Kethys ran along the wall, moving fast enough that her feet gripped the brickwork wall, leaving shadows in her wake, the darkness lingering a little after she moved past. From there she jumped and flipped herself up onto the roof, running along the tiles, hearing clay blocks clacking under her weight. Behind her, something bigger and heavier slammed onto the roof, tiles shattering and crunching.

An arrow whistled through the air, a gleaming shard of metal beneath the three moons, and she sliced it out of the air, chopping at it with her sword before it could hit her. Where had that come from? There was a tower up ahead, moonlight glinting off metal - something up there? She breathed in the darkness and then exhaled, short and sharp. A sphere of deeper darkness flashed into existence, shrouding whatever-it-was from vision. That should stop them until they could find another balcony!

Behind her, the heavy footsteps slammed down, the rooftop quaking and shaking. Ahead of her there was a defensive wall, dividing the city into parts. Two guards were stood there, wide-eyed in fear and shock.

Kethys ran for the wall, ignoring as best she could the sounds from behind her, jumping up and finding gaps between the stones to grab hold off, pulling herself upwards.

‘A demon! Ring the alarm!’

She had no idea if they were talking about her, or the thing chasing her, but it probably didn’t matter. Shadow lent her strength and grip as she pulled herself up, feeling the wall shake as her pursuer slammed into it. Kathys risked glancing down, seeing a bulging, monstrous shape, with an incongruously tiny head, at least in proportion to the body. Dark eyes stared up at her, monstrously strong arms grabbing hold of the wall and making handholds, simply breaking the stone into the needed shape.

What the hell was it? Beyond big, ugly and able to regenerate from attacks – she knew she’d stabbed the damn thing through the heart at least twice, but it hadn’t even slowed the thing down. And it was fast, all that muscle giving speed and power to the attacks it made. She pulled herself up onto the walkway atop the wall, just as the warning bell sounded out.

The sound was painfully loud in the still night, but it was quickly picked up and echoed back by the other guard-towers, a clamour starting up. That wouldn’t help! They’d think she was part of it as well, and the last thing she needed was a load of guards trying to kill her. And with that thing rampaging around, they weren’t going to be playing nice! It looked like it had once been human, or at least mostly human, but had been transmuted into something else, with freakishly bulging muscles, and with thick black ichor for blood.

And the damn thing regenerated! Was there anywhere nearby she could get a load of acid? Or a way to dump it into water to make it drown. It seemed to be smart as well – not some dumb rampaging beast, but a person, or at least mostly-person. Who the hell had sent the thing after her was a mystery, but one that could wait until she’d gotten rid of this thing. Bloody thing had laughed off being stabbed! And it wouldn’t take too many swings of those oversized fists to obliterate her.

It growled, the wall shaking as it plunged fat, meaty fingers into the stone, a hand reaching above the battlements and taking grip. Kethys sliced at the fat sausages, slicing into the meat, hearing the groan of pain. Thick black blood oozed and splashed out, a dark puddle forming as Kethys turned and ran.

Where could she lead this thing that might destroy it? Ahead of her was the merchant’s district, all prim and proper houses, stacked up high and close together – would there be anything explosive around?

‘Stay clear, this is more than you can handle!’ She yelled at the guards, before running around the wall, looking for somewhere convenient to jump onto. Someone had actually been enforcing the damn building rules, so all the buildings were a wide distance from the wall, a distance she might be able to jump but didn’t want to try right now.

The sounds of loud footsteps sounded, the thing having clambered all the way up. She heard the confused shouts and yells of the guards, spinning around to yell back at them.

‘Run! This is way above your damn paygrade!’

It growled back, wrenching a stone from the battlements and flinging it at her – the thing was the size of her head, and she skidded to the side to avoid it, as it slammed forward and crashed into the battlements, kicking up a cloud of dust. If that had hit, it would have been crippling or fatal! And the damn thing was gaining on her – just how fast was it? The face was leering at her, eyes dark and sharp.

Where the hell could she go? She looked down over the walls, into the merchant’s quarter – there had to be something she could use! With a jump, she was up on the battlements herself, jumping between the raised crenelations. Up ahead, there was some overly fancy tower, wrapped about with thick ivy – tensing her legs, she leapt for it, swinging her sword out to try and catch the ivy. She managed to snag the thick green vines, her sword slicing and slowing her fall, before she was pricked and scraped by the spiny plants. But it slowed her fall, as she scraped downwards before slowing to a stop. There was a window next to her, and she squeezed, into a narrow stairway. Up or down?

The tower shook, the thing slamming into the outside wall. Down, then! At least the darkness here was cool and comforting, her eyes rapidly adjusting as she ran down the stairs, noting the shrouded gleam of mage-lights, turned around on the walls. Someone wanted this passageway kept dark then – that was unusual, most merchants liked to show off their wealth and access to magic.

Behind her, stone cracked and splintered, a wet voice rasping out. ‘You can’t escape, darkling elf! Let me eat you, it’ll hurt less!’

Kethys moved faster, glad that there didn’t seem to be any obstacles, the staircase just winding deeper downwards. In the narrow space, the thing would hopefully be slowed? Angry growls and the sounds of destruction echoed from above her though – it didn’t seem to have slowed any! Kethys raced downwards as fast as she could, feeling more at home in the darkness, leaping down the steps. She brushed her fingers against the wall – cool, firm stonework, with the windows bricked up.

She slammed into a doorway, her shoulder making it rattle, the metal bar of a lock pushing against wood and stone. There was no time to pick it properly, so she wedged her sword into the gap between the door and the frame and sliced downwards, cutting through it. Another slice and the mechanism was completely destroyed, and she kicked the door open.

The door swung open, a rank scent of fear and shit washing out. It was a large, open space, barely lit by a single dull light, suspended from the ceiling. Dirty, sweaty faces stared at her, fear and desperation in young faces. Chains clinked and she saw that they were fettered, with chains running around their ankles and then into the wall, heavy metal spikes keeping them bound to the walls. There must be several dozen here, the air filled with the scent of their sweat and other waste products. They tried to shuffle away from her, murmuring in fear.

‘What the hell is going on here?’

She stepped forward, faster than they could move, raising her sword. The closest one flinched away in fear as she sliced downwards, her sword biting into the chain links, cutting through the metal. Another quick slice, and the chain was severed – the fetter was still around the child’s ankle, but it was no longer attached to the wall.

‘Is there another way out of here?’ She sliced again, freeing another one. ‘How does the fuck that thinks he owns you come and go?’ Slavery was meant to be illegal here, but someone thought that turning a profit was more important than anything else. There was a loud crash from behind her, as her pursuer slammed into the wall at the bottom of the stairs. ‘Quickly!’ Of all the times to be out of potions! She freed another one, who had the presence of mind to run towards part of the wall and press their hands against it.

When she looked more closely, Kethys could just about see the hair-line crack outline of a hidden door. There was probably some mechanism hidden somewhere to open it, but there was no time to find it, as her pursuer forced themselves through the door. She jammed her sword into the crack, the enchanted metal cutting through the thing layer of stone and then the wood underneath. What the hell was keeping it locked? Magic flared, a circular rune flashing into existence before fading away, the hidden passageway starting to open. Small fingers grabbed around the door, pulling at it, Kethys slicing away another set of chains.

The creature charged towards her, body swelling, a claw raking forward. She blocked, deflecting the worst of the attack, but it still knocked her backwards, forcing her against the wall. The children scattered, at least as far as their chains allowed, whimpering in fear. The thing was stupidly strong, even the deflected attack knocking her off balance and forcing her backwards, until she was up against the wall.

‘Silly little darkling elf. Let yourself be devoured!’ The mouth gaped wide, and Kethys attacked, blade flashing in the low light. It wasn’t fast enough to dodge, her blade crunching through its skull, into the meat inside. It growled at her, an arm swinging around wildly. It scraped her shoulder, her enchanted chainmail taking some of the force from the strike, but it still had enough strength to break her skin beneath, chainmail links biting into flesh. The arms kept flailing as Kethys drew her blade back, thick black ichor streaming down the blade, splattering to the floor as she flicker her blade.

It staggered, red eyes fading for a moment, before the gaping wound started to close. How fast did the damn thing heal? She attacked again, slicing over the ribcage, feeling bones resist the attack. It growled at her, coughing up blood, and she had to jump backwards to avoid another attack.

She rolled to the side, slicing another chain free of the wall. ‘Start running! Get out of here!’

The kids were smart enough to obey, although some were moving slowly, either tired or injured. But the hidden door was open, the kids running and limping down it, out of sight. As they left, it gave Kethys more space to work in, making it a little easy to dodge, but the thing was relentless, never stopping, despite the not-yet-fully-healed wound in the throat.

‘You were a useful tool, but too independent.’ Too-sharp teeth glinted at her. ‘Thief of the night, but in the new world there will be no place for you!’

‘It might sting, but I prefer it this way! Lot less shit going down and I don’t have to worry about getting killed all the time.’ She darted behind them, slicing at the back of a knee, but it healed in a few seconds, barely even slowly them down. She thrust forward, stabbing beneath their ribs into where their kidneys should be, feeling her sword stab deep into soft flesh and meat. They noticed that, at least, but they punched back at her, too fast for her to pull back, the fist slamming into her. It hit with enough force that she was knocked away, her hilt sliding from her grasp, sword still wedged deep into the creature.

‘You cannot defeat me! This body does not tire, nor shall it yield to your attacks!’

Kethys drew a throwing knife and flicked her wrist, the metal spike gouging into a red eye, the light blinking out.

‘Bet that hurts though!’ Before it could recover, she darted into it’s now blinded side, ducking low and slicing at a hamstring, trying to make the cut as deep as possible. It managed a half-turn before the leg gave way. Another stab, this time into the throat, and then she ran, making for the hidden passage. That would buy her some time, but it wouldn’t take long until it was recovered. She needed something to put it down permanently!

The children were ahead of, one of the scrabbling with a device on the wall. She shoved them aside, letting her fingers brush over the curves of metal, feeling the shape of the lock. Kethys pulled out her hairpin, pushing it into the keyhole and sliding it around, feeling the tumblers inside shifting as she pushed on them. Metal clicked, the thing opening, and she didn’t even have time to shove it open before the children had done it for her.

Light spilled around the door, making her wince and pull her hood up, trying to shield her eyes. There was sound as well, a raucous revelry, music playing and the scents of food.

The children spilled out, into a large hall, mid-banquet. Well-to-do folk were stuffing themselves on ample food and wine, as a small band played, a dancefloor occupied by twirling couples. The place was well-lit, a massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling, large mirrored lamps hanging on the walls. And then the inevitable panic started, a scream cutting the air as one of the guests noticed the intrusion.

At the head table was a man wearing elaborate robes and fat golden chains, his face flushed with sweat and rage. He stood up, pointing a hand at the children as they ran for the exit, most of them grabbing food as they passed the overladen tables.

‘Guards! Stop them!’

Kethys jumped, grabbing hold of a lantern and using that to launch herself into the air, swinging off the chandelier and ignoring the stinging heat of the candles mounted there. From there, it was easy to swing and drop onto the head table, and she twisted to kick a plate at a man that was drawing a sword, smacking it into his head and dazing him.

‘No idea who you are, but people aren’t property!’ Her knife flashed through the air, catching him in the throat, the shining metal covered with red as blood welled up. His eyes bulged, all strength gone from his body, limbs shaking and quivering for a moment before he collapsed, body sagging to the floor. That was at least one problem dealt with! A guard ran out of a doorway, and she kicked a tankard at him, forcing him to dodge backwards, before jumping back up, grabbing hold of a sculpture mounted on the wall.

One of the kids hadn’t fled, but had instead grabbed one of the table-candles, and was holding it against a table, trying to set it alight.

‘The tapestries! They go up easier!’ She pointed at a particularly garish thing of red and blue swirls, that looked more like a fever-trip than an ornament, feeling her grip start to slip. She let herself drop, landing on the shoulders of a guest and kicking them in the head, before jumping onto the table and picking up a steak-knife.

The creature burst out of the hidden passageway – in the full light, it looked as ugly as she expected, stitch-marks obvious across it, bodies attached together, seeping black goo whenever it moved too fast, face misshapen and ugly. She flung the knife at it, making it cover its face with its arms and giving her the chance to pick up a candelabra, ducking low and holding it against the tablecloth. The pristine white started to blacken and char before catching alight, as the kid got the tapestry alight. It must have been treated with something, as it went up like a candle, bright and fierce.

The other guests were now stampeding for the door, not wanting to get caught in the chaos. The creature charged towards Kethys, now fully healed, and she picked up the tablecloth, one end burning and started using it like a whip, ignoring the smoking embers it was emitting.

Where it struck the creature, it left scorch marks, along with a foul odour of burning meat. It tried to attack her back, forcing her to dance and dodge around or risk being struck by the savage claws again. The burn-marks didn’t heal though, mottling the flesh. She just needed a way to do more damage!

Fierce heat was now pouring from the other side of the room, where the fire from the tapestry was starting to spread, flames now licking along the walls, wooden rails and pillars catching alight. Kethys dodged around another punch, luring it over, trying to ignore the savage heat as best she could, although she could feel it stinging her flesh, sweat starting to ooze out of her body.

‘Hey! Come get me!’

The kid was waving his arms and charging towards the creature, carrying something in his hands. He threw it, a glass jar flying through the air and shattering when it hit the thing, covering it with a thin sheen of something. Kethys sniffed – was that oil?

She darted forward, but not before the creature attacked the child, a single swipe sending them flying backwards. Kethys twisted, trying to juggle the burning cloth and grab them from the air, flicking her wrist to send the burning end out. It brushed against the skin of the creature, sparking a flame, the oil carrying the heat, bursting into flames.

The child was heavier than she’d expected, but she moved them against a shoulder and then dropped the cloth, pulling out another knife, the blade of this one covered with savage barbs and spikes. She stabbed forward and twisted, catching them in the belly, feeling the barbs twist into skin, snagging around their guts, black ichor gushing out. A fist struck between her shoulder blades, knocking the air from her lungs, but she wrenched the blade as hard as she could, making sure it was deep inside of them, the burning flames stinging her flesh, starting to make her own clothing smoulder.

Then she shoved them, using their weight to push herself backwards. They were starting to burn more fiercely now, their skin starting to melt, and she darted around smaller fires, as the place started to fully ignite.

The cooler night air was a welcome relief, although the gasps and screams of the guests less so. She didn’t stop though, letting her adrenaline power her forward, another throwing knife blossoming in the throat of a guard, glancing around to look for an opening and running for it. The child was holding her tightly, arms around her neck, starting to cry.

‘Don’t worry, you did good. And I could do with some help, as everyone seems to have grown up and fucked off. Just don’t set too much shit on fire!’

She ran through the street, ignoring the growing chaos and clamour from behind her, before finding a quiet-looking alleyway to dart into, and sinking against the wall, the cool brickwork a relief against her skin.

‘Can’t promise you much, but it’ll be better than being a beggar here. And if there’s more of those things, probably safer. So, kid, you want to give me a hand?’

The child looked up at her, face grimy with ash, the only clear parts where tears had trickled down and cleaned away the char. They looked at Kethys, and she slowly lowered her hood, letting them see her face.