"Guess two of us will have to die one to the Queen's blade and another into the eternal depths of the void. At least we can experience the outside world which no one has been able to since The Fall. We might also be able to find some new friends out there as there are also survivors out there evident that they have come here before." Shadow spoke out as he tried to lighten the mood which was one of the things he does best.
"Also going to the castle means we get the best food which I am sure will make the food we eat taste like chump. Also don't forget we have access to the best weapons, armour and gear in the whole kingdom! We might also be able to commission and get ourselves our own custom gear to whoop some Voidborn ass! I mean who would not want their own set of weapon, armour and gear that is customer to your liking that's what many people dream of doing. Nimbus here already has her own but with the best of the best I'm sure the new version will be more than enough to withstand a blow from a Brute!"
"You surely are in a talkative mood today. Thanks for trying to lighten the mood but I don't think it will get any better than this." Gale said leaning the side of her head against the curtain taking a peek at the outside as the mansions of the rich and wealthy passed by. Ruby and Emerald volunteered to sit outside since the inside was already full, I hope they are doing alright in the glaring eyes of the nobles out and around.
Shadow opened his mouth as if to say something else but then closed it developing an interest in his coat. Everyone else stayed silent throughout the trip till we reached the gates of the castle, a groaning sound can be heard as the iron gates raised. It's spires rose up from the ground and pierced through the clouds, magical flames blazed around its exterior and interior giving it an ethereal glow.
The bouncing of the carriage ceased and eventually grinded to a halt with the whining of the horses. The doors were opened by the guards of the palace and one by one we got off on our own meeting Ruby and Emerald. Looking around the tunnel eventually it widened out into a vast cavernous space which contained barracks, armouries, stables, training grounds and all you would expect inside the castle walls. It took us a while to reorient ourselves, in the center there was a large pillar with gates leading upwards into the main portion of the castle.
We went along with our escort passing soldiers and cadets murmuring to each other along with paying each other for lost bets. I looked up to see a stone dome as we approached the gates adorned with intricate scriptures guarded by a pair of dragons with a knight standing on top of the door frame. The scripture presented us with how the world outside would look and of other creatures that roamed the world before the fall.
The gates groaned opened like a child being forced out of bed with a vast wooden platform that would function as a lift. We stepped onto it, the heavy armour of our guard clinked and cluttered with every step and movement they made. Once we were all on the platform a mage sent a mental message to those on top. For a moment it seemed as if the platform would break from the weight of our escorts groaning and moaning before it was finally raised off the ground.
We looked around silently the expressions of the guards around us were masked by their helmet. There was no sound as no one, not even the guards dared to break the delicate song of silence. The platform creaked softly throughout the ride until after a long minute grinded to a halt. Around us was the intricate mechanism that powered the lift, a combination of magic and technology gears, pistons and other mechanisms that worked in harmony with each other. In front of us was a red carpet glazed with some gold thread at the edges with guards on each side with pikes crossed.