Yeah started doing some side stories, instead of posting new chapters I'll just add side stories there. Since side stories are shorter. I'll put it in the author's notes of chapters when I update the amount of side stories.
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Vigil: The Cliffhanger District?
Afigitís: Yeah it's where all the bars in this city are. After you visit it you'll feel like you're hanging off a cliff. Hence the name.
Afigitís eagerly lead Vigil to another part of the city. This new area was filled with humans, elves, and dwarves. Normally the races tend to be a little bit segregated when it comes to the city. They just felt more comfortable with their own people.
But here the lines were much more blurry. Everyone melded together chaotically. Unique sights were to be seen if one looked closely. A human man could be seen kissing a female dwarf, their beards seemingly meshing together. A rare elven prostitute of unknown gender was walking away with a dwarf. A human female was making out with a female elf.
Most of them were stumbling around drunk on Dwarven and human alcohol or Elven drugs. Afigitís laughed at this sight.
Afigitís: The elves know the forests well, there's some plants that create some exotic effects. Unfortunately most elves frown upon them. But more enlightened elves travel out of their forests to sell or use them.
Vigil: That's quite interesting, what do they do?
Afigitís: I don't know, I only need my ale to satisfy me. Most dwarves don't trust those plants for good reason. Amusing to watch those that consume them though. Ah here we are.
Afigitís walked into one of the many bars lining the streets. This one in particular stood out. It was made by dwarves so it was completely metallic, no wood nor stone. It had a reddish and greenish hue to it. Suggesting it was made of copper and iron.
A sign hung outside of the door, also made of metal. It had an image of a sleeping dwarf. Normally sleeping is associated with inns and hotels but dwarves are too paranoid to sleep at places like that. It also had some dwarvish on the sign.
Afigitís: Beware yee who enters, all shall fall none shall pass. That's what the sign says. Makes you feel at home doesn't it? The name of the place is the Fallen Dwarf.
Vigil didn't bother answering him and entered the bar behind him. The interior was littered with extravagant workmanship. Vigil could scarcely believe it was only metal. There were chairs that imitated wood, marble, and even water lying about.
There were mugs flying overhead as the dwarves called for refills. The mugs looked like minecarts, forging molds, and even a normal looking mug strapped to a battle axe. The battle axe mug managed to keep the ale inside using centrifugal force. It whizzed by and slammed into a table covered in deep gouges.
Laughing was heard everywhere from dwarves. They retained none of their usual paranoia and were unusually social. Afigitís climbed onto a chair made of pickaxes and encouraged Vigil to sit across from him.
Vigil sat in a chair made of shovels and rested his hands upon their table. It imitated a rocky plateau with red lines across it making it seem volcanic. But it was cool to the touch.
Afigitís: Bartender toss us two molten lavas.
An unusually hairy dwarf grunted before pouring a yellowish liquid into two mugs. The bartender then tossed the mugs over recklessly, then caught a few mugs being thrown his way.
The mugs landed on their table and the liquid inside splashed upwards before falling right back into the mug. Not a single drop of it fell outside the mug. The mug was shaped like a dwarfish helmet.
Vigil: Quite skillful.
Afigitís: That's nothing, professional dwarf bartenders throw the mugs before filling them up. Also when mugs are tossed back at them they refill them and use the force of the refill to shove it back towards the tosser.
Afigitís then started chugging his ale with glee. Vigil looked into his mug. Inside a yellowish liquid swirling about with red and orange hues mixed in. It looked like actual lava and glowed brightly.
Vigil thinking his immortality would protect him almost started chugging just like Afigitís. But stopped himself when he saw a human start chugging a mug of dwarven ale. He licked his lips satisfied after drinking it. Then his expression changed.
He looked slightly confused then his eyes rolled up. His head hit the table hard and then he fell out of his chair violently.
Vigil: On second thought my immortality is closer to regeneration than immunity. Better to take it slow.
Vigil took a light sip of the ale. The liquid flowed down his throat with a burning sensation. Then the sensation soothed as sweetness filled his mouth. Then what felt like a kick to the balls hit him. He started swaying as everything sped up and spun around.
He shook his head slightly to clear it and hit something hard. He lifted himself up slightly as his vision cleared. His head was resting on the table for some reason.
Afigitís was still chugging a mug of ale. But some of the people in bar had left and others came. Suggesting that some time had passed. Vigil was frustrated by this unexpected weakness. He took up his mug once again and drank a small trickle.
The same sensations came and went. This time Vigil gripped the table and closed his eyes. His disorientation soon passed. Vigil smiled at this success.
~9 hours later~
Darkness floated everywhere. Vigil was swimming in it, not sure where he was. Vigil simply swam in it with no set destination nor anything to mark as a destination. Then real water flowed into the darkness like a flood.
Vigil woke up and started floundering about like a fish out of water. Then stopped as he took in his surroundings.
Afigitís: Congratulations Vigil you're the first human I've met to drink 3 mugs of dwarven ale. Now get yourself dried off. You smelled like piss so I had to throw a bucket of water on you.
Vigil then got up and smelled himself. There was a light scent of his urine on himself. Normally he had good water retention and didn't need to pee often. The ale must have put his systems slightly out of wack.
Afigitís: Wow hangover much, staring off into space there Vigil. C'mon I haven't shown you the other districts.
Afigitís then dragged him all around the city. Showed him all the market districts, the important landmarks, and then a statue. Along the way Vigil bought some new, non wet or piss stained clothes.
The statue had an uncanny resemblance to Vigil without hair. There was enough differences and hair on Vigil so he wasn't recognised. But Vigil realised the statue was based on his appearance. The inscription at the base read Mars, god of war.
Vigil: Someone knows of me and wants me to know it. But bald, naked, and god of war? Did someone survive the battle that day and see me? It explains the location of this town, but why see me as a god. With what I did wouldn't I be seen as a demon?
Just then a priest started spewing out a legend. It was the legend that explained exactly what Vigil was questioning.
Priest: 10 years ago on this very land Mars walked amongst mortal men. He watched the battle between his followers and the heretics fondly. Seeing the scales tipped in the balance of the heretics he decided to take part in the battle.-
Afigitís: Crazy talk from another priest filled with stuff force fed to him. I bet he doesn't even believe it himself considering its a more recent one.
Afigitís noticed that Vigil wasn't paying attention to him. Vigil was absorbed in what the priest was saying.
Afigitís: Ah right he's got an interest in legends. Doesn't matter whether or not it's unreasonable. I'll leave him be and see if I can find any decent prostitutes.
Priest: ...Mars took upon a sword and brandished it like a spear. He actually turned it into a spear and threw it, skewering several heretics. Then he jumped into a group of heretics and ripped them apart with his bare hands. Feasting on their mortal flesh to heal his wounds as archers rained arrows on him. The archers were foolish as the god threw the arrows back at them with thrice the force. Then mages wielding heretical magic attacked him. He simply commanded the magic not to harm him and it passed by. Revealing him unharmed, but destroying his clothes and hair. Then he killed the mages and the rest of their soldiers with their weapons and his bare hands. Both sides were completely destroyed with our Minister of the Right, Praevideat, as the only survivor...
Vigil: So that priest survived and got promoted. At least he's done some good for this country. It's unfortunate that no one else survived.
Vigil then walked away, barely noticing Afigitís's absence. He explored the rest of the city on his own. Including the slums which Afigitís avoided.
The slums were actually underground in this well planned city. Sewers and half built dungeons where both rats and undesirables gathered.
~Dusk~
Vigil satisfied with his exploration decided to meet back up with Afigitís. He managed to find him quickly, inside the same bar as before. He entered the Fallen Dwarf and found Afigitís at the same table as before. Since it was earlier than before the dwarves in there weren't drunk yet.
So they cast suspicious glances at him. Humans didn't come into Dwarven bars that often of their own will. Most were already drunk and dragged in as a prank.
They watched as he sat across from Afigitís and went back to their own business. They assumed it was a business meeting or a prank on an unsuspecting tourist.
Afigitís: Good to see you again, hope you didn't mind me running off. I had to attend to some important matters. Are you ready for round 2 or will you back out?
Vigil: Round 2 of course, I'm not the type of person to back down.
Afigitís: Good, I am too. Bartend! Throw over some excalibur, time to celebrate.
The bartender filled some mugs with a murky liquid and tossed it over. Once again it landed on the table with ease.
But this time the drink was a bubbling greyish colour. It didn't look appealing at all. Then a whitish liquid emerged at the surface. It formed into a sword shape.
Afigitís: Sweet right, two different alcohols thrown in a way that creates a design. Pros use five types of alcohol to colour the sword and give it a slight glow.
Vigil: It's sweet, like the molten lava?
But Afigitís was already chugging down the drink. So Vigil shrugged and took a light sip. A rich murkyness entered his mouth, as though he just drank mud. He reflexively chewed as though it was a solid. A light sour taste permeated and made him pucker his lips and swallow.
It left behind a dry taste in his mouth. It made him thirsty and the alcohol didn't hit him hard so he took a big gulp out of the mug. The same murky texture and sour taste filled his mouth. But this time there was a distinctively spicy taste too.
It burned slightly but was pleasant. Definitely better than the dry taste before. He leaned back slightly and swallowed it all.
A sudden pain was felt, like a sword stabbed the back of his throat. Then slid down making the wound worse. While the spiciness burned the wounds and the richness rubbed it raw. He coughed slightly while falling over backwards.
The burning sensation went away as a raw sensation replaced it. Pain thrashed through his body. Then a distinct numbness hit him at the same time as a sweet taste.
Afigitís walked over casually and helped him get up. Then chugged the rest of Vigil's drink before talking.
Afigitís: Yes it's sweet, but only the lefkó póno. Which also happens to be very strong and is what the sword is made of. Should've warned ya about that, oh well.
Vigil: That's fine it's starting to become more bearable rig-
Vigil froze up mid-sentence as a new sensation hit him. Afigitís smiled, sat down, and ordered himself a molten lava.
Vigil saw everything freeze before him. He couldn't move but at the same time the pain and rawness went away. The sweetness dominated his mouth for awhile. Then it switched to spicy hitting him as everything around him changed. Afigitís was back in his chair and everyone's position was different. He saw slight blurs around certain people and in the air.
Sourness then hit him once again. But this time he saw nothing but darkness. Panicking he tried to move, hitting something. The pain awoke him back to reality.
He was still standing in the spot and yet again everything had changed slightly. But now everything was at its normal speed. A soft and sweet numbness filled his mouth and he was slightly dizzy. Yet he didn't dislike the experience, mainly shock coursed through Vigil. He never realised that a drink could create such a sensation.
Afigitís: Wow, you recovered from it quite quick. We dwarves often use that drink as a prank on humans. Sometimes we place the froze up humans outside our bars too. Look just like statues standing around. One time a Lamia helped us do a big scale version. Now humans think lamias can turn them to stone, whole legend about it too-
Just then another dwarf took a seat with them. He was unusually tall for a dwarf. He was a bit taller than an average human. But his beard, mannerisms, and girth revealed his dwarfish blood. Most likely a half human half dwarf.
Half Dwarf: I see you managed to survive an excalibur without freezing up for hours. My name is Nános, let's drink you unusual son of a b*tch.
Vigil: Dwarves around here speak the human language much better than most. Or could just be he's half human and his human parent helped him learn. Either way it sounds fun.
Afigitís: Sounds fine by me. Drinking with more is better than less. Drinking more is better than less. Drinking is better. Drink...
Nános: Haha excalibur hit him with a delayed reaction, should last around 20 seconds. Barkeep! Give us some katolisthíseis.
Three mugs of another drink were tossed over. It looked exactly like the excalibur except it was brown and lacked a second alcohol. Brown, thick, and bubbly so it looked like boiling mud.
Nános: A weak alcohol full of nutrients. Allows the party to last the night. Or week in a dwarf's case.
Afigitís: Ah some katolisthíseis. We going for a party?
Vigil: I guess so.
Nános: Hell yeah. Everyone! Drinks on me, get some katolisthíseis and party!
Cheering was heard throughout the bar. Then a grinding noise was heard as everyone pushed their tables together into a giant circle. Each table fit together like a jigsaw despite all their differences. The ends connected to the bistro set that the bartender worked from.
The bartender went out back and brought back a giant barrel and set it behind his working area. Soon he was filling mugs and sliding them at a curved angle to get to everyone. Mugs slid everywhere and even did flips when hitting bumps and kinks. Yet not a single drop was spilled. The dwarves partook in a celebration that was obviously not so uncommon from the preparations.
Vigil smiled and took the first drink of the party. This was followed by the sounds of chugging and cheering all around.
~1 hour later~
Vigil was feeling a bit shaky but used time gaps between drinks to recover. Using this he was able to keep drinking yet couldn't even hope to match even the slowest dwarf.
Afigitís and Nános were having a drinking contest. Using several mugs at once as the bartender couldn't match their pace. Both were starting to tremble. More from the need to pee than actual lack of sobriety.
Eventually Afigitís went cross-eyed and Nános started talking to himself. They both stopped drinking and starred at each other. Then Nános showed a relieved face while Afigitís started laughing hysterically.
Afigitís: I won, off to the nearest tree.
Afigitís sprinted out of the bar while Nános continued to look relieved. Then he suddenly stopped and looked down depressed. A light smell of urine arose. Then Nános shrugged and grabbed another mug of katolisthíseis.
When Afigitís came back his pants were slightly wet. He, just like Nános, smelled like urine.
Nános: Haha the winner suffers the same shame.
Afigitís: I didn't piss myself, a guard scared me. How was I supposed to know it was a statue of a tree. Stupid to have such a thing in the Cliffhanger district, especially such a realistic one.
The dwarves laughed at looked at each other. As though they've done the same before.
~4 hours later~
Vigil started to realise what pace he could drink without getting too disoriented. Slowly but surely he was catching up to the other dwarves. The dwarves themselves were amused by this and cheered for him.
But then a loud noise rang out throughout the city. A horn was blown for a solid 20 seconds. It echoed easily through the city.
Afigitís: Midnight and curfew time.
Nános: Haha I helped build that horn, was fun work. Wasn't even hard yet paid quite well. Time for some prásino fos.
The bartender responded to his words by passing around mugs of another liquid. Coming from a casket directly under his bistro set.
One mug arrived before Vigil, filled with a completely clear liquid. He recognised the name of the drink so he stared into it deeply and intensely.
Nános: Haha it's a strong drink. If you can't handle it well more for me.
But then Vigil saw the flash skid across the surface of the drink. So fast he could barely spot it. A green flash glimmering in the alcohol.
Vigil: Just like the metal...
Vigil stared at it for a few more seconds before noticing something strange. He looked up as he didn't hear much noise.
He saw every dwarf in the room staring at him except for Afigitís. Not even intoxication could let them miss such a comment. Nános then grabbed him by the collar and raised him up slightly.
Nános: What is your name human?
His earlier jovial voice gone, now only spite was heard in Nános's voice. They didn't even ask why Vigil knew. They already had someone in mind.
Vigil: My name is Vigil. I know of the metal because my sword is made of it. I traded some things and provided the materials to make and get the sword. I'm not fully human so I can see the green if I concentrate.
Vigil explained all of this quickly. The dwarves continued to glare at him while processing what he said. Then Afigitís slammed his hands on the table hard.
Afigitís: That explains everything, Vigil you're part dwarf aren't you?
Nános: What?
Afigitís: He used to have a really long beard and he can tolerate dwarven ale. He must be a quarter dwarf or close.
Vigil: Vigil mentioned in his original journals that he used demi humans to make me too. So that might not be too far off from the truth.
Vigil: Yes I'm part dwarf, I admit it. I was saving it as a big surprise for later on.
The dwarves all settled down, satisfied with this answer. But Nános still stared at him for a little bit.
Nános: You mentioned you had a sword made of prásino fos. Let's see the little b*stard.
Vigil set his sword on the table and grabbed its hilt. Then a mug sliding across the table hit it, bounced, and splashed its contents all over a dwarf. Vigil apologised while the other dwarves laughed. The drenched dwarf himself laughed it off without a care in the world.
Nános grabbed the sword and unsheathed it at this time. Setting the sheathe against the table so no more mugs would be disturbed.
Nános: Oooh nice, Vigil try the prásino fos while I appraise this.
Vigil took a small sip of the alcohol while dwarves gathered around his sword. All of them curious about his sword.
The prásino fos unlike the other drinks was quite light and smooth. It flowed down his mouth with ease, leaving behind its flavors.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
A strong sweet and sour taste filled his mouth. They alternated in strength, somehow overpowering and underpowering each other at the same time. Then like the green flash a spicy taste came and went. It was so fast that it felt more like his imagination.
He was once again immobilised from the strength of the alcohol. But this time around everything else continued normally and he didn't lose consciousness. He started twitching slightly but didn't feel himself moving at all.
Eventually he started feeling warmer then colder all of a sudden. His vision cut off for a few seconds. Then he opened his eyes to seeing Nános smiling with a bucket.
Nános: Don't make pissing oneself a trend. Let's talk about this sword.
Afigitís: The enchantment is even stronger than before. Explains what you were off doing for years.
Dwarf: The core is a spathí sávra's tail, impressive. They're hard beasts to kill.
Nános: So much prásino fos was used in it. Either it was a confident and skilled dwarf or cocky and rich one. Daedalus... never heard of him.
Vigil: I think he was rich and skilled since he worked for a human lord.
Afigitís: Means nothing at all, even the dullest dwarf would impress a lord. While the pay is less valuable than dwarven currency.
Nános: True a middle class dwarf could buy himself a small human city. But most are too paranoid to do so.
Just then the door was opened hard. Making a loud noise that got everyone's attention. 2 human guards walked into the bar. One of them even seemed like an officer.
Officer: Dwarves we know that they're smugglers among you. Peacefully give yourselves and your devil weaponry up.
Afigitís: I don't know what you're talking about officer Celsus.
Celsus: Bullsh*t there's an enchanted weapon right there.
Celsus pointed at Vigil's sword. Nobody thought of hiding it as they were too distracted and slightly drunk. The dwarves grimaced at their mistake.
Celsus: Apprehend them, all of them. The bartender is on this too.
Celsus smiled as though he had a new toy. 5 guards piled in from outside and closed in on the dwarves. The dwarves shuffled closer to each other.
As the guards got close, Nános smiled. He used Vigil's sword to cleave one of the guards in half. Another one of the dwarves pulled out a hatchet and chopped the side of a guard's neck viciously. Afigitís pulled out a dagger and threw it. The dagger hit Celsus straight in the chest. Celsus fell to his knees and coughed up some blood before chuckling.
Celsus: Fools, this is a human city. You're surrounded by enemies, fighting is-
Celsus then fell to the floor dead. The rest of the dwarves pulled out weapons and killed all but one of the guards. The sole surviving guard managed to run off.
Afigitís: D*mn we let him get away.
Nános: Least you got Celsus, always hated him.
Vigil was surprised at their calmness. Nános then used his sword to chop the top of the tables off. It sliced them off with ease revealing hidden weapons.
Nános pulled out a fire enchanted battle axe from their table. Then tossed Vigil's sword and sheathe back over. Vigil caught them and put the sheathe at his side.
Half the dwarves were now armed with heavy weapons. The other half had tools that could be used like weapons. They confidently walked out the front door to find a group of ten guards. The guards were shaking in fear and obviously never fought before.
Afigitís: The scum are trying to buy time with weaklings. Let's show them otherwise.
All of the dwarves in synchronisation roared at the guards. A few of them ran off out of fear. The others followed soon behind as Nános chopped one of them vertically in half. The dwarves then started running towards the city's exit while laughing.
Nános: Seems overkill but useful for intimidation. Works great for venting stress. Vigil next time you're in a battle, just chop one of them in half. Your sword is sharp enough, won't even need that much strength.
Vigil: Okay will do.
One of the dwarves went up to a tree with a slight dampness at its base. He opened a secret compartment on it and pulled out a great sword. The compartment revealed the tree was made of stone. It looked exactly like a real tree though.
Another dwarf went up to another tree with some dampness. This time he only pulled off some bark.
Dwarf: Humans messing up our markers!
Vigil: You sure it wasn't an elf?
Dwarf: Yeah they prefer the gardens up in the noble districts to do their business. Used to piss the nobles off badly before their gardens started looking much better.
Another group of guards moved to block their way at the bottom of a hill. The bartender was dragging a barrel with him. He shoved it down the hill. It rolled down the hill and crushed an unlucky guard.
The others only got disoriented and jumbled up. Making them easy targets for a group of well armed dwarves. The dwarves crushed the guards brutally and continued running.
Other dwarves slipped out of the alleyways and joined them. Some almost attacked Vigil and Nános then stopped when they saw their enchanted weapons. Elves jumped along the trees and rooftops. Watching but not participating in the fight.
Some watched the violence with distaste, simply keeping out of the way. Others cheered and saw this as entertainment. The sounds of distant violence suggested separate smaller skirmishes.
Then a strange sight came into view. A group of 20 priests were fighting with a group of 25 guards. They looked like priests of Magianon yet used enchanted weapons and magic.
Nános: Mars' apostles haha, crazy b*stards who are a split off of the main religion. They believe in violence and war in all forms including magic. They blend in with the normal priests and twist legends when other priests and guards aren't around.
Afigitís: They definitely know how to fight. Let's give them an assist.
They ran over to the apostles just as one of the apostles were decapitated while a guard burned alive.
Apostle: Mars demands blood, violence, and war. You will fall to my hands and become Mars' minions in the afterlife. Forced to fight war forever and ever, how I envy you.
Guard: Die heretics, I will release your tainted minds to Jupiter. He will bring you back to the right path.
Vigil stabbed the guard that responded through the heart. Afigitís and Nános both took out 4 of the other guards using the distraction. The apostles jumped onto the remaining guards and started stabbing them repeatably with daggers. One of them even cried while doing it.
Crying Apostle: Oh how jealous I am of thy ascension. One day may we meet again in battle in the eternal war.
Afigitís: I regret helping them, whatever for now they're on our side.
Apostle: Let us make war my brothers and Vulcan's disciples.
Nános: Um actually our forging god is called Hephaestus.
Crying Apostle: Name does not matter only war.
Nános: Whatever either go away or follow us.
Apostle: War follows the participants. The disciples follow war.
The group continued their route with the apostles following. Vigil lead as he was the fastest runner even though he was pacing himself.
As they closed in on a market they found a group of 50 veteran guards. Standing over the corpses of several dwarves and apostles. Before they could even react a bestial sound was heard from the market.
A swarm of goblins, beggars, and orcs flooded out of the market. The beggars were in the front fleeing and hit the guards first. They disoriented the guards then the orcs and goblins following them hit. A vicious melee ensued.
Nános: Sc*mbag slave traders releasing their cheap wares to cover their escape. I dislike both sides so lets just wait it out.
The group stayed still as the guards focused on the orcs and goblins. The beggars finally filtered through and scattered off in different directions. The apostles also waited but were impatient.
Crying Apostle: I wish to meet Mars, my brothers I'm going ahead.
The crying apostle ran towards the two sides fighting. Both were distracted so he managed to slip in. Then chanted something while still crying.
An explosion racked the center of the fight. Knocking over those on the outside and killing/injuring those in the center.
The explosion made the surviving orcs and goblins run off in different directions. Some of the guards gave chase but most turned to face Vigil, the dwarves, and the apostles.
There was only 19 of them left so they were outnumbered. The guards watched them closely to look for openings. Then a sound rang out.
The horn that marked midnight in the city now made 5 quick noises rather than the long single noise. It made it sound urgent and the guards reacted.
They ran off towards a city exit as though they were on fire. Nános turned pale at this.
Nános: The army is here, we must hurry before the evacuation is complete. They'll shoot arrows into the city.
Afigitís: Again?! I hate when that happens, almost skewered me once. Those can't be called arrows, more like spears. They pierce through the stone buildings with ease. The beggars use them to hang up their clothes to dry because they pierce into the sewers.
Vigil: How often do situations like this happen?!
Apostle: At least once a year, this is truly Mars' perch.
Vigil affected by the atmosphere started running again. The others followed with a renewed vigour. Only the apostles remained calm and some even skipped along.
The elves stopped watching them and slipped away unnoticed. The distant sounds of fighting disappeared. All that was left was the sound of feet hitting the road and heavy breathing.
Eventually they reached one of the city's exit. But it was blocked by abatis and archers. They dodged into nearby alleyways to escape. But they all got separated and a few weren't fast enough. The slow ones were killed instantly by a barrage of arrows, mainly apostles, a few dwarves, and a beggar that followed them.
Vigil ended up with Afigitís, Nános, the bartender, and 2 apostles. They slipped away quietly into the alley.
Afigitís: I know of another exit near here I use for smuggling. Follow-
Another loud noise rang out. It was the horn once again. This time just one short noise came out like a signal. Followed by distant twang noises.
Nános: Get the f*ck down, arrows!!!
All of them except the apostles got low to the ground. Crashing noises were heard all around. Including one that was unnervingly close as dust fell down their backs.
They then got up with relief. One of the apostles then fell over revealing a hole in his chest and 2 on each side of the alley. The other apostle looked into the lower hole excitably.
Apostle: Such a beautiful weapon. My brother will be proudly welcomed in the eternal war.
Nános: Shut up, let's go while they reload. The horn won't warn us anymore.
They followed Afigitís to a hole in the ground near the walls. They jumped into the hole into a stinky river.
Nános: The f*cking sewer, are you kidding me.
Afigitís: Smelling bad for a week is better than dying.
Nános: A week?!
Vigil: Why is it bright down here, shouldn't it be dark.
Bartender: The arrows, they be making shafts of light.
The bartender pointed to a nearby hole in the roof of the sewer. A stream of light came from it, leading to the apostle. He was pulling a giant arrow out of a dead beggar's guts.
Apostle: Mars wants me to use this in his name. From now on it shall be my lance.
They shrugged and started trudging down the river of disgusting things. Blood, sh*t, urine, trash, etc flowed down it. Sometimes making small deposits that breached the surface. Nános almost threw up from the sights and smells.
Eventually they saw light at the end. It was slightly high up but poured into a nearby river. A twang sound rang out again so they all rushed. The apostle threw the arrow onto the shore before jumping as it was heavy, too heavy to carry in the water.
All of them managed to jump down before the arrows hit except Vigil. He got unlucky and the arrow went at an awkward angle, lost power, and skewered his leg. Nailing him down at the end of the tunnel. Vigil cringed slightly from the pain.
The others surfaced from the river and headed towards a nearby forest. Afigitís lagged behind the others and looked behind. He saw Vigil and the arrow but not where it hit.
Afigitís: Vigil! Are you alright?!
Vigil: Yeah! It only hit my pants and nailed it to the floor. Go on ahead while I cut a few parts off.
Afigitís smiled and ran off to join the others. Vigil drew his sword and grimaced slightly. He chopped off his leg and sat down, keeping his stub up high so the grime wouldn't get in it. He watched as it regrew within a minute.
He wiggled his toes as it finished then stood up. The water below was yellowish and disgusting but he jumped anyways.
He found that even underwater he could still breathe somehow. But he still left quickly and dragged himself out of the river.
He then ran into the forest but before he reached it a group of soldiers intercepted him. Shouting was heard as apostles came out of the forest and attacked the soldiers.
Vigil joined the apostles in fighting. But the soldiers were more skilled and numerous. The apostles could use magic but none were skilled enough to make a difference.
Vigil then thought of flames and materialised fireballs around him while running into enemy lines. The fireballs spun around him and exploded on contact, killing several soldiers and pushing back others.
The apostles cheered and all used their magic too. Sending a stream of ice spikes, earth splinters, and embers into the soldiers. The soldiers mainly got scratched up and shielded their eyes. But that gave Vigil the chance to kill a few more. But there was 200 of them and only 30 apostles.
It degraded into another vicious melee with the apostles losing. Vigil stopped holding back as swords skewered him in all directions. He caused explosions across the battlefield. Killing both soldiers and apostles in the process.
He grabbed a soldier and used him to bash a few other soldiers. Then used the soldier as a shield from a flurry of sword attacks. From behind his human shield he stabbed with his sword. Soon the human shield was just a hunk of meat. So he tossed it aside and pulled a sword out of his gut. He used it to block an attack then threw it, skewering two soldiers.
He kept pulling out swords and using them as new ones were provided to him. He sometimes saw an apostle fall to an attack. One of them even did a suicide attack like the crying one.
He kept leaving behind the swords in his enemies. It was faster than the extra effort to pull it back out. He even lost track of the sword Daedalus gave him.
~1 hour later~
Vigil and one of the apostles were left as the only survivors. The apostle shivered and fell to his knees when he saw Vigil's wounds heal.
Apostle: Mars?! Mars himself is before me. I shall take this memory with me even to the afterlife.
Before Vigil could even respond the apostle handed his weapon over to him. Vigil held it in his hand confused.
Vigil: Why did-
The apostle answered his unspoken question by shoving the blade into his body. The apostle died with a gentle smile on his face. Vigil dropped the sword and the apostle slumped over peacefully.
Vigil: They really are crazy b*stards, but I'm envious of them. Unlike me they are sure of their reason for existing and accept their end.
Vigil quickly found his sword in a corpse and retrieved it. Then walked away towards the forest to reunite with the others. His clothes ripped to the point where he might as well be naked.
~Tempted to end here but 15 minutes later~
Vigil found the three dwarves and apostle sitting on a fallen tree. They were relieved when they saw him except for the apostle.
Nános: Where the f*ck were you?!
Afigitís: What happened to your clothes?
Bartender: ...
Apostle: You shall meet Mars another day.
Vigil: Got caught up with a fight between soldiers and apostles. I was lucky to get out with only cuts and scratches. Plus I know some healing magic.
Afigitís: We were all lucky today. But why is one of your legs hairless?
Nános: Who cares, now that he's back let's go.
Vigil: Go where?
Afigitís: Into the mountains, there's a dwarven city close by.
Nános: Hey apostle why are you still following us?
Apostle: I wish to admire the great weapons that dwarven forges make. Please let me tag along.
Nános: Sure but first drink this. It's packed full of nutrients so you can keep up with us.
Nános took a mug from the bartender and filled it up using the casket he was carrying. The mug was probably tainted by the water earlier. But the apostle obediently drank the muddy brown liquid he passed over.
Nános laughed as the apostle got all dizzy and started stumbling about. Then he shoved the apostle into a nearby bush.
Nános: Now that everything is taken care of let's go.
Nános walked towards the mountains at a fast pace. The others followed closely behind. The apostle however laid moaning, caught in the bush. Light peaked over the horizon marking the start of the morning.
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Concepts I had in mind while making this chapter: N/A. This is me completely winging it. Just thought hey I threw Cliffhanger district in as a joke but why not make it real somehow. Then got here... yeah even I shocked myself. From a filler chapter to an all out war and heavy relevance to the story.
Yes I realise that excalibur isn't Greek like most of the dwarven names and shit are. The name suited it so I'm blaming Cultural diffusion, it's a diverse city.
Before you even ask these drinks are based on real things and concepts. But not on real alcoholic drinks. Lava is láva in Greek same with magma, so I kept it in English and added an extra word to spice it up. Denser liquids force less dense ones to the surface, excalibur inspired by coffee creamer designs. Katolisthíseis inspired by the saying that one beer is = to half a porkchop, the name explains the brown colour. Prásino fos is more fantasy like and is just a reference to the ore in the story. I actually have no experience drinking alcohol, so most of the drinking part is BS based on assumptions and the little knowledge I have about it. Some is purposely made up to suit the story of course. Hope the drinkers enjoy it anyways.
Be sure to rate this FF since I'm a complete egoist that gets turned on by reviews. Even low ones as long as they provide ways to improve my FF.
Next chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=10749