Surgit was back at the ground floor of the warehouse. Meeting that crow lady confirmed that there were at least some people with their wits about them in this godforsaken city. He felt relieved and hoped he could meet with someone less enigmatic and more welcoming. He was drenched in blood and sweat. That last fight had helped him improve a little. He’d learned the basics of sword fighting in the military but he was no expert. His sickness had deprived him of having a career. He knew he had to improve and learn while slaying monsters. There was nobody around to teach him how to do things. It was only by trial and error that he’d get anything done right.

He was looking at the canal underneath the warehouse. After the rasping sound emanating from those hulking monsters subsided, he could hear a new intriguing sound. It was definitely coming from below but he couldn’t make out its exact location. The canal below him had two brick platforms on each side. The whole place was built like a small port. Boats would come through the canals to transport merchandize. The hot goods will come up using a pulley and displayed in the market (which was the area where he stood). The heavy products will be stacked in small storerooms underneath the market.

It was there that he saw them. Rats bigger than the hounds he had to fight earlier, rats that made him forget the horror of meeting the crawling crows. They were definitely rats. He saw one of them sniffing at the air, with its rodent teeth glistening as the fading sun rays reached them from the windows above. They made an unnerving chattering sound that made Surgit’s skin crawl. He hated rodents, but most of all rats.

He didn’t need to go down there though, so he decided to take the door which led from the ground floor to another area in the city. He knew he could reach the canals from that part of town since the boats parked down near the rats had to come from somewhere. He took the door and found himself in a vast area. He saw a bridge in the distance and felt relieved to have found a way to the canals. On the bridge he saw a man-beast walking by. He saw the barrel of the rifle and gritted his teeth. He wished he could eradicate all snipers from existence.

He heard the rasping breathing noise. “Oh no!” he said in dismay. The hulk that had difficulty breathing was holding a spear. He still didn’t know how they fought. He executed the previous one with such brutality that he didn’t even give it time to react. Before he could make a move he heard a cocking sound. He ducked as a bullet grazed his head. “Phew, dodged a bullet there!”

Two gunmen were taking aim, he had to move quickly. He moved back at the warehouse. He had to get away from the rifles’ range. The hulk had chased him inside the building. Surgit had to finish him before the two gunmen caught up to them. It all happened in a flash.

If anybody watched the fight from a distance, they would only be able to see the end result. The beast launched itself towards Surgit with tremendous speed. It attacked in a frenzied way, waving its spear around in random motions. Surgit knew that if he got hit by one of these attacks, he would lose the fight immediately. He shot the beast once but nothing came out of it, twice and it was still dangerously getting closer. There was no way for him to predict where the next attack would come from. His incredible reflexes had suddenly failed to assist him. The movement of the monster was just too fast to read through. The hulk tried to thrust the spear through his right shoulder. ‘To the left, you fool!’ the voices inside his head murmured.

Surgit miraculously escaped the deadly attack. He jumped to the left just in the nick of time. The spear hit the ground and Surgit used the momentum to his advantage. He slid on the ground and made a 180 degree turn. Then he threw himself at the monster’s head. As soon as the beast turned towards his prey, he saw a shadow rushing towards it.

Surgit planted both his feet on the beast’s chest and slammed it to the ground. The impact made the monster loose its weapon. Surgit clenched his cleaver in both hands and drove it through his enemy’s neck. He had to slam his cleaver on his foe’s neck twice more before the head came out. ‘Footsteps at the door, they are coming’ the voices whispered. He retrieved the hulk’s spear and threw it at the first gunman to appear. That was enough to send him flying over the railings and down towards the canals.

Surgit didn’t have enough time to dodge the second gunman’s bullet though. It planted itself in his stomach. With great difficulty he jumped behind a pillar in the warehouse and injected himself with a blood vial. He was glad he still had some in his pocket. He stood up and dashed towards the damned sniper. ‘Bless us with blood! Bless us with blood!’ he heard inside his head as he ran towards his next victim. There were at least twenty paces between him and the gunman.

He heard the first click and jumped to the left. The second bullet was loaded and ready to be used when Surgit appeared in front of the poor sniper. With an uppercut, he sent the poor man flying in the air. He waited for him to land on the floor and kicked his gun away. He sat on top of the deformed man’s chest and started pounding at him with all his strength. He wanted to see blood, he wanted to see a man’s skull being ripped apart, he wanted to kill and feel the thrill of ending a life with his own hands.

When he came to his senses, the voices in his head had calmed down. He hands were covered in brain matter and blood was dripping from them. He felt a sting at his ribs. He looked at them and saw a hunting knife deeply inserted within. “Damn it, can’t you just die without inconveniencing me like this?” He took the knife out and blood came rushing out from the hole it had created. He had to inject his last vial or he’d have to repeat everything. The monster’s blood had been in the open for too long, he wouldn’t be able to use it to heal. He injected himself with his last vial and felt his strength coming back as the wound closed gradually. ‘Next time, fill your vials as you use them,’ a lone voice murmured in his head. ‘You fool!’