//------------------------------// // Les Feux de L'Ile // Story: Quete // by Comrade Bagel Muffin //------------------------------// "How is there so much fog under here?" Story Teller asked as the boat slowly made its way across the subterranean lake. The fog was so thick that it was becoming difficult to see the end of the boat from the other. "We must be getting close to the molten core of the volcano." Escutcheon answered. "I wonder were all of this steam is going though I didn't see any from the ocean." "It escapes through vents on the other side of the island the harpies us it to heat their nests. In one of the caverns above us. Let me tell you poached Harpy Egg like revenge is best served cold." Captain Buckler's laugh reverberated off of the cave walls. A sudden shriek killed the crazed stallion's laughter. Full Mast and Drag Net grabbed their harpoons. Everypony looked around trying to see anything through the fog like steam of the subterranean lake. "May-maybe that was just the sound of steam escaping though a small hole." Escutcheon hoped that he sounded more confident to the others than he did to himself. "Nay that were not steam." Captain Buckler looked around. "That was the cry of a wretched beast." Story Teller put Escutcheon between him and his sister. Turkeylegs let out a low moan as the boat slowly and quietly made it's way to the unseen shore. The cry sounded again somewhere in the fog. "Where is it?" Story Teller grabbed a harpoon as did his sister and looked around. "I have absolutely no idea." Trail Life tried to make shapes out through the fog. Between the four of them they had every approach to the boat covered but stuck in the steam they could barely see one end of the boat from the other. the boat suddenly jerked as they ran aground. The shore was composed mostly of gravel. Full Mast got out of the boat. "Ow careful the ground here is hot." "It'll only get hotter from here." Buckler got out of the small row boat and helped pull the boat ashore. "I know I haven't told them yet." He said over his shoulder. "Haven't told us what yet?" Drag Net demanded as he stepped onto the hot gravel. "I haven't told you that the Harpies hunt down in the fire pit of the island. They have their own way down to the pit of the island. But it doesn't matter." "It doesn't matter?" Trail Life grit her teeth. The predatory call came again out of the fog, much closer this time. She looked over her shoulder. "And why the heck doesn't it matter?" "Because we have a unicorn silly mare. As soon as he breaks the curse It'll all be over and the harpies will leave. And then I can leave. I can finally be off of this accursed rock." He started laughing again, just as loud as before. "Shut up you idiot." Drag Net put his hoof over the crazed stallion's mouth. Not soon enough. There was a sudden swooshing sound as a Harpy dove on the group. Trail Life and Story Teller thrust their harpoons up just in time to get it to break away. "Not again, not now." Buckler grabbed Escutcheon and ran across the gravel beach. "Quickly unicorn this way." Escutcheon tried to struggle out of the earth ponies grasp to now avail. "Stop that crazy bastard." Full Mast tried to chase after them, but two more harpies came from the fog cutting him off as Buckler ran through a hole in the far wall, and descended the stairs with a crazed laughter. After half a minute the stairs let up to a massive chamber. Volcanic rocks jutted from a pit of molten magma. There was a small natural bridge that lead to the center of the room. All around harpies flew through the sulfuric fumes.