Hadrian of Bloodgate, better known as Blackshit,

In the name of the Burrows, and the laws we made ourselves, you have been found guilty of being a righteous pain in the ass. In accordance to our rules, any who dare hurt our own, are considered to be enemies. For which the punishment is death. Salamander of the Four Kings, has decided that your daughter’s death will be one by live flaying, in front of the very walls she so desperately tried to protect. May her skinless corpse serve our Burrows as a warning to all those that dare overstep their bounds.

As for her final request to see you one last time.

Well…

We’ve taken the courtesy of sending you her eyeballs.

- The Burrows’ response to Sandsnake’s execution.

I eyed the brown cloth covering our wheelbarrow’s contents. Seems like he’s keeping his end of the bargain.

“You sure he will lay still?” Richtus asked softly, gaze directed at me. His suit of armor now gone, replaced by a ragged sackcloth clothing his body. His facial features difficult to discern with the brown hood, and cloth, covering his face.

“He will, if he wants his free booze,” I said a bit louder, the cloth briefly twitching in response. “See?”

“Don’t do that,” he urgently whispered, eyes scanning the people around us.

“Stop being so jumpy,” I said, already noticing the odd glance cast towards Richtus. “We rats pick up on that sort of thing.”

Richtus took a deep breath, seemingly calming down, were it not for his shaking hands. I raised an eyebrow at him, before he noticed the same problem. “What? My fingers get itchy without my weapon.” Soon after he began to continuously scratch his back. “Though not as itchy as these damned rags. How can you stand wearing this all day?”

“You’ll learn to live with it,” I shrugged, barely feeling the coarse fabric on my skin. Not that my relaxed demeanor seemed to help, Richtus was still drawing far too much suspicion. “Now stop fidgeting, or you’ll blow our cover.”

This is bad. The crowd gathered at Redgate’s side of the Lid was quite large this morning. Their numbers great, and their foul mood even greater. Probably courtesy to last night’s stunt. A lot of people and carts were forced to stay on this side of the wall, and none of them were too happy about it. I pulled the hood closer over my face, hoping that people wouldn’t recognize my earlier appearance. Come on bells. Ring already.

Not that I was afraid or anything. In fact, I felt quite safe beneath the shadow of the massive gatehouse before me. Its fortifications thick, and its guard towers imposing, even more so up close. No wonder none of the Four Kings ever dared assaulting the Lid. Heck, even on the inside it would not be an easy job. All the staircases were hidden within the walls themselves, safeguarded behind heavy steel doors. And what this side of the Lid lost in fortifications, it made up in sheer manpower. With the Lid’s guard garrison stationed in the shadows of the great wall, there was no shortage of guardsmen willing to come to our aid. For now.

The plan was a simple one. We would sneak into the Burrows alongside the daily morning crowd, disguising ourselves as normal rats. Rats who had nothing more than a simple wooden wheelbarrow. A demon infested wheelbarrow, that is. Once inside we would avoid the gang patrols, working our way towards my house. From there, we would simply let Gob out of the wheelbarrow, before putting my belongings inside of it. Only to escape back to the Lid under the cover of darkness. Yeah right.

The plan involved more than three steps, it was bound to fail somewhere along the way. They always do. Unfortunately, it was the best I could come up within this short amount of time, no thanks to Richtus. The mad Shaper simply planned a guarded escort to my house. I quickly talked him out of it, reminding him that there is a reason the guard never ventures far from the Lid. Those that do, tend to vanish.

Bells began to ring in the distance, causing the gatehouse to spring into action. Slowly the drawbridge began to lower as people pushed their way forward, hoping to be first in line. I lightly kicked Richtus’s leg in the moving crowd, speaking a bit louder to overcome the sounds of chains being lowered. “You remember the rules I gave you?”

“Don’t speak. Don’t make eye contact. Follow your lead, and avoid helping others,” Richtus recited. He grabbed the handles of the wheelbarrow, before looking at me. “You sure, you don’t want an armed escort?”

“Trust me,” I said, slowly weaving my way through the press of people. “If there is one thing the Burrows is good at, it’s killing those cocky enough to provoke it.”

The drawbridge slammed into place with a resounding thud. Immediately the crowd surged forward, guards not even attempting to stop the oncoming stampede of humans. I held onto the wheelbarrow as we were forced forward by those around us, our destination slowly coming into view as we passed through the gatehouse.

So that’s how Cedia sees us. The Burrows loomed before me in all its squalid glory. Rows upon rows of tightly packed and poorly made buildings. The Well’s red sandstone visible in their construction as they stretched in an endless swath of crimson towards the mountains behind them. Contrasted by the gaping hole of the Well that lay in its center, its edges visible due to the houses gradually sloping down towards it. One could clearly see why this was considered the country’s greatest prison. A great circular cliff enveloped the Burrows, its dark red hue adorned with numerous dwellings as stone staircases crisscrossed its exterior, accompanied by countless pulleys bringing up its richer inhabitants. It eerily resembled a plague victim’s face, scarred and mired in all sorts of hideous abscesses. Safe for the forehead.

Most of the cliff’s surface may have been covered with huts, its top was strangely devoid of construction. If one looked a bit further up, it would seem obvious why. Nestled on the cliff’s edge were various Cedian watchtowers, all manned and guarded, ready to repel anyone stupid enough to try and climb his way to freedom. No rat could crawl his way out of here. Well no ordinary one, that is. With one last push we made it through the mass of bodies, ending up behind the crowd clogging the drawbridge’s entrance. I looked back, taking in the sight of the Lid blocking the only opening this enormous natural basin offered. Richtus’s voice grabbed my attention. “Those walls sure make you feel hopeless, don’t they?”

“It’s nothing compared to what the Burrows felt, when you left it to die,” I said, feet moving away from the oppressive battlements.

Richtus soon caught up, wheelbarrow in hand. “A dark page of history, indeed,” he said, glancing at the occasional corpse hanging from the walls. “One that we still pay for, to this very day.”

I shot him a sharp glance, “Bought and payed for, with Burrow blood.” He tried to say something back, his reply lost as I pointed at the incoming mass of people. “Now remember the rules, and shut up. I’d like to be alive come morning.”

Richtus chose to remain quiet as we entered the Burrows’ main street, our hooded disguises somewhat blending in with the press of people around us. Most of them were dressed in lighter clothing, hoods down so they could bask in the mild summer heat. If it were anywhere else in Cedia, we would stick out like a sore thumb, were it not for the large numbers of obscured faces mixed into the Burrows’ crowd. Even some of the merchants, in their shaded stalls, shouted through elaborate clay masks. The safety that anonymity brought a much needed luxury in these parts. Though I wish they would stop shouting in my ears.

Peddlers competed in volume with their adjacent competitors, whilst whores threw themselves on the wasted men stumbling from nearby inns. The alleys of the main street populated with ragged figures looking for their latest fix of jolt. Some things never change, do they? We slowly continued making our way through Python’s district, careful not to get pulled into its usual mix of decadence, debauchery, and debasement.

Halfway through, the Cedian guards all but disappeared, replaced by patrolling groups of well armed gang members. Their presence obvious as the sea of people parted before them. I tuned out the nearby vendor calling out to me, eyes fixated on the ground, pretending to ignore one such group closing in. A quick glance told me all I needed to know. Five soldiers, one sergeant. All wearing violet headbands. “Head down, Richtus. Incoming vipers.”

“What, where?” he asked, looking around.

Don’t look, don’t lo- I internally cringed when he locked eyes with the head of the group. A few seconds passed by, before the sergeant pointed at him, his soldiers pushing their way towards us.

“Marcus, they’re coming this way,” Richtus said urgently.

“I told you not to look, idiot,” I replied. I needed to think, and think fast, the soldiers quickly closing in on our position. Let’s hope this works. I sharply veered left, crashing into the wooden wheelbarrow. Richtus tried to hold it steady as I spun to face him, my voice filled with fake outrage. ‘’Shit stain can’t you even push straight!”

“What are y-”

“It seems, I’ll need to teach you how we do things on this side of the wall!” I shouted, rolling up my arm sleeves.

The people around us slowed down, slowly backing away, waiting to see what was going to happen.

Richtus put down the wheelbarrow, raising his hands in obvious confusion. “Marcus, can’t we-”

He never got to finish the sentence as my kick pulverized his babymakers. I’m sorry. He dropped to his knees in agony, face twisted in pain as he gasped for breath. Not that I gave him that luxury, my fist already impacting the side of his jaw. His head snapped sideways, launching him into the ground, his form laying still in the brown dirt.

“What’s going on here!” a familiar voice shouted. I turned to see the sergeant and his soldiers push their way into the human circle that had formed around us. I quickly pulled down my hood as I stepped between him and Richtus.

“Breaking in the new rat,” I said, emphasizing my point by lightly kicking Richtus. I stared at the sergeant, happy to recognize his face. “Sorry about that, Toothless. Didn’t mean to bother you.”

The man studied me, before breaking out into a smile, revealing the large gaps between his teeth. “I like the new eyes, Marcus. You’ll need to teach me that trick, but first things first.”He looked at the gathered crowd. “Fuck off, there’s nothing to see here!” People quickly sprang into action, bustling along in a hurry. Satisfied, Toothless turned towards me. “It’s rare seeing you here, Marcus. Couldn’t resist getting your cock wet?”

I shivered. “And find myself in one of Python’s pleasure cells? No thanks, I’ll pass.”

Toothless chuckled, “The way she’s been chasing your father, I wouldn’t be surprised.” He nodded towards the body behind me. “How new?”

“Fresh from the wall.”

Toothless let out a sharp whistle. “No wonder he didn’t know the rules. Hawk must be getting desperate.”

I tried my best to feign concern on my face. “Lizards been pushing in hard, Hawk needs all the fresh blood he can get.”

“Thrice damned Chameleon,” Toothless said as he spat on the ground. His action mimicked by the soldiers around him. “Salamander’s corpse wasn’t even cold, before his goons had gobbled up half the district.”

I nodded, moving to drag Richtus into a nearby alley. “If only Salamander hadn’t provoked Hadrian like that.”

“If only,” Toothless said, slowly walking with me. “Everything’s gone to shit, Marcus. With the balance broken, there will be war. Mark my words.”

I slumped Richtus against a nearby wall, softly slapping him awake. “Hawk knows, Toothless. Why do you think even I’ve been tasked with recruitment?”

Toothless wanted to say something, but stopped when Richtus began to groan in response. “Enough chitchat, I’ll leave you and your little princess alone. Just make sure he follows the rules next time.”

“Will do,” I said, before clasping Toothless’ shoulder. “Just visit me next time you get your ass kicked in the ring. I’ll patch you up for free.”

He clasped mine, his gaping grin on full display. “You’ve got yourself a deal.” I waved him off as he disappeared back into the bustle of people, soldiers following in his wake. I grabbed the wheelbarrow and parked it next to Richtus.

His eyes were open, though he groaned whenever his head moved. “What happened?”

“You got your ass kicked for looking.” Which is true. He flinched when I touched his jaw. “Don’t speak, I’ll fix it.” Richtus’s eyes widened when he saw me channel Light Magic into his jaw. He wanted to speak, but stopped when I gave him a stern look. Luckily, light was abundant during the summer days, greatly speeding up the healing process. Satisfied with my work I pulled back.

Richtus proceeded to slowly stand up, hands clutching his nut sack. “Mind heal-”

“I’m not touching your sweaty balls, Richtus,” I said, moving to pick up the wheelbarrow again. “Just follow my lead, and keep your damned head down.” Richtus simply nodded as he limped his way besides me.

Slowly we made our way towards the western part of the Burrows, leaving behind the more pleasurable elements of Viper territory. Brothels and inns decreased in frequency till they were replaced by shops peddling goods ranging from the mundane to the downright illegal. Yellow armbands worn by patrolling gang members clearly marked our entrance into Hawk’s smuggling district. Where Python had the monopoly on matters of the flesh, Hawk held dominion over all that was material. If you had the coin, this was the place to spend it.

Having reached my destination, I broke off from the main street. With wheelbarrow in hand I distanced myself from the Well in the center, heading instead towards the outer edge of the Burrows. Time passed, and it slowly became tedious to push the wheelbarrow uphill, no matter how gentle the slope may have been. Luckily, I was getting close to home, no longer impeded by the hustle and bustle of the main street. The housing areas may have been less crowded, people still traveled its smaller streets together for safety. And for good reason.

I may have missed it a few days ago, but my current sight clearly saw through the shadows lining the alley next to me. Nothing escaped my notice, especially not the large, scaled tail that whisked away around the alley’s edge. Dweller.

“Richtus, get ready to run!” I said, increasing the pace of my steps as I crossed the street. People saw my sudden change in behavior, quickly mimicking my actions. There was a tangible nervousness in the air as everyone checked the opposite alleys for movement.

Richtus limp was mostly gone, making it quite easy for him to catch up to my frantic form. “What’s going on, Marcus?” he asked, glimpsing over his shoulder. “We running from something?”

“No time to explain!” I said, pushing the wheelbarrow as hard as I could. “We’re almost at my house, we’ll be safe there!” I hope.

We turned a bend in the road as my house came into view. Sudden relief extinguished by the sounds of nearby humans screaming. I pointed at the door of my house. “It’s unlocked!” Richtus flew past me, quickly flinging the door open as I barreled through with my wheelbarrow. I dropped the thing inside, before grabbing the thick wooden plank laying next to the entrance. Richtus pulled the door shut as he came in, stepping aside as he saw me approach with the plank. I slammed it into the door stops, before grabbing the key from the table. “Close the shutters!” I ran back to the door, fumbling with the lock as the room went dark. Not that it hindered me, the mechanism soon giving a satisfying click.

I let out a long sigh of relief, turning around to find Gob already crawling out of the wheelbarrow. He began to dust himself off as I took my time to calming down, heartbeat slowly lowering. Suddenly, I something moved upstairs. Intruders. I wanted to say something, but stopped. Something large and heavy was prowling about, softly shaking the ground with every step. A strange clicking sound began resounding through the air, coming ever closer. I sucked in my breath, trying to be as quiet as possible. All three of us dead silent as the sound moved in front of the house.

“So where’s that free booze, Boss?”

The sound stopped. I looked at Gob in absolute horror. He seemed to understand what he just did, his face completely flabbergasted. “Boss, don’t tell me you forgot your promise.”

Or maybe not.

I covered my head on instinct as something smashed into the house, stone and wood flying in all directions. My screams muffled by the bestial screech outside. Daylight burst into the room through the gaping hole in the front wall, a large milky white eye peering through it. I froze up, looking for an escape. Not good. Rubble blocked the entrance to the basement, while the wooden staircase lay in tatters. Maybe... I searched for Richtus, finding him slumped on the floor. His silver gray hair matted with blood. The large eye blinked a few times, before pulling away. Now. I grabbed my chance as I bolted towards the back wall, passing a bored looking demon. Gob seemingly contend with picking his nose in the middle of the room. I slid as far as I could into the back corner, gazing intently at the gaping hole.

The source of the destruction soon appeared as a large reptilian head wormed its way through the opening, stopping when it became stuck at the shoulders. Its pitch black scales contrasted by the white of its eyes, which swept across the room, never resting in one place. Gob just simply stood in front of its nose as its slits began opening and closing, loudly sniffing the air. It stopped, before sniffing one more time. Slowly, a dark leathery membrane folded out around its neck, forming into a pitch black cone. It opened its mouth, displaying rows upon rows of sharp, needle-like teeth, the strange clicking sound emanating from inside its throat. Gob responded by cocking his head, trying to shy it away with his hands. “Shoo.”

The dweller loudly screeched, before snapping at Gob, its reach insufficient by mere inches. It screeched again in anger as it tried to squirm its way inside, house shaking as it repeatedly smashed into the walls. Gob turned towards me, looking, and sounding, very annoyed. “Permission to get rid of the nuisance, Boss?”

My mind went briefly blank at the absurdity of the question, only to recall Gob’s ominous statement: Let’s just say that I’m currently muzzled. I couldn’t scream my permission louder if I tried. “Loose whatever Collar you need, just get that thing away from me!”

“Got it, Boss.”

Gob turned back towards the snapping head, gone was his raspy voice.

Instead, a deep dark tone resounded, one that sent shivers along my spine. “Quiet down, mongrel.” The creature froze in response, its murky white eyes frantically looking in every direction. “Sitting still in a wheelbarrow. No booze. No women. No nothing.” Gob’s muscles began to shift beneath his skin, their size slowly growing as black fog began to wisp around his body. “And now a lizard has the audacity to challenge me? Me!?”

This feels wrong. Gob was forming into an unrecognizable mass of black fog. He feels wrong. And for whatever reason, the fear I felt for the Dweller, was nothing compared to the terror I felt towards the darkness before me. The giant lizard seemed to agree, pulling his head out of the hole. It tried to run away, before the mist grabbed it’s tail. “You’re going nowhere,” it said. The finality of its statement supported by the dimming light outside. I watched through the gaping hole as the sun slowly got eclipsed by a bright red moon. Its name known across the world. Deimos

Darkness began descending upon the land, the giant lizard madly trashing and screeching as the mist held onto its tail. I could feel the void that was Gob’s voice, spell its imminent demise. “I am the shadow of your existence. The lurker in the dark. Despair be my name, and death be m-”

The creature’s tail detached with a loud pop, allowing its previous owner to shoot out of view. The fog was quiet for a few seconds, grasping the still twitching rear end. Suddenly, it called out, pleading in desperation. “Please don’t run away! If you do that I wi-” It couldn’t even finish the sentence, its fog already rapidly dispersing, leaving behind the Gob that I knew. The darkness stopped getting deeper, light slowly returning to the day as Deimos reversed its eclipse. And I just sat there, watching, as a frustrated Gob hurled insults to the sky.

Note to self: Collar stays on.

Indefinitely.