The Unnamed City

Harim and Rothox helped Erigo's strap the statue of Alissa to his back. They tried to tell Lydia their plan but she didn't understand. It saddened them to leave her, swearing they will be back.

Upon seeing the vastly larger cavern Erigos understood the gravity of the situation. The trek across the dark floor was slower with the added weight strapped to Erigos' back. Constantly they found themselves waiting behind the sparse cover as the monstrous bats flew overhead, hunting for prey. One of the bats tried to grab a gnome in its claws. Because of the chain the bat struggled to break it free and had to release, the weight of all the gnomes was too great. It made sense now as to why they chained the gnomes. Not because of escape but because of fear of their workers being eaten.

Eventually the three men got to the first hiding place of Rothox and Harim, a small indent in the ground, that gave them cover while lying flat. Erigos elected to stand behind a narrow pillar of rock, due to the stone Alissa on his back.

"What's the plan, Harim? How do you expect to get through all this?" Erigos said, pressing his shoulder against the rock, and leaning out so he could just make out the dig site.

Harim had thought about it as they walked. "Here's what I see. They only chain the gnomes when they transfer them from the village to here and back again. Otherwise the gnomes and the creatures are off leash and roam about doing the tasks they are commanded to do..." He pulled down as another bat flew overhead. "If we can time it right and sneak in amongst the ones that head to the lava. They are the least watched. We might be able to blend in until we get to the city. From there we will break off."

"And what about finding the crazy gnomes' supposed tunnel," Erigos said.

"Getting in the city is the first priority, finding the tunnel, second."

"I think I have our opening," Rothox said. "We go when the giant turns it's back, it might be large enough for us to use as cover."

"Good idea."

At this time the giant was heading towards the lava, a hundred feet away.

"We gotta go now then." Rothox didn't wait for an answer; he was off.

Erigos rolled his eyes, breathed in the hot thick air and chased after.

The giant turned its broad back to the lava when the three Sect arrived. It was bigger than the ones they had encountered on their way to Culku City, standing closer to twenty feet tall. The size of rock it threw into the lava easily weighed a few thousand pounds. Rothox fell in behind the giant, matching his robot-like movements. The other copied, so far so good. A few Cerabora floated nearby watching the start of this disposal train. The entrance to the city neared.

From this close to the city they understood what they were seeing. It appeared that some sort of magical field had protected the city, leaving it intact when the lava had flowed over top of it, covering the buildings in a volcanic rock bubble but keeping the city preserved underneath.

Rothox slowed his breathing as a Cerabora turned and looked at him. Its eyes began to glow, realizing instantly that he was not under their control. He ran - sprinting for the mined out portion of the shell. He glanced over his shoulder to see if the others were coming with, they were hot on his heels and the Cerabora on theirs. Wham! Rothox and whoever he just ran into tumbled in a ball of tails and feathers. The chunk of rock the being had been carrying cracked against the stone inches from Rothox's head. Harim was there in an instant, pulling Rothox to his feet. Rothox looked at the other being, a humanoid but with the features of a bird. They locked eyes, and Rothox could see this birdman was coming out of the trance.

"Run!" Erigos blew past them. The birdman acted first, flapping his wings, taking off int he same direction. Harim felt a hand grasp his shoulder with an unusually strong grip, he shoved Rothox forward. He knew not to look back, instead he kicked back, finding the body of the Cerabora. The hand loosened and he summoned his ki and stepped away in a blur, passing Rothox as he did. The demonblood watched the birdman enter the city, Unsure if it was friend or foe they had no choice but to follow it.

The gnomes continued to work oblivious to the commotion headed their way. Erigos pushed through, knocking a few of the shorter creatures to the ground. Erigos kept running, entering the city and immediately searching for a place to hide. He saw the birdman disappear deeper into the city. The buildings were similar to the style of architecture found on the surface but made of a dark material, something he had never seen before. He looked over his shoulder, saw the others turn the corner. Picking a building halfway down the street he shouldered the door, it protested having not been open in years but it did give way, remaining on its hinges. He ducked down just after the other's saw him hide.

The Sect waited patiently in the abandoned home, trying their best to stifle their heavy panting. Their pursuers were much slower and had been unable to keep up with them. A few minutes passed with no Cerabora, no gnomes or any other being under their control went by. They assumed they would be waiting at the entrance to the city, a problem for later. A gentle thud on the floor above them drew their attention from the windows.

Erigos and Rothox drew their weapons and watched the stairs, Harim kept his eyes on the street, waiting for the flank. The footfalls reached the top of the staircase and the figure began to head down. In their tense state they didn't remember that the Cerabora float and did not make noise while moving.

"Hello?" The intruder spoke from the top of the stairs.

The three turned to each other, "Hello…" Rothox replied, he saw the clawed feet first as walking down the stairs was the escaped birdman.

"Hi," it said. "I'm sorry to startle you but…" he looked at Rothox. "You freed me from their spell. I owe you my life. They all stared at their first time seeing a birdman. Harim was aware of them, reading that they lived on the continent of Belv'dan, in remote villages in the jungle and mountains.

"How long have you been down here?" Erigos asked.

He titled his head, "I don't know. I was sent to do research on this very city and when I arrived there were these floating beings, I tried to communicate with them and that was the last thing I remember. When you ran into me everything came back to me, it was as if they blocked me out of me, if that makes sense."

'"When was that?" Erigos sheathed his sword.

"I believe it was the year of 295 AF…why what year is it?" His face fell as a look of surprise took the sect. "What…year is it?"

"It's 304 AF…I'm so sorry," Rothox said.

The birdman took a deep breath, fighting back a wave of emotion, he nodded slightly, "I see."

"What's your name?" Erigos asked, a feeble attempt to change the topic to aid the distraught birdman.

"Umm…" he squeaked out, a few tears fell from his hawk like eyes, "...it's Julius."

"Julius, what is this palce? You said you were sent here?" Rothox ran his hand along the dark wall, expecting dust, his hand came back clean. Whatever this substance was it was nothing he had come across before; it was alien.

Julius thought for a moment, something he hadn't done since his capture. He swallowed the growing lump in his throat, "I never got the chance to learn the name, I referred to it as 'The Lost City' in my notes. From what I gather it isn't from Yulandi or even Elandriel. Rather, it comes from another plane of existence - a vast sea of nothingness. Some refer to it as the Astral Plane." Julius placed a hand on the foregin structure. "From what I gather this unnamed city appeared here in the material plane. I don't know why but I assume if the beings who lived here were willing to move their entire city they must have been fleeing from something."

Rothox wondered what would scare an entire civilization to go to such drastic measures, he shuddered at the thought.

"What happened to the city?" Erigos looked up through the window towards the volcanic dome.

Julius followed his gaze. "I believe it appeared in this cavern and found itself underneath the flow of the lavafall. Luckily, these beings, being powerful enough to transfer an entire city, had a protective field surrounding the city. It kept the lava out but in doing so kept the citizens in. Over time the lava built up and created this shell. I assume that the denizens unable to leave began to dwindle in population until a few of them. Presumably the same ones that had moved the city the first time, once they regained their energy managed to shift the flow of lava. Unfortunately by this time only a few of these Cerabora remained, of which I assume are and were the habitants of this city.

"How do you know all of this?" Harim stopped watching the window.

"I am..er…was part of an order that investigates planar anomalies. Not sure if they still exist, I doubt they've long forgotten me." He began to tear up again.

"Julius," Erigos walked over to the crying birdman. "It'll be alright, we are going to get out of here."

Julius lifted his head, he wiped away his tears. "You are?"

"We have to save her," Erigos turned around so Julius could see the statue of Alissa.

"Oh, I'm sorry…." With a sudden realization he jumped up, his wings flared out, almost knocking into Erigos. "I know how to get out!"

"The mine tunnel is caved in."

"What mine? There's a tunnel in this cavern, that's how I got here, although it will be tricky if you can't fly."

"We can make it work." Harim spun Erigos to face himwith a reassuring grip, "We will make it work."