(8) The Lands of Ralosia: The Weld Mountains (5.5k Words)

Aero and Jirro travel into the volcanic region, the Weld Mountains, in search of a peculiar looking orb. The Mecarne Temp guides them through the scorching area. They come across peculiar creatures, an old enemy, and learn firsthand what a Mecarne is capable of.

(2/15/23) Self edited, Audio edited, Peer edited

Peer edit by Mikrokosmostae

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~Chapter 1- Weld Mountain~

~Age 988B~

The Weld Mountains had the smell of burning metal emanating from it. The area was dotted with a series of mountain ranges and volcanoes. The blacksmiths who lived among the mountains were known for smelting and creating materials. The best metals came from them. Many Densius and Mecarne lived among the mountains, for they were unaffected by the intense heat.

The Mecarne Temp looked up at the mountains as sunlight bounced off his reflective flesh. His body was tall and slender, slightly muscular, and had a metallic sheen to his purple-tinted skin. His hyena Kelvin was lapping up water from a pond; he needed to be hydrated before they went up the mountain.

The group of children Temp was escorting to the mountains was swimming about in the water. The two 13-year-old boys, Aero and Jirro, were racing back and forth through the pond, swathes of water violently being spilled about in their wake.

"Beat you!" Aero spat as he reached one end of the pond before Jirro.

"Let's go again!" Jirro said immediately. The two were insatiable; they simply couldn't stop competing.

Nout floated atop the water with his pink-tinted belly up in the air and his hands folded over him. His long trunk dipped into the pond to suck up water, only to shoot it up into the air like a fountain. The Phantine felt at home in the water. Temp was sure he wouldn't enjoy the heat of the mountain.

The little red-haired girl named Corri waded through the water around her red sparrow. The great bird gulped down water from the pond.

The rock being known as Ruben sat beside the pond, content with watching the others. Its body was round and boulder-like, with relatively short arms and legs. As a Densius, Ruben couldn't float in water. If it decided to jump in, it would likely sink to the bottom.

"Make sure to stayed hydrated. Once we enter the Weld Mountains, it gets pretty hot," Temp instructed, "Except you Ruben. You and I will be fine."

"Are there other Densius up on Weld Mountain?" Ruben asked.

"A fair amount, and other Mecarne like me," Temp answered, "Make sure to keep your bird on the ground, Corri. I wouldn't want you flying into a plume of toxic smoke and asphyxiating."

Corri snapped to attention, "That's scary!"

"I'll take you through the trail to the nearest wellspring. Stick with me, and you'll all be fine," Temp assured.

Aero sprung from out of the water with a strong jump, his rough black hair was sopping wet. Temp knew the boy was far stronger than him, but with his skinny frame, one would never guess.

Jirro primly came out of the water and dried himself, as did Corri and Nout. "There are wellsprings up on the mountain?" Jirro asked.

"A few. They're the chilliest points on the mountain, perfect for you Ralosians," Temp said, "You'll pay me once we get there, won't you?"

Aero shook his head, and water scattered from his hair, "I'll pay you once we find that orb! You still need to help us look for it."

Temp grimaced and nodded.

The group readied themselves and headed for the mountains. Temp mounted his hyena Kelvin, while Corri climbed aboard her sparrow Rojo and took to the skies. The other four jogged, nearly matching Kelvin's speed.

The grassy plains they traveled through turned to a dark rocky terrain. An orange glow was visible from the lava among the mountains, and Corri landed her bird and walked with them.

In the air around them were dragons, tiny flying creatures often seen as pests. They'd often linger around a person before taking a tiny bite and flying off before they could be swatted away. They were harmless unless there was a dragon infestation in your home. In that case, you were at risk of a house fire created by the little beasts.

The air became hot and humid. Temp kept them on the trail through the mountain range, but in the distance around them, plumes of black smoke erupted from the earth. He looked back at the kids and saw Nout sweating profusely.

Kelvin panted as they continued on, and Temp pulled a canteen of water from his bag and guided it into his hyena's mouth. While the Phantine and Ralosian kid's pace was slowed by the heat, Ruben and Temp were fine.

"Whoooooa!" Aero cooed as they passed by a mountain with magma spewing from its side into a lake of lava. A person with metal-looking flesh emerged from the lake, another Mecarne. It swam through the lava as if it were water. Around the lava pool sat Densius like Ruben. They were composed of dark black stones, charred by the heat of the mountains.

Ruben stopped along the trail and picked up a series of black rocks. It looked at its hand and began to take off the stones which made up its index finger, tossing them to the ground. One by one, Ruben placed black stones in place of its index finger until it bonded to its body. The red-eyed Densius now had one black stone finger alongside its other grey ones. Ruben looked at its modified hand and gave a rocky smile.

In the distance, Temp could see a series of buildings built from metal, set by a lake amidst the mountains. A wellspring. The temperature dropped as they entered the wellspring, and the kids let out a sigh of relief. There were a few inns in the town for them to stay in.

Aero walked next to Temp, "We should ask around and try to find out where that orb might be."

Jirro tapped Aero, "We'll buy some rooms for us at an inn in the meantime."

Aero followed Temp through the wellspring as they solicited the townspeople there for information. A Mecarne woman directed them towards the town blacksmith.

Aero and Temp found two bulkier Mecarne working on a support beam of metal. Both had a reddish tint to their bodies, as opposed to the purple tint that Temp did.

One dipped their hand into a pool of molten lava sitting beside them, as if it were water. They then took their hand to the metal beam. Their hand turned bright orange, and the heat made the metal malleable enough to mold. These Mecarne had learned how to store and release heat on command.

"How's it going?" Temp asked the smiths coolly.

The Blacksmiths continued to work as they answered him, hammering away at the metal beam to form its shape, "Going well sir. Need anything?"

"My associate and I heard that a red floating orb was seen around these parts. Any clue where we might find it?"

One of the smiths stopped mid-swing and turned to Temp and Aero, "I did. In the cavern nearby," The blacksmith pointed to an open cave high atop one of the mountains. Lava was spilling out around its openings, "I saw it in there, but some bearded dragons came around. I left the cave as soon as I could."

Temp snickered, "You afraid of some little dragons?"

The blacksmith furrowed his brow, "I said bearded dragons! Big difference. They don't fly, but they're huge. I wouldn't treat them lightly."

Temp looked over his shoulder back at Aero, "How's that sound, kid? Do you think you and your cousin can handle some bearded dragons?"

Aero grinned, "Of course!"

The other Mecarne stopped working, "Kid, those things are dangerous. Don't get tangled with them."

"Don't worry. I'm super strong!" Aero smiled while flexing his skinny arm.

The two looked at Aero incredulously. If Temp hadn't witnessed his strength firsthand, he wouldn't believe it either.

Aero said, "Let's tell the others where it is."

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"I'm not going in there!" An astounded Corri shouted, amazed that her brother would propose they all go into a dangerous cave like that.

"That's what we came here for, isn't it?" Aero asked.

"If you want to go in there to get a little orb for your girlfriend, you can do it yourself! I'm going to stay here where it's not so hot," Corri threw herself back onto the bed of the room they purchased at the inn.

Nout tepidly spoke up, "It's not really necessary for us all to go, is it?"

"I guess not," Aero answered, "You'll come right Jirro?"

Jirro ran his hands through his neat blonde hair, "Sure."

"What about you Ruben?" Aero looked at the young Densius. Ruben had been busy collecting new rocks from the mountain to bind to its body. Its left leg was almost entirely composed of the black stones from the mountain now.

Ruben shrugged, "Yeah! I'll come."

"Great!" Aero proceeded to tap Temp on his arm, "Let's go!"

Temp raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you going to ask if I want to go?"

"Oh, you're going. That's what we're paying you for."