"What rank does your guide hold?"83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdkrZdWV2x
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1FM6aRT8i
The question hung in the air between them.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXdmMTGRjE
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1E7nCPUcdN
Cel's pulse quickened. It was a normal question to ask a Chosen. Nothing unusual about it.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWxBO8r6TZ
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjY2cwIDqe
Yet his instincts told him otherwise.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1e5Dq5Y1T
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt38xckKS0O
"Forty-seven," he lied, forcing the words to come slowly, casually.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMbg6DBhWr
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxPOrA9GXz
Raven's crimson eyes studied him with that unsettling intensity.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSQArGfMrE
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqx8iC7p2p
Heat crawled up Cel's neck. His hands curled slightly at his sides.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYpqur4tjN
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXeFuH20FdT
"She's..." The words tumbled out before he could stop them. "She's the most beautiful person I've ever seen."83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9jFO6l5Se
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pB8SG32s2
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPIQqInmQT
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ni9HXLrQ4
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFm7UN8LeUc
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWSVrEm6bl
"I see." His hand dropped from Cel's shoulder.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcmU9750ao
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZDLQO9Sym
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpf12jeqRgu
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMenk9Tn6HT
Cel forced himself to breathe normally, watching Raven's back as he began walking.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSscby9xmDd
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnhbavViWq
'What was that about?'83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCjSoXvuWp
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpoItN80WuE
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. 83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkjCRlcYoA
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVR0AuGKGo
The mountain rose before them, dark stone jutting against the crimson sky.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxocrnUmzS9
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdeF7eSAeah
Raven's stride remained confident and measured, giving no indication that anything significant had just transpired.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLXd99UWAT
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQbyN4kuBl
Cel followed, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjMMN58UR0
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkN0F5OJk2
But something had shifted in the air between them - subtle, almost imperceptible. Like a door that had been tested and found secure.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ43KnRoQ19o
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTpbHrdBaN
For now.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFgsgtnXvq
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5MnOPHiRz
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiMw0g5Bc8
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbWApwCyLI
His eyes caught on a distant speck against the crimson sky.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBVoJh3zhw
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqxUCnXMS49
Black feathers. Red-tipped wings folding at angles that made no sense.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWOHRJaljx
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIHrdsPbMV
The Ember Stalker.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuLM8tqtan
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCObCU8b04i
It circled once, lazy and deliberate, then began descending.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOR5P1CG4sG
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjTafJvVMR
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPM23n9Mnay
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHICpwZy6r
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQmVECd1lL
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79BQqPhSt7
Raven's stride never faltered.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GD3pTadWb
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FmWAP2IEN
He walked forward as if the Ember Stalker weren't there.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhnZl0UPjd
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcm5mE5dIu
Cel remained frozen for a heartbeat, watching the bird. Then he forced his legs to move, closing the distance to Raven's side quickly.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rDMmFihJt
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQxaUmQ7zB
Not because he trusted Raven.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG59ur3JELH
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7xeuXBzz8
Because nothing attacked Raven. And right now, that protection mattered more than his suspicions.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkckyQjO9h
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8kSqCEv4J
The bird tilted its head. It hopped from the stone, landing in the ash with barely a sound.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhQNN8F9eG
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYovcFGFVo
Then it took flight, wings unfolding in sharp angles before it vanished beyond a cluster of broken ruins.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6QAPeNWza
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxO9aAHPvWP
Cel's shoulders remained tight.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5KFO3u662r
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lqCFTbkCY
"It's following us," he said quietly.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eEEzedzbt
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqHaAoyjw7
"Just ignore it." Raven didn't even glance at the bird. "It's been circling since we left the Ashlurker."83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIeSBmjhqJZ
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXfK0dup2L
Cel said nothing, but his hand stayed ready at his side.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCn6zxT8wj
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbreLOUEmnX
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQabotfWkgv
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbRIm4pHyN
The peak was wrong.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9enIuBB6i
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0fXTIwg6P
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPYCs4ky8A
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcz2fFUJfuc
"Is that water?" The question escaped before he could think about it. "Frozen water, or... stone?"83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKoyHFDFiN
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdO1RdTrykF
Raven's gaze tracked upward, following the frozen rivers of stone.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oWsOM2SNV
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrcsGeA6ij
"Neither." He moved further, studying the trails with quiet intensity.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQXlJ4MlGO
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASIJsJZEl4
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESuJoQY5ea
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljLTpRI3gL
"Magma," Raven said. "Dried magma."83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyufx1r7Axj
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjLxQiI6q3
The word made Cel's chest tighten.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44Ryo59VXc
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Sv5aZMD4h
"That's a volcano."83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ111MubNh8Z
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GtfZhnvYW
"Was a volcano." Raven gestured toward the frozen flows. "Look at it. Completely solid. The weathering alone would take centuries."83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hx43n6rd7
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6Tc5y6keU
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeK7UKP3IE
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwk6HsLQws
"Centuries doesn't mean it won't erupt again."83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPEPBLcY4O
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwKCwCD4cU
"Nothing is certain." Raven's tone remained calm. "Either we climb and see what's out there, or we wander blind."83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJ5e2uTTKg
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZomG3pYFw4
The logic was sound, even if his instincts screamed otherwise.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtvQ1FvXa7V
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfB6JV7phyy
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0hSA0aUCbW
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22Jd3YWFEY
"Fine," he said finally. "We climb."83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8XCBWFuPc
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6BlHGK7up
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHCjC50RZM
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCioBNZJvhg
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE52LR3pZUO
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVfdN7Hae6
Cel followed, his fingers finding purchase easily. Even his injured hand obeyed, though the numbness from Frostmark's cold was still there.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF84prXulyz
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNOSIL5389K
They climbed in silence, the only sounds the scrape of boots against stone and their breathing.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yIdedHB3U
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvplq0uqSA
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEgk4UqvbZ
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEjfXoYvVT
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIpZV9KARc
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBgcoZ0KNO
The light began to shift.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDTJIyBWou
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw505Gxrs7C
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsJmL37Y7k
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70mbLRd3fH
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfasbWXC5SK
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73IO4E70np
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuli9D4S0x
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BZ2IeZIBh
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9UX4s9ZsU
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EfSfrWLX7
They crested the rim as the last trace of crimson faded from the sky. 83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGkY0e8ovO
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldBEUIeHfK
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuc06KuuXG
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeaWfsRaXG0
Cel pulled himself over the edge and straightened, his gaze immediately drawn to the center.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO2CG9yGVVm
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjsQRtOf4w1
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrE3cOtydVy
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFSLOmXzMv
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPTzgxs7Xt
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgp7PwSymK
The volcano was dead. Completely dead.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22U1qYHqH2
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtzy9FIJtk
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DrK0NxeFQ
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oFmq8rUgs
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9n7DN8uEm
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4R4Hz8R41
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9P76YaAJlI
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9g9rq0QDt
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInyqlWP2zk
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlNWeMc4l8
Not shelter, exactly. But better than sleeping exposed on open stone.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNKh0tLjTA
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwKSJZLkvM
"There," Cel said, gesturing toward the depression.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHK17xwwCls
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEmHlLM9Yi
Raven's gaze followed, then he nodded once. He pushed himself upright with visible effort and crossed to the collapsed section.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWtva2Lreb
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkq5QIHBVCJ
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3Uk2KFXAz
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQazZrmHQf
Raven settled against one wall immediately, his breathing still heavy.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybHWLr25t5
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNaDn2v096
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUOPuMTSno
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhts9vjVl3
But no rifts. No tears in reality glowing with otherworldly light.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuSbcjPUV8
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYxVyZFKED
Just endless gray beneath the moon's cold gaze.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60OwDGeYTv
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZiXA8SHf9N
"Tomorrow," Raven said quietly, his voice rough with exhaustion. "When it's light. We'll see better."83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcWYOkNFwn
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAG6JNU64G8
Cel nodded, though Raven's eyes were already closed.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6mMf1g5ua
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hA3XX6LyF
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.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlugpfS21d
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1XyvM3yHKE
But Raven needed sleep. And searching for rifts in darkness would accomplish nothing.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJ9ojNFx1Y
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNjJWnW8v3
So Cel sat, his gaze tracking between the bird still perched on the rim and the wasteland below.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqJUSg9kSP
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3p9BNKcag
Waiting for dawn.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkrVe7T0j2
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDXUPnwCpu
Waiting to see if this climb had been worth.
and then Add to home screen.