Martin fell to the ground as Rollin kicked and stomped him. A terrifying howl resounded through the thick forest before Rollin could resume his beating on Martin. Within the blink of an eye, Rollin vanished into thin air, leaving Joey confused, his instincts telling him to give chase.

But before he left, Joey meticulously bound Martin's legs with an additional piece of rope. Martin, now in a wretched state, lay motionless, his battered head marred by a mouth oozing blood with several missing teeth.

Nearby, Rollin grappled with a massive furry creature, employing sheer might to fend off its menacing jaws. Guiding the beast with a slight nudge to its snout, Rollin gave himself some time to pull a knife out that could be mistaken for a small sword. Taking an offensive sword stance.

But, in an astonishing display of agility, the creature countered with lightning-swift movements, forcing Rollin to parry its lethal claws with the big knife. Their eyes locked in the explosive confrontation, engaging in a frenzied dance of blows, each attack drawing blood but yielding no decisive advantage until, without warning, the wolf-like creature clamped its monstrous grip around Rollin's right arm.

With impeccable timing, Rollin countered and swiftly capitalized on the fraction of a second he had, seamlessly transitioning into an arm bar and locking the monstrous creature in a vice-like grip.

Unwavering, Rollin exerted every ounce of strength within him, feeling the ligaments and tendons in the creature's elbow strain and tear until an audible "Snap!" reverberated through the air. The beast bellowed in agony, wriggling free from Rollin's grasp.

Emerging from the shadows, Joey jumped out with an arrow poised and ready to be unleashed upon Rollin's assailant. “Spare your arrows; it won't make it far,” Rollin said, looking at his knife, which had blackish-red blood bubbling and festering on its surface.

Having regained their composure, they retraced their steps to where Martin had been left, only to discover their severed ropes lying on the ground. Rollin's anger surged. "That bastard planned this! He bit his tongue and lured that thing with the scent of his blood!" he seethed, cursing Martin under his breath.

Joey interjected with a playful tone. "I'm not so sure about that, Rollin. If that were the case, the creature would have taken Martin instead of attacking you. Maybe it has a grudge against you? Have you been stirring up trouble with werewolves lately?" he teased. Rollin dismissed the notion with a scoff. "Werewolves aren't real, smartass. But you might be onto something. Perhaps someone sent it after me. Regardless, we need to move with caution from now on. We're not far from the path that idiot was taking us anyway."

They continued through the forest.

As the hours wore on and the sun gradually descended, Rollin reluctantly acknowledged the need for rest. "We might have to set up camp for the night. It seems we're not going to find it just yet," he conceded, his voice tinged with weariness.

However, their plans were abruptly interrupted when they stumbled upon a haunting sight—mutilated bodies suspended from the trees. Assuming Joey had grown soft and sensitive to such gruesome scenes, Rollin remarked dismissively. "Oh, come on, Joey. Are you really bothered by this stuff?".

Yet, Joey's gaze was fixed on something entirely different—staring intently at the ground before him. "Rollin, would you say giants aren't real also?" Joey questioned, his finger pointing towards an object partially buried in the earth.

Curiosity piqued, Rollin followed Joey's gesture and was taken aback by what he saw—a bone, half-buried and colossal in size, resembling a human index finger. "No, this has to be some kind of prank. Trust me, if giants were real, I would know," Rollin confidently said, attempting to quell his rising unease.

However, his attempt was short-lived as the ground beneath them began to tremble, as though an actual giant were walking through the forest. The air filled with the frantic birds flapping, and the forest echoed with the cries of startled animals fleeing the disturbance.

After another half-hour of walking, they finally arrived at the location Martin had led them to. Rollin's anger flared as he realized they had been deceived. "I knew it! That bastard lied to us. I should've never trusted a low-life criminal scum. Joey, this is your fault. You said you were sure he was telling the truth," Rollin exclaimed, venting his frustration.

Just as Rollin was halfway through his tirade, he noticed the birds flying around a large area before them. The animals seemed to avoid the land, and the birds avoided the piece of sky right above that land at all costs.

Slowly, Rollin walked forward and then stopped; he was standing directly over two corpses that seemed to have died just a few feet away from each other. “Martin, you son of a bitch.” Rollin said with a smile on his face. Joey quickly joined him after seeing the corpses and knew they had arrived.

"Joey, take out the cube of purification I gave you. By placing it in our mouths, we should be able to pass through the putrefying miasma, the first defense of Scorched Mountain." Rollin confidently said. Joey nodded, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a small glass cube, no bigger than a marble, with a polished clear pearl inside.

They inserted the peculiar cube into their mouths, preparing themselves for the challenge. With cautious steps, they approached the corpses, their senses assaulted by the putrid smell that hung in the air. Though they couldn't see the mountain or the miasma, they could feel the heavy aura weighing them down.

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It was a grueling journey, but after covering some distance, a pale and scarred mountain suddenly appeared before their eyes. It was small for a mountain, but its bleach-white and scarred surface was unforgettable.

The oppressive aura lifted as they continued, accompanied by a distinct popping sound. Simultaneously, Joey and Rollin spat a dark, smoky pearl from their mouths, indicating they had successfully passed through the miasma.

"There she is, Scorched Mountain. Tello should be at the top," Rollin declared, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and determination. This time, he produced another glass cube containing a cat's eye, and Joey followed closely behind.

As Rollin advanced, a red light emitted from the cat's eye inside the glass cube, scanning the ground and causing certain parts of the mountain's surface to glow with a crimson hue. Weird hieroglyphs and runes were revealed, and Rollin expertly navigated through them, with Joey mirroring his every step.

Night descended upon them, casting its dark veil over the landscape as the duo continued their ascent towards the peak. Once Rollin was sure there weren't any more signs of rune-mines, he put his glass cube away. The barren terrain gradually transformed, giving way to patches of grass, and a dirt road illuminated by softly glowing glass lanterns lay before them.

"It seems this place has remained unchanged," Joey remarked as they followed the path, their steps guided by the dim glow of the lanterns. Eventually, their destination came into view—an old moonlit mansion standing defiantly amidst the night.

The structure appeared weathered and worn, with shattered windows. Yet there was dignified air around it. "Well, that's certainly different," Rollin commented, unfazed as they approached the front door. Ignoring their unanswered knocks, they exchanged glances before entering through a broken window.

"I can't believe Tello would let his grandfather's home deteriorate like this," Joey remarked, cautiously stepping over a hole in the wooden floor. As they stood in the living room, contemplating their next move, the sound of shattering glass resonated from the upper floor. Without hesitation, they both sprinted up the stairs to the second level.

The sound came from the right hallway. There were four closed doors down that hallway. "Which door did that sound come from?" Joey asked. "Who cares? Let's check all of them," Rollin said. He then started yelling, "Tellooo! Tello!! It's your pals, Rollin and Joey. We're getting the crew back together. You in, buddy?!"

Rollin opened the first room, which was filled with newspapers and books and was a complete mess. "Not this one," Rollin said, going to the next door. Joey was opening the opposite door, the one Rollin had first checked. Inside was a dirty bathroom with a broken porcelain toilet. The smell almost made Joey vomit. "Not this one either," Joey shouted.

Rollin opened the next door, finding piles of garments and different types of clothes. "That just leaves," Rollin said, facing the last door.

Joey was beside him, and a faint scratching could be heard inside the fourth room. Rollin swung the door wide open. They didn't know what to expect. They saw Tello on the floor in a puddle of his vomit, gasping for air and scratching the wall next to him.

Joey and Rollin couldn't believe it, especially after seeing what Tello had been doing on his table: heating a liquid substance under a flame to create intoxicating fumes.

Joey covered his nose with his shirt as he approached the slumped man. "Oh, Tello, what would your grandfather say?" Joey whispered as he tried to help his mumbling friend up. "Get away from me, you fucking fairy!" Tello shouted incoherently as he pushed Joey away and swung his fist at him.

Rollin quickly ran over to calm down the belligerent Tello, who started screaming when he saw the demonic-looking mask. Rollin had forgotten he was wearing a devil mask after taking it off. They were able to sit Tello on the chair. "Welp, I don't know if we can use him in this condition," Rollin said, looking at the babbling Tello.

"What? Are you serious, Rollin? We haven't seen each other in almost ten years, but Tello is still our friend. We can't just leave him like this. He needs our help," Joey exclaimed.

Rollin exhaled deeply. "Fine! I mean, I've heard of magicians sampling their own potions occasionally, but this is a whole other level." Rollin said as he started tying down Tello to a chair.

A few hours later, Tello opened his eyes and instinctively tried to get up to run to the restroom. However, he didn't move, he was tied.

He wasn't even able to ask why he was tied to his chair; his mouth was forced open by his own gastric juices as he vomited after emptying his stomach. "Please, just let me go to the restroom. That isn't the only end that needs a release!" Tello pleaded while Joey and Rollin looked at each other, neither wanting to deal with it.

"Fine, we'll untie you, but if you try any of that funny business, I'll make you crap yourself where you are. Do you understand, you little potion peddler?" Rollin said threateningly.

"Yeah, you're a tough guy, I get it. Although I don't know who you're calling little, I'm easily a foot or two ta-- oof!" As Tello spoke, Rollin quickly cut him off with a swift punch to his left ribs. "Oh yeah, I forgot about your little man complex-- oof." Tello was cut off by another punch, this time to the gut, and fell to the floor before soiling himself.

"Nice! You had to go and make a mess, Rollin. This is really like old times now." Joey said in a sarcastic tone.

"What!? He was asking for it. Come on..." Rollin said with a shameless smile.

"I don't care, but I'm not going to clean him up," Joey replied.

A few days later, Tello had gone through the worst of his withdrawals. His hair had completely fallen out, including his facial hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. Although he looked in bad shape, he was a lot clearer-headed than before. He started speaking to Rollin and Joey again; he wanted to show them what he called "the real base of his operations."

They entered a door in the mansion's basement that led deep underground. The three of them were currently walking down the spiral cement stairs. "Man, do I have a lot to show you guys? After we split up, I threw myself into the secret arts. My Grandfather Mortello Archeas the First, Master Wizard of the Ether, pushed teleportation magic to the pinnacle. His magic still teleports his Scorched Mountain years after his death. Although, as a student of his, I'm a complete failure. I still haven't been able to teleport so much as a hair. But when it comes to the secret art of transformation, no one, I dare say no one, can compare!" Tello excitedly said as he pulled a blue glass bottle from his sleeve and drank from it before Rollin and Joey could stop him.

Instead of Tello becoming intoxicated, luscious hair quickly grew from his head, brows, and chin, and even his eyelashes grew back. Eventually, they reached a wooden door and paused before entering, following Tello.