The Birth of Madness

Chapter 7 - Raid

One scream wouldn't mean much, two even could be ignored, but the screams kept cascading out, louder, closer. Ashi felt a brief surge of frustration, but then immediately on its heels a strong sense of fear. Perhaps Indigo were not as married to secrecy as she had assumed. With a quick lunge, she reclaimed her boots and tugged them on.

The ones in the employ of the building were already rushing through the front door, but Ashi opted for the opposite direction, heading up the stairs to the employee-only second floor, and climbing out a window up onto the roof, where she could see where the outpouring of fear was coming from. And smoke.

Unfortunately, she couldn't tell what was the cause yet, but fortunately the climb up had let her rationally conclude that this couldn't be Indigo. If they had tracked her here, they wouldn't risk a full assault on the town because she might be able to escape in the chaos; whatever was causing the fire, it wasn't here for her. Which meant it was time to leave, already. At least she'd already had a nap.

She briefly considered the fast way down, but her prior experience made her simply roll over the edge and back through the window instead. The building was now completely empty, so without any pushing she managed to get through the front door and drew her sword.

The lizard hostel was in the direction of the fire, and the sounds of metal, so she took off in that direction, leaping across the cobblestones. Other people were on the road, going perpendicular to her, so she dodged around them and kept going.

"Hurry, to the palisade!" someone shouted right before they stepped right in Ashi's path – collision only avoided by a whisker. She would have stayed a moment longer, this person's long cloak and black bow being rather eye-catching, but she continued to throw herself down the road because time was in short supply.

A few more turns, and she could see it – the house of the lizards. But, even more presently, she saw the cause of the alarm.

A humanoid creature, though the resemblance was fleeting. It had the proportions of a crude clay doll, and a matching lack of hair; not to mention the color of its flesh, a blue-green pallor with its shades irregularly spread across the skin as though it had been messily applied by paint. It noticed her immediately as she skidded to a stop, taking in the grotesque sight. It opened its disproportionally large mouth into a sharp growl, unblinking beady eyes unnaturally small in conjunction – and all of its misshapen form was smaller than even her. A stunningly hideous creature.

It ran at her, stubby arms stretched out with claws, and Ashi resumed running to meet it. Unfortunately for the creature, the rapier continued to provide too much range advantage, and the blade was run between the eyes, the creature's momentum carrying it forward down the blade's length, before stopping and sliding back off. Its blood was black, Ashi noted with distaste.

Before she could even continue the last leg of her journey, she saw the origin of the smoke and the screams. There was more than one of these abominations.

The guards from the gate and the wall had formed a makeshift wall of metal and bodies, but they were quickly being beaten back – and swarmed around – by the monsters. A veritable army of them was swarming through the gate, most unarmed, though plenty also bore sticks, clubs, or torches – the source of the fires that were consuming buildings and beginning to spread.

Time was clearly running out, so with a passing glace Ashi returned to a sprint, but was quickly halted again as more of the monstrous creatures poured from alleys and around corners, swarming into the town. The monsters all turned towards her, tongues licking hungry lips, and she realized that she could not fight this flood.

As though the guards could read her thoughts, their commander shouted, "Quick, back to the palisade!" and armored footsteps signaled their hasty retreat. Soon the only target in this district would be her.