Drummen looked up at the two moons in the night sky. "Beautiful as always. I'll miss this the most…"
He looked at his dorm room door now closed and smiled. "I'm not going to miss this place at all. I'm also not going to fail this blasted trial. I'm going to go the other way… Hahaha. The old bats can't stop me either."
He cursed under his breath. "Stupid woman trying to pull my strings. Pity my strings are all cut and can't be pulled anymore."
He climbed the tree hanging over the wall and landed outside the dome and ran into the shadows hiding from the lights of the passing guards.
"Happy, I won't have to be doing this anymore either… Stupid guards… Following stupid rules… They can all rot for all I care."
He looked at the walls of the dome and waved. "Bye forever you blasted place. Freedom awaits me. I've taverns to drink in and women to meet."
He whistled as he walked past the taverns. Sound of music, singing and drunken laughter called out to him. He stopped and looked at them sadly.
"Sorry ladies. Tonight, this man must fly." He continued walking and wove his hand in their direction. "Maybe if I return to this dust bowl, I'll drink your love nectar, but I plan not to return here."
He cursed as he took each step away from the taverns and took a drink from the wine skin at his side. He looked at it and cursed loudly. "I need to change the skin. Each time I look at it, I can see the monster staring at me…"
He looked up and smiled. "Finally. The city gates. I've dreamed of being able to leave this blasted place for a very long time." He stopped and looked at the gates in confusion. "I thought, they'd be more majestic then these. What's with the guard. It's like they are waiting for someone…"
He cursed as he heard one of the guards call out. "Attention! Student of Lord Daikish arrives!"
He cursed and walked towards the gate as the guard lined up on both sides. "What's going on here?"
"Student of Lord Daikish. We were requested to give you a proper sending off from as you're about to start your trial. We were told you'll be leaving at this time by Lord Daikish." He cursed under his breath and sighed. "Thank you, guard. May you protect the city of the dome well."
"Student of Lord Daikish. As you know the rules well. When you're on trial. You must never step a foot in this city until you've completed your trial. If you enter this city beforehand the guards will seek you out and end your life."
He nodded. "I know the rules. Not allowed to leave when I'm a monk and not able to return until I've past my trial. Nothing new." He smiled at the guards. "You don't have to worry. I won't be coming back here."
He looked the guard with a serious stare. "Then may you die well student of Lord Daikish." He shook his head and cursed.
"I'm not planning to die anytime soon, unless it's in the embrace of a beautiful woman."
He walked through the gate. "How did she know I would be leaving at his time?" He felt a chill on the back of his neck and turned around staring at the guards in surprise and shock at their drawn weapons aimed at him.
"Student of Lord Daikish. You're no longer welcome in the city of the dome. You must never cross the city gate lines or our weapons will cut you down. Close the gate!"
He cursed as he watched the gate close. "Well that's great. Even this blasted city has turned their back on me. Well it to can go and rot. Good riddance." He yelled at the gate. "There are better taverns and women in other cities. Enjoy my leftovers!"
Each step he took away from the city he cursed. When he got tired of cursing he stopped and looked up at the sky.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Finally, I'm FREEEE!"
He kept walking watching the moons in the sky. "This is the first time I've actually looked up and seen the stars and sky at night properly." He smiled. "Although there are many beauties in the cities, they'll never measure to your beauty."
He whistled as he walked along the sandy path away from the city admiring the night sky. "This is a great start to my journey. I'm looking forward to it…"
"Are you the one called Drummen?"
He stopped walking and looked around him and cursed. "You with the deep voice must be Cliffhopper."
"Get off the path and follow me into the desert. We need to talk."
Drummen cursed. "Great I get off the strings of one person, and now another is trying to pull me again."
"Just get off the path. We can't talk there. You'll see why soon enough."
Drummen sighed and followed the voice into the desert. "Now what?" He smiled. "What exactly are you? If your name is Cliffhopper, then you must be able to fly or something…"
"GRRRRRR."
He felt his skin crawl. "Sorry if asking questions offended you. Just making some small talk." He cursed. "Look. I've been kicked out of a city and if I go back, I'm marked for death. It's not exactly my night here, all I want is some nice company and delicious wine or beer to go with it."
"..."
Drummen felt his blood boil at Cliffhopper's silence. "You deaf or something. I'm asking for a little compassion about now. All I want is to drink and find some company. I don't want anything to do with the stupid trial!"
He climbed over a small sand dune and sat down on the top of the dune. "I'm not moving another step. You hear me? NOT ANOTHER BLASTED STEP!"
He heard Cliffhopper's deep voice and cursed loudly.
"You a tiny human think you have it bad? You want to know bad? I was forced on this little guiding trip of yours at the moment. Nor do I feel like guiding you anywhere, or care about your pain, hurt or suffering. All I want to is to do some mingling and drink. You are getting in my way of what I want to do."
Drummen's eyes opened wide. "We both want the same thing. Let's do it. All the people telling us what to do, they can go and rot in some blasted place that's full of shit."
He looked up and saw a shadow in the distance. "What do you think? Let's go and do what we want and forget about what people want us to do." He smiled at the shadow.
Drummen stood up and offered his hand. "Than if that is what we both want to do, then let's go do that, there are plenty of taverns in the port we can visit and in the morning we can take a ship and go far from this awful place drinking and sleeping with women all the way until we're old and gray." He smiled and looked at the shadow, "What do you say Cliffhopper?"
"The offer sounds nice, but there lies in it a problem, as my size is rather large, until we make an agreement."
Drummen looked at the shadow in confusion. "Agreement what are you talking about?" He stood up and watched the shadow approach him at a rapid pace. He smiled and dropped his bag and readied his staff.
He cursed. "You really do jump high…" Drummen rolled out of the way as the large shadow landed where he was standing. "Why do we have to fight about this. Can't we make an agreement just by talking?" He lowered his pose and prepared to fight back.
He watched the shadow turn and slowly grow in front of him until it rose high above him. He cursed and took small steps back.
"GRRRRR. Are you afraid?"
He felt the air in front of him and rose his staff above his head as a large heavy force hit his staff bending it. Drummen cursed and looked confused. "A large furry paw?"
He rolled back and looked at the shadow. "You're a bear?"
"Bahahaha. A bear with Cliffhopper as a name. The Creator is sure strange." He wiped tears of joy from his face. "I thought my life sucked, but a bear with a name that says you like jumping of cliffs. I'm sorry, but you can't fly…"
He watched the bear stand on its hind legs and stare at him."So, what that's my name, says the man who doesn't even know about the heart of the earth or how to use a staff."
Drummen stopped laughing and pushed the butt of his staff into the sand dune. "What are you talking about? I've never heard of the heart of the earth…" He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. I really don't want to fight. I would rather drink… as I feel very sober right now, I don't even know why I'm able to speak with you in the first place…"
He watched Cliffhopper look at him. "Yeah, I feel the same. You're not even worth my time and energy." He watched the bear shook its head. "I've been tasked to guide you and teach you. Which means I need to take you to the test. If you take the test, then I'm happy to drink day and night also enjoy the company of others."
He smiled at Cliffhopper. "I have one final question. Is there a timeline as to when we have to complete the test?" His smile became larger as he watched Cliffhopper shake its head.
"Hahaha. That's great news to my ears. You sir, we have a deal."
Drummen leaned on his staff smiling taking a drink from the wine pouch. He watched as Cliffhopper walked over to him and sat in front of him eye to eye. He offered the wine pouch to Cliffhopper who shook its head. "Later I'll drink shortly. Right now, my paws are too big."
"Hahaha" He laughed and took another drink.
"Drummen to me it looks like all you think about is your drink and company of females. Nothing about your trials or the test I have to take you too."
Drummen smiled. "Your correct… This was all put into place by an evil woman."
"Hahahahaha."
Cliffhopper's deep laughing filled his ears. He watched as the bear fell backwards on it's back. He cursed at Cliffhopper and threw a small rock at the bear. "Stupid bear laughing at people's misfortune."
"Sooo. Some evil woman has planned your life until now and you've had no choice. Yet here you are…"
Drummen cursed. "Who said I was going where they want me to go, or do what they want?" He cursed and spat on the ground. "I was stuck in that rotten city unable to escape. Now that I've been kicked out, I'm free as a bird to go and do what I want, when I want."
"Do you care what's happening in the world around you or the events that will take place in the future?"
Drummen shook his head and took a drink. "Not my problem. Nor do I care about this blasted place. I'm happy to sit on top of a cliff and watch it burn."
He watched Cliffhopper sit up and look at him. "We have a deal. Let's drink on top of a mountain and watch as the humans destroy this place."
He nodded. "Agreed. Now can we go and drink and find some company? There are too many males here…"
"Wait a moment. I need to change…"
He nodded. "No idea what you're talking about, just do whatever you have to do."
"Hummmmm."
He shook his head. "What language are you speaking? I've heard it somewhere, but I can't remember from where…" His mouth dropped open as he watched Cliffhopper become smaller and its fur fading leaving behind skin and brown shaggy hair.
"So, do you like what you see?" Drummen looked at the naked smiling Cliffhopper standing in front of him.
"Ladies are going to love you, but you do need to wear clothes."
"Wait a moment. I have clothes around here somewhere." Drummen watched Cliffhopper with his mouth open as he dug out a bag of clothing and threw the wine pouch at him. He watched Cliffhopper take a long drink from the pouch. "That's good wine. Let's get more…"