The rest of our trip to the watch post was thankfully uneventful. It was no less tense though. That fight and the fate of the other scouts had certainly put a damper on everyone's mood. As we ascended though that mood lightened again. That was especially true for me. It was almost as if a terrible weight was lifted from my shoulders. I suspected that Gash'zur might have felt the same she didn't let onto it though. The prospects of seeing the open sky again certainly helped me to keep going through the ascent. It was more strenuous than I expected.

The ascend differed from my expectations in another regard as well. I expected the temperatures to drop considerably as we left the Deep Dark behind but they didn't. The reason for that was apparently the Eye of Gondragar which Gib had mentioned. The volcano's magma chamber deep below ground seemed to be massive. It was indeed massive enough to feed more than just that one volcano, although it certainly was the most prominent feature in the volcanic system. Supposedly there were hot springs and geysers to be found everywhere in the mountains all around. We even passed some hot springs as we made our way through the caves and caverns.

On one hand I was glad we didn't have to freeze. On the other hand the idea of a big volcanic system covering a sizable part of the Ringwall Mountains, especially not terribly far from home, was a little terrifying. Could it be that even Bleak Peak was still connected to the same magma chamber? I didn't want to spend too much time thinking about it. The implications were too frightening. If this magma chamber were to blow it would mean the end of everything I knew and held dear.

As we reached the goblin outpost I was exhausted despite the fact that we had taken our time to get here. The watch post in turn was rather unspectacular. At a first glance it might have looked similar to the defenses of Hearth Forge but that similarity was only superficial. There was only a duo of guards on duty where there had been a whole squad in front of the city's gates. The ritual with which they welcomed us was very much the same though. Only once we had shared drinks with them did they give the signal to open the gate. There weren't multiple gates we had to pass through either. A single one had to do here.

Still that gate promised a measure of safety we were glad to receive. Once we were inside an older foregborn, the patina on his metal body speaking of the many years he must have already seen, greeted us. He shot me and Gash'zur a curious glance and patted Gib on the back. “I wasn't expecting guests and I wasn't expecting you exactly either. What is up? You know what I think of surprises and sudden changes of plans.” Although he said that he didn't sound unhappy.

The younger goblin nodded emphatically. “We are escorting our guests, the ladies Keza'zoth and Gash'zur back to the surface. They had a run in with the dragon south in Gothol'gathrak. Do you have any news on the old lizard? Has it returned to its favorite pool of molten rock?”

The old man eyed us once more, with newfound respect. “Ye had a run in with the dragon? And ye got away alive? Not many can make a claim like that. It might explain some things though. We saw it returning but it didn't stop at the Eye. It kept heading north straight into the desert. I have to say though, it was lacking its usual deadly grace in its flight.”

Gib listened to the old forgeborn and nodded. He obviously held great respect for the man. He wasn't quite done with his report though. “Sadly that isn't all. I have some bad news as well.” He cleared his throat as the metallic brows of the forgeborn furrowed. “We came across Ren's squad on our way up or rather what was left of them. They fell victim to whipper ambush in the colonnade. Only one of them got away only to fall victim to a skinwalker soon after.”

Now that was a piece of news the old man was not happy to hear. He kept his professional bearing though. “I take it you took care of it?”

Gib nodded again, bowing his head slightly in the process. “We have. Both the skinwalker and the whipper are dealt with. I'd like to ask ye to forward the news to the city. They still need to send out another squad to plug that hole in our patrol network before anything worse can slip in.”

The forgeborn didn't protest. Quite the opposite was true actually. “I'll get our spell casters to send the message. Anyway, welcome to the watch post. Make yerself comfortable and rest up.” He turned to face me and my companion. “I'm sorry to say, we don't have any guest quarters up here designed for someone of yer stature. I hope ye can get in a good night's sleep anyway. Now please excuse me lads and ladies, I have an outpost to run and things to take care of.” With those words he was off.

As the old man disappeared Gib directed us through the much more narrow corridors of the outpost. It was the first time in a while I actually felt a little claustrophobic. I couldn't help but notice that the place was rather quiet, especially compared to Heath Forge. There probably weren't all that many warriors or scouts stationed here. They probably didn't need all that much manpower though. It was only a watch post after all. A squad or two? Three at most to keep up proper watch rotations? Did this place even have dedicated support staff?

It probably didn't matter anyway. In all likelihood we wouldn't be staying for long. I appreciated the chance to get a good night's sleep though. After being on edge for days it made all the difference. The place wasn't all that big either. Thus we reached our destination pretty quickly. There were several mostly identical rooms hewn from the rock serving as living quarters. Some were clearly occupied and Xue mimed for us to be quiet. The soft snores coming from one of these rooms left no doubt as for the reason. Gib's squad picked one of the rooms left unoccupied and Gash'zur and I got another for ourselves right next to it.

We just dropped our packs there. Later we would have to rearrange the available furniture in creative ways to make our beds but we'd worry about that once it was time. For now we headed to the mess hall with the others. The meal was barely a notch above trail rations and we had to supplement it with some of the things we had brought. My appetite and that of the giantess at my side was beyond what the garrison was used to as well. I couldn't fault them for that though. I was just glad I didn't have to do any of the cooking or the dishes afterwards.

The meal was a rather silent affair but I didn't mind that either. Afterwards we didn't return to our quarters right away though. Instead Gib led us up some stairs and out another steel door. This one didn't exactly lead out of the the outpost though. Although maybe it did. On the other side we found ourselves on a rocky gallery facing out over the mountain range. A cold wind greeted us as we left the confines of the fortified outpost behind.

Two guards greeted us with silent nods. They paid us hardly any mind though. Their attention was on what lay beyond the outer edge of the gallery. The Eye of Gondragar was indeed an impressive sight. It was far enough away that I couldn't feel any of the warmth the lava lake must have spread though. Instead I felt only the icy wind chill and wrapped my arms around myself. They probably didn't want to get too close to the dragon's home. The goblins probably didn't want to draw its attention either.

Impressive as the volcano might have been, my attention was quickly drawn by some other sight and I wasn't the only one, judging by the exclamations of surprise and wonder some of Gib's comrades made. I just smiled quietly and enjoyed the sight as the sky slowly darkened above us and the first stars came out. And as Gash'zur wrapped an arm around my waist I leaned into her slightly for additional warmth.

Right then and there the clear night sky was the prettiest thing in the world as far as I was concerned. My brows furrowed though as I realized that something was marring that beauty. There, in the north, out in the ancient desert a malevolent green glow blotted out some of the stars closest to the horizon. “What accursed foulness is that?”

It was one of the guards who answered my questions. “Supposedly there is an ancient city out there, or at least what is left of it, at the very heart of the shimmering desert. That glow is new though and it has been getting worse. Especially ever since the dragon headed there.”