While Tiago was following the man, his ghost gave him information about the main things that had happened over the past few years and the enemy factions. The thing that intrigued him the most was the downfall of the Tower during the Red War and how a single guardian brought down Ghaul to free the Traveler. Tiago wished to become that powerful, but he wasn’t sure how to get there. Maybe he should kill a couple of gods or save a city. Suddenly, a shock grenade landed in front of their current path. The man ducked behind a nearby car with Tiago following quick behind. “It’s a Fallen ambush,” the man mumbled calmly. “You’re not scared?” Tiago exclaimed while holding his ghost. “If you let fear take over, you’ll never see the true power you possess. Now, I can take it from here,” he urged while unholstering his hand cannon from his side. Three Fallen dregs and one vandal crawled out from the nearby buildings like cockroaches. They wore tiger-print clothing and banners with bones adorning their arms and head. Soon after revealing themselves, they started to inspect the surrounding area. One of the dregs got close to Tiago’s position but didn’t notice him. The man tapped on the car with his gun to get the dreg’s attention. It focused its four eyes on the car as it crept forward. In a blur, the man connected his fist directly on its face with a crack. From the impact, the dreg was thrown into the center of the street, dead. Tiago curiously looked around the car to see where the other Fallen were. To his dismay, the vandal was staring at him with a shock rifle pointed at him. It let out a growl and fired. Arc projectiles exited the barrel and dashed through the air. Three pierced through Tiago and he collapsed to the ground. Scenes of war and death flashed through his memory. A dead garden, a decayed throne, and a majestic tower were painted through his eyes and mind. Suddenly, a flash of light blinded him for a few seconds. When Tiago opened his eyes, he saw the cracked earth and felt the heat of the sun. “What happened?” Tiago stuttered as he looked at his hands. “You died,” the ghost sighed. “You weren’t lying that I couldn’t die. Interesting,” he murmured under his breath. Tiago was respawned in the same place he died. The other Fallen were dead in the street with the man standing above them. “Told you I could take it from here,” the man boasted while waving his hand to get Tiago to follow him. “He still seems suspicious even though he saved us,” the ghost whispered. “Get over it. You’re just jealous that he can use a gun when I don’t even have one. When I get a gun, I’m going to be as good of a shot as him,” Tiago clarified while motioning toward the man. The man tilted his head towards Tiago,”I hope you know I can hear you. If you want to be as good as me, the Gilded City will help you in that pursuit.” “Thanks,” Tiago croaked while looking at the many houses and buildings. “If it weren’t for me, you two would still be lost in the maze that is the outer city,” the man chimed in. After about a half hour, the small buildings started to get taller. Colossal trees stretched around the buildings and made large patches of shade on the streets below. Vine-choked billboards populated the tops of buildings and small waterfalls drained water to the lower levels of the street. The group approached a large gateway formed from large trees twisted around each other. Two human guards stood watch at the gate with guns readied. The guard to the right wore a tiger skull as a helmet and the other had an elephant tusk strapped to his arm. “Who are you bringing into our city. Civilian? Guardian? Contender? Which one Covan?” the guard to the right questioned. “A fresh guardian,” Covan stated while looking at Tiago. The guard to the left nodded his head and stepped back,”You can enter.” “This Gilded City better be as good as you say it is,” implored Tiago. “Oh it is,” Covan assured him. They entered through the gate and were met with a wondrous sight. Huge buildings stretched up to the sky with trees and vines interconnecting each one like bridges. Clear water populated the ground in streams and pools with beautiful flowers growing around them. Exotic birds flew between trees in flashes of color. Hundreds of people walked about either buying goods at the market stalls, bathing, running around, or climbing up the massive trees. The main attraction was the large colosseum-like building in the center of it all. Orange and golden banners hung from its walls. “Wow,” Tiago marveled. “Told you,” Covan said in a smug voice,”Now let’s take you to the King of the Gilded City.” “King?” the ghost questioned while hovering in front of Covan’s face. “Don’t worry. He doesn’t bite like the Fallen,” chuckled Covan. Thank you for reading part 2. Please comment below if I can fix anything in this part. Chapter 2 should be coming soon. Thanks again.