The Tale Of Sarereth

Sarereth

Sarareth

In the prosperous, militant state of Ytom, the people were happy and care free until a chain of events would rattle the foundations of their society, forever changing their views of the world. It all started in a booming town on the border of certain doom, the Death Zone. The towns name is Infilgrad, named after the Xedillian goddess of harvest, aptly named since it was the main center of harvest in the South eastern region of Ytom. The town itself was the only settlement for 20 miles, so all the farmers around congregated there to sell crops, which were then shipped off to the other regions in Ytom. Although the towns population was quite high, being at 3,000 at the time, everyone knew each other to an extent.

Given the close proximity to the Death Zone, Infilgrad experienced strange weather frequently, like 90 degree weather in the middle of winter (while there was still snow) and the occasional dust storm that would enter the town then retreat back to where it came, usually taking whoever was outside. After the first few times it happened, people were given duties to sit in towers a few miles outside of the town, close to the Death Zone to warn the townspeople when a storm would come, which was extremely effective.

To begin the story, we start in the towns equivalent of a hospital. One of the best doctors in town, Sarereth, was a fair and lovely woman whose father was the head of the town militia. Sarereth was trained from an early age how to fight from her father, and how to heal and mend wounds from her mother, who was lost to the dust storms when Sarereth was 16. When the events unfolded, she was 23 and was a well respected member of the community.

It was a fall day in the city and all the farmers were out harvesting crops, when Sarereth was on her way to work. Before she could get to the doors, she was shocked to see men with very severe wounds being rushed into the hospital. Since she was one of the only doctors on duty, she ran in after them and questioned what had happened. "The dust clouds came and we were taken away, we saw horrifying things in there" one man faintly said as she began treating him. From what she gathered from the man, Sarerath deduced that the men were taken by the dust clouds a few decades before she was born. She was astonished and worried, "What does this mean" she wondered. Before she could question him again, her father burst in and began interrogating the man, whose name was Dobex. Sarerath's father, Vipick, had heard strangers wearing the old militia uniforms had turned up half dead and he wanted to find out what was happening. Dobex said that he and his squad were fighting off bandits in the woods when they were enveloped by a dust cloud, and then appeared in an underground cave system where horrifying creatures, that vaguely resembled men, had subdued them and began torturing them.

Sarerath and Vipick were both astonished and excited, because if what Dobex said was true, there was a chance that Sarerath's mother would still be alive. Sarerath and Vipick argued for two hours over what to do, when Sarerath said "I will lead a small group into the Dust Cloud and hopefully free any still alive" to which Vipick ultimately agreed with. It was two days after the argument that Sarerath set out, having to round up brave souls who were willing to try and put a stop the the Dust Clouds.

When they reached the Dust Cloud, the group were discussing how to handle the expedition when it engulfed them. Sarerath heard her comrades fighting and rushed toward the commotion when suddenly, the Cloud dissipated and she was someplace else. "Hello?" She cried out as she started to explore the room she was in. She heard cries and moaning all around her, but she was alone in a well lit room that resembled a barracks. Suddenly, the doors opened and a hideous man-like beast walked in and spoke in a tongue she didn't understand. The creature realized this and started speaking her language "Do you know where you are?" Said the Creature "No, please tell me so I may leave" Sarerath said. The beast laughed and introduced itself as Ga'estian, "We are underground, the exiled place my people were sent to by yours, centuries ago. But we do not know how your kind keeps getting here." Sarerath was stunned, could she really be underground? In a confused fury, she demanded to see her comrades and mother, to which Ga'estian obliged. It turned out that his people were also confused and suffered similar phenomena where as people were whisked away to the deeper parts of the caves. He promised Sarerath that he would find a way to get them home if she could save his people. "That tunnel leads to the deepest areas, abandoned by us when a cave in occurred, I will have my second in command aid you in your travel but beware, whatever is down there is unlike anything you have seen."

After what seemed like days of walking, Sarerath finally reached the forgotten city, where the cave in occurred. She spotted a creature stalking them from the shadows and drew her sword. Her aid, Ke'las,(a man who was too arrogant for his own good) fled after seeing it. Sarerath scoffed and charged for an attack. The creature took the blow and stood, turning into a massive beast two stories tall, with broken shards of swords and arrows covering it body. It's teeth were many and razor sharp, it spoke in a voice that sounded like many "Oh, another mortal? So soon?" Sarerath ripped her sword out of it and ran for cover in an alleyway. She noticed the buildings were old and falling apart, when the creature was close enough, she set off an old powder keg near the front of the building and ran out the back. The building fell on the creature and knocked it down. Sarerath seized the opportunity and rushed it. She jumped onto its head and drove her sword into its head, and as quickly as the battle began, it was over. With its dying breath, the creature honored Sarerath's heroism and granted her the ability to leave the caves with her kinsmen.

When Sarerath returned, Ke'las was being scolded by Ga'estian for fleeing in front of an outsider, and all her comrades and her mother were waiting. Her mother was proud of the woman Sarerath grew up to be and thanked her for rescuing everyone. After Sarerath and her kinsmen left, Ga'estian threw a party for finally being able to reclaim their lost cities and vowed to find a way to walk on the surface again. On the surface however, Sarerath discovered that the world had changed while she was gone, for it was 5 years in the future. While nothing bad had happened in between the time she left and returned, she had an uneasy feeling that persisted until she died, was it possibly the soul of the creature she fought, silently waiting for the day she died to consume her life force? Or was it protecting her?