From the shadowed alcove, I watched the courtyard erupt. Torches blazed, illuminating the clash. Xander at the forefront, sword in hand, his roar cutting through the night as he cleaved through a rebel's armor. Blood sprayed, dark and sticky, and something primal stirred in me.
He fought like how he fucked...brutal, unrelenting, a mad king reveling in the violence. A knight fell beside him, arrow in the throat, but Xander didn't flinch, pressing forward with a ferocity that made my pulse race.
The battle spilled inward, rebels pouring through a side gate, their cries a mix of ancient war chants and street slang from the city's underbelly.
'Down with the tyrant!' one bellowed, voice carrying the grit of the docks.
I pressed against the wall, heart hammering, as a skirmish broke out n
