The Shadows Below
The streets of Heartland City buzzed with commotion. It had been a day or two since the battle, but news and rumors of the battle accompanied every conversation. The damaged areas of the city, of which there were more than a few, had been cordoned off by the guards. Mounted patrols moved through the busy streets, struggling against the flow of people like fish swimming upstream.
I strode through the city, barely bothering to conceal myself with my cloak. I might have made a greater effort, but with Fable trotting at my side, any attempts at subterfuge would have been futile. For his part, he seemed to have gotten bigger than before, nearly eight feet in length, his head almost level with my shoulders. His soul constantly shuddered, straining against its boundaries, pushing toward fifth level.