out. A robed figure waved and chanted, metal on their staff catching the sunlight. Crimson energy flowed flow through the air, the body twisting, cracking and contorting, skin peeling back, arms warping and lengthening.

The creature snapped the chains holding it in place and charged towards them, shape still warping as it ran, face becoming a ruined and bloody mess, claws extending from their hands. Blasts of darkness shot towards it, slowing its charge, but not even to stop it entirely, as Stathis met it head on. Claws raked across her shield as she sliced back at it, easily chopping through its raw and bloody flesh. Pain-filled eyes stared at her for a moment, before it tried to attack again, stopped by Janaxia blasting it, sending it flying backwards.

The mage was starting to cast something else, arcane glyphs appearing around their hands as they gestured, a bright red light starting to form. ‘Janaxia, you try and keep them busy, I’ll deal with this!’ She blocked another claw strike, circling around to give Janaxia some cover and hopefully get within range of the wizard. The thing was fast, darting forward and aiming for her face, but she blocked, and then countered with several swings, leaving an arm hanging by only a few tattered strands of muscle. It screeched and yowled, but didn’t relent, attacking again, driven by bloodlust until Stathis drove her blade into the thing’s chest. The body hissed and started to melt, bones falling to the ground amidst a bloody, reeking paste.

Bolts of fire shot towards Janaxia, scorching her clothing before she volleyed her own bolts of darkness back. The mage gestured with his staff, the air around Janaxia suddenly filling with flying silver shards, slicing and cutting her skin. Stathis shoved her aside, loud clanging ringing out as the shards ricocheted off her armour.

‘You OK?’

Janaxia was wounded, skin covered with scratches and slices, although none appeared serious. ‘Only mildly inconvenienced.’ She gestured, casting another spell, darkness erupting around their attacker. ‘That should distract them momentarily.’

The darkness shattered and imploded, breaking into countless motes of shade, boilding away and vanishing in the daylight. Janaxia grunted in pain, wavering for a second. The robed figure spoke, voice strangely normal, as they gestured with their staff, crimson energy still streaming around the tip of mottled metal.

‘A lost cousin, bound by the broken words, how unexpected.’ Despite the surroundings, their voice was cultured, as they pointed the staff at Janaxia. ‘With a shard of the firstforged, I shall claim this place, and your power with it. What powers will that grant me, I wonder?’

Behind him, the air shimmered, slits forming from nothing, opening onto a blazing furnace heat, shining with a dull, mottled gleam, like the metal shards. Some force, some intelligence or will lay beyond the gleam, stretching itself into the world. Blind terror filled her mind for a moment, an overwhelming urge to flee and seek safety, to get anywhere that wasn’t here, before she tightened her grip on her weapon, readying herself for combat.

‘And you, child of the Iristari. My mistress has designs for your soul, such that your death here would be a mercy.’

Janaxia whimpered in sudden fear, pressing herself against Stathis, body shaking. One of the eyes flared, a tendril of green-tainted metal lashing forth as Stathis threw herself aside, dragging Janaxia with her. ‘Snap out of it! At least fight back!’ Janaxia’s eyes were rolled back into her head, veins throbbing with eerie ripples of silvery light and utter darkness, before she managed to force herself back into some semblance of consciousness, Stathis’ own wound throbbing in sympathy. ‘Dammit, I need you at least conscious! And if your clothes fall off here, that’s entirely your own damn fault.’

Another tendril of metal lashed through the air, wrapping around Stathis’ leg and pulling her back. It screeched and scraped against her armour, beginning to slice through. She tried to kick it off, dumping Janaxia and twisting to hack at it. Arrows shot through the air, the wizard dancing backwards to avoid getting shot.

Stathis sliced at the tendril, managing to hack it off before regaining her feet, Janaxia still woozy. Parth must have finished off everyone on the walls and could now lend covering fire. She ducked and darted around as the things lashed out, the metal, mottled and misshapen, more like a living thing than anything forged. It gleamed with an oily, prismatic sheen, scraping edges and cutting points jumbled together. She dragged Janaxia up, resisting the urge to shake her. ‘Still alive? Blast him with whatever you’ve got, hopefully that’ll dismiss the big thing.’

She flicked her hand, sending another bolt through the air, where it struck one of the tendrils, the metal mottling pitch-black for a moment, before the sickly copper-green tint re-asserted itself.

‘Haven’t you got anything more powerful?’

They both ducked as it lashed through the air, scything just above their heads.

‘You ordered me to use my spells earlier!’

‘You’ve only cast two!’ A thinner lash snaked out, whipping towards them, Stathis blocking with her shield, feeling the material crunch under the impact, pushing her backwards. ‘Just stay close and cover me, and try not to die.’ More arrows arced overhead, hopefully hitting home behind the writhing mass of corrupted metal.

Janaxia started flinging bolts, as fast as she could, giving Stathis a change to advance. The things didn’t seem to have sharp senses, twitching at anything that got close, but unable to focus. A narrow strand lashed out, wrapping around her arm until she sliced through it, the severed end fading away. The parts darkened by Janaxia’s bolts seemed confused and drowsy, their movement sluggish, although the darkness quickly faded. A blue sphere of ice appeared in the air, exploding in a cascade of frozen shards, raining down and plinking off the metal, sharp enough to cut skin. Janaxia pressed herself close, trying to shield herself beneath Stathis.

With the ice bouncing off the metal and her own armour, the sound was a deafening cacophony, but the impacts confused and distracted the thing further, Stathis charging forward, Janaxia moving with her. Through the heaving mass, Stathis could make out the wizard, stuck in a rigid pose, face rigid as they chanted to maintain their spell, despite the wounds from the ice and even an arrow stuck into an arm. The shard of metal on their staff was glowing with red energy, a steady, pulsing light that intensified as he saw them, his eyes spheres of darkest black. Despite the effort and concentration on his face, he spoke lightly.

‘An unexpected ally you have, my kin. But my mistress has gathered more power than you can defeat.’ He flipped the staff around awkwardly, then ran the metal fragment along his neck. Instead of blood, dull blackness oozed out, flowing over his face, horns shaping themselves from his head, his teeth growing pointed, voice changing. ‘My transformation is not yet complete, but this form shall be enough to defeat you.’

Closer now, Stathis could see the start of the metallic tendrils, suspended in mid-air, able to see around them, a grey and blasted desert visible on the other side. She charged forward, through the point of origin, as the black blood oozed down his body, transforming his body. More bolts of darkness slammed into him, pain registering on his face, pushing him slightly backwards, as the tentacles flailed at random, slamming at anything.

She thrust, an attack straight through his heart, if he still had one. More blood-ooze flowed out, clinging to his body, starting to form into an armoured crust. She smacked him with her shield, forcing him back another step, keeping him off balance, as an arrow smacked into his shoulder, bouncing off the solidified blood. He swung back with the staff, easy to block, but with far more force than she expected, enough to knock her off balance slightly. She adjusted, dodging another strike, leaping in and hammering him with two swift swings, golden light flaring along her blade, slicing deep into his shoulder, pushing him down.

‘You think you can defeat me? You were lucky in defeating my mistress when you last met, but that won’t be enough. Our power and knowledge has grown much since then.’ He reached up towards the blade in his chest, Stathis pulling back before he could grab it.

‘Are you with that crazy shapechanging nutjob from the Underworld? What the hell are you after, other than killing people and turning them into monsters?’

The horns they had grown continued to shift, turning into a tangled mess of razor-sharp points. ‘You of all people should know, child of light. Long ago the darkness was shattered, and now it is time to reclaim all that we once possessed!’ They attacked again, the transformation increasing his strength, but fortunately not granting him any greater skill, as she deflected a strike, feeling the strength of the impact. ‘All those beneath me are just meat, to be shaped by my will, to serve as I wish. When the darkness claims the land, I shall be amongst the rulers.’

‘Just die already!’ She stabbed him again, golden energy pushing back the darkness wrapped around him for a moment, revealing a flash of his mortal body beneath, before it encroached again. She dodged a clumsy thrust, striking back with her blade, then smashing him with her shield, as he teetered on the edge of the platform, struggling for balance. She dropped her sword, grabbing his arm and twisting, then reaching to grab the staff. She could feel his strength, as he tried to keep hold of it, but he had no idea how to properly fight. She kicked him in the shin, enough to distract him and let her wrench it away, stepping backwards as he teetered then fell off the edge.

It was simply made – a long staff of tough wood, a few runes carved into it, with the length of metal crudely riveted on. A sudden ripple of burning pain shot through her, from where she’d scratched her hand on it in the tower, the pain sending her reeling. She stepped forward, spinning the staff like a spear, jabbing downwards with the shard, catching him across the shoulders. The blood-ichor splintered and cracked, crimson blood appearing amongst the black before it crusted over again.

He jumped backward, keeping some distance between them, as she pressed forward. The pain intensified, her hand now feeling as though it were on fire, all she could do to keep her grip on it, vision swimming. Then a rock cracked against his head, hard enough to daze him. Semari charged, some long, thin club flexing in her arms, bashing against him.

‘Sorry, got distracted! Guessing he’s, like, the bad guy? What’s the plan?’ Her weapon kept spinning, a continual blur.

He was stood next to one of the stakes, kindling stacked up, eyes burning black as he stared at Semari. She looked worried for a second, then shuddered and threw off whatever effect it was. Janaxia drew up behind them, taking shelter again behind Stathis.

She focused through the pain, managing to talk. ‘Screw it, burn him. Semari, we’ll drive him backward. Janaxia, you light it up. Then we smash him into it. I don’t care if he regenerates, that’ll deal with him eventually. Ready?’

‘And how exactly am I meant to light a fire? My powers don’t lend themselves to such petty tasks!’

‘You’re a wizard, or pretending to be one, right? Figure something out!’ Stathis turned around to look at Janaxia – her forelock was throbbing again, in time with the pain throbbing through Stathis’ body, and the dull sheen of the metallic fragment. ‘Hakara could deal with it, just do it!’ Janaxia’s body tensed, anger flushing across her face, as Stathis and Semari both charged forward.

The staff wasn’t a very good weapon, but it had reach, and if she kept moving it let her concentrate on something other than the pain. Semari was a blur of motion, feet, fists and her weapon keeping him on the defensive, the two of them driving him back, even if their attacks didn’t seem to do much. Stathis thrust, deliberately aiming wide but forcing him to dodge. Semari grabbed a chain hanging from the stake, lunging and wrapping it around him.

‘Come on, light it up!’ He was fighting back, his raw strength enough to give him a chance, even as Stathis tossed the staff aside, burning sensation fading as she went to help Semari. Janaxia was concentrating, an ethereal shape floating in front of her, making a stick of wood rapidly spinning in place, as she tried to start a fire. He was freakishly strong, enough that keeping him in place even with two of them was a challenge, the wood creaking as he yanked on it.

Then the wood caught, a spark catching the kindling, the wood flaring into light. It burst into flames with a vicious burst of heat. She felt the chain get jerked out of her hands as he fought loose, stumbling out, his robes alight. Semari leapt into action, spinning around and kicking him back in, his body slamming against the stake, as the fire intensified, hiding him from view.

They waited, tense, ready to attack again, but he didn’t re-emerge, an unearthly wailing scream turning to a pained, bubbling scream, then silence. Stathis retrieved her sword, and the staff, before turning back to Semari and Janaxia. Now that she wasn’t moving, it was clear that her ‘weapon’ was an arm, ripped off one of the monsters, a long, sinewy length, ending with razor-sharp claws. Semari caught Stathis’ look. ‘What? You’re, like, allowed to use monster bits as weapons, it’s in the rules. If this was a dragon’s tooth I was using as a knife, you’d think it was totally badass. Just because it’s an arm it’s all “weird” and “creepy”, rather than “legendary”. Hypocrite!’

Stathis sighed. ‘Just toss it on the fire, OK? Janaxia, you alright? Let’s go find the others.’ Janaxia had her ‘upset’ face on, probably not happy about having been ordered to light the fire. Well, if she would learn some normal magic, then this wouldn’t be a problem.