After taking in the breathtaking view, the pink drone slipped through the open window and hovered into the house.
Its body hummed softly, a gentle vibration that felt less mechanical and more like the purr.
Light reflected off its smooth surface as it rotated once in the air, orienting itself toward Maurice.
"It's nice to see you enjoying the view, Arisu," it said. "Are you ready for the tutorial now? If so, I will show you the way."
Maurice didn't answer immediately, his thoughts wandered, in all of my games i have never experienced such a form of realism in a fantasy world. It's almost scary how real this feels.
He stood near the window, hands resting lightly on the sill, staring out at the floating islands beyond. They hung in the sky like fragments of a shattered world, each one drifting at its own height, tethered by nothing visible. Waterfalls spilled from their edges, breaking apart into mist before ever touching the ocean far below.
Huge birds gliding like some aircrafts moving between these islands.
He exhaled slowly and turned.
For a brief moment, he simply looked around the room again. They really outdid themselves.
He almost laughed at the thought. The scale of it all, the detail, the way nothing felt wasted or decorative for the sake of it.
He looked back at the drone.
"Miss X," he said, "please show me the way."
The drone emitted a small, pleased chirp. It's core brightened, and a thin green beam shot forward, touching the center of Maurice's right palm.
"With this marker," Miss X said, "you now have access to the map of this continent. Please press on it."
Maurice lifted his left hand and paused, staring at the faint symbol glowing in his palm. He pressed it like a button.
The world in front of him exploded into light.
A digital map unfolded across his entire vision, expanding until there was nothing else to look at. Most of the landscape was stacked vertically with also the land rising on top of land, islands hovering at different heights.
Tags settled over key locations: training facilities, taverns, shops, the guild hall.
Once the layout stopped overwhelming his eyes, something else caught his attention. A yellow arrow pulsed on the display, guiding toward a floating island in the distance.
That must be the torturial location where I can create my build. Interesting... I would never thought that I would say this but I am actually interested in the lore of this world.
With Maurice wandering thoughts he suddenly heard a chirp completely forgetting that Miss X is still there next to him.
"I am obligated to inform you of the history of Cade von Bastion. Specifically, how he came to be known as the King of Kings, and what led to the creation of the Hallow Bastion. Please follow the indicator, while i explain the story." Miss X said.
Maurice nodded and started walking.
The path beneath his feet responded subtly, lights embedded in the stone brightened as he approached and dimming behind him. NPCs passed them, some walking alone, others in groups. A pair of armored figures argued quietly near a railing, gesturing toward the sky. A merchant led a massive bird by its reins, the creature's talons clicking against the stone.
No one paid Maurice any special attention.
That, somehow, made it feel more real.
"Long ago,the islands you see above you did not exist."
The world wavered around them.
Maurice slowed down as light folded inward, forming a translucent projection that settled over reality. The path was still under his feet, but now a vast landscape hung in the sky. It stretched to the horizon, resting above a dark, slow-moving ocean. Rivers cut across wide plains. Forests clumped together in dense patches. Jagged mountains rose far away.
"This land was once a single continent, drifting on the sea."
Figures emerged across the projection.
Armored knights. Wind snapping at their banners. Camps along the rivers. Horses shifting and snorting. Thin trails of smoke rising from fires.
"Cade von Bastion served his king with honor. He was sent here with his battalion under one directive: locate resources."
The view pulled in, focusing on a single man among them.
"He discovered crystals,embedded deep in the earth soil. They were volatile, capable of catalyzing energy within the soil itself. If handled improperly, they could fracture rock, warp water flow, even redirect lightning strikes. Yet in the right hands, they were the key to shaping this land. Cade recognized their potential and understood the risk that came with it. He understood what others could not: that the land could be engineered, not merely occupied. In other words, the idea of terraforming started with him."
The projection followed him as he knelt near a crystalline vein, scanning the subtle pulses along the edges, tapping the surface to measure resonance, marking extraction points for safe handling. The soldiers observed in awe as they started to abide his orders to retrieve as many crystals as they could.
"The king," saw an opportunity. He divided his nation, sending half of his man power across the sea to this new continent. Yet what was meant to be a new beginning quickly revealed its dangers."
The projection accelerated. Ships crossed the ocean, banners snapping in wind, sailors hauling ropes, soldiers disembarking in formation.
"In the western forests, a scouting party vanished after hearing some disturbances in that area. Only to find out later there where footprint at the size a small boulder on the gronds. Threes bended akward and some even fell down in certain directions. Trails of of blood and animal bodies spread out all around the inner depths of the forest. But that wasn't the only disturbance.
the northern waters, a fishing vessel capsized under currents no sailor could explain. In the eastern mountains, bodies kept dropping from the sky from time to time.
The land beneath the army of bastion seemed more dangerous than they had anticipated.
--
It began with a tremor, it was barely noticeable at first, a subtle vibration through the ground that made spears wobble in hands and boots shift. Then the trees themselves shivered, snapping like brittle twigs under some invisible weight.
The scouts started to disappear one by one. One moment they were there, then you blinked twice and only their boots where left behind. The others froze and arrows aimed at the forest trying to discern the source.
And then Jeff emerged.
The first thing anyone noticed were the horns, jagged and crackling with arcs of electricity that lit the shadows like sudden lightning. His had was shaped like that of a pittbull with tusks curved around his lower jaw like ivory knives, framing jagged teeth that gave you the idea, that it has to have bone-crushing power. The body frame of a bull-like monster, muscles coiled under the thick hide.
He moved with horrifying intent. Soldiers tried to respond with volleys of arrows and coordinated strikes, but it was meaningless.
By the time the main force realized the scale of what they faced, Jeff had already unalived over 80% of their forces.
"In the northern seas, Kenneth. A serpent stretching longer than a dozen warships, its scales layered like armor plates, water cascading from its body in sheets as it rose from the depths. Ships were destroyed without even touching the creature. Just like Jeff, Kenneth was one to be feared.
The eastern mountains revealed Oliver a colossal raven. It's wings so vast they dimmed the sky whenever it flew. Creatures like this ruled the continent, each one dominating its own territory through sheer, overwhelming presence. To confront them, Cade and the former king formed an elite battalion known as the Monster Hunter.
A unit of one hundred warriors trained for a single purpose: to slay the beasts that civilization could not coexist with.
But the truth struck harder than any blade.
These titans did not simply exist; they went on and had babies... and their babies had babies. Their offspring were smaller but no less lethal, horroryfing creatures capable of destroying armies.
Years bled away in endless battles. The Monster Hunters adapted because they where forced to innovated for survival.
They forged weapons from monster bones, crafted armor from scaled hides, and turned the corpses of fallen giants into humanity's last line of defense.
Eventually, they challenged the three supreme boss monsters. Two were slain after campaigns that devoured lives and landscapes alike. Only the serpent remained and unexpectedly, it did not fall as an enemy. The hunters discovered it's natural prey which are flying lizards, and learned to direct it towards them. Turning the beast into a living shield that devoured northern wyverns before they could descend upon the kingdom, well for the most part. They also feed it once a month wyverns bodies that they collect every month when they try and come from other direction as their meat isn't consumable for the humans.
More than eighty Monster Hunters died, legends that will forever be reminded in their heroic books and tales.
Cade alone returned, carrying achievements so monumental they destabilized politics themselves. Influential figures urged him to seize the throne.
Cade refused. His loyalty wasn't for sale nor was his integrity. He even loved the former king like it was his own Brother.
Sadly The king soon died from illness and left the kingdom in a saddened state. With a son under the age of 7 he couldn't pass down the throne, so his youngest wife took over Bastion as leading Authority.
Beyond Bastion's shores.
Rumors had crossed borders as faint whispers, then sharpened into accusation, and at last solidified into fact: Bastion had discovered a new continent and locked that truth behind silence. While other nations bled and bartered for survival, Bastion had been preparing for a future no one else was allowed to touch.
Curiosity collapsed into rage. Kingdoms rallied soldiers for imminent invasion.
Inside Bastion, council chambers filled with debates and plans of approach. Some demanded negotiation. Others swore war was inevitable. No one agreed, until the king's youngest wife stepped forward.
Her speech was full of intent to unify all the people presenting themselves in that room, believed that without working together, their kingdom would fall.
She would marry Cade, and Bastion's strongest protector would become its king. Authority and power would merge into one.
Cade could only accept his fate. As there was no room for ceremony in a kingdom, that is on the brink of war.
He was crowned beneath skies already shadowed by approaching sails.
When the invasions began, Bastion did not falter or lack behind. Matter in fact they had one more secret that they where working on for years. Terraforming technology.
While reshaping the land itself the invaders couldn't do anything and just watch from the ground as they saw pieces of the land starting to float in the sky. All they could do was pry that this disadvantage wasn't to brutal of a punishment.
With this turnaround of event Cade Von Bastion drove away the invaders and took complete control over this continent.
Miss X stopt talking as they arrived at the warp gate. " well that's the short story of Cade Von bastion. If you want more details of his story I would recommend to visit the library." Maurice scratched his head well, that was very very intense... the naming sense where really questionable, i even laughed my ass off but Miss X just nudged me to correct myself but all in all. I wouldn't want to be reincarnated in his world. Who even thought that these names where terrifyingly fitting for these monsters? I mean really? Jeff, Kenneth and Oliver...
he looked back at the drone " so how do I use this warp gate? I just see a big blue portal infront of me but I don't see where I can select the island of choice?" Miss X " well that's easy if you get closer, you see a small stone tablet. Place your hand with the marker on it and your map will show up, after that select the island you wish to go to. " Maurice nodded with understanding.
Maurice stepped through the warp gate, and the world shifted around him like a page turning too fast. The cold wind hit hard with the scent of stone and distant water. Then the island appeared, suspended above the clouds, it made Maurice freeze in the moment. Towers spiraled upward, their spires tipped with bronze and gold that flickered in the sunlight. Bridges arched between them like veins connecting the heartbeat of the city. Wide plazas opened between terraces, where water fountains spiraled skyward before falling into basins that seemed to float in midair. Shadows pooled beneath the arches, twisting in the wind, giving the impression of movement even in stillness.
Above him, massive birds banked sharply, NPCs riding on these birds leaning into their curves. Talons scraped against floating platforms, sending tiny showers of sparks into the air. One soared so close that Maurice could see the rider's armor glint in sunlight. He stumbled forward, while taking everything in. Finally arriving at his destination.
Beginners hall. The doors were massive, carved with soaring wing patterns that seemed to move in the shifting sunlight. Maurice felt a twinge of vertigo as he approached the door. Stone pillars rose on either side, etched with feathers and claw marks as if frozen in motion. The scale of everything made him feel impossibly small.
Then, he heard deliberate footsteps from behind. He turned slightly, catching sight of a figure emerging from the shadow of a descending Red bird.
The wind tugged at her, but she felt nothing but a small inconvenience that gave her short hair extra dynamic flair for her entrance.
Her armor was black leather, layered and reinforced with hardened feather plates along her shoulders. Each plate bore marks of scratches, burns, and chips that spoke of countless battles that she survived. The shield strapped to her back was enormous and at her hip rested a saber.
Her hair was short, cut sharp in a pixie style, framing her face without softness. One earring glinted in the sunlight with a cute bird design.
Maurice realized he was staring.
"So. The new one," she said, voice carrying over the wind with a very direct tone.
Maurice swallowed. While Miss X answered for him." Yes, please take good care of him. I will wait outside until you return."
She passed him and pushed the door open. " Welcome greeny, my name is Mathilda and I am one of the last Monster Hunters under the Command of King Cade. Let's have lot's of fun shall we." As she said that with a menacing grin on her face.