A few days after they had left the town behind them, the caravan had drawn to the side of the road to rest for the night. They had put up their camp next to a small forest that quietly lay to their left. Their wagons were scattered around the clearing like bugs on a leaf. A few small campfires were giving warmth and light, two things very needed against the chilly night air.

The smell of food wavered through the air, tempting Liam's stomach, and the one of every other man around the same. Liam had known hunger all his life. But there was a difference between the cold and nagging hunger you got from not eating for two days on the streets and the hunger you got after a few hours of securing luggage, collecting firewood, and tending for the animals.

This hunger felt more rewarding, Liam much preferred it.

As he made his way around the camp looking for Jerem, his eyes fell over Bilby. The man was busy in his conversation with a few of the merchants and didn’t notice Liam, but he still quickened his pace a little.

Since they had left the town, his thoughts kept returning to the secret meeting he had witnessed. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the two had discussed. Liam had enough experience on the streets to know what ‘push the product’ meant.

What Liam wasn’t yet sure about was whether he cared. He had been in touch with people ‘pushing product’ almost all his life on the streets. There was a time when he had a genuine burning hatred against those people, but at some point, he had figured out that there just wasn’t anything he could do with. Even if he did anything against the dealers who sold to his friends, there were always new ones.

With Bilby, it was a little more personal though. He wanted to pay him back for the money he had cheated him out of. How he could do that about his newest discovery Liam wasn’t sure of yet, but he would figure something out.

For now, though, his grumbling stomach was his biggest point of concern-

A small party from their caravan had gone out a little before dusk to hunt for dinner. They had returned with their arms full of small chicken-like animals called Malhuhns.

Or at least, they looked somewhat closely related to chickens the way Liam knew them. They didn’t spout feathers, and their body was slightly more elongated than that of a normal chicken, but it was similar in stature. They were slightly taller, uniform brown in color, and had surprisingly sharp claws.

The thing that apparently made them closest to chickens, Liam had been told, was the taste. And he was looking forward to confirming that for himself.

From what he overheard, these things apparently spent most of their time in cave systems under the ground and only came out to hunt before nightfall. That sounded like a sad existence to Liam, but who was he to judge animals that smelled so delicious.

Idle chatter around the fire had slowly wound down, as people grew hungry and waited for the meat to be done. The day sat heavy in everyone's bones, carving out a part of their stomach and willingness to chat alike.

Only one person's voice cut through the silence. Helephat, as Liam had found out the man’s name by now, the very same storyteller who had entertained them all during the town festival.

The old man had a soft and silky voice, perfectly made to draw people into his stories. His words carried out over the whole camp, lulling people into attentive silence.

“This is when Samuel stepped forward. For he commanded lightning and storm. The court awed in front of him, not daring to intercept his presence. He challenged the carrier of darkness to a duel. For the court of Eldemar, the most magnificent and striking city that humankind has ever seen.”

Liam shivered slightly from the cold and scooted closer to the fire.

“The thing accepted readily. And I’m saying thing, because truly no one knows what the agent of darkness was. Some describe it as a formless monster, others as a single man, carrying all the world's sins and transgressions in himself, twisted into something utterly different and alien.”

“But what everybody agrees upon is this, that this agent of darkness, carrier of the end, was once the biggest threat this continent has ever faced. And so they clashed. In the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by dozens of high priests of the country as witnesses. While the armies of darkness laid siege to the city, and dozens of smaller battlefields were scattered all over the continent, none raised so much as a dagger while these two fought. All over the war was stopped for this brief period. It was only Samuel, and the champion of darkness fighting.

Lightning crackled, the sky darkened and shockwaves rang out that destroyed half the court. Their battle raged for three days, three days during which none of the two contestants managed to push the other one back. Houses around them were broken and streets were charred with the blackness of lightning.

Samuel was strong, but he was also clever. He knew there was no way for him as a mortal to finish the champion of the darkness. But he could hold it at bay long enough for the gods to arrive. The gods against the champion of darkness. While that battle would probably cause wide destruction, it would at least save the city of Eldemar and therefore the country from its certain demise.

So Samuel and every other high priest present waited and prayed for the gods to arrive.

In the end, though, none of the gods arrived. Samuel perished at the hand of the champion and Eldemar lies in ruin, claimed by the darkness since then.

A once bright and shining city brimming with ancient secrets, treasures, and techniques. But festered by the dark and lost for humankind.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Liam was so enthralled by the story that he didn’t even notice the malhuhn that was handed to him. He couldn’t remember the last time he forgot to pay attention to food.

“What happened to the city?” one of the merchants asked.

The storyteller smiled, clearly happy for the chance to keep talking. “It goes under many different names now. Many have searched for it over history, but none have found it. Or at least, none have returned.

You know, while the city is said to be full of riches and treasures from a time way before us, nobody really knows where it lies. But scholars say it’s deep in the dungeonlands. Or maybe even beyond that.”

“Scholars say that?” Bilby snorted. “Please, as if this is anything more than a fairy tale.”

“It’s not a fairy tale,” one of the other performers interjected. He was a lanky boy, only a few years older than Liam, with bright red hair. “Many cultivators have seen it. It’s what all of them seek.”

Bilby laughed. “Well, then it might as well be a fairy tale you fools. Whatever concerns those creatures is just a fantasy for us. And young boys like you would do better to stick to the real world.”

An uncomfortable silence settled in around the campfire. Nobody wanted to escalate the situation. Discounting Bilby's drunken behavior they had had a peaceful and pleasant evening so far.

After a while though Liam grew impatient with everybody's sudden contentment to look into their cups.

“Could you please tell another story, Helephat?”

The old man looked surprised. A small smile found its way onto his face. “What would you like to hear boy?”

“Whatever you have.”

“Well, there’s the story of how the two law powers became extinct. Or the story about Gandelmirs riches. I might also remember one or two tidbits about dragons, one of them about Omasha, the wild dragon of the east, and his …”

Suddenly a loud roar erupted in the distance piercing through the night.

Everybody fell silent immediately. Eyes darted to each other, wide and full of shock. Some of the merchants looked uncomfortable, but that was nothing compared to the look most of the mercenaries held.

Shortly after the roar was answered by a cacophony of screeches echoing through the forest behind them. Now Liam could see panic on people’s faces. Another round of bestial sounds rang out. This time much closer.

“What is happening?” Liam turned towards one of the workers to his right.

The man's demeanor was composed, but Liam could see uncertainty underneath. “Monster attack.”

Liam’s eyes darted to Blue, sitting on the other side of the campfire. The man slowly placed his bowl on the floor, his hands trembling slightly, and then stood up.

“Everybody go to your wagons,” he said, his voice cutting through the general confusion. “You all know the drill.”

People placed their things and scurried away. Liam followed suit and barricaded himself together with Blue and a few others in one of the wagons.

While the others closed the door, Liam immediately hurried over to the small barred window and peeked out. It looked directly onto the campfire where the mercenaries were readying themselves.

All of the people standing there were hard-faced, battle-weathered mercenaries. Liam could see it in their faces. They carried stoic expressions and moved efficiently.

Even in the midst of all those seasoned mercenaries one man stood out. Marten. He wasn’t just towering about the other mercenaries, he looked genuinely calm. Where the others were hurriedly drawing their weapons, or adjusting their armor, the man did everything in a slow and calculated manner. He didn’t rush to gather his weapons from the nearby carts, he simply went to the next best work supply wagon and returned with a huge steel shovel.

He stared into the swallowing darkness of the forest, waiting. Another roar rang out, the screeches that answered the call so close this time, that their shrill sound hurt Liam’s ears.

Marten weighed the shovel in his hand and rotated it. He turned around and scanned the wagons. His eyes landed directly on Liam’s. His expression was unreadable, but he gave Liam a brief nod.

For a second the man’s calm demeanor carried over on Liam. And in the few moments of silence after the last bestial call, there was almost a sort of peace hanging over them.

Then a wave of chaos swapped over their camp as the attack arrived.

Dozens of small creatures streamed out of the forest. They were roughly hip height, with brown skin, and propelled forwards by their long legs. At first, Liam didn’t recognize them, but when he saw their claws gleaming in the campfire light and their beaks brimming with killing intent. It took him a moment to realize what was attacking them. Malhuhns.

With no regard for their own safety, the birds charged towards the mercenaries.

Usually, Liam would’ve scoffed at the sight of these creatures. They weren’t that imposing, but there were scores of them, clearly ridden by bloodlust.

And against them stood only twenty or so mercenaries.

Marten was the first to welcome the birds. Swinging his shovel in wide arcs he killed three or four with one swing, wading through the rows of birds like the reaper of death.

The rest of the mercenaries charged after him. Their battle cry rang out over the clearing and the battle dissolved into utter chaos.

Metal rang out. Birds screeched. Men shouted and screamed. Liam hadn’t known how loud a battle could be.

“Those damn hunters,” Blue mumbled next to him.

Liam turned to him. “What?”

“They must’ve stirred up a nest of the malhuhn while they were getting us dinner. Thalia stand us by.”

Liam swallowed heavily and turned back to the battle.

The mercenaries were wading through the malhuhns with ease, killing them by the scores. But the birds simply continued coming out of the forest. An endless stream of feathers and bad intentions. They came in pairs of twos or threes, and like that, they fell to the mercenaries.

But not without inflicting their small wounds. Not without tiring the mercenaries. It was only a few moments, and over a score of slain birds, into the battle when it happened.

One of the mercenaries went down, overwhelmed by the sheer number of birds. His screams and the sound of the birds picking chunks of flesh out of his still-living body made Liam’s skin crawl.

The rest of the mercenaries continued onwards unperturbed though. The floor was quickly covered in bird carcasses. Small mountains piling up around Marten and the rest of the mercenaries.

At some point, the birds seemed to realize their strategy wasn’t working as well and withdrew back to the tree line. More and more birds stopped at the tree line, collecting together and seemingly waiting for something.

Two of the mercenaries charged at the flock, chasing the retreating birds. Liam thought he recognized one of them. They screamed in bloodlust after seeing their comrade fall.

“Don’t,” Marten screamed after them. The man was still busy finishing the last of the birds around him.

But the men didn’t hear him in time. Just as they were about to close in on the birds, neatly arranged at the tree line, a giant shape soared out of the treetops. It pounced on one of the men and pushed him to the ground with a thud.

The man struggled, but he was no match for the giant malhuhn that towered over him. The beast was at least two meters in size and its weight threatened to squeeze him. The man looked almost comically small underneath the colossal predator.

Talons flashed in the firelight and embedded themselves straight into the man’s intestines, killing him instantly.

To his credit, his colleague reacted quickly. He flashed forward, cutting a wide arc with his sword. But the bird's beak flashed forward impossibly fast, smashing the man's head into pulp before his sword even reached it.

Then the beast took a step off of the other man, raised its head to the sky, and bellowed out a loud roar.

It was challenging them.