The city of Midrod -part 1

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In the history books the year 1127e2 is often called the ”Dark Year”. The year begun with Mes'Okreber spitting out fire. Ash and smoke filled the sky, covering the whole known world in darkness. The world of Helitheren fell in a coma like state. Hunger and sickness spread like wildfire. But in the North a city seemed unaffected by these circumstances.  That city was like in another world. There was enough food produced to be exported to the hungry masses in the South. But in the streets of southern cities rumors and conspiracy theories filled the minds of people. The source of the high amount of food in the North must be produced by magic, and surely the mountain's rage was produced by the same people, for the food was not free at all. Someone in the North was making a huge amount of profit. To have that much food could only mean the Northern people were prepared for the year of darkness. So most historians recorded the Northern people as responsible for the misery of the people in the South. In the same history records the following year marked as the beginning of a new era. The year begun with the Southern people standing united at the gates of the Northern city Midrod, demanding the control of all the food storage. What happened next was a blank page in history. Our story take place at the seventh year of the third era. A lone man, standing at the ports of the same city. His name was Myrosi.

He didn’t have much on him. He had rugged clothes, a sack with some moldy bread and some dry edible roots, he had the appearance of a beggar. His arms were sunburnt, but his face was strangely pale. Around the city was a large wall, partly in ruins. Old siege constructions lay unorganized all around it. Some parts of the wall had crumbled, and the holes were filled with stone heaps and clay. On a hill to the west in the city was a castle, half standing, half in ruins. Through the city flowed a large river, dividing the city in two parts. On the east side of the river was a grand white wall, twice the height of the one Myrosi was located at. He had been standing there for a while now, shouting and bashing at the gate. He had almost lost hope on getting inside city, but going back was not an option. He had barely survived a goblin attack on his way here, and the goblins knew where he was now.

After a long time, the gates finally opened, a limping short guard stepped out to question Myrosi.

-“So, what is your business, traveler?”  The guard asked.

”I’m here to search the ruins, and take shelter from the goblins.” Myrosi answered.

“Oh, another one that doesn’t seem to value his life… Traveling alone through goblin infested lands and going to search the ruins? That’s like stepping from the pan to the fire… Well, it’s not my business, and of course, everything you can salvage from there is an enormous gift to our people. Just hear my warning though:  Don’t try to smuggle anything out without the authorities knowing. Every treasure seeker should report at the salvage office, at town square. If not, I will be sent to retrieve you, from wherever in the world you escape to. And know that in the war, I took down a hundred of the likes of you!” The guard said with a grin on his face.

Myrosi just ignored the provocative and arrogant parts, nodded and went in to the city. He was determined on his goal, and arguing with a guard would not help him at all. Despite the war was seven years ago, the impact of it could still be seen in the city. Not a single bridge had been repaired over the river dividing the city, and half of the houses stood still in ruins.

Myrosi found after a while his way to the town square. Despite the abandoned feeling the city emitted, the town square was as lively as in any big town, with people buying and selling food and items. Despite being so far in north, the market offered any kinds of foods any Southern city had to offer. After a while of searching, Myrosi found the “salvage office” the guard had mentioned. It consisted of a tent in the marketplace, between a fisherman’s booth and a butchers booth, making an abrupt difference to the surrounding. Myrosi stepped inside. A old white bearded man in an old, loose leather robe appeared.

“Another fortune seeker?” He asked, but without waiting for an answer he continued talking. 

“You see, I can see in a person's eyes what he seeks, and I just know you are here to seek a treasure in the ruins. So, may I inquire what you are seeking? Immortality? Riches? Power? Or perhaps…  a recipe to a deadly poison? If that is the case, you have indeed come to the right place.” Said the man in the robe.

“Well, good, I’m not far off. I would like to hire your best guide to the ruins. But what I’m seeking, is not of your concern” Myrosi answered.

The old man in the robe looked rather disappointed. 

“Rather rude are we? Well, if you don’t want to tell me now it’s fine. But remember that you have to come and show me everything you take from the ruins, and I have the right to confiscate it if I want. Of course, we will pay you an appropriate sum if that is the case. And I really advise not to try smuggle anything out of the city. Our guards are a dedicated bunch, and will hunt you down to the ends of this world if necessary. I’ll show you our best guide, but it will cost you 60 percent additional for everything of monetary value you take with you from the ruins.”

Myrosi was not pleased with the term, but he knew that going to the ruins was really not recommended without a guide. He followed the old man, out from the tent, right to a market booth, which sold different kind of weapons.  

“Hi there, Salena.  I have a treasure hunter for ya!”- the old man shouted. “Too late, I already have someone to guide” -  a female voice replied from the tent.  A young maiden stepped out from the tent. “Awww, come on… You can guide them both! This one agreed to my terms, without any conditions of his own.” – the old man said with a smirk. “Agreed to your terms, you say? Truly, there are naïve people in this world.” The young maiden answered. ”And what do you offer to me, old man, for guiding your customer?”

"Could you just go with the usual reward...?”, the old man asked with a pleading voice.

”Hey, you know how big risk I'm taking here,  guiding two not only doubles, but triples the risk.”

“You will be my death someday, you know I too take big risks while offering my services.”

“And you gain tons on the deal, double or no guiding”, Salena insisted.

Myrosi looked confused, he had no idea what they were talking about, but it didn’t matter to him much.

After some time of wild arguing, Salena and the old man seemed to agree on some terms, and Salena gestured to Myrosi to follow her. “You know, I can guide you the safest way, but I cannot guarantee your safety. So when we are in danger, you must obey my every word like orders from a king”. 

Myrosi didn’t react to Salenas words at all.

“Hey, are you listening? Do you agree, or not?” Salena inquired. Myrosi ignored her statement again. Salena seemed annoyed at first, but didn’t start to argue. “Well, it’s not my problem if you end up dead…” she added.

She led him through small alleys, through ruined houses and to the river. Well, I assume that you aren’t unprepared, since you come this far. We should meet another seeker here somewhere after a quarter of a day, so be sure to be here by then, because my other client seems to be in a hurry.

“Sure” Myrosi answered rapidly. 

“Oh, you can talk, I started to think you were a mute or something, since you didn’t make a single sound till' now”

He didn’t answer her…

Salena went to get some supplies for the journey, and Myrosi sat down to wait for their departure. Maybe here, he thought, he would find what he was searching for. His eyes wandered on the white wall across the river. The walls was as white as the snowy mountain tops he had seen so many of during his journey. Large white towers seemed to merge with the white clouds above. But he knew, despite the beautiful and peaceful appearance, a dangerous shadow lurked inside those walls. He had heard the whispers and rumors about the events seven years ago. When the united armies of the southern people reached inside those walls, there were not a single person left in the city. No enemy army, not a single opposing soldier or guard, not a single elderly man or woman left in their homes, no beggars on the street or any other civilians.

But still, the city was far from theirs, since that creature was still there. After just a quarter of a day, the whole army, biggest in all of history till that day, was crushed. Trained soldiers fled in panic, and left the conquered city behind them. These soldiers ignored their duty, to the Kings, and nations, at the risk of execution by their own people, and deserted. But after the war no one of the soldiers were persecuted, instead every survivor were considered as heroes, since they had encountered a power above those of all mortal men, and survived.

And here Myrosi sat, prepared to depart inside those same white walls, where an unspeakable terror lay in wait.  He could easily question his own sanity for doing this. But inside his mind, a blaze of fire and screams echoed. He remembered again clearly why he was on this journey, and his determination did not falter. Silently he waited till the sun was in position, a quarter on its path to behind the horizon. Soon he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around, to see a man, around his own height, clothed in a black robe and white and blood-red clothes underneath it. On his shoulder he had a marking of a noble family.

“Oh, I didn’t know my travel companion would be a dirty beggar” the man  hissed.

“And I didn’t know my travelling companion would be an arrogant noble”, Myrosi thought silently in his mind. He knew better than many that uttering something out loud that could upset a noble, would mean a lot of serious trouble. 

“Oh! And I didn’t know my customers were an arrogant noble and a coward” 

Salenas voice sounded behind the noble man. 

The man made a quick turn, and if a sight could kill, Salena would be more than dead. But then he just nodded his head, and responded in a graceful manner.

“Forgive me, my lady. I assure you my intention was just to give constructive advice to this peasant, on how to dress in front of a fair lady like you”, the man answered in a low voice.

Myrosi was a little confused about the noble man’s reaction. He had never seen a noble react to a non-noble like that. Did his reaction mean that Salena, their guide was also a noble?

“Well, boys? I assume you know what you are going to meet on the other side of the river, so I also assume you have prepared to face and embrace hardship and death, pain and your fears becoming flesh and bones in front of you. I, your guide will lead you through them. Your lives will be in my hands, so don’t you ever dare question anything I command you to do.“

Both Myrosi and the noble man nodded eagerly, like small schoolboys on their first lecture. Salena showed the two men to a small rowboat, half full with water and ordered them to climb in and drain it. As a surprise to Myrosi. the Noble man followed Salenas every order. Just awhile later, the trio where crossing the river by boat.  

     

”So, now we have time to properly introduce ourselves. Tell me your names and motives for entering the city. You may call me Salena by the way…”

“I’m Barek, from the Aldruin family and I’m searching for lost wisdom which can turn ordinary coal into diamonds.”

Salena and Myrosi had trouble holding their grin from showing. If such knowledge would really exist, then diamonds would be used everywhere. And everyone could see that coal didn’t resemble diamonds at all.

After Myrosi had bit his lip awhile, he continued with the introduction:

 “Well, my name is Myrosi, and I come from far south. The village I come from don’t exist anymore, so no point in introducing my background. And what I’m looking for… Let’s say that I can tell you when I have found it.” 

The introduction was followed by a long awkward silence. The boat then bumped at the shore.  

“So, what’s the plan?,” Barek asked. 

“Oh, nothing complicated yet, we walk to the open gate, go inside and then run as fast as we can, to the nearest building, hoping that we don’t get ourselves eaten…” Salena explained.

“You mean the gate is open? How come it doesn’t come through, and attack the city?” Myrosi asked. 

Barek, now adapting a less arrogant attitude explained:

 “ Well, during the chaotic war 7 years ago, the monster didn’t pursue the escaping soldiers further than the gate, maybe it considers the wall to be the edge of its turf or something. But since all the inhabitants of the inner city disappeared, no one knows how to operate the gate mechanism, and no one wants to stay inside those walls long enough to research how it’s done. And a gate that big probably needs tens of operators, and a group that large would be discovered by that beast in a short moment. And if they would manage to operate the gate, they would have to shut themselves inside those walls, together with the beast, thus dooming themselves. And then there’s the fact that these walls aren’t a hindrance to the beast at all. Maybe it’s some kind of spell that protects the outer city. Nobody really knows. But only a few dares to live with the risk, so thus half of the outer city is empty.”

“I appreciate your history lesson, but could you keep your voice a little bit lower from now on? The beast can hear you miles away if you talk as loud as you just did” Salena comments. 

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t realize that”, Barek whispered with a voice so silent, that Myrosi nor Salena could hear him.

After a while, the trio stood on the side of the gate, a solid metal gate, over 10 meters high. It was slightly open. Salena explained silently her plan in detail to them. When she gave the mark, they would run. Run through the gate, in the direction of the nearest building. And if the they would encounter the beast, they would split in three directions, allowing at least two of the group to escape alive. 

“On mark of three, we run” Salena added.

“Three...” Myrosi was suddenly well aware of how strong the scent of sweat was from them. 

“Two…”

 He started to wonder about the wind direction. Was their location already compromised? 

“One...”

Did the beast have a good enough hearing to hear their hearts beat? 

“Now!” 

Myrosi had hoped that his legs would be paralyzed by fear, making him unable to follow those two, but no. The gate was now behind them. They were advancing on an open area, all visible, with nowhere to hide. He didn’t know he could run this fast, still the running seemed to have no end. He felt as something was behind them, but he didn’t have enough courage to look back. Just a moment of hesitation could cost his life. He felt as a little kid again, running in pitch dark night, with monsters lurking in the darkness behind him. How come everything was so far away in front of him? Seconds felt like hours. Meters like kilometers, and the bag of supplies Salena had given him just a moment ago, suddenly felt heavy as lead.

-But suddenly it was over. They reached the first building, they rushed inside it, and Salena showed them stairs, which led them in the basement.

They waited a couple of minutes in utter silence. A smile spread on their faces, this time including Barek. 

“We are alive”, he whispered silently. 

“Maybe the rumors about the beast are exaggerated.”

“No, they aren’t. We just had a portion of good luck, that’s all. Let’s wait here for a while. It will probably get our scent, and come to investigate. Whatever you do, stay silent!” Salena added.

And a moment later, they could hear something large moving outside, followed by a loud, very low-pitched growl. Now Myrosi really hoped that it could not hear their hearts beat.

To be continued…

The city of Midrod -part 2

 -Sanlade

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