Krone opened his eyes.
The stone fingers wrapped around his skull still held him still as flakes of stone began falling from his flesh. They blew gently through the wind guiding his eyes to the rising light.
The sun was bright that morning.
Before Krone's eyes stood a city, floating above the remains of an ancient ruined city. He saw the destruction expanded far past the distant mountains. Between the fingers he could make out that sight and notice the giant chains holding the signs of magic and life to the ground.
"By great Artha!" Krone breathed out in shock.
Never had he seen a sight such as this in his centuries of life.
After a brief struggle with the stone hands he maneuvered his body free. Looking back at his confinement he saw Gargoyles of various sizes all surrounding where his body once laid upright. They had been reaching towards him, some covering his body while others seemed to be trying to attack where he used to be.
Krone turned around and looked back at the landscape. The orange sun painting his surroundings in white and yellow.
"A red sky?" Krone's thought aloud.
With nothing much to do besides walk he began to head to the flying city.
...
"Grym!"" Cirris called from his chambers.
"Yes, Lord Cirris."
"Fetch me my armor and sword. I require an escapade after this horrible day of legislation."
"Give me just a moment my Lord."
Grym left the elaborate, yellow and gold study of the Lord Cirris. His steel boots hitting the marble floors of this decorated wing of the castle.
Walking into the hall, banners of yellow were laid upon the walls with the crest of a rising Lion with wings extending from its back. The sunlight falling onto the marble floors and red carpets were interrupted with the brisk steps of Sir Grym.
Turning into an open room, Grym passed two alert guards who smacked their breast plates as a salute to the esteemed knight. Grym continued inside with a quick tap of his plate in recognition of the two mens posts.
Inside an armory was laid out with swords, bows, maces, spears, and shields. Passing all the weapons, in the back a stone door with a metal lock sat, inviting wandering eyes. Grym walked straight past the doors and went to a corner of the armory where he pushed a large upright box that weighed nothing but a pound or two. Behind the hidden door was the real entrance to the back of the armory. Walking inside the room was almost pitch black, with only a bit of light seeping through the cracks of the hidden door. Looking to where the main entrance used to be was a giant slab of stone behind the fake stone door.
Grym pulled off his gauntlet and raised an index finger up and having a flame appearing at his fingertip.
Staffs, wands, and precious armor and weapons hung and laid around. Weapons once used in long forgotten wars and by those whose feats and lives have now been deemed as a fantasy.
In a chest is where the Lord of the Watches armor and weapons are stored, in one of the most secret rooms in the castle. Only secret since no one would search through these old magic artifacts.
Pulling the chest through the secret door, back down the hall, and back to Lord Cillis's chambers, it had reached it's destination.
"Thank you Grym, meet me here in 10 minutes ready to take the lift down, we are going Stone Hunting."
...
The great lift brought the two men and a few soldiers down on what must have been a half a mile long platform. The ride normally took a half hour, slowly falling into the earth below with a light thud.
Various other parties were all spread out on the circular platform. Some speaking in whispers of their plans, others sharping their swords and polishing their hammers. A few new surface visitors couldn't help but look off the edge at the slowly closing terrain or try to touch the magic pattern that shone blue as the delicately carved platform descended.
"Alright men, we have three hours to find as many of those stone devils as possible before the lift returns to the surface." Grym pushed back his growing black hair as he set his helmet on. "We protect Lord Cillis but try not to interfere. He is a man trained well by men who have seen more blood than any of your mothers."
Cillis watched the horizon, the sun now past its halfway point. He tied back his long blonde hair and placed his helmet on. In the distance he saw a man that seemed to be leaping through the destruction. Cillis's eyes nearly popped from his skull, as he rubbed his eyes. Looking back, he was only met with the old hellish landscape.
The platform soon sunk into the sandy floor with a thump.
...
Clang Clack!
The metal sprung back as the blade collided with the horn of a gargoyle. The duel had begun in one of the millions of collapsed sky scrapers. The old office ceilings became many things, but today a hunting ground.
"Soldier! Use Your Hammer!" Grym yelled at the soldier who had lost his balance hitting the gargoyle with his sword.
Crunch
The hammer destroyed the whipping tail of the enemy in one direct hit. Cillis raised his hammer again baiting a reaction. The enemy spun around and screamed in a high pitch tone. Grym sprinted forward before jumping over the monster and shooting a fire ball from a necklace he had tied around his gauntlet.
The gargoyle shook off the flames and began to run at Grym before Cillis appeared at its side smashing his gold plated hammer directly into the eye of the stoned beast.
"Yeah!" A soldier yelled, raising his blade into the air.
"No celebrating for you men, this was a horrible display of combat." Grym glared at his men, all cowering under his stare.
"Leave them be Grym, they haven't the need to fight these beasts before today." Cillis smiled at the men. "Next time we come down if they make the mistake you can punish them as much as you want. How does that sound men?" The soldiers shook their heads pleadingly.
Grym sighed before speaking, "I will let you off the hook this time, but if this happens again I will put you all on stable duty." The sight of cleaning animal feces caused the men to shiver in disgust.
...
Walking out of the remains of the building they found themselves at the foot of the lift once again.
"Huh? We are back already?!" One of the soldiers asked in shock.
"Yes this land is strange and uninviting. An hour one way, is a few seconds another. A small creature a mile away could be a giant one once a few feet away. Worst of all, no direction leads you in one path." Grym sighed once again. "Very few have the courage to venture more than a few hours, since the ones that venture too far never find their way back."
Cillis frowned as he began to reminisce.
"Oh is that right?" A man with his clothes torn and his hair ragged and unkept sat on a rock nearby. "That explains the week it took me to talk from just over their to here."
Cillis and Grym looked at eachother.
"Ugh what?" Grym asked in disbelief.
"Oh nothing. Sorry I'm Krone." He stood up and walked over to Cillis barefoot through the sand. Krone rose his hand to shake hands. Grym scowled as he began to rewrap his necklace around his hand.
Cillis quickly put on his glove and shook Krone's hand. "Cillis, I am sure you have heard of me."
"Actually no..." The soldiers, Grym's and Cillis's eyes went wide again. "Sorry, I happen to be suffering from a strange form of amnesia. I woke up not long ago with my face buried in the sand. For whatever reason I can only recall my name."
Grym put his hand on his blade and stood in front of Cillis. "That is very hard to believe Sir."
"No need for the formalities, remember my name is Krone", he smiled.
"Well, Krone one does not wake up in a pile of sand. The sand is quiet hot here, so hot if one lets the skin touch you will have burns for a week at least. You have no burns on your face, just sweat and dirt."
"I assure you I mean no harm."
Quickly Grym unsheathed his sword and his hand with the necklace raised. A few circles of green light appeared around Krone before quickly enclosing around Krone tightly. He fell onto the sand.
"Just what are you?" Cillis squatted down to look at Krone and pulling Krone's hair up.