Tales of a Shifter (P6) - Child of Sun & Moon

Chapter 54 - The Broken City

The Broken City

The skies above were still grey and puffy with rain, but for the moment the only things that danced down from the skies above were pale grey sunlight, and slightly more icy winds. For the first time in hours, or days the outline of a celestial body sat, sunken and overcast in the lower left of the eastern skies, stretched over the heavens.

Ann couldn't see over or down the sides, and she knew she would have to walk for leagues before she could reach the edge, but she had a strong feeling that if she could walk to the edge of the plateau that she would be able to look down at the large unwelcoming dark green leaves of the Wirmist Forest, and then somewhere below that she could imagine the muddy basin that she, Jacob and Brandon had first landed in when they first arrived in Ishtar.

Some miles or leagues below that would be the rest of the Mountain, yawning upwards from the base of the earth in the mist enshrouded lands to the east of their world.

Anns eyes stung as she looked forwards and her eyes traced the thin layers of lime, dusted over some of the steps, and some massive cracks that were crawling over the stone making what once had to have been a pristine display of craftsmanship, give off an aura of brittle age.

Jacob almost pulled her off her feet as he rushed her towards the steps. Every step increased her discomfort and made her more and more aware of the pain in her legs, she was sure that unless the hurt was tended to by a skilled healer, she would have lasting damage to the nerves and tendons. But she knew that it didn't matter so she pressed on...until they crested the stone steps....and her eyes were met with one of the most astonishing sights of her lifetime.

For so long Ann had lived under the earth and exulted the Base of the Brotherhood, her home from the moment she had been led to Mana. For a sister the Base was an architectural marvel of mortal willpower, and a feat of Alchemical genius that she knew had taken decades if not centuries to perfect.

To have the Mana, and to be able to carve the stones, slate and magma and then transmute hundreds of tons of solid mass matter into a elaborate and intricate labyrinth that house some ten thousand souls was nothing to be scoffed at. Not to mention that there were at least four other Brotherhood Bases all over the world that were home to the other Twenty-Five Thousand Plus Mana Users lived, sequestered away from the eyes of mortal society and Shifters as well.

And yet...in this moment Anns perception of a true marvel was somewhat shaken.

The Space that spread out from the Top of the Staircase was a sprawling metropolis of carved stones, intricate maze like paths and stone ways that arched and carried off far into the dull setting sunlight. The dim skies stole a full vision of the mountain side from her and yet she had to stand in sharp surprise to see the leagues, and miles of obvious architecture that was spread out all over the Plateau.

"Why did you stop?" Jacob snarled quietly beside her, his voice subdued...and somewhat chagrinned.

"Im...im thinking..." Ann whispered in response, she didn't dare took sneak a look at the Lion, but the quiet in his presence next to her let her know that the man was obviously struggling with his own thoughts and feelings and he didn't immediately rush her to go deeper into the seemingly abandoned lands before them.

Some of the carved stones were fashioned in a way forming buildings that had possibly been utilized by small family units. While other stone buildings were built more like basilicas, massive structures that towered off into the skies.

The powerful structures were all in a clear state of disuse, thatch and stone roofs cracked, and crumbling had collapsed into many of the majestic taller structures, and large black cracks in the stone seemed to branch out over most of the stones, making it seem as if the entire sprawling metropolis was on the edge of being blow away by a strong shake of the earth.