The sun rising the next morning was a welcome sight. Everything seemed to revolve around the sun. It was the only way to tell the passage of time. Every stone alley looked the same, the same scene of destruction littered every road and building. Ragh´s tired eyes looked up and let the sun's rays warm his eyelids. The cold didn't seem to affect him, but it was extremely unpleasant and the warmth of the sun was a welcome feeling.

Aster stirred from his frozen coma. He had fallen asleep some time ago despite the bitter cold. His icy blue eyes locked onto something next to Ragh. ¨Ragh, you keeping him?¨ He chuckled.

Ragh looked to his left where there was a skeleton huddled up into a ball. It was next to the dead hearth. It had thin blankets covering it, bone hands still grabbing at the edges. He stared at its feeble form and its hollowed eyes. For some reason he didn't panic at being so close to the skeleton. It reminded him of himself, but he wasn't sure why.

¨I suppose so.¨ Ragh stood up, brushing off his armor.

¨Don't lose hope on me now brother. We still have a long way to go. I still have to save the world, remember?¨ Aster grabbed his blade. He looked ready to face the day despite his lackluster sleep. ¨We crossed the bridge with a legendary archer, what can we not face?¨

Ragh remained silent, instead busying himself with collecting his things. He wanted to find out who he was but it seemed impossible in this ruined city. There was no one left that he knew before he lost his memory, no leads, no nothing. He felt empty inside, a constant longing for a missing piece of himself constantly building up within him.

¨Good sir, let us find this Sinless Warden.¨ Ragh beckoned to the door.

Aster slowly made his way to the door. He was hesitant, his mouth opening before closing abruptly. Whatever words he was going to say never materialized He then grabbed his helmet and put it on, shouldering his greatsword and stepping through.

Ragh followed behind looking at the dried blood covering his armor. He scraped at it with his gauntlets but it wouldn't come off. The tip of his short spear was covered in blood as well. He left it the way it was, there was no use in trying to get it off when it was dried on like that. It didn't really bother him anyway.

¨I think we are close.¨ Aster pointed down the road. ¨See here? The road slopes down and the buildings are reducing in quality. That chill last night, it must be from the Graylands.¨

The air was colder here. Even during the day it left one wanting for the sun. If this temperature persisted, Ragh guessed that this night would be even more bitter than that last.

The two walked amongst the empty city. Then the road began to open up. Ahead there was a small stone wall. What was strange was there appeared to be nothing on the other side of the stone wall. Just an open expanse of air.

¨Finally I found it.¨ Aster quickened his pace as he approached the stone wall.

Ragh approached and looked over the wall. It was clear now why there was nothing on the other side. The wall bordered a giant cliff, wrapping around its edge and disappearing around buildings. The cliff was nearly sheer and formed out of solid stone. Far, far below was the rest of the city.

The city below was made nearly entirely of wood. It was built on a hill so it appeared almost slanted. The lacking quality of the buildings could be seen even from here, with lots of scaffolding constructed around the buildings. Lots of them were in various states of disrepair. Massive sections were burnt to the ground leaving fields of ash. There was black sludge in massive pools, coating the cobbled roads in the mysterious substance. Far out past the city was a field of gray. It seemed to stretch on forever, an empty gray pane, devoid of life for as far as the eye could see.

¨Welcome to the Dragon Dregs, center of filth in Ful´lal´tul. Your guess is as good as mine as to why the Sinless Warden would come here of all places.¨ Aster gestured to the shabby wooden buildings below. ¨As a hero it lies within my duty to save every piece of the world though. Even this slum.¨

¨How are we supposed to scale this cliff?¨ Ragh didn't even want to lean over the edge. The height was worrying to say the least and the protective stone wall was crumbling.

¨Luckily we don't need to. The obvious passage would be down the slope of the cliff, following the roads.¨ Aster pointed down the roads, his finger following the natural curve of the giant cliff they were on. ¨But we aren't going to do that, we are going to take a shortcut.¨

Ragh didn't have a good feeling about this.

¨There should be an elevator on the side of this cliff wall. It is made of wood and is decades old but it should still get the job done.¨ Aster leaned a bit over the edge, glancing along the cliff walls.

¨Why don't we just use the road?¨ Ragh gestured towards the long road to the bottom.

¨It is more dangerous to go that way. The longer we walk in the city the higher chance we have of encountering stray demons and undead.¨ Aster lightly nodded to himself. ¨We will find the elevator and finally reach the Dragon Dregs.¨ He said confidently.

Ragh didn't see the point in looking for this elevator but Aster had not led them wrong yet. He had an oath to follow and he felt a sort of friendly bond with the man. He was the only person he really knew besides Banour. Yet then again they didn't really speak to each other.

¨Very well, lead the way.¨ Ragh gathered his senses, ready to explore more of the broken city.

¨Excellent, it's good to see your spirit back.¨ Aster seemed reinvigorated by the sight of the Dragon Dregs. He began to walk with a straighter back and longer gait, scanning the walls for any signs of the lift.

Ragh stared after him, a glum look on his face. Hesitantly he followed after Aster, glancing back towards the obvious path one last time before jogging to catch up.

¨I have only visited this part of the city.¨ Aster said. ¨Though I guess there is nothing to really see anyways.¨

¨Down this cliff is the Dragon Dregs. The pits of society where only the weak and disease ridden filth live.¨ Aster seemed disgusted by the thought. ¨I remember years ago when I visited this part of the city I saw the people here dumping their trash straight off the cliff and into the dregs.¨

Ragh was surprised by the ferocity in Aster´s tone. His voice had an edge of hatred to it when he spoke of the Dragon Dregs. So, he remained silent letting the warrior voice his frustrations.

¨I guess I have some pity for the fools who lived down there. There were rumors that the king had his dragons go feed on the people that lived there.¨ Aster huffed. ¨Rumors most likely, but I can't get the thought out of my mind...¨

The mention of dragons reminded Ragh of the green dragon he had seen when he first stepped out of the tower. The thought of it made rage well up within him, a burning star in the center of his chest. He took deep calming breaths to bring himself back to the moment.

¨Is the green dragon one of the king's dragons?¨ Ragh asked.

The moment the words left Ragh´s mouth the air stirred. They were buffeted by wind that unnervingly came from directly above them. A shadow overcast the two, a dragon shaped shadow. Instinctively Ragh crouched down near the short stone wall.

Aster reacted accordingly, dropping prone in the short grass that covered the small open area they were in. The shadow passed overhead before its visage came into view. The same green dragon Ragh had seen at the tower. It now hung lazily in the air, its massive form gliding on two building sized wings. It dipped below the lip of the cliff before fanning out over the Dragon Dregs below. It followed the curve of the hill the Dragon Dregs were built on before disappearing through a maze of slopes, angles and wooden scaffolding.

The duo sat still for some time, letting the danger pass. Then they stood and looked at each other dumbly.

¨Speak of devils and they will appear!¨ Aster chuckled, his voice wavering.

¨I suppose I should speak of elevators then.¨ Ragh dryly stated, his anger at the sight of the dragon had returned to a smoldering coal, sitting heavily in his chest. He welcomed the feeling this time, for it weakened the yearning feeling he usually felt.

¨The green dragon Kalisandra. She is the dragon who tricked the king Indir. She was one of the key figures in the downfall of our kingdom and a symbol of hatred for all of Ful´lal´tul.¨ Aster´s hand tightened around the handle of his greatsword before he relaxed it with a sigh.

¨It's not good to dwell in the past.¨ Aster said to himself. "We should keep moving, who knows when she will circle back around."

Soon enough the view of a wooden structure could be seen ahead. It was built around a circle of stone, cut into the cliff wall. The area around it was barren and empty. There were no buildings or grass, just hard cobbles. It was in an intersection where three roads crossed.

¨Wait a second.¨ Aster raised his hand, halting Ragh who was trailing behind him. The two scanned the area together and upon seeing nothing carefully stepped into the plaza. Slowly they made their way towards the strange wooden structure.

¨This is definitely the elevator.¨ Aster leaned over the edge of the circle of stone, staring down into the dark abyss. The wooden structure was clearly some kind of pulley system. It had thick chains wrapped around a stripped log of wood. The wood was connected to stone supports reinforced with banded metal. The chains were surprisingly not rusted despite being out in the environment for so long. They hung down into the dark, where light could only reach so far.

¨Luck is on our side considering we found the elevator in such a short time.¨ Ragh eyed the abyss with suspicion. Its blackness seemed foreboding almost, a yawning portal to the underworld.

¨Well the gods have blessed my journey! How could I not find it?¨ Aster grabbed a large wooden crank which was shaped like a star without edges. He began to turn the thing, his muscles bulging against his chainmail. ¨Help me with this will you?¨ He grunted.

Ragh moved forward and grabbed one of the handles sticking from the wooden crank. It was very dry wood and seemed like it could break at any moment. Nonetheless Ragh pulled with all his strength, breath quickening and blood warming with effort as he moved the machine.

The chain rattled as something from below began to rise. There was a rumbling in the deep that slowly began to grow louder. Each turn of the crank made the elevator rise just a bit. It was straining work, but the way the elevator was built allowed for small progress without the elevator falling back down if tension on the crank was released.

Then with a sigh of wood and a strain of chain the elevator platform came to the surface. It was a small cage with enough room for at most five people. It was more akin to a mining cage than anything else.

¨What was such a small elevator used for?¨ Ragh suspiciously eyed the worn cage.

¨For transporting people. Of course such a passage was only used by the more fortunate. All others had to walk around.¨ Aster let go of the wooden crank and walked towards the hanging cage.

They stood near the edge of the hanging cage. Inside of the small platform was another wooden crank. As Ragh´s foot touched the edge of the cage it began to sway. The chain above rattled and the wood creaked. He backed up off of the cage floor.

¨Ill go first.¨ Aster stepped into the cage without hesitation then grabbed the bars as the cage swayed. He stumbled but managed to stay upright.

Ragh jumped in after, crossing the small gap that separated the stone walls from the cage. He stabilized himself using the iron bars. Once the cage stopped swaying back and forth Ragh closed the gate.

¨Let's get this started.¨ Aster grabbed the wooden crank and began to turn. Immediately the cage began to slowly lower into the depths.

Ragh´s grip tightened around his weapon. He felt nervous but there was no overwhelming fear. He was ready to see what the Dragon Dregs had in store for him. The cage lurched as it began to lower into the earth. Ragh felt as if he was being lowered into a grave, the light from above fading with every second that passed. Then with a final creak, they were plunged into darkness.