NIMBUS AND THE KNIGHTS OF CENFERUM

Prologue 2

A few seconds later, from the darkness of the mist, a very loud crash, as if a mountain were splitting open, almost burst their eardrums. Piercing through the dense haze, a huge piece of stone fell from the sky onto one of the shanties nearby. "For God's sake, I hope the house was empty," the soldier thought, and from the shape of the stone, the guard knew its origin—it was a part of the wall that protected the city. Most likely, the creature was now inside the city. A second of silence passed, and suddenly, a spiny tentacle, almost the height of a house, fell, tearing through the fog and darkness, landing behind them, crossing the middle of the street. Its proportions were so immense that it was impossible to tell where it began and where it ended. It looked like nothing more than a pulsating, semi-transparent piece of flesh like gelatin, waving the thorns covering its entire length as it moved through the wreckage of the house.

— God help us, — Hereni exclaimed in a tone of hopelessness.

The monster's tentacle rose slowly, thorns over a meter long and as wide as a tree branch sprouted from the bottom of the limb, only to disappear again into the mists as suddenly as it appeared.

Seizing the opportunity, several people emerged from their hiding places and began to run down the street amidst the thick fog. They didn't even look at the elderly lady and the soldier, who stood stunned by the scene. Unfortunately, in these moments of despair, the young often forget about the old, thought the soldier. Lastly, a couple emerged from the corrosive fog in front of them. Despite the stronger presence of ether there, they did not appear to be injured, with neither red skin nor burned or torn clothes from the deadly gas. The soldier noticed that both were wrapped in capes, similar to the one worn by Mrs. Zeliudes, undoubtedly crafted from the hides of slain ether monsters—a rare and expensive material used especially by those who venture on expeditions beyond the edge. As they approached, to the surprise of both, the young woman carried a baby under the cape in her arms. Upon spotting the pair in the midst of the chaos, they tried to pull Mrs. Zeliudes and the soldier along, but without success, as the elderly lady slipped away as quickly as they held her.

— Let's go! You can't stay here; the ether monster is punishing the wall, it's about to break through completely.

Moments later, from the depths of the fog, terrified screams echoed from where the couple had come, followed by thunderous sounds as if something large and heavy had been destroyed and hurled. It was as if the humble houses in the area were being crushed, and without any warning, another huge stone fell onto the house next to the elderly lady, another piece of the wall, this time even larger than the previous one.

— The wall must have fallen; look at the size of this stone, — Hereni said, alarmed.

— There are still many people there. I can't let this monster enter the city, not now, — the man said, looking at the young woman.

— You're not going back there,— the girl scolded, crying.

— Don't worry, you know I can handle this. — The man drew a sword from under his leather cape. Hereni didn't know if it was an illusion caused by the fog, but the blade seemed strangely reddish under the moonlight. — You'll be fine here; the ether is less intense. I have to help these people, you know I'm the only one capable. — The man looked deeply into the girl's eyes as he placed a hand on her face.

Then, he gently kissed the girl on the lips, and the light hit his face. It wasn't fear that his countenance revealed, just serenity, with exotic features, surely a foreigner, with eyes red as fire. The man ran back into the deadly mists, and the girl stood there crying for a moment.

— He won't be able to do this alone,— the girl said as she wiped away her tears. Then she looked at the old lady beside her and handed her the baby. — I have to go help him; take care of Nimbus until I come back.— She gazed deeply into the elderly lady's eyes and wiped away another tear that insisted on flowing from her eye.