Darkglade, a worn out fortress built in ancient times to hold off voidlings, the portal had closed up a long time ago though.Now it is owned by the largest mercenary group in the four continents, Edge Alpha. This group was owned by one of the wealthiest men on the continent, also holding a lot of diplomatic power. Birse BlackHand is an oddity as many rumours and mysteries surround his rise in power, most of which end up being muted. He owns many other small groups on other continents and is also infamous for his black market, although the dominant nations can do nothing about it as he owns enough military force by himself to fight any of them on equal ground.

Surrounding the fortress were high mountains with only two passages to it, both heavily guarded by large gates and barriers surrounding them.William's forces though held a vantage point most would ignore, as the fortress was made to fight off the horrors of the Void ballistas and mages is all it needed to fight off flying threats and as such had no defences set upon the mountains and high hills encasing the crater looking area. They had successfully trekked up one of the mountains and were now staring down at the fortress.

Kalus:"Blimey is that a drop if I ever saw one. How'd you reckon we getting all heavy equipment down?"

William chuckled at the dwarf's question:"We don't. Well not everything, the wheelers can roll down the side of the mountain drop, it is a steep drop after all, not exactly straight. Do the cannons have effective range from up here?"

Kalus:"Can shoot much further but can't say for accuracy."

William:"No need for that, a barrage will do quite nicely. As for the troops" He looks at Yorick, Kateera and Nexiet.

Yorick:"Rangers will have no problem leaping down, the spirit beasts's magic will do."

Nexiet:"The riders obviously won't have any trouble either but what about your pack Kateera?"

Kateera:"If a distraction is all you want from us, we'll also need someone to stay up here and defend these contraptions. We'll stalk the woods behind here, take out any forces that try to pincer from behind."

Loke:"Then we are ready for the assault?"

William nods:"Master dwarf, if you may."

Kalus's expression can now only be described in one word, insane:"My pleasure laddie!"

From down below one couldn't see the six figures atop the cliff, until the large figures started to appear next to them. Mechanical goliaths stood next to the six towering ten times their size, made of steel and crystal the large mechs looked like a mad mixture of magical and futuristic with six cannons on each shoulder, steam gushing out of the back, these were called Sparts, Steam Powered Artillery Rigged Titans. Towering twice their size but only numbering four in total were the Wheelers, two large rectangular steel boxes on each side of a smaller metal wheel lined with blades and filled with explosives set to blow on manual command from the control station on top, not that they couldn't without that is. Behind the siege weapons rested over two hundred drakes and wyverns with their riders and even more spirit beasts with rangers, among them several hundred armoured Weremen sat or stood around makeshift camps.

The fortress was large enough to house a city, walls so high like someone was trying to keep out a dragon...or worse. Mercenaries strolled around the city fort, training, patrolling,resting at their bunks or simply lazying around in a pub. The gate was just as impressive as the walls that held it, being several storeys in height and width, this monster gate was lined with large bars of steel etched with thousands of runic inscriptions giving it magical properties and enhancing its resistance.

---

Author: Might be time for some music...

Here's my personal choices: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZjUMbyxczM

or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYQTbm2Hn40

^_^

---

An explosion is heard, the very ground shakes. The mercenaries start to rush for equipment as another explosion hit the gate. From the cliff two giant wheels can be seen spinning down, hitting the ground and with massive power continue to spin propelling it forward yet again and straight into the gate, blowing it wide open with massive explosions. Hundreds of roars can be heard along with loud screeching sounds and miniature explosions as the Sparts barraged the city fort and the dragon riders took flight, professionally dodging falling shells and engulfing the streets in flaming breath and the occasional arrow. Again from the cliff hundreds of figures can be seen leaping off with bright magic barriers beneath each one, as the spirit beasts landed ferociously on the ground breaking it beneath them. They start for the open gate as many other smaller stone gates open every meter of the wall high and low, from them come out a mixture of gryphon riders, Trolls, Mercenaries riding horses and some foot soldiers. Before the rangers with their spirit beasts clashed with the mercenary army Sparts could be seen descending the side of the cliff as the crazier dwarfs got impatient for battle, amazingly only two blew up or crashed from the eight that went down. The battle spanned all around the open field surrounding the fortress for about two miles before the cliffs ended it, Rangers and Mercenaries clashing while the occasional Troll was blasted dead by organised Sparts. In the air the gryphon riders where having a hard time with the dragon riders due to the rangers shotgunning with them, skillfully bowing them down, with some larger drakes simply snagging a bite at the much smaller birds.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Now standing above the cliff, a giant beast roared down at the battle below. The dragon was pitch black with two mouths lined with ferocious fangs, its red eyes wide open with bloodlust. It leaped down taking flight, its two sets of beating wings swallowing any other sound as it descended on the fortress and gripping to the side of the main building. It roared once more and breath flames of pure darkness into the building, then simply disappeared in an explosion of black smoke that seemed to be sucked into the fortress. The battle raged on outside, progressing inside the walls.

So far the plan went perfectly except for the couple maniac dwarfs including Kalus jumping off the side of the cliff with their god damn mechs. William along with Loke and Yorick were taken inside the fortress main building by Erza, Yorick was very wary of the dragon woman next to him. 

William:"That crazy ass dwarf costed us two gunda...I mean Sparts"

Loke:"He always was impatient..."

Yorick:"Agreed, but here we are heading straight into the devil's lair."

The four of them head up multiple flights of stairs, following Yorick who followed a trail of very particular mana. They arrived at a double door, locked. William's grey eye burst alight with a blue aura as he punched the doors in. They entered the room, before they could comprehend what had just happened Loke and Yorick hit the ground face first, crushing the pavement. A large grey Werewolf stood on top of them holding them down, William and Erza leapt out of his reach into the room. The Werewolf was wearing black plated armour body, legs, boots and gauntlets with spiked shoulder pads. William took a look behind him, another door, then a look at Yorick. Yorick nods, Loke grows a grin. William and Erza dash for the door and close it behind them.

Loke:"Ah.. would you mind getting off this old man's BACK" Loke sends fort a blast of magic from his walking stick, forcing the Werewolf off them and down the corridor a couple meters. "Now.. what would be your name?"

The Werewolf stands up unfazed,smoke rising from the area he was blasted at, looking straight into Loke's eyes:"Kurt Zerk, may I have my opponents's names?"

Loke:"Loke Runwalker" he gets up and aims his stick at him.

Yorick:"Yorick Stesfal" he draws his double edged twin short swords.

Kurt growls:"Hm, a mage and a ranger." He eyes down their equipment, snarling at the sight and smell of a sheathed silver dagger on the ranger. His eyes alight with bloodlust and his fur standing up to the rush of adrenaline "Entertain me, Elves" Kurt raises his right hand as darkness engulfs it and grows into a large black pole axe with a jagged edge.

--------------------------------

William and Erza follow them plan, if they were to meet resistance outside the targets area, Yorick and Loke would deal with it. He only wished it hadn't had to be a damned Werewolf of that size. After they entered the room the door forced itself closed behind them. The room was dimly lit but enough to see, it was a bed chamber with a large round bed in the middle. Within the sheets a man smiled at them, the Weretiger obviously amused by their actions, two women also lay at each side of him. 

Birse:"Now isn't that a rude entry? Haven't your parents taught you to knock first?"

William clenched his fists as he readied himself to make a deal with the devil.

---

Author: Do you like cliffhangers? I sure do :D , thanks for reading!