Chapter 616: Bloodied Fur
I ran through the city, tears streaming freely down my cheeks. Shockwaves smashed into me, breaking against my wards. My hair streamed behind me in billowing waves, pulled by the eddies of winds. My entire body itched from the density of sun magic.
"Fable!"
I screamed until my throat was hoarse, passing street after street of homes and businesses reduced to rubble. Another wave of holy meteors lit the night sky, followed by another wave of explosions. I’d gotten close enough that the wave carried a thick veil of dust and debris, choking the air. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face, and in the chaos, tripped over something.
My hands moved faster than I could think, cushioning my fall. I cringed, gritting my teeth, but the sharp impact never came. The ground felt...soft, like packed dirt instead of unforgiving cobblestone, leaving only thin white scratches on my palms.
I shook aside my wonder and rose, only to stumble as gouts of fire flickered in the dust, revealing a looming silhouette. My breath caught as a sixth-level evolved demon emerged, looking like a cross between a wolf and a lizard. It had thin, sinewy limbs and a whip-like tail, with serrated claws and teeth longer than my hand. The seams between its scales glowed molten, and liquid fire dripped between its jaws instead of saliva.
"Are you..." I tentatively raised my hand toward it. "Please, I need help."
It lowered its head to me, pushing its nose against my palm. Its scales were rough and warm like they’d been left out in the summer sun. A spurt of fire shot out of its nostrils, and I yelped, jumping back, but the fire passed through my arm without the faintest lick of heat.
A dozen fire scions crawled out of the darkness, illuminating the dust like torches. I shrank back, tail lashing, they passed by with barely a glance, sniffing through the rubble. One barked, and the others rushed toward it, digging into the ruins of a collapsed home. I turned away, stomach curdling as they pounced on something, filling the air with the wet sound of tearing flesh.
"Please," I whispered, looking into the demon’s glowing ember eyes. "I need to get to him."