"Hm," said Li as he saw sunlight and blue skies. The pillar of flesh continued to raise the chrysalis up, outside of the gate and onto the very top of the mountain where finally, it laid the chrysalis down on flat, smoothened stone. 

"What is it?" asked Old Thane. The old man knew Li well enough to differentiate between what his 'I see's and 'Hm's meant, and this time, the 'hm' was one of serious contemplation. "A matter of concern, lad?" 

"Not anything too serious," said Li as he saw the flesh pillar withdraw and the domed gates close. "I was sensing the blackened flesh all throughout our ascent, getting a read of its movements and its scale. It managed to bring us up through the entire length of the mountain with little issue, and I reason it could have sent us away even further. 

The sheer amount of flesh linked to Tyr is staggering. If he unleashed all of it, I have no doubt he could easily crush entire armies."

"A right tragedy he does not raise his strength with us," said Old Thane. "But I know well how a warrior's heart may struggle. I cannot blame him for his inaction." 

"I am not entirely sure I still trust him," said Mercer. "He is a dwarf. He may yet trick us."

"And what doth it matter that he is a dwarf?" said Asala. "Thou hath not seen much of the world not read its rightful histories. Keep thy mind open and do not let thy misconceptions shadow what thou can learn from this adventure."

"You are right," said Mercer. "I should not assume anything. My apologies."

"Thou at the least hath a mind open to learning." Asala's thin, black lips curved slightly in a half smile. "If thou art truly curious, and curiosity, I do respect, then in times of rest upon our journey, I will not be opposed to learning thee of true history."

Mercer's eyes brightened up. "I would very much like that."

"As would I," said Mason. "Seeing so much so quickly, how this world is so big and full of so many dangers – it makes me feel so very small in comparison. It will do well for me to learn, if only to better acquaint myself with dangers to protect my dolt of a brother."

"Hold that feeling of smallness to your heart lad," said Old Thane. "The smaller you feel now, the more you appreciate the great big wideness of the world in the future."

"Understood," said Mason, his tone deferential. 

It was evident that Old Thane had some reputation that garnered respect among the brothers. Unsurprising considering the old man was a war hero. 

"But say," said Mercer. "Asala, are you hard of hearing? When Tia chewed upon the scale, the noise nearly split my ear in two, and yet, you were fine."

"Ah," said Asala. She put a pale finger to her elongated, nearly elfin ears. "Our ears work differently than thee of warm blood. We do not so much hear sound as we feel it, and that which may sound harsh and grating to thee may be muted to mine own senses."

"Lucky," said Sheela as she scratched her fluffy blonde ear. "Crunching sounds very hard to hear. My ears sensitive."

"Sorry," said Tia, her voice a little bit sleepy but still remorseful. 

"No, dragon cub, no sorry," said Sheela. She smiled at Tia warmly, her gaze filled with patience that was unsurprising considering she had a little sister. "I am not bothered. But still-," She looked at Vilga who stood tall and strong with her arms crossed, looking out at the rolling view below the mountaintop. "You seem fine, and I know your kind have ears like me."

"I have learned to meditate," said Vilga. "I can ignore distractions."

"And your common very good," said Sheela. "Make me jealous."

Vilga closed her eyes. "I have been a slave far longer than you have, so I have learned common for longer as well."

It stood to reason that Vilga, having been a slave to the fighting pits for most of her life, would have fluency in the common tongue. 

"I remember now," said Sheela. She frowned. "Sorry."

Vilga kept her eyes closed, remembering, but she smiled, her fangs baring. "No need for sorrow. The pits made me strong, and I like being strong." 

She opened her eyes to the present, her deep blue pupils taking in the magnificent scene atop the mountain. Clouds gathered just below the mountaintop in faint, wispy strips, and beneath them, the rolling mountainside was visible, stretching far out into the foggy distance. There were patches of green dotting the rocky mountain, but aside from that, there was no sense of life at all.

Just pure and unadulterated silence. The undead haze around and within the mountain had ensured that no life had ever been able to take back the mountain for two centuries. That took away little from the majesty of the view. 

In the distance, the two mountaintops that made up the rest of the Triforge mountains peaked above the clouds, and beneath them, massive bridges of black metal linked each mountain. The dwarven people might have long left this world, but their works, the great marvel of nature they lived on, all remained standing in some way. Memories carved into the earth that showed that they were here, that they had lived and died just like any other mortal race. 

Vilga grew somber as her eyes took in the scenery. "I did not just leave to fight strong beings, though I would like that. I left because I wanted to know if there was something more for my life than fighting. I never knew anything else other than it because it was forced on me. 

Maybe, in this big world, I thought, I would find something else to make my heart race. This place makes me feel small, but like the old man said, I like the feeling. It makes me hopeful that the world has something else other than the fight." 

Asala scribbled on her tablet as she glanced up at Vilga. "That is the first that thou hath spoken so much. I mean no offense, but thy words are quite elegant. Far moreso than I would have thought. It is evident that thou hath done much reflection into thy self, and I shalt say now that thy story is one that I too eagerly record." 

Vilga blushed but maintained her stoic, crossed arms posture, her tree trunk like arms rippling with muscle. "I…I do not like to speak much, but I think much, and just now, I felt it right to speak my mind. Something about this place."

"And a good thing you did," said Li. He deactivated the chrysalis, and it faded like a mirage. "All the better for us to know each other better."

"This place has magic," said Sheela. "Maybe why you felt like talking more." She tapped her foot on the floor, drawing attention to it.

The mountaintop was small and carved down to a flat surface inscribed with countless runes in a circular pattern. When Li read them, he found they were runes symbolizing reflection, thought, and understanding. 

"I am shaman, so I know," said Sheela. "We focus in places of power. Like this one. Makes us think and feel in some way. Connect to spirits. This place used for shamans. Dwarf shamans, I think." She tilted her head, closing her eyes and letting the feeling of the place sink into her. "A calm place. For calm magic. Thinking magic. Not like mine."

"And what do you practice?" asked Mercer.

Sheela smiled. "Blood magic. We focus in blood pools. Guts of the hunted on us. Makes us hungry. Fiercer. Close to the hunt." She licked her lips. "Want to hunt."

"Aha…I understand," said Mercer as he stepped back, quite intimidated. 

"There must be a spirit this connects to, then," said Li. 

"No more." Sheela shook her head. "Place has some power, but spirit dead. Would have been gentle spirit."

"This was altar of Vale, primal spirit of sight. Farsight, insight – all of it under her domain," said Asala as she looked down at the runes, reading them and remembering from her own studies and readings. "It is recorded that dwarves devoted to Vale were gifted her eyes. Eyes pale red like blood. Hair silver like tempered steel."

"I see," said Li. He filed the knowledge in his head, but he focused more on the feeling of the place around him. 

It had a scholarly air to it too. One he rather liked. Were the spirit Vale to have been alive, no doubt, he felt he would have gotten along with her. But now was not time to dwell in the past. There was much adventure waiting ahead.

He snapped his fingers, bidding the Vukanovi to reach his location. It had been unable to enter the tunnels leading into the Triforge mountains, but Li had beckoned it to scale the mountain while keeping track of Li's location so that when they left the mountain, they would have transport ready and available.

Because Tyr had so suddenly taken Li and the party out of the mountain, the Vukanovi was scrambling to scale the mountainside to reach them, but it would come in due time.

"Many things dead or lost from demons," said Sheela. She balled her hand into a resolute fist. "But I fix that. Take back Nadir and protect my people. Give them freedom."

"All of you have such grand goals, and the strength to achieve them." Mason spoke up, his voice a little quiet. "And I am here merely trying to get a good adventure in."

"And in adventure, we will find grand goals and more," said Mercer. He lightly punched his older brother's shoulder in comforting gesture.

"Aye," said Old Thane. "And did ye lads not draw your blades to defend your homes? That is noble goal enough. Let not others and their goals distract ye from yours. After all, for now, we are all in this party together, and together, we will adventure, no matter how small or big or weak or strong we are."

"Always together!" said Tia as she nuzzled into Li's chest, hugging him far tighter than usual, and it was because he knew she had felt alone and afraid. Feelings from synchronizing with Tyr. They were feelings she hated the most, but she had been strong and not let them show in front of Tyr because she did not want him to feel bad.

Li put his arms around Tia, running a hand through her roughened hair. He looked out to the horizon, westward, beyond the veil of cloud, where past the bridges linking the Triforge peaks together, there would be an entirely new land.

The Hinterlands. The Shibboleth. Then, even further west than that, En Arkennan - land of the demons. It filled him with a sense of anticipation, of adventure, that he thought he had long lost.

But no matter the scale of adventure, where it would lead him, he knew one thing to be sure:

"Always together," he repeated as held Tia tight to him, feeling the life of the rest of his party also beating, relying on him, and yet also striving ever forwards.