Callan and Tallis soared over the city, keen eyes searching for Pinewatchers stalking amidst the chaos.

Callan tilted his head towards a group of armed Faerunners and dove. Tallis folded his wings tight against himself and followed, hurtling towards the ground. Seconds before slamming into the earth he flared his wings and skimmed along the dusty street.

He let the spell drop and came up running. Callan shouted something to the runners and they dove for cover. The Devil came down after them.

The beast hit the earth like a cannonball, kicking up a cloud of dust and grit. Claws flashed out of the smokescreen. Callan grinned and caught the blow on the haft of his axe. “This will be a good fight.”

Tallis freed his gun from it’s holster and sent four bullets snapping into the beast as the dust settled. “Let’s hope it’s a short fight.”

The devil snarled and sent a jagged claw whistling towards him. He ducked and rolled away from the beast. Callan charged in and buried his axe into the beast’s ribs. The devil and the Justicar fell in a tangle of limbs.

Talis looked to the group of Faerunners. “Follow us!” he shouted.

Callan came up on top and drove his axe into the Pinewatcher’s chest. He left the weapon buried and rolled off the monster. He drew his shotgun and emptied both barrels into the monster. The runners followed his lead and laid into the beast with everything they had. Fist sized chunks of gore were blasted from the monster's hide. When their guns clicked empty, Callan led the crew of Faerunner down the street, heading back towards the Cold Iron office.

The devil cried out, and Tallis unslung the crossbow and loaded a bolt. “Hard luck, buddy. Looks like you got dealt a bad hand.” He pulled the trigger and the string twanged. At this range even he couldn’t miss. The bolt buried itself to the fletching in the creature's hide and started to smolder. The beast thrashed and tore at it’s side, desperately trying to dig the bolt out of itself.

It nearly gutted itself in the process, and failed to dig the arrow free. It died baring its teeth at Tallis. He shuddered. The hate and anger rolled off the dead creature like an icy breeze. He’d never felt anything despise him like that before.

Not even Allistair hated him that much.

He left the corpse behind and jogged after the Faerunners. A shadow passed over them and a scream pierced the air. “Another demon!” he shouted.

“Good,” said Callan with a dark laugh. “Keep running, and we’ll pull it into a trap.”

They pounded down the street and the demon soared after them, swooping low and cutting them off. Callan fed it a face full of buckshot and the demon staggered backwards screaming and clutching at its eyes. The group didn’t slow down. Running past the wounded demon they wound through the city streets, pulling closer to the Cold Iron building.

Tallis paused for just a moment, and pulled the last redstone from his vest pocket. He poured as much power as he could into the gem and crushed it, throwing up a wall of flames behind them. The demon leapt through the flames, screaming.

He raised a hand to shield his face and claws met spells with a crackle of blinding energy. He shoved the monster back and fired the crossbow one handed. The bolt zipped harmlessly down the street and disappeared into the sheet of fire.

The Pinewatcher backhanded the weapon away and snapped at him. Tallis brought his left arm up and jammed his bracer between the thing’s jaws. Yellowed teeth met glittering Faemetal in a flash of sparks. He drew his pistol and fired a handful of rounds through the thing’s stomach. It backed off and tilted its head at something Tallis couldn’t see. One of its ears twitched and it took off into the air.

Callan ran to him a slid to a stop firing into the air after the beast. “What’s it chasing?”

Tallis slammed his gun back into it’s holster and collected the crossbow. “How should I know?”

“Rhetorical question. Take it easy.”

“I can’t take it easy, not while that thing is still out there killing people.” He jumped and changed shape, beating his wings and rising into the air after the demon. The thing was fast, faster than anything that big had a right to be. It took everything Tallis had to keep up. Thankfully, the chase was a short one. THe demon tucked its wings and crashed to the street.

Tallis followed, dropping his spell and coming up guns blazing. He fired until his pistol clicked empty. The Devil shrugged off the bullets. There were apparently more important things on its mind. The devil lunged for its prey. Its claws met wood with a solid thunk.

A horse screamed in pain.

Phaethon.

Tallis threw the gun down and brought up the crossbow. He squeezed the trigger. A gunshot rang out, deep and thunderous like the opening salvo of a raging storm. He looked down at the bow. What the hell had happened?

Another shot boomed down the street. The Pinewatcher fell. With the demon out of the way he saw Phaethon lying in the street pinning his father Edward to the ground.

“Dad,” Tallis shouted. He ran past the demon, clubbing it with the butt of his bow on the way by. He dropped the weapon and threw his shoulder into the wounded horse. It was all he could do to lift it barely an inch. Ed wriggled out from under the horse and fired another round into the demon. It surged forwards, slashing. Tallis caught its claws on his forearm and forced the creature back. It drew back for just a moment and then slammed in again with a backhand that sent him sprawling to the ground.

The world came apart into fragments of broken sights and sounds as his head bounced off the cobblestones.

A gun roared.

Something heavy slammed to the earth next to him.

A pair of hands, thin but strong, gentle but firm, dragged him away from the danger.

The demon lunged, and Phaethon leapt to his feet and caught the blow. The elemental’s side burst open in a cloud of splinters.

Tallis’ body pulled him upright, moving of its own accord while his mind was still catching up. Everything was different like he was watching a picture show of himself. He pulled a bolt from his quiver and rammed the black iron tip through the demon’s hide. The rowan shaft caught flame as it touched the beast's flesh. Spells flashed around his fist, shielding him from the worst of the flames. Gritting his teeth against the stigning pain, he kept pushing, forcing the bolt deeper into the monster. It screamed.

He didn’t care.

The beast tried to pull away but he held it close, staring into its eyes as the lights went out. “You don’t ever hurt my family again,” he whispered. He had never hated anything quite so much as he hated the dying creature in hands. It looked back at him and couldn’t match that anger.

It looked back at him with terror.

He gave the demon a shove and it toppled over backwards. He leaned forward, putting his hands on his knees and let out a long breath. It felt like someone was trying to pound a railroad spike through his head.

A pale length of twisting driftwood sat at his feet. He gave his head a shake and picked it up, carrying it over to where Phaethon had fallen. The horse was in a bad way. His left flank was simply gone and splinters and bits of kindling were scattered down the street. Beneath the splintered wood was a tangle of green plants, wet and raw and bright as fresh growth on a summer day. The light in one eye had gone out and his breath came in ragged gasps. Edward cradled his head and stroked his mane while Callan kneeled in the gutter next to them. The fae looked unsure of what to do. Like he wanted to help but couldn’t.

If know else would step up then Tallis would have to take control of the situation himself. He wasn’t much of a handyman but he was sure Ed could put the horse back together, even if it wasn’t a permanent fix. They just needed to get him up and walking. They needed to get him to Norman. If anyone could fix the horse it was him.

He turned the piece of wood over in his hands and looked at the wounded elemental. It looked like the piece had fallen off of his back leg. He slipped the piece in where he thought it should go and pointed to the scattered parts in the street. “Callan can you grab up anything that’s still usable?”

The warrior Fae looked at him and a tear rolled down his cheek. “Tallis…”

“No.” Tallis let an edge of steel creep into his voice. “I know we’re all tired. I know you probably need a break just as bad as I do, but we have one more job to do. Go get the other pieces. Dad, do we have anything we can use to hold him together.”

Phaethon let out a shuddering breath.

Edward just looked down at him and shook his head sadly. He kept stroking the horse’s mane.

“Come on, guys,” Tallis pleaded. “I know we aren’t carpenters but we can fix this.”

“I don’t think this is something that can be fixed, son,” said Edward, his voice thick and breaking.

He let out a frustrated growl and stomped past the other men, collecting the wooden fragments himself. He turned back and dumped an armload of branches and boards in front of the green tangle spilling from Phaethon’s side.

“We’ll fix you up, boy,” he told the horse. “I promise.” He started sorting through the pieces, trying to figure out what went where, but Callan put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

“Tallis,” said the Fae. “We can’t help him anymore.”

He shrugged out of Callan’s grip. “Like hell we can’t. You just aren’t trying!”

He laid a board along Phaethon’s flank, and pushed some of the moss and vines back inside his wooden frame. Phaethon let out a weak scream.

“Tallis,” said Callan, pulling him away from the horse. “You’re hurting him.”

A tiny grey owl fluttered down from a rooftop and landed on Phaethon’s shoulder.

Ed bent close to the horse. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you so much for everything.”

Tallis threw a stick at the bird. “No!” he shouted. “No, you don’t take him. We can fix this.”

Phaethon shivered and spat a tangle of weeds. He whinnied and nosed it towards Tallis. The last light faded from his eyes. The owl ruffled its feathers and took off with a soft screech.

“I’m sorry,” said Callan.

Tallis shook Phaethon by the shoulder. “Wake up, buddy. Come on. We can fix you.”

Ed set the horse’s head down and picked up the bundle or weeds. “It’s okay, Tallis. He’s gone.”

Tallis kicked the pile of driftwood. “Damn it!” he snarled. “Gods damn it!” He stalked to the corpse of the Eastling devil and kicked it as hard as he could. If he could kill it a second time he would have.

Another piercing demon scream echoed over the city. Tallis grit his teeth and clenched his fists. There would be time to mourn later. For now, there was still work to do. There were still things that needed killing. He collected his weapons, grabbed Callan by the shoulder and pulled the warrior to his feet.

“Come on,” he snarled. “We have one more to put down.” He turned and looked towards Edward. “Dad, the Faerunners have taken over an old Cold Iron office. Grab Norman and head there. It’ll be safe.”

With that, he slipped shapes and took off towards the screaming. Phaethon had always done his best to protect him, he’d saved Aragam, he’d carried Tallis away from the demon, he’d carried him through the lands of death, he’d saved his father, and now was gone.

Someone had to pay for that.

The demon circled around a massive domed building at the center of town. It let out another cry and dove in through one of the windows. Tallis soared towards the bronzed dome and dipped between the marble columns supporting the dome. He slipped in through the same window the demon had flown through. The inside of the building was a mixture of crystal and gold filigree. Beautiful in a gaudy over done sort of way. Everything that could be gilded, was. Paintings from the old world masters hung in gilded frames along the walls and marble statues dotted the floor.

Allistair stood by a window across the room, sipping whiskey from a crystal glass. The demon stood next to him snarling.

Allistair set his drink down on the window sill and grabbed a short chain around the demon’s neck and pulled the demon down to his level. “We’ve done good here, haven’t we, monster?”

The demon snarled.

“Soon. We’ll be done soon, demon, and you’ll be free.”

Tallis dropped his spell and unslung the crossbow. He dropped to one knee and fired. The bolt smashed Alistair's drink and left the demon unharmed. Gods damn it all, Tallis thought. When this was over he was going to sit down with Setia and do target practice for a month.

The demon rounded on him with a growl.

“Shit,” said Tallis.

The demon slammed into him like an express train and threw him across the room. He came down on top of an old statue and something crunched. Gods he hoped it was the marble and not his bones. The devil didn’t give him any time to figure it out. It was on him faster than he could process and rained a series blows down on him. He tucked his head and raised his arms, curling into a ball as the beast pummeled him.

Spells flared and died with a sharp pop. Another strike came down and caught him in the ribs. Dull red pain rolled through him and the scales of his vest rang under the impact.

“Stop!” Allistair shouted.   

The demon froze, glaring at him.

“You can take your hateful stares and shove it, demon. You know you have to listen to me.”

Tallis struggled to his feet, and fumbled for his pistol.

Alistair stepped past the demon and drew. He moved like a striking snake and had his weapon free and cocked before Tallis could clear his holster. “Why don’t you just go real slow-like, boy? No matter what tricks you have, you ain’t gonna be quicker than me.”

Tallis drew his pistol out slow and laid it on the ground. “I don’t know, I’m getting pretty good with magic.”

Allistair nodded and pulled his coat open a little wider. He was wearing a Faemetal vest and a belt made of woven raven feathers. Tallis saw his opening and charged. The older man stepped to the side and a bolt of lightning rolled from his fist, crackling around the barrel of his gun and striking Tallis full in the chest. White fire filled his veins and every muscle in his body went tight.

He fell. Hard.

“See, boy,” said Allistair, sneering. “You aren’t the only one who can learn new tricks.” He motioned towards the window with his gun. “Get up . Something I want to show you.”

He tried to move but his legs wouldn’t listen.

Allistair laughed, it was that same dry cackle full of scorn. “Now that was funny. Wish you could see yourself. See how pitiful you look.” He holstered his pistol and grabbed Tallis by the collar, hauling him to his feet with a grunt. “We’ve decided to fight fire with fire. It’s been powerfully helpful.”

“Doesn’t that just prove our point?” asked Tallis, his voice came out as a pained croak. He sounded like a dying man. Hells, maybe he was.

“Faerunning has a point?”

“Of course it does. We aren’t doing this just for kicks.”

Allistair shrugged and marched him to the window. “Seems that way to me. The why of it all is above my paygrade. Frankly, I couldn’t care a continental about your reasons or philosophy so long as I get to put runners in the jail or in the ground.”

Tallis looked out over the destruction. The city was on fire and you could hear the panicked screams from here. “Gods,” said Tallis. “It’s like the end of the world.”

“No,” said Allistair with a grim smile. “Not quite yet.”

A horn rang out of the city, blowing three long brassy notes. Everywhere in the streets, agents started falling back towards the building.

“This place is a hole,” said Allistair. “A real cesspit. Runners everywhere. Magic in every nook and cranny. And the big one, a portal straight to the Faelands. We’re fixing that.”

“Is letting these demons run loose in the streets really fixing anything? Is letting them kill innocent people just for getting in the way the answer here?”

“Are they really people if they’re running magic to good honest folk? I know I’ll sleep easy no matter how many of them get killed. And if some other people die, then oh well. Can’t get breakfast without breaking some eggs.”

“You’ve used magic now. Are you disposable too?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, I guess. Maybe our new world won't  have room for people like me. I can live with that.”

Another earth shattering crack shook the city.

“That’s the last one,” said Allistair. “The last thing holding that portal open. Now, I want you to see what happens next. I want to see the look on your face when you lose. San Tempes is only the start. Once this place is clean we’ll take down the rest of you. No matter where you hide. We’re shielded in here, but you won’t be so lucky.”

Something deep rumbled beneath the earth, dark and dangerous and filled with a terrible fury. The rattling intensified, shaking the window in its frame and rattling a painting off the wall. The window shattered and an explosion louder than the whole world coming apart split the air. The sound vanished, leaving behind a bass roar that he could feel in his chest. It felt like it was going to crush his chest and drive the air from his lungs. A shockwave rolled towards them like a deadly tide coming in, tearing up houses at the root and hurling them into the air.

A wall of violet fire followed the shockwave, scorching the rubble to ash.

The ratcheting click of a revolver being cocked sounded behind his head. “That’s it!” Allistair shouted, his voice sounding muffled and distant. “You lose.”

Given the choice between a quick death and a bath in violet fire, Tallis chose fire. At least he’d have a chance at living. He ducked. The gun fired.

Tallis flung himself out the window and left his shape behind, beating his wings furiously and soaring over the fire. A searing tide caught him in a scorching updraft and threw him into the clouds. Lost in the churning mix of grey clouds and black ash, he lost his sense of up and down, dizzy, he rolled and beat his wings against the gloom. The ash broke and the ground rushed up to meet him. He hit with a soft, wet crunch, and a flash of searing pain. The sea of fire broke over him, and the world was washed away.