《Fire Breather》Chapter 014
Advertisement
Markus finds himself winding through the woods again following the fairies. They've been traveling for a while, but Aurora explains the vantage point she wants everyone to see is just ahead of their position. She only describes it as a great view and nice place for a rest.
Curiosity fills Markus, and he presses Aurora for an answer of what they'll see. “So... this cliff view. You really think it will help?” He asks, but Aurora is tight lipped. A few sporadic attempts are made as they continue moving forward, but she provides nothing extra.
Unsurprisingly, Eclair eventually joins Markus in pestering Aurora for information. Eclair's curiosity was also sparked, and the constant deflections from Aurora only served to make it grow. She flies next to Aurora and rapidly starts shooting off various questions in an effort to get clues. Questions such as “Is there a waterfall?” and “How high is it?” and so on.
As that is happening, Markus is silently enjoying Eclair wear down Aurora. It's difficult to see from his point of view, but he imagines Aurora being slowly overtaken by the cheerful personality of Eclair. However, he's also impressed that Aurora is actually trying to answer everything in some way.
It doesn't take long before Aurora has had enough. Markus hears an audible groan from her as she simply gives up. She says to Eclair “Alright! Enough questions. Trust me, it's better just to see it. Not many folks know about this cliff overlook because it's out of the way. It's one of my favorite places to visit.”
Aurora's response was firm, and quickly makes Eclair shut down on asking further questions. A few minutes pass in silence before Eclair speaks up by saying “I'm sorry, I got carried away. I've never been to this area and wasn't sure what to expect.”
There isn't an immediate response from Aurora as she keeps staring straight ahead, but she suddenly lets out a sigh. Turning to face Eclair, she says “Don't worry about it. Besides... I wouldn't take us anywhere dangerous. I wouldn't be a very good guide if I got us all killed right?” They both laugh, and a renewed calm returns to the pair.
Advertisement
After following Aurora for a while longer, the group finally nears the cliff overlook. The hike felt rougher than usual, with the rocky ground and uneven terrain forcing Markus to slow down. He was quietly observing how Aurora and Eclair glided in the air, ignoring all obstacles below. Even the many leaves and branches of the trees posed no issues for the pair. As the group nears their destination, Aurora flies ahead, but quickly comes back after verifying they were indeed at her spot.
“You're almost there. Just keep going straight.” Aurora says to Markus as he continues his hike. She then waves to Eclair, and points in the direction of the overlook. Eclair quickly gets the hint, and flies ahead to see the view herself. “We'll be waiting for you.” Says Aurora, as she too flies away.
“I hope the view is worth it.” Markus replies in a ragged tone to himself. It only takes a few more minutes before he starts seeing trees thinning out ahead, with blue sky behind them. He now moves faster, knowing his goal was right in front of him.
Markus passes the last line of trees, and suddenly the world opens up for him. The cliff is a dozen yards away, with Aurora and Eclair already staring out. They both cast a glance back, before returning to their sightseeing. Walking closer to the edge, he finally sees the beautiful view first hand. Hills covered by a diverse woodland of green, with open clearings and jagged rocks breaking the uniformity of the land. Looking farther beyond the hills, Markus sees the landscape quickly flatten and the woods disappear. A sea of gold and green grasses starts to form, and continues far into the horizon.
Rocks and stones have created a natural barrier at the edge of the cliff, preventing the growth of trees to obstruct the view. Markus cautiously looks down over the edge, seeing a deadly drop of several hundred yards. In each direction, the view continues for almost the same distance. Taking the time to enjoy the sight, Markus once again feels nostalgia flow into him. Everything seems so similar to where he's from, yet nothing makes sense.
Advertisement
“Well... I guess it was.” Markus softly says to himself. Both girls look toward him, not catching what was said. He then asks out loud “Aurora, where do we go from here?” while gazing out across the land.
“We won't make it to Montillo before dark, so we'll stop at a place on the way with abandoned buildings for camp.” Aurora says, and then flies closer to Markus to catch his attention. Pointing to a spot between some hills at the 2 o'clock position from where they stand, she says “Look, you can see some of Montillo.”
Markus' eyes follow her pointed finger, and sees several buildings in the distance. It's clearly a town, but most of it is obstructed behind a hill. From what can be seen, the buildings are eerily similar to many of the old western towns he's visited over his life.
Another odd and sinking feeling forms inside Markus. His eyes begin to search the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of any familiar landmarks. Turning around, Markus now understands they're at the western edge of a great mountain range.
“This really is a great spot Aurora. I wouldn't expect this view out here, considering it's not too far from Little Creek.” Eclair says delightfully. The girls are still admiring the view, unaware of the growing nervousness from Markus. “I bet if you came out here at night, you would get a lovely view to the Sister Moons.”
“Moons!?” Markus yells in surprise. His head snaps back to the fairies, who are already looking at him with confusion. For the first time since leaving the cavern, Markus tilts his head directly upward into the sky. His eyes open wide in panic at the sight he sees, sweat forming on his brow, and breathing turning deep.
Markus' left hand loosens itself off the fore grip of the rifle, causing it to swing downward. The right hand soon follows, and with a thud, a metal sound echoes into the air from his dropped rifle. It was shock, and surprise, and despair all at once for Markus. High above him, there really were two moons.
The largest looked very similar to the moon he's always known. It's body partially covered by the effects of daytime, colored with blended white and gray patterns. But behind it, and just to the left, sits another partially covered moon half its size. It's dark colored red and rusty tint make it stand out against the endless blue all around it.
“Markus! Are you okay?” Aurora suddenly yells out with Eclair beside her. Both of their faces showing concern, watching as Markus blankly stares into the sky.
“I'm... I'm fine.” Markus weakly responds. Turning to the girls, a half smile tries to form, but his face betrays any sort of calm. A deep panic has set in, and it was clearly showing. He could no longer lie to himself. He could no longer make excuses or theories about his predicament. Markus knew now with absolute certainty, he was far away from home, in an unknown world.
Advertisement
- In Serial30 Chapters
Keeper
When I first woke up I knew only three things: My name is Reiza, I have a seed I need to care for, and a song. I was told that the forest I woke up in was mine and that I needed to take control of it and protect it. The only things standing in my way are nature itself, a bunch of strange floating boxes, and a group of crazy powerful creatures known as the forest queens. Sounds pretty simple right? It might be if it weren't for the fact that I have absolutely zero memory, but hey at least I know my name. Also apparently my enemies aren't only inside the forest. Forces from the outside got news that somthing was going down in my new home and are coming to crash my party. Can I claim this forest? Can I protect it? And most importantly can I figure out who I am and what's going on? I'm not sure but I'm going to try. Hey everyone I'm fairly new to writing novles and this is my first time ever putting my work on a site like this one. I hope you enjoy the story and would appreciate your feedback. I would ask that you read through at least a couple of chapters before leaving a rating. I know I have some trouble with grammer and how I structure some of my sentences and while feedback on that is appreciated what I would value most is feedback on the story as a whole in terms of how the plot works and if you are enjoying it or not. Cover art by Kalhh from Pixabay
8 243 - In Serial207 Chapters
The God in the Grove
The village of Roads End, lying on the outskirts of man’s territory near the Deep Forest, knew nothing about the rising tensions among the nearby countries. They lived in peace, receiving the occasional trader while being largely avoided by the strange beasts that roamed the wood. Though most didn’t believe in the forgotten god whose shrine resided just within the forest, they appreciated the quiet village and the cures and tonics the local temple provided. Maria, a young priestess serving the nameless god, lived happily with her Grandmother in the small temple. Even she wasn’t sure about truth behind the small shrine within the mysterious grove. But when tragedy comes to her home, Maria will be forced to rely on… The God in the Grove… New chapter every Sunday and Wednesday night!
8 1740 - In Serial19 Chapters
Just Another Isekai
Two friends are at school, two friends are killed at school, two friends are reincarnated into another world. Do they become leechers who try to build a harem? Do they become mob charecters that control everything from the shadows? Do they end up dying and getting reincarnated again? I don't know, I'm not a psychic. *Warning* This is mostly being written for fun but any and all critisms are welcomed. Even if I am doing it for fun, I still wanna get better because I know I have plenty of room to improve. I do plan on having the readers direct which way the story goes. I have a somewhat busy schedule but I'll try to update as frequently as I can.
8 163 - In Serial14 Chapters
Emerald Gaze
Just as a rough young girl seems to have hit rock bottom, a stroke of fate turns what was about to become one of the lowest moments of her life into a shining opportunity to carve out a new path for herself when it is discovered she has a great talent within her. She need only learn how to use the new tools available to her to do so. Well that is if she can actually figure out how in the hells things work around here. Seriously, why is she expected to just know around half of these things when they hadn't even mattered to her until now? Partially inspired by Forge of Destiny.
8 113 - In Serial20 Chapters
Diana Swan - Jane And Alec
Hi I'm Diana Lily Swan, younger sister to Bella Marie Swan, daughter of Charlie Swan and Renee Dwyer. Sorry I have to go pack, moving to my dad's house in Forks, Washington.⚠Discontinued⚠This story is being rewritten and will be republished on a later date.
8 176 - In Serial29 Chapters
The Adventures of Ray Gunn: Be A Shining Light
Raymond Gunn is a man who has a loving family, a thriving business, and a good future ahead of him. All of that was built on a marker. When the marker is called due, Ray will find himself in a race to prevent the destruction of reality.
8 89

