It was a sight to behold.

The view that offered itself to our group was incredible. We were on top of a ledge with an open panorama on a colossal city. The earth had been excavated to produce a vast open space. A few light ray pervaded from the top of the celling and illuminated the city. The sun should have risen, time flow differently in the dark. I could not have guessed it was already morning.

Most of the town was basked in obscurity but a few spire pierced in the light. The little we were able to see was breathtaking and magnificent.

We paused a few minutes to contemplate the landscape.

We perceived a muffled but continuous sound coming from below. It evoked a river or a waterway. At the very least we will not die of thirst.

"Erk, disgusting ..."

We turned toward Kain who had his left hand covered in a black slimy substance. He smelled it and announced loudly.

"It smells like petrol, but it's more viscous."

Shara pushed him away and approached her torch. The sticky substance flared up. A red arrow departed from our position and slithered along the wall. The light dived deeper and deeper in the darkness and introduced perspective to the view. It was vaster than we initially thought. The more the blaze advanced, the more it illuminated the scenery. It traversed a stone bridge before ending it course while lightening a few parts of the city.

"Impressive work, for it to be functional to this day..." Ina remarked gently.

I could feel a deep respect in her voice. She possessed the spirit of a craftswoman and I knew she was able to appreciate the amount of work and talent needed to build a place like this.

"We should move while we still have light. We won't have to worry about the cat ambushing us." I said.

Shara nodded her head uncertainly, and we commenced the long and tedious descent of the stairs. It was far from a cakewalk, the steps were limitless. I felt dizzy thinking that we will need to climb the stairs back when leaving.

After what seemed like an eternity, we ultimately arrived at the stone bridge.

What looked like a strong and unscathed bridge from afar turned out to be the shadow of itself. The left railway where the fire was lit was undamaged but the right side of the monument was far from promising. A lot of it was collapsed and the river flowing under it was more raging that anticipated.

Shara looked at Kain and scathingly said.

"If we get out of this alive you will be owning us one. And it will cost you dearly !"

He laughed before responding.

"Come on, I already said that i'm sorry ! But if I recall correctly two years ago I ..."

"Shut up Kain !"

She gave him a deadly stare before advancing to be the first to cross the bridge. Followed by Ina then me and lastly by Kain. We were advancing slowly and prudently. The mortar had disappeared decades ago and the stones were moving under our steps. We hastened our pace when we came close to the end.

Unforgivable mistake.

I don't know if it was the cadence or the weight, maybe both. But everything started to shake and rumble. Cobblestones dislodged themselves and crashed in the high speed water stream. Producing thundering noises and sheaves of water. We accelerated again.

Ina lost her balance and almost fell in a gap who just opened beside her when I seized her arm. With no precaution whatsoever I ducked before jumping to the other side dragging her behind me. I hoped that I didn't hurt her but I didn't stop to check. I sped up, almost flying on the uneven terrain and only stopped when I arrived on solid ground.

Ina then tapped my shoulder, and that's when I noticed I had her on my back. I must have pulled her with so much force that she grabbed what she could. In this case, it was me. I let her down and apologized.

She laughed before responding.

"Don't worry, thank's to you I made it safely to the other si..."

Kain arrived behind us a few seconds later and interrupted her.

"Almost fell off, seriously, it was risky this time."

He fell to his knees to take his breath when we heard a loud "CRACK". The ground under him disappeared. He seemed to float for a brief instant before falling into the fracture with a scream.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

This time Shara responded swiftlier than me and launched herself to grasp his hand before he vanished. I grasped her leg and halted her slide. Ina jumped on me and added her weight to make sure that we wouldn't fall off.

Kain was producing inarticulate shrieks and only calmed when we all stabilized.

I cursed loudly.

"What did you do in a previous life to be such a trouble maker !"

"I freaking swear I don't deserve this shit !"

I started to doubt it.

Ina pulled my backpack and helped me pull Shara. We finally saw the other hand of Kain cling the pavement and we helped him up.

We all moved farther from the collapsed bridge before we all sat down to take a break. Kain face was livid but we could hear him mutter words of thanks. We were all weary and worst than everything, our way back was now a dead end. I asked.

"We are trapped in the city now. How should we proceed ?"

Kain didn't even hear my question. Ina voiced her thoughts.

"We can't turn back. We can only head into the city."

Shara added.

"Let's visit the city, see what we can find. I hope we didn't do this for nothing."

"We should focus on the cat. We still need to find Kain's backpack and our supplies." I stated.

The two women nodded. I then concluded.

"All right, so, sightseeing, finding the kitty and then the exit. Are we in tune ?"

My companion all agreed.

I sincerely hope there will be no more surprises this time around.

----------------------------------------

The city was absolutely gigantic.

We were still exploring the suburbs but aiming for the heart. The architecture of the buildings was striking and gorgeous. It was the life work of competent and diligent craftsmen. The buildings were bursting with creativity and every new structure competed with the last.

Amphistylar ambulatory adorned by lifelike sculptures and fountains, a chain of arcades with carved apophyge of anthemion style or even a belfry crowning an arrangement of architectural columns. Every edifice was a work of art. An expert of the field could wander those streets all his life and still be awed by the buildings.

But ... That was it. The city was completely empty. Except for the archeological value, the trip was useless for the moment. There was nothing inside the houses. Nothing useful for the group. No food, no riches, no extra blanket ... I considered the absence of food natural if this society died of starvation. But we didn't discover any corpses either. Which is abnormal.

The eerie feeling it produced was starting to affect the mood of the group. We gave up the idea of exploring the entire city and aimed for the center. Hoping to find some answers.

Shara lifted her arm, fist clenched. We stopped.

"Skeletons, fifty meters ahead."

We readied ourselves, drew our weapons and took our position.

"Bloody hell ! What happened here ?" Kain cursed.

I flung back.

"One question answered. We now know where the population went."

"Shhhh !" Shara quieted us down.

The view ahead of us was terrific. A sea of bones jamming the streets as far as the eyes can see. It became harder to move forward but we endured. We wanted to arrive to the heart of the city before deciding our next step.

What could have caused so much death ?

We arrived in a clearing, maybe a sort of plaza, where the vegetation took back its rights. The trees were overburdened with ripe fruits. For the first time in a week I heard cries of joy. We rushed there to try a few fruits. They were moist, savory and sweet. A god sent blessing. Even Shara let loose the stone facade she raised, finally showing relief and bliss.

I was also happy to eat something tasty for once.

We finally settled down for a real break. After the night we endured, we absolutely needed it. Shara fetched some dry wood for the fire, Ina took this time to complete the inventory of our resources while I made the pit with rocks for the fire. Kain... True to himself looked at us while waiting.

We all assembled around the fire and Ina told us.

"Our most pressing issue is cleared up. Food is abundant here and we will be able to bring a lot of fruits with us when we depart. We also saw a few water canals on the way, so we are safe for now."

Shara pursued.

"We just need to find an exit then, because Kain's supplies are not needed anymore."

I added

"We should still be cautious about our surroundings. I don't know why the skeletons are all gathered here. Danger could be lurking nearby."

"I agree, when I was seeking the dry wood I saw that the vegetation is denser the deeper we go. I think we should push toward the center and see what's hidden there."

"It could be dangerous..." Kain interjected, the voice of reason for once.

"But it could also be an opportunity. Let's sleep a bit first. We will decide after that." I said.

Kain didn't seem to be doing all that great. Sure I was still angry about his half-assed attitude. But having a member of our small team disoriented and lost was dangerous. I didn't want to be in a situation where I need to rely on him if he is not in his right mind.

We ate silently and I suggested taking the first turn of watch duty. I had a lot to ponder upon.

When we arrived at this plaza the corpses and skeletons stopped after a small border. I found it unusual that they all gathered here. A few meters farther and we found the fruits. How were the fruits even growing underground ?

If they were starving, it may have made sense for them to regroup here, but I still don't understand how they all died. With no particular markings on their remains. No broken bones or fractured skulls. I would have expected this if the population started to prey on the weak and that cannibal behaviour appeared.

But no, it's almost as if they ... let themselves die of hunger. As if they were waiting for something. Or someone.

The plaza was circular and the skeletons are all around the place. From what we have seen. The answer to this question may be in the center, the heart of the city.

I almost succumbed to my curiosity. But I had watch duty for now. I couldn't be the next Kain, and didn't want it. I will wait for tomorrow morning.

I was still shaken by the murals we saw in the tunnel that led us here. I could not deny that this scene may be related to me. Is it someone of my family ? Golden hair is a trait that is too special to be unrelated. I just hoped that whatever it meant, was not something too bad.

The night advanced uneventfully. Ina took my place after an unknown period of time and I fell in sleep instantly.

I had a chaotic night, far from dreamless. My dreams didn't have any senses, I lived the event of the murals, I imagined being there. Fighting the beasts, killing, feasting. Rinse and repeat. Day after day, months after months. For years, decades.

I saw myself rip, cleave, claw, pierce and lacerate. The fight, or slaughter, if I wanted to be precise, was brutal. Rivers of blood were flowing under me.

I was mighty.

King among kings.

My words were law, my will unfathomable.

I came, I fought, I won.

But at what cost ?