The Chronicles of Ryvvik

[DeepWebAssassin]

The taint of ash upon each breath only grew more oppressive the further they pressed on. He moved from shadow to shadow, loosing arrows in rapid succession as his guide's elemental drew the ire of yet another group of fiends. Each arrow found its mark, but yet the creatures fought on savagely-- almost seeming too terrible to fall.

He hastily rounded a corner and ducked into an alleyway for a moment of respite. The elf pressed himself up against the scorched stone wall, closing his eyes for a moment and working to steady himself before his companion took notice. He was afraid. Not of pressing on, but of what might become of him if he failed to keep fighting. Is this the choice this city's last defenders made, too? How many of them stayed? How many of them died? Did they know the sacrifice that was being asked of them when they took up the blade, or were they simply swept away with the maelstrom of this terrible battle?

He heard movement from deeper within the alleyway, and turned to lock eyes with one of the terrifying creatures. He could feel himself wanting to break and flee from the malevolent aura of pure hatred that radiated from the fiend's terrifying visage. His hands worked swiftly, drawing his bow back to the very limits that it could handle, and loosing an arrow at close range. The arrow struck true, piercing one of the creature's haunting crimson eyes. It crashed into the wall next to him and sunk to the scorched stone floor where it expired in a growing pool of foul fluid. There was an utter silence as the world around him bled away, the near-miss of his encounter in the alleyway blotting out his senses for a moment. He wasn't sure how long it took him to regain himself, but when he could hear sound over the beating of his own heart, he became vaguely aware that the fighting in the street had stopped for the moment. His companion was likely ready to move on. He took a moment to steady his shaking hands and find his breath again before he returned to the street. He nocked an arrow and advanced alongside the Wizard and his stalwart elemental.

They proceeded along, turning left and right down a seemingly endless maze of chaotic streets. He tried not to focus on the eternal carnage that had befallen the city. He tried to ignore the scorched and desecrated remains of those who were brave or foolish enough to stand their ground while others fled. He tried not to listen to the twisted, inhuman screams of the creatures that pursued them; nor turn his gaze toward the blood-red, smoke-stained sky. He followed the Wizard's guidance along, sticking closely to his side and making himself as useful as possible.

After what seemed like hours of treacherous advance, they reached their destination. The infernal portal stood before them, its sinister runes and eternally burning stone sending a very clear message to any who approached-- they were not welcome here. Never in his life had he felt more alien, more outsider, a trespasser in someone else's domain. This city had been taken. Stolen away from the world of light by the worst kind of enemy, with no clear way to take it back.

In this moment, he knew. He understood why the defenders had stayed behind, knowing it would damn them. He knew why, no matter the odds, there would always be those who rise up in the face of such destruction. Because to bear dreadful witness to something of this magnitude demanded an answer. Because a world where one could not count on others to come to his aid when even all is lost is a world far more terrifying than even the ones these fiends had come from.

He was afraid of the forces that dominated the city.
He was exhausted from the seemingly endless fighting.

But in that moment, he was also renewed with purpose.
In that moment, he knew that he must press on.

Because if not he, then who? The cost would be great. The solution would rarely be simple. The path would not always be clear. But it was his, and he would find a way. No cost was too great for peace. If even for a fleeting moment-- peace. And to that hopeful end, he would know war.