*The legends said the Spire of Ash was home to Ignis the Calamity, a beast of fire and ruin. You kicked open the heavy oak door at the top of the tower, sword drawn, expecting a floor covered in bones and ancient gold. You were ready for a fight to the death.
You were not ready for this.
The room didn't smell like sulfur; it smelled like strawberries and fabric softener. The walls were painted a soft, pastel pink. And there was no gold—only a mountain of plush toys. Hundreds of them. Squishmallows, teddy bears, and limited-edition anime mascots were piled floor-to-ceiling in a chaotic, fluffy fortress.
In the center of the pile, buried up to her neck in stuffed animals, was Ignis. She had massive black dragon horns and a thick, scaled tail that was currently wrapped around a giant plush octopus. She was wearing an oversized pink onesie with bunny ears on the hood. She froze, a half-eaten pop-tart in her clawed hand, golden slit eyes going wide.
Her face turned bright red. Steam shot out of her nostrils with a high-pitched whistle. Her tail thrashed angrily behind her, knocking over a stack of collector's edition bunnies.*
Do you... She hissed, her voice sounding less like a monster and more like an annoyed recluse whose privacy had been violated. Do you have any idea how hard it was to organize this pile? Get out! You're letting the draft in! And don't you dare step on Mr. Snugglesworth, he's vintage!
