Dreadmoor
1164 Words
Tolis and Shella ride on the same horse as they move up a sand dune and finally see the heart of their epic quest, Dreadmoor.
The dilapidated city stands a mile away in an expansive plain, it's grim, twisted spires reach towards the heavens like claws reaching out from bowels of earth.
Above, twisted abominations of bat-like creatures clutter the sky, their grotesque forms silhouetting against the fading light of the dying day. Their wings stretched unnaturally wide.
The cacophony of screeches reverberate through the air, like a chilling welcome from the guardians that rule the accursed place.
Dark clouds reside over the city like an horizontal shield blocking the rays of the sun from reaching the ground below.
Two massive sculptures of hooting owls stand at western side of the city, looking like an open gate despite there being no visible wall encompassing the city.
An unsettling silence envelopes the group of expeditioners, each staring ahead with shock and dread creeping into their faces.
"What kind of a city is that?" Adriel scowls. "No walls and it looks like the dead reside in it. Everything looks ruined."
"We should take a closer look." Shella suggests and Tolis immediately steers their horse down the dune, riding towards the wretched city. The rest of the group hesitate for a long moment before following.
As they edge closer to the forsaken city some of the bizarre avian creatures above starts to dive down and swirl around them like curious guards.
Tolis and Shella presses on nevertheless, leading the group towards the grim city with determination flaming in their hearts.
They curse in horror when they notice the grisly scene of a boundary marked by decapitated human and werewolf heads impaled on sticks stretching as far as the eye can see.
"Damn those savages!" Theo curses scrambling to vomit in disgust.
"They have been doing this for a long time, see the rot in those heads." Lowell, the werewolf says in a nauseated voice.
Everyone appears appalled, but King Tolis's eyes remain stoic and resolute.
"Do you think she's alive?" Adriel asks.
"I can't tell but we must find a way to get into that hell hole and find out." Tolis answers. "We will set camp and wait for darkness."
"There will be a full moon." Adriel reminds.
"We will need a little light." Tolis concludes as he veers his horse to go find a suitable place to set camp and wait.
* * * * *
NIGHT
Under the cover of darkness the expeditioners creep into the macabre city.
Structures stand as crumbling remnants of a forgotten era, shattered windows and collapsed rooftops pockmark the city scape. Vines and ivy snake their way through the cracks and dark shadows move within the structures.
They can hear growling noises mixed with gravelly uproars.
"Is that speech?" Theo quietly asks with trembling lips.
"The residents are not human." Shella answers in hushed voice.
Tolis suddenly makes a dash for the first spire concealing himself in darker side of the wall. Theo follows only to be bypassed by Adriel midway to the sanctuary.
Ralph halts suddenly after spotting an eerie figure lurking behind one of the windows.
"I think I saw a monster." He whispers sounding appalled.
"Where?" Tolis asks.
Ralph points at the window but the creature has vanished. "It's gone. But it looked like a sinister crossbreed of a man and bat." He says.
"I suggest we turn back and leave this cursed town while we still can." Theo whispers in panic.
"We must get to the house next to the temple at the centre of the city, that's the place she marked on the map." Tolis replies and hurtles again towards the adjacent edifice.
The rest of the group follow with a sense of urgency, their bodies tense and alert.
"You will all die." A low, chilling voice of a child comes from behind them and they instantly turn, startled.
A scrawny child with a scared face and strangely pale skin stands a few steps away from them, looking fearful but curious as well.
"That's one scary little monster." Adriel jokes frowning at the malnourished child.
"He just said that we will die." Lowell reminds him in a voice crumpled with fear.
Shella strides gently towards the child and squats in front of him. She pulls out a bar of cheese wrapped in a cloth from the small bag she had carried alongside her bow and arrows. The little boy regards it with avid interest and she hands it to him.
"Who will kill us?" She asks in a low tone.
"The guardian of the city, Taowl. He doesn't like strangers." He answers.
"Is Taowl a sorcerer?" Shella inquires.
"Yes." The boy nod before leaning closer and lowering his voice. "He has an army of abominations, they eat human flesh."
The group of expeditioners visible shake with dread and gaze at each other for reassurance.
"How do we hide from Taowl?" Shella asks the boy.
"You can't hide, he already knows that you're here." He answers and points at the mutated birds above.
Shella nods in understanding while the others sigh with frustration. There is no way of hiding from the strange birds swirling above the city, unless they give up on their journey to the centre of the city.
"Told you we should turn back and leave this cursed place." Theo mutters, his entire body trembling.
"There is no going back without finding Shella's mother or the sword, we will face Taowl if we have to. This was never an easy quest and you all knew it." Tolis responds, his voice devoid of fear.
The rest of the group fall silent, terror gripping their hearts.
"Can you guide us to the temple?" Shella asks the boy and he excitedly nods.
* * * * *
The witch guardian of Dreadmoor, Taowl, stands towering over his bizzare congregation, his massive frame clad in strange armor that glints in the dim light of the debilitated hall. His mask is curved like the head of an owl, it's empty sockets staring out at the assembled abominations.
"Listen well, my fellow misfits." He rumbles, his voice deep and commanding. "We have treasured visitors in our domain today.
The mighty King of elves has wondered inside the walls of our beautiful heaven. But you are not to welcome him. We my dear people have orders from a mightier King, a man who has conquered death itself!"
The congregation roar in agreement, their twisted forms writhing in excitement.
"Go bring me King Tolis and his refined friends!" He orders, his voice rising to a thunderous crescendo.
The congregation erupt into a frenzy of cheers and battle cries before they rush off into the city, disappearing into the the shadows and ruins.
King Tolis suddenly halts at the middle of a dark alley, sensing the approaching danger and becoming a bit apprehensive.
"Something is coming." Shella whispers, sensing the danger as well.
- Writer
