They had nowhere to go. Both ends of the alley were blocked by Lizardfolk, and more peered down from rooftops and shattered windows. The ones on the ground carried crude blades, while those above gripped javelins ready to throw.
"It's better if we break through one side. I'll take the ones on the rooftops and windows," Bryan said as his wings spread wide. He shot into the air, claws flashing.
"Alright, forward. Don't let the ones at the back catch you," Thomas ordered.
But before they could move, the Lizardfolk on both ends roared and charged, trying to crush them in the middle.
"Go!" Thomas barked. They sprinted toward the front, hoping to smash through before they were trapped.
A dozen Lizardfolk were waiting on the ground. Seven pressed from behind, five blocked the front, and more than five lurked in the buildings above.
Iris stepped up, sword gripped tight in both hands. "The ones behind us are closing fast."
Her blade had been a broad sword before, scavenged from the weapons Thomas and Bryan prepared. But in her Sentinel form, it matched her frame, glowing faintly with her power.
Unlike the fades, who were updated by the system to generate their own weapons, Glints had to improvise. Bryan relied on his claws. Iris had her sword from the box. Thomas was too massive to wield normal gear, so he improvised with whatever was around, streetlights, cars, even chunks of concrete. Nevin was still too new. As a glowing wisp with no hands, he hadn't figured out how to fight at all.
Thomas cracked his knuckles, eyes narrowing on the front line. "The ones in front are closing in too. Heh, Good, saves me some steps."
As both sides charged, the first clash came at the five Lizardfolk blocking the front.
The lead Lizardfolk lunged, claws aimed straight at Thomas's throat. Thomas sidestepped, caught its tail midair, spun it twice over his head, and hurled it into three others trying to flank from the left. They went crashing together in a pile of limbs and scales.
"Thomas! Right side!" Bryan shouted from above.
Thomas turned, but a moment too late. A blade slashed across his shoulder, four glowing pink lines tearing through his skin. He staggered, blood already seeping down his arm.
"Thomas…?" Nevin's voice cracked from behind.
The Lizardfolk lunged again.
Thomas gritted his teeth. "Ow. I'm fine." His wounds were already knitting shut, flesh closing as his body healed.
Bryan gave him a sharp look while twisting aside from a javelin thrown his way.
Thomas only shrugged. "I'll get him back."
The alley around them was choked with wreckage. Abandoned cars lined the sides, their windows shattered. Chunks of broken concrete and twisted metal were scattered across the ground. Above, tall buildings loomed on both sides, and from those rooftops and windows more Lizardfolk hurled javelins down at them.
Thomas ripped a tire from one of the wrecked cars and hurled it like a discus. The rubber smacked into the Lizardfolk's face, sending it flipping backward.
"Nice throw!" Bryan called. "Now duck!"
Thomas dropped low just as Bryan dove, talons raking through another Lizardfolk trying to flank Iris. With a heavy beat of his wings, Bryan lifted the creature high and then dropped it onto the edge of a collapsed wall. The jagged concrete tore through its body on impact.
"That one's done," Bryan muttered, circling back into the fight.
There was no time to rest. Two Lizardfolk from the earlier crash leapt at Thomas from behind. He elbowed the first square in the face, but the second clamped its teeth into his arm. With a growl, Thomas shook it off and slammed it into the pavement hard enough to leave a crater. Blood dripped from shallow bite marks along his forearm.
"Seriously?" Thomas muttered, shaking his arm. "Now I'm just getting annoyed."
Beside him, Iris was a blur of steel. A Lizardfolk swung a jagged blade at her, but she blocked, twisted, and drove her sword through its gut. She spun smoothly, disarming another and cutting it down with flawless precision. Every movement was sharp and efficient, like a duel she couldn't lose.
"Wow, nice move…" Thomas and Nevin said together.
"Focus!" Bryan shouted from above. "The ones behind are closing in!"
Thomas grabbed a chunk of collapsed wall and hurled it like a massive brick. It smashed into the advancing Lizardfolk, flattening two in an explosion of dust and scales.
"Showoff," Bryan muttered as he climbed higher.
Bryan's eyes locked on a Lizardfolk leaning out of a broken window, javelin in hand. Without a word, he dove, tore the entire frame free with the creature still in it, and carried both into the air before slamming them down onto the ground.
"Thomas!" Bryan called out. "Finish it!"
Thomas stomped forward and crushed the pinned monster underfoot, the pavement cracking with the impact.
Another hiss came from the side. A Lizardfolk lunged, but Thomas spun, caught it midair, and swung it like a club, smashing two more out of the way.
"Resourceful," Iris muttered, not hiding her grin.
Above, Bryan dodged another thrown javelin, then dove into another window. He yanked a Lizardfolk out by the throat and dropped it from high above, sending it crashing into the ground near Thomas. The falling body bowled over two more rushing in, scattering them across the pavement.
Iris couldn't help but marvel at how well Thomas and Bryan fought together. It was like they always knew where the other would be. She had seen it before back at Fred's compound, just one tap on the shoulder, and the other instantly understood. And now, in the middle of this chaos, they moved with the same rhythm.
She was so caught up that she forgot she was still on the battlefield. A Lizardfolk slipped in close and slashed at her side, the blade cutting deep across her stomach.
"Ughh!" Iris gasped, slashing back on instinct. Her sword cleaved the creature down, but she collapsed to her knees right after.
"Iris!" Nevin shouted, rushing to her side.
He had been watching from the start, helpless. It wasn't that he didn't want to fight, he simply didn't know how. As a wisp, a glowing ball of light with no hands or feet, there was no way to hold a weapon. The one time he tried tackling a Lizardfolk, he bounced off it like a toy.
"Are you okay?! You're bleeding!" Nevin panicked, floating frantically around her. He didn't know what else to do.
Thomas and Bryan glanced her way, but they couldn't break off. The fight wasn't finished yet. Several Lizardfolk were still pressing in.
"Nevin, watch her!" Thomas barked. He snatched a javelin off the ground and hurled it at a Lizardfolk perched on a rooftop. The weapon skewered it clean, sending the body tumbling down.
"Iris… What should I do?" Nevin pleaded. She pressed a hand to her wound, but blood kept pouring through her fingers. Her face was pale, lips trembling. Unlike Thomas, she couldn't heal. Not yet.
Her breathing grows shallow.
"Ugh…" She coughs, and blood spills from her mouth.
"No, no, no…" Nevin hovers close, frantic. He can't stop it. He can't carry her. He can't even hold her hand.
"Iris, don't close your eyes! Don't you dare lose consciousness!" Nevin shouts, his glowing body pulsing with desperation. "Heal! Please heal like Thomas! Heal!"
As if the world answers his cries, his light flares. His orb glows brighter, almost blinding, and a thin stream of energy stretches out, tethering him to Iris. Nevin feels it immediately, his energy draining, flowing into her.
Then a miracle happens.
Her wounds stop bleeding. Her pale color starts to look better, then the gash slowly closes before their eyes.
By the time Thomas and Bryan rushed over, the fight was finished, and Iris was already healed. Nevin was still at her side, the tether gone, his glow faint. He looked drained, unable to move.
"Bryan, take Nevin. I'll carry Iris," Thomas said.
The alley was littered with Lizardfolk corpses. They picked up the grey fragment Nevin needed and a handful of pink ones, leaving most behind. Safety came first.
On the way back, Iris awoke in Thomas's arms. She was shy and didn't know what to do, so she kept her eyes closed and pretended to sleep. His arms were steady around her, carrying her as if she weighed nothing, and the warmth of his chest pressed against her made it hard to keep her breathing even. She wanted to walk, but the thought of asking him to put her down made her cheeks burn.
When Thomas leapt from the top of a collapsed building, Iris's body reacted on instinct. Afraid of slipping, she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck.
"Hmmm." Thomas raised a brow, feeling her sudden grip.
Her face turned crimson. She couldn't pull away now without giving herself away. So, she kept her eyes closed, pretending to sleep, but her hands stayed locked around him and her heart pounded so hard she thought he might hear it.