As Vaerion and Aethon made their way through RIVIRIA, they noticed that the bustling town which was filled with people was now empty. No one was in their homes, there was no noise. Nothing.
But has they got more closer towards the center of RIVIRIA, which was the market square, they suddenly stopped. Their boots was crunching over pieces of broken glass and blackened wood. The air stank of burnt flesh. What they saw before them was emptiness, the kind that screams.
Aethon took a step forward, 4 to be exact. His eyes wide,too wide. They were unblinking, as if the brain that was behind them was refusing to accept what played ahead of him. He stood there and stared. His gaze was fixed on a shape that was no more then 1 meter away from where he stood.
A child's body, or what remained of it. A tiny hand still clutched a single piece of cloth that was clutched in a palm that was charred and looked like a piece of wood that become charcoal. The rest of her body had been torn apart. A leg discarded besides a bloodied bucket, the rest of her torso split open like meat that was on the ground.
Aethon turned away. His hands trembling, heart rate increasing.
He then dropped to his knees breathing heavy and then started to vomit. The only sound that was heard was the sound of the wind.
Vaerion said nothing. He just stood there. Rigid. But not calm.
He had his mouth closed, his teeth were clenched so tightly that a vein throbbed at the side of his temple. His brows furrowed so deeply that they looked liked they were carved into his skin. His sword hand began to twitch, not out of habit but instead out of pure rage. His eyes which usually had a hard and fierce look in them now simmered with something he hasn't felt in a long time. Helplessness.
He then closed his eyes, took a deep breath in and then opened his eyes. He began to look around, slowly.
The market square of RIVIRIA was littered with dead lifeless bodies, some bodies where missing parts, the squares trees where on fire, some were burnt black, the fountain at the center which had clear water was now red with 2 smalls bodies floating in it. The once colorful merchant stalls that surrounded the fountain where covered in blood. Some looked like they where smashed at their centers with a giant club. The fruits that were on the ground that surrounded the stalls where covered in blood.
Bodies were littered everywhere.
Some layed half buried under rubble of fallen houses. Some bodies limbs were twisted at unnatural angles while others were mutilated beyond recognition, their heads missing, torsos cleaved open, entrails coiled like wet rope besides them. As Vaerion saw the horror before his eyes, he took 10 steps and focused his view on the pillar that was in the center of the fountain. At 2 meters up the 6 meter pillar there was a man who was hanging from it. He was stuck on the pillar by a long black spear. The man's eyes were gone. And his jaw was ripped out. After seeing this Vaerion bit so hard on his lip that it began to bleed. He then turned his attention to the rest of the square.
As he turned to his right, he saw a women. The women clung to a blood drenched bundle in her arms. He didn't have to look closely to know what it was. Her face was frozen in mid scream. Her throat, however, was nothing but a jagged hole. Her entire body looked like it was made of ice.
The sky above the market square was grey with soot, the clouds were thick and unmoving. Smoke curled from what remained of a roof, while cinders were floating like lost spirits.
Vaerion finally broke the silence by smashing his hand on a tree that began to crumble due to been burnt black like charcoal.
In a deep and shaky voice he said, :"They didn't just kill them... They mutilated them." After saying this he clenched his fist so hard that it began to bleed.
He then took deep breathes in and out. Closed his eyes, and began to walk back to where Aethon was. His face emotionless.
He stood behind Aethon who was still down on all four, breath ragged, and with bile on his lips.
Aethon slowly turned around and saw Vaerion. He got up and wiped his mouth. He didn't want to look at the square but clenched his fists and looked briefly.
His eyes were horrified by what he saw. He then looked down at the ground and said in a low pitched voice, :"They... They were just people."
Aethon clenched his fists. He then said in a loud voice, :"This wasn't a war. This wasn't even a battle. It was a one sided slaughter... A butchery."
As Aethon looked down and Vaerion stood next to him on his right, the wind began to move from calm to violent, then to calm again. Almost as if the wind was mocking what had just happened here.
A rustling noise began to come from a house that was on the left of Aethon. Hearing this Vaerion drew out his sword, and Aethon created two swords made of ice. Following Vaerions lead, Aethon pressed himself against Vaerions back guarding him, as Vaerion started walking slowly towards the house. A claw mark with blood began to appear on the door as they got closer.
All of a sudden the door swung open and out walked a man. Vaerions eyes widened. Shocked. Same as Aethon who lowered his ice blades. The man who stood up dusting himself was facing them, confused. He then stared at them and was about to turn to his left, but Vaerion rushed towards the man and placed both his hands on the man's side, alerting the man and making him nervous. {Vaerion had done this to stop the man from seeing what had happened to the town square so it wouldn't put him in shock. If he went into shock he wouldn't be able to get valuable information out of him since he was pressed for time} . He then stared at the man in disbelief and wondered how is he alive? Did he see what happened here? As he studied the man more, he saw the man's expression was changing from confusion to fear. He then grabbed the man and dragged him back into the house that he walked out from.
As Vaerion stared at the man, who was now sitting on a wooden chair, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, composed himself and asked the man, :"What's your name." The man answered in a deep voice, :"Heinz. I moved to RIVIRIA 2 months ago." Vaerion then followed up the question with, :"Where were you hiding and did you see what happened here." Heinz stared at both Aethon and Vaerion looking at their faces. After studying their facial expressions, he began to explain everything.
While looking down at the floor, he began to speak. "It began like any other day, I woke up, washed up, and went downstairs, ate breakfast and went outside to the market square. I set up my fruit cart for service. As the day went by, a huge noise came from the bottom area of RIVIRIA. As I looked up at the sky, there was a blue flame that had erupted and covered the sky, and the next thing I know, 3 kids where sent flying into the market squares fountain. When I ran to see if they were ok, I stopped and stared... because... they were dead. The water was changing from clear to a dark red color. Before I had a chance to call for help, another body came crashing, this time a man was speared into the pillar. As the dust settled I saw his face. His eyes where missing and his jaw had been ripped out. I... Started to... Get scared after seeing that... So... I ran back inside here and opened that." As he said that he pointed to a small trap door that opened out from the floor. He then continued to explain what happened after that." As I went in, all I could hear were the screams of all the people outside, so I took cotton and pressed it against both my ears to cancel out the noise. Then all of a sudden I stepped on something round and smooth, and fell backwards. When I woke up, all the noise was gone... So I opened the trap door slowly and listened carefully. Nothing. Not a sound, no scream, no running, nothing. So I decided to come out and see what was going on, and that's when I saw you two.
Vaerion then studied his face and asked him one last question.
"Did you see what made that mark on your door?"
The man got up and stared at the door and noded from left to right.
Vaerion then let out a sigh and said, :"The only thing that's capable of killing like this are ENTITIES."
After saying that both Aethon and the man stared at Vaerion.
Aethon wiped his mouth again and said to Vaerion, :"But did the royal guards of your house not have them chained in mana dampening chains?"
"We did." Replied Vaerion.
He then followed that answer by saying, :"This makes me wonder if someone from inside the capital Orchestrated this. The two assassin's you where fighting earlier were rogue assassin's from the underworld. Guns for hire basically. Why did they try to stop us from going back to the capital. The capital can easily take care of 3 or 4 entities. RIVIRIA on the other hand wouldn't be able to, so what was the end game plan. Someone creates lies and says that the capital wanted to get rid of the inhabitants of RIVIRIA and did a mass one sided brutal slaughter? If so then why hire such strong assassin's? We need to get back to the capital now. "
As Vaerion said that he told Hienz to come with them. Heinz walked out the house and looked down at the ground, then raised his head abit and saw blood all over the gravel road. He saw broken stalls and carts covered in blood and different human parts ranging from legs to hands. He stopped lifting his head up and turned to face Aethon and Vaerion. He said in a low, soft voice, :"I'll go with you."
The three of them headed for a 100 step staircase that lead to the gates of the capital.