As One-Eye guided Kyrin out of the alleyway and towards the gate to Ursa Major and their hopeful freedom, Kyrin noticed several things: first, the amount of leveled buildings and hovels surrounding the gate was far greater than any other place Kyrin had seen in the slums. One-Eye looked around quizzically, not fully understanding the significance of the scene that surrounded them. His focus was more securely trained on the three guards that barred their way into the upper city.

Kyrin, however, knew exactly what the leveled buildings represented: the callous disregard that the residents of Ursa Major held for the citizens of the slums below. In various other parts of Ursa Minor there was clear wear and tear from disuse, overuse, lack of proper maintenance equipment, or of course the random acts of violence that punctuated every day life in Ursa Minor. But that only resulted in the occasionally demolished storefront, cratered hoval, or collapsed building. The area of destruction that surrounded the gates to Ursa Major spanned at least three blocks. Kyrin knew at least two of those blocks had been intentionally leveled by Ursa Major security services in an effort to give the guards that patrolled the gate a better view of slum-rats sneaking up on them in order to gain illegal access to the city above. Kyrin could only assume that the third block had been destroyed in the constant armed scuffles between security forces and Ursa Minor locals.

At the moment, the gate seemed surprisingly peaceful.

“See!? Only three of ‘em!” One-Eye pointed excitedly towards the guards. “We can take ‘em, Kay!”

Kyrin looked around at the rubble surrounding the gate, and then back towards the three guards dressed in armor that was far too ornate. Just as he felt a plan starting to fall into place…

“One-Eye!! Sstz! Get back here!” Kyrin hissed between his teeth as he watched in horror as his burly friend started making his way towards the armored men.

One-Eye paid him no heed whatsoever.

Luckily, Kyrin had at least half a knack for thinking on his feet.

“This oaf is going to get me turned into gum worm paste…” Kyrin mumbled to no one in particular.

After One-Eye had originally nicked the vibro-knife off of the Ursa Major goons that had jumped them when they were still teens, he had pestered Kyrin endlessly to get a knife of his own. It was less about Kyrin protecting himself than it was… well…

“We’re buds! We’ll match!” One-Eye had said excitedly. Leave it to One-Eye to infuse the purchase of a deadly weapon with the bonds of friendship.

“The hell am I going to need a vibro-knife for when I’ve got you, ya big lump?” Kyrin had said poking at One-Eye’s already bulging stomach. “You’ve already got a knife, and you’ve got those.” Kyrin had pointed to One-Eye’s defined, rippling arm muscles.

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“Nah, ya’ won’t always have me ‘round. ‘Sides, always helps to ‘void a fight if ya’ can wave one’a these around,” One-Eye had then demonstrated by producing his own knife and shaking it in the air.

The next day they had gone to Flint Street Market and gotten Kyrin his own vibro-knife, but he had never needed it…

That was the knife that Kyrin produced from the folds of his threadbare coat at that moment. In the span of a few moments he took in One-Eye fumbling his way towards the two guards on their side of the gate, as well as the third guard posted on the opposite side through the grating of the gate's bars. The bars were impossibly thick, possibly built from Thavmar stone from the dull shine that they reflected. But there was just enough space between each individual bar that Kyrin thought he might have a shot.

“You get me into trouble, you get me out of trouble, my friend. Can’t have you dying on me now.”

Just before One-Eye stumbled into the sight of the first guard, Kyrin pulled his arm back into a pitcher’s stance and chucked it as hard as he could at the farthest guard’s head.

It hit the guard in the thigh.

The man let out an anguished yelp, which immediately drew the attention of the guards nearest to One-Eye and Kyrin. One-Eye managed to look back at Kyrin, give him a wink, and then lunged at one of the distracted guards. One-Eye’s massive arms immediately closed around the man’s head and neck, stifling all noise the guard might have made. Kyrin’s shorter legs worked double time to catch up with One-Eye’s long strides. Even at a sprint, Kyrin was too slow. Kyrin was close enough to hear the second guard’s neck snap as One-Eye twisted the man’s head like a potter molding a new set of clay cookware.

The guard on the other side of gate had stopped screaming and simply stared in disbelief and horror at the giant slum rat that had dispatched his friends. With great effort, he tried to pull himself up to his feet again and make his way towards what Kyrin could only assume was an alarm system.

“Eye! The last guard!”

“On it!”

One-Eye drew his own vibro-knife and hurled it with twice the force and accuracy of Kyrin’s throw. The blade lodged itself squarely into the guard's other thigh. The man’s screams resounded across the desolate ruins Kyrin stood among.

One-Eye just stared the man down.

“Open the got-damn gate, or the next one makes yer face look like mine.” One-Eye said, and pointed to his empty eye socket so that the guard could not mistake his meaning.

In between gasps for air the guard nodded vigorously and reached for a button on the breast pocket of his uniform.

“AN’ NO FUNNY BISNISS! No pressin’ an alarm ‘stead of openin’ the gate!”

The guard froze, hesitated for a moment with his right palm over the button over his heart, and then reached down to his belt instead. A few seconds later, Kyrin heard the whir of heavy machinery and gears clicking into place.

One-Eye turned to Kyrin as the gate began to slowly lift.

“How’d you get ‘em so accurate in the leg? That was some sharp throwin’!”

“I wasn’t aiming for his leg,” Kyrin said. “I was aiming for his head.”