“With that thing!?” Hreysti laughed, “What the hell is it? A knife with grand ambitions?”

Something between a growl and a laugh escaped the gang leader’s lips, “This, this for common swine like ye who don’t know good blades are, is a messer! I got it from a merchant from Neuhderland, and it's sharp enough to cleave whatever scrawny meat that’s on you off ye bones! So ye better listen to me now… Give me two Serbčićs or any silver ye have on ye and yer’ll be on ye way!”

“We don’t have any,” Dyo said flatly, “and fighting us isn’t going to end well. Just leave us be, we aren’t going to trample on your toes or anything.”

“And who has the sword and clubs hood man? It’s seven against two, odds any smart man wouldn’t take… But why do you have that hood? Shall we… Take a look?”

The man stepped forwards, tossing his hood off with one flick up with the dull edge of his messer. Leaving Dyo’s horns and perfect face uncovered.

“O-o-oh my! I’ve never seen any fucker with horns! Now this is really fucking interesting! Ye one of those Satyrs people keep talking about? If those horns are even real that is…”

He pointed his blade at Dyo’s curling ram-like horns, the tip of the blade gently poking into them.

Hreysti’s arm shot out, grabbing the gang leader’s arm in a steel grip, “Don’t. Fucking. Touch. Him.”

“Do you wanna fucking try me, ye pasty corpse!?”

“Oh, I do.”

And with that Hreysti arm yanked him, throwing him to the ground in one quick motion. The man landing with a firm thud.

The breath was knocked out of him in an instant, his lungs heaving for air as he screamed.

“FUCKING GET THEM YE CUNTS!”

There wasn’t much room to run. Just the perimeter corridor enclosed by open arches with rickety fences protecting you from a long fall down. Leaving them with nowhere to go with the gang baring down on them.

Dyo whipped around, “Plan?”

“Hit them with everything we have!”

Two gang members charged.

They barrelled straight into Hreysti, swinging their clubs wildly as they came.

He dodged, pulling Dyo with him as he slammed into another gang member, pushing them to the ground as he ran past. Getting the two out of the encirclement.

“What’s wrong!? Are all of you like your Níð boss!? Come at me!”

Dyo wasn’t sure if they understood it, but it certainly got them to come.

Three more charged at them, two with clubs, one with a dagger.

Dyo’s mind reached out to their feet, only to realise there was no ground for the vines to grow, the magic doing nothing.

Shit.

Hreysti grappled the dagger man with his hands, resisting the beating of the clubs as he slammed a knee up into his victim’s crotch. They screamed, with Hreysti then throwing them straight against one of the pillars.

A sick crack followed as his shoulder slammed against the stone. The man stumbling for a moment before nearly falling over the fence to his death before one of his comrades caught him.

The vampire whipped around, catching a strike heading for his head with his arm. Pain shot up his arm only for the other thug to strike him across his side, causing him to stumble.

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They were about to go in for another strike, their hand rising up high-

But Dyo’s sword came in first. The clumsy swing cut into their arm despite its botched execution.

Blood spurted from the wound as the woman collapsed to the ground, screaming as they grasped at their slashed arm.

Hreysti regained his balance, whipping around to Dyo and giving him a quick nod before he turned to the last man. Ready to face him.

But they were now joined by three more of their friends.

Hreysti wasn’t going to let them go first this time.

He charged, his fist slamming into the leftmost thug’s face with a sharp crack. The punch shattered their jaw and threw them into the fence. But, alas, they didn’t fall either.

Two of the three thugs came after Hreysti as the other one charged straight at Dyo.

Dyo stumbled back. The gang member’s knife swing coming within a few hairs of slashing his gut. Adrenaline starting to spike in their body as their heartbeat against their ribs. Dyo’s mind raced for anything to counter with, settling on one, wild idea.

He reached his magic out to the man’s bloodstream, stomach and liver, thinking the same things he did when brewing wine. It was insane, but it was what he had.

The thug struck again, Dyo dodging once again and finding himself backed up against the fence. No where left to run.

He thought this might have been his end he was watching bare down in him.

That was until the man vomited, doubling over and falling to the ground with their balance completely lost.

Dyo didn’t hesitate, kicking them while they were down and sending them sprawling across the ground.

He turned back to Hreysti. The vampire was locked in a grapple with a gang member, the other one out stone cold against the ground.

With a swift turn and throw, he tossed the remaining thug into the other. The one that was still crippled over the fence. The force of the impact finally caused the fence to break, sending the two tumbling down to the street below as they screamed.

And that just left two. One regular groupie who was hauling himself off of the ground and their leader. The scared man finally bringing himself up, with messer twirling in his hand.

“Ye fucking cunts! Ye think ye’ll get away with this!?”

“We will,” Hreysti cackled, “Unless you wanna try that fancy sword on us? Dyo! Galidus!”

Dyo tossed his sword over as his friend caught it perfectly. He hefted it in his hand, measuring its weight as he smirked at the thug.

“Damir! Get ‘em!” He shouted at his remaining comrade.

But they shook their head, dropping their weapon as they dashed as fast as their wounded body could. Trying to get as far away from the supernaturally strong pale man as he could.

“F-Fine! I’ll ggget yeee myself!”

He charged, swinging his sword at Hreysti.

But it was sloppy, incredibly sloppy. Hreysti raised the gladius, intercepting the strike with ease before moving it into a swipe across their chest. The slash landed easily, the leader seemingly not even moving the buckler to intercept, let alone even registering the incoming attack.

The cut wasn’t deep but all the same, he screamed. Right before he was swiftly shut up by the sword’s pummel slamming against his skull, knocking him out cold.

Hreysti chuckled, “I didn’t think he’d be that shit.”

“I did intoxicate him a little before he attacked though…”

He turned, a smile growing on his face, “You can make people drunk!?”

“It seems I can, yeah!”

“I wonder if you can make me feel tha-“

He was cut off by the choking hurl from the knocked-out gang leader, vomit seeping out of the corner of his mouth.

Hreysti swallowed, “Maybe not.”

“I hoped you’d say that.”

But as Dyo looked at Hreysti, a fear started to grow.

“I-Is the scent-“

“It’s alright. I- I think I can handle it.”

“You can?!”

“Yeah…” he muttered, kneeling down to the gang leader as he snagged his sword, buckler and belt.

Now a smile started to grow on Dyo, “That’s good, isn’t it!? But- uh- I suppose we should get out of here anyway.”

He nodded, “Before the guar-“

They started to hear it. The thunder of feet slamming against the stone as their owner ran. The two unable to move fast enough before they came into view.

Shani.

They were breathing heavily, spear and shield in hand as they looked around at the field of groaning and knocked out thugs.

“You got them without me?”

“I-It seems so?” Dyo stammered, “Were you chasing them?”

“No,” She grunted, “I just heard trouble while walking near here. I ran, got my weapons, and then came back.” She pointed towards the destroyed railing, “I think people might notice whoever fell there.”

“We were about to move.”

“Don’t let me stop you! Difficult conversation soon if we don’t.”

“Where’s everyone else? Are they still-”

“Downstairs, now, let’s go!”

They didn’t need it repeating one more time. The three started to dash down the floors and into the throngs of marketgoers. Their figures getting lost in the crowds as they watched a small group of guards push their way through to the staircases up.

Dyo couldn’t help but feel the adrenaline start to ramp up again as he saw them. His eyes immediately shifting to the ground as they pushed past, shouting in Crajek as they went.

But they weren’t stopped. Instead, they were just able to walk by, going on their way with nothing to worry about. Walking back to meet with their companions, just like a regular set of shoppers.

Hopefully, the guards would be happy with seeing the crippled thugs and not start a city-wide investigation. Hopefully, hopefully, they wouldn’t do that…