"What rank does your guide hold?"106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88WWxgMKeE
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaahVeaPIcQ
The question hung in the air between them.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOD5o6oJaD
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY71KG1N4UX
Cel's pulse quickened. It was a normal question to ask a Chosen. Nothing unusual about it.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGmJTkzgEt
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2N9dl7r59
Yet his instincts told him otherwise.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFONqOiqdIh
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZPf9v53vA
"Forty-seven," he lied, forcing the words to come slowly, casually.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzgZX30o0D
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUpHx2SE5s
Raven's crimson eyes studied him with that unsettling intensity.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQXdUG07N2
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAOS1FjRGj
Heat crawled up Cel's neck. His hands curled slightly at his sides.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4o0tMMBBF
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORBIRUgLFf
"She's..." The words tumbled out before he could stop them. "She's the most beautiful person I've ever seen."106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2D8OUgb41
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9C2bofccUW
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4XfDc64Nt
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrxbZvt5Xz
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFR44aDjUU
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12Q4u3xlF8
"I see." His hand dropped from Cel's shoulder.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhi8ZPTuzsy
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYr4oVrqHco
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCpenztmn2
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUu19vVho0
Cel forced himself to breathe normally, watching Raven's back as he began walking.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOE4i0mye5
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJWNGugcmq
'What was that about?'106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7xBGD3HWe
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhR1wgdqWDl
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. 106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTm5LifRzm
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQpbQJrQai
The mountain rose before them, dark stone jutting against the crimson sky.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYIcbexcCw
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgImX44sK0I
Raven's stride remained confident and measured, giving no indication that anything significant had just transpired.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpH1pSXoVY2
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBa3vbr5TU2
Cel followed, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrM0AftrAN
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5xQYfAbbI
But something had shifted in the air between them - subtle, almost imperceptible. Like a door that had been tested and found secure.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgIwf1jWJC
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfouruocJr
For now.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhCzwRELIS
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkO8n1Pn5gD
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6AbAEEwxq
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTgGdOzHLH
His eyes caught on a distant speck against the crimson sky.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPWyOwWW3A
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuwyPezI8N
Black feathers. Red-tipped wings folding at angles that made no sense.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETfs588Z2K
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNCL6UXcvv
The Ember Stalker.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4b7UiYnE5
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMjti4O3sN
It circled once, lazy and deliberate, then began descending.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIaXN7Hbizf
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4AFW710fM
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsImSyxZKl2
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAbyoA5oiE
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEGaom9DYaT
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVOKIrKqSc
Raven's stride never faltered.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1V9GgQTIR
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3F48lGf67
He walked forward as if the Ember Stalker weren't there.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtH0OuBfRDL
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLILi7TytpV
Cel remained frozen for a heartbeat, watching the bird. Then he forced his legs to move, closing the distance to Raven's side quickly.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZtVN0E8uY
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfeRKS1vbS
Not because he trusted Raven.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PqQTYnZOZ
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtC6wyMjSU
Because nothing attacked Raven. And right now, that protection mattered more than his suspicions.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3kED9D6OU
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiB8iPg3JPa
The bird tilted its head. It hopped from the stone, landing in the ash with barely a sound.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvsT2hW5IMS
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSmO4ZxEKF
Then it took flight, wings unfolding in sharp angles before it vanished beyond a cluster of broken ruins.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSam9UytQrk
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DhPC0qzmR
Cel's shoulders remained tight.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0R6YY6TNJw
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gQjfG7aYX
"It's following us," he said quietly.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYQubTIvSf
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamGGj9tpRY
"Just ignore it." Raven didn't even glance at the bird. "It's been circling since we left the Ashlurker."106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hIdKcbKwX
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSTvVn753V
Cel said nothing, but his hand stayed ready at his side.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuZhEXa8w5
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fq3a4FGIP
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZ4jBvnEJ6
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpN4GzCt3oS
The peak was wrong.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhROqkWwI3
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1iI0EznEvi
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xuhv6YNZR
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNz3WFcsYiH
"Is that water?" The question escaped before he could think about it. "Frozen water, or... stone?"106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTn40CDSiU
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9vzcmxDVn
Raven's gaze tracked upward, following the frozen rivers of stone.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeX8Y5AjjnA
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCA95XFNv8
"Neither." He moved further, studying the trails with quiet intensity.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSIQzy6N2i
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mLGtYtHvr
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkROrb6JO1
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdY01uPkEl
"Magma," Raven said. "Dried magma."106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSH3aILKg0d
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOYakHU8dH
The word made Cel's chest tighten.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5g1FabCRZ
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmiQGMBlUF7
"That's a volcano."106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8t7wIDkm0
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNlIIK7pux
"Was a volcano." Raven gestured toward the frozen flows. "Look at it. Completely solid. The weathering alone would take centuries."106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyujElwDwZY
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2Jz2ePWzm
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMwLloPmw3
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlCw4ru8uM
"Centuries doesn't mean it won't erupt again."106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyQUSy2AA0
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGhVCLPPUK
"Nothing is certain." Raven's tone remained calm. "Either we climb and see what's out there, or we wander blind."106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPSHzIw1Fy
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMusLr6FAs
The logic was sound, even if his instincts screamed otherwise.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5pQFCujtj
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDwWCAcDIU
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUtwinUG4q
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJurfuMEXc
"Fine," he said finally. "We climb."106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qG02LT5nd
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnC4VLzc9tO
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5K7Iewizb1
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5TEsHgzU5
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyK2yTvdIg
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TmmR2Kr5z
Cel followed, his fingers finding purchase easily. Even his injured hand obeyed, though the numbness from Frostmark's cold was still there.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtdTbfXBXI
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0pAZnpXwf
They climbed in silence, the only sounds the scrape of boots against stone and their breathing.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNc9vFpRBo
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4ct7lFRgW
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gKbqxSkX5
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9jg5XHxu2
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30TofivshY
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAi0iXtVPU
The light began to shift.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2p6UfkvzC
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0l3xxHQBr
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhSSMNOu5W
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uKW52QE8Z
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEROhT1Cq0O
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrzfei7dFZ
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqk8OnZkzl0
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTHMQCPy7J
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYNk6uAHwQ
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LYA4zu1Lx
They crested the rim as the last trace of crimson faded from the sky. 106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAgzOgmcKu
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPS8SDFXLdD
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonhTczo4M7
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5arL8LOyF
Cel pulled himself over the edge and straightened, his gaze immediately drawn to the center.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWXZVzn7TX
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8XyJki3hG
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9FKy46wyA
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aqSgId1Zr
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpQXc4YZVg
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIp8PbOEgUO
The volcano was dead. Completely dead.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysKOs6ULGo
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvWmBCGMsx
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqyQulDSxi6
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEFTFhkQeR
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbZheqTNDL
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjattwCQcc
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tyPdxjxo3
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wiYruJexk
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhY4a7ACbyZ
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2P0bkNsPi
Not shelter, exactly. But better than sleeping exposed on open stone.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvxiEN0tHU
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DaoDc5wOa
"There," Cel said, gesturing toward the depression.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmYVSxb9Hz
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdH3x4fWxHq
Raven's gaze followed, then he nodded once. He pushed himself upright with visible effort and crossed to the collapsed section.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblG2NZYrUY
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZZ7Cp0kom
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NV5Mdd4ek
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77mG92ZXZW
Raven settled against one wall immediately, his breathing still heavy.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6rFBQ8UKy
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfMc0OP7Ay
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOKr7gDgGg
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gmm64y7dK
But no rifts. No tears in reality glowing with otherworldly light.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xp1KyO5gt
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbvzqs3xRQ
Just endless gray beneath the moon's cold gaze.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPjC0t3WGS
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOsFJIzKIr
"Tomorrow," Raven said quietly, his voice rough with exhaustion. "When it's light. We'll see better."106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotWpBSxq6V
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9schidOxv
Cel nodded, though Raven's eyes were already closed.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtHBHhLM2d
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTe5We4xwu
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.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQhW9xKfP2
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYweGhiTjZ
But Raven needed sleep. And searching for rifts in darkness would accomplish nothing.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcy9y3v5aaK
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyYR77OmFa
So Cel sat, his gaze tracking between the bird still perched on the rim and the wasteland below.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJV1myry95
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDo48VW3GbF
Waiting for dawn.106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4hvAeGgvm
106Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CpLAqK87v
Waiting to see if this climb had been worth.
and then Add to home screen.