Arett, Arthur and Pyp walked slowly along the broad avenues of the upper district, they all stayed close to the shaded housing trying to hide away from the light. Arett set a quick pace as they moved from street to street, twisting and turning without rhyme or reason. Arthur walked behind Pyp urging him on when he stopped to catch his breath whilst keeping his eye on Arett. The man had become more tense when they entered the Upper district, his eyes flitted from window to window he cast sharp glances down roads and alleys.

"Are we nearing the harbour Arett?" asked Arthur raising his voice over Pyp's heavy breathing. Arett squinted into the distance taking a moment to get his bearings, Arthur wondered what he was looking for as all around them were tall lavish townhouses.

"Soon, soon," he said with an edge in his voice "Keep your eyes open for the possessed knight, I can feel them looking for me". Arthur did not mention he was no knight, just a guard, they were all on edge enough he did not want to cause any trouble. He had noticed some signs someone was following them: dark shapes moving away from windows, birds flying away squawking as something moved across rooftops. Arthur knew they were being followed, though he could not tell how many followed them or if they were possessed. As they moved through the streets Arthur noticed that some houses were inhabited, and pale men and women silently watched them rush across the cobbles.

"Why are there so many people left in this district."

"Not everyone wanted to leave, some were just frozen with fear unable to move when faced with the waves of violence that flowed through the city" replied Arett. Arthur was familiar with that condition, he'd seen it in countless men, in battle, after battle. They all had the same look on their face, a mixture of fear, disgust and sick curiosity. Pyp stared back at them, he looked confused as he attempted to call out to them.

"Hello!" The calls were met with no response but Pyp continued to call out.

"Hello!"

He turned to Arthur, "Why won't they respond?"

"They do not know who they are anymore Pyp, they lost themselves when their city was lost, all you see there are the ghosts of those who survived," Arthur replied softly. He hoped Pyp would not cry out, Pyp only nodded and walked after Arett.

As they got closer to the Baron’s Keep the ruin the city had faced became clearer, houses stood half burned to the ground, brown blood stained the streets and damaged weapons littered parts of the ground.

"The Baron's harbour is connected to the keep, to find my ship we will have to go through the keep," explained Arett.

"And once you have your boat what then."

"Well, I'll be getting out of this hellhole," Arett gave a weary smile.

"And what of Mern back with the surgeon" said Arthur knowing what the reply would be.

"Mister Szel lives close to the city gates, I'll beach the boat along the coast and walk to get her," he said rather unconvincingly.

Before he could continue Arthur held up a hand for silence.

"They've found us," said Arthur as his sword rasped out of its scabbard. He pushed Pyp behind him and turned to face the creature that stood on the adjacent rooftop. The thing could barely be called a man as it let out a bestial roar and hammered it’s fist on the tiled roof. It stood hunched over with rotting clothes loosely fitting around its lean body. It leaked black smoke from multiple small wounds on its skin, the smoke swirled around the creature's hands were two large spikes of bone stuck out from its forearm. Arthur braced his sword as the creature leapt down from its perch and stabbed both spikes into his chest. He deflected one along the blade of his sword but the other clanged off his breastplate forcing him back as the creature landed. Arthur knew he had to end this quickly, this creature was far stronger than the axeman he'd faced earlier. He pushed forward raining blows down on the creature forcing it’s back to a wall. Arthur pulled up his sword aiming the point directly at the creature's throat and stabbed. The creature jumped back onto the roof. Arthur looked up in awe it was easily a ten-yard jump. More creatures emerged onto other rooftops, and down the street appeared a small crowd of possessed numbering about thirty.

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"RUN!" shouted Arthur as he pulled Pyp into a sprint away from the massing foes. Arett had already run to the bottom of the street when Arthur began his sprint. A scream from behind signalled the creature's pursuit.

Arthur and Pyp quickly caught up to Arett, his short stature was not built for running. The creatures shuffled after them, their hunched limbs were powerful but not particularly graceful. Arthur knew they could not outrun them; the creatures were slow but implacable; they did not seem to tire. In the distance, he saw an open gate to the courtyard of a small Inn, a good place to stand against these devils. Arthur directed them toward the gate and slammed it shut behind them. The fence which surrounded the Inn was tall and would keep out the normal possessed, but those leaping devils would be able to vault over it.

"GET INSIDE!” Shouted Arthur indicating toward the door of the Inn. Arett charged inside pushing in front of Pyp who was looking back at the crowd following them. When they were all inside the building Arthur shoved the large wooden door shut and pulled the thick bolt across to lock it. The Inn consisted of a long hallway which connected to many private rooms. Arthur heard the devils crashing through the glass in the rooms and pounding on the doors.

"Draw your knife Arett, we're fighting our way out of here".

"You've trapped us" spat Arett.

"We stand a better chance here where they cannot use all their numbers against us" replied Arthur. "Move back, down the corridor. GO!" The first door in the corridor was smashed open and 2 devils charged down the corridor. Arthur lunged forward and drove the point of his blade through the creature's eye and into the shoulder of the devil behind him. The second devil ripped his comrade in half to throw himself at Arthur slamming his bone blade into the armour around his neck. The blow was so fierce it nearly knocked Arthur off his feet, he braced himself and deflected the next blow turning it into the soft wood of the next door before driving the point of his sword into the devil's heart.

Pyp and Arett had backed up to the end of the corridor where a door stood leading back to the street. A door between Arthur and Pyp broke open and a large malformed devil emerged, its skin was tightly drawn behind thick muscle and blades of bone jutted out from its hands and elbows.

"PYP RUN!" shouted Arthur as he threw himself toward the beast. Arthur felt a wave of terror flow through him when it looked down with its pale yellow eyes making no noise. They clashed in the hallway, steel meeting bone as Arthur desperately fought to keep it away from his young charge. The monster had the edge in brute strength and reach but Arthur was far more experienced in fighting for his life. Steadily the bone blades were cracked and snapped off the monster's body. The large devil pressed forward trying to pin Arthur to the wall with its large physique, but Arthur's sword flashed downward and sliced through the devil's arm. The loss of its arm did nothing to deter it from slamming into Arthur, throwing him to the floor. Arthur desperately rolled onto his back and stabbed up into the devil's stomach striking three times. The devil finally started to slow as it wrestled with Arthur, trying to get his head in its powerful hands. The longsword sliced through the devil's neck slicing through the windpipe and finally killed the beast. Arthur looked up to find Pyp, he saw that Arett and escaped through the door and Pyp stood looking at him, an outline in the light of the falling sun. He stood up and rushed over to Pyp hearing other doors behind him slam open. Before he could reach out and grab Pyp a devil appeared at the open door, bundled Pyp into his arms and dashed away from the building.

"NO!" screamed Arthur sprinting after the devil, he knew that he could not follow them, the devil leapt up onto a nearby house and darted across the roofs.

"ARTHUR" screamed Pyp before he disappeared. Arthur turned around to see four more devils running up the corridor. He roared and charged into them swinging his sword into a whirlwind of carnage.

When all four devils lay dead on the ground Arthur slumped into a plush chair in the Inn's central room. His body ached.

"Arett", his mind burned with anger, "that coward!" He shouted. He opened the door and left Pyp. Why Pyp. Why take him and not kill him? Arthur thought back to the witch on the first day.

"I found you."

Is what she said? Arthur had assumed she was talking to him but where was his reflection looking? He could not remember, the whole encounter with the witch was a blur. Arthur looked down to his armour, every plate was scratched and dented while blood flowed out of the meat in his left shoulder. He slowly pulled himself out of the chair and began to remove his shoulder plates. When he saw the wound, he knew it would need stitching, but he had no time for that, he needed to get out and find Pyp. He fell back into the chair.

Find Pyp was his last thought before he fell into a deep sleep.