The streets of Kupferrang quaked and screamed with one voice and one goal. Liron Sturm needed to die.
Sanity vanished from the people, their humanity hollowed out. A savage wrath filled the void, coloring their eyes with a fanatic drive. If their own children had stood in their way, they would have torn them limb from limb, building a bridge to their target out of the corpses of the innocent. The poster's depiction of the Qilesh matched the folks of Kupferrang. Berserkers high on killing, caring not for their safety. They stared at Liron, screaming bloody murder as they rushed toward the house he was in. Whoever stumbled or was too slow was crushed and stomped. Dozens fell victim to this fate, gore staining the once normal.
Adenius bowed to Liron, a parting smile as he strolled back towards the bureau. Liron wanted nothing more than to leap after him. His life be damned, he would drag the Inquisitor into oblivion with him. But seeing the craze of the people silenced his wrath, freezing him on the spot.
Angin jerked him towards him, slapping his apprentice hard. "Get your shit together! We need to run! Now!"
The Alchemist didn't need to say much more. His expression spoke volumes of the true terror of the situation, eclipsing all his worst nightmares. The people threw themselves against the walls, climbing them. The others leaped through the windows and doors, bursting through wood and glass alike. The sounds from below promised a human catastrophe that would devour Liron whole within seconds.
"Follow me!" Angin called.
He sprinted towards an open window, jumping through it. He landed on the roof of the adjacent house. The first wave of fanatics rushed up the staircase, the building crying underneath the weight. It would collapse soon, the entire city trying to enter it. Liron cursed, following Angin.
As he rolled onto the neighboring house, he saw the masses climbing the walls. Tendrils made of human bodies, enwrapping the building. The loss of any individual did not matter, dozens falling down, their bodies shattering on the impact. He couldn't waste a single second watching the spectacle of people hunting them. The fanatics jumped through the same window as they had.
From roof to roof, Angin and Liron fled. One mistake, and either gravity or the masses would claim them. Their screams were Sister Death's fingers, gripping into his skin, threatening to rip it off his body. The wall of noise made it impossible to understand what they were yelling, but Liron heard several words, chanted like a holy prayer, spoken by devils.
"Ravenson!" they all called. A poison they spat at him, hoping to dissolve his very soul.
Liron glanced behind them, seeing the fanatics rushing after them like starved animals. He was the only grace that could quench their righteous wrath. One that decomposed them from the inside, turning them into rotting corpses. What agony they experienced, driving them forward, Liron feared to imagine.
Many of the folks of Kupferrang had comfortable lives before being weaponized by Adenius. From highborn to plebeian, they hadn't trained their bodies for such a pursuit. Countless failed to make the jumps, clashing against the roofs' edges or walls, falling to their death. Even in these final moments, they knew no other word than the one they had given Liron.
"Ravenson!" they screamed before shattering on the ground.
The ones that had climbed the wall joined the hunt, following Liron with an unending endurance. They spread throughout the neighborhood, burying the roofs underneath their masses as they sprinted over them. Their legs would break before they would stop. They bared their teeth like a wolf did its fangs. The force with which they pressed them against one another should have broken them. Hundreds of people, either close behind or to their sides, attempting to encircle Liron and Angin.
Liron summoned his knife, shooting clouds of smoke all around them. Angin saw what he was doing, drastically changing their course. Liron created as many smoke walls as he could, blinding their opponents following from all sides. To create a false trail, Liron blasted spells towards other roofs, too, deceiving parts of the masses.
He couldn't see the effectiveness of his plan, but he could hear it: dozens of hateful roars running in another direction. Angin jumped towards smaller houses, away from the heights they had chosen up until now. The smoke screens wouldn't fool the fanatics for long. They had been reduced to mere animals, but their instincts honed them to become obsessive hunters. They would realize they had fallen for a trick
Angin and Liron stuck to the smaller houses, turning towards the direction they had come from. After a few jumps, they descended on a pent roof, pressing themselves against the wall. The stomps of their pursuer rushed above their heads, making the actual roof of the house tremble. Liron looked up after the masses had passed them, walking forward to get a glimpse of where the fanatics were headed.
"Liron!" Angin called out, but it was too late.
A man crashed into Liron after he had stepped from behind the building's corner. Whether the man had hidden there, having noticed their plan, following them unseen, or by sheer luck, Liron couldn't tell. He knew one thing for sure. He tried to kill Liron and himself by plunging them both off the house into the ground.
While a hunter's instincts sharpened their reflexes, it didn't do the same for their wit. Both Liron and he were airborne for a moment. Having survived the Promised Dawn, assassins and now Adenius' Raven Hunt only to be killed by a random asshole. Not a comforting last thought. But they slammed into the roof of a smaller building.
It barely reached the first floor of the other houses. So it was meant for poorer plebeians. So it was built out of the cheapest materials.
The wood underneath them gave way, and Liron and his attacker broke through it, landing on a kitchen table. Its legs burst underneath them, collapsing. Liron groaned, his back aching despite his lessened pain. The man had landed on him, his weight pressing into Liron.
Liron saw two other men about to jump onto the house whose roof they had fallen through. That was all the attention he could spend on them, as his attacker moved his hands towards Liron's neck. Each finger hungered for his life, tense with bloodlust.
Liron took hold of the fanatic's arms, stopping them. While two decades older, the man had lived a life close to luxury. He didn't have the strength to overpower Liron. All the days having slaved away in the forge paid off. Liron brought his legs up, kicking the fanatic off him. He barely managed to stand up before the man came at him again. He rammed his head into Liron's stomach, pushing him forward.
Without his proper balance, Liron was taken off his legs, getting smashed into a kitchen cabinet. The wood splintered, broken pieces raining down on Liron. The fanatic grabbed Liron by his collar, pulling him backwards only to thrust him into the shattered furniture yet again. After the second one, Liron got a grip on the man's shirt. As he tugged Liron backwards, he waited for the push.
As the fanatic drove him forward, Liron yanked at the man's shirt, ripping him off his legs. Combined with the force of the fanatic's attack, Liron twisted around, hammering him into the cabinet next to the one he had gained a deep acquaintance with. Any normal person would have yielded. The power behind that swing had broken a few ribs, massive splinters sticking in the man's back.
But he didn't, leaping out of the wreckage at Liron. The younger man had fought bigger assholes his entire life. Fist fights and grappling were his one and only skill. Liron took hold of the fanatic's arm, turned around, threw him over his shoulder, and slammed him into the floor. The impact drove the splinters deeper into the man's flesh, but he still didn't care.
Without hesitation, he bit into Liron's ankle. He screamed, his attacker tasting blood. As he wanted to bring down his fist on the fanatic, the man let go of the bite. He shot upwards, banging his head into Liron's nose. Ringing his skull like a bell, Liron stumbled backwards. Nasty little fuck.
Time had run out, the other two men landing in the kitchen as well. Blood staining his mouth, the fanatic charged Liron, not waiting for his comrades. He slammed into him, hands on his throat. Liron hadn't recovered in time to block the attack, air cut off from him. The other two sprinted at them, moments away.
Liron tried to get the fanatic's fingers off him, but they couldn't be moved. He couldn't breathe. But like a loyal hound, his anger reemerged, never having left his side. An image of Emma, his parents, and what Liron had endured all his life was enough. If they thought him a Ravenspawn, then he would give them one.
Liron summoned his knife, stabbing the man in the gut several times. No resistance, his blade tasted the fanatic's innards. But as the pressure didn't vanish, Liron stabbed his attacker in the throat. He pushed the blade up to the hilt into his flesh. The hate vanished from the man's face. Liron pulled his knife free, blood pouring all over his chest and face. The fever left the fanatic, an innocent man standing in front of Liron. He stared at Liron, confused about what had happened. He tried to say something, nothing but a wet gargle coming out of his mouth. Pressing against Liron, he lost his hold, slowly collapsing.
Before he could hit the ground, the other two men crashed into them. Liron still reeled from the desperation he had seen in his eyes, begging not to die. The two fanatics tackled Liron to the ground, shoving away their dying comrade. They kicked at Liron, aiming for his head and chest. Liron brought his arms in front of him, blocking their stomps.
As an opening presented itself, Liron blasted smoke at both of them. They had no care for their safety and would endure unimaginable pain, but they couldn't do so without breathing. The two stumbled backwards, coughing. Liron didn't struggle to breathe in his smoke, his spells not affecting him.
The smoke followed his command, amassing around his knife, forming his blade. Before they could strike again, Liron moved forward, performing two haue for each of them. His sword slashed through their chest and throat, transitioning from one to the other. It took only a second, and their fates were sealed. And as with the first man, their fever died.
They clutched their wounds, crying as they tried to stop the bleeding. Liron only stood there, watching their final moments. The fear and dread. All believe in Harras brought no peace as the pain claimed them. Liron's grip on his blade loosened. He didn't notice how it fell out of his hands.
Their eyes. A cascade of emotions. Begging and accusing him at once. The one with a cut throat died first. The second one, his chest split open, lasted a few more moments longer. He reached out to Liron, mouthing something. He lacked the strength to speak. The motion made Liron twitch as if he had been slapped. With trembling legs, Liron walked up to him, ready to take his hands.
But he was too late. The arm fell to the ground, and the man took in his last breath before ceasing to move. Liron stared at the two. The first man who had attacked him had perished, too. Surrounded by the dead, covered in their blood, Liron knew not what to do. Hollowed out like a carcass by birds of prey, his mind struggled to comprehend what had transpired in the last minute. Killing all three of them, stabbing and cutting, was so easy, yet it had changed everything.
The old Liron had died with them, drowning in their blood. Whoever the new one was, he had done the deed. The first of many to come if he wanted to fulfill his promise.
Liron buckled over and threw up. He rasped, hugging himself. The reality of it all pressed down on him. He didn't want to die, but he wanted to cease to exist. Never again experience any of this. Never again stain his hands crimson.
"Liron!" Angin called, jumping down. He glanced at the corpses, not pausing. He grabbed Liron by his shoulders, shaking him. "Liron, come to your senses! We need to move!"
As before, he moved when told what he was to do. It took away the burden of contemplation. The consequences that would follow weren't his alone to carry.
Jumping after Angin, they dashed from house to house, distancing themselves as much as they could. The roars of the masses hunting through Kupferrang lessened. After climbing into a house that hadn't been overrun yet, Angin let them pause. Both took seats at a table abandoned by its inhabitants.
The screams of the Raven Hunt haunted the sky, but they were far off. They had a moment of peace.
"Liron," Angin said, panting. "You need to get your shit together. I know how you're feeling but now is not the time to mourn. We can regret our decisions later once we have survived."
Liron had paid attention to nothing. Breathing, running, and jumping. His mind refused to do anything else. But the murder of the three men, so distant at first, settled in. It wasn't a nightmare or memories that didn't belong to him. Fighting and burning the Empire. He hadn't thought this would mean starting with the normal folks.
But as he raised his head, taking Angin in, he noticed that the Alchemist was covered in blood as well. Now he knew why he hadn't come to help him.
Liron nodded weakly. "Yeah… I will."
…
Liron and Angin managed to avoid the Raven Hunt in the following hours. They couldn't stay at the same spot for too long. The masses split into smaller groups, searching and researching even the darkest corner, devoted to finding their hated enemy. Coming close to being spotted, Liron and Angin switched their hiding spots countless times.
In the few calmer moments, Angin explained to Liron what had happened. "Adenius caused a full-scale Raven Hunt. He has prepared this for days. I never thought the cunt would do anything like this. He has turned everyone who had an open ear into a lunatic. They are all on the verge of being a Sinner."
"Can… can they turn back?"
Angin nodded. "Yeah, they can. The only good thing about a Raven Hunt is that the effect can be reversed. As long as the people keep their humanity intact. And by the sounds of it, they won't run out of it."
"You said… that everybody who listened was turned into a part o' the Raven Hunt. What's with the people who didn't? There have to be a few."
Angin worked his jaw, tensing up. "Everybody who's not part of the Raven Hunt is regarded as an enemy. Don't think about it, Liron. It makes it harder."
A handful of times, Liron had heard screams. Not the deprived barks of the masses, but of normal people being ripped apart. There he had his answer.
Angin glanced out of the window, no Hunter nearby. That's what Angin called them. Better than having no name for them. Though, it made them sound like nothing but a common Sinner. But if Liron knew their actual names, knew the people they used to be, he would have lost all his remaining senses.
The streets were covered in Hunters that had fallen off the roofs or had been crushed underneath the stampede. They had broken into every house, littering the ground with all that had stood in their way. Some had thrown furniture out of windows, wanting to give Liron and Angin nothing they could sit on or use against the Raven Hunt. That they had found two chairs to sit on was a miracle in itself.
"Fuck," Angin said. "We need to find the others and regroup, but we can't find shit in this. I've got to give it to him. Adenius outplayed us."
"What now?" Liron asked. He leaned against his chair's rest, enjoying each second he didn't have to spend running.
"We will have to get out a signal. Make the others find us."
"What's with a Nexus? Jean should have one."
Angin shook his head. "Good, Liron, good, but a Nexus wouldn't function now. Remember how I told you we don't really understand how they work? Well, this bites us in the ass right now. Whatever the Bliss and a Raven Hunt are, they fuck with Nexuses. You won't get any connection out or be able to receive any. Nexuses probably make usage of the same… whatever the Bliss and Raven Hunts are using to affect people."
"Should we use my smoke? We could climb somewhere and…"
"No," Angin said, his voice sharp. "Thanks to your stunt, they know in which area of Kupferrang we are. By now, they will know that you are a Wizard with smoke spells as well. We have to send out a signal, but not one that begs our enemies to come and kill us."
Liron looked down, wringing his hands. "For that… Angin… I don't know what happened. I lost my…"
"Yes, you have!" Angin barked. He turned towards him, an expression meant to cut through all defenses. "I won't hear any of that. Keep your apology to yourself. We could be dead by now all because you fell for the most obvious play."
Liron winced. Angin's words hit him like a whip, slapping away any remaining doubts. Shame was a persistent beast. Once it had claimed a nest, it dug deep, clawing into its prey. It dragged down its host, slowing it down until it couldn't move on anymore. Liron had hoped that Angin would help him, ripping it out of him. But the Alchemist had reached the end of his patience. He had kept his temper under control for hours, but Liron had succeeded in bringing it out of him.
As always, Liron found a way to fuck it up.
Angin massaged his temples, sighing. "Apologize, Liron. That was harsh. It… it has been a long day… and it's not even afternoon. I've told you already, we can ponder our regrets later. We need a plan, and I'll be honest with you, I'm at my wit's end. The cunt got us good. I can't think of any way to send out a signal to find the others without attracting attention from the Raven Hunt."
Angin searched the area, his eyes falling on the church tower. Even high on their bloodlust, no Hunter had dared to raid it. Faith drove them forward, but it also shackled them.
"The tower?" Liron asked. "They don't go there."
"Yeah, that makes it a perfect trap. Anyone with a brain could predict us going there."
"So we shouldn't?"
"No… well… fuck!" Angin pressed his palms against his forehead, slowing down his breathing. "We could try to avoid the Hunters, but the others might need help. Or we will need theirs. Fuck it. We will go there."
Angin patted his blasting rod. He hadn't brought anything else. "Should things go wrong… well, you know what will happen. Liron, don't hesitate. It's not your fault."
A comforting lie. One day, he might believe it.
"But, Liron… you anger. You need to work on that. It can be helpful in battle, but nowhere else. A beast of war only serves if it is tamed."
Liron nodded. He had known he had issues. But never to this extent. A blinding light, it had overruled his senses and reasoning, steering his body to the trigger behind his wrath. Against an opponent like Adenius, a raging blade would work little; each strike one the Inquisitor would see ahead and take advantage of. His wit alone could bring him a victory. And once Adenius' defenses were brought to their knees, then his anger could feast.
With that, they moved out. Like vermin, they hurried from shadow to shadow. The Hunters had spread out, some keeping to the roofs, some to the streets. Based on whom they noticed, Liron and Angin climbed up or down. Kupferrang had deteriorated into a chaotic mess, thrashed like a child by its drunken father. Its beauty, the statues and paintings, all torn apart or stained. The Raven Hunt had tarnished it within hours. How would Kupferrang look at the day of the execution? Depravity would rule supreme, bending the city in its image.
The church and its tower stood against the waves of madness. A paragon of all that is holy. Admiration and devotion had guided the architects' hands. Mastery of the craft on open display, each stone carved into shape without flaw. Liron failed to comprehend its magnificence. Unlike the paintings and statues, the church proved its divine nature through the complexity in its details. The ever-changing patterns of the wind, a force of nature, boundless, encapsulated in the house of Harras. Its chaotic essence married with order, giving it a pattern the human eye could understand but not believe. One corner alone had six pillars attached to it. Their midst appeared as if they were wrapped in a thick rope. All pillars were interconnected with stone arches. And each arch was decorated with spikes. And each spike had religious scripture carved into them.
A behemoth, showcasing the heights of the artistic endeavor of humanity. All for their holy father. One who watched in silence as they were used as slaves for the biddings of a madman. One whose power he had gained from Him.
"Yeah, yeah, it's pretty," Angin said, notching Liron forward. "We don't have time for that shit. Move."
The doors of the church were unlocked, as the house of Harras was always welcoming. As Angin and Liron shoved it open, a laugh cut through the air. Strolling out of an abandoned house, a highborn walked out. He wore plain clothing, but his arrogance, engulfing him like flies around a turd, marked him as one.
Liron didn't recognize him. Only as he pulled a whip out from his robe did he know who stood in front of him.
Kasper showed his teeth, his face twisted into a wolfish grin. "Once I've ripped your head off, I can finally go home, Ravenspawn."