Slowly continuing on now that the tension was broken, Vallerian and the group rounded a corner from the tight side street they had been on to one of the more major roads through Southshore. Not a large road by any means, nowhere near the size of the Kings Road cutting through the heart of Southshore, but big enough for three carts abreast, if tightly.

Kriss thrust his hand out to stop Vallerian from moving any farther forward. The other guards got the message and froze in spot as well, looking for what the boy had seen. Vallerian trailed the boy’s sight down the road and his gut churned at what he saw.

Thirty paces down the packed dirt street, stood eight twisted monsters in the shapes of hounds, cast hard in shadows. They were all hunched over, sickening sounds of crunching bones and sloshing flesh and blood emanating from their supper beneath them. The shapes they devoured hardly even resembling people anymore. Hardly, but still recognizable. The girls gasped from somewhere beside him, but Vallerian didn’t take his eyes off the daemons. His back and chest burned at the sight, remembering those beasts cutting into his flesh in the dark sewers below.

Tearing his gaze from the twisted abominations, Vallerian looked to Gardinal. The man understood the odds of battle better than any of them, and he would surely know that the dozen of them were no match for eight Chaos hounds. Thankfully, the Khazimi seemed uncharacteristically non-suicidal today and slowly began retreating, motioning the others to do the same. Even Charlotte, the cawing menace that she oft was, stood deathly quiet on Celeste’s shoulder. The street was a long twisting one that should have brought them straight to the temple, but for now they’d need to find a way around.

A clank and thud echoed down the silent road as one of the Faith Militia tripped, his blade clanging to the dirt next to him. Gardinal cursed, Celeste and the girls gasped, and Vallerian kept his eyes on the daemons. Come on now, don’t…

His desperate thoughts proved in vain as the hounds all lifted their heads, eyes glowing a sickly yellow in the dim beams of moon light. Like glowing embers in the dark, they fixed on their party. Vallerian swallowed, staring nervously back at the monsters.

“Hey Gardinal.” Vallerian hissed, remembering the sewers. “You wouldn’t happen to have that handy shield hidden somewhere on you, would you?” That glowing shield of the priests had proven a useful tool against the daemons in the sewers. So useful it had left Vallerian wondering what a man had to do to get a bow that was similarly blessed by the gods.

Vallerian knocked an arrow as the hounds began to stalk forward, blood dripping from their razor-sharp teeth. One lithely leaping atop an overturned cart on the side of the street.

“Men.” Gardinal spoke low, but strong, brooking no argument. “We protect The Prophetess with our lives.” Kriss, the Korek, and the Faith Militia made a line beside Gardinal, blocking the way from Celeste and the girls. Vallerian, not having a death wish, held back. He’d be far more effective from a distance with his bow than rushing in their all full of gusto anyway. A glance to Valleresa showed his sister slipping out her dagger and nodding back to him. She’d protect Celeste to her last breath if it came to it. She almost had before.

“Vallerian.” Gardinal called out, the man had a grin on his face. “About that shield.” The hounds started charging forward, Gardinal with his hammer out to the side and his other arm thrust forward. What in the Pantheon’s name was the man doing? As if to make Vallerian question even more, the bloody man began to sing. “Ethinia, nos Lesara as theleshenya”

As the daemons beat down on them, their snarls deafening even from Vallerian’s distance, a bright glowing light began to radiate from Gardinal’s outstretched arm. A daemon hound leapt at Gardinal, its dagger like teeth seemingly set for the man’s bright outstretched hand.

For a split second the moment froze as Gardinal stood with arm above him, shield in hand, and the daemon hound slamming into it face first. The blasted priest looked like some sort of hero out of a tapestry, with his hammer dramatically out to the side. The moment was broken as the daemon exploded away from the shield, shooting through the air like a stone from a catapult.

Then the line of daemons met the line of men, and battle broke out in true. The clanging of spear, sword, club, and axe echoed through the night, as daemon and man entered a fight for their lives. Gardinal and Kriss both took on one daemon each by themselves, the former battering away with his hammer with his shield held between them, the latter twirling his spear around in quick circles, keeping distance and drawing blood in equal measure.

Vallerian scanned the battle, looking for a place where he could have the greatest effect. A single arrow, his teacher had always said, can change the course of history. Vallerian wasn’t so sure about that, but he did know the power it had on a battlefield. Locking his eyes, he noticed Rekiak struggling against a Chaos hound, a thick red gash already stretching from shoulder to gut. That hound had one eye and six legs, each with claws as long as any knife he’d seen. One eye, Vallerian thought, now that could be easy picking.

Pulling back, Vallerian took aim. The tension of the bowstring pulling tight on his arm. He held his shot. Rekiak fought back against the hound, making wide, defensive swings with his axe. He did his best, but the hound was far quicker than the Korek, leaping from side to side, nipping away at the large, red-skinned man. Razor claws ripping through one arm, then a leg, then his other arm. Rekiak stumbled back, tripping on a loose stone, as the hound snapped at him. Tumbling to the ground, Rekiak narrowly avoided the beast tearing his arm off. The Korek’s stumble, however, opened the hound up. The daemons snout thrust forward and its single bulbous eye lit a beacon in the night. Vallerian let loose. The arrow burst through the air, rushing right past Rekiak’s outstretched arm, and straight into the beast’s eye.

The monster howled with an ear shattering-shriek. Swinging his head back, Rekiak nodded thanks, then recovered and rushed forward, bringing his axe down into the now sightless monster’s skull. Vallerian grinned. One arrow.

Returning to his scan of the battle, he took in the changes. There were always changes in a battle, every second that passed brought new struggles. Two Faith Militia stood back to back, the third bleeding out at their feet as three hounds circled them. The Korek fought valiantly, if in vain, against the 2 hounds of their own. Kriss was standing tall, as expected, but not making much progress in taking out his foe. Gardinal fought two by himself, holding them off well, if not quite routing them completely.

Vallerian swallowed at the sight of the battle. He could take a shot at the ones circling the Faith Militia, but that would likely only serve to draw the attention to him. He’d have to kill it with one shot if he was to actually…

Vallerian froze as down the street he spotted a massive figure rounding a corner up ahead. Nearly twice his own height the figure looked like a man crawling on all fours, until it turned its glowing yellow eyes and stood up. Moonlight illuminated the beast, and Vallerian felt sweat begin to bead upon his brow. The monster looked like a malformed approximation of a man, twisted red skin and limbs that bent in unnatural directions.