[ IP ] The City of Palaquin

It has been at least a century since the siege of Palaquin. 
 
 A century ago, hell had been unleashed on our world. Never had humans ever seen an invasion on this scale before, not even from the barbarians in the North, or the wild creatures in the South. On one particular day, something simply happened, whether out of misfortune or malicious action, they would never truly know. At first, the ground started shaking. They thought it was an earthquake, and there were mixed reactions. Some got out of their homes, and some went back to fetch the children, and elder family members. But only when they watched, did they realise that it was no earthquake. 
 
 A strange hole-like entrance had materialised a great distance away from the old city of Panchea, and the archers could just barely see it over the top of the hills, a strange, ink-blank void that should not have existed. According to our great-logic thinkers, this simply could not happen. These great-logic thinkers were intelligent people who taught us knowledge, that the sky would always be up, and that the Sun would always rise in the East. They even brought sense to magic, an art not meant to be logical. They were greatly respected in our community. But even they were at a loss for words. Especially when the logic-defying 
 
 Moments after the void-portal appeared, it expanded, growing bigger, and bigger. And strange creatures emerged. To call them creatures would be tame. These were horrors, never meant to be seen by human eyes. The first few were simply hideous. But as the portal expanded, creature more and more hideous appeared. Then, larger creatures came through. Snarling faces, twisted bodies, and countless snapping jaws, all ready to rip us to shreds. 
 
 When it was apparent that this was an invasion, the city guards sounded the alarm. Signals were lit, and nervous words exchanged. The demonic horde increased by size every few moments, and were marching steadily towards Panchea. Eventually, the beasts that emerged were so massive that they dwarfed nearby mountains. Massive dragons and flaming giants joined the horde. The demonic army radiated darkness and evil, even while in contrast to the afternoon sky. 
 
 The archers fired arrows at the abominations. Some died instantly, but most did not. They continued to advance, some even after looking like porcupines from the arrows stuck in their hides. Experimental weaponry was used. It was the first time some had ever personally seen their nation ’ s prized war-cannons being used. They were hulking beasts, in comparison to the common city cannon which could already easily rip a crowd in half. These war-cannons were able to put literal dents in the sides of mountains. 
 
 And when they were fired towards the colossal beasts, a deafening sound was made. All shots hit their mark, but had put no more than scratches in the armoured flanks of the beasts. Some were used against the common abominations in the horde, with much more success. However, it was still not enough to stop the advance. 
 
 The King ordered a retreat. All commoners and noblemen were to pack essentials and leave immediately. Some were allowed to stay behind to assist in defending the city. The soldiers were to defend the city at all costs, to buy time for our escape. They were brave soldiers, highly praised as the mightiest warriors in our country. Although we trusted in their abilities to defend, we had seen what the beasts were capable of. 
 
 Two millions and thirty thousand human lives lost were lost within one day of fighting. The battle was a slaughter, and the victims were our soldiers. Although mighty, they stood no chance against the invaders from the other world. The scout that arrived to tell the King of the news arrived nearly dead, with near half his body missing. 
 
 And the bloodbath continued. The portal remained open for a month ’ s time. Days after the Battle of Panchea was over, there were enough demons to conquer the world. And that was exactly what they did. 
 
 When the people of Panchea went North. We passed barbarian villages, still burning, with fresh corpses lying around, and even “ things ” that were mangled so badly that they didn ’ t resemble anything human. They looted supplies, and moved on. 
 
 Things got so bad, the gods themselves intervened. The humans encountered an army of the demons in a mountain pass, who quickly decided to attack. But then, the valley started shaking. 
 
 They thought that another gateway was being opened, but that wasn ’ t the case. The mountains suddenly erupted from the ground, and out formed four humanoid giants. 
 
 These beings were colossal, titanic and were as large as the gigantic beasts we had seen weeks ago. They looked to have skin made from a metal-rock hybrid material, and were incredibly dense. Strangely, they all wore what seemed to be traditional battle helmets, from empires lost generations ago. 
 
 They all radiated warmth in the cold winter ’ s air, and the surrounding white snow started melting. Steam emerged off their skin, but did not feel hot to the touch. 
 
 They wasted no time in fighting the demonic soldiers, with one of the titans scooping us up. We were too weak to protest, with lack of sufficient food and energy, and just watched as the battle was fought between the titans and the monsters. 
 
 In moments, the titans had destroyed the horde, cutting swathes in their ranks as easily as a farmer would cut wheat. They reciprocated the death the demons had caused to Panchea. 
 
 When we thought they were leaving, they decided to lifted the island. 
 
 The feeling of immense power and hope, to imagine the strength that must have been needed to lift a whole island off the earth. These were our protectors, sent from the gods themselves. 
 
 The four titans lifted the island together, one on each side. Later on, we realised that the titans lifted the island so that future demons could not reach the heights of the sky-high island. 
 
 But our victory was short lived. The death of the demon army seemed to have sent out an invisible signal to monsters everywhere. 
 
 For twelve days and nights, the titans received increasing attacks from monsters their own size. Every night, there would be a titan going toe to toe with the monsters, and the other three protecting the people safe by lifting keeping the island aloft. Occasionally, small demons would be stomped on, and people would cheer. 
 
 It was strange that the island seemed to be literally blessed with an abundance of food sources and great conditions for growing crops. There were plenty of animals on the island, and so the people ate feasts in the day, and watched the titans battle the monsters at night. 
 
 Although the four titans looked relatively the same, they were given the names of Khom, Maan, Yama and Solo. 
 
 When the monsters came no more, the titans once again became rock. They had done their duty, and they deserved their reward of slumber.
