Dragon Prince: Warrior

Chapter Three: Cursed Caldera

As they followed Ellis and Ava into the forest, Sierra kept herself slightly ahead of the leading duo as she stayed on lookout.
"So, hi there." Sierra could tell that Rayla is trying her best to be friendly towards the young girl and waved at her. "And, who are you, exactly?"
"Me? I'm Ellis." The young girl spoke in her chipper voice. "And this is Ava. She's a wolf." Ellis patted Ava and smiled at Rayla.
"Wolf? You don't say," Rayla said sarcastically. "I thought she might be a bird."
Ava wasn't sure if the elf was serious, so she gave her a huge sloppy kiss on the side of her face. That out to prove she was a wolf.
Rayla cringed, while Sierra chuckled at the sight.
A few yards ahead of them, Callum turned around. "Oh, I should have introduced you guys." He had avoided introduction thus far because he wasn't sure if Ellis's unbridled enthusiasm would mix well with Rayla's dry sarcasm, and it seemed he was right. But he'd put it off long enough. "Ellis, this is Rayla. We originally met, because, well..." Callum scratched his head. There was no delicate way to phrase the exceptionally beginnings of their relationship with Rayla. So he spoke quickly, with as much cheerfulness as he could. "She broke into our castle on a mission to kill Ezran." Rayla looked at Ellis with sheepish smile and shrugged.
Sierra's eyes widened at that before she recovered from her horrified shock. She remembered the news of King Harrow's assassination, but she had no idea that the assassins were after Ezran too. Though, she guessed that they spared him since the Dragon Prince still lives. She knew that humans and elves don't get along, but can miracles can happen at times by the circumstances.
"But it doesn't matter." Ezran waved his hand as if to brush off this old news. "We're past all that now."
"People meet in so many interesting ways," Ellis squeaked.
"You can say that again," muttered Sierra.
Rayla was skeptical of Ellis, but she seemed appreciated a human who didn't seem to mind elves. "Well, now that we're completed the introductions, how do we find the healer?"
"Truth is, I never found her — she found us," Ellis said. "We were hiding in a big, twisty, hollow tree, up near the rim." Ellis pointed to the peak.
Sierra followed Ellis's finger and her eyes flashed determinedly. "Looks like we have to go there then."
"We need to get to that tree," Callum said. "Even if it takes all night."
"Wait a second." Rayla held up her hands. "That's all we have to go on? A weird tree where this miracle worker showed up two years ago?"
"It's our only chance," Callum said. "Got a better idea?"
"As a matter of fact—" Rayla began. But she had nothing. "No."
Ava pranced by Callum and Rayla, as Ellis spoke. "Now that we've settled that. I'll get us to that tree, the healer will find us there, and she'll save the egg."
"And maybe she can help your hand," Ezran said to Rayla.
"Don't worry about my hand." Rayla started cradling her useless limb. "The egg is all that matters now."
So, one foot in front of another, as the afternoon wore on, they climbed the Cursed Caldera. They jumped over ledges, climbed rickety fallen trees, and walked single file along narrow ridges. The hours passed quickly as they navigated the many obstacles, and by the time they reached a clearing halfway up the mountain, the day was ending. Ellis and Ava rode out onto a jutting edge. The sun was low, and the sky was on fire with a blazing sunset and into a calming twilight.
"It's so beautiful," said Ellis with a sigh. "It's like the sky is painted with honey."
"Wow." Ezran looked up to take in the magenta and amber twilight sky.
"Too bad it also means the nightmares are about to begin," Ellis said.
"What do you mean, 'the nightmares'?" Rayla asked.
"She's talking about the monsters who live here," explained Sierra with a hand on the hilt of her sword. "That's why the villagers never come up here."
"You know," Ellis continued in a cheery voice. "Enormous monsters and indescribable terrors, stuff like that."
"Stuff like that," echoed Callum.
"Yeah!" Ellis assured them. "And the higher we go, the worse it will get."
"All right—well, let's go!" Rayla said, pumping a fist with most enthusiasm.
"No, no wait," said Callum. "We're going to need a plan."
"He's not wrong." Sierra stepped next to him, her expression grim and determined. "It's dangerous going into uncharted territory without having any knowledge about it."
Callum's eyes brightened with an idea and a surprising air of leadership surrounded him. "Everyone!" His friends looked at him. "I got an idea." Everyone stepped in a circle around Callum and listened to his plan.
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The sun had set completely on the Cursed Caldera, and the sky was growing darker by the minute. Up high, the flora was scarce and the trees barren, and the forest floor had given way to a dusty, dried mud. Misty clouds obscured the path, but Bait glowed softly in Ezran's hands, illuminating the way.
Sierra walked cautiously, prepared for the nightmares Ellis had warned them of, but so far all was calm.
"Well, it's dark," Callum said. "But I think the scariest thing I've heard so far is this angry cricket." He bent over a rock to look at the chirping insect. "And he doesn't even sound that angry, more like mildly annoyed."
Sierra gave the cricket an annoyed stare. "The feeling's mutual."
"Yeah... are you sure this is Cursed Caldera?" asked Ezran. "Or did we accidentally go wandering up Hundrum Hill?" Everyone laughed nervously at Ezran's joke.
"Maybe we took a wrong turn and wound up on Sleepy Slope," Rayla said, another round of laughter could be heard.
"Or maybe we are on Annoyance Path?" asked Sierra sarcastically, earning another round of laughter.
"Moving on," Ellis said. "It is a little odd that nothing bad has happened yet." She looked up as the clouds over the moon started to clear. "Maybe we're just luck—Ahhh! There's a huge scary monster!" Ellis pointed right behind Callum and Sierra.
"What?!" Sierra instinctively jumped away from the monster and pulled out her sword in a swift motion.
"Ahhhhhh!" Callum screamed.
"But don't worry, it's dead," said Ellis.
"Why did you say it like that?" asked Callum, sounding completely winded.
"Say it like what?" Ellis asked in her upbeat squeal.
Callum shook his head and Sierra let out a sigh with a hand over her racing heart and put her sword away. Somehow no matter what Ellis said, she always sounded excited.
Ava trotted over to the swampy bog area where the monster was, and the group followed. As the mist cleared and the full light of the moon shone down, they could see a massive creature sprawled across their path, flat and lifeless.
Ezran approached the creature. "I've never seen anything like this." The monster seemed like a cross between a lion and a rodent, but it was about the size of an elephant. "And look at those circles on its fur. They reminded me of a target. What a strange birthmark." Ezran pointed at a circular pattern on the beast's abdomen and reached out to put his hand on its side.
"Don't touch it!" Callum yelled. "I don't think that's a birthmark. It's a bite mark."
Ezran examined the creature again.
Sierra grimaced at that fact. "That's creepy and gross."
"You're right," Rayla said to Callum. She gestured to the creature's unnaturally pale skin. "Something drained all its blood."
"Sluuuuuurrrp."
They all froze at the noise from behind them. It had come from behind the dead monster.
"Guys," Ellis said. "I see a much huger, scarier monster. And this one's alive."
She pointed to a huge shadow rising through the mist, and suddenly, a colossal leech appeared. The faceless, fifty-foot bloodsucker reared up over them, teeth bared.
"Okay, I'm not feeling bored anymore," said Ezran.
The leech screeched at a painful pitch and everyone covered their ears.
"The plan! The plan!" Callum called out. "Time for the plan. Ezran — go!"
"Okay, okay." Ezran looked in his arms, where Bait had been sitting seconds ago. "Wait, where's Bait?"
Bait's ears perked up at the sound of his name. He'd been trying to catch the cricket. But if it was time for the plan, he'd have to abandon his snack aspirations. He gathered up all his glow and let it flash freely.
Everyone else tried to cover their eyes, but it was too late; they were momentarily blinded.
"Too soon!" Callum cried as he stumbled around.
The colossal leech smacked down near Ellis and Ava. Ava took off, but ran right into Ezran, who was on his knees, patting the ground in a blind search for Bait.
Callum's sight was starting to come back, but everything was still fuzzy. "Scatter! Run!" His vision recovered.
Sierra shook her head as her vision have started to come back. She flinched when she saw the leech and immediately started climbing the nearest tree till she's out of the leech's reach and watched on from there.
Callum took off behind Ellis and Ava, the leech nipping at his heels. "This way, Callum." Ellis reached her hand down to Callum. "Ava will get us out of here."
Callum grabbed hold of Ellis's arm and lurched onto Ava's back. The wolf bounded through the trees, but the leech was surprisingly agile for its size and stayed right on their tail.
Callum had just about lost hope when Ava scrambled up a pile of rocks, leaving the leech below. It roared after them in frustration, then slithered off toward Rayla and Ezran.
Rayla used her good arm to snatch Ezran and Bait out of the way of the coming leech. "You can climb trees, right?" Without waiting for a response, she pushed Ezran and Bait up onto the nearest branch and they scrambled to safety. Rayla used her good hand to stick her blade into the bark of the tree and flung herself into the leaves, coming up beside Ezran and Bait. From their high perch, they stared down at the monster.
"What do we do now?" asked Rayla. "I think that thing is waiting for us at the bottom of the tree."
"We don't even have that much blood," Ezran noted.
"I know." Rayla soon shouted at the monster. "We would be a very unsatisfying snack!"
The leech roared.
"Guess not," grumbled Sierra from her tree.
"I guess an unsatisfying snack is still a snack," Rayla said.
Callum's voice suddenly rang out from the hillside. "We don't have a a choice. We'll just have to wait it out. I'm sorry my plan was a mess."
"Nah, your plan was fine," Rayla called back. "Our execution was a little off."
As they waited for a while, Sierra noticed that the leech is gone from her treetop. "Hey, guys! I think the leech is gone."
With the coast clear, Callum, Ellis, and Ava climbed down to meet Rayla, Ezran (and Bait), and Sierra at the base of the tree.
"It probably grew bored and took off somewhere else," said Sierra.
"See ya, sucker," Ezran called out. "Get it? Because it's a giant leech?"
Sierra nodded with an amused smirk. "Nice one."
"So... more of a description than an insult?" Callum asked.
"Little of both," said Ezran.
Callum nodded, impressed.
"Guys, it's probably gone but let's not taunt it, okay?" Rayla said. "There's a little thing called irony, where just as you say one thing like you're sure about it, that's when the opposite happens."
"Good point." Sierra looked around warily. "We better get—"
An earth-shattering screech interrupted Sierra. The group turned around to find that the colossal leech had returned and towering over them.
The monster reared up and prepared to strike. It lunged at the group, smashing its head into the ground and just missing everyone. Then it chased after the nearest prey, Ellis riding on Ava.
Ava circled around trees, evading the slithering beast, which soon turned its attention to Rayla.
Rayla scrambled up a tree and the leech switched directions again, this time focused on Ezran.
"The plan guys!" Callum called out. "The plan!" He pointed to Ezran. "Ez and Bait, you're up!"
Ezran hoisted Bait into the air and everyone covered their eyes.
The blinding light stunned the leech, which stopped its attack momentarily. Then Callum pointed at the duo and called out, "Now you two!"
Ellis and Ava leaped into action, riding around in circles with Ava barking madly. The leech twirled like a monstrous dancer. Here and there, Ava would take a nip at the blinded leech, which became increasingly disoriented.
He quickly glanced at Sierra. "Now!"
Sierra got out her transformed her sword into a bow and she loaded it with two arrows that should stun the leech for a bit. She nocked her two arrows into the string of her bow and pulled it back. She soon let go of the string and both arrows had hit the neck of the leech, making it screech in pain.
"Perfect." Callum smiled. "It's my turn now." Holding the primal stone in one hand, Callum traced the lightning tune in the air and an electric charge started to build. "Here goes nothing." Callum directed his hand at the leech.
"Fulminis!"
It worked. Lightning crackled out of Callum's hand, shocking the leech and sending it reeling backward. Callum's eyes widened with surprise.
"Callum!" Sierra yelled, snapping him back to focus. "The basted thing is still alive!"
"Right." Callum nodded to Rayla encouragingly. "Your turn, Rayla. You got this!"
Rayla leaped toward the disabled leech, approaching it with her blades poised as it thrashed on the ground. But just as she was about to strike, the leech reared up again and Rayla stumbled, falling backward. She dropped her blades a few feet behind her.
Everyone watched petrified as the leech lunged at her.
Rayla crab-walked backward and reached for a blade while the leech prepared to lunge again.
"Rayla!" Callum cried out.
The beast dove toward her as Rayla grabbed her blade and sprang up from the ground.
"Slash!"
She beheaded the colossal leech. It crumpled to the ground, where it thumped and moaned a few times. Then it was still.
Rayla leaned over with her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. That was too close for comfort. She wiped the sweat from her brow.
A cacophony of ear-splitting squeals erupted from the direction of the leech.
"It can't be alive still," Sierra said.
She was right — the colossal leech was dead, but thousands of baby leeches were squirming out of its severed head, swarming the ground. In no time at all, they had slithered over Rayla's legs and were climbing up her body.
"Help me!" shouted Rayla.
Callum sprang to action. With self-assured hands, he held the primal stone our and traced the wind-breath rune in the air.
"Aspiro!" He took a deep breath, then blew all the tiny leeches off Rayla. "Yes! I knew that wind-blowing spell will be part of the plan!"
"Probably just for the leech," said Sierra wearily.
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"There's our tree." Ellis smiled at the sight of the tree. They had continued their climb toward the rim and the mist had lessened a bit. In the distance up ahead, a large lone tree stuck out from some craggy rocks. Moonlight lit up its lush leaves and wide truck.
Sierra was tired, but determined to find this magical healer. She smiled and picked up the pace.
"We're almost there team!" Callum said. "We can make it to the rim. We're going to find the healer and save the egg!"
Just then, Ava whined and looked at Ezran with downcast eyes. Ezran put his hand in the wolf's soft brown fur and listened closely, but his heart broke when he heard what Ava had to say.
Ezran shook his head. "I have really bad news." He walked a few feet away from the group and then turned to face them. "Even if we make it to the rim, it doesn't matter. There is no miracle healer."
"What?" Rayla said. "What are you talking about?"
"What do you mean?" asked Sierra.
"Of course there's a healer," Callum said.
"No, there isn't." Ezran looked away from them.
"Why are you saying this?" Rayla asked.
Ezran looked at Ava, then back to the group. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."
Ellis and Rayla stared at Ezran with a mixture of sadness and confusion, while Sierra watched on with confused curiosity and his brother looked at him with lost confusion. After all this time, Ezran had almost killed his older brother due to his ability and Callum doesn't remember much about the accident.
"We're listening," said Sierra. "Tell us."
"I've always been different," Ezran said. "It's hard for me to fit in and make friends. At first, I didn't like it, but I realized fitting in is boring."
"It is," Rayla agreed. "You can only be yourself and that's what should matter."
"With animals somehow, I've always felt a connection." Ezran stroked Bait affectionately. "And a few years ago, I realized I could understand what they were saying." He noticed some hesitation in Rayla and Callum's eyes. "Do you guys believe me?"
"I think I understand." Sierra looked thoughtful as she gazed at him. "My mother once told me that some humans can subconsciously forge a subtle connection. It's not completely unheard of. Just not common either, even among mages."
"I wished someone told me that." He soon looked at Callum guiltily. "A few years ago, Callum wants to see my ability in action. Some raccoons told me there's treasure behind a waterfall and we've followed their instructions perfectly. But the raccoons tricked us and almost sent Callum to his death, if it weren't for Dad saving him from almost drowning." 
"That's what happened?" Callum looked at Ez with a startled gaze.
"Yes," said Ezran.
They shared worried and yet determined glances, then Callum walked towards him. "I do believe you have a passionate connection with creatures, Ezran, but the miracle healer is real. She has to be. And even if we might not find what we want up there... What other options do we have?"
"He's right guys," Ellis agreed. "Without that miracle healer or whomever it was...I wouldn't have my Ava." She hugged her wolf's head.
"We have to keep going to save the egg," said Sierra.
"We've come this far." Rayla stood tall and stared up at the tree. "We can't turn back now. Otherwise, this has all been for nothing." The group made their way upwards and upwards through the cliff.