Revolutions

90 - Walumaq

As the last echoes of the gate's destruction reverberate through the thick, smoke-filled air, I press closer to the shattered remnants of Analoixan's defenses. Rain and ash mingle with sweat, matting my hair to my forehead. It's a cool contrast to the feverish heat emanating from the city ahead. My heart pounds against my ribcage—a drum of war in its own right—urging me to action despite the overwhelming odds.

Around me, the city burns. Unhindered by the precipitation, flames spread with a voracious appetite across wooden structures, their fiery tongues licking the dark sky with hues of orange and red. Wooden structures that once constituted Ulxa homes smolder about us, succumbing to the inferno. I can feel the heat intensifying as if conspiring to stop us, to swallow us whole in its fiery maw.

Because of the heavy and unrelenting rain from earlier, the ground is sludge beneath my feet, making it a burden to drag Paxilche's unconscious form to safety. Nevertheless, I set my jaw and tighten my grip on him while he's blissfully oblivious to the chaos swirling around us. Though shallow yet steady, his breathing is the only noise that cuts through the cacophony of destruction. The sounds of battle grow louder as we enter the threshold of Analoixan, but it's the silence that follows—a sudden, eerie lull—that chills me more than the encroaching flames.

Ahead, it's a scene from the darkest of nightmares. The silhouettes of the fire dogs move with unnatural speed, their forms shimmering in the fire that engulfs them. Their roars pierce the evening, melding with the cries of warriors and the crackle of consuming flames. Their eyes are deep pools of molten lava, seeking out life amid the devastation, eager to extinguish it.

Just as I begin to doubt my quest at the sight of the devastating scene, the howls of the fire dogs are answered by the shouts of Ulxa men and women, rallying cries that cut through the clamoring. They rush past me, raising their obsidian swords, unperturbed with the mortifying sight of these unreal monsters destroying their city. The moment pushes me forward. In my chest, a fire of my own kindles, encouraged by the valor of the Ulxa warriors, and determined to rise to the challenge set forth by this enemy.

Braving the flames and the danger, Ulxa warriors clash with the beasts. But their efforts seem almost futile against such supernatural ferocity. Every swipe of a fiery claw, every bite of scorching teeth, brings ruin and suffering. Though they valiantly strike at the creatures, they're brought to a grizzly demise, as the monstrous beasts slash and shred them apart with ease.

Then, my gaze is drawn to a solitary structure that defies the chaos consuming its city: the temple. Unlike the surrounding tinderbox of wooden homes and market stalls now falling to the flames, the temple stands resolute. The only building constructed of stone, it endures the catastrophe taking place among the land that cradles it. Rising high from the ground are large columns of bronze statues, twinkling radiantly amidst the horrific scene that surrounds them. Though they're too far away to confirm this, they appear to be beset throughout with various precious gemstones of all shades and hues.

As we dash through the streets, the heat at our heels intensifies. The ground beneath us feels as if it's about to melt away. Manifesting from the flames, the dogs close in, each snarl sending embers scattering into the air. Though not of flesh and bone, their paws leave the ground scorched in their wake as they rumble towards us with unnerving speed. With every glance back, I see their fiery eyes, like molten coals, fixated on us. They leap over obstacles with ease, their flames undiminished by the small sputtering of rain.

The city's defenders struggle against the tenacity of the Eye in the Flame's fire dogs. Though their ranks are quickly dismantled, the Ulxa warriors persist, determined to shift the fate of this battle in their favor. Overwhelming booms that reverberate throughout the entirety of Analoixan rattle my bones, and explosions of nearby balls of fire momentarily illuminate the city with an ominous orange glow.