“You shoulda let her,” Nick said. “Woulda gotten us a moment of quiet.”

Lucas sighed. If you didn’t keep returning every verbal ball that she tossed at you, the conversation would have ended much earlier. “Look, we’re almost there,” Lucas said, glancing at the map. “Be on your ready for whatever might happen. I have a deal with this town that lets me trade with them and enter and exit without issue despite being in the Imperium, but that doesn’t mean nothing can go wrong. This game likes to throw curveballs, so we should anticipate the worst. Don’t have your weapon drawn—that’ll start a fight—but don’t place it somewhere where it’ll take more than a second to grab.”

“Easier said than done,” Nick responded. “The weapon is fine, but my shield is heavy and bulky. It’ll take me a minute to get it off my back and properly on my arm.”

“Don’t worry,” Bonnie began, flashing a wicked smile. “Even if your shield doesn’t work, just throw your body into the line of fire instead.”

“Enough,” Lucas said, gesturing ahead. “We’re here.”

The Alfar’s secret city wasn’t known for its craftsmen, and most of the available quests required a ton more running around than the other local towns, but it was nonetheless an often-visited destination due to its unique design, the popularity of the Alfar race, and the presence of the princess Lucas was on his way to see.

The small group was at the base of a broad staircase that spiraled up into the trees, and a quick glance upward showed him that the expanse of the city crept out through the canopy above, creating the most amazing and singularly largest treehouse that he had ever imagined. Even just from the entrance, Lucas instantly knew that everything he had heard about the city’s fabulous architecture was correct, and he readily would have believed it if someone had told him that thousands of incredibly talented artisans and carpenters had spent their lifetimes designing the city.

Heavy wooden platforms had been carefully and deliberately constructed in the massive network of trees, and the city itself, buildings included, had all been erected around them. Various platforms, bridges, and walkways linked each of the smaller islands together whenever there was too great a distance to simply continue building. Various vines, hanging thick with brightly-colored flowers and other more common garden herbs hung suspended from railings and the sides of buildings, and yet other even more colorful plants wound their way up and down the stairwells and lined the walkways. Sunlight filtered down from above, creating a motley patchwork of constantly moving light and shadow, and a series of carefully positioned mirrors redirected that same light and angled it down onto the forest floor below, ensuring that the natural plants, ferns, and grasses continued to grow despite the third-story city above it.

The city’s gate was a large, thorn-filled hedge that towered eight feet off the ground. A guard was standing watch at the bottom of the staircase, and two more were waiting above, each holding a bow that was carefully trained on the new arrivals.