“Did you even for a second consider Calvin’s safety when you devised this ridiculous plan of yours?” yelled Riegert.

  “Fell would never intentionally do anything that would endanger any of us Riegert!” said Jackson, stepping in between Riegert and Fellaroth. “Besides, Calvin isn’t a reckless person, he wouldn’t have volunteered to do this if he had, for a second thought that he would have been in danger.”

  “Oh yes, he is, and would have! Calvin has always been a risk-taker, and this has only been encouraged by Fellaroth’s abilities! He feels that he can take more risks, knowing that Fellaroth will always be able to ensure his safety!”

  “I do agree that had it been anyone else, Calvin would likely not have been so eager to have been magically catapulted over a city wall like this. However, that being said, I feel he was perfectly safe in having done so. Had it been offered to me, I likely would have done it too… I mean can you imagine, soaring through the air, being able to fly like a…”

  “No I can’t imagine it, nor do I want to. Calvin could very easily have been killed! You saw how high he went, Fellaroth overshot his mark by a long way!”

  “And yet you have no doubt that he is safe! Otherwise, you would have called out to him and asked if he was alright. The fact is, you might have been outraged by the recklessness of the plan, but you have just as much faith in Fell’s abilities as we do!”

  “That’s beside the point!” retorted Riegert after a long pause. “Just because we have faith in his abilities doesn’t mean that we should let go of all reason and needlessly risk our lives. We still need to think things through and weigh our options before making such decisions!”

  “You just wanted to be the one to do it, didn’t you?” added Jackson with a devilish smile.

  “Not even remotely!” Riegert answered sternly, while the sound of the enormous gates opening behind him cut through the otherwise silent atmosphere.

  “Dependable as always.” Said Fellaroth walking past the others and toward the massive gate.

  The sound of the two large metal-reinforced wooden doors making contact with the concrete walls of the tunnel-like entrance to the city reverberated far louder than they should have, sending an eerie drone that seemed to echo through the inner city. Making their way through the tunnel that was wide enough for two carts to pass each other with space to spare, the group was given a moment’s pause as a door in the wall to their right was suddenly flung open to reveal Calvin exiting in a hurry.

  “Something is very wrong here!” he said upon seeing the others. “This entire place is abandoned, and I don’t just mean the wall and gatehouse! While I was above the city, I couldn’t see a single living person or even creature anywhere. There were no guards on the walls, no people walking the streets, not even so much as a bird flying overhead. It’s as though all life has abandoned this entire area!”

  “I had feared as much on our approach. It seemed odd to me that a city as large as this one, with walls as high as this, had not a single guard standing out front or even atop its walls. Yet even then I was hopeful that we had simply arrived at the changing of shifts.” Said Fellaroth inspecting their surroundings.

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  “How is this even possible? How could a city as large as this have fallen? And why would someone have bothered to conquer an entire city just to leave it completely abandoned?”

  “I don’t think that that’s what has happened here, Jackson. I don’t think this city was conquered, I mean, there were no obvious signs of any battle or siege having taken place. At least not from beyond the wall.”

  “Then what exactly do you think happened here, Riegert? Did the people just up and leave of their own accord?”

  “I don’t know Jackson, but we’re going to find out!” answered Riegert, unsheathing his sword.

  “I don’t think you’re going to need that here Riegert.” Said Fellaroth as they approached the end of the tunnel. “I can’t sense any malice or even life of any kind coming from anywhere within the city. This is truly odd, I’ve never come across a single place in my life where I couldn’t sense any kind of life at all. Now I don’t mean that we should let down our guard or anything like that, I just don’t feel as though we’re in any immediate danger.”

  “Very well.” Said Riegert placing his sword back into its scabbard. “I wonder if news of this has reached The Queen yet? Or if perhaps we have arrived too late and the threat has already been dealt with?”

  “I doubt it.” Answered Calvin. “If the threat had been dealt with already, then either the people would have returned by now, or there would have been signs posted beyond the gate, warning people not to enter. No, whatever has happened here has yet to be dealt with.”

  Every word of their conversation, along with every footfall, echoed through the vacant city adding credence to Fellaroth and Calvin’s claims of the city having been completely abandoned. The shops and businesses that lined the main street were completely abandoned with their doors wide open and street side displays still advertising the marvellous items they offered within. Restaurant tables and chairs could still be found in cordoned-off sections of the pavement, still bearing the utensils their patrons would have used, all of which bore the blackened mark of the food and drink they once hosted, long since having rotted away, leaving only stains as evidence of their past existence.

  The occasional unnervingly loud bangs of doors and window shutters that had not been fastened, allowing them to become playthings of the wind, would cause the group to constantly be wary of their surroundings. Each time the wind decided to mock them with yet another loud bang, at least one member of the group would flinch in that direction, ensuring that they were never truly able to relax as they made their way through the city. A prospect that unsurprisingly was not unwelcomed to the party.

  “We’ve covered a good distance now, and as far as we’ve gone, I’ve yet to see any signs of what caused these people to leave, or even disappear. Aside from the obvious absence of the people, this place appears to be just as peaceful as it ever was. There are no signs of battle, or struggle, no signs of dead bodies or anything out of the ordinary. What in the world could have happened here?” asked Jackson as they passed yet another business whose inviting signage beckoned customers who would never come. “It's so strange and disconcerting. I don’t even know where we would need to start to look for clues into what has happened here!”

  “I suppose the best place for us to start our investigation would have to be either the Adventurers’ Guild or the office of The Head of The Order of Knights. If there were some kind of monster attack that led up to this event, then the Adventurers’ Guild would likely have a record of quests having been assigned to deal with them, and if there had been any abnormal happenings within the city leading up to the event, The Order of Knights would likely have investigated it, or at least have been in the process of investigating.”

  “Calvin’s right, if we are to have any hope of getting to the bottom of what has happened here, those would be our best bet for gathering information. Calvin, you and Jackson head over to The Guild. Fell and I will check out the Order of Knights Headquarters. If you find something or not, we should meet at the town square before nightfall, where we can find a safe place to bunker down for the night.” Instructed Riegert to the agreement of his party, before each group silently set off in different directions.