The woman in robes gently weaved her hands through the air, and a gust of wind shot past Alexander. He heard one of the creatures behind him shriek in pain. Turning, he saw several of the creature’s limbs severed from its body by the wind. The grotesque display left him momentarily stunned.

“Move!” the woman in armor shouted, grabbing him and shoving him towards the other woman.

The woman in robes weaved her hands through the air again, muttering something under her breath. She extended her hands forward, and another stream of fire shot forth. Alexander watched in awe as the flame incinerated a few more creatures. At the same time, he saw the woman in armor bash a creature with her shield before skewering it with her sword. The unholy scream of the creature burned into Alexander’s mind.

The woman in robes grabbed Alexander’s hand and pulled him out of the building into the street. They were joined by the woman in armor, who said, “We need to get moving.”

The other woman agreed, but Alexander demanded to know what was going on. “Who are you!? What are those things!? Why are they after me!?” His voice shook with panic. “And how did you make that fire appear!? How did you cut one of them apart with the freakin wind!?”

His breakdown was interrupted by the arrival of a few more creatures screeching his name. The woman in armor stepped in front and bashed one with her shield, sending its black blood flying into the night sky. She slashed her sword through another, cutting it clean in half before stabbing it into the one she had hit with her shield.

The woman in robes channeled another gust of wind, slicing up two more creatures. Alexander was mortified at the brutality.

“We need to get off the street!” the woman in armor said.

The woman in robes nodded in agreement, but Alexander couldn’t hold back any longer. “What the fuck is happening?!” His voice was filled with panic and desperation.

The woman in armor turned to him, her expression serious. “Calm down! You’ll get all your answers once we’re away from here! For now, just trust us and keep moving!”

They maneuvered through some back alleyways, avoiding the light and the road. Alexander heard a few creatures flying through the air, still screeching his name.

After a few minutes of navigating the maze-like alleys, the woman in armor led them into a small building. Alexander saw stairs leading to what appeared to be a tunnel entrance covered with a gate, which lay open.

The woman in robes said, “This is the way to the gatestone.”

Alexander realized that the tunnel led into the sewers and refused to go down there. “No way! It’s dark and narrow down there. If those things catch us, we’ll be trapped! We’re dead!”

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The woman in robes insisted. “We have to go, Lord Bellmont. It’s the only way to safety.”

Alexander frantically protested, but the woman in armor grabbed his arm and dragged him through the gate. “We’ll fight our way through if we have to.”

They slowly navigated through the sewers. Alexander could barely see, only able to navigate by keeping hold of the woman in armor’s cloak. The darkness and the foul stench spiked his anxiety.

As they got further in, Alexander began to hear the echoes of the creatures shrieking. He clenched his fists, tears forming in his eyes. The woman in robes placed her hand over his mouth, whispering, “You must remain silent.” The frustration and fear began to take over, and she whispered again, “Just hang on a little longer. We’re almost at the gatestone.”

A few moments later, Alexander saw a dim blue glow lighting up the corridor. They rounded the corner, and he saw a crystalline structure at the end of the passageway. It was roughly the same height as a person and as wide as a desk, pale blue in color, emitting the pale light he had seen.

“The gatestone is still recharging from its previous use,” the woman in armor said. “It will be a few minutes. Ready yourselves; we’ll have to defend this position until it’s ready.”

Alexander heard the creatures screaming again, closer now. The women pushed him closer to the crystalline structure. “Once the crystal is glowing bright blue, it’s fully charged. You have to place your hand on it,” the woman in robes instructed.

Several creatures came rushing around the corner. Alexander barely saw them through the darkness. He jumped back toward the crystal structure, but the creatures were stopped in their tracks when the woman in robes extended her hands. A wall of golden light emanated from her. The creatures cried out in pain as they slammed into it at full speed. They began clawing and smashing at the wall, desperately trying to break through.

A few seconds later, more creatures rounded the corner, and the added force against the light barrier caused cracks to form. The woman in armor drew her sword, which began to crackle with lightning. “Drop the barrier!” she yelled.

Once the barrier dissipated, the woman in armor let loose a wide swipe with her sword. The initial slash sliced many of the creatures in half, their black blood spraying all over the corridor. The lightning arced through the rest, shocking and frying them, their flesh charring and bubbling as their screams drilled into Alexander’s ears.

A few more creatures rushed around the corner. The woman in robes gently weaved her hands through the air, muttering something Alexander couldn’t hear. A gust of wind sliced through the newly arrived creatures.

For the next couple of minutes, the creatures continued to arrive in increasing numbers. The two women brutally dispatched them. The creatures’ screams and violent deaths burned into Alexander’s memory. He backed into the crystalline structure as much as he could, beginning to fear the two women almost as much as the creatures. He then remembered the creatures from the alleyway that had killed the man. Tears fell uncontrollably from his eyes as his stomach turned over. He felt completely helpless as this battle raged on in front of him. If he wasn’t so certain of an immediate death, he would have tried to run.

The woman in robes looked back as more creatures arrived. “The gatestone is done charging! Touch the crystal! Now!” she yelled.

For a moment, Alexander could barely process her words. The woman in armor also turned and yelled, “Do it now!”

He frantically slapped his hand onto the large crystal as the two women ran over and grabbed onto his back. The light from the grew brighter until he couldn’t see anything else around him, and the shrieking of the creatures faded away…