The flame spread and with its major support broken, the fort came falling.
"Run for your lives! Run!"
Those that survived the attack scattered away for cover and fortunately, they all had some Mana although not impressive, they could reinforce their body momentarily.
Tiagon simply watched the ants scattered and he continued his journey soaring through the sky.
After minutes, the city began to unveil itself. Large jutting buildings struck up, some going as far as into the clouds.
The most striking of the architecture was the gold-colored tower that went through the skies, it was in the middle of the large city.
Below, Tiagon observed demons, elves, Chitons–insectoid sentient creatures, tieflings and other varieties of species but those in abundance were humans.
They were everywhere.
He spotted the circular short wall that encircled the city and a gate guarded by knights.
He was still a few kilometers away and yet he could see so many things happening, trade, conversations and most impressively harmony between races that hated one another during his time.
Minastoma was but a ruin of mysterious structures when he was still feared, his subordinates and many mages and scholars suggested that it had come from a place that wasn't of their world or the very ancient remains of a civilization, some said it was a city that fell from the heavens.
They were all silly theories but now it was a blooming city with the largest interspecies gathering he had ever seen.
'Minastoma, now an abode for people of many kinds, how did it come into fruition? Who rules the city?'
He thought feeling conflicted about the development.
He spotted a caravan on the path in between trees below heading for the city.
He lowered and stealthily joined the travelers.
The travelers were mostly demons, all of them in old tattered clothes telling of their poor predicament, a strange feeling stirred up in Tiagon upon seeing them.
He had wanted to take his goat form but then he recalled the scene back at the town.
"Hey there, embarking on Minastoma are you?"
He spoke casually with a light smile as he slipped from a tree by the side.
"Who's the man?" A coarse voice whose owner he couldn't see let out.
"Are you headed for there?" A catlike demon sitting on the caravan asked.
"Yes, I am. I'm but a mere traveller. I haven't been to these parts."
"Do you have gold on you?"
Tiagon looked at the cat lady with suspicious eyes.
"Is that necessary?"
She followed up.
"Of course it is, we have to contribute to the city somehow. If we won't work then at least we paid the entry fee. Quite smart of the administrators."
The other travellers all gave him strange side glances, each of them bearing animal characteristics as well. Fortunately, although he looked quite like a human except for his hard skin and eyes, he was large and intimidating and they dared not to think of robbing him.
"I bet you're packed." The coarse voice let out with a snicker.
Tiagon realized that it came from the rider of the large brown lizard that pulled the caravan.
He didn't engage.
"Mind giving me some mister?" He said with a chuckle.
"Oh cut it out you." The cat lady retorted and he stopped.
She smiled at Tiagon after.
They continued their walk in silence and for close to an hour, they got on a concrete path and the line to the gate was just ahead.
"Do they accept any currency of gold, I'm afraid I might not have the specific one they're after."
With a smile, she said:
"Gold is gold regardless of where it's from, as long as it weighs properly, then it's good."
'Shouldn't be a problem then.'
He dipped his hands into his pocket opened up a rift into his subspace and pulled out a little bag of gold.
"How much gold?"
"Just a gold coin."
He dropped back the bag and kept two coins in his palm.
"Go in."
He was close, the caravan was being inspected and its gold had been paid.
"Alright, you can go in." The knight clad in steel armour instructed.
The cat lady made a little wave at him and Tiagon responded by smiling lightly at her.
"Hmmm…"
The guard looked up at his eyes, Tiagon's frame casting a shadow on him.
"Those are beautiful eyes… hmmm hmm! Your gold please."
Tiagon handed the gold, the Guard noticed that it wasn't the one commonly used in the city and the cities around.
"You're not from around here." the knight commented as his hand went into a little bag strapped by his right thigh. He pulled out a magnifier and observed the gold coin with it.
"Hmmmm… I've never seen this before. Arthur! Have you seen this?
His colleague a few meters away came forward and looked at the peculiar gold coin.
"It's real gold, probably even purer than ours but I've never seen it before. Where are you from?"
He took his eyes off the magnifier and stared at Tiagon.
"From far North."
"Oh, that explains the frame and the money." The knight bought his lie and nodded.
"Welcome to Minastoma." The knight said with a friendly voice that had been absent throughout his inspections earlier.
Tiagon simply nodded and he went past the black gates.
The new world was revealed to him, although he had seen some of the happens and figures afar, it was a different thing to experience them close up and to hear the life of the city.
Food stands lined down at the side of the road, each packed with delicacies and customers.
"Ahh ahhh ahhhh."
A human child bumped into him, he looked down at the little boy, hate surprisingly absent in his eyes, he just had an emotionless look and the kid looked back at him with curiosity, lost in his golden eyes.
"Come back here!" A woman sitting by a food stand commanded and the kid left him.
He walked forward looking at the new infrastructure people resided in.
After many steps and a few minutes, he got to the square and there he spotted a familiar face.
"It can't be."