Morphs Part 2: The City Of Elarîal

Part 2: The Peoples Of Petra
Chapter 5: The City Of Elarîal
Extract from Rävenn's notebook:
A word on 'rogue morphs'. When the forests of Fūngûlabard was discovered, beneath the White Sands of Fūngial, the entire population of Morphs migrated to the underground paradise. But an exception of fifty Morphs, who valued money over happiness, decided to roam Petra as Bounty Hunters. And that is how their attention came to us...

"A dragon."
"Yup."
"You killed an actual dragon."
"Yup."
"Like, an actual-"
"How many times do I have to say 'yup'?"
It was a frosted night lit by a crescent moon and Rävenn was still processing that the fire breathing reptile a few miles back was dead. Hence, their conversations became slightly repetitive. They had decided to head straight ahead to the Stone City without a rest; this was dragon country and dawdling wasn't wise.
But with the Daggûl Pass behind them, the two could walk without a worry of falling of a narrow path, and as a result their pace quickened. Before the light of dawn emerged from a distant horizon, a far-away tower rose out of the shadows of night: this was the gateway to the underground Stone City, the great city of men. This kindled their spirits and they sprinted the rest of the way in animal form, until a faint voice called,
"Halt! What are your names and businesses in Elarîal?" Dakk was the first to answer.
"We seek shelter, a roof to sleep under. Isn't there an inn in the famed Stone City?" The guard studied them closely, gave a reluctant nod to a companion beside him and slowly the great wooden gates opened, revealing a wide lift fashioned (unsurprisingly) from stone. Dakk and Rävenn (cautiously, for they had never seen such a complex mechanism) stepped onboard and, suddenly, their descent into Elarîal began.
But the journey ended as quickly as it had begun, and they were presented with the magnificent Stone City. It's buildings were often of a cone-shape, with tiled domes as roofs. The entire city was suspended above a giant tunnel, steeply vertical, by massive iron supports, and the buildings were connected by stone paths (Dakk breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed there were safety rails).
"Dakk..." questioned, Rävenn, "How in Petra are we going to pay for an inn?!" The elder one didn't answer, but simply put a finger over his mouth and gestured for Rävenn to watch. He strode, casually and without a care, past a finely dressed man (obviously wealthy: you could tell by his clothing and by his pompous stride) his hand nipping into the fellow's pocket and exiting with a small handful of coins. He turned a corner and was out of sight before the man spun and patted his pocket confusedly and with a questioning look. Rävenn sauntered off innocently and followed his companion, barely concealing a grin.
And that was how the afternoon was spent. Often Rävenn would provide a distraction, 'accidentally' walking into their target while Dakk emptied their pockets. By nightfall they stepped inside 'The Bottled Dolphin', the largest and most comfortable inn (for it's price, of course) Elarîal had to offer, and ordered a couple of day and night's accommodation and food. They sat in the shadows in the corner of the room, accepting their evening meal gladly and making sure not to draw attention to themselves.
After all, all the Morphs were living happily in Fūnglûbard; two Morphs born into a human family occurred as many times as a single snowflake is repeated. But as a lady, hidden behind a ragged cloak with many holes scorched through it, stepped into the inn, Dakk felt a sharp pain slice through his mind...
Chapter 6: The Lady Of Lightning
Extract from Dakk's Notebook:
A word on Wizards. One of the six peoples of Petra, (the others being Dwarves, Men, Morphs, Darkness, and Svards), Wizards do not have any set features, asides from the ability to control magic. Anyone with natural magical abilities (the exception being Morph transformations) are classified as wizards. Wizards can be Men, Morphs, or anything else. With means some will fight for good, and others for evil...

There was something about the woman Dakk knew was suspicious; she walked with too much regality to be a common traveler.
And there's something about you, too, Dakk- it is Dakk, isn't it? Dakk reeled in shock, oblivious to Rävenn's cries of worry as he writhed in agony. GET OUT OF MY HEAD! Shouted Dakk to the woman through his mind, mentally pushing her out, as if shaping a fist with his thoughts. And suddenly the pain in his head vanished, and he saw the woman stumble and look at him, shocked. Forming the thoughts with as much mental strength as he could muster, he raged LEAVE NOW! An invisible force pushed her to the door, and hurriedly the woman fled. Dakk felt a wave of exhaustion passed over him; the psychic battle had completely drained him dry. How he had even fought in a mental battle was a mystery. But above all Dakk wondered: who was the lady with the scorched cloak?
It took a while to convince Rävenn that he was okay, but Dakk just about managed it. The pair had moved upstairs to their room straight after the 'incident', and had come to the conclusion that, at that moment, the best thing to do would be to sleep. And it was like this that the creature found them, deep into the night. It's body was simply black, as if pure shadow had been draped over it, and its eyes were such a luminescent white they lit the room with an eerie, sharp light. It's skin, though detail-less, seemed to writhe before, suddenly, the creature's arms shifted into a blade with a soft shink. Luckily, wolf and owl ears are sensitive at the worst.
Dakk and Rävenn's eyes flittered open, and seeing the black figure looming above them, they rolled off their shared bed as the two shadow blades lodged themselves in the covers. Swiftly, Rävenn seized his swords and sliced them through the beast's neck, and with a soft poof the creature dissipated.
"Dakk... what was that thing?"
"Judging from how it was all black and tried to kill us? I'd say it's a shifter."
Rävenn gave a nod and looked out of their window. And gasped.
"DAKK, THERE ARE MORE OF THOSE SHIFTERS! AND THEY'RE COMING!" Dakk ran to the window beside his companion and groaned. But then there was a flash and one of the creatures screamed as a bolt of lightning speared through it's side. But.. Lightning? Underground?
But it's source didn't remain hidden. Leaping from a scorched, tiled roof-top, a lady landed on the ground among the creatures, lightning crackling from her metal staff. She slammed it into the ground and swung round on it, her spinning feet cracking against her enemies' shadowy skulls. Halting her spin, She held off the creatures with her staff, dodging and blocking, jabbing and blasting constantly. Kicking two in the face with a mid-air splits, there was another flash and a single lightning bolt weaved through several shadowy bodies at once. It was then that her hood fell back and Dakk knew he was staring at the lady he had fought in the psychic battle. Looking up at their faces peering innocently from the windows, she called into the night, "Do you want to live to see another day? Thought so. Then you're going to have to come with me."
Chapter 7: Flight From Elarîal
Extract from Skiiva's notebook:
A word on Shifters. These creatures make up the most of the Dark Lord's armies, alongside any other foul creature he decides to conjure up. Shifters' bodies are believed to be made of pure dark magic, allowing them to 'shift' their limbs into any shape or weapon they choose. It is this that makes them so deadly to the good peoples of our country- Petra.

"Who are you?"
"My name is Skiiva. You've asked me this half a dozen times now."
"Maybe so, but I want a better answer. What are you, where do you come from, why did you save us back then but were poking around in my head before, and why should I trust you?"
"Well, I'm a wizard. That much you probably have guessed, but as for the 'poking around in your head' business, I was merely checking whose side you were on. You wouldn't believe the amount of dark creatures slipping into Elarîal; they probably make up half the population." Dakk nodded and accepted the explanation, mainly because of her performance against the shifters. He almost tripped on a wooden plank disposed of by a small hut, but picked up his pace again when a shadowy scream sliced through the night. A scream of anger, not fear. They were being hunted.
And, for all of Rävenn sword skill, and his common sense, Dakk reckoned this was an enemy they couldn't fight forever.
"Come on!" he shouted, grabbing his companions hand and dragging him forward. Dark reckoned he knew who these creatures fought for. And he was not to be trifled with.