We neared High Rock sometime after dawn, though I smelled it long before the castle walls came into view. Smoke stung at my nostrils as Panda navigated the winding mountain path which led to the settlement.

  “Does it always smell like that?” Bell asked, looking up from her breakfast.

  “No,” Rex grunted. “This is the smell of pillaging.”

  “Know it well do you?” She replied.

  “Unfortunately.”

  “We should get there quickly, we might be able to help the survivors,” I said, patting Panda on the shoulder.

  “I would advise against such rash action,” Asmodeus said sleepily, lifting the wing which covered his eyes. “Though I love a good pillaging as much as the next dragon, this one is still ongoing. If we charge into the fray all willy nilly our mighty stead may become blemished in the process. I will not abide my chariot being tarnished.”

  “The pillage is still happening?” I asked.

  However, before anyone could reply the walls came into view.

  Nestled atop a mountain stood the burning fortress of High Rock. Stone battlements doused in flames, a portcullis gate bent and broken, thick black smoke rising into the sky creating a floating abyss which could just as easily have been an eternal thunder cloud. High Rock was decimated.

  Despite the obvious damage which had been done to the fortress, I was awed by its design. The mountain’s jagged peak split into two spires and the settlement appeared to be built across both of them. The near side, where we were, looked to connect to a marvellous stone bridge which allowed passage to the far side.

  Higher up, and seemingly built into the spire itself, the far side looked positively regal. It was an incredible feat of craftsmanship to have created a fortress in such a hazardous location.

  Moreover it begged the question, who or what was powerful enough to sack a town like this? The fortress looked easily defensible. It seemed to be the sort of structure which was built to withstand almost any kind of onslaught.

  What then, could have possibly done this?

  “I’ve heard stories about this place, kid,” Panda said, in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. “Said to be built by ancient dwarves, High Rock is known as the floating castle: a fortress which, in over two thousand years, has never fallen.”

  “I thought it was a human settlement?” I asked.

  “It is,” he replied, “but not because they took it in battle, because they bought it off the dwarves for billions of gold.”

  “I heard,” Rex added, “that the humans tricked the dwarves into letting them inside using the promise of gold before slaughtering them all in their beds. It was in the same era as the Slow Slaughter, the time of the great human expansion.”

  “You both hold only half of the truth,” Asmodeus interjected. “The humans did pay billions in gold, but once they had claimed High Rock as their own they enslaved the dwarves and took it back. The very same dwarven craftsmen who built this place were also the ones who built on top of Castalor, of course they did that building in slave collars.”

  “On top of?” I asked.

  “Indeed, human of mine,” he said, flying over and perching on my shoulder. “Castalor was the seat of power for the lycanid empire, once the humans took control they built on top of it. You will see when we arrive, but Castalor is a city with duelling architecture. It is also known as the city of raining blood. My kind of place.”

  “How do you know all that?” Panda asked.

  “I was there… or at least, the demon lord Asmodeus was. I remember it well, despite my current state.” He seemed confused as he spoke, like he couldn’t quite tell if he was Asmodeus the demon lord or Asmodeus the tiny dragon.

  “It’s ok Azzy,” Bell said, patting his head lightly.

  He didn’t complain.

  “Help!” A small voice shouted and we all looked towards the broken portcullis gates to see a small child sprinting towards us. “Please help, my mother, she’s trapped.”

  Disembarking the camper with Asmodeus still perched on my shoulder, I ran towards the child and crouched down, placing my hands comfortingly on her small shoulders.

  “Where is she?”

  She pointed towards the burning walls, panting so hard she couldn’t speak.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Ok,” I said, putting on my most adult voice. “We’ll go and save her, but it’s not safe here. You need to wait in the camper until we get back, ok?”

  She nodded and I released her, standing up solemnly and watched as she trotted towards our mobile base. Then a quest log appeared in my HUD.

  New Quest:

  Blood Brothers

  Upon reaching High Rock you have found the fortress under siege and on fire – just another day at the office right?

  Objective(s):

  Help the girl’s mum 0/1

  Rewards: TBC

  Rewards to be confirmed? What the hell does that mean? I wondered as I looked at the bare bones quest log.

  “Was that wise?” Asmodeus asked.

  “She’s no threat,” I replied.

  “That sort of arrogance can get you killed, human. Sometimes dangerous things are wrapped in small packages – me for example.”

  “I highly doubt she’s a demon lord fragment masquerading as a tiny dragon. I told her we’d save her mum and that’s what we’re going to do. I can’t just stand by and watch this city burn to the ground.”

  “Yet you did exactly that when we fled Cali Port. Also, I am not tiny!”

  “And I won’t let it happen again,” I said, gritting my teeth. “Once is a mistake, twice is negligence. Besides, think of all the XP we’ll get if there’s a hoard of evil monsters inside.”

  “I do admire your quest for power,” he said with a nod. “Fine, I will allow it.”

  I rolled my eyes just as Rex, Bell, and Panda caught up.

  “What’s the plan?” Bell asked.

  “That girl’s mum needs saving, follow me.”

  She nodded and I turned on my heels, running into the fiery chasm which was High Rock: a blazing inferno filled with god-knows-what.

  Dancing across the flaming stones which littered the ground in front of the battlements, I deftly hopped through the broken portcullis. Once I was closer to it, I realised that it had been blasted inwards, seemingly via bludgeoning and sheer strength. The metal was bent at an odd angle, as if someone – or something – had punched their way through it.

  Inside the walls we entered a venerable hellscape. Wooden two-story buildings, reminiscent of Georgian era architecture, blazed all around us. I heard screams and the clashing of iron; it seemed to be coming from the bridge.

  “Damn it!” I shouted, “which house is it?”

  “Perhaps you should have pressed the girl for more details than merely a crookedly pointed finger?” Asmodeus suggested.

  Just as I was about to tell him where he could go, a shriek pierced my ears. It sounded like a woman and was coming from the second house on the left.

  With a shrug towards my companions I headed in that direction.

  The house in question was practically a ruin already. Black charring creeped up the outside of the white wood as smoke bellowed out of the upstairs windows.

  “Be careful,” Rex said, “it looks like it could collapse at any second.”

  “Shame we never found that water mage I wanted,” Bell added unhelpfully.

  “Stay outside,” I commanded, “there’s no use in us all going. I’ll do it.”

  Without waiting for their affirmation I moved towards the house with purpose.

  “Kaleb, wait!” Panda shouted, “if you’re going to kick down the door, don’t. With that kind of heat it might cause an explosion.”

  “How do I get in then?” I asked.

  “The second-floor window is blown out, how are you at climbing?”

  “Allow me,” Asmodeus said, flapping his wings against the back of my head as he took off.

  I watched, surprised that he was offering to help more than anything, as he dove through the window gracefully. There was another shriek, followed by the sound of something crashing to the floor, then he reappeared carrying a woman wrapped in a sooty blanket.

  As he placed her on the ground nearby, she looked up at him with stark fear in her amber coloured eyes. Practically petrified, she barely even noticed when I trotted towards them.

  “Good job,” I said, patting the dragon affectionately on the head.

  “This is the proof why one should never send a human to do a dragon’s job,” he replied, puffing his chest out. “Now, if you’ll bear with me whilst I take my payment, we can be off.”

  “You’re not draining her,” I said sternly and he looked at me in that way a dog looks at a child holding food.

  “You would deny me this after such a heroic feat?”

  “It’s not heroism if you drain her life force afterwards,” I said. “You can use leach life on enemies, not victims.”

  “It would pay for you to have been upfront about this from the start,” he pouted. “Why, I never would have offered my valiant services if I had known that I would not be adequately compensated.”

  “It’s ok Azzy,” Bell said, offering out her arm like she was summoning a falcon. “I’m sure we’ll find you a nice tasty bad guy to eat soon. Can’t you hear the swords clashing over there?”

  He nodded reluctantly and I crouched down next to the woman.

  “Do you have a daughter?” I asked.

  Her eyes widened and she lunged upwards at me like a feral beast.

  “Chrissie!” She yelled, “where is she? Is she hurt?”

  Her clawing hands grasped at the collar of my armour but I didn’t fight back – she wasn’t strong enough to do me any damage in her current state anyway.

  “She’s safe, I let her shelter in our camper.”

  “Oh… thank you,” she relaxed slightly but didn’t let go of me. “What about the lycanids?”

  Furrowing my brow, I gestured to her to continue. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Rex’s ears prick up as he moved towards us, gazing at the woman with an unreadable expression on his face.

  “They attacked us,” she said, “my husband, he’s in the guard. They were defending the bridge when all hells broke loose. Please, you’ve got to save him too.”

  “Lycanids did this?” Rex said, approaching cautiously.

  “Ahh!” She screamed, trying to place me between her and Rex. “Kill it!”

  “Calm down, lady,” I said, refusing to allow her to move me. “He’s part of my team.”

  She spat on the floor, a hateful glare adorning her amber coloured eyes. “Don’t let it fool you,” she growled, “they’re all the same. We had some here when everything went to shit. Treated them like our own we did. Didn’t stop them from siding with their kin though did it? I’m telling you master adventurer, nothing good comes from parlaying with them.”

  Rex looked like he was about to say something but instead looked away sheepishly and took a few steps back.

  “Listen here,” I began, “Rex is one of my team, don’t speak about him like that. We just saved your fu-”

  “It’s alright Kaleb,” Rex said in a low growl. “I’m used to it. Let’s go find these lycanids she spoke of and get to the bottom of this. She’ll be safe out here; she doesn’t need an escort.”

  “She doesn’t deserve one anyway,” I grumbled, following the huge lycanid towards the bridge at the centre of the fortress.