The impression from the dome Ru’ark had weaved around them was slight as the ground remained untouched at their feet the rest of the ground was littered with rubble and crushed plant life.
Nelina’s brows creased as the low ringing sound filling her ears began to fade away while her lungs drew in the hot sticky humid air from the swamp jungle. After squinting a few times she determined numerous buildings were swallowed by heavy overgrown vegetation which to her appeared as a blanket of vines. She wondered what gross snakes and other crawling things were under it. The Morning Light streamed past the jagged fragments of the arches of the portal which had once been the sister to the one they had used in Kiffet. “When we left it was night, how is it morning here, I thought it was mere minutes, but it’s obvious it wasn’t.”
Ru’ark’s eyes darted between the vegetation covered buildings which made up what was left of once the open square around the portal, assessing it for the slightest danger. “Time can be odd to say the least it was caused by the weaving.” When he had assessed that their surroundings were safe his immediate attention went back to her to be sure she suffered no ill-effects. “Are you alright?” His hands cupped her face, and then ran them over her shoulders.
“I am,” she frowned. “These things we’ve been using in our journey have some defects I see?”
“In a way,” His eyes swept across her a final time to be sure that she was not hurt. “The portals were created with the power of both the Waraeu working together. Activating it with only a single part of that power will send it surging back into the Magus, killing them where they stood.” He spoke with a measure of pride regarding what he had achieved. “What I did was intensify its failure by forcing it to feed back into itself instead of letting it come back at me. When others before me had tried a similar feat they attempted to control the power as compared to what I did.” His hand brushed away some of the straggling hair from her face. “What we did was similar to riding a wave of the ocean to the shore, we rode the surge of the portals destruction, rather than wrestle the bull we rode it. It’s what I did to come to these lands and it has worked again.”
Nelina took another deep breath, the swampy air held strange sounds with unknown birds giving their calls to have them returned in multitudes as their chorus is joined by the other larger stranger animals announcing themselves. The fragile buildings did not appear damaged by their sudden arrival. The vegetative growth was so overgrown that one could not see the building underneath it. She sighed dreading the experience ahead.
Ru’ark’s arm slipped around her with a quick squeeze. “We should get going as to not waste the day’s light we have a great deal of ground to cover, it could take a day, perhaps two, for us to reach our destination.”
“A day, perhaps two, you’re serious?” she could not hide her shock. “It’s going to take us that long?” She had not thought it would take days to reach this place.
Reaching down Ru’ark picked up the sack that Rueben had prepared for them with Nelina’s sword silver handle jutting from its top. “Indeed, this city in its glory would have held over twelve times the population of Danthamore.” Handing Nelina her sword, Ru’ark held open the bag allowing her to remove her armor, which left the sack almost empty with the exception of a few provisions remaining at its bottom. “It’s going to be treacherous to say the least as we go through the area.”
“Well, I’m glad I have my armor and sword for it.” Setting her armor and sword down on a piece of rubble next to her, her fingers loosened the laces from her bodice.
Without Nelina needing to ask, Ru’ark helped her slip out of her dress and get into her armor.
It didn’t take long for her to change, with Ru’ark helping her and she was grateful since she did not have Claire’s help.
After Ru’ark buckled the last remaining strap for her, she scooped up the sack and stuffed her dress where her armor had been. She fastened her sword to her hip and handed the bag to him.
“I think I’m ready.”
The bag with a quick motion disappeared into the folds of his blue robe, and his fierce blue eyes held their gaze on Nelina. “Remember to be cautious Sweetling, I can’t foresee what lies ahead and I doubt the Nivecus have left their previous home unguarded.” He already disliked the oppressive feel of the place, the Waraeu within him were reacting trying to warn him of the unseen dangers. The whole of the ancient city had a feel of wanting to expel him from the place.
“I will, I promise.” She intended to do her best to use the skills Adar and Elian had taught her.
“Good,” Ru’ark led them both over the rubble of the portal and away from the open square to one of the nearby paths. He glanced up at the sun and then focused on the path ahead between two of the vegetation covered buildings. “This road is we will need to follow.”
She imagined the road without all the wretched overgrowth. “It seems far too narrow than to hold more than a cart. How did they manage to bring goods from one end of the city to the other?”
He smiled at her curiosity. “They had their ways, and this city was built using a weaving which was done by fusing the energies of both Waraeu together. It was said they could travel in a similar fashion to the way we did with the portals. However, I believe there were substantial differences in comparison to the one we used.”
“Hmm, makes sense, I suppose.” She kept close to him while heading deeper down the path he insisted was once a road.
Ru’ark stopped when they came upon an intersection with a fallen tree. From here he needed to choose their direction as there were six different pathways to consider.
She stood quiet so that he could think undisturbed of where to go next, she hated this and the faster they got there the sooner it would be done. She pursed her lips together, she would not complain about petty things, such as how she hated the vines, water, and the smell of the place. Her big fear was water in her boots and having to walk the entire day wearing them sopping wet. Bending down, with a gloved hand, she plucked a purple bloom from a vine. Its petals had spiky plant hairs, and there was no pleasant fragrance either, she tossed it on the ground.
Ru’ark shot another glance upward to the sun. “This is the one we should take if my estimations are right.” He resumed walking with her to the open road across from the large tree lying on the ground.
They came up to what was, at one time, was yet another intersection with more fallen rotting trees with low hanging stringy vegetative growths. It reminded Nelina of some of the childhood stories she had heard from her mother before she had died.
Ru’ark’s arm darted out in front of her signaling her to stop. He pointed to his left and whispered “There,”
Her eyes followed to where he was pointing and then nodded when it was in her sight. Down the length of one of the small streets there was a black shape of substantial size sunning itself on the tree. It was by far the largest cat Nelina had seen. There were large cats in the forests of Pinza but none compared to this one cleaning itself with its massive legs draped over the tree limbs. In Pinza, the cats had a snub tail and a striped color to them and were around the size of a dog, but none were close to this creature’s height and width.
“Let’s leave him to that area” Ru’ark with a light tug drew her off to the right as they made their way toward another vegetation covered path.
By the time the sun reached its highest point, the road brought them out into what was once a plaza instead of one of the numerous intersections they had encountered thus far. The ancient city’s plaza crawling with vines rivaled Danthamore’s slave square in size.
“Over here Sweetling,” Ru’ark had a light smile at seeing the fountains still functioning millennia later. “You need to replenish yourself after walking in this heat.” He summoned forth his power and with it came the black tendrils which wove itself into a vessel for drinking. He brought it to his own mouth first to ensure it was safe to drink. Satisfied that the water was not contaminated, he brought it to her lips.
“Thank you,” she was grateful for the opportunity to refresh herself before pressing on, but she did not want to linger. If she kept going perhaps he would see a suitable place and want to stop- here though was not it.
Ru’ark let the cup dissipate and then checked the position of the sun. “I believe we need to head this way.” He walked with Nelina across the wide open plaza whose only visitors these days were squawking birds and other native wildlife. Going down another of the small vine entangled streets, they managed to get a few hundred paces before they both came to a sudden stop from a high pitched sound that caused him to wince. He could tell it was not an animal or human.
Nelina’s hands went to cover her ears the noise was ear-splitting. Her eyes darted around when out of nowhere a giant amorphous floating blob with thin grayish white tendrils rushed toward them. It was suspended in the air it was similar to a puppeteer holding a marionette, yet there were no strings to pull.
Ru’ark pushed Nelina behind him putting himself between it and her. His hands with an incredible speed brought forth dark tendrils of his own as his eyes took on their familiar blackness and he stepped closer towards it forming a shield against it.
Nelina flew backward by a good few feet and then jumped up. Before she could take a solid step, the orb had closed half the distance between Ru’ark and it in the blink of an eye. Its white tentacles lashed out toward him. She sought to help and started toward him, but was stopped by another sharp sound similar to earlier. Without warning, the building at her side came crashing down with chunks of debris as another orb flew out to join its mate. If it wasn’t for quick reflexes she would have been dead from the building collapsing. She was not left unscathed as it managed to knock her down. She gritted her teeth and pushed off the rubble tugging at her, and jumped up prepared to help Ru’ark.
“Another one.” Ru’ark holding one at bay, prepared for the onslaught of the other orb racing at him.
The falling building debris created too great of a barrier with the mingled vegetation for Nelina to cross. She could hear the muffled sounds from beyond, and as much as she wanted to panic her training kicked in, panicking would not help anything or him. Getting to Ru’ark was her priority. She spun on her heel and backtracked toward the plaza pausing for a brief moment to get her bearings at the fountain she had drunk from earlier. Her green eyes surveyed the surrounding streets to estimate which one would lead her back to Ru’ark. She did not take long to choose and started to sprint down one of the other paths until her steps froze from the roar she heard and the muscular oversized black cat blocking her path only steps away. Anger snapped at her thoughts she did not have time for this beast, her hand reached down to pull free her sword but instead found empty air. Her mind flashed back to where she had fallen in the pile of stones and rocks, it must have come loose then. She recalled that she had felt a tugging at the time, but she had dismissed it, being too focused on the thought of getting to Ru’ark.
The large cat crouched, a guttural growl deep from its chest as it made ready its attack. Its fierce eyes took the slightest movement from Nelina as its opportunity to attack with its sharp claws bared.
Nelina braced for the attack as the large beast lashed out with its paw extending its claws to the full length of a finger. Its claws raked across her abdomen and her armor took the brunt of the strike, leaving three slash marks from its claw. She could not let that happen again if she wanted to make it back to Ru’ark. With another fierce roar the giant cat again stood poised to try again. This time, instead of surprise filling her mind, she let it slip to the stillness she had learned from her countless hours spent with Adar. A complete calm filled her mind, and this time when the creature’s claws swiped at her head this time she was no longer there when its paw swept through the air. Animal or not, she had learned to follow an attacker and to move before the strike. She could see the beast was wiggling its bottom and preparing itself to pounce. This was her opportunity; she watched its muzzle twitch while leaping for her. With its strength propelling it forward, she ducked and rolled in its direction and kept low. Her hours of training had increased her speed and agility and she tumbled past the creature as it landed behind her. The path ahead was clear, but she turned to be ready for the cat’s next strike.
Its large paws paced a few steps before giving a dismissive roar of defeat after deciding she was not an easy enough prey and ran off into the plaza from whence it had come.
Wasting no time she made haste down the street until it brought her to an intersection with three ways to take. She could hear the sounds of Ru’ark’s battle while debating in her thoughts which way to go. She was forced to raise her arm to shield her eyes from the flash of blinding light accompanied by a crackling which sounded like thunder coming from the path ahead of her. Struggling with her vision, she bolted up the path where the flash had originated. The blurriness in her eyes faded and returned to normal as she came closer to where Ru’ark was and she could see him. Ru’ark was locked in combat with a single remaining orb creature, she figured the blinding flash must have signaled the defeat of the other.
The remaining orb pressed hard into the shadow shield surrounding Ru'ark forcing him back as his hands push out the smoky dark tendrils sustaining the shield.
She stood there helpless, there was no possible way for her to do anything. She could see as dozens of tendrils probing at Ru’ark’s shield, searching for any opening or weakness. She clenched and unclenched her fists as she watched a single thin wisp pierce his defenses slicing his cheek before his shield solidified around it.
Ru’ark glanced at Nelina and their eyes caught for a brief second. He was glad she was smart enough to stay back and did not interject herself into this. Devoting his full concentration back to the battle, he had a plan. With all of his strength, he forced his power outward bending the shield away from himself to instead envelope the orb wisp followed by the rest of it in its entirety leaving none of it exposed.
Nelina prayed in silence to the God of All to protect him, she was worried for his safety. These things were brutal in their assault and she could see the strain on his face. She wondered how long he would be able endure it, for as powerful as he was, he was a mortal with a mortal’s limitations.
The creature now captured, allowed him to transfer his weaving to his off hand. Holding the creature captive with a single hand, his other hand and fingers moved with a mesmerizing speed as the blackened tendrils shaped into what resembled a spear several feet above the trapped orb. With a sharp motion using his free hand, he released his hold on the orb, and the creature appeared unsure of what to make of it, before it could react Ru’ark’s spear drove deep into the orb until it touched the vines on the ground beneath.
Nelina as before had to shield her eyes from another blast of blinding light worse than the last time. She squinted her eyes tight and when she opened them she found last of the orb’s tendrils disintegrating leaving behind shattered pieces resembling glass or crystal. She wasted no time in running to him and hugging him “You are okay,” she did not want to let go her voice cracked with emotion. “I was afraid I might lose you.”
“Shh,” he held her close for a moment with a half-smile. “Worry not Sweetling, I had things well under control.”
Feeling reassured she let go of him. “I’m sorry I could not be of better help, I wish I had these Waraeu inside of me, perhaps then I would have been able to do so.”
He planted a quick kiss to her forehead. “You did fine, I didn’t have to worry about harm coming to you and I was able to focus my attention on them. I do think we should search out a spot to sleep tonight though.”
“I’m fond of that idea,” her mind shot back to losing her sword. “I need to find my sword I lost it when that building collapsed.”
“We’ll go there first then.” He knew that the sword held sentimental meaning for her. Besides being a gift from Elian, it was a symbol of her having skill as a warrior and how far she had come into her own, it was also a mark of her achievement.
They went back to the rubble and searched it for any possible hint of her blade. It was not until the onset of the setting sun that she at last caught a glint of her sword pinched between several fallen chunks of broken stone. “Found it.”
“Good,” Ru’ark was glad she had located it so they could be on their way. With nightfall fast approaching, they needed to find a suitable shelter. He led the way passing by several buildings stretching up toward the twilight sky. After winding down another street or two, his eyes settled on a small tower structure buried underneath the green vines.
Ru’ark withdrew his dagger and cut away the overgrown vegetation from what he guessed was the doorway. Once he was satisfied he had cleared away enough, he gave a hard, sharp, push to force the door open leading inside. “We’ll sleep in here.”
Nelina with a happy nod went in, she was thankful to at last be done with the day’s walking. Her eyes were not yet adjusted to the darkness as she stepped into the room. What little shreds of light were coming in was from the open doorway and pinpricks through the thick vegetation covering the window. “It’s creepy how the vines cover everything, but I think you chose well for a place to rest tonight.”
“Glad you approve.” Ru’ark stepped in, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and then produced the sack from beneath the folds of his robes. “I have to do a weaving in order to protect us from the city guardians while we sleep. Perhaps while I’m doing that you can start on everything else?”
She smiled, accepting the sack. “I would love to,” she watched him close the door which left only his silhouette from the lack of light.
Ru’ark’s hands rose up as he summoned his power. The smoky essence trickled out from his fingers slithering up the walls and encompassing the entire room. No ray of sunlight remained after his weaving. One last tendril coiled up to the middle of the ceiling which created an eerie lantern with an unnatural glow illuminating the room.
The odd light filling the room allowed Nelina to take in her surroundings. The area was simple and had no other chamber except the one they were in. The walls were not quite stone. They had the density and hardness of regular stone yet they were similar to clear quartz in her opinion. She started undoing her armor, and was grateful when Ru’ark stepped over to help her.
Ru’ark’s brows furrowed in worry as his hand touched the midsection portion of her armor concerned. “What happened here?”
“That oversized black cat creature attacked me.” Shrugging it off, she undid the last strapping of her armor with a playful grin. “I’m not injured, I’d be complaining about it if I was.”
“You’d better,” with a handsome smile he pulled her close giving her a quick kiss. “We should get to unpacking.”
“We should,” smiling, she took out a small blanket from the sack and spread it across the floor.
Ru’ark after helping her with the some of the tasks bid her to join him and poured the contents of the wine flasks into their travelling cups. “There you are Sweetling.”
“Thank you,” she took the cup from him, while her thoughts returned to the day’s earlier events. “Do you know what those awful round beings are that attacked you today?”
“They were unpleasant to say the least,” he took a slice of the smoked meat she had taken out. “From what I know, the white orb is the energy of the life essence from a Magus of the Nivecus Waraeu.” He slipped the meat into his mouth.
“Like a Soul?” her eyes widened in surprise.
He nodded as he finished chewing. “Yes, it is said that the Magus goes through a ritual and gives his life to be bonded with the city. In turn, he retains no memory of his former self, and instead has a new purpose with a focus on protection.”
She frowned, “How horrific.” Her mouth bit into her piece of the stale bread.
“Indeed,” he sipped his water. “I had not anticipated them. This practice was forbidden in Aghadine even before the Great War because of what it does to the Waraeu within the Magus who undergoes the process.”
“Will we face more of those things?” She hated being helpless to do anything against them.
“I have no doubt that we will,” A coy confident smile spread across his face, “But I have an idea for how to deal with them, if they function the way that I believe they do.”
She swallowed down her last bite of food she had taken. “That’s a relief, and I pray we don’t face worse then.”
He set down his cup. “The enemy I faced today was unexpected, and I’m sure we will face other obstacles and lurking enemies.”
“I’ve been thinking, those things paid me no mind, perhaps I should go alone?” She plopped the piece of hardened cheese into her mouth.
“Have you gone mad?” Both of his brows shot upward, “You think I am going to let you go on by yourself? I’m already not keen on sending you into the Ortus Chamber without me.”
“I- well,” she became teary-eyed. “I cannot bear the thought of you hurt.”
“Nor I you,” he moved closer and brought her into his embrace. “Your affection and love are very touching, which is my heart belongs to you Sweetling.” He gave her a quick kiss on her head. “But this isn’t something I am willing to discuss any further.” He gave her a light squeeze and then let her go.
Nelina accepted his answer too much had already happened this day and she had no intention of arguing with him. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m quite tired.”
“I could use some rest.” He finished off the last part of his food.
When their evening meal was over, they packed the remainder away and made themselves comfortable for the night’s sleep. Ru’ark extinguished the strange light, and Nelina laid against his chest trying not to fret over what tomorrow would hold. She closed her eyes and after a while she succumbed to her own weariness. After he heard her slow rhythmic breathing indicating she was asleep, he let himself do the same.