"What rank does your guide hold?"132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYb6weTl6n
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjDcNT3pg7Q
The question hung in the air between them.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSf6ErNoVBu
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KgRiXarxV
Cel's pulse quickened. It was a normal question to ask a Chosen. Nothing unusual about it.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyk8OprPDDA
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7bzFcJ9aS
Yet his instincts told him otherwise.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAZ8bbfFKm
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRx4G6Qsou5
"Forty-seven," he lied, forcing the words to come slowly, casually.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfRCg1ZUsT
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZSyItimBz
Raven's crimson eyes studied him with that unsettling intensity.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleVqg0UdWO
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2M9rE7WsyV
Heat crawled up Cel's neck. His hands curled slightly at his sides.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqwNAJ3Zca
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvywY9nCy7Y
"She's..." The words tumbled out before he could stop them. "She's the most beautiful person I've ever seen."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Zdg9efc9C
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0uYROkwxZ
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCMgp2T4az
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiLtdR09KP2
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqTBzRLMVv
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRq1PwYpl01
"I see." His hand dropped from Cel's shoulder.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjNuU1fqtc
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QQtj5ugSJ
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjCQpApirp
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TNZSz7CIP
Cel forced himself to breathe normally, watching Raven's back as he began walking.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMkOkptEo4
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LoZnjFTOK
'What was that about?'132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupEgrRE5gf
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHaWORuxO8
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. 132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOlruldrHt
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs61Zq6RiTK
The mountain rose before them, dark stone jutting against the crimson sky.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7236sV0B5M
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV73fIFpdNO
Raven's stride remained confident and measured, giving no indication that anything significant had just transpired.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJ17hGbVph
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBQCwVZbd9
Cel followed, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlo9j7RqhN
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPAZ3x1gA8W
But something had shifted in the air between them - subtle, almost imperceptible. Like a door that had been tested and found secure.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5NL3tfARA
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcLSrtyCyz
For now.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ostgdTbBl
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmHUzxxFOM
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98T4reDbNE
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqDWzQASzZ
His eyes caught on a distant speck against the crimson sky.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvqODOuu46
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9AzbbpyKc
Black feathers. Red-tipped wings folding at angles that made no sense.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwAV4aZnzt
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb52IQUZcxi
The Ember Stalker.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHJlSGxJxv
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfd2ARFAT8Q
It circled once, lazy and deliberate, then began descending.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlqJ3VF1rL
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4V51NYXzI
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFBWXH4L09
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAPKOi6D2e
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVdYglf6aL
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltUHFqw06r
Raven's stride never faltered.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFK7nJAeQz8
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRiyNQ47HvQ
He walked forward as if the Ember Stalker weren't there.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4YB58WLXt
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7BgbDnasD
Cel remained frozen for a heartbeat, watching the bird. Then he forced his legs to move, closing the distance to Raven's side quickly.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv84IgJfgN5
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjV5HQ5geQ
Not because he trusted Raven.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6PbobBbHq
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YoUTpx5cz
Because nothing attacked Raven. And right now, that protection mattered more than his suspicions.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEN8G5xZ2JL
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxKc5HHS9A
The bird tilted its head. It hopped from the stone, landing in the ash with barely a sound.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcW69FI67L
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2X6GcmedSt
Then it took flight, wings unfolding in sharp angles before it vanished beyond a cluster of broken ruins.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pFoayxIKh
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4ihkOR2MD
Cel's shoulders remained tight.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6k7wXNYN4
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRKCZ2E3q5
"It's following us," he said quietly.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4E87hoGUl
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5d69qD4Kf
"Just ignore it." Raven didn't even glance at the bird. "It's been circling since we left the Ashlurker."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3wVbZ6Sid
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAFH2Fa7U2
Cel said nothing, but his hand stayed ready at his side.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4iC4hg0uH
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtB2gMmsdE
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt1ZB2A1qZE
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsXtEPv8se
The peak was wrong.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DRjfVc6cB
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNo5ETHwCF
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2o9k0euXPK
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAumw1qGHsJ
"Is that water?" The question escaped before he could think about it. "Frozen water, or... stone?"132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGIK4Dfvq3
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzWF9bF39f
Raven's gaze tracked upward, following the frozen rivers of stone.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDn8BD3NLF0
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMS3AQG4iB
"Neither." He moved further, studying the trails with quiet intensity.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESArmp9SmP
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUo8T0Lhug
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdeYsOmMKyz
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeI088l8X8V
"Magma," Raven said. "Dried magma."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7UZA67wXZ
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mgdZ2JXvA
The word made Cel's chest tighten.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡup2Jo9T1M9
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDuG6u9TLw
"That's a volcano."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2qZp2VRk3
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWCrG5Yb0w
"Was a volcano." Raven gestured toward the frozen flows. "Look at it. Completely solid. The weathering alone would take centuries."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6AnIUfVJ2
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwfEJFHlNt
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlOLy7IGTk
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2lh2sqx4k
"Centuries doesn't mean it won't erupt again."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqXnvbFtN6
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWipPErqaqN
"Nothing is certain." Raven's tone remained calm. "Either we climb and see what's out there, or we wander blind."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiH2TWpEB4C
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAW6tWn72mA
The logic was sound, even if his instincts screamed otherwise.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaF2ZapUQDi
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡregRZkWZzv
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1evBSyBQf
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡforOZjQxlr
"Fine," he said finally. "We climb."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2O7E6QTN0
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiAL0w1GVb
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRweLmaMFna
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoM1BBGu1y
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hkWsBXQ0D
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DegKmlP7a
Cel followed, his fingers finding purchase easily. Even his injured hand obeyed, though the numbness from Frostmark's cold was still there.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6wwc32vOq
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQUjDbrB1s
They climbed in silence, the only sounds the scrape of boots against stone and their breathing.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBhGoxa7Xd
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzmVYPcbL4
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46QHe6Pb1X
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqaZ6tUQsRz
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORDVTxTLEP
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLJvKzBuey
The light began to shift.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB62a1TsvzE
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡreGcGIi86W
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSsC9zqSTf
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6ZjOzwpuS
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDtlYKYVvT
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7oM5qOeJb
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOkyWkdRzQ
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwi8TVbPCob
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46TuCHr76Q
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYN6THvZjQ
They crested the rim as the last trace of crimson faded from the sky. 132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDNFCYBgVk
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lR2N34CLO
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYMB9nC60J
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzn8vN0tSRb
Cel pulled himself over the edge and straightened, his gaze immediately drawn to the center.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7qoJX9ZJm
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJBrFx3UuO
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtM7nJtcyiv
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJg08RRkDaK
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToCZyZM4gJ
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqHqUuEfbS
The volcano was dead. Completely dead.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rdEywzOiM
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xjcZnHQRD
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDCFXmvy52
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9v4OnKUpp0
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPMytoF0vK
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrHQebDZ8D
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudTrXIMly3
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFegrUQJYx
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFjQuUZ9jl
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNvDmF3DsR
Not shelter, exactly. But better than sleeping exposed on open stone.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTc2pKqKaq
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7Dh1u5pXQ
"There," Cel said, gesturing toward the depression.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUyjfRnqaP
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLP5ELNaC9D
Raven's gaze followed, then he nodded once. He pushed himself upright with visible effort and crossed to the collapsed section.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukkS1Ak572
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36zn4onaj4
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhINYm8n5RE
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gjUEztKAf
Raven settled against one wall immediately, his breathing still heavy.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYeyf6QrSb0
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbO3F7OFVL1
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctEeXpnkt2
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCemeqgzOty
But no rifts. No tears in reality glowing with otherworldly light.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqK3cOVkMY
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5g1E5eEHUt
Just endless gray beneath the moon's cold gaze.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyi3uHCzo61
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90bT9vZ79D
"Tomorrow," Raven said quietly, his voice rough with exhaustion. "When it's light. We'll see better."132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIu4RYaZkD
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gn6EBcHMy
Cel nodded, though Raven's eyes were already closed.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zfamZUY8O
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkON8IdVDKp
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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdN689SGqR
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHgaX1VgiA
But Raven needed sleep. And searching for rifts in darkness would accomplish nothing.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkGgBIyIGu
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZNmJ5i56L
So Cel sat, his gaze tracking between the bird still perched on the rim and the wasteland below.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡle6YDLI9vE
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyCYZ8Up6M
Waiting for dawn.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8IwDZD9eg
132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwc0c8WrK1f
Waiting to see if this climb had been worth.
and then Add to home screen.