Ratface kept to the alleys to get to Fulgora. It was the first time she’d found that the people to hide from came from the sky. She’d rushed over to get there before the other woman was overwhelmed.

  She needn’t have bothered.

  Fulgora stood in the middle of a pile of charred creatures, her eyes focused on the sky. More of them rained down from the sky but so too did her lightning. Most barely made it to the ground as her lightning caught them in a flash of power before hurtling them to the ground. The woman was a storm without the wind, only the destruction, and the sky rumbled in her fury. Ratface could barely watch through the flashes.

  Yet Ratface could already tell she was tiring. The lightning still came frequently, but it was definitely slower. She’d give out eventually.

  That wasn’t the only concern either. The things coming from the sky weren’t all the same. Fulgora was doing okay for now because few things could survive a lightning bolt, but it was only a matter of time before something she couldn’t fell.

  As if Ratface’s thought had summoned it, a small creature flashed down towards Fulgora.

  She struck it with lightning, but the thing just absorbed it. It lunged at her face, but she jumped out of the way just in time. The thing hit the pavement and bounced, hurtling back into the sky. Fulgora didn’t have time to keep an eye on it, more creatures were coming down and these her lightning could do something about. She swept them out of the sky though she was panting and sweat dripped from her forehead.

  Ratface frowned. She and the gargoyle hadn’t had as many as this. Why were so many coming for Fulgora.

  It was while she was watching for the bouncing creature that she noticed it. Fulgora let of another strike of lightning and the strange mana followed it. She was making more breaches for the things on her own.

  “Fulgora, you need to stop,” she shouted.

  Fulgora twisted and aimed her fingers at Ratface, sparks already forming. Her eyes widened when she realised who it was, and she shot it straight up.

  The bouncing creature used that time to dive back towards Fulgora. It reached for the other girl but Ratface hadn’t stopped watching. She fired her crossbow, and it caught the thing in the throat and sent it flying. Ratface reloaded and gestured for the other woman to join her. The fact that these creatures all looked different made her hope if she could just get Fulgora out of there then they’d stop going after her.

  Fulgora ran towards Ratface while she kept firing bolts to help her escape. When the other woman got close enough Ratface turned tail and ran.

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  The two of them made as much distance as they could and Ratface was a little amused to see she had to slow down to keep pace with Fulgora. Yes, the woman had been fighting all day, but she would have thought that she still was able to run faster with her life on the line. The difference in having magic as a trump card, she supposed. If Ratface got attacked by superior numbers, her first choice was always running.

  A quick glance back confirmed her suspicion. The creatures had quickly lost interest in the lightning when it stopped striking them. Now they were surrounded by new creatures and all of them wanted to be on top. It was violent but at least it was keeping them distracted.

  A few twists and turns later and they were out of sight. Ratface held up a hand and the two of them stopped to catch a breath.

  Fulgora sat on the ground and rubbed at her eyes.

  “I owe you thanks again. You come to my aid always in these trials,” she said.

  Ratface leaned against the building. It reached up to the sky the same as the rest but at least its roof was a little higher. She could actually peak inside and see a room, though it was bare. Not that she would go into one of these places anyway. Nothing about this city made sense. She could feel Fulgora’s gaze on her and she realised the other girl was waiting for an answer.

  “When you were casting it was drawing them to you, it’s not a problem I would have,” she said. She immediately regretted it when Fulgora looked at her with considering eyes. Ratface kept talking before the other girl could get ideas.

  “My magic is a lot smaller than yours, so it’s not going to call something down towards it.”

  “And what magic is it?” Fulgora asked. Ratface grinned inside her helmet.

  “When you’ve got as little magic as I do, it pays not to let anyone know the spells you have.”

  That number being zero of course. “Have you heard about what the trial is?” Ratface asked to move the conversation from her own lack of magic.

  “Something worthy of the Lady’s attention, any ideas?” Fulgora asked.

  Ratface thought back to the first two trials. They’d had a clear theme, and she figured that they were clues as much as challenges.

  “Something related to dragons, like the water serpents, but it can’t be one she’s seen before,” she said eventually. She frowned. “Any dragon that was here would have been something she’d seen though.”

  “Not if we can call one down though. We can find something new,” said Fulgora. Her eyes sparkled as she did so. Ratface nodded her head in acknowledgement.

  It made a sort of sense. Why have the final trial is this liminal place if they weren’t meant to use it to their advantage.

  “Still, we’d need to figure out how to call them,” Ratface said.

  Fulgora chuckled, a faint spark travelled through her hands.

  “I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

  Ratface nudged her with her foot as she looked up at the sky. Nothing had been called.

  “We could be here forever if we do it as randomly as that, no we need to work out how this work first and that means finding a natural call.”

  So, experimentation. That made sense. Of the three favoured by the Lady, she knew at least two of them, Abigail and the Witch, were intensely curious when it came to magic. Lily might be curious too, but Ratface hadn’t really thought the Champion would enjoy her prying into her interests.

  “Let’s go exploring. I’m sure we’ll find a clue,” she said eventually. She helped the other woman up and they made their way out of the alley. Ratface didn’t mention the other reason she wanted to look around.

  The elf had told her that one of the goblins would be in the trial, and she intended to find them.