“The Ashen chapel was once a beautiful monument of the Pitt,” Aegis let out a breath and prepared himself. He rubbed his palms as the coldness brushed his skin. “Citizens of the Pitt showed their gratitude to the Arch Devil Vorax— the lord of hunger, greed, and glory.”

  “Every single creature in Inanitas— Fiends, cambions, and corrupted paid tribute with gold to the Arch Devil for granting them life and ambition.” The champion leaned in as Aegis continued.

  “Unti—” before he could finish the word—

  “Mistake…” A chill ran down his spine, and colour drained from his face. The night felt colder than usual. Aegis looked over his shoulder.

  Nothing.

  A knot formed in his stomach as he expected something.

  But the sight of drifting fog and a deserted alley only gave him chills. Slowly, he turned back.

  However, the stranger’s gaze pierced him.

  Aegis swallowed.

  The fog surrounding them thickened. As the faint whispers now grew louder.

  Aegis slowly moved away from the stranger. His back now touched the wall behind him.

  Yet the stranger’s gaze was fixed on him. His eyes grew pale as his knuckles whitened.

  What did I do?

  He moved his hand in the air, but the stranger did not react.

  Then he realised the stranger was not looking at him. His gaze was fixed on something that loomed behind him.

  “Sir?” The stranger did not react. Instead, his jaw tightened. Aegis shook the stranger’s arm, “SIR!” The stranger’s body flinched as he turned his face toward Aegis, and the emerald green colour returned to his eyes.

  Two crescents loomed above them, casting a faint blue light. Silence surrounded them as no words were exchanged. Aegis’s gaze darted across the alley.

  Something moved in the corner of his eye. A pale, lifeless green glow darted across. The glow did not vanish immediately; instead, it lingered. The fog shifted toward the glow.

  “Sir…” he whispered. Sweat rolled on his forehead.

  The glow flickered once, twice, and it stopped...

  The alley felt narrower.

  The walls are taller. The distance between them and the street behind suddenly seemed too far. Aegis swallowed. His tongue felt dry.

  Something scraped stone. Soft. He did not blink.

  What if it gets closer?

  For a heartbeat, it resembled a rat.

  Then it stood up.

  Silence swallowed the alley. The stray hounds stopped barking.

  Aegis’s fingers curled into his palms.

  A faint squeak reached his ears.

  Kluck! He moved a little closer to the stranger.

  “Let’s leave, sir…I plead!” He leaned closer to the stranger and whispered.

  The stranger nodded, and both of them got out of the alley and walked down the streets. The road was littered with makeshift torches and lantern stands. Most of them were broken; the few that worked cast a faint orange glow. The stranger’s feet carried him through the streets, and Aegis followed him.

  Aegis rubbed his arms as bloodsuckers kept biting him. His arms moved in the air as he tried to swat them away.

  “Continue,” the words escaped the stranger’s lips. Aegis nodded, “They say, in the Ashen chapel, one of the Arch devil’s prized possessions. A draconic prince was killed.” Aegis spoke as the cold breeze brushed his skin.

  The stranger swatted a few bloodsuckers. “ What happened next?”

  “I don’t know, sir…” Aegis exhaled and continued, “No fiend or corrupted will speak of it.”

  The stranger turned his head toward Aegis, “Why?”

  “Because even fiends fear what happened next.” Aegis looked back at the stranger. “ Cambions only arrived after the wall was built, so nobody in the slums knows anything. And fiends won’t speak about it” The stranger gave Aegis a strip of cloth to cover his arms for now. Aegis took it and bowed, “Thank you, sir.”

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  Why couldn’t he give it earlier? He hid his face and scoffed.

  After a moment of silence, the stranger turned toward aegis “ Did any fiend or cambion wander into the dead city?” Aegis returned his gaze “No…there is no way to get into the city.”

  The stranger shook his head.

  “However, there is an unknown entrance…” Aegis whispered. The stranger halted as the words reached him.

  “Back when I lived here, I had a Rat. It crawled through a fiendhole and vanished.” Aegis’s voice dulled.

  “I wandered the sewers for a while before I stumbled upon a tunnel. It was strange. Unlike every line, it had no lanterns; fog swallowed it. My rat never returned…” Aegis exhaled. “Only its squeaks did.”

  The stranger looked around, and the shacks made with rubble and wood now dominated his sight. A few stray hounds lay on the cold stone. The streets were empty, and a few shacks emitted faint light from inside. “No cambion stays up this late…” The stranger’s focus shifted. “ They say strange apparitions wander across the streets.”

  “Let’s go.” The stranger moved forward.

  Aegis followed him behind, “Sir?”

  The stranger did not reply; instead, he glanced at Aegis. “ Pardon me for my interest, can I know why you are asking this?” Aegis curled his fingers into his palm.

  The stranger shook his head.“ Not now…the less you know the better.”

  “Oh…” Aegis stayed silent.

  As they were about to leave the slums, fog surrounded them. But it was different; it was thick, unlike the fog that crept through the streets. Soon, a faint hiss was audible; it felt too unnatural for a beast.

  CLANK

  Two metal cans rolled across the road, and the cans spewed out smoke. It swallowed them both.

  "Kluck, Bandits!” Aegis whispered. A hand touched his shoulder and pulled him in; it was the stranger’s. Aegis’s heart pounded as the stranger’s eyes swept the area.

  I have a champion beside me; I shouldn’t be afraid.

  For a moment, Aegis felt calm, but it did not last long. As Aegis touched the stranger’s back, he realised he didn’t carry his slender sword. Sweat rolled across his face. However, the stranger was calm.

  Is this it? Aegis’s eyes widened as his hands trembled.

  Soon, a voice reached them. It was old and cranky. “What do we have here?” The smoke around them spread as four figures flew down from the nearby buildings. Their wings flapped, and smoke flew toward Aegis and the stranger.

  “Isn’t that the new champion?” A fiend pointed its claws toward the stranger. “He is unarmed too…” A low snarl escaped. Both of them carried daggers.

  “It’s been a long time since I ate an Eldari…” A fiend with a bastard sword added.

  “What about the slave?” the bandit with the spear pointed it at Aegis. Fiends loved instilling fear in their prey; The excitement showed in their grins.

  However, before they could continue. “Leave us”, the stranger addressed the bandits.

  All four of them laughed in unison as they circled Aegis and the stranger. “Leave a prey, just like that?”

  “A prey cannot demand,” one of them continued.

  Aegis squinted his eyes; all four of them bore hard leather tunics. Perfect for banditry. The one with the spear stood near Aegis.

  “You see, I wagered on disembowelling you.” A voice spoke behind him as his claws snapped. He recognised that voice; it was the fiend from the arena.

  “I’ll get a fat pouch of coins if I keep my word.” He continued.

  “He is not part of this,” the stranger’s voice grew colder.

  “Leave? How can I leave such a good-looking slave?” An excited rumble escaped his fangs. “We will kill you first, and then have our way with the boy.” Aegis’s breath turned shallow, his heart beat faster than it should, and at any moment, he could faint.

  “Duck”, the stranger whispered.

  The shadow in front of him lunged. Aegis dropped, raising his arms over his head. Growls vibrated above his head. His eyes shut close as the steel rang.

  SLASH, THUD.

  Shadows in front of him fell. The growls around him stopped, and the silence swallowed them. A faint wheeze echoed; it did not belong to an Eldari.

  Aegis rose slowly. The four fiends that surrounded them now lay on the stone pavement. The fiend who threatened them now had a hole in his throat, and the shadow that lunged at him lay pinned by its own broken spear. The others’ throats were slit.

  There were no screams, no limbs scattered, no sand soaked in blood. Instead, the glow in their eyes and mouth died down. He turned around only to see an Eldari looming behind him; both his hands were too clean for the chaos.

  Four fiends? Moments ago, they laughed. Aegis did not blink.

  The stranger sheathed his weapons and turned toward Aegis. He knelt. His hands checked Aegis’s body, his eyes examined each part. The stranger’s thumb brushed blood off his cheek; it was not his. Only after confirming Aegis was unharmed, his shoulder lowered. A heavy breath escaped his lips.

  Soon, they left the southern part and were about to reach the tavern.

  “T-Thank you, sir,” Aegis bowed, but this time, it looked different. His feet turned away from the stranger as he was about to leave.

  “Ananke, that is my name”, words reached his ears. He turned around to see the stranger carrying a faint smile. A name? But I am a slave…

  “Aegis, take care of yourself.” Ananke bowed and turned to leave.

  “Ananke,” Aegis muttered. For the first time that night, six silver did not feel like the only path forward.

  “WAIT!” he paced toward Ananke.

  Aegis knelt as he struggled to steady his breath. “I know the slums better than anyone. Pay me coin, and I’ll be your ears—and your way to the Ashen Chapel.”