by Ian Rodgers
And then, there was the front door. It was as big and as thick as city gates back in Orria. A person would have to have S-rank or higher strength to open them without assistance. They were made from a gold colored material and had runic diagrams as well as ornate images of emperors carved upon the surface.
“Any idea on how to get inside?” Dora asked, staring up at the imposing doors.
“Find an open window,” Enrai suggested, glancing from the entrance to his muscular arms, then back again. He sighed. “No way Ain and I can move those doors apart on our own.”
“Sad, but true,” the Grand Elf agreed. “Let’s look around, there has to be a way inside for normal people!”
They spent an hour exploring the exterior of the palace trying to find some means of entry. At last the trio found a door sized for humans and which looked easy enough to open. It was marble, like all the other parts of the building, but after jiggling the handle, Enrai found it was unlocked.
He opened it with a grin, and with that, the group entered the last untouched part of the Lost City.
“I think this is the servant’s quarters,” Enrai mused, looking around them. While everything was clean and tidy, the furnishings were clearly of a lesser grade than anything they’d seen on the outside.
“I think you’re right,” Dora said, spotting a wall covered in what appeared to be cubbyholes. While most of the contents had been looted, some still remained, and they looked like uniforms. “Workers must have left their belongings here when they went to work. And over there! Doesn’t that look like a coat room?”
“More like a rag room, now,” Ain commented as he pushed the door to the room open a bit wider. Coat pegs were indeed inside, as well as hat stands and shoe racks, but the clothes that had once filled the room looked to have been shredded and defiled.
“What happened here?” Dora wondered as they began to explore the interior of the palace’s lower level. “Everything looks neat and tidy, but in some places, there are clear signs of disorder and damage.”
She gestured to a room that was filled with shattered ceramics. Teapots and urns and vases all lay on the ground in rubble.
“Well, we know that this city reappears in the mortal planes every so often, so maybe the damage was done then? Maybe the barrier disappears whenever it returns to Erafore, which is where the damage comes from, and when it gets sucked back into the Aether, the dome is a little bit smaller because it’s constantly turning off and on,” Enrai suggested.
“That makes a lot of sense,” Dora said, tapping her chin. “Constantly using a Magical Array over and over does weaken it.”
“And magical artifacts grow weaker the more they’re used as well. If they’re not repaired or recharged, they can stop working properly,” Ain added. “You should… wait, stop, do you hear that?”
His long and slender ears twitched slightly as he detected unusual noises.
“Can you tell what it is? And where?” Dora asked, nervousness and eagerness warring against each other inside her.
“Sounds like people talking,” Ain murmured, staining his ears to pick up more. “And it seems to be coming from… above?”
The pair looked up at the ceiling, and for the first time noticed small vents in the tile above them. From them, Dora and Enrai could now pick up indistinct conversation.
“What are those vents for?” Enrai wondered.
“Not sure. But, if we can hear through them, they must connect to an upper level,” Dora mused. She then brightened. “And that must be my family up there! Come on, we need to find a staircase!”
The trio began to rush around the lower level, trying to locate a means of ascending. Much like the entrance to the servants’ quarters, the stairs leading up had been hidden behind an unassuming doorway. As they headed up, the noises began to grow louder, to the point even Dora could pick out a few words from the jumble of shouting.
“It sounds like Holt and Scarrot arguing,” Dora claimed as she jogged along. Ain and Enrai shrugged and trusted her word for it.
“You’d know better than us about that,” the Monk said. “But why would they be fighting?”
“One of them is trying to get the other to stop hitting something. Doesn’t seem to be working,” Ain commented, his ears twitching.
There was a crash up ahead and Dora broke into a run towards the source. She could see a door, slightly ajar, with people moving around within it. Through the crack, she could see familiar silhouettes. Her heart beat faster than ever, and with a cry of joy rushed at the door and slammed it all the way open.
All the men within the room, which turned out to be a circular atrium filled with benches, jolted in surprise at the sound of the door slamming open, and spun around fists raised for a brawl. When they saw who it was who had shoved their way inside, their jaws dropped, eyes bulged, and their fists fell limp.
“DORA?!” they all screamed as one, their voices filled to the brim with shock and joy.
“I’m here, guys! I’m finally here!” she said, tears streaming down her face.
“Dora! By the gods, you’re OK!” A thin, lanky man with unruly brown hair rushed over to Dora and swept her up in a crushing hug.
“Reesh! You’re alright as well!” Dora cheered. A hulking, dark skinned and bald man appeared next, grabbing both her and Reesh into a hug.
“Uldo! You’re alive! Thank Cynthia! I thought the worst when I saw those horrific creatures swarm all over you!” Dora exclaimed. The others from the group gathered close, cheering for her, slapping her shoulders, and ruffling her hair fondly.
“Everyone… you’re all alive… you’re all OK!” Dora cried. She wept, and the men of the Yellowmoon Menagerie crowding around her wept as well.
Everyone who’d been stolen away was surrounding her. All except two. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Dora looked over at Holt and Scarrot, the former of which was helping the one-legged orc hobble over to her. Dora noticed that Scarrot’s most defining feature, his ivory peg leg, was missing, forcing him to lean on his close friend’s shoulder to approach.
“Holt, Scarrot, you’re both alright,” Dora sighed happily. The goateed human scratched the back of his head sheepishly from the genuine care and relief she was displaying.
“Yeah, we’re fine.” Holt then frowned. “But what are you doing here? How did you find this place?”
Scarrot glanced over at Ain and Enrai with suspicion as they entered. “And who are those two?” the dark green skinned orc demanded.
“The Grand Elf is Ain, and the human is Enrai,” Dora quickly reintroduced. “Do you remember meeting them before we were attacked?”
“Vaguely,” Holt mumbled, thinking back to the day they’d been stolen away by the monsters.
“They helped you track us down?” Scarrot inquired.
“Yes, they did! Oh, I have so much to tell you!”
Dora excitedly began to tell the Menagerie all about what had happened since they’d been whisked away to the Lost City. The men sighed in relief when they heard Rindel was safe, gasped when she told them about the Creeping Rot infected city, stared at her with awe as she briefly described her meeting with Vord the Lich, cheered as she spoke about how she’d hunted through the jungle to find the Avatar of Kuronos, and growled when they heard about the Unchained Legion’s actions.
“You’ve gone through so much in only a year,” Scarrot said softly, staring fondly at Dora as she finished her tale. “And you’ve come out much stronger for it.”
“He’s right! You’re amazing! I could never have survived all the trials you went through! And all of it to save us! I-I’m touched!” Reesh said, choking slightly on his own relief and thanks.
“You really have a way to get us out of this damned place?” one of the caravan workers asked eagerly.
“I do, but it won’t work while we’re inside this barrier,” Dora said, holding up her right hand and showing off the grey ring she wore. Grumbles of annoyance filled the room.
“Well,
we’re safe for the moment. Since the dome is up, the demons can’t get in. So, we have time to think up a way to get free,” Dora stated, buoying their spirits. “Tell me, what’s been going on with you all since you were taken away?”
“I don’t know how much time we actually have to plan and plot,” Holt said worriedly. “Our jailkeeper isn’t here right now, but he could return at any moment!”
“Who is it?” Ain asked, curious.
“The World Rebellion,” Scarrot spat furiously. The caravan workers all growled angrily at that.
“WHAT?!” Dora, Ain, and Enrai all exclaimed in horror.
“This so-called ‘Lost City’ has been used by the World Rebellion as their headquarters ever since it was sucked into the Aether three thousand years ago,” Holt explained, his expression dark. “There aren’t many cultists left at the moment, and all of them are out doing other missions, so we’re left alone for the most part. But when they return, they like to torment us.”
“Can’t hurt us physically, not for long at least, thanks to this freaking barrier,” Reesh said, scowling heavily. “But they love playing mind games with us. Trying to break our spirits. They haven’t won yet!”
“Why on Erafore did they kidnap you all? What was the point?!” Dora cried, utterly confused.
“They rarely speak to us expect to hurt us,” Uldo said, his deep, booming voice comforting Dora. “But, sometimes we overhear things. Talks about ‘Chosen Ones’ and ‘trials.’”
“Chosen Ones…” Dora whispered to herself.
“Nia’s to be precise,” Scarrot spoke up. Everyone looked at him, Dora the most keenly, and he shrugged. “Almost twenty years back, Lord Naliot sent me a vision. In it, he told me that three souls would be selected by Nia to be her chosen heroes. And then, about three years ago, Lord Naliot spoke to me again, saying one of her Chosen had been found.”
“The World Rebellion is hunting these Chosen Ones? And they thought one of them was among us?” Reesh asked incredulously.
“I don’t know for sure, but that’s the only reason I can think of,” the battered orc said with a shake of his head.
In Dora’s mind, thoughts were roiling and in turmoil. ‘Nia’s Chosen Ones… is that why she’s been contacting me in my dreams? Why the Void worshippers targeted my family? Because of me?’
She shook her head. ‘No time to worry about that now!’ “Boss, we now have a way to escape this place. But before we go, I have to ask you: what will you do when you leave?”
Scarrot frowned, the expression mirrored by several workers. “What do you mean, Ildora?”
“I mean, will you try and rebuild the Yellowmoon Menagerie? Go back to traveling the Cracked Land looking for slaves and monsters?”
“There’s not much else I can do, or am any good at,” Scarrot said matter-of-factly. “For the majority of my life, all I’ve ever known and done is slavery. What else can I do?”
“You can take over Reed’s position in Creidor,” Dora suggested. Though Scarrot scoffed, Holt looked thoughtful.
“He doesn’t have long to live,” Dora added, and everyone expressed shock at her statement. “Maybe another three years, if he’s lucky. Rindel’s been helping him, but the vultures are circling. And without a strong, somewhat moral person ruling the town, it’ll become as bad as Annod Bol. You and Holt need to be there for him, Boss. You both need to take the reins from Reed.”
“I can’t do that, Ildora,” Scarrot said, his frown a sad one. “He needs to find someone else to do it. Not me.”
“There is no one else!” Dora shouted angrily. The caravan workers all recoiled from the half-orc, her ferocity stunning them.
“Why won’t you do this, Scarrot? Why won’t you give up the life of a slaver?” she asked helplessly, her anger draining away as she looked at Scarrot’s miserable expression.
“That is none of your business!” Scarrot declared.
“You won’t give up your old life for the man you see as a father?” Dora almost whispered. When Scarrot said nothing, a flicker of anger rekindled within her soul.
“Of course not! What am I thinking! You didn’t give up the life of a slaver for my mother, so why would you do it for the man who treated you like a son?!”
Scarrot looked up sharply at her when she said that. Everyone else sensed a storm brewing, and they took several steps back.
“Not for Reed, not for my mother… you won’t even try to change your ways for me, your daughter?!” she cried, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.
“How…?” he began faintly.
“How did I find out?” she sneered at the older orc. “I didn’t know, not at first. But it was little things. Ever since Annod Bol, I’ve been noticing things. My name, for instance. It means ‘mint leaf’ in orcish. That’s not an insult, that’s a gods damned term of endearment!”
“My mother loved you so damn much, but you went and broke her heart,” Dora spat out. “All because you couldn’t stop living this life. Sure, you might have had prior commitments, but nothing was stopping you from trying to get out!”
“And now here I am, your daughter, begging you to change, to take a new path, because your old one just can’t work anymore! How do you expect to rebuild the Menagerie, father? By now, the campsite has been looted. By now, your reputation has taken a hit. Without a Tower Lord to back you, how can you afford to replace all the missing equipment? It’s all over! Why can’t you see that?”
Dora stood there, panting, her rant finished. Scarrot stared at her with a complicated look. For a long time, no one dared to say anything. The silence that filled the atrium was oppressive and awkward.
Eventually, Scarrot closed his eyes and sighed heavily in defeat. “Is that what you want me to do? To succeed Reed as Creidor’s mayor?”
“I want you to do good things with your power. To make the lives of the people who live in the Cracked Land a little less miserable,” Dora pleaded.
“I’m not a good person, Ildora. Not anymore. Your mother saw that. Realized I could not change. Why do you think I can?”
“Because this time, it’s me asking you, not her,” Dora said tearfully. “And I know people can change. I’ve seen it!”
For what felt like an eternity, Scarrot stood there alone, balancing on his one remaining leg. Finally, he opened his eyes. There was a fierce determination in them, one that filled the people watching him with vigor.
“Men, I’m afraid that I’ll have to pay you all a severance fee,” Scarrot said at last. “This is the last journey of the Yellowmoon Menagerie.”
There were no cheers. There were no joyous motions or statements. What there was were the dozen men of the caravan nodding grimly yet proudly. This was their last job; escape from Targua. After that, their future was up to their own decisions.
“So, how do we get out of here?” Holt asked. “That damned barrier might be preventing that magic ring of your from taking us away from here, but it is the only thing keeping the demons at bay.”
“Does anyone know what is causing the barrier?” Dora asked after think it over. The prisoners all exchanged glances.
“We’ve narrowed it down to a few possibilities,” Reesh said at last. “What we’ve gleaned from the area, as well as the occasional tidbit of information from the cultists, is that this palace was some sort of museum or art gallery as well as the lord’s home. The barrier seems to be originating from one of the pieces of art. We don’t know which one, though.”
“Have you tried moving them or examining them closer?” Dora inquired.
“Can’t. They’re stuck to their walls and pedestals with some kind of magical glue. The barrier doesn’t help either, since we can’t break the areas surrounding the artworks to pry them off,” Uldo stated.
“Plus, none of us are any good at magic,” Reesh added. “If Rindel were here, he’d have been able to do something, but aside from you and him, our experience with magic boils down to ‘ask someone else.’”
“I s
ee. Then, take me to this art gallery, and I’ll take a look and see if I can find the source of the barrier,” Dora said. She then looked at Scarrot, or rather, his missing limb. “That’s going to slow us down. Where’s your peg leg?”
“Rebellion bastards took it from me after I refused to stop trying to break things in here,” Scarrot grumbled. “Same with our weapons. They took ‘em away after we kept trying to assault the cultists. Didn’t work, since no harm can be done to anything thanks to the dome, but it annoyed them enough that they removed them from us.”
“Where are they keeping them?” Dora inquired. The caravan workers all shrugged.
“No idea. They just grabbed ‘em and hid ‘em,” Reesh said despondently.
“Ain and I had a feeling this might happen, so we took the liberty of packing a few extra supplies,” Enrai said, speaking up for the first time since Dora had been reunited.
Ain nodded and took off his backpack. He rooted through it, removing swords and knives.
“It’s not much, and they’re of fairly low quality, but they’ll do in a pinch,” the Spellsword said, passing out the cheap blades to the eager prisoners. They spent a minute testing their weapons, and soon wicked grins smeared across the group’s faces.
“When did you buy those?” Dora wondered as Ain finished handing out the weapons.
“We got them while you were trying to sneak into the Unchained Legion’s base,” Enrai explained. “What did you think we were using those tips we earned from the Crab Shack for?”
“I see,” Dora, surprised and slightly touched.
“Oh, and this is for you,” Enrai said to Scarrot, holding out a whip. The scarred orc took it with a look of surprise crossing his own face.
“How come the boss gets a weapon he’s used to, and not us?” Reesh complained.
“Because he’s the boss, idiot,” Holt said, smacking the lanky man upside the head in exasperation.
“Where on Erafore did you get this?” Scarrot asked, examining the tool closely and somewhat suspiciously.
“A store that catered to ‘adult entertainment,’” the Monk said without shame, and everyone’s heads turned to stare at him in shock so fast most suffered whiplash.