The party stepped out of the forest and directly under a mountain.

The storm has passed over the band the pervious night with nothing but a light rain. Everett had been successful in using Greegan’s bow to shoot breakfast, a wild gazelle, allowing them to save their much compromised ration supply.

They had also seemed to have lost the Kikapa war party. But Kage’s group traveled wearingly. They had also noticed a strikingly uncharacteristic drop in temperature as the sun rose and had lately had to cover their entire bodies in the thick furs and gloves they had brought.

Now before them it seemed they had found the source. However strange it seemed, it was below freezing here, and small wisps of cloud-like vapor rose from the volcano’s mouth. The war party pulled out the mountain climbing gear Kage had ordered them to buy before the trip and they began climbing.

Stalfor stopped for a drink as Kage continued to climb up past him. He lifted his canteen to his lips, but there was only a sip left. “Hey elf,”, he said as Everett grabbed a ledge right below him, “I ran outta juice. Lemme have soma yurs, okay?” “Sure thing, Stale Floor.”, he replied, lifting himself up and handing him his canteen.

Stalfor took a sip and spit it out. “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!?”

“Uh, water.”, Everett replied simply.

“Ye waz gonna be leavin’ yur home for weeks on end and ya tell me ya didna fill yur canteens with ale?!?!?”, boomed the alcoholic dwarf.

“Water’s good enough. Ale will dehydrate you and….”

Stalfor huffed. “All right. All right. Sins I dunna hav a choice, I guez i’ll havta get used to this…. wuzi call’d again?”

“Water.”

“Water.”, Stalfor repeated.

The mountain began to shake.

“Everybody back down!!!!”, Kage cried, but it was too late.

Huge chunks of ice, propelled by highly pressurized gasses below the crust, shot out from the volcano. Blankets of ice showered the climbers as they kept their faces down to the ground with their arms over their heads. Every so often a small glacier would crash nearby them, foretelling a possible end to their life in the near future. But the eruption was small.

It lasted less than a minute and then was over.

After it was over, the party looked up in awe.

“A volcano?”, said Billard.

“A frozen volcano.”, said Denier. A channel leading deep into the ground where incredibly varying temperatures propelled super frozen vapors at high speeds through the crust. After the latest release of gas, the surrounding temperature was twice as cold as has been just a few minutes ago.

Kage made sure everyone was okay and then convinced them to continue climbing.

More than half way up, Billard spotted three figures below them.

“Viper! Marina!”, Billard shouted. Everett volunteered to stay behind to help them up while the others continued, and if possible, set camp somewhere nearby.

“Greetings!”, said Viper as the three climbed up to the elf.

“Yeah…”, replied Everett.

It was freezing when Everett got to the top. He saw a rope bridge going over the mouth of the volcano, where the others seemed to have gone. He then turned and helped Marina up, who then jumped up and wrapped Everett in her arms giving him a long, passionate kiss. Everett explained that the others needed her and to try and catch up with them. Not knowing the extent of their needs, Marina ran off in a hurry.

Everett let Viper and Gandalph climb to the top. Gandalph by now had taken his cap off, sewn the flame patch originally on his chest to his sleeve, and had dyed his hair green. Everett didn’t know who this strange boy was and he didn’t care.

Viper knew when he reached the top, there was something wrong. He quickly analyzed the elf. Everett still had his two long swords at his belt. Viper did not like Everett. Everett was an arrogant prick who had tried to control the expedition from the start. But Viper respected his battle prowess. Viper knew the swords he carried were magical and knew well Everett’s abilities in using them. If there was going to be a fight, he was going to be hard pressed. Gandalph finished his climb up.

“I watched the two of you, you know, through my crystal ball.”, said Everett, confidentially, and began to whisper some words.

“Oh? What did you see, fairy?”, Viper asked.

“Here’s a hint!”, Everett shouted at the completion of his spell. He shot his arms out a great bolt of lightning hit Viper squarely in the chest propelling him back quite a number of feet. He hit the ground hard, his last thoughts being of how unfair it was that people like him could wield such power.

“When you enter Hades, tell them a fairy sent you!”, said Everett. He then turned towards Gandalph and started casting again.

“Uh, I give up.”, said Gandalph in an almost bored tone, half-heartedly raising his arms in the air.

Everett stopped casting. “All right. Maybe next time you’ll learn.”, he said. With that, he walked on towards the party.

Gandalph had no intentions on following.