Mount Falcon, the Levithan Beanstalk, the Kingdom of Nethos

  Harvestfall the 22nd 1221

  September 22nd, 2021

  The realm of the Valkyrens was truly unique; the floating continent of Zephyrael was home to some of the strongest races on the pnet, wielding magic unrivaled anywhere else.

  This extraordinary continent housed nine kingdoms. At its pinnacle stood Aetheris Spire, reaching a staggering 20,000 feet above the surface, tethered to the earth below by a colossal natural wonder known as the Leviathan Beanstalk. At the lowest point y the shadowy kingdom of darkness and drows, Nethos.

  Between these extremes were the kingdoms of Sylvanwood, Noctharn, Umbradun, Aerion, Arkaen, and Veroria. These nds were inhabited by a diverse array of species, including Valkyrens, drows, merfolk, dryads, dragonkin, bloodsuckers, shapeshifters, giants, and deviants. Each kingdom was connected by the Leviathan Beanstalk, the central artery of the continent and the primary route for travelers ascending or descending its many levels.

  However, the Silver Stars had no intention of traversing the arduous Leviathan Stairs within the massive stalk. Their goal was Aetheris Spire, and they aimed to get there as quickly as possible. This meant using the Pegasus carriages, the most efficient—and luxurious—mode of transportation to any specific level of Zephyrael. Unfortunately, the service was staffed by one of the most unpleasant and notoriously difficult races on the continent: the drows.

  The team made their trek to Mount Falcon, arriving at the edge of the Kingdom of Nethos, where the Pegasus carriages awaited.

  "I really don't feel comfortable here," Rurnyl admitted as Calm handed over the fee for their ride.

  "You've got a problem with drows? Aren't dark elves and drows basically the same race?" Caineghis asked with a smirk.

  "Hardly," Calm interjected before Rurnyl could respond. "This is Zephyrael, the nd of the strongest species in the world. Drows are no exception—they're masters of the dark arts and rulers of the so-called 'Shadow Kingdom.'" He paused, gncing at Rurnyl. "Besides, drows are more grey-skinned, not dark like the elves."

  "What's the real deal between the dark elves and drows?" Caineghis pressed.

  Rurnyl adjusted her hood before answering. "The drows hate us. It's a generational grudge they have against us."

  "Surely not all drows are that bad," Mitsuzane said, trying to inject some optimism.

  "Maybe, but they're rare," Mariot replied, shrugging. Without another word, she took off into the sky.

  "Frking prideful Valkyrens and their egos," Caineghis muttered as he watched her disappear.

  "It's only going to get worse as we go higher," Calm warned as the team climbed into the carriage.

  And it indeed did. After an hour of travel, they encountered the infuriating quirks of Zephyrael's caste-like systems. Not only did they have to pay the initial fee to the drows, but midway to their destination, they had to switch carriages. Dark Pegasi, it turned out, weren't permitted to pass into higher realms. Valkyrens, in their arrogance, demanded pristine White Pegasi for their skies. This meant Calm had to pay another fee—double the original amount—just to reach Aetheris Spire. Adding insult to injury, the second leg of the journey covered half the distance of the first. By the time they arrived, Calm had shelled out 50 gold coins just for the entrance fee.

  But 30 minutes ter they arrived at Aetheris Spire. But since this was the first time the team visited the floating kingdom, they were surprised by how white and rich-looking everyone was and they nded in Hayfal, the port city and the central trading hub for the kingdom itself. Other than the capital, it was the most diverse pce in the kingdom, but the pce still was overflowing with Valkyrens.

  "Hey Landtard, watch where you are going!" One Valkyren yelled at Calm who in question was 5 inches away from the wing of said Valkyrens.

  "So many frking uptight Valkyrens." Caineghis commented as Mariot arrived.

  "I apologise for my voidspawn species; most of us are prideful."

  "I can see that, and this is why this is the st pce I want to be," Calm commented before he reached into his bag for the contract they needed to complete.

  "So what's our contract?" Rurnyl asked before a loud yell interrupted them, and said yell made Mariot pause since she knew who that was.

  Her brother. Marlon.

  "Schei?schmpe! Mariot you rd!"

  Within a few moments, Marlon along with his own adventurer team named the Unstoppable Valkyrens nded. A team of all male Valkyrens who only work under the Valkyren government by contract, and so called strongest adventurers of all the realms.

  And after they nded, Mariot didn't say a word and her face smouldered with a dead gaze that shocked the rest of her teammates.

  "Brother." She replied with a dead expression on her face.

  "Well fancy seeing you here, slut." Marlon insulted her.

  "That's rude." Calm defended Mariot before the tall Valkyren stood in his face.

  "And she deserves to be called that, nd dweller, and what are you to say about my opinion that is correct in every way,"

  "And how so?"

  "Calm don't," Mariot replied, warning Calm, her face dead in the water.

  "Oh, please, Mariot, you guys remember what we did a few years back?" Marlon asked his team, who ughed and chuckled.

  "I was wanting more for that."

  Within a few seconds, the rest of the team realized what these guys did, judging from their aroused expressions. And the two guys on the team got mad.

  "You sick frk," Caineghis told them.

  "Oh no, we're not ashamed of that; we enjoyed it. Women are weak anyway and they deserve to be punished accordingly."

  "You guys are sick," Calm added as Mariot stood there all quiet.

  "It's normal here, nd dweller; you should be aware that we Valkyrens pride in everything we do, especially regarding our sexual lifestyles," Marlon said before one of his teammates groped Mitsuzane.

  Mitsuzane tried to fight back, but not before the wizard of his team used magic to nullify her magic and then restrain her.

  "I suggest you back off," Calm threatened.

  "Oh, a threat, how exciting, but you are a nd dweller, S-css team; your team rank is irrelevant here, weakling," Marlon told him, shoving him on the ground with such great force it knocked him into some crates 30 feet away.

  "Come on guys, I believe the mayor has a contract for us, unlike these nd dwellers.

  "Your brother is misogynistic," Caineghis commented as the Unstoppable Valkyrens left.

  "He is and he's like that since he's buds with the prince and yes, I did lose my virginity to those creeps. His arrogance is unmatched even by regur Valkyren standards."

  "That's horrible," Rurnyl replied, taking off her hood.

  "But what was that magic? He disabled my magic so easily, and your brother is vile." Mitsuzane asked, rubbing her chest over the spontaneous sexual assault she just felt.

  "Magic here is powerful, and yeah, they are."

  Shortly after, Calm climbed out of the crushed pile of crates he was shoved into and rubbed his head.

  "Ugh, that hurt," Calm grunted, looking towards the sky, and other people looked at him strangely. "Your brother is a vilin."

  "And that's the reason why I joined the team."

  "So you can get away from your brother?" Rurnyl asked.

  The team collectively agreed that Mariot's brother was a bad person on all accounts, but they could not stop. They needed to complete a contract that would cost them 50 emerald coins—a high amount of money since emerald coins were rare and expensive on the ground floor. 50 of them could make them loaded for an entire month. But to the Valkyrens, emerald coins were their common currency so it's not that much value here.

  Flipping open his satchel, Calm read the contract; it stated that they were to locate somebody's pet; a low middle-css Valkyren child had contracted them, using all of his spare cash to do so.

  "And we are to find a child's pet."

  "Are you frking serious right now? That's the contract?" Caineghis compined, snatching the paper out of Calm's hand to take a closer look.

  "Did we get scammed?!" Caineghis yelled in outrage.

  "No, and no, I met with the child a few months back; little one made the hassle of coming all the way down to the surface for help, I may add," Calm replied.

  "I assume you don't have a fondness for children," Mitsuzane asked Caineghis, who looked at her dead in the eyes.

  "Children are demons inside those little bodies of theirs."

  "For context, when this nosedrooler was 17, some child stole his satchel full of cash." Calm expined that Caineghis had gone on a rant.

  "Frk them, children; they are demons incarnate; they stole my money and then after that I got dumped by my girlfriend because I didn't have money on my date."

  "Well, that expins it," Mariot adds.

  "I don't bme you." Rurnyl quipped.

  "So we all agree that children should be burnt at the stake?" Caineghis asked, making Calm and the girls look at him.

  "No, what in the devil's is wrong with you? We're not monsters." Calm replied, dismissing his friend's whole vendetta against children.

  With the argument out of the way, the team headed towards a small vilge right outside the city they were in, the small vilge of Necos yet despite being on the outskirts of a rge city that was Hayfal, this small vilge was akin to a town since every building looked decent.

  "So even in the poorest areas, the Valkyrens are always rich like those tatwackers that are the nobility." Caineghis ranted looking at the child's house, which looked like a regur log cabin home despite its entire structure being made from wood rare on the ground floor.

  "This is a poor man's house." Mariot pointed out.

  "And we're about to solve a child's problem so be quiet," Calm replied, knocking on the door and soon after a small Valkyren with tiny wings opened the door.

  "He's here mama!" The child cried out and shortly thereafter the mom came forward with a young Valkyren no older than 29 years. Her name was May Lanailo.

  "Oh thank goodness, Lalnar has been worried sick about his pet."

  "No worries ma'am but according to the contract, we are to find a pet Landshark?" Calm asked, making Rurnyl confused.

  "Landshark?" Runeyl asked since she had no idea what a Landshark was.

  "Yes Rurnyl those things are real, they all reside in the Umbradun kingdom," Mariot answered.

  "And my son lost his Landshark. I think he lost him around the Baraos River just a few kilometres away here."

  "Alright and is there any chance what is the name of this ndshark?"

  "Jeffolo."

  "Right, we'll return once we have him."

  "Oh thank you," she replied.

  Signing the quest in action, the team then headed over to the river and typical of most water sources in Aetheris Spire there was no water in the actual river, it was just all filled with puffy water that appeared to look like clouds.

  The sheer sight was confusing.

  "So expin to me what a ndshark looks like?" Rurnyl asked.

  "It's a shark with legs, a common pet around here," Mariot expined. "Stubby legs, fin, tail, reminiscent of a shark, sharp teeth and acts like a common wolf pupper. That's a ndshark." Mariot expined.

  "I'm so confused." Rurnyl replied.

  "You should be," Calm adds. "Nothing makes sense here."

  Calm was correct in that statement after Caineghis tried to drink the cloud water only for it to taste like pure oxygen.

  "Cough, bh, what the frk was that?" Caineghis excimed.

  "The taste of cloud water," Mariot added, and as Caineghis was brushing off his tongue on whatever water he just tasted, Mitsuzane was attempting to do a location spell using the magic book that was given to her by her master to properly cast the spell. Since she never cast it before.

  "So the chant is by winds that whisper, the earth that guides, through veil and shadow where truth hides. Reveal the path, light the way, beacon bright, no step shall stray." She read before moving to the instructions on how to gesture the spell correctly.

  "The caster holds their hands out, palms facing each other as if cupping an invisible orb. They rotate their wrists in a circur motion, creating an ethereal glow between their hands. When the chant is complete, the glow expands outward into a pulse of light that flows in the direction of the target or forms a luminous trail to follow. Seems simple enough."

  "You have an instruction book for your spells?" Caineghis asked.

  "Yes, how else do I learn about new spells? Alright, here I go... By winds that whisper, the earth that guides, Through veil and shadow, where truth hides. Reveal the path, light the way, beacon bright, no step shall stray." She read out loud.

  She held her hands out as instructed, palms facing each other and cupping an invisible object. Then she rotated her wrists in a circur motion. Her hands created a distinct glow.

  Soon a pulse of light expanded outward, a beacon of light then pointing in the direction of where they needed to locate the Landshark, and the light led toward the east. Following the light, the group ended up in a ke full of ndshark.

  "Are you frking serious?! Which one are we looking for?!"

  "Keep it down, Caine, I'm looking at the picture," Calm said, looking at the picture the Ms Lalnar gave them—a picture of Jeffolo, who distinctly had a red colr and he had white skin since Jeffolo was a rare albino Landshark.

  Yet finding this frking shark was difficult since there were tonnes of nd sharks in the water since nd sharks are freshwater creatures.

  "So any ideas on how we find this shark?" Rurnyl asked.

  "Magic? I mean, the light is still here," Mariot added.

  "The location spell only makes the location not specifically finding a specific person," Mitsuzane expined.

  "So we can't solve the problem by our wizard great. Time to whip it out."

  "Your mating stick?" Calm jokingly answered.

  "NO! The frk is wrong with you, of course not," Caineghis snapped at him as he pulled out one of his potions and tossed it in the ke.

  What Caineghis threw in the ke was a simple inversion colorization potion which simply swaps colours with anything in its cast range. And out of all the regur grey and blue ndsharks swimming all of them turned red and white; soon thereafter, Jeffalo showed up swimming towards them like this was a game.

  "Well, there is our shark; problem solved. Now can we be done here?" Caineghis asked.

  "Yes, Caine, we can," Calm replied, picking up the Landshark, who licked his face like a real canine.

  "So what's after this?" Rurnyl asked.

  "The elves," Calm answered

  "They gave in already?"

  Their next destination was Elijah since news broke that the elves finally lifted their adventurer ban after over a year of the war that they were fighting. With an opportunity in sight, the Silver Stars can finally make a name for themselves other than being that unknown S-css team. And prove themselves that they are a capable team