Snapping out of his daze, the guard stands back up and motions for the other guards to quickly open the gates, "I apologize for not recognizing you as an honored guest to our kingdom. Please, go straight in and head directly to the palace,"
Making his way through the ivory gates, Sydra found himself walking down a road made out of white marble. On either side of the road were merchants and stalls, as well as stores that sold unique items to travelers.
"Excuse me, sir. Would you like a free sample of our Alchemy Shop's aura enhancer? All you have to do is browse through the Domed Mist selection of potions for fifteen minutes," a man dressed in grey robes asks, directing Sydra's attention towards a glass-domed building.
Curious, Sydra is about to make his way over when the top of the building cracks, and white smoke begins to seep out of it. Seeing this, the man in robes rushes towards the building, only to be knocked out as people rush out of the doors, smoke billowing out behind them.
Before the man can be trampled underneath their feet, Sydra picks him up and looks around. Seeing an empty bench across the street, Sydra walks over to it and sets the man down before turning to look back at the building, "There might still be people trapped inside, but no one seems to be willing to go back in,"
Glancing up and down the street, Sydra sees several people in emergency outfits making their way towards the building, but their path is being obstructed by people curious about what's happening. 'They should be able to make it in time, so I don't think I'm needed,'
About to walk away, Sydra freezes when he hears a mother wailing about her child still being inside the building. Suddenly, the top of the domed building explodes, and the sounds of explosions going off inside makes its way out to the streets.
"Hey, did you see that just now? I think someone just ran into the building," a man says, peering through the doors of the domed building as Sydra runs inside.
"Are they crazy? Some of those potions are incredibly volatile!" Another man yells, a part of the domed building's wall exploding as if to prove his point.
Inside the building, Sydra activates his bone armor to protect his body from any glass shards that might fly at him, "Hello?! Is there anyone in here?"
Ducking underneath a metal beam, Sydra's eyes dart around the room as he searches for people trapped inside. Through the blazes created by potions exploding, he sees a young man trapped beneath several burning potion shelves.
"Hey! Can you hear me?" Sydra yells, making his way to the young man. Lifting the shelf off him, Sydra notices that the man is wearing white royal clothes, outlined with blue trimming. 'It seems he is still alive, but are there any others in here?'
Picking the man up, Sydra tosses him over his shoulder before turning around. By now, the flames in the building have become stifling, causing burns to begin appearing on Sydra's skin. "I can't see anyone else, and if I stay in here any longer I won't be able to save the person I did find,"
Before Sydra can return to the front entrance, a large part of the roof falls from the ceiling, blocking his path. Part of the falling piece ends up landing on a shelf, launching potions through the air and into the burning fire behind Sydra.
"Crap! Ancient Root Defense!" Sydra calls out, slamming his hand into the ground as a shield of roots encases him and the man. The shield finishes just in time, as the potions landing in the fire erupt, sending shards of molten glass and burning wood in its direction.
While waiting for the eruptions to stop, Sydra pulls out the silver spikes and activates his magnetic aura, "If the only way out is blocked off, then I'll just have to make my own way out,"
Releasing the defensive barrier, Sydra races towards one of the walls, the silver spikes spinning in front of him. Raising his hand, he sends the spikes into the weakened wall, swiftly tearing a hole large enough for him to pass through with the man.
Outside of the building, the rescue team has finished setting up a barrier around the building, and are preparing to make their way inside, when the left wall crumbles and a man races out of it. Looking around, the man notices the rescue team and makes his way over, placing the person on his shoulder in front of a healer.
"I found this man inside the building, trapped underneath some shelves," Sydra says as he returns the spikes to his pouch, "I believe he has some broken ribs and some mild burns,"
As the healer nods his head and starts working on the young man's injured body, a woman walks up to Sydra. She is wearing white armor, with a red plus sign on the front, and she is wearing gauntlets with curved hooks coming out of them.
"Can you tell us if you saw anyone else inside and the structural integrity of the building?" She asks, a few other rescue team members stepping closer to listen in.
"I wasn't able to go too far inside, so I'm not sure if there are still others, but the building looked close to collapsing on the right side, and I had to make a hole to escape on the left side," Sydra says, motioning towards the hole, "If you guys need any more help inside, I'm willing to assist you,"
"No, you should get your own injuries checked out, but thanks for the information," The woman says as she turns around and motions for the others to follow her.
As the rescue team heads into the building through the hole Sydra made, he turns his attention back to the young man he saved. The healer has already finished with the surface wounds and is about to move onto the ribs when a woman pushes her way through the crowd.
Seeing the young man on the ground, the woman rushes over, tears streaming down her face, "Lucas? Are you okay?"
"Ma'am, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to step back so I can finish mending this man's bones," The healer says, motioning for the woman to step back.
"That's my son!" The woman yells, trying to push past the healer. Stepping up, Sydra taps the woman on the shoulder, causing her to glare at him for getting in her way.
"Your son will be okay, but you have to let the healer finish his job," Sydra says, calming the woman. Glancing between her son and the healer, the woman wipes the tears away from her eyes.
"Are you the one who saved him?" The woman asks, turning her attention back to Sydra. Getting a good look at her, Sydra notices that she is also wearing royal attire, and her blond hair is held back by a gold and jade headband.
"I am, but may I ask what happened?" Sydra asks, curious about why a potion store would suddenly catch on fire, and at the exact moment that a Royal was attending.
"I don't know for certain, all I do know is that my son and I were going to get his father a gift, and suddenly the entire building went up in flames. I was closer to the door, so I escaped quickly, but Lucas was farther back and got trapped inside," She says.
Before Sydra can ask anything else, he hears the sound of hooves clapping against the pavement as Royal Guards make their way down it. As the people part to the side to allow the Royal Guards to pass, Sydra sees a sturdy-looking man riding a white horse in the middle of the guards.
"Hey, isn't that King Arthur? Why is he coming all the way here?" Someone asks as people watch the man hop off the white horse in front of Sydra and the woman. The man is wearing an ivory suit of armor, and a white crown adorned with blue gems atop his head.
As the man's eyes land on the body of Lucas, he flashes to him, as if the armor on his body weighed as light as a feather. By now, the healer had finished, and stepped off to the side, allowing King Arthur to kneel next to his son.
"Is he okay?" King Arthur asks, but the healer doesn't have the time to answer before Lucas's eyes flutter open. Seeing her son wake up, the woman also runs over and begins checking Lucas for any reaming injuries.
"Mother... Father? What are you doing here?" Lucas asks, sitting up quickly in a panic. "What happened?"
Looking at his son, King Arthur's face becomes stern as he looks up at the Alchemy Shop, which is being handled by the rescue squad, "I would like to know that, too. But before that, I would like to know what you and your mother were doing out of the palace without any of the Royal Guards. Gwen?"
Hearing her name called, Lucas's mother looks guiltily at the ground, "I'm sorry, we were just trying to get you a present when the building caught on fire. If it hadn't been for that man over there, I believe Lucas might have died,"
Turning around, King Arthur notices Sydra standing there for the first time, "Oh? And who might you be?"