Skar‑Zhul was the first city to rise from the ashes after the Great Catastrophe.
Its layout was unlike any other: perfectly circular, with the poorest residents crammed into the dense center and the wealthier citizens living further out toward the high ring‑walls.
While Therya had once held 30,000 people, now reduced to 18,000 after the recent attack, Skar‑Zhul counted over 60,000. The city was vast, strange, and unique in both architecture and governance.
Five tall white towers marked the skyline, each standing in a different sector. Unlike Therya, ruled by the Seven Sages and a king, Skar‑Zhul operated under an unusual democracy with four ministers:
The Voice of Reason: judge of laws and people.
The Voice of Progress: steward of technology and innovation; historically the same person for many terms, since few wanted the job.
The Voice of Iron: commander of the guard, trainer, and protector of the city; always someone exceptionally strong.
The Voice of the People: advocate for citizens' welfare; often clashes with the Voice of Reason.
Every ten years, the city held a sixteen‑day public debate: four days for candidates for each role to speak in the central square while citizens judged their words. Each minister lived in one of the four towers; the fifth was a meeting tower. When a council session began, a fire‑wielder lit the signal flame atop it, sending smoke into the sky so everyone knew decisions were being made.
Vane, Darian, and Liro stood before the towering gates. The ring‑walls loomed, the five towers visible even from here. Two guards stepped forward. Their armor bore an emblem of the five towers, the central one drawn with curling smoke.
"Stop there!" one guard barked.
Hands raised, the three travelers halted.
"Who are you, and where do you come from?" the first guard asked, while the second inspected them.
"We're from Therya… we need your help," Liro replied.
"Yeah? And what stops you from coming in and killing everyone?" the guard snapped.
"We won't. I know it's hard to believe, but we were attacked. Portals started appearing everywhere—"
"The portals… we've heard of them," the guard interrupted. Heavy footsteps approached from behind.
Both guards stiffened and dropped to one knee. "Morning, sir Tauren. We were just inspecting these travelers."
"No need for that. I'll take it from here." The massive man turned to the trio. "You must have come for something important, right?"
Tauren stood nearly six feet tall, shirtless, muscles honed to perfection. Intimidating, but his expression was warm.
"Yes… we need the help of Skar‑Zhul's alterids," Liro said.
"We know about the krukin trouble. Come, I'll take you to the Shakurn," Tauren replied, referring to the city's alterid group.
He waved the guards away, and they headed inside.
The city bustled, vendors hawking wares, markets overflowing with food. Compared to battered Therya, Skar‑Zhul looked untouched.
"Sadly, it's not all like this," Tauren admitted. "The center's overcrowded with poverty. There's only so much we can do."
They reached a massive building. "Here we are: the Shakurn Hall. I'll introduce you to our leader."
Inside, a wide chamber flooded with light from tall windows. A great round table dominated the room. Two figures were present… or at least one was clearly human.
The other was a green slime, speaking in a strange, fluid voice: "Oh? Guests? Let me take a human form."
Before their eyes, the slime shifted into a vaguely human silhouette, still entirely green.
"Don't mind him," Tauren said. "This is Allen, his power is unique."
Allen bowed. "It's not a 'power' in the usual sense. My magic permanently transformed me into this form. Long ago, I was human, but once I changed, people avoided me. Even my family." He glanced toward the other man. "Eros found me twenty years ago and gave me a place here."
The other man, seated, looked to be in his sixties, with a sharp gaze and a well‑groomed handlebar mustache.
"So… who are you three supposed to be?" he asked.
"We're from Therya… and we need your help," Liro said.
As they explained the attack, Eros listened in silence. When Liro revealed that half the city had been destroyed and thousands killed, his eyes narrowed.
"Let me guess... you want our help against the krukins?" Eros said.
"Yes."
"Count us in," Eros replied without hesitation. "This concerns us too." He stood, extending a hand. Liro clasped his forearm.
Vane squinted at the trio before them. "Uh… are you the alterids of Skar‑Zhul? Is this everyone?"
Eros shook his head. "We're part of them. Two more members are currently on a mission." His gaze softened. "And you've already met one of ours, Bianca. She told us about you."
"Bianca uses her power, Imitatio, to spy on enemies. She can blend, vanish, and even mimic other forms. Because of that, she almost never stays in the city. She lives in the field, gathering intelligence and feeding it back to us."
Tauren cleared his throat, grinning a bit. "Since we're sharing… my ability lets me make my body incredibly resistant. I usually take the hits for everyone else."
Allen flowed onto the table in a ripple of green. "I can reshape my body however needed, squeeze through spaces, form blades or shields, absorb impact. Not flashy, but very hard to kill."
Finally, Eros spoke. "And mine is Enumeros. I see a number above every mind, its mental strength. I can lower that number and, when it hits zero, take full control of their body. Control fades as the number climbs back to its original value."
Eros glanced at Darian. Above his head the number was already 0. Stranger still, the small creature on Darian's shoulder had no number at all.
"Your turn," Eros said.
Darian told them everything, his life in the old world, the decade spent on XERBAB‑7 that had actually been five hundred years, and how he had met Snowy. The Shakurn listened with rapt attention, fascinated by both man and creature.
Then Vane and Liro followed him too.
"We've also met several krukins who can speak," Liro added. "At least five."
Eros nodded. "Bianca reported the same pattern. She believes there are nine such krukins, and that a human is helping them open the portals. We don't yet know why, or whether it's only one human."
Liro swallowed. "A human… helping them?"
"We'll find the truth," Eros said. "We were preparing to send a messenger to Therya, but you arrived first. All the better."
"Then from now on," he continued, rising from his chair, "the three of you will work with us and we'll hit the krukins back."
They all stood.
"We also need to predict where they'll strike next," Liro said. "Are there caves nearby?"
"Plenty," Eros replied, uneasy. "We just hope they don't know them all, or they could strike from every side."
"They still can't survive on the surface desert, right? They have to stay underground," Liro pressed.
"They're evolving fast," Eros said grimly. "They might adapt to that too."
"Then we need to be ready," Darian said. Eros's eyes lingered on him, and on Snowy.
That night, the travelers were given a room with three beds. Snowy curled up beside Darian.
"So… we've met them. Let's hope they can help us strike back," Liro murmured.
"Yeah. They seem like good people," Darian replied, stroking Snowy's fur.
Vane was already asleep, snoring loudly.
"Yeah…" Liro closed his eyes, and soon, Darian followed.
In another room, Tauren approached Eros. "Boss… you're sure about this? Having them here?"
Eros nodded. "They've fought more speaking krukins than we have. They'll be invaluable."
Tauren sighed. "I hope you're right."