"GET OFF, GET OFF, GET OFF!" Ghent continued to panic as he fought against the creature half his size. He was amazed -- and horrified -- by its reliance, its strength frighteningly apparent through its hold alone.
	The forgen shrieked in fury, blood and saliva spewing from its mouth. It climbed higher up Ghent's back, broken fingernails searching for his eyes. 
	"QUIT IT!" Glass crunched underneath Ghent's shoes as he collided with the opposite wall, earning another howl from the forgen. The lack of momentum resulted in a hit with less strength than before, and so it continued to maul him. 
	The sound of metal piercing flesh rang through Ghent's skull. He wondered if he had taken the hit himself, but the thrashing stopped, and the forgen went limp.
	A familiar hand closed around his arm. Ghent's eyes -- both thankfully still intact -- welled with gratitude. He stammered his thanks as he followed after Elayra, the movement enough for gravity to claim the corpse. The forgen slid away from his shoulders, its body hitting the ground with a sickening plop. 
	"H-hey! Up ahead!" In an attempt to be helpful, Ghent alerted Elayra of the obvious yet again. He switched directions when she did, giving her free reign of navigation.
	Ghent noted the path ahead was more compact, something that caused him to wonder if this was good for their group, or bad. There were no places of exit that he could see, so he decided that it was good.
	It wasn't.
	[b][i]A dead end.[/i][/b] Spots danced in front of Ghent's eyes as the remaining blood drained from his face. He felt sick, like he might vomit again, but his stomach had already been emptied.
	"You have a plan, right?" Ghent's voice shook as he turned. Out of instinct, he sought out the only adult in the group. "Right?!"
	Before either teen could challenge the Knight about his order, Elayra was plucked from the ground. Ghent's befuddled shout turned into a grunt as he too was flung over the Knight's shoulder, opposite the princess. It may have been a funny sight, if not for the large wall and the freakshow behind them.
	Ghent's bloody fingers closed around the fabric of Drust's shirt as he took in their current obstacle, his brain putting two and two together.
	"[i]No way.[/i] Are you seriously gonna parkour us out of here?!" Ghent tried to get a look at Drust's expression for confirmation, but it was impossible to look back enough to see his face.
	Ghent's mouth fell open in a silent scream as their savior became airborne, twisting and turning to remove them from harm's way. The sensation was oddly reminiscent of the thrill rides at the fair, terror and nausea included.	
	Then, it was over. Ghent barely regained his footing after being released, his knees weaker than they had been previously. He searched the rooftops after the gesture north, his anxiety palpable as he took in Drust's newly drawn weapon. 
	"Shouldn't we stick together?" Ghent glanced at Elayra. Drust may have been dangerous, but that danger was the only thing that kept them alive. "Isn't there a focus word for this? Can't I, I dunno, blast them with a fireball or something?!"
	The Curse-ridden continued to shriek and squabble underneath them, each desperate for a piece of their prey.