'Thhummm'...
'Thhummm'...
'Thhummm'...
The loud sound banged again, thrice this time.
The sound was so heavy, it shook the prison bars, causing them to reverberate.
By this time Usher started hearing footsteps running here and there, guards agitating one another, but he could not hear what they were saying. It seemed the guards had been dispatched from every floor of the tower to get to the surface and analyze the current situation.
Even the guard at the entrance door to the section where his cell was, seemed to have run off.
'What is happening'
He thought to himself.
With the whole situation, it seemed the temple was under an attack.
'Could it be that mages first strike on them outside the walls was just an advance to prelude a larger attack?'
He thought in his mind.
'But why launch an attack on the monks? What could possibly have agitated the mages to after so many years, pick a fight with the monks, not just outside the walls but even on the inside?'
'Or what sort of effrontery was this, that the mages could just show up in Monkogon, right in front of the tower of the council chamber? Didn't they have the slightest idea that not a single one of them was going to leave there alive?.
Dust was falling subtly from the walls and ceiling because of the impact of whatever was happening above.
Usher began to become very curious. He hoped that the civilians living in the area were not affected.
They were.
At the surface, lots of soldiers were seen coming out of the tower, all running towards the bridge.
They continued across the bridge to the other side where the loud bang came from.
Following after, was Lethar, the Verdugo and two other upgraded Verdugo to his left and right.
They eventually crossed the bridge.
As they advanced forward, there came in view, the sight of two figures standing ahead.
They were skinny, hooded and wore ragged clothes.
Their arms and feet were bandaged.
Their sleeves stopped at their elbows, having tattered edges, and their shorts, also having tattered edges, stopped at their knees.
They wore no shoes, only the bandages covered their legs, leaving their toes exposed.
Asides from the ash coloured bandages, everything they wore was pitch black.
Their faces were overshadowed by the hood they wore, such that they could not be differentiated or identified.
Behind them, was a whole community flattened to the ground.
Blood everywhere, dead bodies lying all around.
It was a sore sight.
A wall shifted and fell on a child's body.
The dead body was positioned on the ground such that his head faced the direction they were standing.
As the wall fell, it crushed the child, causing the head to bump out and roll all the way past the black-clothed figures to the feet of the head of the guards.
The company looked forward in shock, the two figures still standing, facing them directly.
********
"Rahn!!"
Mrs Edga exclaimedly called out on seeing her brother for the first time in years. She walked forward excitedly with her arms spread out, as if to give Mr. Arasaki a hug.
Yes, Mr. Arasaki's first name Rahn, was what his sister called him by.
Her's was Darugo.
It had been at least three years since they last saw.
All the while, they had only communicated using letters to know how each other was faring.
"I'm well Darugo, is everyone alright?"
Mr. Arasaki answered.
"As good as you left us". Mrs Edga said with a smile while turning to David.
"David! How are you? It's been a while, you look so much taller"
She said as her chubby body enveloped him in a hug.
"I'm fine aunty, you look pretty good yourself" David said returning her warm smile.
"Come on in. There's still a lot of time before we-"
'Thhummm'...
Mrs. Edga was cut short by the loud bang.
This was the point at which it happened for them.
"What in God's name was that"
Mrs. Edga exclaimed loudly.
They all trembled at the sound and covered their ears.
Mr. Arasaki replied...
"It sounded like a powerful explosive, I think it came from that direc-"
'Thhummm'...
'Thhummm'...
'Thhummm'...
They all trembled again covering their ears.
The overwhelming sound caused the ground and the buildings around to literally reverberate.
"Something's wrong, stay here, I need to go check it out"
Mr. Arasaki said dropping his luggage to the ground.
"But you just came brother, you haven't even gotten inside to see my children".
Mrs. Edga replied.
"I'll have plenty of time to see them. But people might be in grave danger, judging from the kind of impact whatever the source of this sound would have. I need to get going immediately."
After Mr. Arasaki dropped his luggage, he picked up his sword which was sheathed, the sheath having a belt that could be worn across from the front to the rear. He started to wear and buckle the belt of the sheath.
"David, let's go"
"What?! You're involving him too?! No brother, a threat like this isn't something a young lad should march into"
Mrs. Edga repudiated.
Mr. Arasaki was about to answer when the door of the house finally opened to a geared-up Emelda.
"I'm coming too. Don't you try stopping me mom"
Emelda said in her usual indifferent tone.
"Not you too! Emelda please, I can't lose you too, this isn't safe, please don't go, please Emelda"
Mrs. Edga pleaded persuasively.
Mr. Arasaki answered.
"I have this completely under control. I'll see to it that they are protected. But this is a perfect opportunity for the kids to know that it's not all beds of roses out there. They need to have the required survival instinct it takes to thrive in this world. You just need to wake up to this reality.
"Let's go warriors!"
Mr. Arasaki called out to the kids.
"Yes sir!"
They answered in unison.
Emelda had her quiver and bow mounted steadfastly on her back, held by a belt worn across from the back to the front and strapped.
David also had his sheath on in a manner similar to his father's.
They were all suited up and armed, and immediately, they ran from the house heading south.
A dejected Mrs. Edga was seen standing alone outside, holding a bag on each hand, with other bags on the floor around her.