Memories flooded his mind with every passing moment.\u00a0 Were they real, or was it just something he imagined in his weary state?\u00a0 He retraced the steps that led to that dreary part of the city, where a once proud people moved toward something important with all of Tellest in mind.<\/p>\n
But then, the floating continent fell.\u00a0 While some of it descended into the ocean, a huge portion of the central island fell upon shale, the land in darkness below.\u00a0 Cracks and fissures ripped through the once beautiful island\u2014like the crevasse that separated Fennic from his oldest friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cWherever ye are, I\u2019m sure yer laughing at me,\u201d the dwarf mumbled.<\/p>\n
\u201cSave your strength,\u201d the feminine voice cooed.<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t focus on that lovely sound, for another rumble echoed throughout Baridryn then.\u00a0 The White City had seemed to hold fast when it first fell\u2014a testament to elven and dwarven craftsmanship.\u00a0 But with the unyielding storm brewing fierce winds, the damage that was done was exacerbated.<\/p>\n
Fennic looked up and winced as a golden dome fell from atop a beautiful alabaster tower.\u00a0 Smoke and dust exploded in a plume a stone\u2019s throw away, and the dwarf waved away that intrusive debris.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t stay here anymore,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cThe White City is no longer safe.\u00a0 Can you walk?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI only had an entire building fall on me, lass,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be fine.\u201d\u00a0 Fennic looked to his companion, his vision still blurry from the hardships he had faced since Shandranar\u2019s fall.\u00a0 Her fair skin seemed to glow, and he couldn\u2019t look at her for too long.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about you, girlie?\u00a0 Are you alright?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should be concerned for you,\u201d she bade.\u00a0 \u201cYou survived, but you were badly injured.\u00a0 The next time a building comes down\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, Llenaduil,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be far away.\u201d<\/p>\n
She extended her hand, the only thing he could see with his downward gaze.\u00a0 \u201cCome now, Fennic.\u00a0 You mustn\u2019t fall asleep.\u00a0 If you do, I fear\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust catching me breath, lass.\u00a0 You lead, I\u2019ll follow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u00a0 If you need to take a break, just let me know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The dwarf grumbled.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t need to be coddled.\u00a0 It\u2019s just a bump on the ol\u2019 noggin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the world we live in now, that\u2019s enough to be worried about.\u00a0 There aren\u2019t any clerics left to soothe your pain.\u00a0 None that we know of anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe we should still be in Baridryn then,\u201d Fennic surmised.\u00a0 \u201cThere could be one there.\u00a0 Or someone else might need our help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Llenaduil was firm in her reply.\u00a0 \u201cThat place is death.\u00a0 We have to get you as far away from there as possible, before you decide to be a hero again.\u201d<\/p>\n
A little grin was all he could offer.\u00a0 He did have second guesses about leaving after all.\u00a0 He turned, and was surprised by how much ground they had covered.\u00a0 Those once pearly white buildings were far in the distance, crumbling and faded.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re quite the motivator,\u201d the dwarf muttered.<\/p>\n
The path before them was uneven and broken.\u00a0 In many places, the sea had risen up over the land, creating odd new formations.\u00a0 The elf maiden led the recovering fellow along the safest routes, until he sputtered and grumbled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you alright, master dwarf?\u201d<\/p>\n
He coughed and waved his hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll live.\u00a0 But I could use one of those breaks ye were talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, why don\u2019t we set down here for a spell?\u00a0 There really isn\u2019t a better place I can see.\u00a0 And as long as there\u2019s no rain, we should be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAye,\u201d he said.\u00a0 Fennic willfully collapsed to the ground, giving his wobbly legs some respite.\u00a0 Once he was there, he could feel the other pain in his body: that of a grumbling belly.\u00a0 \u201cYe don\u2019t have any food, do ye?\u201d<\/p>\n
Regret was there in her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t give you anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
The dwarf nodded.\u00a0 \u201cRight.\u00a0 I forgot all ye elves eat that silly bread.\u00a0 What\u2019s the point in eating at all if not to gorge yerself on something delicious?\u201d<\/p>\n
For a while, all was quiet.\u00a0 Fennic contended with the aches in some parts of his body, and the rejuvenation of others.\u00a0 The rasp in his every breath subsided, and he could feel his legs soothe.\u00a0 As his vision stabilized, he stared off into the distance.\u00a0 The storm still lingered there, yet no rain had come.<\/p>\n
Llenaduil grew quiet, and the dwarf considered that she probably needed a break from him.\u00a0 All the better, he thought.\u00a0 He could use some silence for a change.<\/p>\n
An odd clap of thunder resounded somewhere far away.\u00a0 When Fennic saw no flash of lightning, he furrowed his brow, looking this way and that.\u00a0 A subtle difference in the color of the horizon caught his attention, and he narrowed his eyes.\u00a0 Figures seemed to appear from thin air, and then dropped from the sky.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Llenaduil asked.<\/p>\n
The dwarf swallowed a mouthful of air.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s nothing,\u201d he insisted.\u00a0 \u201cMy eyes are playing tricks on me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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