"What rank does your guide hold?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbcyruLXy7
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Okz4GGvQc
The question hung in the air between them.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpQnyYRFu6
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Cel's pulse quickened. It was a normal question to ask a Chosen. Nothing unusual about it.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknvsMNWmU5
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnoIIQoshgQ
Yet his instincts told him otherwise.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsU7zkgSVu
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmifU6nVsT
"Forty-seven," he lied, forcing the words to come slowly, casually.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJD709RYIpQ
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnFDg0ingy
Raven's crimson eyes studied him with that unsettling intensity.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31AOG4I3An
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOKOjF3Ji6
Heat crawled up Cel's neck. His hands curled slightly at his sides.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBj8gljmiN7
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvvf5TXBVn
"She's..." The words tumbled out before he could stop them. "She's the most beautiful person I've ever seen."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMhvKT6J1B
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCJHh4H44f
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvChZXolQDn
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQj0cTLpayj
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcmYRtx6cKM
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tFGjQUXo8
"I see." His hand dropped from Cel's shoulder.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwlXY8LXqs
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9SjDo2qH1
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LrcrbpktY
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLn4cbyu8N
Cel forced himself to breathe normally, watching Raven's back as he began walking.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WLAtroJj7
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOrZaYY2FTs
'What was that about?'113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmV4Ph5XYKN
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxaq37ORDy
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. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhTDrpp9kV
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3IDTSZCGm
The mountain rose before them, dark stone jutting against the crimson sky.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOADqm3tC0
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMBLbCv1OI
Raven's stride remained confident and measured, giving no indication that anything significant had just transpired.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EAOqPDN9Y
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6qCrQxu9e
Cel followed, boots crunching against ash-covered earth.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOceKPeWiv
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYnr9KBX3G
But something had shifted in the air between them - subtle, almost imperceptible. Like a door that had been tested and found secure.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qOPVIMPDV
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBOX7f74hX
For now.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpWoQ8Ns58
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZVaaycS0c
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAciRhawEc
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQT4FxJ7BZ
His eyes caught on a distant speck against the crimson sky.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkV9jauevU
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5qIVG9150
Black feathers. Red-tipped wings folding at angles that made no sense.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVEfRRg9iuQ
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV26Szgxxwg
The Ember Stalker.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pOB5rzTln
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGlRnqQeBn
It circled once, lazy and deliberate, then began descending.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPbxo0P4Tp
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKt81w9d6v
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9g5Iy52Ygf
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHLtkYsUsw
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpYwPio35B
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmE0K6iNqme
Raven's stride never faltered.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfrXZmeP4i
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUNuSDotWT
He walked forward as if the Ember Stalker weren't there.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKdE0Zsylt
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONMvWRZJjZ
Cel remained frozen for a heartbeat, watching the bird. Then he forced his legs to move, closing the distance to Raven's side quickly.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwODvEyc4q9
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XOVc8Wbl2
Not because he trusted Raven.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppQOCUwy84
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0HBRsEQ8U
Because nothing attacked Raven. And right now, that protection mattered more than his suspicions.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ionR4wlKb
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNI9Bc5G13
The bird tilted its head. It hopped from the stone, landing in the ash with barely a sound.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFOQDj6Dab
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0D3vMxgVE
Then it took flight, wings unfolding in sharp angles before it vanished beyond a cluster of broken ruins.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFCEDSKFNC
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8Wf1wDXW2
Cel's shoulders remained tight.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDZMzIbMpJ
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8z6zTsDcdS
"It's following us," he said quietly.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDVNrpTUTp
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9t39E2kD0
"Just ignore it." Raven didn't even glance at the bird. "It's been circling since we left the Ashlurker."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSanK8deae
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KStv9leVt
Cel said nothing, but his hand stayed ready at his side.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JzSw8PJt7
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCMJSQEseR
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD1ZswtguVm
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJljmDX9NlZ
The peak was wrong.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDf6uJnUBGR
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhGgQKtQ7D
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjDPrcxAZV
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3t1DnI23s
"Is that water?" The question escaped before he could think about it. "Frozen water, or... stone?"113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvoWPvZkhJ
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUz04HfMQF
Raven's gaze tracked upward, following the frozen rivers of stone.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywLAktmnKz
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIbHF5VziN
"Neither." He moved further, studying the trails with quiet intensity.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpkkvgsR5p
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmoYz21Hqg
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qOY6SBOrD
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPGKqqUYTM
"Magma," Raven said. "Dried magma."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKAedVx2KX
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXfBHsTx9a
The word made Cel's chest tighten.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TPcXGMxuw
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXqW9qK7Dt
"That's a volcano."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEFCqTKfx6
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgs77oWSVst
"Was a volcano." Raven gestured toward the frozen flows. "Look at it. Completely solid. The weathering alone would take centuries."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsF23SRXt4
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZaJnEEmLu
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5p9V15QVx
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡax8BdimIIA
"Centuries doesn't mean it won't erupt again."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqAOnyEO73
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpFAafW21J
"Nothing is certain." Raven's tone remained calm. "Either we climb and see what's out there, or we wander blind."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfmTRbJ65To
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5aw0UPOC3
The logic was sound, even if his instincts screamed otherwise.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnETjy1wBe
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkKik6Jbj6
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwfk9OmB9W
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzzfbjzbDX
"Fine," he said finally. "We climb."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DQynJaCJi
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugMrHfhQGS
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDN7QBFkh62
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsekMBs1MQ
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9wsoBY8AM
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWruqTxUC5
Cel followed, his fingers finding purchase easily. Even his injured hand obeyed, though the numbness from Frostmark's cold was still there.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eHGHgfgcE
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXNg9HNfCy
They climbed in silence, the only sounds the scrape of boots against stone and their breathing.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhOqWDA0xd
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Tl1cORx5l
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQdInHsNg0
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk28B2Vxntp
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AXfhTVYXP
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDl4EWpPXz
The light began to shift.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdsIA9hsu4
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3QMyYGihl
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuuYSSh8oQO
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvsx90noHQ
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPo8sH5Ig1
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1i2q4TSCNr
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2F5QnlDQ7
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6QJ66rZtW
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JdH27FnBC
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡII3SQQVjg7
They crested the rim as the last trace of crimson faded from the sky. 113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYdqCy90zx
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxy80ftBpJq
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmoVYNYbtMI
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOijR1UAF7
Cel pulled himself over the edge and straightened, his gaze immediately drawn to the center.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNLgI6LqdX
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcptqzHTVb
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfEz6JQsT5
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMndp6kbH4
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfT0h0qNIqE
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWtk9mHOZs
The volcano was dead. Completely dead.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDbfGYeGMx
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAP27ojuLF
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBvOZNHivH
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6wVkHQohT
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsY5kjIdEO
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5RtqGN4Ha
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgauyIbMYFn
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUprCB4DNJc
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSspqmaDTxn
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13qF54eG8T
Not shelter, exactly. But better than sleeping exposed on open stone.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRTkS429HK
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ABvHtXa1B
"There," Cel said, gesturing toward the depression.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngTQwLFpWX
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7y26hF2KLO
Raven's gaze followed, then he nodded once. He pushed himself upright with visible effort and crossed to the collapsed section.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTMv3ACs6N
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnco1JFibj
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnSSuwGq8w
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmZ8bolFhU
Raven settled against one wall immediately, his breathing still heavy.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBsJXvw7ih
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bu9H9sL0S
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmB9PnPMpuu
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivLigs6qMa
But no rifts. No tears in reality glowing with otherworldly light.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LGFhV9p9J
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrguopX8tZE
Just endless gray beneath the moon's cold gaze.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡef09t418do
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPUjwcceJD
"Tomorrow," Raven said quietly, his voice rough with exhaustion. "When it's light. We'll see better."113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59qtqGujCg
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoss8HhctER
Cel nodded, though Raven's eyes were already closed.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6zrkFvjni
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuE5jlgEDxw
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.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffjtUOPHTa
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTgNcUOP6V
But Raven needed sleep. And searching for rifts in darkness would accomplish nothing.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuP4MwAK5J9
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkSayrl3Ru
So Cel sat, his gaze tracking between the bird still perched on the rim and the wasteland below.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPEJwb35vxE
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrMN3MSw33
Waiting for dawn.113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVks7gJY9x
113Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzGS4kgV8T
Waiting to see if this climb had been worth.
and then Add to home screen.