//------------------------------// // Chapter 8- The Serpent's Cave // Story: Song and Dance of the Desert's Garden // by Renaissance Muffins //------------------------------// Chapter 8- The Serpent's Cave By high noon they once again were soaring over a forest, alarmingly close to the Blight field. The storm inside seemed more clear than ever, revealing every little twisting whip of wind and all the little drops of rain slowly falling from the clouds trapped inside. Compared to the field, the ship was practically a small house fly buzzing its way around. Eventually the Goshawk and its crew made their way to a large ravine, a village on the forest's northern edge sat across from gigantic clusters of crystals. Crystals a cloudy mixture of white and brown, jutting out from the ground like flowers with petals unable to bend. A bridge constructed from rope and wooden planks stretched across the ravine, connecting loosely made dirt paths. Circling around, Flight Gear managed to find a spot to land the ship just on the edge of the village. Debarking from the ship, Abner was first, followed by Cuffs, Charger, Tiva, and then Lark. Marina and Wrecker choose to stay behind to stand guard. As they began to enter the rundown village, they realized that the place was practically abandoned long ago. There were still remnants of those who lived here, plate-ware and rusty hunting equipment sat against the sides of partially collapsed houses. Several stables meant for farm animals had their boards eaten and rotted. A beaten gravel road easily made its way from one side to another and surprisingly, the grass and weeds hadn't overtaken the small houses. Abner recognized a good portion of the buildings from the vision he had of Malakai. Despite a good portion of the buildings not having their original shape or form, they've withstood the test of time- well over a thousand years. As for any civilization, signs of life, it seems as though they had all fled away from the field of magic. Making their way to the bridge and proceeding to cross one by one with Abner being the last, they began to move up to the walkway. Charger lead the way, following tracks recently made by a rather heavy wagon. Scraps of clothes and inedible food sat on the edge of the road as they made their way further up the road. It appeared that there were still some people living at the village, but why had it been so worn down. A thought that was each one of their minds whether they knew it or not. Passing under the massive crystals and further progression up the winding road, they could see a tall tower that resembled a defensive turret for a castle; eerily similar to the rook in chess. Eventually, they caught up to the convoy of villagers who had left the village, but something wasn't right. They all seemed ghostly in their shape and bodies translucent. As Abner's party approached ever closer, the ghosts paid no heed to their presence and continued on to the turret. Abner saw that a good portion of the ghosts consisted of tribe members that Malakai used to live with. The crystals themselves appeared to let off a bit of ghostly glow themselves as they passed by. The urge to say something about the ghosts and this strange environment was a thing that deserved some sort of comment, but all of their words escaped them. Continuing forward, they found themselves at the foot of the turret, where the convoy of ghostly villagers began to unpack their things from the wagon they dragged along. The turret itself seemed to have a couple of attachments added on to it, from the outside it appeared that they were meant for a bedroom, a fireplace, and a circular shaped that connected at the edge in the back of the turret. Theses add-ons to the turret appeared to be relatively recent, unless the owner kept everything well in its upkeep but the turret itself was incredibly worn and aged. Abner remembered that the turret had been here long before the village ever was. Without hesitation, Charger lightly smacked the aged copper door knocker against the dark oak wood door three times and waited for a response. Almost immediately, the door was opened by a pony who had not aged very well. He peeked his head out the door and without a word closed it up again. Charger was a bit confused and after waiting for a moment, he knocked on the door three times with his hoof and waited again. Growing impatient, Charger went to knock on the door again but as soon as he raised his hoof, the door opened with no one behind it. They each entered one by one until the door shut behind them. The door was large enough on the outside but the inside made it seem even larger. Everything a small research department was there. Almost an entire library of books were there to sift through, a small alchemic area in which to mix chemicals together, and a small kitchen with a table and chairs to boot. It was all rather nicely furnished. A spiral staircase climbed the up the wall, leading to what would probably be the bedroom that the owner slept in. Abner wasn't sure if this was the same place of residence that the Howlite from his vision or the old stallion just found too much time on his hooves. Descending the stairway was an alicorn whose body almost consisted of the same type of crystals they saw outside. This ancient being was still moving around quite easily it appears. Abner was curious if Howlite had remembered his ancestor. Then he spoke up, “You've any idea how long I've waited for you folk to show up at my door? Rhetorical, don't answer that.” His voice was light, but it was clear that he had trouble speaking, as the right words always seemed to make him fumble his speaking. “Abner, you've come here to learn more about those runestones and more. Lark and Tiva, I have something for you two to learn as well. Cuffs, as per your talent of medical knowledge, I've prepared several spells for your use in the field. However, they're not the answer to everything.” He paused for a moment, “Charger, you're the one I couldn't quite figure out something for, as all you have are intelligence, flight, and speed. I thought about crafting a set of goggles for you, but Flight Gear could make a pair just as easily. Instead and perhaps, I can show you a better way to fight.” Charger spoke up after a bit of a pause, “Well, that's great and all but prepping something for each of us without at least introducing yourself is rather rude, which I'm sure you know, is a rather bad way make a first impression.” “Right. Of course, of course. I apologize, I was getting ahead of myself. Perhaps I was anxious in my want to see some form of civilized creature again. My name is Howlite, the crystal forest outside is named after me and with good reason, one that is both regretful and my reason I'm still alive.” Abner felt a similarity between Howlite's way of speaking and Drystan's. He wondered, momentarily, if they may have been brothers. As the day moved forward and into high noon, the air around the turret seemed to make the sky appear a light purple color instead of the vivid sky blue they were used to seeing. Howlite told the party not to concern themselves with it, as it was caused by the magic of the crystals leaking into the air. After a little instructional brief about the stones to both Abner and Cuffs, Howlite began showed Lark and Tiva a spell that required both a song and a dance performed by two ponies. He did, however, state that the spell could only be used once and that its result would be devastating. Lark and Tiva both agreed with each other that the spell would be a last resort method. Moving on to Charger, Howlite showed him a book that had been forged with ancient methods of fighting with all sorts of different weapons, from spears, staffs, scepters, and broadswords to more exotic and unusual weapons like chakrams and guan daos. By the time they were done, having several failures and successes, night had began to come about. Howlite invited them all to stay for the night, as he had prepared to keep them there for as long as it took to train the party properly. Charger agreed to, assuring the rest of the group that it would be better to take their time with their new found knowledge. Each of them began to go to bed, one by one, all except Abner. Choosing to stay awake and study the he had last looked at them, six of them, each having their own inscription. He had learned enough now that he could properly identify each one, as confusing as they appeared. There existed seven circles of magic, each under a higher order. The first circle of magic was essentially raw energy gathered from the very essence of existence, making it the most the dangerous and destructive. Ann odd feature of this circle however, was that it was a four sided diamond shape that contained the lower order circles. The second circle of magic consisted of light and dark magic placed at opposite ends of the diamond. Each one had their own subsection of magic, order and spirit for light and necromancy and blood for dark. Arcane magic was the third circle, with its edge intersecting the midpoints of the smaller circles of light and dark. Four small circles lied in quarters on the arcane circle with their own properties of time, renewal, space, and illusion. Following the third was the most complex, as it made up the primary elements that require life; fire, earth, water, and air. Each element was positioned much like the four orders under arcane under a larger circle and instead of bisecting, it met their circumference. Four lines connected the four circles together, forming another diamond. Another smaller set of the elemental circles surrounded the sixth circle of magic and created another smaller diamond with another set of lines creating a center lines for the entire fourth circle of magic. These inner most ones also switched around the element positions to create different para-elemental effects. The fifth circle of magic were para-elemental, spells that required the fourth circle of magic in order for them to work. These spells were also to be placed in a circle but placed along the lines that connected the different elemental circles. Included under this fifth circle was steam, lightning, metal, smoke, ice, sand, crystal, and clay. The sixth circle of magic was a touchy one as it required the presence of all of the other magic orders in order to function. This particular circle pertained the subjects of immortality and transmutation, both magics that were well regarded as forbidden and costly. There was a seventh circle that was mentioned in the texts, but these did not require magic circles as they pertained to simple manipulation spells that were natural to perform. Telekinesis magics fell under this jurisdiction, as well as emotionally based magics. The elements mentioned were the most prominent in the people's mind, the Elements of Harmony. It appeared that the book that Howlite had given to Abner that the functions and use of each circle were used amongst those that had no direct way of interacting with it except through the runes. It appeared that the use of magic runes had faded out long ago as the population of avid and natural magic using species began to propagate further. However, as technology advanced further in its use and design, a good portion of magic runes became practically useless but there was still a small niche market for them. Howlite spoke up quietly, standing by Abner's side, “You know, you remind me of a wolf a met once, long ago. I recall sending an elemental golem to aid him in a journey not unlike your own.” His crystalline mouth moved easily with his complicated speech. “I only wish that I would've met the wolf on better terms as I personally enjoyed his company. Heart of a warrior he had.” He paused in revelation, “Ah, that's right, he was your ancestor.” Abner continued to read through the different rune layouts as the old crystal bodied stallion talked. “Succeed he did, but it was the seal on those guardians that failed. A good portion of seals collapse throughout their aging. It is unavoidable.” The air around him suddenly changed to a dreadful tone. “Come outside with me for a moment, after you're done of course.” Howlite seemed to sulk in his thought as he exited through the aged door reinforced a number of times by small metal bars. Drystan spoke up, silently whispering into Abner's ear, “I can't quite put my hoof on it, but something about that fella feels, familiar. I feel like he's silently calling me.” Abner, ever curious decided to proceed after Howlite just after he had finished looking over the last rune configuration. Stepping outside, there were more ghosts now than ever. “Abner recall for a moment, the sixth circle of magic and its jurisdictions.” Howlite sighed depressingly and continued, “Now imagine a mage at the top of the hierarchy in a vast kingdom and at the time I went by a different name. The name of Falu Red.” The tale he began to tell was like something he had heard from a legend he read at Rosamond's. “I was a fool, a damned fool. I tried my hoof at an immortality spell as my superiors demanded. At the time, we knew not of what improper magic wrought. I painstakingly crafted all the orders, something that required more than a year of study. In a spare lab of the castle I drew out the orders upon the stone brick floor with the help of two assistants whom you've already met.” This perked Abner's interest in Howlite's story. “After constructing the circle, I needed some howlite, crystals named for their soft howling sound when under the proper conditions. The same crystals you see out here.” He gave Abner a moment to listen, he was right. A faint howling sound could be heard from the incredibly large crystals formations. Perhaps it was caused by the light of the moon. “With the proper procedure completed, howlite was acting as a catalyst for each circle of magic. It was the catalyst for a good portion of runes at the time. We used a recently passed child as a subject, I was uncomfortable with it at first. With a couple of words the spell was complete and then what happened next was unfathomable, even for me. I was a fool for not realizing the consequences sooner.” Howlite yawned and continued, “Once the torrential wind calmed down, the entire top half of the tower was destroyed and my assistants had been casted out of sight. A ravaging beast of black tar raged throughout the town, having no discrimination between good and evil. The child had vanished, I presumed that that beast is what he became. That's also when I noticed I had this new form, pure howlite crystals encased my body. I ignored the beast and came around to finding my assistants, Celestia and Luna.” Howlite sat down and stared into the sky. “By the time the havoc was brought to a stop, the entire castle and its outlying districts had almost been entirely wiped out. I did what I could to stop it, but it proved futile. When I came upon the child again, he had become an odd Chimera of all that he had slaughtered- ponies, zebras, dogs, cats, and so forth. At that time I recalled the child's name, Drystan.” His started to choke on his words. “He was my son, they used me to resurrect my own son they murdered. I never sensed the illusion magic they casted on him. I was furious, but out of my own foolish loyalty I refused to continue the destruction. The king banished me here, these crystals rose from my rage. Judgment passed on Celestia and Luna, banished to the Frozen Desert and my son chained to an altar in the forests far south of these mountains.” A long moment of silence lasted between the two before Drystan's voice came to be as began to take form as a black tar pony branching away from Abner's shadow, “Father, it seems like you succeeded at the spell then.” “I know I did, son. The cost was too great, all those precious lives lost was ultimately my doing. I was just excuse for your wrath caused by my neglect. I never meant to neglect you, you know.” Howlite cursed himself. “Father, I was a child then. My mind was never clear. I tricked others in harmless pranks. I wanted to visited you that day, a guard caught me; I can still feel the wound.” Drystan tried to assure him that it wasn't his fault. Howlite seemed to imagine the event play out in his mind. “You're right, you always were a bit of a prankster. Those kingdom days are long gone now.” Howlite chuckled quietly and wiped his eye as if he was crying. “I've forgotten that I can't cry anymore. It's good to see you at long last, my son. I'm sure you can't stay here so I ask of you, to aid Abner and his companions. Consider it an old stallion's dying wish.” “Father, why are you speaking like death is becoming you?” Drystan replied. “It's not, but sometimes I wish it would. You know as well as I do how much a curse immortality is.” He paused for a moment, changing the subject. “That also reminds me, the Elements of Harmony and the Blight were essentially the result of this spell. The four heroes who possessed them after my banishment only held four out of the six. They weren't even heroes, they were pets to the king. Malakai held the remaining to before entering the tower. Which means...” Howlite began connecting the dots in his head and started laughing in a lighter tone. “Why hadn't I noticed it sooner.” Drystan asked confused, “What are you on about?” “My assistants hadn't forgotten about me, Celestia sent Prudence to me one day, she told me about our meeting. I assume the field of magic on the horizon is caused by Celestia?” “In a way, yes. She's been infected by the Blight. Luckily the Elements of Harmony are in good hooves. Six individuals whom I'm afraid may not have much longer as they're practically dead center of that thing.” Drystan answered. “Have you ever tried leaving here?” “At first, but I restricted by these ghosts, these ghosts are from all those lives I stole, they've refused my leaving.” Howlite replied. “Perhaps I can convince them to fight alongside you guys, it would take some time unfortunately.” Howlite pondered as he brought a hoof to his chin. “Yes, that just might work, I'll have to brush up on my persuasion skills again, it's been such a long time.” Howlite changed the subject again, “Abner, I feel another presence with you, other than Drystan's- a familiar one that I've met before.” “It's Prudence, Father. I remember her saying something about transference magic to save Abner's life.” Dyrstan said, filling in the blanks. “That's unfortunate, I assume it had to be done?” Howlite questioned. Abner and Drystan both confirmed his assumption with a nod. “Very well. She was a prodigy, I think. It appears her conscious has locked itself away in your mind or she locked herself away.” Howlite began to mutter some words to himself and a white gleam of magic emitted from his crystalline horn. Finishing his muttering, he lowered his head to Abner a fired a small shot of magic which threw him back into a sudden lucid mindset. Everything flash to white, the entirety of his own memories flashed pass him like a filmstrip until he had met Prudence, her memories began to pass him by, starting from her presence in Abner's village to the point where she had buried her own parents. Then everything thrust forward in time again until Abner regained his sight of the real world. “You'll be disoriented for a little bit, it'll pass. The festering Blight within you that she had passed on has sent her into a perpetual nightmare. The same happened to your companion, Charger.” Pausing for what seemed like the longest break in conversation in awhile and muttered two words under his breath, “Libero Umbra.” Another shot of white magic fired off and pierced through Abner's head. He could feel an immense shadow lift from his mind, revealing Prudence's presence once more. He could feel her aching mind and exhaustion begin to flow into his own. Drystan seemed to be affected a little bit as well. They both endured the spell until Howlite released his grip of power. “The release spell is something Prudence never learned I believe. You see, she had received some training from me when Celestia sent her here as a messenger. She learned well.” The entire conversation came to a close with that last sentence. Drystan faded back into Abner's shadow, saying goodbye for what was probably the last time. Abner wondered for a moment, how Howlite received his new name. He came to his own conclusion that he had been given it by local legend that had passed away long ago. Abner went back inside to get some much needed rest while Howlite stayed outside, scheming his next move. Morning came around, the party stretched their limbs and practiced their new skills once more before heading back to the Goshawk in the late afternoon. Howlite left Abner some final words for his journey, “Never forget yourself.” The words at first had no meaning to Abner but as he dwelled on the thought, he came to realize that they words to live by in times of hardship. ---- The Goshawk lifted off once more and headed towards their next destination, Wrecker's home. Living just a little ways east of the Frozen Desert, lying on the other side of the mountain range that acted as a natural border. A tribe of ponies much like him that thrived off strength and trails that were insane to even attempt. They were going there to replace the runestones that were once embedded into his hind legs and perhaps learn more about them. This was their last stop before their final destination. Two days passed by. During that time the Blight Field, as they began to call it, had expanded into Clackerton. Whisk's instructions were thoroughly followed as the map Marina had clearly showed the barrier put in place by Rosamond. Charger had taken a liking to Whisk's scarf, wearing it in memory of him. Howlite had given them some howlite crystal shards to use for the formula that they need for curing the petrification. Abner had improved upon his use of the Blight activation, controlling the barbed chain that formed from his shadow proved difficult at sometimes as pulling a defensive maneuver after an attack was quite the effort. Albedo seemed to express some joy seeing who won the sparring matches they held on the top deck. Lark and Tiva appeared to cheer them on from the side lines as well. Abner won a few and lost a few on the grounds that he'd only use magic against an opponent that could. Wrecker was the most formidable, his size and stability made him hard to corner and the magic nullifying stone in his chest limited the options for those who sparred with him. Breaking through the border of the forest and riding low in the vast mountain range filled with light indigos and snow capped peaks with waterfalls pouring into a single rushing river. Trees dotted the peaks small cliff sides and course terrain that made traveling without any equipment pretty much impossible for those who couldn't fly. Even if one could fly, they would have to watch themselves carefully as outcrops jutted outward from many direction. The thick clouds above forced Flight Gear to slowly steer the ship through the mountainous terrain. Some areas forced him to move the ship higher as excessive downdrafts sought to thwart their travel to the other side. Their namesake was incredibly accurate, The Windy Peaks, as they were labeled according to the map. It took several hours to make it through the massive mountain range. As they broke through to the other side of the mountains, they saw an expansive village that stretched from the gaping opening from the ravine below and spewed outward like a flower. Wrecker confirmed Flight Gear's location and proceeded to land the ship at a dock that they had already prepared, strangely enough. At the mouth of the ravine lied a mass of river deltas originating from the mouth of the ravine. Each cliff edge had carvings, like statues, that immensely dwarfed Canterlot Castle by a long shot. The statues were identical, each an earth pony striped in ceremonial markings that representing different focus points along the body, primarily the joints and the head- where the six senses lie. They both were carved in a very uniform sitting position with their forelegs stretched across, meeting at the center. The tribes people lived among the delta marshes, tall grass blocked the view of the complex web of walkways that they could see from above. Huts were mostly built around large eroded trees that appeared dead at first glance, as leaves were few and far between. Their huts themselves consisted of the long grass switches dried and tied together in large bundles and the walls constructed from either wood or mortared stone on well constructed stilts of each material. Wrecker again donned his armor and headed off the deck of the Goshawk first, greeting a local who wore a large cape crafted from large feathers like that of an oversized ostrich. The local, like Wrecker, was a large stallion was oddly enough, much larger than him. They greeted each other without any verbal communication, instead they appeared to recognize each other by specific sounds. Wrecker motioned for Abner to come down, with both of his swords. Abner did so, having them sheathed away in his harness. Wrecker then assured the rest of the crew that they would be absolutely fine. Walking through the village, the high humidity began to make Abner pant a little bit, he hadn't been in this type of environment before. As they traveled through the marsh, Abner noticed that a good portion of the huts were furnished very minimally, beds, shelves, a fire pit, and maybe a rack of large spears or other strange exotic weapons similar to the ones that Charger had learned about. Strange thing of it was that a good portion of the homes were empty. Perhaps they were all out hunting large game, something a bit odd considering that they were herbivorous creatures. Maybe, like their guide leading the two of them to who knows where, they wore the skin of their prey like trophies. It all seemed incredibly primitive. It is, however, another perspective on how people live their lives. The livelihood here was based more on survival rather than necessity and hard work unlike the more advanced societies that relied on refined magic and technology to live. Traveling further inward, towards the ravine where the statues lied, the creaking and cracking wood beneath they walked on floated strangely on the extremely soft ground. Stepping on some parts cause a spot of land to rise slightly nearby, aquifers caused by the ground being unable to soak up the massive amounts of water running throughout the land. A couple villagers nearby noticed them walking along and began to follow, they were children who were eager to become warriors themselves. One of them donned a mask to Wrecker's likeness, another to Abner's, and a third to a creature unrecognizable. Perhaps they strived to become warriors much like Wrecker and heroes like Abner. They each bared small marks on their bodies, much like the statues that were becoming ever closer. Then Abner remembered seeing the same markings on Wrecker's fur, but their center points wrapped around the runestones embedded in his body. The murmur of the children following closely behind appeared to explain the story of a poem or play and oddly enough, the translation magics that Prudence had embedded in his mind wasn't catching a single phrase. Abner could however, feel her conscious pick away at the language, slowly deciphering it one by one; a good sign from her. As they continued, the children were called by their parents, a call they obeyed as they each went their own way. The quiet walk was almost uncomfortable to Abner, as he had grown used the the random half-insulting banter and various stories between the members of the party. This dreary silence was new and strange but oddly fitting considering the circumstances. They progressed through a cave the winded upward from the foot of one of the statues and up to the top of the head where a ceremonial pyre had been set with another one clearly visible on the other side. Both had corpses laden with oil, the smell twitched Abner's nose quite a bit and their prized weapon in their hooves. For these people this was natural, to burn the bodies of their warriors on large pyres to send them off to the other side- if there even is one. The guide continued on, having the two of them follow him on to the bridge which was well constructed between the forelegs of the statues. At its center lied a circular platform, designed for small gatherings and the ritualistic runestone process. There were more ponies here than Abner had seen below, all larger in size compared to Wrecker and each wearing a cape from a different animal. At the platforms entrance, unroofed and painted in green, blue, and red markings resembling something or other, the guide stopped and motioned for the two guests to enter. Their obvious chieftain greeted them with an open attitude, he was most delighted to see the both of them. The chieftain had aged quite well, he still hunted with his best warriors and had refused several times to let an injury slow him down. He seemed like one who had been wed according to their customs and had a child of his own. His gray body, orange mane, white hooves, and brown eyes was almost like a signature of sorts. His face paint, however, is what made him more recognizable as their chieftain. Four vertical streaks of red below his eyes, a large headdress crafted from the switches of one of the many willow trees and a robe made from a softly furred animal that was fiercer than its looks. Although the small patch that he wore only appeared to be a small part of the whole. His mane was long and greasy, much like his tail, and both having two switches of cattail grass tied around several strands of hair. What struck Abner as odd however, is that the chieftain appeared to refer to Wrecker as a different name, Stepping Mountain, according to Prudence's magic. By the time the Chieftain finished greeting Wrecker, Abner fully understood a good portion of their rather simple language, crafted by the way things sounded or by the way things looked. They were all kind of gestural with their speech as well, providing a more mental image with an unusual flow to the conversation. The conversation ended after a short brief description of what sounded like an assignment. Wrecker turned and told Abner that the Chieftain wanted them to dispose of a monster that had taken a liking to an area that contained the runestones that Wrecker required. A small oasis in the middle of the salt flats which ended the flow of the river deltas. Wrecker took a deep breath, looking over the edge of the cliff, a small shimmer could be seen south of the village, a good walking distance. “Abner, hop on.” Abner thought that was an unusual request, but obliged and hopped on Wrecker's back. Almost instantaneously, Wrecker sprinted alongside the cliff edge and in a few minutes the oasis began to come into view. Wrecker's speed certainly wasn't on par with Charger's and Kafziel's, but it was a heck of a lot faster than Abner could run. Wrecker stopped in line with the oasis and jumped off the cliff to the ground below, creating a crater on impact about the same length as the Goshawk. It was an incredibly long fall, Abner began to think Wrecker was absolutely crazy doing this, but it certainly matched both of his namesakes. The oasis certainly was gorgeous and quite a bit larger than Abner originally thought. Exotic trees bursted up in all sorts of directions and grass of relatively short length surrounded the small lake in its entirety. Wrecker set Abner down once they reached the lake's shoreline. It was strange that there wasn't any sort of civilization there but there was probably for a good reason for it. Then he figured out why, several statues made of sand that looked like they were eating the fruits from the trees were in forms similar to the tribespeople that Wrecker talked to. Numerous patches of crystals lined the bed of the small lake and at the center where it was the deepest, a faint outline of an underwater cavern could be seen. Wrecker jumped in and swam into the cave, Abner followed closely behind with a little help of magic to help with swimming. After swimming for a good bit through a twisted cavern with large crystalline structures breaking through and through and almost blocking the way entirely, they surfaced inside a large cavern filled with all sorts of different types of stones. The height and width was almost a perfect circle that had naturally formed pillars of limestone stretching from the floor to the ceiling. There must have been an underground river here at some point, having dried up due to changes in the environment. Unless there was another reason behind it. “I remember this.” Wrecker said, his deep voice easily echoed off the walls. “I moved an entire mountain on my own to reveal this after receiving the runestone ritual.” He paused, “Lets continue.” They continued on down the cavern with natural light bounced from crystal to crystal, changing color just about every time. Abner collected a few pieces of crystals as souvenirs, figuring that Lark and Tiva might like a few. After what seemed like hours of traveling through the immense very linear cavern, they happened upon the snoring sound of a creature, quietly echoing against the walls. Silencing their footsteps, Abner and Wrecker both snuck along the ledge of the den. It appeared the large serpent like creature burrowed in here from the surface, as a hole leading from a cave above connected to this large opening under the ground. The serpent itself was very dragon like, having the scales and smoke from its nostrils but no limbs or legs. Its head resembled a mask made of bone and flattened facets connecting from one joint to another. Dark green in color and a cloudy blue in its face and underbelly with horns dried white and dusty. Wrecker approached the serpent, silently. Odd considering the armor he was wearing was normally pretty noisy. Abner followed closely behind, stepping in sync with Wrecker and as they neared closer to the large serpent that could easily wrap itself around the Goshawk at least once, Abner made a false move, slipping a small stone. Luckily, the noise didn't wake the beast. Wrecker then motioned Abner to draw the zweihander and thrust its blade between its eyes. Abner did so, keeping his movements quiet, walking over its head with a magic platform. Abner then thrusted the Matan into the serpents head, but instead of piercing its thick mask, the blade bounced off and lightly scratched the surface. Trying the neck of the serpent and having the same effect, Wrecker thought how to defeat the creature. Its underbelly was just as tough, perhaps there was a weak spot under the mask. Wrecker carefully grabbed one part of the mask, near the cheekbone and under the ear. With one swift motion, Wrecker tore the serpents mask in half not only awaking the beast but also revealing its true face, a terrifying mass of living bone cracked and aflame in purple hue. The serpent's head smashed into the ceiling and then into the walls as it thrashed about. Wrecker and Abner retreated back to the ledge and took a fighting stance. Abner activated his Blight powers again, the mass of fire remained the same color but the rest of the creature was almost entirely black, its outline marked by a thick white line. As it settled down, it began to attack Wrecker and Abner with fire from its mouth illuminating the entire cavern even more. Abner went one way and Wrecker the opposite, yet the serpent managed to split its fire and follow them both. Avoiding the fire until the beast had to breath again, Abner saw the opportunity and threw out his chain, wrapping its end around the other horn. Wrecker quickly joined Abner and smashed the serpent's head into the ground- dazing it long enough for Wrecker to tear off the other half of the mask. Again the creature thrashed about in its rage. The serpent then fired beams of side winding magic from its head and blew another flame from its mouth. Wrecker managed to get a few of the beams to hit the creature's tail and began to climb the serpent's back. The serpent tried hard to shake him off until Abner once again caught the serpent in his chain, restraining its movement. Wrecker tore several spinal fins from the serpent's back as he ran towards its head where he used the fins as a final blow. Piercing the serpent's skull Wrecker continually hammered the fins in further until it stopped moving. To make sure the beast was done, Wrecker twisted its neck, severing its spinal chord and breaking the nerves apart. “Job's finished.” Wrecker remarked as Abner disabled his vision once again. “Now to get this thing back to the village.” Without much effort, Wrecker began to use some rope he had brought with him to drag the serpent back through the cavern. The trip back felt shorter than the trip in. With the serpent defeated, Wrecker waited just outside the village to be greeted by the Chieftain. The villager's appeared to rejoice in the result of the battle. The Chieftain made his way through the crowd and greeted them both with a smile. Abner saw the children with the masks again, the one who had worn the mask of the beast appeared incredibly happy, throwing it upon the ground and breaking it. Wrecker chatted with the Chieftain once more, who invited them to stay for the night in one of the tents they had set up for them. One that overlooked the village below from the statue, opposite to the one that they had initially climbed. There, they both feasted on a buffet that they both enjoyed alongside the finest warriors and the Chieftain. There was something about the atmosphere that made things delightful once again, but they both knew that it may not last for long however, neither one worried. Abner and Wrecker both went to rest in separate dens within the statue that night, one next to the other. A single window overlooked each room, the setting sun putting each ablaze with light. Abner drew the curtains closed in his room and relieved himself of the heavy harness on his back. He hadn't taken the satchel with him, leaving him bored with nothing to do. As the night passed, Abner stared at the ceiling unable to sleep. Not due to thinking, but due to an anxiousness, he could feel that the journey was nearly over but it was still going to be a long trip. Eventually, the feeling passed and Abner slowly drifted off into another lucid state of dreaming into a blank white field once more. Prudence stood before him, extending her hoof in thanks to him. Abner touched her hoof with his paw proceeded by a synced retraction. Drystan joined in from Abner's left, appearing from a large puff of smoke and a faint figure of Stribog appeared from Abner's right. The large dragon was a figure Abner had almost forgotten already but as he recalled his their last meeting, Stribog's shape became more opaque. Prudence spoke up, “I thank you all three of you. Without the dragon's magic, you would have been easily overwhelmed by my magic. Drystan, despite the lie you told me, without your help Abner would not have made it through the moments were my magic was temporary unavailable. And Abner, I thank you with all my heart as you are carrying the same job your ancestor carried all those years ago.” “Prudence, you act like you're passing away for good this time.” Drystan comedically remarked. “Well, I can't stay in his head forever, can I?” Prudence snapped back in a light tone. “Point, but how long is the question.” Drystan commented. “I don't know. It would take some time to figure that out as I haven't bothered to calculate for that measure.” Prudence replied Stribog spoke up, “My magic is well, ages it would take to drain.” “I've been pooling our magics together, but I've left Drystan's untouched as you are after all, a creature of Blight.” “Yes, and I'm sure you know why at this point.” Drystan answered. “I do, it is that fact that I haven't. Combining all three magics would require some sort of catalyst. A catalyst that I have no knowledge about, I don't even know what it would be. Perchance something of Falu Red's book might mention something.” Prudence conjectured. “We shall reach a conclusion in time then.” Stribog assured her. “Indeed. Abner, this burden you carry is practically the weight of the world on your shoulders. All that's left is for your party to travel with the nomadic tribe in the desert and bring this matter to an end. Preferably one that leads to a peaceful resolution even if some of us pass as unfortunate as that would be.” Prudence spoke with sincerity but almost apologetically. “My magic will be unavailable to you for some time, Abner. However, Drystan's shadow magic and Stribog's elemental magics over fire and water. For now, sleep.” Abner was suddenly thrown out from the white abyss and once again swam among ever changing curtains of light floating against a black backdrop dotted with stars. Twisting his body around, Abner stood on air once more. Among the auroras he saw the memories he made with others. Their happiness, sadness and in times of hardship that they carried each other through. He saw his childhood once again flash before his eyes. The short hunting trips into the woods and the school he attended. The bitch that had stood by his side until the Stribog set the village aflame. He wondered, who that was. He couldn't recall a name, not even a hint of a syllable. Each aurora appeared to be a different string of memory connected to his recollection of a particular individual or a single moment in time. All the memories where he knew he said something became distorted. It wasn't the ashes of the fire that had taken his voice, it had been the catalyst for Prudence's transference magic along with her physical body. It was a disheartening fact, something that would take a toll on his mind. A hard knocking on the door woke Abner from his slumber. He wearily hopped out of bed, eyes half shut. Looking through the small peephole, Abner saw Wrecker waiting on the other side, standing beside him was the guide who had led them through the village when they arrived. Abner hopped down from the door and grabbed his gear, this would perhaps be the last time he had to equip the harness. He looked down at the Goshawk through the window before departing the room. He joined Wrecker and the guide to the meeting ground between the outstretched forelegs of the statues once again. They had set up a roof this time, as the weather had brought about a rainstorm with its rain shattering loudly against every surface. Quickly making their way to the circle, Abner and Wrecker stood to the left of the Chieftain in front of his finest warriors and their three blacksmiths who had two objects under thick veils. The Chieftain spouted out a few words of congratulations and the crowd cheered a victory shout. The Chieftain had one of the blacksmiths lift the veils and the other two bring the gifts to Abner and Wrecker. To Wrecker, runestones to replace all of the ones that he had lost and the ones he still had along with a set of armor crafted from the serpent they took down. To Abner, two circular blades with a hilt built into it. It was strange at first, but as he looked over the new weapons, he saw that they had runes bearing resemblance to the elements. One of earth and air, the second of fire and water. Abner recalled these blades fitting to chakrams from Charger's book. The Chieftain stood before the two of them and explained the functionality of the runestones and the chakrams. The runestones were pure and no more were they subject to corruption. Two of the stones represented the unbreakable skin that the serpent had, two others represented the strength of the mountains; redundant but perhaps they were more effective. The last runestone represented gave Wrecker the breath of fire that the serpent wielded. The new set of armor appeared much the same to Wrecker's old set, only dark green with bone facets attached to the larger parts. It was almost as if a dragon had taken the form of a pony. The Chieftain then stood over Abner, and began explaining his new weapon, the chakrams. They were crafted to randomly spit out any one of the two elements embedded on either ring. Instead of wielding the chakrams with his mouth, they would spring back to the wielder by use of a small stone that they were bound to. When attacking, they are meant to be thrown directly at the enemy. Defensive use depended on the amount of magic forced into the rings, the further out they would expand as well as their speed. They were both granted a tent nearby. There, Wrecker went through the painful process again to reform the runestones to his back legs and replace the other three. Wrecker took the painstaking process with little gripe. Abner went into another tent, where one of the villages weavers crafted a piece of cloth and attached it to his harness. Embedding the small chakram stone along with it. There the Chakrams sat, barely floating above the stone and between Abner's shoulder blades. Abner jokingly made a remark in his mind, wondering if he'd get any more weapons before his journey ended. Equipped with their new gear and a final victory shout from the warriors, Abner and Wrecker headed back to the Goshawk, following the guide through the village once more. Children happily skipped along behind them, it was nice to know that what Abner was doing was helping but this all seemed like one massive detour from their final goal. Although, the more to fight alongside them, the better. After all, they didn't know if whether or not an army of Blight creatures awaited them. He was so lost that he failed to notice the necklaces of kyanite crystals they looped around his head. Lifting off once more and explaining what had happened after waving goodbye to the villagers, Abner anxiously awaited their arrival into the Frozen Desert.