A whirr of gears, a raucous bellow,

Run quickly now, they’re sure to follow.

                          -prophecy of the duskbringer

Creeaak, tensioned bows sounded.

Shhiiiinng, blades were drawn.

Brum-brum-brum-riiippppppp, tech priests shredded their trench cloaks as their exoskeleton machines unfolded and expanded, transforming them into hulking brutes that gleamed in the moonlight.

Vrrrrrssshhhh, mana flowed through the circuits on mages arm’s and tools, charging their magic for its imminent release.

Hundreds of individuals prepared to deal death to any that opposed them.

The tension in the plaza was palpable, Jacques could feel sweat trickling down his arms and legs as his heart thumped in his ears and his muscles strained for release, for movement, for his inevitable death.

Yet it was postponed.

A figure appeared before them all in the center of the gathered parties, it’s glow betraying its origin as a mere projection, yet even then it gave off an air so intimidating that one would be hard pressed to ignore it’s presence.

The figure looked around, calmly viewing the gathered groups in the plaza.

It was none other than the master of the golden auction hall, Lyle Larrow Luther.

“I see I have some uninvited guests have gathered here this fine evening, allow me to reaffirm my position on any who act impolitely on my front porch.” the projection warned, its voice cold as winter ice.

The figure of Lyle twisted his cane and thumped it on the ground.

For a second nothing happened, then a whirring of gears and slamming of hatches and clamps resounded as five magitech cannons appeared on the high walls of Avarice’s Descent and aimed down at the occupants of the plaza.

A deep grrrrroooaammm sounded as each was charged up, the mana circuits within them glowing brightly vermillion in the night air.

The collective parties froze, if those fired then none of them would make it out alive.

Hastily reevaluating their options and priorities each party retreated into the shadows, their struggle would have to continue elsewhere it seems.

When Jacques and Hadoom were the last remaining occupants of the plaza the cannons had aimed in their direction, causing them to swiftly dart into one of the many adjoining alleys, yet they were grateful for the interruption, at least with each group scattered and the fights moving to the tight alleys their duo stood more of a chance of making it out of this alive.

The fighting broke out almost immediately within the shadows all across the district, grunts, groans and clangs competing with flares of magic for a listener's ear.

Jacques slammed a left jab into the face of a Grakoan meat hander, smashing his nose and knocking him back. Lunging forward he slit his throat with his right blade before slamming both blades into the man’s shoulders and shifting the body to his right.

Thunk, Thump, Thunk.

Three arrows sunk into Jacques's improvised shield.

"Hadoom, take out the archers before we both become leaky buckets!" Jacques cried.

"On it boyo." Hadoom answered as he blasted another meat hander in the kneecap, disabling him and making it easy for Jacques to finish him off.

He then turned his sights to the rooftop archers and began picking them off one by one in blasts of surprising accuracy.

After a few got taken down the others grew wise and dropped down to find cover from the barrage of bullets.

"Auto loading clips" Hadoom smirked as he replaced the clip in each pistol, "Best damn investment I ever made."

"Keep up Hadoom, with some luck we might make it out of this yet." Jacques encouraged.

Crrrunnncchhssshhh. A bloody splatter sounded ahead of them.

Then with a hissing of steam and whirring of gears a hulking figure rounded the corner.

It shook off the limp body that was impaled on its brass arm as it turned and acknowledged the presence of the duo.

"I don't suppose you have a bigger gun in that bag of yours?" Jacques queried anxiously.

"Thought you'd never ask!" Hadoom replied with a wicked grin on his face.

He pulled out a magitech shoulder cannon from his bag, briefly aimed, and depressed the firing switch.

With a wooommmppph and a boooooghrrrm the charging metallic giant ate an explosive shell and was lifted up and thrown backwards through the wall by the explosion.

"Why didn't you use that earlier?“ Jacques asked curiously.

"Only got one shot in it, the crystals to charge this baby cost a small fortune lad. And just buying it cost me three years of saving, I call it 'The Litigator'." informed Hadoom

Jacques frowned as they kept moving, "That's not a very scary name old man, were you drunk when you named it?"

Jacques dodged a thrown knife and feinted with a slash to the face of his assailant with his right arm, when the black robed attacker raised their buckler to defend he spun left and slid a smooth stab into their exposed armpit with his left blade before slipping it out and moving on.

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The man dropped to the ground like a sack of discarded vegetables

Hadoom snorted “If you knew any dwarf lawyers then the very mention of the name would send the gibblies down yer spine, they’re a nasty lot on a good day and far worse on one that’s less so.”

Hadoom made sure to plant a bullet between the eyes of the downed assailant on his way past.

"And quit leaving them half alive, I ain’t got unlimited bullets or crystals you know." He complained.

After a few more similarly short and sharp encounters the duo finally exited the maze of alleys and entered a large square.

………………………

Plaza outside Avarice’s Descent, Night…

Guppy twirled and danced, she flung off her shoes and long socks, the cool cobblestones feeling wonderful on her bare feet, her silver dragon tattoo thrummed with every step, matching beat with the movement of her feet.

It glowed, brightly enough to show even through the thick clothes she had worn to conceal it.

It seemed to writhe and dance with her as she moved, curling and twisting through the night air.

Eventually Guppy slowed to a stop, and let out a steam filled breath into the chilly air.

Two vertically slitted golden orbs gleamed as she opened her eyes, illuminated in the night with an unreal glow.

When Guppy opened her eyes the world looked different to her, flows of multi colored light glowed and danced in the night air, bright concentrations shone even through walls, even colors of things were… different, not quite normal, and distances were sharper and more defined.

Guppy felt a gaze upon her, disturbing her entrancement with the flows of light, she turned her gaze to find the watcher.

Before her eyes, calmly sitting in front of her in the exact centre of the plaza sat a mako.

But what drew her attention was an ethereal image shining behind said mako.

“Mamwe!?” Guppy cried out in a broken voice as she stretched forth her hand.

A blink, and the image disappeared as if it was never there.

The world returned to its normal nightly hues once more, no longer displaying it’s symphony of lights.

The mako rose and turned while flicking its tail to and fro, walking into a nearby alley it too flickered and disappeared.

Guppy stood there frozen in shock, her hand outstretched for another moment before her senses returned, and oh did they have a story to tell.

A strong iron smell reached her, cloying in its intensity.

The ring of metal and cries of the dying sounded from the alleyways all around her, bearing witness to the intensity of the fighting therein.

Guppy then did what any sensible person would do, she ignored the dying groans and suspicious blasts and booms and hightailed it down the main street on the shortest route home.

Yet Guppy had only taken a score of paces before she perceived an individual strolling in her direction, there strode a woman in a red cloak, making her way unhurriedly towards her.

‘Run, Escape now, RUN!’ screamed Guppy’s senses when she saw and smelled the red clad figure.

The blood of countless souls hung upon her, old and new alike in a haze of stomach curdling mist.

‘Nope, nope, nope, fudge knuckles that. woman. is. insane.’

Without further hesitation Guppy darted to her left and plunged into the nearest alleyway.

She immediately tripped over a body concealed in the shadows, Guppy snapped out a hand, pushing off the wall and flipping with a mid air twist.

She landed on her feet in a puddle and looked down.

There lay a man clad in dark robes in a large pool of his own blood, one she was standing in.

A dagger sunk in his chest and tattooed mana circuits on his hands still glowed faintly with trace mana from a spell cast not long ago.

Not three paces away stood a meat hander, at least what once was one, a charcoaled figure pasted on the wall was all that remained.

Guppy threw up both noisily and messily.

The clicking of heels on cobblestones abruptly brought her senses back to her immediate plight, that thing was coming, it was close, toying with her, slowly walking closer when a run would have caught her.

Guppy rose and ran deeper into the alley.

More bodies lay along the alleyway but Guppy refused to notice, forcing the strong smells out of her mind and just kept running, barely registering the mocking laughter that followed her as she fled.

She slipped a few times as she ran, staining her clothes in pools of blood and things best left unmentioned, but she didn’t care enough to notice, every effort focussed on putting as much distance between herself and that terrible female.

So why? Why was she moving so slowly and clumsily? She was far faster than this.

Guppy’s limbs seemed to betray her commands, their strength failing as if, Guppy stopped, although not of her own will.

Casting her senses inwards she felt her own blood pulling at her, throwing off her movements and leadening her limbs.

Guppy clumsily pulled out the tier one barrier pendant she carried and hastily activated it.

It helped, while not nullifying it entirely the pull was lessened significantly, the shield interfering with whatever magic that witch was casting on her.

Guppy started running again.

As Guppy ran she could hear the clash of metal clearly now, accompanied with the wooosh of arrows and vrooom and dom dom brrooom of magical explosions.

Ordinarily she would be hightailing it in the opposite direction, now Guppy could only hope that whatever melee was going on would be enough to shake that monstrosity off her trail.

So against her better judgement she ran towards the noises that promised quick and casual death to any within range.

After a few twists and turns and avoiding of bodies large and small Guppy exited the alley way into slavers square, right in time to catch a flying body to the face.

She dodged it, her back and legs bending backwards to lower her upper body, followed by a backflip on her hands, allowing her to land back into the alley's shadow and avoid the meaty missile.

Guppy then peered out, rather more cautiously this time.

A small war was going on in the open square, flashes of lightning and magical fire and ice briefly illuminated the night, revealing the scene of chaotic carnage as dozens of individuals attempted to reap the lives of their foes.

Guppy bent low and attempted to scurry around the melee while keeping to the shadows of buildings that lay on the edge of the square.

Unfortunately stealth was not her strong suit, in the light of a giant flare she was spotted and a voice cried out.

"It's her! over by the stocks! Grab her quickly!"

Guppy froze like a balicog hit by a bright light, not understanding why all of a sudden, several groups of rather scary looking individuals all charged at her while continuing their private little war as they approached.

After a second her instincts kicked back in and she fled into the closest alleyway, colliding right into someone as she entered, knocking them to the ground in the collision and spinning her left until she hit a wall with her back.

Guppy felt a buzz of magic as she saw an earthen wall covered the entry she had passed but a moment ago.

"That won't hold them for long lass, we need to leave before they get through."

Guppy heard a familiar voice from the shadows as she turned and made out a very tired looking and bloodied dwarf.

Guppy blinked in recognition before reaching out her hand.

"Sergeant Hadoom are you alright?"

Hadoom slapped it away irritably.

"I'm fine lass, don't be fussin now, just a wee bit weary."

"I'm also fine by the way, thanks for asking."

Guppy made out Sergeant Woodsinger getting up from the ground where she had ricocheted him a moment ago.

"We really need to stop meeting like this miss Bright." He wryly added.

A loud thuuumpp hit the wall and several large cracks spread out.

"Enough dawdling! Run you fools!" shouted Hadoom as he motored past them.

Guppy and Jacques glanced at each other and rapidly followed the fleeing dwarf, the sound of the wall collapsing behind them only spurred them to run faster.