The Blackwyrm Chronicles #1: A Misadventure like no other...

Chapter 26

When we finally arrived at the mountain city, (seven hours later) I was blown away by the sight before me.

A large-ass Mountain loomed before us, and I could've sworn that the city radiated with a faint blue glow. Golems also patrolled the outskirts of the city, and their unnatural gaze followed our carriage as we rode past them. Large spires also loomed before us, and I caught sight of a faint outline that indicated we were drawing closer to the outside portion of the mountain city. Speaking of which, it appeared to be comprised of various residential areas made of stone bricks rather than wooden planks. There was a marketplace where various goods were being sold, and judging by the amount of people our carriage had to pass by, I could tell this city was raking in the dough. The taverns in this city were huge, and by my rough estimate, they were three freaking stories tall.

We passed all of this and followed the stone brick path leading to the inner city of Volhime. We reached a wide gate blocking our way into the city, and guards suddenly appeared around us.

"What is your business here?" A guard shouted at me.

"We're here on King Fredrick's orders!" I shouted back, "We're here to help with your city's-um, problem."

There was a slight pause before the gate started to open with a low groan. We began to make our way toward a large-ass structure that looked a lot like a castle. We had to leave the carriage in a stable that was by the gate, so we opted to walk on foot toward the glowing stronghold. Everyone seemed amazed by the sights around us.

Well, except Nova.

She had a cloak on, which did an excellent job of concealing her face. I edged closer to her and asked what was up.

She sighed, "The people here believe that my parents work is phenomenal," She began in a hushed voice. "Don't get me wrong: it is, but my sudden departure probably disrupted their mining operations. My parents wanted to find me, so they probably halted everything for...I dunno, a few days? I'm betting money a fair amount of people in this city are blaming me for disrupting my parents' work...again...I've gotten enough shit from these assholes as it is, so this is just another reason for them to call me a useless excuse of a daughter..."

I smiled, "Don't worry sis, we're here to help you out when you need us. If someone gives you grief, notify anyone in this team, and we'll take care of you."

Nova looked at me in confusion, "Sis?"

"Eh?" I replied, only to cut off when I saw a troop of heavily-armed men approach us. They were all wielding long glowing staves that had electricity flickering off the ends of their weapons.

Because the mere fact that this city exists blows me away, I need to describe just how awesome Volhime is. The inside of this mountain was hollowed out so, you know, people could live in here. Great spires rose all the way to the roof of this artificially-created cavern to ensure that there wouldn't be a cave-in. Artificial light sources also hung from the roof of the cavern, bathing the city in an eerie blue light. Several buildings were arranged in the cavernous space in the same style you'd expect to find in a regular city like Helios or Seris. Only, this one's in a mountain. I wonder if they hired any dwarves to help hollow this place out...

"What is your business in this city?" The lead guard asked me calmly. (If I had a gold mark for every time a guard's asked me 'what is your business in blah-blah-blah'...)

"My team is here to help repel the demon hoard that's been sighted near Volhime. We're here on the orders of the high king," I told the guard.

"Do you have official documentation proving this?" The guard prompted me.