The city was different.
Asher and Seraphine strode through the Lower District beneath cover of night, their footsteps hasty but directed. The battle with the Architect had altered everything. The Guild and their hammers once impassible walls—now they were child's play against the greater horror hiding in darkness.
The Architects were aware of Asher, more than.
They dreaded him.
And that meant he held on to hope.
Seraphine strolled beside him, scanning the rooftops for any hint of follow. "You know what just went down, don't you?" she grumbled. "You injured an Architect."
Asher nodded, replaying the moment in his mind. The black blood, the hesitation, the real shock in their tone.
He'd done something they hadn't anticipated.
"They just figured I was another loose thread," Asher explained. "Something they could just dispose of before I was a problem."
Seraphine's expression was stern. "And now?"
Asher's fists curled into fists. "Now they look at me as a problem."
Seraphine let out her breath through her nose. "That's not precisely a desirable thing."
"It's better than being ignored," Asher told her. "We can play with this."
She didn't appear to believe it, but they couldn't dispute it. They had more pressing matters on their minds.
The Guild Strikes Back
The Lower District was unnaturally still. Too still.
Asher's instincts were screaming. He pulled Seraphine into the shadows of a ruined alley just in time as a parade of enforcers trudged past.
Their black plate armor glowed in the faint street lamps' light, their staffs and rifles buzzing with magical energy.
"They've increased security," Seraphine whispered. "They know we're still around."
Asher's forehead creased. "No… this is bigger than us."
She creased her brow. "What do you mean?"
He gestured towards the enforcers. They weren't patrolling randomly. They were heading somewhere—or someone.
"They're searching for the Black Dawn," he realized.
Seraphine's face turned pale. "If they find them, it's all over."
Asher's mind was a blur. He had an option—get out of the city before they could or assist the Black Dawn in their fight.
There was no choice.
"We have to warn them," he said. "Now."
Seraphine hesitated, then nodded. "Let's go."
The Black Dawn's Last Stand
By the time they arrived at the Hollow Fang, the fight had already started.
Flames and smoke burst forth from the side alleys, spilling red-orange light across the adjacent buildings. The ring of metal and boom of magic echoed through the air.
The Guild had not lost a moment.
Asher saw Revik, leader of the silver-haired Black Dawn, fighting for his life against three enforcers. His twin swords flashed like a bullet, slicing the air with economical power.
Even he was retreating.
A Guild captain, combat-reinforced armor, lifted his hand. A blue energy orb appeared, squarely on Revik's chest.
Asher didn't hesitate—she acted.
With a wrist flick, he launched a shockwave into the floor. The explosion took the enforcers off guard, pushing them into the opening Revik required.
The rebel leader wasted no time. He turned, his daggers glinting in the firelight, and plunged both blades into the captain's vulnerable neck.
The man died.
Revik whirled, his silver eyes fixed on Asher.
"You really know how to make an entrance," he growled.
Asher grinned. "Thought you'd like the company."
Revik cleaned his sword. "Won't argue it."
Seraphine followed behind them, engulfed in flames. "Talk later, do now."
Revik nodded. "We're going to give them enough grief to get everyone else out of here. Can you manage that?"
Asher's silver eyes blazed.
"Watch me do it."
Holding the Line
The next group of enforcers arrived.
There were easily a dozen or more, each of them carrying enchanted magic-cutting swords.
Asher did not wait. He thrust his hand out, and night closed around him, coiling itself into thorny whips that flailed through the air.
One of the enforcers was stabbed during its rush. Another was picked up off the ground, their form flattened before they were discarded.
Seraphine loosed a torrent of fire, the flames coiling across the ground like snakes as it incinerated three targets simultaneously.
Revik and his few remaining warriors moved like specters, striking from darkness, slaughtering enforcers with brutal efficiency.
But the Guild would not be swayed.
Heavy enforcers advanced in squad formation, their armor magic-deflecting. A great warhammer swooped into one of their raised arms, which descended onto the ground.
The blow sent a shock wave across the battlefield, slamming Asher onto his face.
He barely rolled away before the hammer smashed the ground where he had been lying.
The enforcer loomed over him, weapon raised for a killing blow.
But before he could swing—
A dagger buried itself in his exposed neck.
The enforcer staggered, blood gushing from the wound. Revik appeared behind him, yanking his blade free.
He smirked. "You're welcome."
Asher grinned, pushing himself up. "I had it handled."
Seraphine, still mid-battle, yelled, "Less banter, more killing!"
Asher and Revik shared a glance.
Then they retreated.
------
For each enforcer that died, two others replaced them. The Guild was calling in its strongest to eradicate the Black Dawn.
Asher's vision was blurring. He was running low on magic reserves, draining rapidly.
Seraphine was no better—her fire faltering, her gasping for air.
Revik rubbed away blood from his forehead. "We can't stay here forever."
Asher was sure he was correct. They required some means to change what was taking place.
That was when he noticed it.
A wheelbarrow of arcane explosives, left in front of a burning building.
A plan set in his mind. A deadly one.
He looked at Seraphine. "How much of an explosion can you create?"
She blinked. Then a mad-eyed grin crossed her face. "Big enough."
Revik realized. "You want to blow up the whole street?"
Asher nodded. "It's our best bet."
Revik sighed. "You're crazy."
Asher grinned. "And see where you are standing behind me."
Revik shook his head. "All right. We do it."
Asher sprinted down, avoiding enforcers to the cart of explosives.
Seraphine raised her hands, calling forth all the fire she had remaining. The flames snaked around her, rising higher, more deadly.
The enforcers understood what they were doing—but too late.
Seraphine unleashed her strength.
The blast destroyed the street, the shockwave flattening buildings, sending enforcers tumbling in all directions.
The Guild army scattered in panic.
And in the chaos, Asher, Seraphine, and Revik disappeared into the darkness.