Into the Unknown
You stumble towards the smell of munitions, finding your footsteps suddenly crunching dry, brittle dirt. On either side of you, walls of eroded rock twist and turn, carrying the ravine as far as you can see. In the distance you see a huge range of mountains, their jagged brown peaks cutting across a bright blue sky. A gentle wind carries through the ravine, whistling against the rock formations in a tuneless melody.
Suddenly, the serenity is shattered by the sound of gunfire. Behind you, three humans have crouched in the cover of a large boulder. They are dressed in strange brown and red leathers, and each wears a belt adorned with all manner of baubles, daggers, wands, and pouches. You watch keenly as one of the figures unhooks a green orb from his belt, muttering a few words you struggle to hear. The orb begins to glow with a sickly pulse, and the figure hurls it through the air over their makeshift barricade. A burst of shouting from the unseen enemies heralds the orb's arrival, and after a brief second, there is an loud pop, followed by the crackling sound of a raging fire. The air becomes thick with ammunition as the attackers return fire, chipping away at the walls of the ravine in a blitz of lead.
With a sudden force like being kicked in the chest, you are lifted off your feet and thrown backwards, your lifeblood arcing in the air, the wayward shot burrowing deep into your rib cage. Sputtering and coughing, you attempt to crawl towards the gunmen, but they seem oblivious to your presence. As your vision fades, you watch as one man stands up, holding his arms in front of him and projecting a blue, wispy shield. Two strange railcasters at his belt levitate at his sides, firing rapidly as he presses the advance. A roar shakes the ground, and as you look upon the upper ridge of the ravine, your final sight is of a massive serpent with great leathery wings, saddled by a skeletal figure.
Suddenly, the serenity is shattered by the sound of gunfire. Behind you, three humans have crouched in the cover of a large boulder. They are dressed in strange brown and red leathers, and each wears a belt adorned with all manner of baubles, daggers, wands, and pouches. You watch keenly as one of the figures unhooks a green orb from his belt, muttering a few words you struggle to hear. The orb begins to glow with a sickly pulse, and the figure hurls it through the air over their makeshift barricade. A burst of shouting from the unseen enemies heralds the orb's arrival, and after a brief second, there is an loud pop, followed by the crackling sound of a raging fire. The air becomes thick with ammunition as the attackers return fire, chipping away at the walls of the ravine in a blitz of lead.
With a sudden force like being kicked in the chest, you are lifted off your feet and thrown backwards, your lifeblood arcing in the air, the wayward shot burrowing deep into your rib cage. Sputtering and coughing, you attempt to crawl towards the gunmen, but they seem oblivious to your presence. As your vision fades, you watch as one man stands up, holding his arms in front of him and projecting a blue, wispy shield. Two strange railcasters at his belt levitate at his sides, firing rapidly as he presses the advance. A roar shakes the ground, and as you look upon the upper ridge of the ravine, your final sight is of a massive serpent with great leathery wings, saddled by a skeletal figure.
