It had been three days since he and Haxylcl left Agreolfor. They had cut straight through the mountains and forests, reaching the first plantation in their path – the Ofri plantation. Hopefully, they could entreat the Overseer to shelter them for the night.

When they approached the large iron gates, they were greeted by two Veant guards. The gray-skinned creatures immediately knelt to Haxylcl but gave Lydos a look of bleary-eyed confusion.

Haxylcl said nothing and he was forced to announce himself.

“I am Lydos, ward of Ogyobz,” he said loudly in Xyk. “A Worldrender traveling from Agreolfor. Lead us to Overseer Zyzll.”

They flinched at his voice. To the primitive creatures, the Xyk language was proof enough. One of them stood up, beckoned at one of the guard towers, and the chain gate began to open.

The Ofri plantation, as described in the records kept at Agreolfor, was a massive bird coop. It was a cage of wrought iron that enclosed a seemingly endless expanse of the grasslands.

The Ofri was a race of large bird-like creatures. With their large bald heads, beady eyes, and uneven patches of feathers covering their raw pink skin, he always thought they looked quite silly. They were like overripe baby chicks.

They lived in large towers and each tower was comprised of twenty to thirty large rusted steel blocks. Each block housed a female Ofri, except for the topmost block which was for a single male. Although Ofri meat was edible, the plantation’s main export was the oval Ofri eggs.

There was a flurry of activity as the Ofri flew between the towers, their feathery wings beating rapidly, but there was something integral missing from the scene. It was too quiet. If it was his first visit, it would’ve taken him a few moments, but he had stayed at the plantation three years prior for one of his biannual journeys so he knew what was missing.

“They don’t talk,” Haxylcl realized in a low growl.

It was right. The Ofri race had puckered mouths instead of avian beaks, but they were unable to speak or make noises. Their religion claimed it was punishment for something they had done thousands of years ago, but no one could agree on what it was.

But he didn’t tell the Worldrender any of this. Haxylcl had provoked his ire for the entire journey. It’d fly out of sight constantly, and hours later, Lydos would find it waiting on the ground with an expressionless face.

It was difficult to read a Worldrender’s expression. The most he’d been able to gather is that they’d emote with a clench or snap of their jaws, but he was unsure what each gesture meant. Through actions alone though, he knew Haxylcl thought him inept.

A looming mountain of pure white stone stood in the middle of the plantation. It rose far above the block towers and even the guard towers. Large stone pillars were erected at the top, but it was hard to make out more than that.

One of the Veant guards from before walked up to them and gestured at the mountain with one of its six arms. As if they could miss it.

His opinion about the structure hadn’t changed. It was gaudy, standing out far too much from the surroundings. However, he saw that Haxylcl’s jaw was slightly agape as it stared upward. Was that a sign of amazement? He recalled that this was its first time leaving Agreolfor.

“Impressed?” he asked.

The Worldrender closed its mouth and seemed to glare at him. Or at least he thought it was a glare. “No. I’ve just never seen anything like it before.”

“Well, the Overseer’s up there.” His eyes flashed white. “Or were you planning just to stare?”

Haxylcl didn’t answer, its eyes growing white. Before it could take flight, he pulled himself into the air first while softly nudging the world against the Worldrender and rooting it to the ground.

The Worldrender roared in frustration, its arms covering the hemp sack around its body. The look it sent his way was definitely a glare. Once it could move, it angrily pushed itself off into the air, fracturing the ground beneath it and sending Veant guards flying backward, and flew after him.

Fortunately, he had a head start and landed atop the stone structure with ease. A few moments later, Haxylcl landed behind him. Or, rather, it had tried to land on him, but Lydos had seen it coming and darted forward before it could.

“Something wrong?” he taunted.

The Worldrender seemed like it was going to respond, but then its gaze shifted to their surroundings and its jaw became agape again.

He had seen it before, but it was still an impressive sight. Long, seemingly countless columns of wide marble pillars were evenly spaced from each other along the stone floor. The tops and bases of the pillars were decorated with a variety of designs – scrolls, music notes, and creatures like fogfritters and storm elks, to name a few – and there was enough space between the columns to fit a whole battalion. Or, in this case, a twenty-foot Worldrender.

However, there was a marked difference from three years ago. Namely, the number of avian corpses littering the ground. Some bodies were partially desiccated and crawling with maggots. Others were fresher, a few days at most, and submerged in pools of blood. There was a single similarity between the bodies: they had been completely torn apart, stray limbs and organs laying discarded on the floor.

Then, there was the smell, rancid and sour. It came from the pillars. Dark gore streaked across the columns, feathers stuck to the dried blood, and some of the pillars had long claw-like gashes across them.

“What happened here?” Haxylcl said in horror.

Although it wasn’t his first time seeing such a thing, Lydos couldn’t speak for a moment. When he had left three years ago, he hadn’t expected this would happen. But it did make sense.

Finally, his voice cooperated and he spoke shakily. “The aftermath of rebellion.”

There came a slithering sound from their right. A resounding voice called out: “Worldrenders?”