Age of Dragons Online

Chapter 12: Aledro

Chapter 12

Aledro

            Aledro stopped walking and looked around at the once-bustling city called Kolaria.  Whereas before, Kolaria had been home to about 1,200 players, now fewer than 700 remained, and the loss of almost half of its population had left an unmistakable scar on those that remained.  The battle had ended twelve hours earlier, yet the repercussions were as obvious as an open wound, affecting everyone in a different way.

            Some players were huddled up on the ground, crying at the loss of loved ones or friends, and some had long since cried until their eyes were dry, and now lay curled up on the ground, staring vacantly into space, their eyes telling of more sadness and loss than words ever could.  Some, Aledro was sure, had locked themselves in their houses and were mourning in privacy.  Some people tried to put on a strong face, walking calmly around, talking, and laughing, but often their façade slipped and showed the truth behind their smiles.  Others had thrown their efforts into helping rebuild the city, and were helping reconstruct destroyed buildings and repave the roads to take their minds off of the horrors of the past.  Some of those fortunate enough to not lose anyone they cared about walked around the city, comforting those less fortunate than themselves.  A few players released their feelings of sadness and loss in the form of anger, and several fights had broken out, causing even more destruction.  Most horrible of all to Aledro, however, were the people who seemed completely unaffected by the misery around them, ignoring those in grief as though those who had suffered were somehow inferior and weren’t even worth a glance.

            Aledro began walking once more, looking around until he saw a restaurant that seemed intact and in business, then walked in.  It was a somewhat small restaurant, but was filled with people, in part due to the lack of open restaurants after so much destruction and lives lost.  People who had lost their homes also drifted about, wandering aimlessly around with nothing to do other than talk with others.

            Aledro looked around for a place to sit, and saw that all of the tables were taken, and there didn’t seem to be anyone to show him to a table, so he walked around for a minute before approaching a table that a lone man was seated at.  “Do you mind if I sit here?” he asked the man, who looked up at Aledro before saying “Sure.”

            Aledro sat down opposite the man, and there was silence between them until a waiter took his order.  After the waiter had left, the man looked up, letting Aledro get a good look at his face.  He appeared to be a man in his late thirties or early forties, and a small amount of gray was dispersed throughout his blond-brown hair.  He was very muscular, sort of like how Aledro pictured boxers or lumberjacks, and had tanned skin that looked as though it had received a lot of sun.  He was wearing a slightly frayed T-shirt and faded jeans, and had strikingly blue eyes.  He carried himself with the sort of poise that demands respect, and had a very large longsword strapped onto his back.

            “So, were you in the battle yesterday?” the man asked, breaking the silence.  “Oh, my name’s Carrak, by the way.”

            “Hi Carrak, I’m Aledro,” Aledro responded, slightly startled by the random question and information.  “And no, I was not, I only just came into the city a few minutes ago.  Were you here?”

            “Yes, I was,” Carrak responded.  “I lost my younger brother in that fight, and barely survived myself.”

            “I’m… sorry to hear that,” Aledro said, not quite sure how to respond.

            “It’s fine, it’s not your fault,” he reassured.  “No, it is someone else’s fault,” Carrak said darkly, his voice suddenly full of malice and hatred.  “The person at fault is that evil player who infiltrated the city, and his name is Nadran.”