“I cannot believe ye let me eat that, I thought me stomach was going to up'n rebel on me.”

We were running East towards the Elder’s personal domain, the light from the fire serving as a guide as it lit the sky from below. Well, I say we were running, but Cad was actually moving at closer to a brisk walk, his legs blurring as he tagged along with little to no apparent effort.

“Perhaps in future you’ll maybe explain before breathing on people you’re not fighting.”

Darina’s words were clipped and precise, and on the surface, they were edged with anger, but I had known the diminutive hellion for long enough at that point that I knew she was trying not to laugh. The apprentice might seem dour most of the time, but I knew at least some of that was her trying to live up to the position of being an Apex’s apprentice, or at least the way she saw it. I had seen her master drinking booze with Walker and Aella, so I was not at all sure the position required any extra dignity, but that was a bit of a sore subject, and I did not want to get punched more than absolutely necessary.

“Generally, people are grateful for me breath, lass. Life o’the-”

“Yes, I’m sure that’s why you’re in trouble with the Alchemist Association. All of the gratitude.”

“Okay, fine, that’s a point made fairly, but other than that lot, I’ll be havin’ ye know I’m in demand.”

“Yes, I can absolutely accept that you’re wanted in several cities.”

Wincing a little at the wordplay, I maneuverer as close as I could to Darina’s side and whispered – as much as was possible – in her ear.

“Darina, he’s at least somewhere in the high Foundation stage, maybe don’t antagonise him more than we have?”

Flicking her red-jade eyes my way, the apprentice winked at me and I almost tripped over a root at very high speeds.

“Ye don’t have to worry on me account, Sparky; I have five older sisters, I am well used to the needle’s point.”

Shrugging and glad that it seemed the apprentice's sharp tongue was not going to antagonise an ally, I kept running. I was a little surprised that he had heard me, but at that point I was past the point of being astonished by such minor things.

As we moved swiftly closer to the phoenix’s domain, I began to hear several strange sounds in the distance, like the disparate notes of some strange instrument, high pitched and discordant. It did not take long for the edge of the gentle inferno to come into sight, as and it did the mysterious sound was made gruesomely clear.

A dozen people were held aloft in condensed columns of spinning golden flame, just within the edge of the licking sea of fire. They were all screaming as their flesh was burnt to ash and reformed between moments. Horrified, I came to a stop, staring in mute shock and wincing at the volume of the screams, now unmuffled by tree or distance. No throat, human or otherwise should be able to scream like that, not so loud or for so long, but with sick realisation, it came to me that the fire was healing them totally; it was not just the ashen flesh being renewed, but their throats as well.

“Holy shit.”

“This Elder takes none too kindly to eggnappers, eh?”

“In mild shock, while I wish this group nothing but ill-will for their assault upon my home and people, I would simply end their lives. This seems... evil.”

“With resolute anger, these people attempted to kill us all, sister. They hold little respect for life, and while this punishment may seem cruel, it is perhaps what they deserve.”

“An Elder is not an Apex; Flame Ever Dancing spent most of their life as a beast. They are not evil, but cruel... yes. Nature is cruel.”

Silence hung around us for several seconds after Darina spoke, broken only by the screams of the ever-dying and the snap of flame. Eventually, I gave to thoughts that I was sure was tugging at each of us.

“So... maybe we didn’t need to, uh, ‘help’? Flame Ever Dancing seems to have it handled.”

“Aye, mayhap we should leave it a while. As much trust as I place in your burning-murder-fruit, I don’t think it’ll stand up to that.”

“In hesitant consideration, we cannot know that those we stopped would have been caught in such a way. It is possible they were meant to meet and work together, and that the absence of those we met resulted in the capture of these others.”

“... Should we make sure? Cad’s sort of right, I’m not sure it’s worth trying, but we should all be whitelisted, right?”

“With persistent confusion, I do not know that we are on any kind of list, or why the colour would matter, Hunter. But if you mean that we should remain unharmed within the conflagration, I believe we can trust the Elder’s word.”

“Okay, well, how about you try sticking your hand in, Darina? Yours will grow back if it gets burned off. I’d give it a try, but I’d rather not be fully disarmed.”

“I suppose that makes sense... fine.”

I beamed at the apprentice who glowered back at me, clearly not a fan of the idea, but also not really having a counter argument. Squaring her shoulders, she marched across the remaining distance to the fire, her head tilted upwards to glance at the burning figures. Darina stood there at the edge, hesitating for a long second before suddenly jamming her arm into the inferno and held it there before turning back to us.

“It’s fine!”

“You heard the lady! Uh, Cad, maybe hold back a moment? I’ll try to put in a good word?”

“Maybe I’ll... just head back to the Association? It doesn’t seem much like you’ll be needing me assistance at this point.”

“You’ve come this far – and eaten the Blazing Mango – you might as well, if only for the story?”

“Life o’the party I may be, but I’m not sure a story is worth the risk o’that.”

The mercenary pointed into the flames and I had to admit that he was probably right; I knew that if it was not for my quest I would not be anywhere near the place. Or at least the old me would not be here, but the new me? I was kind of grateful for the quest, after all, it was proving to be a hell of an experience. Sudden weight loss notwithstanding.

“Well, it’s up to you, Cad. I don’t know what good it will do, but the next time I’m in Everwood City, I’ll ask Ben Won Ro to put in a good word for you.”

“...Master Ben Won Ro? Of the Alchemist Association?”

“Yeah, do you know him?”

“He’s a bit well known, aye. Fine, let’s go see an Elder.”

I grinned, slapping him on the shoulder and walked with my friends into the wall of fire; it was definitely hotter in there than it had been the last time, though I could barely feel it; it was more a sense that the air was moving a lot, like a breeze that was almost the same temperature as my skin.

“Uh, hi, Your Elderness. It’s me, uh, Hunter. And Reff, Riffa and Darina. You probably know that? Anyway, we stopped some of the thieves, though you seem to have that handled. We brought one of the Alchemy Association guards who helped out, is he okay, uh, coming in?”

I felt a sudden attention and assent before it faded, a brief ache in my Core the only discomfort this time around. Gesturing to Cad to enter the flame, I noticed that I could no longer hear the screams, but glancing up I saw that they remained writhing in their columns and I shuddered; they were pretty shitty people, in the same way that Hannibal Lector was a pretty shitty vegetarian, but I was not sure anyone deserved what was happening to them.

“This is weirdest damn place I’ve ever stepped foot in.”

I looked down again to find that Cad had joined us and was looking around at the blazing landscape with a curious expression, rubbing at his almost-neat beard and casually spinning the long-hammer around his fist.

“It’s cool, right?”

“Hunter, now is not the time for your nonsense. Let’s get moving.

“The lass is right; I’d bet an edge this place is damned hot if the Elder has a mind for it.”

Rolling my eyes, I saw both Riffa open her mouth, and knowing Reff I was willing to bet he was not far behind; before either of the risi could add their own misconceptions, I held up my hands.

“Right, what was I thinking, again. Not like we’ve been over-you know what, never mind. Let's go.”

*

***

*

We arrived at the clearing with the rock spire again without trouble or any further sign of the thieves. As before, the trees around the edges were occupied by phoenixes, their strangely cold gazes locked on us as we stepped into the clear ground.

“You have returned. I told you we would have little trouble in intercepting any potential thieves, and you saw the proof at the edge of my Domain.”

The Elder sat cross-legged in their sunset-coloured robe at the base of the spire, the egg cradled in the hollow of their lap.

“In hurried agreement, you were correct, Elder Flame Ever Dancing. It appears that our assistance was not necessary.”

“Honestly, we thought the man we mentioned – the one that can cloud senses – would be trying to distract you, but I guess we over thought it, your Elderness.”

“A portion of my senses has indeed been clouded, though it seems whichever fool controls such a power does not know it’s effects as well as they may think.”

I frowned at the news that Shadow Faced Guy was actually clouding the Elder’s perception; she seemed as aware as ever at our entrance, and had obviously intercepted the poor bastards we had seen at the border.

“If I may beg more information from you, Honoured Elder Flame Ever Dancing?”

Darina bowed as she spoke and I turned my attention back to the humanoid phoenix’s solid gold eyes, an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“In the area they obscure, I can sense nothing; it is irritating, and had I not a young one to hatch, I would venture out to crush them. But it is only an irritant, as it does not prevent me from sensing elsewhere in my Domain.”

“So, the only say approach for them is in the direction he’s causing the distraction in? Does his... fog... reach you here?”

“It does, and so our watchers cast their gazes between there and here, and the stronger of my flock fly in search.”

Something was not lining up there; did Shadows Faced Guy really not know how his power worked? I had had some issues with the way my own abilities worked, but that was mostly right after getting them and I had certainly learned my lessons when it came to testing.

“It seems the fool has been found; the obscuring cloud has dispersed.”

I felt my eyes widen as the Elder spoke again, and I will admit to more than a little shock. As insane as the chain-wielding asshole had seemed, and as quick to flee in the face of Apex level might, this seemed like a lot of trouble to go through just to leave.

I opened my mouth to ask a question, but as I did the world to my right side dissolved and a hole appeared in the world and from it shadow poured. Like a black mist driven by wind, it billowed out and where it touched, flame was painted grey.

With a flicker of will, I Focused hard and the world slowed down around me, but even in that state I did not see the Elder move; there was a snap and a roar and they were simply standing, egg still cradled but now in the crook of their arm. Fire spun and snapping and ripping around them like a beast clawing for release, the heat blisteringly hot even with their forbearance, even from where I stood.

“What is this?! You would dare invade my Domain? I will burn you to ash for an eternity!” Flame Ever Dancing’s voice had changed; where once it has been sonorous and melodic, now it pierced through me, pitched high and as sharp as a knife.

From the gaping wound in reality, a figure stepped, its motions familiar though the figure was not. As sudden as a spider, another thing emerged, its body covered in a thick layer of something transparent, like glass or ice. Beneath the ice, its flesh was as pale as a corpse, though its arms and head were darker. Upon its head was a crown of black, jagged metal though it looked more like it was nailed to its head, rather than sitting there.

The Elder wasted no further words and the flames roiled and surged around us, pressing in and churning around the invader; I expected it to be consumed in an instant, but to my amazement, whether by some power of its own or by some effect of the boiling black, it stood against the fiery storm, though I could see a noticeable reduction in whatever substance coated it.

With a cry that I am sure damaged my ears, the Elder vanished, as did the crowned creeper. I could not see the fight, but I could feel it, like a bass drum, hammering in a staccato rhythm that seemed more like a constant vibration.

My companions seemed as shocked as I felt, staring around us trying to catch a glimpse of the titanic fight that had to be occurring all around us. The fact that the Risen Throne had somebody that could stand up to an Elder – even for a moment – was a truly terrifying prospect.

As I swivelled my head back and forth, I saw another hole in space bore into existence and black chains flowed into the clearing alongside more of the shadow-stuff, though their owner stayed safely on the other side. I recognised the chains, of course, as they were the same chains that had torn my arm off.

Without thinking, I ran towards the new portal, anger rising unbidden within me once again but I stumbled as the ground shook, a crater opening to my right with Crownman at its centre. Finding my footing again, I looked down to see the clear coating all but gone, with thousands of cracks running through the armoured surface. Before I could react further the ground shook again and the crater expanded to reveal Flame Ever Dancing crouched on the thing’s chest, their face a bestial mask of hate, the egg still held in one hand.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the chains move and with a flash of insight I ran for the gate, even as Crownman locked its hands about the Elder’s ankles. Without hesitation, the midnight links flicked out and snatched the egg free of the phoenix’s grasp.

If I had not moved in advance, I would never have made it, but my head start had given me just enough time to reach the gate as the egg was pulled across the distance in an instant.

“...GRAB!”