Cella and Ren had lived different lives, Ren still didn’t know what life he had lived. Their personalities and emotions were far from similar, but the two of them understood. It wasn’t wise for them to get into an emotional talk now, and so they avoided what had just happened. Instead they continued forwards towards the peak.
They had only been delayed for a minute, but they were anxious to stay ahead of what was to come. They marched forwards into the heights above.
At their breakneck pace it wasn’t long before they could smell the sulfurous stench wafting down from the mountain. Soon they could see pools of bubbling water that stank like rotten eggs.
Looking around, the mountain seemed clear of the many dangers below. The mountain had evened out to a slight slope while the presence of large stones and bounders nearly ceased.
Encouraged by the lack of hazards, they pressed on. The covered ground rapidly, the bubbling sulfurous pools of water surrounding them.
As they crested a more sloped portion of the peak, a massive pool of water became clear over the side of a divot at the top of the mountain. The small lake was several hues of gold, orange, red, and bubbling blue. The center of the lake was deep, the bottom far from sight. The whole body of water was shallow, except for the deep center of dark blue that vigorously boiled.
“There’s no quick way around it. Do you think you can grow something to run across?”
“In that boiling pool of water, I doubt even my magic could get much to grow.”
“Damn it, this will be a long delay.” Ren could feel the heat rolling off the lake. The hot spring stank terribly and mist rolled from it making the area humid.
Ren jumped down into the large divotted area surrounding the shallow edge of the pool.
“If we can swim through, we could gain a half hour on whoever follows.”
“I doubt you could make it across the middle, it would probably boil us alive.”
“Yes, but if we avoid it, we can make it across.”
Cella sighed. “Ren, I know we’re in a hurry, but that might end up killing us if the water is hotter than we expect. Boiling water won’t burn someone at our ascension, but it will hurt like hell, and drain our energy until the point of exhaustion.”
“Ahh, you’re right. I just want to get out of here and not have to run for my life for once…” Ren began to walk around the edge of the water and kicked a stone far out into its center.
Stolen novel; please report.
Cella followed him as they began to run across the edge of the water.
-
Vok’Ret felt the rippling disturb him. How long has it been? A day, a week, months? A year? He was still tired from devouring the giant ent that had sprung up on his mountain. The wiggling mass of sweet juicy pulp from the ent’s core was still making his mouth water.
The warmth of the magma below kept him sated as he healed from the thousand thorns and nettles the ent had impaled him with. Great warmth kept him from needing food to keep his body functioning. The water slowly permeated him allowing him to avoid the need for fluids to replace what he had lost in blood.
All in all, his little mountain was his paradise. Sure, those little dwarves had tried to steal his stones, but they were gone now, and he was much stronger after having killed them all and growing up.
After his fourth growth, he had finally become an adult. The pesky ent had finally found out why trees shouldn’t play with fire.
Vok’Ret slowly stirred as he felt a small hunger bounce around in his stomach. The vibration had awoken him as a small stone landed on his head.
Someone, something had thrown a rock at him! It’s the damn dwarves who come to steal his rocks again! No, but what if it’s just a rock? I could keep sleeping, it’s probably not a little dwarf. But it was a rock…
Slowly stretching his claws, he cut deep rivets into the stone below him. He had to be more careful, he might accidentally damage his warm little springs. He stretched his arms up and let his scales shiver across his body. The deep red hue of them shone in the dying light that struggled to reach into the deep water. The warmth flooded over him and he regretted waking up.
Whoever decided to play with their dwarf rocks today will die. I was sleeping just wonderfully.
The great leathery wings on his back stretched and pressed against the stone walls of his pit under the waters. I’ll have to make this place bigger.
Vok’Ret slowly flapped his wings. The water around him swirled as he propelled himself upwards. The currents dashed against the stone walls as he passed nearly a hundred feet toward the surface.
He began to emerge as his serpentine neck and elongated head broke free. His head was the size of a man, his horns curling back into vicious points. His front legs grasped the ledge of the stone pit, he dragged himself atop the shallow pool of water and shook himself free of the water pouring down him. His body was monstrous. Any man standing beside him would feel dwarfed in his presence. Each individual claw was the length of a sword, his fangs just as horrid. His wings blanket the sky above enough for houses on either side of him to be shaded from the sun.
His body shook again as he freed himself from the water clinging to him. With long breaths Vok’Ret felt the sun beaming down on him. Its warmth was far weaker than that of the deep pools below. Many of his kin would fly higher than the clouds to feel its unblocked light. He on the other hand, loved his pools and their warmth far more than the sun.
Vok’Ret looked around for the little dwarf who had to have been playing with the stone above. He knew men and elves didn’t love rocks as they did. This meant it had to have been a dwarf.
His serpent’s head swiveled looking for whatever stone loving dwarf threw a rock at him while sleeping. As he looked around, the area was completely empty. Where are you little rock lover?
His wings flapped and he took to the air. Hovering for long moments, the wind tore at the waters around them. The shallow pool crashed around in waves as his wings beat.
Eyes unable to catch any little dwarves, he took off to circle around the peak of the mountain.