A faint ringing noise penetrated through his ears only to grow in its intensity to the point of causing physical pain. He began to grimace as it felt like something began to stab within his mind.

Focus. Push through the pain.

His eye kept a good view of the dozen or so banespawn running towards them from the outer edge of the arena. The three others near him stood around preparing for their attackers as he tried to tap into this strange power he did not even slightly understand.

As he continued to focus, it became clear that there was more than the pain. There was also a strange yet tangible energy within him. It was unlike the mana that he tapped into in the fifth domain whenever he used magic. This was in fact entirely different.

He began to take grasp of this strange energy and focus it on the swarm rushing towards him. In their continuous charge towards them, they began to slow down slightly. Even they began to tell that something peculiar began to latch onto them. They knew not of what that thing was, only that if they didn’t kill him in time, they would lie there in the dirt soon enough.

The ringing and stabbing pain in his mind only worsened as he continued to direct it towards them. A part of himself begged him to stop and give it up. If he kept going like this, something bad was going to happen either to him or them.

And yet still, he only strengthened his focus on grasping this power to redirect it towards those who would see him and the three others dead who all stood at the center of the arena as foe after foe after foe raised their arms that wielded swords, axes, or maces preparing to bring them down upon each of their heads.

The ones ahead of him were too late however, as a pair of banespawn turned into a red mist causing the others around them to pause as they became covered in it. One after the other began to explode into a red mist as the stabbing pain continued to ravage his mind.

Their weapons fell to the arena’s floor as the slaughter ensued turning a lively banespawn into nothing more than speckles of red that remained in the air briefly, only to then quickly fall to the dirt below staining it red.

This strange and odd happenstance, made the other banespawn hesitate in their approach towards them. They stumbled backwards fearful that they too would explode into a mist like the rest.

Kiran would inflict this upon them all if he could, except for one reason or another, the edges of his vision began to darken and pulsate. A liquid ran down his nose to reach his lips. It tasted of iron and he began to lose sight of what lay before him.

A pair of arms caught him as he looked up towards the arena’s ceiling. “What do you think you’re doing? You’re going to get yourself killed doing that.” The voice came from the one who hadn’t given him their name. The man helped him stand up straight as the banespawn stood around unsure of what move they ought to take.

“If I don’t continue, then we’ll die,” Kiran stated as he began to refocus on this power to redirect it towards the banespawn.

To be alive one second, and then another second turn into a red mist surely made even the most hardened of hearts within these remaining banespawn in the arena to at the very least begin to question their will to go heads first towards the one who had done this act to them.

Some of them pounded their clubs and others jeered towards him. Kiran wiped away the blood from his nose and lip preparing to kill more of them with this strange power that caused him immense pain.

I can still feel Lar somewhere nearby. If I can buy us more time, then maybe…

A tall large and bulky banespawn with horns jutting out of their head charged for him while the others stood back. Their two-handed axe that they wielded with one muscular hand came hurdling down towards him in particular.

Rather than step backwards, Kiran instead went forward driving his sword into them as they exposed themselves managing to kill them in one hit.

Boos rang aloud. “This is a mockery!” One banespawn yelled out. “Don’t hesitate! Kill them already!” More and more joined the others already standing confusingly in the arena. While they hesitated to all charge forward, they all readied themselves as more jumped down in the arena.

While others wanted to end their lives, Drexo remained up in the pavilion observing everything with a distraught look on his face. He likely wondered how Kiran turned all of those banespawn into a mist. Kiran was somewhat unsure as well only knowing that he’d use it to the fullest extent that he could.

“W-what are we to do?” Henry muttered from behind.

The man who had helped prevent him from collapsing earlier clicked their tongue. “We fight until we can’t.”

“W-whatever it is that Kiran’s doing to em’, there’s simply too many of them.” His voice was so full of fear, that it wouldn’t surprise Kiran if he had pissed his pants. “My ma and pa are never going to see me again nor I them, are they?”

Another large banespawn came pushing through the gathering crowd in the arena. They reached the front and appeared like one of those lizard-like creatures who had some human-like characteristics. They had a giant tail and carried a war hammer in their hands. “You’re dead human!”

He began to tap into this power once again, except this time around, it hurt even more to the point that he felt about ready to pass out.

“If you keep doing that you’re going to die,” the man without a name said in a hurry.

What choice do I have? We’re going to die if I don’t do everything I can. To prevent himself from losing consciousness, or possibly even dying, he stopped himself from continuing on despite a willingness to.

The crowd of banespawn began to approach them from every angle. In just a dozen seconds or more at the rate that they approached, they’d have attacks coming at them from all directions.

We’re screwed.

He chose to take up an offensive stance. At the exact moment that he could, he’d strike them first before they struck them.

Sweat trickled down his back and droplets of sweat gathered near the ends of his front and back black hair. His breathing slowed down and he tightened his grip around the hilt of the sword he carried in his right hand. He motioned his arm back just a little and angled the tip of the sword towards the coming banespawn nearest to him.

Come then, and die. I’ll at least take you before I am to pass on from this second life of mine.

As he prepared to lunge forward, something began to stir within the spectating area of the arena. Screams bellowed out from up there from the spectating banespawn. Hooded figures with daggers and swords drove them into the backs of whoever they could from all around.

The ones in the arena approaching the four of them paused to witness the carnage towards the spectators. This sudden assault caught them off guard and Kiran charged forward, jumped into the air, and planted his sword into a small lizard-like banespawn nearest to him. Their eyes widened realizing he took the initiative all of a sudden and his sword penetrated through their body.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

A burst of blood sprayed onto the faces of their comrades nearest to them. Kiran pulled the sword out and slashed at more of them. They began to strike as a unit forcing him to back away.

His back hit up against Henry’s as the many banespawn had them all stuck at the center of the arena with their backs all pressed up against each other.

While carnage and fighting occurred in the spectating area, he saw several figures leap in the air and land down into the gathering mass of banespawn surrounding them. Whoever had chosen to jump in began to twist their body around swinging a fauchard killing several at once.

Upon the bladed portion of the fauchard, blood slid off the blade landing on the arena floor only to get bloodied further as more banespawn fell victim to their assaults. Kiran began to aid the black-hooded figure as they kept up with the rapid attacks.

As more and more banespawn became slaughtered by not just the one wielding a fauchard but also Kiran as well, many of the banespawn began to back away rather than continue forward as they had been doing.

With a brief break in the fighting and a slew of dead banespawn settled around their feet, the hooded figure beside him pulled their hood off revealing their piercing yellow eyes and long white hair running down their back.

“Did you miss me?” Lar said with the most devious of smiles known to man or even familiars for that matter.

“Did I miss you? You can’t even begin to know to what extent!”

She grinned and turned her gaze towards the banespawn facing her a few meters away. “Good. I was a little concerned you decided to ditch me.”

“Ditch you? The thought never crossed my mind.”

He turned his attention towards the banespawn launching themselves at him. With Lar there to cover his back, he could focus entirely on what lay in front of him without worrying about what might lie behind him.

The banespawn came as individuals. They came in pairs. But no matter what, each met their end. He pulled his sword out of the bulky leg of one banespawn and swung it at their head killing them right then and there as Lar killed another by piercing their fauchard through their heart.

More came to bring about his death. He would not abide with their desire.

His arms did unfortunately feel immensely tired. He slew one more banespawn finding a brief pause in the skirmish from where he and Lar stood.

“Tired already?” Lar said.

He put his back up against hers and blew air out of his mouth. “Says you who just got here. Let’s see how you do after fighting for as long as I have been.”

“That’s nothing more than an excuse!” She let out a yell as she motioned her fauchard down on another banespawn.

As yet another banespawn died by her hands, he began to realize that the arena was covered in truly a large number of corpses. We’ve had to kill this many? Won’t they ever think to simply stop coming?

“Over here!” a loud and feminine voice yelled out.

A dark hooded figure in the upper spectating portion of the arena waved towards them. He saw their somewhat obscured face under the hood realizing it was in fact Juna.

Several people stood near her ready to help pull them out of the arena. All he had to do was run over to them.

However, as Lar, Henry, Silvy, and the unnamed guy prepared to head over there, a terrifying scream roared aloud.

At the pavilion, Drexo grabbed a two-handed axe and hopped down into the arena making a clear approach towards Kiran in particular. The arena’s floor shook and vibrated as they marched towards him.

Now that’s not someone I want to fight. “Let’s uh, not bother fighting him,” Kiran said towards Lar. She nodded her head and they and the other three rushed over the many corpses while Drexo marched on over towards them.

Drexo began to sprint realizing none of them had any intent on fighting them directly. Kiran ran over to the opposite side of the arena reaching the tall wall. He jumped grabbing the hand of a hooded person. They pulled him up and the four others helping them all avoid Drexo as his two-handed axe slammed up against the arena’s wall causing chunks to fly out.

The leader of the Dhargarus clan could do nothing more than puff their chest and scowl as the five of them were at least for the moment safe as Drexo solely remained in the actual arena itself.

Juna whistled loudly signaling to everyone still fighting up in the stands. People began motioning nearer to them since they had an exit directly up some steps.

Without looking back, he and everyone who came to assist in their escape from the banespawn went up the steps leading them into a darkened hallway lit by just a few torches running along its sides. They ran down it managing to avoid coming across any more banespawn and exited out into the streets of the city.

He followed their lead not knowing exactly where to go. They clearly had planned out the route since they all looked like they knew what they were doing.

With quick maneuvering and utilizing the confusing street layouts, they were able to lose whoever might’ve thought to pursue them on foot. That didn’t mean someone or something didn’t have them in their sight, it just merely meant they didn’t have to immediately worry about fighting, although that could change at any given moment.

As they reached a street corner with an unsurprisingly unlit aura-infused street lamp, a hooded figure carrying a torch ahead of the dozen or so of them sheathed their sword as they all kept walking quickly down the street. “Should we split up as planned or continue together?” The person who spoke came from someone who he hadn’t fully expected to be out conducting a risky operation. It was in fact Zorge who looked a bit ragged and tired.

Kiran slowed down a little so he could walk beside Silvy who he hadn’t gotten the chance to speak to since they were split up. “Oh hey,” she said, “sorry about what happened.”

“About what?”

“Us getting caught. It’s because I—”

“Don’t blame yourself. We were put in a bad situation after I ended up stabbed by that pesky banespawn.”

She nodded her head and although she tried smiling, there was pain in those eyes of hers. “You’re right of course. I just wish we hadn’t gotten captured is all.”

“Well, just in case you’re worried, I don’t blame you for it. And I haven’t said it yet so I’ll say it now. Thanks for saving me the other day after I took that stab in the back. I’d likely be dead if it weren’t for you helping me out back there.”

“You’re welcome, but I must admit, it’s a little strange hearing that from you considering you’ve saved me many more times.”

They began to motion down an alleyway while Zorge led them all with a single torch to provide them with enough light to navigate through the overwhelmingly dark city.

Rats scurried about fleeing down the alley. The torch sent their many tiny shadows scattering around as they fled away from their group.

Soon enough they arrived near an entrance leading into a darkened space. As they all went down into it, he quickly realized they found themselves in a sewer.

I always enjoy places like these. It’s always nice and dark. There’s usually a big rat or two to keep you company as well. Oh and of course the smell. I can’t ever forget the smell.

It was not an ideal place to be. Thankfully they weren’t planning on staying down in it forever. They just needed to be in there to help lessen the chances of getting caught or noticed by any nearby banespawn up above.

And since the city wasn’t exactly full of a thriving population, the sewer didn’t actually smell all that much. It was far from perfect, but not quite what would be found in an actual populated city.

Lar kept their fauchard gripped in their hands. Unlike the one they had been using in the fifth domain, this one was a physical one unlike the one they would summon into existence. They had no choice but to carry a real one since even they too could not use magic by all accounts.

“You came at the right time,” he said. “I knew I felt your presence nearby.”

“Yeah, well—” she paused as they walked beside one another in the sewer, “—we’re lucky it all worked out as it did. You had all those banespawn distracted allowing us the chance to get in and strike them when they least expected it.”

“Can you tell me who all is still alive within the coalition?” he said changing the subject.

“Most of the ones we’ve come to know personally are still alive and kicking.”

He felt relieved to hear her say that. He expected that soon, he’d get to see them all which he eagerly awaited after having been away from them for a fair bit of time.