The Forsaken Hero

Heartland City was a thriving mass of stonework and people, sitting in a valley between two towering peaks. The ancient Heartland Forest, which swallowed up the surrounding towns and villages, crept right up to the thick walls. Four major roads flowed into the city, one from each of the main cardinal villages, including Westfall.

The city was far out of the way of the regular roads of commerce, sitting on the fringes of civilization. The city was technically within Brithlite territory but hadn’t seen a royal representative, military patrol, or even a tax collector in years. They effectively ruled as a city-state, utilizing their own militia for protection against large monster threats. The government held close ties with the adventuring guild, which "volunteered" to take on anything smaller.

As we sat on the road overlooking the city, I couldn’t help but watch the caravans rolling along the roads into the city. Some of them were dozens of wagons long and had hundreds of merchants, servants, and guards. The red, dying light of the evening sun dyed the white canvas roofs of the wagons red, making them look like the scales of an impossibly long infernal serpent.

"Pretty impressive, isn’t it," Dyson said, squatting beside me. When I glanced at him, he coughed and gestured to the city far below. "The caravans, I mean. Heartland doesn’t have much in the way of commerce, but they’re one of the best waypoints between Brithlite and the other kingdoms of the Northern Continent. Some of them have been traveling for months, hailing all the way from the edges of the world."

Tana clasped her hands together and sighed longingly. "I hope they have one in from the coast right now. Some of their shells and silks are just to die for. We’ll have to hit their wares first thing in the morning."

I looked at the long, winding road down to the city. The mountains were hardly gentle, forcing the road to twist into hundreds of switchbacks as it descended the cliffs. Shielding my eyes against the setting sun, I quickly judged the time till nightfall and turned to the half-elf.

"Are we going to be able to make it in time? Won’t they close the gates soon?"

Dyson laughed and straightened up, straightening his sword belt. "Maybe if we walked, but where’s the fun in that? Once you get powerful enough, things like cliffs become minor inconveniences."

My eyes widened, and I hastily backed away from the edge."Y-you mean jump?" I asked, horrified. My skin crawled, and I shivered, the sensation traveling down my spine to the tip of my tail.

"Of course! It takes an entire day off the travel time, and it’s not like it hurts or anything. Even Tana’s tough enough to handle it."

Tana nodded in agreement, but her eyes never left me. "Is something the matter?" She asked softly. As I shook my head, she laid a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Don’t worry, Sorrin can carry you. He’s really gentle, and if you close your eyes, you won’t even notice you’re falling."