The massive mountain was within the horizon. Just a little more, Nicholi would say over and over in his head. He wished to mount their horse, yet believed this walk to be a good chance for exercise. However his body was nearly giving in. Good enough he remembered his new spell. Together they had been walking for about 3 hours. He felt the urge to use it every 30 minutes. Luckily his mana would be able to replenish by the time of his next usage. Ezra was tailing Katreena asking her about every question you could ask a girl like her.
“You okay?” Anabelle asked Nicholai for possibly the fifth time. The young mage was sweating heavily.
“I’m fine. We’re almost to the mountain.” He replied. The tip of the mountain is becoming less and less visible. “Hey. How many times have you taken this route?”
“I told you guys this cave is a rumor. If it’s there it is. If it isn’t i’ll just find another way around.” Katreena said not even turning her head back. She didn’t even bother to answer his second question, as she had enough questions from her saviors. Their road came to an end as they approached the giant stone wall. The four looked to the rising rock. Cracks and crags all over, small pebbles falling down with every second.
Katreena went on as the others stood back. They could see a single large boulder sticking out like a sore thumb. Katreena moves to the side of it and begins to push. Ezra starts to step forward, in an attempt to provide his assistance. Yet the boulder started to move easily as if she was pushing the air. The boulder revealed a giant opening into the mountain.
“So it’s true?” She said to herself.
“Did you just push the first boulder you saw and see if that was the one?” Ezra asked. Katreena nodded back to him. “Come on let’s go.” The team carefully trek into the black room. They all stepped in until they passed by the light on the floor from the moon outside.
“So how exactly are we supposed to see in here?” Ezra questioned looking around even though noone could tell he was.
“Maybe you could use some fire?” Katreena responded to him.
“I have a better idea. One that will help all of you preserve your energy if we encounter a monster.” Anabelle spoke. The three others gazed as her. She stood as her fur and skin began to glow a bright fluorescent scarlet. The area radiated with her light.
“Awesome! I didn’t know you could do that.” Ezra’s eyes shined with excitement and wonder.
“I’m glad you like it. However I believe we should keep moving. I can sense something…..extraordinarily powerful. We’d do our best to keep our guards up.” Anabelle replied.
Ezra nodded back to her. He grabbed his sword from his sheath. The team continued to move. Each step echoed through the large cavern. Luckily for them, there existed no drops or deep trenches that could potentially make them fall under the earth.
“So how long have you been able to do this?” Anabelle was asked.
“For as long as I can remember. Before I memorized the layout of the forest, I would just get knocked into trees and other things. Then one day this happened. New day, new power. Happens to everyone.” the crimson mare responded.
“Tell me about it. One day you're sleeping on your chest, every day after that you're on your back.” Katreena said.
“Wait what does that mean?” Nicholai asked innocently.
“I’ll tell you when you’re older.” Ezra’s comeback made the sorcerer stop for a second. He rubbed his hair in confusion.
“You know what I just realized. Even if we got attacked, is your sword really going to be helpful in this cave?” Katreena asked. Now making Ezra stop in his tracks and sheath his weapon.
“Guess I’ll have to resort to magic only. Good job killing the fun.”
“Then good job getting killed. How and why do you use a weapon like that?” Katreena patronized.
Ezra cracked his knuckles.
“He’s going to use magic without a crystal?” Nicholai thought to himself.
They continued on. Following the mares light to the closest exit. 1 hour passed. Nicholai was beginning to slow down. Ezra turned back to him and saw his friend nearly hyperventilating.
“You good?” He asked.
“Honestly, no I’m not. I’ve never had to walk this much in my life.” Nicholai said through each heavy breath.
“We better take a break. It is still night time i guess.” Ezra said. Anabelle and Katreena looked back to them. “Let’s go see if there’s somewhere we can rest?” They journeyed on, until finding an opening in the stone wall. An area large enough for the four of them to fit was stretched out before them. Nicholai was the first to take his seat, placing his back to a wall and letting out a heavy sigh. Anabelle sat adjacent to him, whereas Ezra followed and rested his head on her shining body. Katreena took to the middle portion of the wall.
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“Nicholai. Come rest over here.” Anabelle called out to him. He quickly responded and moved over, now resting his head on the mare. The sorcerer felt heaven as her skin and fur were incredibly smooth. He slowly began to fall asleep. Ezra looked over and saw that Katreena was beginning to do the same. He himself could go days without sleep.
“Go on to sleep Katreena. I’ll wake you in a few hours.” He told the large girl. However she had past fallen asleep. “Quite the bunch here. A skinny sorcerer, a 11 foot tall teenage girl, a talking red horse, and a dracion.”
“What could be better?” Anabelle playfully asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe a ninja, or a talking fox or something.” Ezra jokingly replied.
“This world is so much larger on the outside.” Anabelle started. “I never could have believed that there could be such wonder and excitement found beyond my forest.”
“Why exactly did you stay in that forest for so long. Seems like you could leave at any given point?”
“Well Ezra. I don’t really know. Something was keeping me there. And then you came along.”
“Don’t get too excited. We still have a long adventure ahead of us. First we find that dragon rider and get him to talk.”
“You believe we’ll find something about him in Cloudwick.”
“I’m not sure. But Katreena said that the Serx Empire is filled with dragons. So I may find something there. So we’ll follow her for a bit.” Ezra needed to learn more about the riders words. He couldn’t forget what happened. Because maybe the rider could be right. Someone. Ezra wanted him to be right. Yet felt he had to know why. Anabelle stayed quiet as he thought, feeling his distress.
Those hours passed. Nicholai and Katreena had returned to their feet. Ready to complete the walk through the cavern. They stood to see Ezra staring off through the entrance off their resting spot. He gazed at the now lit caverns, sparkling with beautiful jewels. The light from the entrance reflected off of each jewel. Illuminating the caverns.
“Holy shit. This is awesome!” Nicholai said ecstatically. Katreena remained unfazed. “Wait how come their lighting up now and not from Anabelle’s light?”
“If I had to guess. I’m sure they only reflect sunlight. That would also explain how they didn’t reflect the moonlight. Or the horses light just wasn’t enough to power it.” Katreena explained.
“Oh that’s right. We did leave the entrance open. So it must be morning now. The light from outside must be causing this. So these are reflective crystals?” Nicholai said as he took his notepad out and drew them.
“Come on let’s go.” She said after starting her walk. The others followed behind.
“Don’t you think we can maybe take some of these jewels and sell them for a hefty price?” Ezra asked Nicholai.
“I mean it wouldn’t be stealing. Right?” He replied as they looked at each other. Ezra clasped a singular jewel with both of his hands. He began to pull, yet it wouldn’t budge. He punched the wall surrounding it. Yet he didn’t feel the stone. He felt something much harder.
“Damn that hurt!” Ezra yelled as his hand began to hurt. Nicholai and Anabelle started laughing at his pain. Katreena turned back to see what was happening. Only to find the wall he had struck began to move,
“Guys!” She yelled out. The three gazed at the stone jewel hybrid creature as it towered before them. They all screamed in terror before dashing away.
“Let’s get out of here!” Ezra yelled. Nicholai quickly jumped on Anabelle’s back to keep himself from falling behind. They dashed past Katreena. Leaving the monster to her.
“Hey!” Katreena yelled. She struck the monster, making it fall back, afterwards taking off with the others. “Why the hell did you leave me back there?”
The four continued to sprint away from their aggressor. Katreena turned her head every second to check it’s distance, and it wasn’t getting any further. The monster itself was large, jewels scattered all over its boy. It had large arms and small legs, which made it rather funny to Ezra whenever he watched it. The cavern began to twist and turn as they ran through.
“Okay we have to stop this thing.” Katreena said looking behind. She looked forward and could see another large open space. “Guys stop there. We need to fight this thing?”
“Why?! Can’t we just leave?” Ezra yelled back.
“No! Or else it'll attack someone else.” The girl angrily commented back “Now stop running and kill this thing!”
Ezra, Nicholai, and Ananbelle all stopped in their tracks. The two men readied their weapons for combat.
“Katreena you use your punches to distract it. I’ll charge my sword with fire. Nicholai, back us up.” Ezra commanded. Nicholai stood back from the others. He saw this as a strong chance to use his new spell. Katreena put both of her fist up. The monster put one foot within the room. Katreena dashed quickly and knocked it back. “Good. A few more of those and ill end with a fire slash.”
Ezra continued to charge his blade with fire. However the creature did not get back up. Instead, all of the smaller jewels on it’s body popped off the stone and rolled over into the room. They all stuck to another part of the wall forming another shape similar to the previous. The was cut and a new monster had appeared before them. Ezra and Nicholai screamed. Katreena remained composed. She dashed for another punch, yet went for a kick directly afterwards. It continued to rise. Ezra’s sword was now prepared.
“Grand Inferno Blade!” Ezra’s sword was engulfed in fire, yet so much it gave it a new form. Becoming a curved blade. The young man jumped into the air, reading for a downward slash. Yet the jewels popped off the creature again and moved towards the wall again. The blade cut the remaining construct in two, and a new was formed besides Ezra. “What?”
Anabelle sensed something with the jewels. One of the seemed off. “Katreena! Attack the jewel at the top!” She yelled out to the girl, who was confused at first. Yet leaped into action anyway. She struck the highest jewel and the creature fell over and stopped moving.
“Did we get it?” Nicholai asked. Right before the jewel bounced off it’s body again, as did the others. Nicholai acted fast. “Muse 6: Geometry!” The sorcerer created a small cage around the jewel to limit its movements.
“Nice reflexes. Now what do we do with it?” Ezra asked.
“The others are still moving.” Anabelle said. They all danced over to their master and laid into the floor itself. It stood up, now with Nicholai’s cage serving as it’s face.
“Crap!” Ezra said in terror. The beast raised it’s fist for an attack. And Ezra raised his sword in defense. The two crashed together. Katreena jumped into the air and brought a swift kick to it’s face.
“Think if we crush that jewel it’ll die?” She asked once her feet returned to the ground.
“We have no choice. I’ll charge my blade again. Once it breaks off you grab it.” Ezra laid out the simple plan.
“Got it!” Katreena dashed towards the monster. She alternated between punches and kicks yet the monster was holding both its arms up to guard. Katreena’s fist would hit the jewels, which were incredibly durable. Making her fist and feet hurt with each strike.
“I’m ready. Grand Inferno Blade! Blazing Sky!” Ezra jumped and delivered his attacked quickly. The blade broke the small cage it the leader was imprisoned in. It quickly jumped out and tried to reach the floor. Yet found itself in the hands of Katreena. She clasped it with both of her hands and crushed it. Leaving behind nothing but dust.
“Good job!” Nicholai congratulated.
“Yeah thanks. Let’s just get out of here.” Ezra said. Nicholai began to cast his spell in order to give his allies back their lost energy. But as interrupted. The cave began to rumble. A sudden earthquake was triggered throughout the area. Ezra and Nicholai flashbacked to Zarcah’s cave. THe walls began to crack and fall apart. “Shit. Let’s get moving. I’m not getting trapped under some rubble again!”
They all began to race towards the nearest exit. Katreena looked forward and saw a small gleam of light. The true exit to the cavern was down the long hallway. Ezra started moving. Yet the ground beneath his feet crumble incredibly quickly. Anabelle noticed quickly.
“Ezra!” She screamed his name in despair. The floor broke apart, a giant black hole was now beneath the young man. He took his sword and pierced it into the wall preventing his fall. Yet it wasn’t enough. Katreena tried to quickly turn back and help him. The wall crumbled, releasing his sword and Ezra from it’s grasp. His face was of complete quiet shock. His back to the darkness, his sword falling faster than he did, and his red stallion screaming his name in terror.
“EZRA!!!!!!”