To the man's surprise, Arorox showed no hint of emotion. He simply rose to his feet and waited for them to open the cell, while looking directly at the guard's face. Which didn't change. His dark brown eyes still had this glint of gleefulness. His mouth still smirked. The guard calmly unlocked the door, went up to Arorox and gave him a sudden punch in the gut.
"Lorum!" shouted the other guard, who apparently was a woman.
Without turning around, the man sighed and lazily said "Yeah, I know. By hurting him we will have a harder time dragging him to the gate."
After Lorum handcuffed Arorox, he barked "Move!".
As they passed through the tunnels, every face they met twisted with disgust at the sight of the prisoner.
At first there weren't many people, but the closer they got to the centre the more people were wandering around. Some wore simple clothing such as a tunica; others were clad in black armor, which was often made from scales or shells.
At some point Arorox stepped into a colossal tunnel, wide enough to swallow a fortress. Daylight poured in from the entrance on the right, helping the white rectangles, which were integrated into the floor in illuminating everything. For a short time Arorox couldn't see anything else other than white. His ears were deafened by the sheer number of noises there were. It was filled with people, and everyone had something to do, some bargained, some dragged a cart, some polished their sword.
As they ventured through the crowds, the woman held the chain of the handcuffs from behind, while the men tried to make some space so they could trespass the people.
Before long, they reached the end of the tunnel. Beyond it lay a vast piazza, from which several streets spilled out like rivers from a lake. The buildings and ground around it shimmered with a green, metal-like stone, and the place was as crowded as the tunnel had been.
Looking over the human-built architecture, Arorox could see, to his left and right, nature's walls rising in the distance. The outer city lay in a great hollow, swallowed by steep mountains whose heights seemed endless. Not even the beautifully painted sky above all things could reach their summits.
As the three went on more and more people in armor crossed their paths and almost none in simple cloth. Some of the buildings they passed were partially melted, as if scorched by unimaginable heat.
After a while, carriages appeared — each one pulled by two prisoners and overlooked by four guards. They looked more like cages on wheels, overfilled with other captives locked inside. They all wore cloths that were threadbare and patched in several places, the fabric fraying at the edges. Each had dark purple hair and a matching circular purple tattoo on their neck. For most of them it is obvious that they were prepared to die. Everyone looked hollow, as if all their energy and emotion had been drained from them.
Somewhere around the middle of the line Lorum slowed, then stopped beside another guard.
"Could you use a helping hand?"
Seeing Arorox behind the men, he grinned and replied: "Yeah, actually it would be wonderful if the wagon in front of us went a bit faster."
Lorum gave him a short nod and went to the carriage. Once there, Lorum uses a metal ring to connect the handcuffs to the metal pole used to push, while the woman talked to the four guards.
To Arorox right was a short haired, young man, who was a bit livelier than the usual prisoner. By looking at him, some might have thought that he was afraid, as his whole body shivered and was covered in sweat. But as Arorox was stationed next to the prisoner, he smelled a very distinctive sweet scent of honey, tree bark and blood.
'Drug addict. He is the reason why this wagon was so slow. He doesn't even put in a little effort.'
Looking over the gaunt young men. Arorox saw the person who hauled the wagon all on her own. She was a tall muscular woman covered in scars; her face locked in a feral anger. Like the other prisoners, her long hair was a deep shade of purple, a matching mark lingered on her neck. But her eyes set her apart from all the others, they were a vivid purple, framed by striking purple eyelashes.
'Something,… She has something. A resemblance to her.'
Not wanting to think about her, Arorox turned away and began to push, and the line of carriages gained speed.
After a while of pushing, the woman suddenly said: "Hey, don't lose hope."
Suddenly, a memory came into his mind. A smile, sprouting happiness in him. A voice, so soothing, so sweet. "Don't lose hope, just because I am inexperienced. "
Arorox, seemingly mesmerized, murmured, full of happiness: "You remind me of someone".
Even though Arorox wanted nothing to do with anyone, he couldn't stop himself from looking at the woman, the one who reminded him of her.
"I am glad that I was at least able to make one person feel something again" the woman remarked with a smile. "By the way, how did you get the necklace?".
'Feel… again? No. No—I refuse to feel anything ever again.' With that, Arorox turned away, his face hardening back into its usual stoic mask.
"I guess I was obvious," added the woman quietly.
As the conversation ended, they came to a halt in front of a massive, fortified gate built into a forty-meter-high wall. Both the gate and the wall seemed carved from the same green, metal-like material as the buildings, though their colour was darker and more weathered.
At a single glance, it was clear that the wall bristled with defences, towers and battlements lined it at regular intervals, yet even they seemed insignificant compared to the gate itself. The tunnel leading to it looked like a death trap. Despite its age, the structure showed little damage; only parts along the top appeared melted, and one of the towers was half gone.
Arorox didn't have to wait long before pushing the wagon again, only to stop a few meters later. It went on like that: stop and go. Each wagon was inspected in front of the tunnel entrance for anything unusual.
After a while, it was Arorox's turn. As a few people examined the vehicle, he noticed several figures in white armor, which is untouched by dirt or time, ascending to the top of the wall above the gate, about thirty-three of them, standing shoulder to shoulder.
When the inspection was finally done and Arorox received the signal to move on, one of the armored figures raised his voice. A loud, rough, commanding shout echoed down from the wall.
"My beloved people, the day has come once again for us to say farewell. Farewell to acquaintances, farewell to friends, farewell to family."
The voice was somehow carried through the wind in everyone's ears. Even those hiding in the most secluded and deepest shadow of a tunnel could hear him as clearly as if he stood beside them.
As he walked through the dark and death-ridden tunnel toward the gigantic gate, Arorox sighed inwardly: "Urgh, I know this speech by heart… wait why do I know it?".
Suddenly another memory came into his mind. The same smile, the same voice shouting:" Come on, we can make it in time." "Move your asses. They will send us to the frontline if we come late" barked Arorox.
The speaker continued, drawing Arorox back from his memories as his tone softened with every passing word:
"It is a bitter fate for both sides. But you must not despair should someone fall. Instead, be grateful. Grateful that you were blessed to know such a man or woman. Someone willing to surrender their life so that humanity may see another dawn."
His voice deepened, becoming more righteous:
"There is no greater honor, no greater sacrifice. And for this sacrifice… they shall be remembered in the stone walls of Mertys. Forever carved into history. Forever celebrated."
A brief pause followed, long enough for the weight of his word to sink in. Then his tone shifted. Sharpened with fire.
"I, the King, cannot swear to protect everyone, but this I swear to you; no death shall be in vain! Every loss is a step towards victory! And I swear upon my life, we shall claim this victory!"
The final words struck like thunder, leaving no room for doubt or hesitation.
A wave of cheering struck Arorox from behind. Even some of the prisoners got their spirit lifted.
The cheers followed Arorox and the others all the way to the gate. From a distance, the gate looked even larger than before. But as Arorox passed through it, he was met with an entirely different atmosphere.
The earth was black and lifeless; there wasn't a plant in sight, not even a blade of grass. Here and there, enormous craters scarred the ground.
In the distance, to Arorox's right, lay a massive silhouette. It was colossal and humanoid, with two legs, a torso, a head, and four arms ending in seven sharp fingers. It seemed to be made of an emerald-like material that gave off a faint green gleam. Its head had only two eyes and a crown that appeared to be part of its body, shining with the same green glow.
The giant was riddled with impact craters, and huge bolts were embedded in its body. It looked like the giant was standing in front of the wall before falling back. A construction site was visible by its knees, dismantling the giant piece by piece. They had already disassembled the lower legs, leaving no trace of the removed parts.
Behind Arorox, the once indestructible-looking wall, which seemed to go endlessly, appeared in terrible condition. It was full of holes, some so deep that one couldn't even see the bottom, as well as cracks and dents. The lower part of the wall was blackened, only gradually returning to a dark greenish colour the higher one looked.
The wall itself was surrounded by a moat, which was filled with black spikes on the bottom and sides. While walking on the black metal drawbridge which was as wide as the gate itself, Arorox gazed into the distance, seeing how the sky darkened.
After a long walk through the devastated landscape, they finally reached a line of blackened grass, the point where the vegetation was beginning to reclaim the land. Here and there were black flowers.
'Everyone despises them, for they are a reminder that they exist only because of the war. It's sad. But I like them. I like that despite being the same colour as everything else, it still manages to…'
A picture suddenly flashed in his mind; he was running through a storm. It's the same place where they were right now. He had the feeling in his hand, as if holding another one.
'What are you trying to say? What is going to happen? Why can't I remember?'
As they pressed forward, a faint drizzle began to fall. Deep in thought, Arorox failed to notice it at all.
Soon, black trees appeared, at first standing alone, but gradually growing more numerous. Just before a forest fully emerged, they came to a clearing. Suddenly, the trees were gone, replaced by battlements and people.
As they proceeded to navigate the carriage through this place. They encountered many wagons along their path. Some were piled with crates and massive clay balls, others armed to the teeth with spears, swords, bows, shields, and countless other tools of war. Catapults, ballistae, and various siege engines loomed among them.
It took a long time before they reached the other side and came to a weary halt. In the meantime, the rain had only grown heavier, turning from a drizzle into a steady downpour.
As they unloaded the prisoners and lined them up by rank and number, a small crowd began to gather.
But it didn't form around the prisoners. Instead, it gathered to their left. Every person in the crowd was staring straight ahead at a figure clad in white armor. The figure removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm, turning it so that its front faced the crowd.
Long blond hair and a full beard that was the first thing one noticed. His grin was friendly, yet it carried a hint of dangerous fury. Then came his voice, the same voice that filled the castle walls: loud, commanding, unstoppable.
"Soldiers. Comrades. Friends. You all know who we face: the Tiremates. Alone they are nothing, but their numbers, and the horrors their corpses bring, make them deadly."
The king paused, letting the weight of his words settle. When he spoke again, his voice swelled with power, each word striking harder than the last.
"If one of our own falls, seize that rage and let it forge you into something greater! Let it sharpen every swing of your sword, strengthen every thrust of your spear, steady every bow you draw. Pour your entire being into the battle, your fear, your pride, your grief, your love. Feel it all! Find your affinity, and kill!"
His voice thundered across the field.
"Kill for your families! Kill for your friends! Kill for those you love! Show the Tiremates that we do not break! Let them learn, today, that we will win!"