The Lonely City

The Burning of Sodemview

A week later, everyone was going about their daily business, the market was busy and the docks were full of sailors and workers milling about. Life was normal for Allethan and Thilhan, too. Allethan was still sleeping in the tower, and Thilhan still had to buy him food. There was only one change on this day, and it was a huge one...

It began with huge gusts of wind that came from the east, blowing every flag and every tree in the Dark Forest ahead. "What is that?", Allethan asked Thilhan, who had joined him in the tower earlier than usual this morning. Thilhan just shook his head and replied.

"No idea, I'm sure it'll die down soon though", Thilhan replied, putting down a plate with layers of different types of meat on it.

"Thanks", Allethan said, getting a wooden fork and picking up a peice of beef and eating it.

"No problem, I just hope this wind stops soon", he said, shielding his face from the wind and sitting down in his chair. "Have you got any news on where Nembor and Yilia are?", Thilhan asked.

"No, we can only hope that they made it there alive", Allethan's face dropped, and he suddenly didn't look like he wanted to eat anymore. 

"I'm sure they did, Nembor is a skilled warrior and navigator, you of all people should know this", he re-assured him. It was true, Allethan should know this. It was a few years ago when he and Nembor were  travelling to Seaforge to take taxes back to the city. On their way back they were ambushed by goblins, causing their horses to desert them. They were chased for miles by the goblins before finally losing them. And yet, with no horses or equipment, in the middle of nowhere, Nembor managed to lead them to safety. 

"That may be so, but if this 'evil' can't be held back by the magic of the elves, then one elf will not stop it", Allethan had a good point.

"That maybe so, but he can and will try at least". At least that much was true. While the two were talking the wind had grown steadily stronger and more frequent, and they had not noticed it until now. So it was a great suprise to them when they realised. Then they heard a large, steady, whooshing sound. Then the air became slowly hotter, and steam began to become visible, rising from the Great North Sea and vanishing as it came into contact with the air. 

Then, in the distance, a black shape began to appear, slowly growing larger.

"What's that!?" Thilhan got up like a shot and squinted to get a good view of it. "Oh no...", he said under his breath before racing downstairs and outside towards Doren's study. It took Allethan's sleepier mind a while longer to process what was happening, but he was able to see what was approaching. It was black with red stripes running down its body and covering its face. It had a long snout with two nostrils, each with billowing smoke pouring out and into the air. On either side of its head was an eye, orange as a flame and burning with a fury that made Allethan shiver, despite the heat. It had two huge wings and had an array of spikes running along it's back. Spikes that were only matched by the teeth that lay in it's huge jaws. Jaws that opened with speed, allowing the creature to let out a mighty roar, like the sound of a thousand drums. Allethan covered his ears. The creature was now very close, close enough for Allethan to see the slight embers of a fire in its mouth, embers that were getting brighter, and brighter, and brighter! Allethan could stand it no longer, he ran downstairs and out into the open air where there was much panic. Everyone in the town knew what was coming. A moment after coming downstairs he had to duck as a huge fireball flew overhead and hit the tower. It was stone, yes but the roof was wooden, much like all the houses. Small peices of stone fell down and hit people, causing a rain of stones. Allethan saw Thilhan and Doren in the distance hiding underneath, Thilhan beckoned to him get to where they were. Allethan gathered up his courage and made a mad dash across the courtyard towards them. All around him fires were starting, the sparks settling in the short grass. When he reached them the  creature had passed over them and was on the other side of the village, but its noise was still as loud. 

"Thilhan, Allethan,", Doren started, "we need to get the women and children out of here!, if I do not make it, go with them, take them to Nimtras! I sent them into the underground passage to be safe!", he shouted. Now everywhere they looked fire was spreading, destroying the foliage. "Go to the passage!, I will help fight". Allethan nodded, standing up and unsheathing his sword. Thilhan did the same before they both set off towards the housing district. Above the houses the huge creature flew, burning them with his fire. As they ran they saw a group of guards fighting back the flames with buckets of water, another group fired arrows at the hulking mass of evil. It was a futile attempt, the arrows simply bounced off it's scaly underbelly. Allethan knew where the entrance to the passage was, it was behind the houses, near the now dried up pond. when they reached it he lifted the small  trapdoor up and climbed down the ladder that came after it, as did Thilhan. In the passage there was much distress, as there was not much room and many women and children, all either crying or looking for their lost child or husband. The room itself had a low ceiling and was made entirely of stone, with columns at regular intervals. Allethan and Thilhan had to almost fight their way to the front. When they did they found a small box, which Allethan stepped up onto.

"Everyone!", he shouted."Everyone! quiet please!", eventually the rabble became quieter and Allethan was able to speak. "Right then, I need you all to calm down! Everything will be fine, there is a passage that leads to Nimtras that we must take!", he shouted, signalling towards a large exit on the other side of the room. There was a moment of silence while everyone looked around for the path, then there was screams as a huge fireball flew down the entry to the room, spreading out as it hit the ground. "Everyone, we need to leave... NOW!", at that, everyone in the room started moving towards the path. They were surprisingly calm despite the circumstances. After most of the people were gone, Allethan jumped down from his box and ran to the trapdoor, climbing up the ladder to reach it. When he got there he heard that the thumping of the creatures great wings had stopped, and that the wind had died down. He was just about to raise his head when a huge, amber eye appeared in the hole, it widened when it saw him before moving away. Only to be replaced by a huge set of white teeth, each of them were curved and serrated. This was such a huge shock to Allethan that he fell back off the ladder, as he did so the jaws followed him. But only as far as they could go, getting stuck about a quarter of the way down. Allethan picked himself up and made for the path as the creature ripped its jaws away from the hole, taking away most of the ceiling with it. 

About half a mile after entering the path, after entering into complete darkness, did he find Thilhan, who was waiting for him.

"What was that?" Thilhan asked, he had heard all that had happened in the room.

"Doesn't matter, where are the others?", Allethan asked, stretching so that he could see over Thilhan.

"I told them to keep going, they should be another half-mile away by now", he answered.

"We need to find them, that... thing knows we're down here".

"But it can't know the exit, not even we are entirely sure where it is!" 

"Well I'm not prepared to take that chance, come on". Then they set off, chasing after the group of people, when they reached them there was a small prick of light in the distance, when Allethan saw this he and Thilhan raced to the front. When they reached the front they stopped everyone and crept, slowly, up the passage. They unsheathed their swords as they did so before peeking their heads out into the open air. At first, the light of the sun almost blinded them, but they grew used to it after a while. Once they deemed it safe they climbed out and surveyed the surroundings, they were on a hill, to the left there were great fields that stretched far out into the horizon. On the right there was a huge forest, which Allethan guessed was the Dark Forest, and in front of them was a huge blue mass, it was the Great North Sea. "Wait, if that's the sea, and over there is the Forest. Then there must be Nimtras", Allethan said pointing in the direction between the Forest and the plains. "Thilhan! Get the others!"