"The Sword of Ruin is inside… that?" the halfling asked, voice wavering, his eyes fixed on the scene below.
His companions were all as riveted as he was..
All except the elf, who replied bluntly, "Well… yes. That is the Twin City, Home of Demons and Fiends. We've spent a month preparing to come here. We have to retrieve the Sword".
"Aye… But I didn't — we didn't — expect this!" Krill's eyes never strayed from the city below their vantage point.
"Well, I doubt you all would have been so eager to come, had I explained in greater detail." Nayla's teeth flashed in one of her rare smiles; none of her friends were looking at her to notice. They were all still captivated by the massive city.
Standing on the precipice, hundreds of feet above, the adventurers had been granted their first view of the fabled Twin City. Built of uncountable tiers of white stonework, the city appeared perfectly circular at all levels as it ascended toward the sky like a needle until it disappeared into the clouds. At its base, tall walls and buildings crowded together, preventing unwanted entry into the city. The defining component of the city, however, was the river that sliced the entire structure in half, cleaving a vicious wound between the two halves. Hundreds of bridges connected the two sides of the city, a massive spider's web spun between the towers.
It was not dissimilar to a wedding cake Krill thought, though a gross mockery of one.
"I didn't expect it to be white," Yen, the bard, chirruped in her constantly cheery voice. "It's a nice contrast to the landscape." She gestured to the surrounding plains and rocky mountains of black and grey surrounding the city.
"Sure, but it's like they sucked the color out of everything." Firben spoke at last, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword at his side. He paused, then continued. "Like they sucked the life out of everything. Like it's—"
"Bone." Krill said flatly.
Yen and Firben's eyes widened as they turned to Krill, realizing he'd beaten them to the end of their thoughts, but Krill looked to Nayla for confirmation.
"Yes, the city is constructed from bone." Nayla said flatly. "Leviathan bones. From ages past, if that makes you feel better," she added quickly, trying to forestall the fear creeping into her companions as they thought the bones of their kin may have been built into the city. Yen's smile returned, wiping away her shocked look. "Well, better them than us," she said, cheery tones returning to her voice.
"Let's just get on with it," Krill straightened his shoulders, "We didn't travel half way through the Spirit World just to turn back now."