The water was cold and faster flowing than Adrex had expected, he was being dragged along, hanging onto the others with a death grip hoping to not lose them while also trying to stay under the water to not get attacked. The river turned as it passed the river and Adrex was forced into the back, the stress forced him to let go of Livia and Nora and he found himself being spun and tumbled by the bank and the current, his lungs bursting for air and he didn’t know which way was up. He focused on just holding breath and reaching for something to hold onto.

Something brushed his hand and he instinctively latched onto it, he dragged himself towards it righting himself and swam up breaching the water and gasping for air. He looked around wildly for the others, finding them clinging to the bank, he swam over and joined them as they looked at the castle from behind smoke rising from it. “Come on, they’ll search for us, we should swim down the river and get out further down.” He said.

The others looked at him glumly, but all gave little nods of their head and dived into the river to swim further down.

After thirty minutes or more they dragged themselves onto the bank in the river in the slums, literally crawling in the muck on the banks of the river, clothes drenched and covered in mud and other foul smelling stuff. The four of them, once free of the river bank, darted across the open space and into an alley between two thatch buildings, the ground was hardened clay where they stood and looked to be dirt further on. The buildings here were raised on wooden stilts, probably to protect from the river bursting its banks or from any heavy rain that would liquify the ground.

The four of them crouched in the alley to remain hidden while they discussed their plans. “So, what now?” Nora asked first in a quiet barely audible voice.

The others looked around before looking at Adrex. “I, I don’t know.” He said. “We lost.”

It was Gennel who spoke next, “First we need to find a place to rest, and clean up. We also need to make sure to stay hidden.” He said calmly.

“Gennel’s right,” Livia said, “Falling back on our training, we must find a place to defend.” She added.

Adrex nodded, gesturing slightly to them to take the lead.

-

Tinn walked over the bodies covering the floor of the throne room, the previously white aisle from the wedding was stained red and black from the dead. He didn’t care where he put his feet though, armour and flesh and bone just crunched underneath, occasionally spurting out blood or squelching under foot. He stepped up the three stone stairs and sat himself down on the black throne while the surviving demons of the initial attack stood around the room or moved through the dead Guardsmen stabbing them to make sure they were dead.

Their retreat went about as well as could be expected once Adrex and his little friends left. Tinn personally saw to the deaths of five of the guardsmen with several spells which broke the line, his horde did the rest, though at the cost of most of his force proving that the Guardsmen were highly trained. He leaned back in the chair, licking some gore from his claws when the door opened and the General walked in with his massive batlike wings now folded down and looking like a cape. “Well timed General, the castle is ours.” Tinn said, smiling happily.

“Not quite, not until the King gets here to squash the thought of resistance.” The General said as he walked up to the bodies on the floor and stopped just short of them, looking down at the mess with a curious gaze. “You lost your forces?” He asked.

Tinn chuckled as he licked his index finger with his long tongue. “They played their part and died for the cause.”

The General humphed, before starting down a new line of questioning “And where are the nobles, we can’t hope to hold this Kingdom without them dead or captured. The King won’t be too pleased you failed.” The General growled with displeasure.

“Oh, they captured themselves, the fools.” Tinn said gleefully. “ They hoped to escape through the mining tunnels that collapsed years ago. There is no escape from down there. The King will have his prisoners and the pits can open too.” Tinn added.

“He’ll want a display, you better give him the people for that.” The General said.

“I’ve sent some of my remaining Demons down there to collect his prize.” Tinn said, “And despite your damage to the courtyard I have started the construction for when the King gets here.”

“You have three days,” The General said, informing Tinn. “Oh, and what do we call you, Lord?”

“My Human pupae was called Tinn, but me. I’m Taginnoth.”

-

They learnt quickly not to move quickly. No one here moved quickly, looked up or stood out. Standing out makes you a target, a target means crime, and here a crime means death. The mugger lying in the alleyway before them with smoke rising from his chest pointing a not too finer point on that.

They got picked up quickly as they hurried through crowds, bumping people and getting noticed. The mugger dropped from one of the rooves into the alley in front of them brandishing a rusty pitted knife demanding coin or payment. Adrex took exception to the way he looked at Nora and Livia while licking his lips and when the man lunged forward to attack Adrex quickly killed him. Adrex picked up the man’s knife and stowed it away before moving on, much slower this time.

They moved through the slums looking at buildings that had been abandoned and were clearly in a state of disrepair, most had people holed up inside, usually kids, though eventually they found a place. It was a two room, run down wooden building, a hole had opened up in the floor revealing the mud underneath it, and most of the roof had been taken by others. The floorboards creaked and moaned as weight was put on them and the building could not be secured.

Adrex entered first, hand raised and ready but called the others when he found it empty. “Gennel, Livia, we need protection, can you do that?” he asked.

Both nodded, tired and stumbling as they were from the fight at Castle Blackhill and the subsequent flight from it. Adrex to set up a few trap spells outside in case anyone tried anything. The sun was now setting, the night was getting dark and cold, they had not eaten in hours and everything else that happened the four of them crawled into the corner of the second room, wrapped themselves in their filthy cloaks and quickly passed out.

BANG!

The noise sounded like an explosion had gone off and Adrex was immediately up, hand going to the knife he had taken from the mugger as he crept forward. That sounded like his trap going off, so he peaked round the frame of the door and saw the body. The street outside was narrow, barely a single carriage width wide and the kid had been flung across and hit the building on the other side forced back by the push spell of Adrex’s trap.

Adrex walked out looking left then right then descended on the boy, he checked him for any sign of life, but the boy had either died from the impact of the spell or the impact of him hitting the wall on the other side of the road at force. Adrex checked the boy's pockets and found a few coins which he took. He stood and started to walk back to the dwelling as other figures started to move in the night towards the child and Adrex, who gripped the knife even tighter.

An older boy stepped forward out of the darkness and looked at Adrex while holding his hand up for the others to stop. “You’re new here,” he stated.

“Just passing through.” Adrex replied, quietly.

“Well this is Board territory, and you owe me for being in my territory.” The Boy said confidently, “You also owe me for the little piggy you killed.” he sneered.

“I have nothing to offer.” Adrex replied.

“You have clothing on you, and you have friends. We’ll take one of them. Maybe I’ll make one of them one of my little piggies too.” The Boy said, sounding excited.

“You’ll have to kill them.” Athridon whispered.

“Even if I wanted to, I don’t have the strength.” Adrex thought.

“Then use mine. Kill them. Survive.” Athridon said.

“No!” Adrex thought.

“That won’t happen.” Adrex said as he turned to face the boy, he would have to make a demonstration, and as he had learned from the mugger there was only one rule in the slums here. He prepared a spell that would send this boy flying back, it was all he could manage. The Boy however sent one of his minions, his piggies as he called them to charge at Adrex. Adrex was caught off guard, and the piggie looked at him hunger in his eyes as he drew a knife as he charged.

The Boy went to slash at Adrex but was stopped dead in his tracks as a blue translucent wall appeared before him. The boy looked confused as he had been stopped by thin air, he looked up at Adrex then back at the boy leading them. The boy looked at the piggie with anger in his eyes, “Gut them or I gut you.” He hissed.

“No, you won’t.” Livia said as she slowly stepped out of the dwelling looking furious. 

The Leader steered at Livia and licked his lips. “Oh, you’ll be a perfect payment for your friends.” He said.

Adrex looked at the leader, anger raging through him at that comment. He pointed at the leader's feet and for a brief moment tapped into the power of Athridon and crafted a trap spell just in front of the leader. ”You’ll have to go through me to get her.” Adrex said very quietly and scarily calmly.

“Oh, you could barely stand against my piggy. Your lady had to protect her. You’ll be easy.” The leader said confidently.

The other Mages and Magae saw what was going to happen, some possibly even saw the darkness in the magic. There was nothing they could do to stop it, as the leader of the child gang stepped forward onto the trap. It activated, with a concussive blast and several spikes of flame that shot out. The leader's leg was turned into a bloody stump and several of the boys next to him had their bodies pierced with flame before being tossed aside by the blast as it expanded.

The leader collapsed to the ground about a meter in front of where he started having been ragdolled through the air. He looked up with pain etched on his face, slowly changing to fear as he saw Adrex hand raised and a spell being slowly crafted. He looked around wildly at the bodies of several of his guild, namely his bigs, lay on the ground small flames still licking at the charred holes in their body. He moved his head to look past Adrex at the Mage’s friends who looked terrified, then the one he threatened to make one of his piggies started to run forward.

Livia reached Adrex before he killed the Guild leader, and rested her hand on his forearm, before slightly applying pressure and lowering it. She looked at his face that held no kindness, just pure rage. Adrex looked at Livia, his anger starting to subside when he saw the concern in her eyes. She placed her other hand on his cheek and he closed his eyes letting his anger at this kid go. He felt Athridon retreat as well.

Adrex opened his eyes looking past Livia to the leader lying on the ground. “Leave, never come back, and if anyone asks, tell them what I did.” Adrex said, pausing between each order. “This place is no longer yours.” The underlying threat was perfectly clear.

Adrex turned and slowly walked back inside the building as the night went silent except for the voice in the back of his head “You should end him." from Athridon. Adrex tried to shake it off, but he couldn’t, the demon made sense to him this time.