The bridge hung from the side of our floating island like stiff cloth leading into the unknown. I stared into the mist, watching it swirl around the bridge and slowly creep toward us with a life of its own. The air was cold and damp, and a chill settled into my bones as I gazed at the bridge.

I turned back to Eliaria and Flint, the grim look on their faces echoed the same fear that I felt.

I stepped onto the bridge, feeling it rock under my feet. I looked down and my stomach flipped. The clouds below us seemed close enough to touch, and the sun was nothing more than a distant ball of light, casting pale rays over the endless sky.

"What do you think we’ll find on the other side?" Eliaria asked, as she raised her hood to cover her hair from the wet mist.

"Nothing good, I'm sure," Flint said, stepping forward, his staff gripped in his hands.

I said nothing for sometime as I watched the mist move slowly across the bridge towards us. The fog made me uneasy, but I forced myself to look at the mist's edges and see how they flickered with movement.

Nothing leapt out at me.

It seemed like we were alone up here—for now.

"Let's go," I said. "Don't want to keep Stormclaw waiting."

The bridge swayed violently as we crossed in silence. To ensure our safety, we held hands tight and moved slowly, careful to avoid tripping over the uneven surface beneath us.

The surrounding cloud saturated our clothes and made my skin prick from the cold. The mist was so thick that I could barely see past my own nose. As we walked, I was sure I could hear the distant sound of flapping wings and the occasional hissing scream. It sounded like something out of a horror movie.

"How long until we reach the end?" Eliaria whispered.

I shrugged, I knew she didn't expect me to know the answer, she just wanted to break the eerie silence.

"We'll be there soon," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

Eliaria let out an involuntary shudder and squeezed my hand tighter.

Flint glanced back at us with a frown. "Something wrong?" he asked in his deep rumble.

"Nothing," I told him, though I wasn't entirely sure if that was true.

I had felt... different since leaving my village.

Ever since that night we'd been in a rush, but now that things were so eerily still, my mind chose that moment to remind me of what we were fighting for. I saw images in the mist. Sylvia, staring from behind the veil, her beautiful face full of pain.

I shuddered and pushed the thought from my head, but the guilt stayed with me.

The further we moved, the thicker the fog became. The clouds below us became dark shapes, and the world disappeared into the darkness.

"This doesn't feel right," I said, the hairs on the back of my neck rising.

"What is it?" Eliaria asked, her face full of concern.

"I don't know," I replied, "something feels off."

I glanced around nervously.

"There," I said, pointing toward the mist, "it looks like there is something coming."

Flint stared where I'd pointed. He squinted and frowned. "I don't see anything."

"Neither do I," said Eliaria.

A sudden gust of wind blew across the bridge, and the mist parted, revealing small floating islands drifting through the clouds like ships sailing the sea. They ranged in size from a few hundred meters to the larger ones that might stretch a kilometer or more across. The other islands were mostly barren rock, but many of them had pockets of vegetation clinging to their slopes.

"Who knew we had something like this on our floor all along?" Eliaria asked.

Flint snorted, "This is just the genesis floor, imagine what kinds of weird shit we'll see higher up."

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves," I said, "we've still got a dragon to fight. Let's focus on that first."

"Stormclaw is a drake," Flint said, "they're not the same thing as dragons. Dragons are bigger, scarier, and they breathe fire."

He paused and pointed ahead, "Is that a...?" Flint started before being interrupted by a piercing screech, filling the void between the islands.

"Oh, shit, here it comes!" I shouted, pulling my dagger from its leather scabbard.

I stood my ground as something massive came crashing through the fog and towards us.

[New Quest: Slay Stormclaw]

I blinked away the message and as my eyes opened again a six-winged drake, covered in silver and blue scales, soared above us.

"Get to the other side!" I yelled, "We can't fight on the bridge."

Flint and Eliaria sprinted behind me, their footsteps echoing loudly on the wooden planks.

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The drake circled above us, and its shadow fell across the bridge.

My high [speed] stat was paying dividends as I sped across the bridge, and I heard Eliaria and Flint struggling to keep up.

"Wait for us," Flint grunted, his heavy footsteps pounding against the wood.

I risked a glance back and saw them both running, but they were far behind me.

The drake dived from the sky and aimed its open maw directly at me.

Shit.

"Duck!" I screamed, diving forward and rolling along the shaky bridge, narrowly avoiding the drake's sharp teeth.

I bounced to my feet, stumbled and grabbed hold of the railing. The boss passed under the bridge and banked hard, its wing beats stirring the mist and showering us in fine droplets.

I saw land up ahead, and the drake circling around for another pass.

"We're almost there," I said, pointing to the edge of the bridge. "Just run!"

Eliaria and Flint shouted in response, and we sprinted as fast as our legs could carry us, the drake's shadow following us.

Suddenly, a wall of ice exploded behind us, sending splinters of wood and frosted shards everywhere. The drake collided with the side of the bridge and landed hard, shaking the whole structure and nearly throwing me from the ledge.

Time seemed to slow as I looked back and saw Eliaria and Flint tumbling over the side, screaming. I popped an [Etherix] and turned back to my companions and sprinted, the surge of raw energy, filling my veins, giving me renewed speed.

I reached the spot where my companions had been moments earlier and peered over the side. Flint had managed to grab onto the edge of the broken bridge, while Eliaria clung to him for dear life.

"Hurry up, dammit," Flint screamed, his knuckles white and face red.

I dropped to my knees, reaching down to grab Flint's wrist.

He groaned, "Shit, I'm slipping, hurry up."

"I got you," I said, pulling him up.

The drake screeched as it struggled to free itself from the twisted and broken wreckage of the bridge. Its violent movements tossed the bridge about like a ship at sea.

Eliaria's grip slipped, and the last thing I saw before she fell was her eyes wide and terrified.

"No!" Flint shouted, grabbing for her hand.

He missed, and she tumbled toward the mist below.

I cast [Sky Shield] and threw the shield out into the abyss beneath her. I didn't know if it had worked, but I waited and hoped. I held my breath. A few moments passed, and I heard Eliaria's muffled shouts.

"She's still alive!" I yelled.

Flint exhaled a sigh of relief, and a wide smile spread across his face.

"Get off the bridge," I said, "we're sitting ducks."

As Flint made his way onto solid ground, I peered down into the mists. I saw faint movement, and Eliaria's voice carried through the cloud.

"I'm okay," she said, her voice muffled by the mist, "The shield caught me."

"I'll cast another one," I said, "get ready."

A second shield appeared just above the first, and I jumped from the bridge, landing on it.

"Hold on," I said, grabbing hold of Eliaria's hand.

My hands were wet from the mist, but I pulled her up onto the second shield.

The drake's wings beat, and it began lifting its body from the broken bridge, sending chunks of splintered wood flying everywhere.

Eliaria slung her arms around my neck and I looked up at what remained of the bridge, measuring the distance.

"Get ready," I said, "I'm going to jump."

Eliaria nodded against my chest.

The drake flapped its wings harder, its powerful muscles straining against the weight.

"Here goes," I said, and with one fluid motion I crouched low and jumped.

Eliaria screamed, clutching my neck tighter as we soared through the air. We landed hard on the broken bridge. And without looking back over our shoulders, we ran.

***

We reached the other side of the bridge and found ourselves standing at the base of a rocky hill covered in snow.

Stormclaw soared above us, his massive wings stirring the mist and sending droplets flying.

I looked at Eliaria, who had removed her hood and was staring back at me. Her face was pale, but her gaze was steady.

"You can let go now," she said, "I've got this."

I frowned and then realized that I was still holding her hand.

"Sorry," I said, letting go. "This place is messing with my head."

Stormclaw's roar echoed through the skies, and the earth shook beneath our feet.

"Damn, that's one big bastard," Flint breathed, coming up beside us.

The monster circled once, and then the sky island quaked beneath our feet as the mythical, six-winged drake landed on the snowy hilltop in front of us.

It was huge, easily five times the size of a car. Its wingspan wider than my house, and its blackened teeth jutted from its jaws as it roared. It lowered its head, revealing a pair of triangular horns and a large mass of sharpened spikes rising from the top of its skull.

"How the hell are we supposed to fight that?" Flint exclaimed.

"It's just a big lizard," I said, "There's nothing special about it, other than its size."

"And its wings," Eliaria added.

I glanced at the young priestess and shrugged, "Well, yeah, that too."

I stepped forward, and the monster snarled. It was so close that I could smell its breath, a mix of rotten meat and sulfur.

"What do we do?" Eliaria asked, backing away.

I looked at her, "Don't fire until I have its attention, praying wouldn't be a bad idea either."

The drake opened its mouth, revealing a row of teeth, each the size of my arm. It lunged forward and snapped its jaws closed around the spot where I'd stood moments before.

Flint whipped his staff out, smashing it into the side of the drake's head. The blow sent a crack echoing throughout the area, and Stormclaw reared back.

"It's now or never," I said under my breath.

I clutched my dagger and started running toward the beast.

Eliaria cast [Toxic Barrage] and Flint followed up with [Rift Bolt]

[Sky Shield] appeared far before me as I ran. I continued running, counting down the cooldown with every step I took.

The spells exploded into the creature's side. The boss was immune to crowd control so [Rift Bolt] didn't have the power to teleport it backwards and [Toxic Barrage] couldn't stun it, but it was enough to deal some damage and distract the monster for a second.

I cast [Sky Shield] again, this time higher than the first one.

I jumped, landing on the first shield, and then immediately leapt again. I pressed myself against the second shield and used the momentum to push off, launching myself towards the monster.

I fell upon the drake, moving faster than the creature expected, and drove my dagger deep into its neck. Stormclaw bucked beneath me, and I felt its muscles strain against my grip as it tried to dislodge the blade.

The beast reared back, slamming me into the rocks below. I rolled onto my back, and a moment later I felt the warmth of Eliaria's healing spell washing over me.

The drake's eyes fixed on me as I slowly got to my feet.

"That got your attention," I said, wiping the blood from my dagger.

***