A Hand-Woven Universe 43 43. The Fall II

Horror.

There was no other word in their minds to express what they felt coming their direction. Even the weakest attuned could feel the pressure that was building around them. To those with air attunements it was even stronger. Everyone present felt their ears pop. The air around them became slightly more solid, gripping onto their bodies and slowing their movements.

The earth attuned could feel the stone beneath their feet shift and loosen. Then it began to vibrate with extreme subtlety no one else noticed. The other attuned could also feel something was wrong. Although not as clearly as the earth and air attuned, there was a pressure building up in their chests, and a vibrating of their lungs.

All eyes were towards the city.

The warehouse district wasn't actually connected to the city, but instead was just a little ways away through a large tunnel that had been carved out of stone. So, when they stared towards the city, they could not see what was coming towards them.

But they could feel it.

Everyone could feel it now. It became harder to breath. The air became denser and everything was vibrating slightly, even the air in their lungs. Pure terror filled the hearts of the people present, not one of them had ever felt a pressure like this.

Elder Omias grit his teeth and forced his elemental energy to cut through the building pressure. He spread his senses out towards the tunnel, towards the city. Like an arrow he attempted to shoot out his energy and see what was coming. Before it could make it more than a few dozen feet, the arrow was shattered. It had hit a wall of compressed air beyond anything the elder had ever seen. And it was heading towards them!

"Cover your ears!" He screamed into the minds of everyone present, bringing his hands up towards his own. Everyone was stunned for a moment, however they followed quickly.

A moment later they all saw something they couldn't understand. The hall between them and the city shifted. Except for some of the more clever people there, they could not understand what was happening. Even those that had an idea of what they were seeing, had never experienced it of this magnitude, and their brains were struggling with trying to make sense of it.

An entire wall of shifting air shot towards them, moving faster than they could comprehend. Elder Omias grit his teeth and braced for impact. The wall continued to approach until it was only a few meters away. No one was able take in a breath under the immense density and pressure of the air around them.

The wall covered those final few meters in less than a second, crashing into their bodies without slowing even a bit. For a moment the hearts of everyone there stopped beating. They all were thrown to the ground under the immense force. Their bodies ached like they had been hit by a flying building. However, this was not the worst part.

The worst part was the rumbling. After the wall of air passed over them, an unstoppable rumbling filled their bodies. They felt their brains vibrating in their skulls and their lungs shake. All the organs in their body's ached as they shifted slightly with the pressure. Despite covering their ears at the behest of Elder Omias, they could still hear it. A roaring sound like the end of the world.

They had been hit with a shockwave from the city.

Minutes passed before the rumbling started to die down. Everyone was on the ground, even those that had managed to stave off being thrown by the initial hit, quickly lost control of their bodies. Groans echoed out as they worked to regain their sensations.

Elder Omias too was sprawled to the floor, however he had it easier than many of the others. He had a strong understanding of the rules of compression, so he fought through the pain, working to counteract the pressure on himself.

Not just him, but many of the elders had managed to barely keep it together through their own means.

Kaji rolled over and managed onto his knees before throwing up a lungful of blood. Everything that had occurred too quickly. He still had not managed to recover his senses from what happened in the warehouse, so he was slower to react to the elders' command. Blood began to flow out of his ears, and he fell on his side, losing balance.

Not just him - there were many people in bad conditions now, being hit by such a shock was not something that would be walked off easily.

Gradually the elders pulled themselves together, then going around to help the rest. The scene was bad. Half of the people present were injured internally; a few people were bleeding from their ears and their eyes. Almost everyone was coughing up blood. It took several minutes before they managed to regain order. Almost a quarter of the volunteers were now injured and would need immediate medical help, another quarter only fared slightly better, being able to walk on their own.

"We have to go back and get Elder Azelle." The elders gathered everyone, pairing the injured off with volunteers who could help. Although everyone listened to the elders and followed commands, for most those present, their minds had stopped working. The elders too were shaken. Having to take command helped them keep things together… for now.

They stumbled their way towards the city. In their hearts was despair at what they would find. No one could imagine what would cause such a shockwave. The eyes of everyone were drained and tired, although it had not even been half an hour since the volunteers had faced against the sick in the warehouse, they had been through so much in that time their brains no longer kept up.

As they walked through the tunnel, smells of smoke and burnt stone began to grab their attention. Elder Omias' eyes went wide as he dashed forward, leaving the other elders behind. It was only a few moments before he was at the mouth of the cavern that opened into the city proper.

He stared for what felt like a lifetime.

After a few minutes the rest of the group caught up. They had picked up the pace when the elder dashed ahead, however they could only move so fast while caring for the injured.

When they looked across the city of Tapestry, a final nail of dread pierced deep into their hearts. On the opposite wall of the cavern that the City of Tapestry was in, a large jagged hole full of smoldering metal and fire burned endlessly - releasing smoke into the air. Their minds spun as they tried to put the pieces together.
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"It's… the forge. It…" Someone's meek voice was heard, bordering on hysteria. Indeed, the forge which had been embedded in a cavern on the other side of Tapestry had exploded. Not only that, but shrapnel and fire spewed across the city, lighting anything made of wood on fire with it. Plumes of smoke rose from parts of the city. Towards the top of the cavern some elders could be seen channeling their energy trying to force the smoke out through the air tunnels.

Within the city, people could be seen scrambling trying to find their friends and family. People were in tears as they ran, and many were covered in wounds. Elder Omias looked on in shock. He had always lived by the notion that even if he didn't know what he should do, he should act swiftly and calmly. However, his mind finally screeched to a halt.

Not just him, but everyone. Seeing the chaos in their home, no one knew how to cope.

"Elders!" A calm female voice pierced through their dazed minds. All of the elders looked over - seeing a young white-haired woman running towards them.

It was Trisha.

As she approached everyone could see a large gash on her arm that had been bleeding not even a few minutes before. Her legs were black - covered in ash and soot. Burn marks could be seen across her clothes. It was obvious she had been in the city when the forge exploded.

She looked at everyone present. Although she was calm, it had moved beyond that. She didn't feel the throbbing gash on her arms. Or the burns on her body. She didn't feel the pain from walking on bloody burned and blistered feet.

Her mind was calm.

She looked at the injured and volunteers, however she didn't ask what had happened. "Elders. Elder Azelle is instructing everyone to go to the sanctuary. Twenty of you come with me." She said pointing towards some of the elders and the volunteers who weren't as injured. "The virus was not contained to the sick we put in the warehouse."

Everyone was stunned.

"But… Pride… he…" One of the volunteers spoke out. But she paid him no attention. They listened obediently following her instructions. A few asked what she meant – however, she didn't bother to respond. "The rest of you, head towards the sanctuary, swiftly as possible."

Elder Omias was with the group she had go with her. As he watched the girl, his mind began turning again. Other's might think Trisha was calm and collected, but this couldn't fool Elder Omias.

She was gone.

Her mind had stopped, and instinct took over. She was merely doing what had to be done. But all her feelings had been locked away in a small corner of her heart.

Elder Omias and Trisha walked in front of the group spreading out their energies to search for anyone who was not already headed towards the sanctuary. She had been instructed to let everyone know - no matter what the cost.

Throughout the city they encountered others like Tommy. They elders who had not seen what these beings were like could barely stomach what was happening.

Feelings of rage boiled up amongst the volunteers as they remembered what they saw in the warehouse. Not just what happened to the young woman, but what Pride gave his life for. Elder Omias too was too exhausted to give mercy to any turned they came across.

Between all of them, nothing posed any threats. Trisha acted as the guide swiftly finding individuals who were hiding or being chased by the turned. The elders and volunteers would then use all their energy to suppress and incapacitate them.

Elder Omias was always the first one to act. Whenever he saw one, he would crush them to the floor using the pressure of his attunement. After which - the volunteers would approach and crush their legs.

At first, they felt queasy – even throwing up after hearing the bones snap. However, as they were attacked relentlessly from all sides, they quickly realized that these were no longer the friends and family they were close to. And if they hesitated for even a moment… their minds went back to the young woman in the warehouse. Their rage burned hotter protecting their minds from the reality of the situation.

"Porose." Trisha called out, seeing Porose dashing through the streets. He quickly approached the group.

"Trisha…" He had been the first one Trisha informed when she was told by Elder Azelle to get word out. Since then he had been working hard to spread the word.

"You should head to the Sanctuary now. Risking your life any further is unnecessary." Trisha walked past him to continue searching, not giving him a second glance.

Elder Omias and Porose locked eyes… they both felt an immense sadness in their hearts. For Trisha. For Tapestry. For themselves.

This was hell.

Porose left soon after - disappearing between the buildings. Elder Omias, Trisha, and the volunteers all continued to roam through the city for another half hour. After that though, the density of turned began to grow too large. Trisha made the executive decision to head back.

"I am going to stay here." One of the volunteers spoke out. He had made up his mind. Although he knew he alone couldn't help much, there was bound to be more people spread throughout the city that they had missed. If he could help even a few of them make it out alive…

Trisha looked at him for a moment. A flash of emotion went through her eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Okay." She turned around and began walking towards the sanctuary. Elder Omias paused for a moment.

"Be safe. I want to see you back at the sanctuary." He looked at the volunteer who decided to stay behind.

"Mm."

The rest turned to follow Trisha. It wasn't that none of them had similar thoughts, however protecting Trisha who was the bearer of the soul attunement was equally important. They all understood.

Chapter end