“You are a child, don’t put yourself at risk for me.”

  Aegis scoffed as the stranger’s words lingered in his mind.

  “Child, huh?” He kicked a stone hard enough to send it down the street. He flinched when a sharp growl reached his ears. Maybe it hit a stray hound.

  Aegis froze at the sight of the tavern at the end of the road. The lights inside flickered as the figures moved behind the windows.

  His master’s face flashed in his mind, but his feet did not move. His mind started counting.

  Three hours for one gold coin… His eyes widened.

  “I’m free for the night!” A few strangers passing gave him strange looks.

  What do I do tonight? Should I go to the den? Or follow a drunk fiend and pick his pockets? Maybe the sewers…

  It’s been two days since he met Zerra and Kaelran.

  Aegis made his way to the market square. The city was still bright with many fiends wandering under the lanterns. The haggling voices welcomed him as he entered the square.

  He passed a drunk fiend lying on the road with his pockets wide open. His steps slowed down for a moment, but he knew if he were caught stealing from a fiend, he would be no more.

  Not today…

  Just when he began to move, something moved in the corner of his eye. He waited, his face slightly turned toward it—

  A smirk appeared on his face when a slave swiped a pouch from the fiend. Most would have believed the man was resting when he lowered the heavy load on his back. But Aegis caught him stealing a black pouch.

  Aegis followed him quietly.

  …

  The slave’s black pouch jingled on Aegis’s belt as he slipped into an alley.

  Soon, he stood before a fiendhole that led to the sewers. The lid bore a figure with six horns, an extra horn crudely etched on its right side.

  The metal lid scraped against the stone as he pushed it aside, revealing a hole beneath it. A metal ladder descended into the dimly lit tunnel below. Aegis climbed down, a heavy grunt escaping his throat as he dragged the lid into place above him.

  Drip…Drip…Drip…

  The sound of the water echoed in the tunnels. Somewhere deep in the tunnels, a faint roar could be heard.

  Scratch…

  Aegis lit a matchstick and brought it to a torch lying beside the ladder. The shadows shifted as an orange glow filled the tunnel.

  Crackle

  The fire crackled on the torch as he picked it up and started walking. The stench of the sewage hit his nose.

  Some fiend must have shat a lot today. He tried to ignore the stench and kept walking. His steps echoed.

  Now and then, Aegis came across branching tunnels, each covered in darkness. Even though Aegis knew the sewers were safe, the darkness still made the hair on his neck stand up.

  Soon, a gate made of scrap metal and wood appeared. It did not allow the water to flow. Instead, a young fiend sat on a wooden chair in front of it.

  SLAP

  He slapped his neck. The fiend seemed to be irritated by the bloodsuckers.

  Aegis walked over to him.

  As he noticed Aegis, he gripped a sword that clung to his belt.

  “Emirax had six horns,” the fiend waited.

  “No, he had seven when he watched his concubines,” Aegis smirked.

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  Metal scraped as a rusty metal door opened behind the guard. The distant roar now felt closer.

  The guard stepped aside and let Aegis go in.

  Ahead of him, the tunnel was brightly lit with torches. As he stepped in, A distant roar rolled through the tunnel around him.

  Good.

  With every step, the noise grew louder. Cheers crashed against the walls, mixed with snarls and the sharp clink of coins changing hands.

  I wonder who is fighting today.

  Aegis passed many young fiends and corrupted as he moved forward. Some sneered, others did not care enough. Finally, he reached the tunnel’s end. It opened into a massive area, brightly lit enough to see what was happening. The crowd was more than usual today.

  The crowd cheered as a fight went on between two fiends on a metal floor in the centre, suspended by multiple hooks. Chains rattled as the fiends scraped the fence around the centre... Aegis paid no attention.

  Where is he? Aegis looked for his friends as he examined each face in the crowd. Soon, he found his friend.

  Aegis pushed through the crowd.

  A pale-red-skinned fiend leaned against a wall beside a sealed tunnel, arms folded, watching the fight. He scratched his short horns.

  “Kel!” he called out.

  His friend turned toward him with one eyebrow up. “What are you—”

  “Doing here?” Aegis finished it for him and continued, “A kind stranger gave me four gold coins.”

  Kaelran stared at him, “Let me guess, you robbed someone?”

  Aegis met his gaze, and a smirk spread across his face.

  “…you know me well”

  Before his friend could speak. Aegis interrupted him, “I will tell you what happened later. Where is she?”

  Chains rattled as something heavy crashed into them in the centre.

  Kaelran jerked his chin toward the centre.

  A bull-horned fiend slipped on the metal floor. As a dark-red-skinned fiend stood across him, she brushed stray hair into her bun.

  Zerra cracked her knuckles. “Are we done?” She wiped blood from her lip and grinned.

  A Loud growl echoed as her opponent picked himself up.

  Metal groaned as her opponent’s hooves scraped as he charged recklessly toward her. But Zerra did not move; instead, she braced herself. Her two backward horns glowed bright red.

  A loud noise filled the arena as he was about to smash into her. But before he could ram into her, Zerra tilted her body slightly and wrapped her hands around his neck.

  The arena was filled with her opponent’s grunts. The metal floor groaned beneath her as metal boots slid slightly.

  Spectators howled for more.

  “Break his horns!”

  “Claw his eyeballs out!”

  The arena anticipated her victory, as the odds were with her. A low grumble vibrated from her throat as she tightened her fists.

  And drove it in his ribs.

  CRACK

  A roar thundered as he fell onto the floor and held his ribs.

  Aegis sneered as he leaned onto the railings. “Show-off.”

  Kaelran leaned beside him. “She enjoys wasting our time.”

  “Did you bet?” Aegis turned toward his friend.

  Kaelran shook his head.

  Aegis left his friend, saying, “I’ll return in a moment.”

  Kaelran rolled his eyes as Aegis left.

  He shoved through the crowd, wanting not to step on someone, even so—

  “ACKKK!” Someone groaned behind him, but Aegis shrugged and kept moving.

  Soon, he stood before a wooden table and a corrupted dwarf. Aegis took his pouch out and said, “What are the odds?”

  The dwarf sneered. “Can’t you read, you stillborn?”

  Aegis scoffed. This midget.

  He glanced at the odds board beside the table.

  “five-to-fifteen on zerra, Not worth it.”

  “Five-to-fifty on Morag.”

  Aegis slammed his fist on the table. “Ten silver on Morag.”

  The dwarf raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” Aegis snapped back.

  Coins clanked as the dwarf took them. “Don’t come back begging.”

  Aegis went back to Kaelran and said, “Cubed belly.”

  Kaelran unfolded his arms. “Again?”

  Aegis nodded, and they both left for the stall that stood across the arena.

  …

  Zerra knelt as she struggled to catch her breath; her opponent still clutched his ribs. She straightened her shoulders and smirked. “Even grogs move faster than you.”

  Morag roared as her words reached him. “You bitch, I will tear limb from limb!” He lunged forward. The floor thundered under his hooves.

  Zerra stepped forward to grapple him again, but Morag slammed into her and wrapped his arms around her torso.

  “ACKK!” Zerra’s fist landed on his broken rib multiple times. But his arms were still wrapped tight.

  His grip grew stronger as his snarls turned predatory. Zerra’s face turned pale.

  She dropped backwards on the floor. Her opponent’s eyes turned red as his grip tightened. However, before he could crush her, she planted her boots on his stomach, and then she kicked.

  Morag fell a dozen feet away from her.

  THUD

  His head hit the floor first. Zerra picked herself up. She panted heavily. She may have bought herself a few moments.

  Her orange eyes swept the crowd as they halted on a cambion. Aegis waved his arm with a fork, a red cube of meat stuck on it.

  Zerra rolled her eyes as she looked at it.

  Kaelran spoke behind him, “You will get us caught someday.”

  Aegis still waved, “Someday, but not today.”

  Zerra turned back as Morag stood up. His eyes were no longer red.

  Morag slammed his hooves,

  THUD…THUD…

  The floor groaned.

  He lunged forward again. But Zerra stepped back. A few strands of hair fell onto her nose.

  She tried to spread her legs, but her heel was stuck in a hole.

  THUD…THUD..THUD…

  Her leather tunic tore in a few places as Morag slammed into her. For a moment, she was floating in the air.

  THUD

  She fell onto the floor.

  The cheers died down.

  Aegis smiled