His stomach rose up into his throat and he nearly threw up at all the tumbling and tossing he was going through. Then, abruptly, he slowed. Arek cracked one eye open. He hung in the gentle blue sky, vast clouds floating beneath him.

Great mountaintops poked through the white fluff beneath him, scoring thin lines through it. In the distance, Arek could vaguely make out Red Mount and the massive forest that surrounded it.

Ming floated past him, chewing on a strip of jerky. Arek blinked, finally opening both eyes. It was much colder than he’d expected it to be this high in the air. He wrapped his arms around himself and shuddered.

A heavy shadow fell over them, decreasing the temperature even further as the sun’s warm glow vanished. Arek frowned and looked up, but his complaints died on his lips. Five massive islands, each easily the size of Red Mount, floated behind them.

Gold and white walls rose up over the edge of the islands, and towering spires reached farther still into the heavens. Glints of shimmering blue gemstones glittered all along the base of the islands.

A small brown blur swung over the edge of the nearest island, unravelling until it came to a stop directly before Arek. It was a thick rope with a large bronze bar connected to the end. Three more blurs sailed down after it, each one landing before one of the Happy Sunflowers.

“You think these are the Floating Cities?” Belmont asked, eyeing the rope suspiciously.

“Frankly, I don’t care,” Arek replied, grabbing the bronze handle. “Anything to get me out of the air. I don’t fancy falling to my death.”

“You’ll still be on the air,” Ming pointed out, grabbing one of the bars with one hand as she dug through her bag for another strip of jerky with her other. “Just on an island as well.”

“I suppose it would be strange for there to be two different Floating Cities,” Belmont admitted, pulling himself close to his own rope. Malissa did the same.

After a few moments, Arek felt the rope grow taut. It started to coil back up, dragging him towards the top of the islands. The orc kept his hands tightly wrapped around the handle, just in case the spell failed.

It took several minutes for the ropes to fully pull the group all the way up. The small blue twinkles that Arek had spotted were actually massive gems the size of his head. It was difficult to comprehend exactly how such a large piece of land could remain in the air indefinitely.

The rope pulled Arek over the edge of the rock and onto soft grass. Arek crawled several feet forward across the ground before rolling over and letting out a relieved sigh. The other members of the party quickly moved away from the edge of the island as well, albeit slightly less dramatically.

“Orcs are not meant to fly,” Arek declared.

“Then why visit the Floating Islands?” A pleasant male voice asked, humor lightening his tone. “That’s kind of our main attraction.”

Belmont’s hand shot to his staff, but after a moment, he slowly lowered it with a look of sheer concentration on his face. He swallowed and pressed his lips together so hard that they went white. With stiff and jerky movements, Belmont turned away from whoever had spoken and walked up to Arek.

The man extended a gauntleted hand and helped Arek to his feet. They then both turned to face the voice again.

A young man with tanned skin and short, dark hair stood before them wearing a yellow toga. Behind him were the towering white and gold walls of a huge city. It glimmered as the sunlight reflected off the polished marble. Blue mosaic patterns danced throughout the stone, almost as if an ocean had been trapped within it. The tallest of the city’s spires rose so far up into the sky that Arek couldn’t even see the top.

The man standing before them gave them a relaxing smile and raised his hand in greeting. “Welcome to the Floating Cities, esteemed travelers. I take it that this is your first visit here?”

“It is,” Arek said, vainly attempting to brush some of the grass stains off himself. The orc gave up and pulled his hat back onto his head before holding out the metal tube that Rovin had given them. “We didn’t exactly know how to use this thing.”

“You twist the top and the bottom at the same time in opposite directions,” the man said, laughing. “Although whatever you did clearly worked as well. Either way, you’ve arrived now. That’s what matters.”

“Can we get food? Or ingredients so Arek can make food?” Ming asked, hiding a piece of half-eaten jerky behind her back.

“You’re welcome to explore the islands shortly,” the man replied. “There are just a few ground rules that I have to go over first. Before we get started – my name is Trevor. I’ll be your assigned guide for your stay on the islands. Could I ask for the name of your group? It’s only for our own purposes and will not be shared with anyone else.”

“We’re the Happy Sunflowers,” Malissa said. “F-ranked adventuring team.”

“And you got passage to the islands?” Trevor’s eyebrows rose. “You must be either very influential or very successful. I think you might be the lowest ranked team to ever set foot in the Floating Cities.”

“Thanks,” Arek said dryly.

“Of course,” Trevor replied with an award winning grin. “Now, for the rules. First – fighting is strictly prohibited. We don’t care what the reason is or who you are. If you engage in combat of any sort, you will be forcefully removed from the islands. Second, you must not throw anything off the edge of the islands. It can hit people far below us, killing them. And third, Floating Cities is comprised of five different cities. Each have their own laws, although they’re nothing that should bother you. You may find them in the town squares. These laws must all be followed. Would anyone like clarification on those rules?”

“I think we’re good,” Belmont said slowly. “You said we can find them in the town square?”

“I’d be happy to lead you there,” Trevor said. “It’s on the way that I’ll be going anyways. Come along and prepare to be entertained. I just hope you brought some cash with you. You’re going to want it.”