My eyes peeled open. A faint orange glow was cast over my room. That’s odd. I would have thought I slept for longer. I was pretty tired. I guess sleeping from early afternoon to early evening wasn’t that unheard of.
As I rolled out of my bed, an unusual sound reached my ears. My groggy mind came into focus as I tried to listen again, more closely, this time. Quirking my ear, I focused in on the sound. It almost sounded like… screaming?
It couldn’t be, though. The people around here were a generally quiet and reserved lot. I suppose there could have been a festival, then? Still, it seems odd that I wouldn’t have heard about it all during my time here, nor seen any evidence of decorations or preparations.
I walked over to the windows, and opened the shutters, before taking a step back, stumbling, falling over myself in shock. There were multiple fires spread throughout the city, wooden buildings gone up in flame, illuminating dark smoke rising over the city.
Gathering my wits, I ran to the door, smashing it open, before hurdling down the stairs. As I paused to catch my breath at the landing on the first floor, the entrance to the inn was thrown open with tremendous force. Davinda came in, her skirt torn at the knees, dark boots on her feet. She had a sword at her waist. As she caught sight of me, she turned, swiftly striding into the back of the inn, before returning with a sword, looped in a belt. She tossed it to me.
I stared at it in shock. Just what was going on? Was it more than just a fire? What was I expected to do? I could barely use a sword at all.
As I scrambled to loop the belt around my waist, my fingers shaky and uncoordinated. Davinda started walking towards the door.
“Start making your way towards the west exit of the city. Bring anybody you can find with you. Be quick about it. You won’t have much time”.
With that, she was gone, the door swinging open. Finally securing my sword on my belt, I took a moment to process what I had been told. I still didn’t understand what was going on.
I bolted out the inn, taking a moment to orient myself west, before taking off down the streets. I dodged past a burning building, dropping ash and soot on the spare cobbles, groaning ominously as the flames ate it. I inhaled some of the smoke, sending me into a coughing fit, hunching over and slowing my pace.
Further down the street, I heard shouts. A straggle of guards was escorting a group of civilians, barking orders amidst the panicked shouts.
“Keep moving! You’ve got to keep moving!”
A family ran out from the group, heading towards a side street. Others tried to follow them, but the guards held them back. They started screaming something, before one of the guards cuffed them on the head.
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“LET THEM GO! WE CAN’T AFFORD TO WAIT”.
I quickly hurried to join up with the group. They must have known what was going on, but I wasn’t really able to ask. Our pace slowed, but at least I was safer with them than by myself.
The group kept up a hurried, quick walking pace for another ten minutes. I stared at the panicked faces around me.
A guard with more official looking livery, perhaps a sergeant or lieutenant, stepped forwards.
“ALRIGHT, WHEN WE REACH THE GATES, FORM UP ONTO-”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence as a stone needle exploded out of the front of his head, showering bone fragments and blood all over. A panicked wail went over the group. The guards spun around, just in time to see a three-legged stone, stone creature step out of an alley, onto the street. Its rocky surface was strangely smooth, with long, thick legs. It stood nearly a foot over any person there. It had a bright, glowing blue core in its center, with lines of faintly incandescent script running across its body.
With a shout, about 5 of the guards surged forwards, sword and spears at the ready. The creature moved, then, almost impossibly fast, one of its limbs lancing out, crushing the skull of the closet guard, flattening his helmet. The others struck at it, their swords bouncing off the rocky exterior like they were even there.
The guards who hadn’t engaged struggled to keep the civilians organized, but there was no stopping the panic. They started running every which way. People fell to the ground, only to be trampled on by those behind them. I think I saw someone drop a baby.
Glancing back, I saw the group that had engaged the creature. I watched it smash through a sword with its weight, pulping a guard, leaving the group of 5 with one remaining man. He slumped to the floor, clothes bloody, sword battered and dented, sitting in wait of the inevitable.
That was enough to tell me I didn’t want to be anywhere near here. If it dealt with nearly half the guards at the same time, all of whom were working together and didn’t have to worry about civilians under their care, then there was little chance of my current group brining it down.
I took off down an alley at a full sprint, Buildings whizzed past me. I heard more screams echo from the back alleys, and the almost mechanical sounds of stone joints moving.
As I cleared an alley, and reached a larger street, I saw the bodies of the family that had left the group earlier strewn out, across the ground, crushed limbs and organs greater than the number of bodies strewn about them.
I shut my eyes, and continued running, ignoring the sick squelches and small snaps as I ran over. I stopped to catch my breath.
Looking up, I saw the blond woman from the inn, cloak about her shoulders, calmly walking down the street. Rage boiled up in me. Was she behind this?
Before I could do anything, however, a group of people spilled out on the street. A burly body landed in front of my. It was Tom. He wheezed there, on the ground. His body was covered in lacerations and bruises, and he had a war hammer in his hand. Opening his eyes, he looked up at me.
“You need to run, boy...” He spluttered weakly.
As he said that, I heard a whirring. Another stone construct was stepping out into the street, and it was looking right towards me.