Belmont was right. The situation was bad. Ming and Malissa were still missing, as were over half of the city’s guards. The monster horde had been slowed by the defenses, but by no means had it been stopped. The outer ring of the city had been completely overwhelmed, and the walls were slowly falling. Thanks to Belmont’s strategy, the majority of the horde had entered the city through the same spot.

They’d killed hundreds of the creatures within the first few minutes, and according to the surviving guards, dozens more had fallen in the city streets. The horde had slowed its advance as it demolished the outer edges of the city. As far as the guards could tell, the wyrms stopped to devour any of their fallen brethren and any edible matter in the area before pressing forward.

At the current rate, Belmont estimated that they’d be able to keep the horde away from the city’s shield for two days. The council had mentioned the shield would last between three and four days, which meant they’d come up short of the B ranked team by one or two days. Once Belmont had finished, Arek filled the man in about his meeting with the other Blessed One, and how he’d discovered that the magic only forced them to fight if they could see each other.

The air was so tense that Arek could have cut it with his cleaver. It had taken Belmont a few minutes to bring him completely up to speed. He’d caught his breath, but a heavy blanket of weariness still hung over him like a weighted cloak.

“What about Captain Riggs?” Arek asked, breaking the short moment of silence.

“He went out with a group of ten guards to find any guards that survived the initial onslaught,” Belmont said. “He used to be a C ranked adventurer, so he should be fine.”

“I’m sure he’ll be okay,” Arek agreed. “As will Malissa and Ming. If anything, we just need to make sure Ming has enough food to eat.”

A tiny grin flickered across Belmont’s face before it faded again. “I was hoping you could take care of that,” Belmont said. “That armor of yours looked pretty intimidating. At your full strength, how do you match up to the horde?”

“Pretty well,” Arek admitted. “The wyrms aren’t much of a match for me. The wyverns are a little troublesome, but I can handle them as well. That’s just one on one, though. If there are enough wyrms or multiple Wyverns, I would have to run.”

Belmont drummed his fingers on his thigh in a series of clinks. “Then you’ve got a better chance against the horde than most of the guards. Most of them struggle to hold off a single wyrm. Arek, can you go look for Ming and Malissa? I’d go with you, but—”

“You’re needed here,” Arek finished, nodding. “Especially without the captain, you’re the only one who’s got any experience against a horde. The city can’t afford you spending time hunting for your teammates.”

“I can’t let another city fall to a horde,” Belmont said. His armor scraped against itself as his fists clenched. For an instant, his façade cracked and Arek saw the fear and worry in the man’s eyes. Then his face went blank again and it vanished.

“I’ll find them,” Arek promised. He shrugged his travel pack off his shoulders and tossed it onto the ground before Belmont. “Take care of this. I don’t want to lose it in the fight.”

Belmont gave Arek a grim nod. “Thank you, Arek. And… if one of them is dea—” his voice caught in his throat. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Just… don’t tell me until the fight is over. I can’t afford to lose my composure.”

“They’ll be fine,” Arek said. “Don’t forget who we’re talking about.”

“Right,” Belmont said, blinking furiously. He pulled his map out and unfurled it. It had gotten stained with droplets of blood and several spots were torn, but it was still readable. Belmont tapped two locations that were relatively close to the wall. “This is where Malissa and Ming should have been. There’s no way they’re still there now — the horde’s overrun that area. But that’s the direction you’ll want to start with.”

“Understood,” Arek said.

“Good luck, Arek.”

“And to you as well,” the orc replied. He gave Belmont a single nod and headed towards the barricade. His runes shimmered as he drew on his magic once again, channeling it up through his arms and across his body.

Glowing armor reformed around Arek, once again green and untarnished by blood. His faceplate slammed shut and his eyes lit with a red glow as the energy started to crackle. Arek extended his hand and the guandao melted into being within his fist.

He strode down the alley, his steps growing longer until he was running. The blood pumped in his ears and his vision turned red as a few straggling wyrms came into view at the far end of the small street. Arek crossed the distance between himself and the closest monster in two steps, thrusting the shimmering green weapon straight through it and into the wall.

The wyvern slumped as Arek ripped his guandao free. He stepped onto its back and pulled himself onto a roof, ignoring the other monsters making their way towards him.

He mentally reviewed the map that Belmont had given him. Malissa should have been a little closer than Ming. He set off in a dash across the thin roofing, knowing every second that passed could be someone’s last.

As Arek approached the city’s fallen walls, the horde grew so thick beneath him that it looked like a silver ocean. Surprisingly, there seemed to be fewer wyverns in the sky than before. He didn’t think that the guards had managed to finish the creatures off yet, so he dreaded to think what they might be up to.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have the attention span to try to spot the creatures. Wyrms surrounded him in every direction, tearing into and demolishing buildings left and right. Arek caught glimpses of what might had been guards at one point, but they were all long gone. And, for better or for worse, there was still no trace of Malissa or Ming.