A torch. Dim, warm light flickered over an outdoor prison on the edge of a small town.
Alessia threw a cloak over herself and dodged guards to get near the cell.
A shadowy figure rested in the darkness of the prison.
She whispered, “Ex Vis, you in there?”
The figure leaned forward. Moonlight illuminated his silhouette. About the size of a middle school boy. His ears were long. Black fur covered his face and body.
This was Ex Vis, the bunny assassin.
A smile crept across his face. “Alessia, as I live and hop. You must be desperate to track me down.”
“I’m here to rescue you.”
“I’m not the one that needs saving.”
“They’re set to chop your head off any minute now.”
“Let me work—I’m trying to find something out. Besides, like I said, I’m not the one that needs help.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ve got a hex on you. Can smell it a mile away. And I think they can, too.”
Ex Vis pointed to some flickering shadows.
“Shit.”
Guards approached with torches, turning half of the rabbit’s face tungsten. The other half was silver, illuminated by the moon. He smiled as the guards neared.
Alessia ran. She looked over her shoulder at the guards grabbing Ex Vis. A strange sound caused her to turn around.
Out of the darkness, shadows morphed into a shape. The darkness itself sparked and fizzled, catching fire. From the burning shadows, a lesser demon climbed out.
Seven feet tall and made of burning muscle, the demon lunged for Alessia.
“Minos said to make you suffer before I kill you.”
Alessia dodged and swung her sword. It shattered on the demon’s body.
“Shit.”
She turned and ran. The demon lumbered after her.
Ex Vis was led along by a one-eyed guard who walked with a limp.
“Damn toe. Can barely walk. Healers call it ‘Royal Foot,’ say it’s a King’s disease.”
Ex Vis shrugged. “Maybe your grandma shagged a Prince.”
“That’s where I get this regal appearance.” He grinned at Ex Vis, letting the light fall into his eye-hole. Ex Vis smiled back.
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“Handsome devil.”
They arrived at the chopping block. Other guards milled about.
The one-eyed guard unsheathed a rusty sword. “Any last words?”
“I was curious, ya know, since I’m about to die and everything—who was it that betrayed me?”
The guard laughed. “Guess it couldn’t hurt for you to know now.”
Ex Vis smiled, but he was obviously annoyed. “Uh huh. Yeah. Couldn’t hurt.”
“Plus, it’ll be funny as hells to chop your head off with a shocked expression,” the guard continued.
While they talked, Alessia rushed between small huts. The demon slammed through them like a truck.
Ex Vis knelt down, head hovering over the chopping block.
The guard said, “It was Ti’Kon. The gnome girl.”
The guards burst into laughter.
“Damn. You’re sure?”
“She came in, laughing about it. Said she had you wrapped around her little finger. Offered to turn you in if it got the bounty off her head.”
“Really is no honor amongst thieves then, I suppose.”
“Suppose so. Alrighty, time for you to die then.”
“Of course.” Ex Vis cocked an eyebrow. “Just one last thing.”
He opened his arms to show that his bindings were off.
“Oh shi—”
A blade popped out of Ex Vis’s sleeve, and he jammed it into the guard’s good eye. Another guard lunged at Ex Vis, but the bunny hopped up in the air and kicked with all his might, knocking the attacker’s teeth out.
More guards pressed forward, but Ex Vis was a blur of murder. In the chaos, a torch fell into a bale of hay. Fire ripped across the nearby buildings.
Ex Vis picked up a small satchel off a dead guard. His belongings.
Alessia rushed in. She grabbed the one-eyed guard’s rusty sword. “Ready?”
“I got what I needed. What the hells is that?!”
The demon burst through a burning building, sending flaming wreckage all across the ground. The fire blocked Alessia and Ex Vis’s path. Without slowing down, Ex Vis jumped and twirled over the flames.
Alessia stopped. Her hands shook.
Ex Vis turned to see her not able to cross the fire. He called, “Just jump through!”
Alessia shook her head.
“C’mon—I’m made of fur, and I did it.”
She turned around and dodged just as the demon swung at her face.
Ex Vis looked around. He saw a giant keg of beer on a wagon. “Family would disown me if they saw this...”
He jumped and kicked the keg. It toppled over, and beer doused the fire, creating a path for Alessia.
“Come on!”
Alessia sprinted through muddy ground. She and Ex Vis rounded a corner and down a dark alleyway.
They ran side by side, looking over their shoulders.
“So what’s the gig?” Ex Vis asked.
“Cleanse the lands by going to the Spirit Realm.”
“Well, I pissed off the head of an assassin’s guild. She must’ve found out I was hoppin’ out on her with her cousin. Probably the only place more dangerous for me to be would be the Spirit Realm.”
“You in?”
“If you can get us out of this...”
Suddenly Nimbus stepped out of a nearby shed.
“Over here!”
He waved them toward him.
“You’re crewing with the celestial now? Nice.”
The two rounded the corner into the shed.
Nimbus kicked a rolled-up carpet, unfurling it and revealing an intricate woven pattern.
“Adjust your eyes. See the pattern.”
The design looked like a mandala. It shifted, forming into what looked like a set of stairs. They walked down the steps and into—
A smoky hideout filled with worn leather furniture and clutter.
“Will we be safe in here?” Ex Vis asked.
“No one suspects something they walk all over.”
Above, guards burst into the shed. They looked around, stomping all over the carpet.
“Guess they left,” a fat guard said.
He turned to see the demon towering over him.
“Can’t go home empty-handed...”
The demon closed in. The guards screamed—
Ex Vis, Alessia, Landar, Nimbus, and Korr sat on leather couches. Magical brass sconces flickered with pulsing light. Everything had a strong patina.
“Korr! Long time no see.” Ex Vis eyed the barbarian’s gut. “Looks like there’s more of you now.”
“Heard you were in prison. Again. Let me guess—dipped your furry wick in the wrong place. Again.”
“Yes, but it was all a part of a plan. I know that word might confuse you because it’s not something you just hack with your axes.”
Korr gripped his axes and stepped forward. “I’ll hack into you.”
Ex Vis held his arms wide. “You’d run out of breath trying to catch me, old man.”
“Alright, enough,” Alessia said. “We need one more person. Someone powerful in the mind magics.”
Ex Vis weighed this question. “I know a guy... He’s a little weird. But he’s the best.”
Alessia motioned to Nimbus and Landar. “In the meantime, you two start working together.”
Landar beamed. He turned to Nimbus. “You know I collected every angelic tapestry. They had all of your stats and special powers. Maybe you could sign mine...”
Nimbus groaned. “Uh huh... Great.”