Anais hadn’t ever run through an entire city before.<i>And I won’t ever again, if I can help it.</i>The experience, unlike flying, hadn’t been a pleasant one. By the time the unlucky trio reached the outskirts of Realm, her muscles were burning and her face was flushed. She took a moment to gather herself, her emerald eyes sweeping the darkness ahead of them for any sign of a threat.<i>Two options, then.</i><br/><br/>Behind her, a girl’s scream briefly pierced the air before being swallowed by the chorus of moans and flame. A chill ran down her spine, but she shook her head. She wanted to drop everything to go help, but she knew what would happen if she did. Even if she stopped a hundred people somehow, there’d always be more. Eventually, they’d both be swallowed up in that sea of writhing flesh, and then...<br/><br/><i>We’ll do our best to find the cure, I promise.</i>It was all they could do for now. And doing that started with braving either the docks or the woods. She glanced worriedly over her shoulder and let out a breath. From the sounds of debauchery behind them, they didn’t have very long to decide, either.<br/><br/>Anais looked between the princess and towering dragon knight. She had to admit that having a walking war machine at her side made her feel a bit better about their chances, but even that incredible armour hadn’t done a thing for the rest of the knight’s company. In the end, even a veteran soldier in mechanical armour was as good as naked before the legion of living lust that held the city.<br/><br/>She tucked a loose strand of dark brown hair safely away behind one pointed ear. “The way I see it, we have two choices,” she said, hoping she sounded even half as calm as she meant to. “Either we brave the docks to find a boat, or we brave the forest to escape the mob.<br/><br/>“A boat would make things easier. But it would have to be a decent size.” She frowned a little as she pictured stuffing all that armour into a tiny rowboat. “And that’s<i>if </i>they haven’t all been taken or burned already, and<i>if</i>we can make it through a mob that could be worse than the one behind us.<br/><br/>“My vote’s for the forest. We can’t win against a mob. Even if some of the creatures there are infected, they’ll have a hard time with that armour of yours, and I won’t feel as bad about blowing them away with magic.<br/><br/>“I can’t promise it’s the right call, though. We might not know what’s stalking us in the darkness until it’s too late. At least in the city, we know what we’re running from... and<i>exactly</i>what will happen if they get us.” She hid a shudder. “But I’m with you no matter what.”<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>