Volcano V

After weaving his head around the slab of rock, Cedric tried to let it down carefully. This time, however, his panic—coupled with the sweat permeating his hands—forced his hold on the rock to slip.

It fell to the ground with a thud, much louder than the one he’d just heard below.

“Hah?” A shrill voice rang out from above.

Cedric looked up to see another rocky wall, this one much taller, with an opening at its top—where the voice had come from. He darted across the small chamber, which branched out into three passageways. Without hesitation, he dove into the middle passageway.

Rolling to a stop, he crouched low against the wall of the pitch-dark passage. The sounds of the beast climbing down, grunting all the way, reached his ears. He held his hand over his mouth, making sure to keep as still as possible. Having seen the size of the beast, he thought it best to avoid a direct confrontation, regardless of the new weapon and the confidence he had gained.

A thud sounded, and Cedric held his breath. He could hear the monster breathing roughly, having reached the bottom.

“What a clever thief, having me chase him in the wrong direction so that he can make his escape,” the beast snorted in a raspy voice. Cedric waited a moment before peering slowly out from his hiding spot.

Just as he did, the beast had thrown the stone slab up and darted back down the slope that led to the entrance. The slab crashed back down, prompting Cedric to emerge from his hiding spot.

As he did, he tried to calm his racing heart and think. The beast had referred to him as a thief. He wondered just what could be considered something worth stealing in this ancient volcano, and if that was what he sought in coming here.

Relaxing his breathing, he stepped up to the steep, rocky wall the beast had come from. Its ridges were convenient for climbing, but the potential fall would be crippling.

Nevertheless, Cedric wiped his hands dry, placed them on two ridges, and began climbing. Keeping his breathing under control, he kept a steady pace, and before long he’d made it half the distance up.

He stopped for a brief rest, noticing the moisture returning to his palms. Careful not to look down, he took a deep breath with closed eyes, and continued.

Just keep going. Keep on going. Almost there. Only a bit longer.

Suddenly, the stone slab made yet another thud down below.

Cedric nearly fell, his hand slipping momentarily. He knew this was the downside of taking his time, but he hadn’t expected someone to appear so quickly.

Still, he took care not to look back, and continued at a slightly brisker pace. Nothing happened as he climbed, until he finally reached the top, rolling over onto solid ground as he gasped for air.

He knew he didn’t have time to rest as he peered carefully over the edge down below.

“Wait up, partner, I’m right behind ya.”

“Bandit,” Cedric muttered, glaring down at the cheerful, hooded man as he approached the wall.

With even less hesitation than Cedric had, the bandit leapt up the wall, and began climbing deftly, an excited look in his eyes.

Wanting nothing to do with this man, Cedric rose to his feet and started down the new level’s path, another winding, uphill tunnel.

As he jogged, the heat became even more prominent. Trying his best to ignore it, he continued forward, constantly switching sword hands to wipe his palms dry.

Finally, the tunnel came to an opening, this time without a stone slab. It was fortunate, Cedric thought, as he was unsure if he had the strength to keep lifting the heavy rocks.

Now on a flat, wide path that dropped off on either side, Cedric paced himself, staring in marvel at what lay below him.

The path served as a bridge to another tunnel. Beneath the bridge, a pit of magma bubbled ferociously, releasing waves of heat that washed over the bridge and made Cedric feel like he was wading through boiling water.

He simply had to make it to the opposite tunnel for relief. He knew this, but the fifty or so meters he had to trek across the bridge never seemed to shorten as he wobbled down the path, head in disarray. He simply walked on, his eyes drooping while sweat dripped from his arms and legs.

“Oy, slow down a bit, will ya?” A grumbling voice sounded from behind.

Having completely forgotten about the bandit due to the extreme heat, he turned around, almost falling.

“I don’t do well with heat at all, so let’s just call a truce, buddy,” the man whined as he stumbled along the beginning of the bridge, gasping through every other word. His cool and collected style had fallen apart completely, and he had taken off his hood and began loosening his robes while swaying like a felled tree. The bandit’s steps were no quicker than Cedric’s, which gave him some confidence in moving forward. However, the heat was beginning to drain him, and he felt at any moment that he’d collapse.

“Seriously, let’s work together. I don’t care about grumpy Mel and that sword anymore, I just want to get out of this heat,” he complained, his magnificent golden hair wet and disheveled.

Cedric began chuckling goofily at the pathetic figure of the bandit, his own mind and focus falling apart.

“Come on, kid, slow down, will ya? At this rate that cyclops is gonna catch up to us and grill us both up for a nice Teuton-kebab. Let’s help each other and get out of here. We’ll settle things after that, yeah?”

Cedric simply continued trudging along, still mindlessly laughing at the bandit’s worsening state. His head was so light he couldn’t remember what he was even doing in this place. Blinking several times, he peered through blurred vision at the sword in his hands.

The blood smeared on the blade came into focus, stirring the nausea of his past within him.