Chapter 53: Pushing Into The City

Muscle bound and draped in silk, a figure lounges over an austere stone throne, floating in a void only broken by dancing lights. He smiled. It was a jagged thing, like he had forgotten how congeniality worked. Like he had twisted boredom and frustration into a new shape. Forced them into a box that did not fit.

“Finally.” He savoured the words. Tasting each note on his tongue.

The boy had done it. He’d found out about Honours. The bait had been set, and his hopes were being realised. With a click of his fingers a mote of light darted out of the swarm, slamming into his forehead. He checked the systems analysis for the thousandth time.

The boy was perfect. An optimal mix of uncommon strength, stubborn will, revelrous aggression, and sheer avarice for power. He was now destined to face the Guardian while unclassed, the temptation of an Honour would be too strong. Especially as his desire grew with more rewards from the system. The figure had no doubt that Kaius would be getting at least one more Honour before his final confrontation. Anything more would require grit, ingenuity, and more than a little luck.

And the Greater Meles! Unawoken bloodline too? He couldn’t have planned it better if he tried. What were the chances? As a pair they were all but assured success.

Finally.

Finally, he would be one step closer to freedom.

….

Kaius peered up at the monolithic grey stone walls that towered over him. They’d broken camp a few hours before, rushing towards the city. Cutting their way through fungal fields and goblin labourers alike.

The city’s fortifications were an imposing thing. He’d only seen one other city wall in person, Deadacre’s. That had been maybe thrice his height, and built from chunky blocks of stone held together by mortar. The dwarven city wall made it look positively ramshackle in comparison. Formed as it was from a single contiguous slab of stone. Matched with the abnormally smooth and perfectly proportioned cavern walls, it was like the entire settlement had been carved from bedrock, cave and all.

Earth magic on a titanic scale, it had to be. He could wrap his head around the Depth’s working such grand thaumaturgy, but if this was modelled after a real place.. How in the hells had they managed it? What sort of level would you need to be to work on that scale? He struggled to imagine even a vaunted third tier classer managing it, even with a dedicated team.

It wasn’t just the size, but the attention to detail as well.

Kaius ran his hands over the wall, feeling the perfectly carved reliefs on its surface. He hadn’t been able to see them from a distance. He probably could’ve when he used Eagle Eye at full power, but he’d been focused on goblins and the Guardian then. Not the walls.

They were so dense. Massive sprawling scenes of battles, forge workshops, and great feats of magic. Nothing was shown in titanic proportions, everything was to scale. At the very least it confirmed that it was a dwarven city, he thought, looking at the carved figure of a stout dwarf in full plate caving in the skull of some monstrosity.

They walked in the shadow of the walls, circling the base of the tiered city. Heading towards a broken portcullis a good hour’s walk around the city’s edge from their starting point. Though there seemed to be few entrances into the interior, he’d only been able to see one gate on their approach – diminutive in comparison to the walls themselves. A city designed for war.

“Do all people live in places like this?” Porkchop asked, staring at the monolithic stone in fascination.

“No.” Kaius shook his head. “Not really. I mean, there might be places of a similar size, and we do use stone, but nothing quite this impressive.”

“That’s so strange. To live all hidden in rock like this. So close together.”

“Surely you must have seen some elven demesnes in the Sea? You mentioned you had met some.” Kaius asked.

“A little. It’s not like this though. They grow their burrows from the trees, still connected to nature. More spread out, too.” Porkchop answered.

“That sounds just as strange and wonderful to me.” Kaius said, imagining what a house grown from a tree could possibly look like. “I hope I get to see it one day.”

“One day. Once we’ve seen everywhere else first. I only just left.” Porkchop reminded him.

“Of course,” Kaius laughed. “It was just an idle thought, plenty for us to explore without retreading ground just yet. Once we escape that is.” As he spoke, he scanned the far off tops of the wall. Flaring Eagle Eye momentarily to bring their crenellated battlements into clear view. He’d been checking for goblins every few minutes, but so far he had yet to spy any.

Yet more evidence that despite its fidelity the Depths did not perfectly reflect the wider world in its biomes. From what he’d heard, if this was a goblin stronghold in truth, they may as well be fighting a two person siege. Even with the level locks, such an assault would have been suicide.

Something to be grateful for, he supposed.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

…

They reached the entrance.

It may have looked small at a distance, it was anything but up close. Towering over them, it had once held a solid steel gate. Once. Now the remnants of the stout barrier were torn and twisted. Burst inwards like so much scrap metal. Cracked and broken, Kaius could see the faint remnants of a grand inscription engraved into the few parts that had fallen outwards from the walls.

The sight gave Kaius pause, slowing his and Porkchop’s approach. What could have done this? Wrought such destruction? Nothing that he had seen when he had looked through the city with Eagle Eye from above. Not even the mighty Guardian at its peak was powerful enough to tear through what looked to be solid enchanted steel a full long-stride thick.

“Do you think what ever did that is still inside?” Porkchop asked with a nervous grumble.

“No.” Kaius shook his head. “I would have seen it. Maybe in the world above some twisted hoard did this, but down here we’re seeing nothing but echoes.”