~Chapter 2~
Aero and Jirro effortlessly jumped meters into the air at a time, scaling the mountains up to the cavern where the gem was said to preside. Ruben and Temp much more carefully treaded through the terrain of the mountain. They crossed a metal bridge over a stream of lava. Aero and Jirro waited patiently at the mouth of the cave.
"How did you two get so much stronger?" Temp asked as he reached them, "Last year you didn't stand a chance against me."
Aero simply said, "We trained a lot."
Temp rolled his eyes. He didn't know what he expected.
The four stood at the mouth of the cavern, illuminated by the flowing lava inside. They headed inside. A thin trail of magma ran across the ground, while the others stepped over it, Temp stepped directly into without a care. Aero and Jirro began to sweat, but did their best to act like the heat wasn't affecting them.
The caverns separated into several paths, but they stayed together. In a dangerous place like this, it'd be unwise to take chances. In the distance they saw a great lizard like creature with brown skin and red-eyes, staring absent mindedly at a wall. Under its chin were prickly scales. A bearded dragon. It didn't seem to notice the group as they passed by it.
"Its sort of cool looking." Aero remarked.
Ruben walked directly up to the Bearded Dragon, its body dwarfing the boulder shaped child multiple times over. The beast looked like it was just large enough to swallow a person whole. The bearded dragon continued to stare blankly through the air like a statue, unaware of Ruben's presence.
"Be careful around that thing." Temp warned.
The bearded dragon's eyes drifted down and looked at Ruben. It stooped down, opened its mouth, and an orange light drifted from its mouth. The bearded dragon belched fire. Ruben was unaffected, merely closing his eyes as the flames drifted over him.
Ruben turned back to the others, "See. It's harmless."
The bearded dragon opened its mouth wide and lunged forward. The others froze up as Ruben disappeared down its throat. The beast belched fire after completing its meal, and stared blankly into the air once more.
Aero, Jirro and Temp froze... and then they panicked.
"What do we do? What do we do?!" Aero spouted.
"Should we try to get him out?" Jirro frantically asked. "How could we do that?"
"I mean; we're probably going to have the kill the thing!" Temp shouted, "Cut it open and pull Ruben out."
All the while the bearded dragon sat idly by, paying the three no mind. But then the creature began to convulse. It opened its mouth and violently wretched. In moments Ruben was vomited from the bowels of the beast, covered in sticky fluids, and the creature scurried away with great speed.
Ruben sat in the fluids, his red irises dilated within his eye stones.
"Ruben! Are you okay?" Aero asked as they circled around him.
Ruben sat in shock. Its irises were very dilated within it's eyestones. Ruben sat up, "I'm so glad I don't have to eat like the rest of you. That was disgusting!"
After Ruben recovered they continued through the caverns. When they came across other bearded dragons they kept their distance. Temp and Jirro looked over the environment for any sign of the gem. Aero led the way, he had a feeling they were close.
Aero saw a boy farther down into cavern, wearing ragged and tattered garbs, a leather, and a featureless white mask that hid all but his eyes.
Aero gritted his teeth, it was him again.
Aero sprinted through the caverns after the boy. The boy flicked a finger at the cavern ceiling above him, and a purple beam of light was emitted from his finger. As it struck the ceiling, the ground cracked, and magma spewed from it. Aero charged forward and made it through before the lava could strike the ground.
"Aero!" Jirro shouted from behind the lava fall. He hadn't seen the masked boy or saw what happened. The falling magma separated Aero from the others.
Aero knew the masked boy was after the gem too, he had to find it first! The masked boy began to gently levitate into the air and flew, and Aero followed close behind.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
