"What rank does your guide hold?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKxvOjPXPV
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPXD0f2kGY
The question hung in the air between them.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1c2X6aqA8n
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzO5QHYwMr
Cel's pulse quickened. It was a normal question to ask a Chosen. Nothing unusual about it.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1WFbnhIRW
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCo79E7xu6
Yet his instincts told him otherwise.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8p4wP9M4P
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYxLs6YZAa
"Forty-seven," he lied, forcing the words to come slowly, casually.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUBzPITFqP
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofXCqrlsrI
Raven's crimson eyes studied him with that unsettling intensity.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtMst48G2q
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuehnOYAcrj
Heat crawled up Cel's neck. His hands curled slightly at his sides.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzEStGVxle
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4Tw6OvBUF
"She's..." The words tumbled out before he could stop them. "She's the most beautiful person I've ever seen."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXVsE6Nlug
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQIXu0XtZu
The admission felt like throwing himself off a cliff. But it was true - viscerally, undeniably true. And perhaps that truth would explain away the nervousness that had crept into his voice.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEr6NiOfVl
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9y2UaoBdYT
Raven went still for a moment. Then something in his face changed - the hard line of his mouth eased, the sharpness in those crimson eyes softened. It happened fast, a flicker of something unguarded before his expression settled back into place.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyyFRUiyMzG
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkgxslDeja
"I see." His hand dropped from Cel's shoulder.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTv4NpL1FV2
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMXK5lldFv
He turned toward the mountain without another word. But the tension that had been coiled in his frame was gone, replaced by something that almost resembled satisfaction.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2ggyKfvMZ
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6KZCEzLdk
Cel forced himself to breathe normally, watching Raven's back as he began walking.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHhVW2kH7f
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yErieFwb9
'What was that about?'107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyKqCZvUYY
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjevBG2gKX
The thought circled through his mind, but dwelling on it wouldn't help. Whatever Raven had been looking for in that question, Cel could only hope his lie - buried in obvious truth - had been enough. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvag50x9Jpq
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡet4KfbPRl8
The mountain rose before them, dark stone jutting against the crimson sky.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡww2U6oV6ln
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGh4vkA0zNo
Raven's stride remained confident and measured, giving no indication that anything significant had just transpired.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFmFinGtt6
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89MeyidI63
Cel followed, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLdE5cCbhEf
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtJoYlTLYb
But something had shifted in the air between them - subtle, almost imperceptible. Like a door that had been tested and found secure.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0mW84XfjD
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRhIFceG1r
For now.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqW90NL5eW
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKCEr7Iqhg
Cel resumed his scanning pattern he'd developed over hours of walking. Scan left. Center. Right. Searching the wasteland for movement, for threats, for anything out of place.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZJnVzI7qW
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2ezcUQfzX
His eyes caught on a distant speck against the crimson sky.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAyCb4hYKl
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmpTZWmRdE
Black feathers. Red-tipped wings folding at angles that made no sense.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZK0upXYSfR
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAaNhZoE23d
The Ember Stalker.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtDNi8Snpe
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8pMzmLK65
It circled once, lazy and deliberate, then began descending.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9pqCCzKIT
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5GcbZAnr6
Cel's hand drifted to his side, ready to summon Silent Moon. The bird's previous behavior meant nothing. It had ignored him while feeding on the Ashlurker's corpse - that didn't guarantee it would continue to ignore him now.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlM2PSI08k
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR087s9cVHk
The creature landed perhaps thirty steps ahead, its too-thin legs finding purchase on an obsidian fragment. That elongated neck bent, and a single crimson eye fixed on them with disturbing intelligence.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAA4YAjesg
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy38CpmBdgt
Raven's stride never faltered.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKI9ATcoL0W
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWjr8tS5G9
He walked forward as if the Ember Stalker weren't there.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBJlN50ZGn
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbFY7CwLCC
Cel remained frozen for a heartbeat, watching the bird. Then he forced his legs to move, closing the distance to Raven's side quickly.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwps90F3W6T
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSShaeMyXtP
Not because he trusted Raven.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUaMMw3vRUC
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Because nothing attacked Raven. And right now, that protection mattered more than his suspicions.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczF9SHI2vR
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzIet44vHh
The bird tilted its head. It hopped from the stone, landing in the ash with barely a sound.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpSxgeNHO3
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpRohQtkcg
Then it took flight, wings unfolding in sharp angles before it vanished beyond a cluster of broken ruins.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlVVrCBK4d
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPURRtGZAzR
Cel's shoulders remained tight.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorylageuUg
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdlZkaZdm3
"It's following us," he said quietly.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzlHTN0Bd3
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTSB1bnCnf
"Just ignore it." Raven didn't even glance at the bird. "It's been circling since we left the Ashlurker."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdYWCTuL36
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvT36sCFPX
Cel said nothing, but his hand stayed ready at his side.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkknI92HZx7
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnKjZXRc2l
They walked in silence. Minutes stretched into an hour, then longer. The mountain grew steadily, details emerging from what had been a distant smudge - dark stone weathered smooth in places, and something else that made Cel slow his pace.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRDyduLpG3
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRS2oiGpn2r
The peak was wrong.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBR3cik1WE
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBEJUMV86t
Not the sharp summit he'd expected, but a flat line cutting across the top. And below it, dark trails carved down the mountainside in branching patterns that looked almost organic.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEIClZqlBG
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KrzSDZQsc
"Is that water?" The question escaped before he could think about it. "Frozen water, or... stone?"107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciqkX7p1oW
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDApMD4kdOU
Raven's gaze tracked upward, following the frozen rivers of stone.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBZsf2TxvJ
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrK86BqX82n
"Neither." He moved further, studying the trails with quiet intensity.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CZ2LA6l9b
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEDPhG3keN
The trails became clearer as they approached the mountain's base - solidified flows hardened into permanent scars that wound across the slopes, some as wide as roads, others thin as veins. The surface had a glassy sheen where it caught the light, black with hints of deep red bleeding through cracks.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNLTkAXMPL
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3YlyO9fgq
"Magma," Raven said. "Dried magma."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcKBF9wX9P
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTq2NmtCd30
The word made Cel's chest tighten.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXAZqmyEUv
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJqbDlgO5So
"That's a volcano."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiAcvhP6G4
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdBvU6SoEO
"Was a volcano." Raven gestured toward the frozen flows. "Look at it. Completely solid. The weathering alone would take centuries."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2fJpEvoR0
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTXJCIBuzr
Cel stared at those black scars, his mind supplying images of molten rock fountaining from the flattened peak. The earth opening to vomit destruction across the wasteland.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTq5ZDCdvy
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWMLiqL98v
"Centuries doesn't mean it won't erupt again."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIir7Pf2f7q
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxBtf3nj7A
"Nothing is certain." Raven's tone remained calm. "Either we climb and see what's out there, or we wander blind."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYuerkAXQ7
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9igkTIz6j
The logic was sound, even if his instincts screamed otherwise.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgayBvzjfyG
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25L4IMklK5
Cel's gaze tracked up the mountain's slopes toward that flattened peak. From that height, any rift in a wide range would be visible.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8quu8Jzudt
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBqCTLfqxr
"Fine," he said finally. "We climb."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FesxS2MoH
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOv1gX2dhB
The transition from ash to stone was abrupt. One moment his boots crunched against the wasteland's familiar texture, the next they scraped against volcanic rock - rough and pitted with tiny holes where gas had escaped during cooling.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGFk34zLOx
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RxIlJKuZM
Raven gripped the stone and pulled himself up with practiced efficiency. His movements were fluid despite the exertion, muscles working beneath his clothing as he found holds and tested weight before committing.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdxO4a06pG
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxphog3Y6c
Cel followed, his fingers finding purchase easily. Even his injured hand obeyed, though the numbness from Frostmark's cold was still there.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hqWxGumGt
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbP5wNfCjwU
They climbed in silence, the only sounds the scrape of boots against stone and their breathing.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUV1GPl4jCr
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJgBYs6Gd0
After perhaps half an hour, Raven's breathing had grown noticeably heavier. Not gasping, but labored in a way that suggested real exertion. Sweat darkened his collar despite the cooling air.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4q9exBBXv
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMJyYJYozx
Cel's own breathing remained steady. Easy. His muscles worked without complaint, showing no sign of the fatigue that should have set in by now.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEO4uhTlqAl
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9iry2z8rE
The light began to shift.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK37yAjRQcf
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3KfvQU3bu
Crimson bled toward deeper red. Shadows lengthened across the mountain's face. Day transitioned to evening, and with it came the moon - pale light washing over the darkening sky.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68UrMq8Qrw
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVdsHSBrZY
The change rippled through Cel's body as Lunar Vigor awakened. Energy flooded his limbs, washing away the last traces of exertion. His movements became easier with each passing minute. Every handhold felt secure, every foothold solid.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7D5VNpS0bj
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsOvbtA9S6
Ahead, Raven's pace was slowing. His grip on the stone looked tight enough to hurt, shoulders rising and falling with each breath. He moved with the same efficiency, but the ease had vanished - replaced by visible effort.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICt8TQNftx
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vg3qwpWXt
The contrast grew more pronounced with each passing minute. As the moon climbed higher, as true night settled over the Ashlands, Cel felt himself growing stronger while Raven's movements became increasingly labored.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9icXD9MKc9
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaF6EWGZ7Uc
They crested the rim as the last trace of crimson faded from the sky. 107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvkAm6z4R4
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAikuXzbfw
The peak wasn't a summit at all - just a flattened ring of stone perhaps fifty steps wide, forming a perfect circle around the volcano's throat.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFg2LAKeYvv
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fbACxjFKU
Cel pulled himself over the edge and straightened, his gaze immediately drawn to the center.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpCLSDpIi3
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡge53EsBPFD
The crater yawned before them - a circular pit dropping into darkness. But even without seeing the bottom, the dried magma flows were visible along the inner walls, frozen mid-cascade in overlapping layers that spoke of multiple eruptions over time.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgx0QJUKLMQ
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyh8sGoXNz
No heat shimmered above the opening. No steam rose from the depths. The air was no warmer here than it had been at the base.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9YjAIBeBF
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOoOdPlCok
The volcano was dead. Completely dead.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5n3oSQXNt
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGdHZAkKCNi
Raven hauled himself over the rim with visible effort, his chest heaving. He moved away from the edge and sank against an outcropping of stone, sweat coating his face despite the night's chill.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJXy7SkSq3
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjRrbKsV6n
Cel remained standing, feeling the moon's light wash over him like liquid energy. His wounds still throbbed, but distantly - as if the pain belonged to someone else.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqNuzL52YV
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwET3T2tE1
The bird appeared, landing on the rim's opposite side. It folded its wings and settled into that same watchful stillness, crimson eye gleaming in the moonlight.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZdYxdwOD4
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRev5ppW5n
Cel ignored it, his attention tracking across the flattened peak. The stone was mostly barren - volcanic rock weathered smooth in places, jagged in others. But near the crater's edge, where the rim curved inward slightly, a section of stone had collapsed into itself, creating a shallow depression perhaps three body-lengths across.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzoTXR3Uix
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlIw5vEglM
Not shelter, exactly. But better than sleeping exposed on open stone.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xvzSqoaPU
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtB6yp3sSXi
"There," Cel said, gesturing toward the depression.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ3h3XlgC1w
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuSllfR0oc
Raven's gaze followed, then he nodded once. He pushed himself upright with visible effort and crossed to the collapsed section.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4VkBuZNVW
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuMs5jAIcy
The depression was deeper than it had looked - perhaps waist-high at its center, the walls formed by broken stone that offered some protection. The floor was relatively flat, covered in a thin layer of ash that had accumulated over time.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMINcVjbODX
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOyf5egut1
Raven settled against one wall immediately, his breathing still heavy.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyldQcFoCmz
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwNBTOtcdE
Cel remained standing, his gaze sweeping across the Ashlands spread below. The wasteland stretched endlessly in every direction, bathed in pale moonlight that turned the ash silver. From this height, he could see for leagues - every ruin, every scattered stone, every shadow that might hide danger.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyZv48MHrr
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8H1R1JNN3b
But no rifts. No tears in reality glowing with otherworldly light.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyFuHyqaUD6
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡez460unhhR
Just endless gray beneath the moon's cold gaze.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdL9pcn8Fz
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpo4HsIh6L
"Tomorrow," Raven said quietly, his voice rough with exhaustion. "When it's light. We'll see better."107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHD1K3pGXQH
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJzOpfDhbl
Cel nodded, though Raven's eyes were already closed.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK04uaY8B58
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoTo6Siqrd
He moved to the opposite wall and settled against it, letting Cinderward's cloak pool around him. His body felt ready to run, to fight, to do anything except rest.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQnRpg5P16
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7eNtQgA9b
But Raven needed sleep. And searching for rifts in darkness would accomplish nothing.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcf7J51SXX
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSviEUf5smE
So Cel sat, his gaze tracking between the bird still perched on the rim and the wasteland below.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5Qw3rUtxq
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGBkT2EXAG
Waiting for dawn.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RQ88FethA
107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0zxltWe0t
Waiting to see if this climb had been worth.
and then Add to home screen.