L [o/i] ve is a journey

How To Kill A Dragon Slime | Left Behind

Heat.

A boiling, blistering, blazing heat.

Lunaris took the last item off his list and carefully kept himself in the shadows. Amazingly, the hooded coat that he wore really kept him from the boiling, blazing, and blistering heat, just not from the heat itself.

It felt like standing close to an open fire, warm, even hot, but not as hot to break out in a sweat. All he had to do was to meet Nerivie at the gate.

*

The Eastern gate was a large, but not the largest gate of the city. Towering over most of the buildings, and decorated with elaborate carvings the doors of the gate were swung open during the day like the city itself threw its arms open to visitors and embrace them in greeting. The current of visitors, merchants and travellers coming in and out was constant, and their number impressive.

Lunaris went around, trying to find Nerivie.

There were too many people around, and he could not find her in the flow of people gathering from all sides into one current of people.

She wasn't there.

A familiar feeling clasped for his heart: Anxiety. The cold feeling of being left behind attacked him from the shadows, and grasped him to pull him down into the darkness again.

No. No. She wouldn't do that! Think! She said she was waiting at the gate. This is the eastern gate! maybe, you just got her wrong and she went to the Northern or Southern gate! That would make sense! It's the direct trade route, and you normally enter or leave there. He thought, trying to calm himself down.

But the feeling wasn't going away, it didn't give up. Lunaris had to prove himself she was there. He had to see the other gates.

The steps he took in this heat were quick, quicker than usual. He had to see. He had to find her. There was no way, no way she left him behind!

He nearly ran through the streets, dodged oncoming people, avoided running into a few people more than once, and did his best to ignore the pressing feeling of fear.

It was, as he was running away from it, torwards that sharp tip that marked the North Gate of Khaleria. While the eastern gate was impressive, the north gate was really stately, making the city walls look part of a palace. Even if, at close inspection, the decor's details didn't hold against the passing of time, it was well maintained and sturdy torwards any form of attacker.

Lunaris ran around there, trying to make out her creme cape, and unassuming appearance, her mask, her smile, just anything that gave him the comfort she was waiting here for him.

But she wasn't there.

Where was she? She said at the gate! The Western gate was the one they usually left the city, and if not, the North Gate was their way to go.

He panicked, and felt like he would sufficate.

No. No. This city has gates into all directions, she must still be here!

He turned around, in panic, and ran through the streets of Khalaria, ignoring hills, ignoring any obstactle in his way, ignoring the heat and his hearbeat.

She has to be there! She has to be there! Neri won't abandon me. She won't! Would she?

His thoughts races through his head like he ran torwards the golden emblem of the sun, drawing in people leaving torwards the southern roads. He jumped small walls, caught his speed on corners of houses on paths he turned into to get there, and finally pushed through the people gathering in front of the door.

She wasn't there. Again, Nerivie wasn't there.

He broke down on his knees in exhaustion. The tightness in his chest got worse, and he covered his face, trying not to break down into the tears of panic that dwelled up. It wasn't of use. He was left behind. All he could do was to walk to the last one. Because, why would she wait there? There was nothing in that direction, just sand and desert.

That's right, the western gate wasn't even an actual gate, just a tunnel through the rocks and cliffs, that spat out the few visitors into the heavy heat of the desert, to be eaten boiled by the sun and all the creatures that lived there.

Whoever chose that path would not even be able to see any greenery of the oasis, just rocks, sand, stone, and blistering heat.

Lunaris got himself up.

She wasn't here, but just for him to make sure, he would go and see for himself what he knew in his heart: Nerivie had left him.