Blackheart

A Change of Plans

"Now you be careful out there, understand?" The Captain of the Guard smiled as the knight put his helmet back on.

"You know me," Alexander lightly punched the wolfman on the shoulder, "It'd take more than an apocalypse to stop me." The rest of the group approached as the Captain laughed. Lexius and Leianna nodded at Alexander as Senci smiled hopefully.

The knight pulled the grate to the sewers open and climbed inside. "See you around, wolfie." Leianna smiled as the Captain grunted.

"It's Wurie. Wurie! And be careful, Senci!" Wurie crossed his arms as Senci passed.

"I'll do my very best!" The kobold exclaimed, "Don't worry about me!"

"Please..." Wurie continued, the four warriors already too far away to hear him, "...we can't lose another one. Please, be safe." The wolfman stared blankly into the sewer pipe, more likely praying to God than warning the kobold.

The four explorers crawled out into the alleyway above, weapons drawn. Alexander looked back at the others. All of them glanced around warily, shields raised. Senci tightly gripped his longsword as though it was a greatsword, the warrior too small to use the weapon with one hand.

"Okay, remember the plan. Get into the open so Tourthun can test the waters, so to speak." Alexander remembered talking with the group about it. He had suggested simply riding Tourthun to the Blackheart, but the dragon advised against it, citing heavy defenses, the need for scouting, and a general 'bad feeling' about it.

Alexander wasn't sure what the dragon had to fear, but apparently he had seriously enraged the demons with his attacks on their armies. Tourthun swore up and down they must be prepared for danger, especially after his encounter with the demon in the cave. Perhaps they were anticipating Tourthun to go into a frenzied killing spree after the way the demons humiliated him?

The four quietly stalked the streets, hoping to get the drop on any demons roaming the area. With each soft clank of plate, the group looked around carefully, not wanting to grab too much attention before they got a fair distance from the Citadel.

As Alexander and the group moved forward, they avoided the main street of the city, leading from the gates of the front wall deep into the city. This, Wurie warned them, was where the main army of demons and corrupted beasts roamed.

While Alexander wanted nothing more than to bring the fight straight to the demons, the knight and his companions were on a mission to close the Blackheart. They would never reach it if they simply fought the armies of hell. Even if they tore them all apart, they would just keep sending more in from the Blackheart.

They would fight what they needed to, only to progress toward their mission. So the group took to the side streets and back alleys, headed northeast toward the other side of the city.

As Alexander rounded another corner, he froze in place. The road was lined with shops. A bakery, tailors, a cobbler, a butcher shop...this appeared to be a shopping district. What truly caught Alexander's attention, however, was the figure on the road.

The figure had its back turned to the knight, and was limping away from him. It appeared to be a wolfman, covered in tattered rags. From the way it was moving, it looked to be injured.

Feeling a desire to rescue this survivor, Alexander called out to the wolfman, cupping his hands over his mouth to throw his voice further. "Hey, over here!"

"Sir knight, NO!" As Senci's high pitched voice cried out in alarm, the figure whipped around.

It wasn't a wolfman. At least, not anymore.