The scene shifted to a flashback, revealing the aftermath of the battle from Cael's perspective. The bluish-green slime, true to its word, had set about its task with unsettling efficiency. It had devoured every trace of the fallen, leaving no evidence behind. The slime's reasoning was pragmatic: the neighboring countries, upon discovering the bodies of their soldiers or citizens on foreign soil, could use it as a pretext for blackmail or even open war. By consuming the corpses, the slime eliminated this potential threat. It had even consumed the Xnihsp's remaining skeletal frame, leaving only a faint stain on the ice as evidence of its existence. It had also consumed the skull of the giant Wendigo, leaving no trace of the monstrous creature.
As the slime finished its gruesome task, it noticed the glowing green orb that the Xnihsp had consumed and later regurgitated before its final demise. The slime nudged the orb with its gelatinous form, then slithered back to Cael, presenting the orb to him. "Can I devour it?" the slime asked, its voice a wet gurgle.
Cael raised an eyebrow. "You're too greedy," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You just devoured countless corpses – humans, Gordons, even the Xnihsp's remains and the giant Wendigo's skull—and you're still hungry?"
"No," the slime replied, its form quivering slightly. It seemed almost… embarrassed.
The giant snake, who had been observing the exchange, chimed in, its deep voice rumbling through the air. Cael carried the orb in his hand, and his scaled hand reacted to it as if it wanted to devour it, the giant snake then said to Cael don't spoil them , or else they won't respect you,as the snake unravel from his hand he pulls the orb backwards saying they must maintain position which they did an a hollow appeared on the crest on the palm and he put the orb inside and a sudden energy burst through his body.
The snake then unraveled itself from around Cael's arm, gently nudging the orb back towards him. "They must maintain their position," the snake rumbled, its voice carrying a note of ancient wisdom. Cael understood. The slime and the snake were powerful entities, and constant indulgence would only breed disrespect. They needed to understand their place within their strange partnership.
A small hollow suddenly materialized within the crest on Cael's palm, the markings shifting slightly to accommodate the orb. He placed the glowing green orb inside the hollow, and a surge of energy pulsed through his body, a wave of power that felt both invigorating and strangely unsettling.The scene then returned to the present, David now awake and Cael explaining the situation.
It was evening. The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the ravaged landscape. Cael and Raphael had scavenged cloaks from some of the fallen corpses, providing a meager layer of protection against the biting cold. Cael wore one, a dark, heavy garment that muffled the wind, and tossed another to Raphael. They both donned the cloaks and continued their trek, climbing over uneven terrain, navigating the treacherous landscape of shattered ice and frozen earth.
As they walked, an aurora began to form in the sky, shimmering curtains of vibrant green and purple light dancing across the darkening canvas. David stopped, his eyes wide with wonder. "It's beautiful," he breathed.
Cael swiftly slapped him on the back of the head. "Are you trying to get us killed?" he hissed, his voice low and urgent. "Look down. Don't look up until morning." He immediately dropped to his hands and knees, beginning to crawl across the uneven ground.
Raphael stared at him, a look of utter bewilderment on his face. He tried to maintain his composure, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet and forcing a smile, even though the movement sent sharp pains through his injured leg.
Cael, still crawling, whispered, "Don't you know? You really aren't from here, are you?"
David, deciding to play along with Cael's strange behavior, also began to crawl. As he did, he noticed something moving beneath the newly formed ice. The bluish-green water glowed faintly, and he could make out the massive form of the giant snake swimming beneath the frozen surface, silently keeping pace with them.
Cael continued, his voice barely audible. "The Iron Mountain God has started his forging."
"What forging?" David whispered back, his eyes still fixed on the snake beneath the ice.
It took a while for David to understand what Cael meant. At first, there was only a faint, almost imperceptible sound, like the distant clang of a hammer on metal. But gradually, the sound grew louder and louder, the rhythmic striking of iron becoming more distinct. Soon, it became a constant, rhythmic hammering, a powerful, resonating clang that filled the air and seemed to vibrate through the very ground they crawled on. It became the background noise to their journey, a constant reminder of the unseen forces at work.
As evening deepened into night, the sky above them began to turn a deep, ominous red. The wind picked up, blowing downwards with increasing force, carrying with it the scent of smoke and hot metal. Cael whispered, his voice filled with awe and fear, "Everything in this region belongs to the deity of the mountain. Everything…"
The effect of the deity's presence was immediate and pervasive. Everywhere they looked, people and creatures were affected. Gordons on the distant slopes of the mountain began to bow down, their multiple eyes fixed on the summit. Even Stark, who had been separated from the group and was now lost on a different mountain range, suddenly stopped in his tracks and began to crawl downwards, his body trembling as he prostrated himself before the unseen power. The adventurer who had fought the Wendigo, now far from the battlefield, also fell to his knees, bowing his head in submission.
Cael's voice dropped to a barely audible whisper, his eyes wide with fear. "No one fights. No one disturbs. No one runs. Nothing flies, that is the will of the god."