The Rat in the Pit II


    Men died around Kyembe like flies.


    The Sengezian danced and leapt from their encirclement, but they swarmed over the seats like enraged bees. His sword-staff struck out in a blur, ying or wounding with each cut, and the haft grew slick with gore.


    And not just with that of his foes.


    A score of cuts marked his own body, inflicted by fortunate lupine ws or sword-blows. They stalked him, not giving him leave to draw forth his healing energies.


    He growled, frustrated.


    Wurhi and Merrick struggled with the ck-coated Berard, the silver-coated Sacred Alpha drove titanic blows into Cristabel, and Kyembe struggled for his life with rabble. Below, the acolytes swarmed the pit fighters throughout the blood-stained sands.


    He cursed his choices: were he to slip away and join Wurhi or Cristabel, he would bring this army down on them. Yet, he could not stand against this force alone forever. He nced back down to the sands. There was only one way for it.


    With a roar, he charged the cult directly. His lips pulled back in a snarl as he raised his weapon above his head. The acolytes paused at his rush - none too eager to be the first to die to his de - while the werewolves surged forward with ws extended.


    They closed.


    Kyembes sword-staff came down-


    <em>Thmp.</em>


    <em></em>-but not on his foes.


    The Sengezian drove the haft into the ground, ivory flexing as it caught his weight. The half-dark elf vaulted over the onrushing lycanthropes - their jaws snapping at his heels above - and soared down the slope of the arena seats. Startled, masked acolytes ducked.


    As he flew, he shortened his de and channeled his eldritch power.


    <em>Vrooosh!</em>


    His sword awakened in hellfire.


    He struck the moment his feet touched stone.


    zing heat fell among the acolytes.


    <em> Booom!</em>


    <em></em>Bodies erupted into boiling gore as his de sheared through ck robed figures. Theirrades recoiled from scalding viscera as he charged, sweeping his de in arcs to drive them back. Forcing his way toward the arena floor, he cut a path of ming ruin through the cult, and atst reached the edge of the arena. He leapt down onto the sands with his lithe arms coated in burns, and a road of hellfire and broken bodies lying in his wake.


    Channelling his healing magics, Kyembe jumped into the horde of acolytes attacking the pit fighters, and slew cultists with every step. He had sheared through the line and made to join with the ves when a young captive, spying his blood-soaked form, struck at him.


    Wait! He parried the spear. I am with you! Friend to Wurhi!


    Then youre a friend of ours! A squat man stabbed down one of the cultists. Theres no end to these bastards and we need all the help we can get!


    Then <em>we</em> must make an end to them. He turned, shedding golden witch-light to heal the burns across his arms. Let us behead these snakes.


    Less talking! More fighting for our lives! a red-headed woman shrieked.


    In the seats above, the tide that Kyembe had fought split into two groups. Some rushed for the captives. Others charged to support Berard. None would approach the terrible struggle between the Sacred Alpha and Solidde Knight, yet Kyembes sharp eyes spied one who did.


    Recovered from its earlier trepidation, the titanic sabre-toothed tiger circled the duel. The cats eyes watched for an opportunity to strike


    but were drawn by another sight.


    <em>Bang!</em>


    Cristabel gritted her teeth.


    <em>Bang!</em>


    A bone-mace smote her shield.


    <em>Crk. </em>


    <em></em>Agony stabbed through her forearm as it cracked, but the pain washed away as her gods nimbus embraced her, healing as it did. Three times did one of his blows rupture a bone, but the knight held steadfast.


    Mangy cur! she roared.


    <em>Whoosh</em>!


    <em>Crunch!</em>


    <em></em>Her de bit deep into one of the clubs, but the bone-weapon shuddered and split, shedding outeryers like a moths cocoon. In heartbeats, it was restored. She struck at him again, but he quickly retreated, using superior reach to keep her at bay. Both ire and excitement grew within the knight. You are indeed a mighty foe! she called. The song of this battle will balm some of Amitiyahs grief!


    <em>You will not be there to sing it. I see now it will take a great length of time for one of us to destroy the otherbut can your friends survive that long? Even now the cult swarms to y the rat.</em>


    Cristabel stiffened.


    For an instant, her attention shifted.


    Milos pounced.


    <em>Whoosh!</em>


    <em> Bang!</em>


    <em></em>He thrust through her guard to strike his bone-club against her helm and breastte. The impact rocked through the saints skull and she flew from her feet,nding with the force of a copsing smithy.


    He leapt upon her recumbent form with giant cudgels raised.


    They fell in a flurry.


    <em>Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Ba-</em>


    <em></em>Monstrous blows crashed against her body, driving her into the sand. She warded them off with de and shield, but her arms numbed from their force.


    <em>Crk. Crk. </em>


    <em></em>The stone began to crack beneath her.


    Rat! Behind us! Merrick cried.


    Wurhi chittered at him. Stop saying that! she screamed internally. She already knew what he spoke of: ws rushed across stone and her nose had caught the scent of blood and lupine musk. The wolf-demons wereing to reinforce their brother.


    And she and Merrick still could not bring this big bastard down.


    They had nked him quickly, but Berard had taken to ignoring the Hawk, focusing only on Wurhi. Despite Merricks spear driving into him again and again, it did not pierce deep and the wounds healed in an instant. The lycanthropes primal celerity had nearly ended the Zabyan half-a-dozen times. He was an unschooled brawler, but his experience, speed, and power kept the thief off-bnce.


    Her eyes narrowed on the monster that had dragged her to this mountain and he red back at his bane, flicking his head as the blood ran from his brow


    Wait! The blood!


    The Zabyan dove low, her wounded hand scooping up a palm-full of stone dust. He brought his hammer down to catch her, but she halted at the edge of his reach.


    <em>Whish!</em>


    <em></em>The cudgel went wide.


    She cast the debris in his face.


    He yelped, staggering back, and Merrick jabbed his spear to tangle the beasts hind legs. Berard stumbled, trying to rub the debris from his eyes as the blood ran from his brow and coated his hand, spoiling his vision.


    With the werewolf blinded, Wurhi dove into his reach.


    <em>hnk!</em>


    <em></em>An impact shook her arm as she drove the wizard kings sword into his belly. Silver bit home, skewering his insides. A bestial scream ripped from Berard. He grimaced and wed at his gut. Wurhi tore her de free within a spray of red.


    <em>Schnk!</em>


    <em></em>She stabbed him again.


    <em>Schnk!</em>


    <em></em>And again.


    The werewolf snarled, swiping blindly with his ws, but she dropped below his reach. Her de whipped into his powerful thigh, shearing the great artery in it. Crimson sprayed with every pump of his heart. Berards snarls withered to yelps of panic as he tried to staunch the wound.


    He bent by instinct.


    Blind as he was, he could not see Wurhis silver rising to meet him.


    <em>Schnk.</em>


    Her de sank into his throat and burst out the other side, impaling the werewolfs neck. He shuddered, choking on blood and metal as flesh rapidly transformed back into that of a man. With lifeblood fountaining from two great wounds, the ck-coated beasts voice died in his throat and his golden eyes dulled.


    Wurhi the Rat rose, withdrawing her de as Berard copsed into a pool of spreading red; her retribution dispatched.


    A deep, shuddering breath rasped from therge mans chest.


    It proved to be hisst.


    The massive wolf-man fell as Wurhi rushed away, for howls of remorse and anger had erupted at her back. These wolf-devils vengeance would be swift. Merrick had fled before she had inflicted the second wound. She sprinted to catch him.


    Bloody piss! Were not going to make it! He paled, ncing over his shoulder.


    Wurhi grimaced and followed his gaze.


    Five werewolves had broken ahead of the enraged acolytes. On all fours, the lycanthropes sheared away the distance between them and their quarry. The Rat and Hawk vaulted over the wall and rolled onto the sands, bounding to their feet and breaking into a t run. Her nostrils red. The sound and scent of lycanthrope did not fade. She heard the dull impact of bodiesnding on sand.


    The sound of ws scratched the earth, growing in volume.


    She nced past the struggle between the saint and the cult leader, her blood freezing at the dreadful blows driven into herpanion. Cristabel! she thought in horror. Beyond the duelling titans raged the battle of Lycundars cult and their captives.


    Kyembe had joined thetter and stiffened their resistance with the violence of twenty yers, but more of the cult surrounded them. The werewolves circled the escapees as a pack of wild dogs stalking a herd of gazelle. They avoided the mighty Spirit Killer and instead picked at the weaker captives, dragging them away from the ranks and falling upon them with savage ws. As more fell, Wurhi knew they could not hold out, and the two thieves could not break through the encirclement to aid them.


    The sabre-toothed tiger stalked closer to Milos back, primal will crushing its fear. Their eyes met for an instant, and she gave it a grimace before whirling about.


    The Zabyan thief dropped low, spreading arms, sword and tail. She red at the loping shapeshifters and bit down on her own terror: fear did not matter now. She hade too far to die. If she had to y <em>five</em> wolf-demons to live, then she would y five dirty, filthy, flea-ridden, privates-licking, behind-sniffing, cringing, mangy wolf-demo-


    Rat! Behind you! Merrick cried.


    She snarled. If the Hawk said that one more time, she might kill <em>him</em> first-


    <em>Whoosh!</em>


    Wind rushed over head as something massive leapt through the air.


    The werewolves yelped and skidded to a halt.


    <em>Bang!</em>


    <em></em>The titanic sabre-toothed tiger collided with them like an avnche. Large wolf-demons were flung about like reed dolls. Some were driven to the earth with bones snapping while one was catapulted into the air. Watching the iling shapeshifter, the hunting cat bounded up and caught him in his massive jaws. Fangs impaled the lycanthropes chest, which cracked and copsed from the immense force.


    Hended hard on two others, pinning them with his front paws, and looked to Wurhi expectantly.


    <em>Yeeeeeees!</em> Best cat that ever lived! Merrick charged toward one of the werewolves as it attempted to scramble to its feet. Wurhi chittered her agreement and fell upon the other who was free of the hunting cat.


    Her de struck five times in quick session; the first finding the heart of the werewolf she had fallen upon, the next to sh open an artery of the one that Merrick had pinned with his spear, and three more times slitting the throats of the trio in the tigers grip.


    She wiped her silver on the fur of thest, gave the tiger an appreciative pat on the side - not paying attention when it stared at her again - then whirled back toward the battle. Her eyes narrowed at Milos as he continued trying to crush the stubborn saint.


    The cats eyes narrowed with hers.


    Palpable loathing rose between them.


    The Hawk looked at them. Where are you- He followed their gazes. oh, <em>piss, </em>youre not serious? Look, best we stay out of that, we get close and likely well get melted or wed or chewed up or shed oooooh <eme on! Get back here, you crazed bastards!</em>


    The Rat and the cat were already charging toward the leader of wolves.


    Cursing himself, his fortune and every god he could, the Hawk reluctantly followed.