Day 13
Raven woke up with a chill. A cool, morning breeze was moving along the field where Raven was sleeping. She wanted to pull her blanket up to her chin, and go back to sleep, but there was no time to spare. She briskly stood up, and threw her blanket into the backpack. She bit ate half of an energy bar, and then took off. If I keep this pace up, I should arrive at the bottom of the mountain in a few hours. She thought. She knew she would have to cover most of the mountain on foot, so she didn't miss any possible clues. She flinched as her hair, flapping around in the wind, slapped her face. That's why I keep my hair short. I wonder how Starfire manages to fly with such long hair. Raven wondered. She flew on as fast as her powers would take her, and kept her focus on finding the hidden spell book.
. . .
Landing at the base of the mountain, Raven took a few minutes to catch her breath. She shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked up at the mountain towering over her. Might as well get started. It's not going to be an easy climb. She thought. She followed the hiking trail that wound its way up the mountain, and pulled out the note again. High in the mountains of Jump Valley. That must mean it wasn't anywhere near the bottom. Suddenly, as Raven was about to put the note away, more writing began to appear. You've made it to the mountains. Good, you're doing well. Here's your next clue: High in the chilled air, a flaming dragon churns and boils year round, always ready to spit it's fire if it wishes to do so. Find the Fire Mountain, and you'll receive the next clue. That was it. Raven thought about what the clue could mean, and soon realized it must be referring to the Jump City Volcano. She looked in the direction of the tall volcano, steaming away. How do I get over there from here? She wondered. She continued up the dirt path, until she came to a divide in the dirt. An old, wooden sign was between the dividing line. It said nothing, for a moment. Suddenly, an arrow appeared on one side, pointing to the left trail. Raven raised an eyebrow. This guy must have set up the whole route. She thought. She went left, pushing through the overgrown trail, hoping this was the right way. She picked up a large branch, and used it as a hiking stick, helping her climb up the mountain. Eventually, she reached a narrow part of the trail. To her right, a straight up wall of stone, to her left, a terrifying one thousand foot drop. She shuddered, and tried not to look down. She carefully walked along the narrow trail, until she was back on wider ground. She had a clear view of the volcano now. This is going to be a bit more dangerous than I thought. Raven thought, trying to determine the best way to approach the volcano. She spotted something that caught her attention. She walked down the path for about a half an hour, and found what she had seen earlier. An old, wooden bridge, leading from the mountain she was on onto the volcano. She looked at the rickety wooden bridge, and the ropes holding it up. She stepped onto the first wooden plank, and it creaked under her weight. Raven sucked in her breath, and then got an idea. I can fly across. Duh. She said, attempting to take off. Except for some reason, she couldn't. She tried again. Nothing. Raven scowled, and pulled out the note. More writing had appeared. To truly test your bravery, you must walk the bridge. It read. Raven was getting annoyed. She shoved the note back into her backpack, and approached the end of the bridge. "Here we go." she said to herself, starting to run across the bridge. Bad idea. The bridge swayed back and forth from the force of her running feet. Raven stopped quickly, and grabbed the ropes for support. She glanced down towards the ground, five thousand feet below her. She felt queasy. She slowly walked the rest of the way across. The old wooden planks creaked and groaned under her weight. Once she reached the other side, she quickly jumped off the bridge, and looked towards the top of the volcano. It said once I reached the Fire Mountain, I would receive a clue. She thought to herself. She pulled her note out of the pack, and to her surprise, more writing had appeared. Finish the battle of the elements. Beat the Dragon of Fire, and receive what you came for. Raven wondered what the note meant. SSSSSSSBAM! A crackling ball of flames sailed past her shoulder, crashing into the rock ten feet in front of her. Raven whirled around, and stared in disbelief. A large, dragon shaped creature stood before her, on fire itself. A large red diamond hung around its neck, flames illuminating from inside. Steam rose from its nostrils. It drew in a breath, and flames rocketed from its mouth, straight at Raven. She hurled herself out of the way just in time. CRACK! The flames hit, and destroyed, a chunk of rock in the side of the mountain. Raven turned towards the bridge, wondering if she could make it back across. As she was about too step onto the bridge, a blazing fireball smashed into it, and the entire bridge collapsed. Raven swallowed. She tried to think as she avoided fireball after fireball. Battle of the Elements. Water vs Fire. But where do I get water? She wondered, narrowly avoiding another fireball. She heard a metal clunk in her backpack. Her eye's opened wide. The canteen! She quickly withdrew her water filled canteen from her backpack, and clutched it to her chest. She quickly scanned the large Fire Creature for a weak spot. She noticed that every time it blew fire at her, the large red jewel around its neck glowed brightly. She opened her canteen, and threw it as hard as she could at the creature's necklace. CLANK! The canteen hit the red diamond, and water splashed all over the jewel. The Dragon's eyes opened wide, and the red light illuminating from the diamond faded. The Fire creature tried to gain its balance, but had no luck. It stumbled backwards, and fell off the edge of the cliff, sailing towards the ground five thousand feet below. Raven winced as she heard the crash. Breathing heavily, Raven realized she was burned in a few places. She turned around, and leaned against the rock, waiting for something to happen. And something did. Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling sound, and a secret door disguised as rock began to open. Raven readied herself for what could possibly be on the other side. She almost laughed as an elderly man slowly walked out, squinting at her. "Well done, young warrior. You have passed the test, and defeated the Fire Dragon." he said. "Who are you? And what about the knowledge?" Raven asked, getting impatient. The old man laughed, and motioned for her to come closer. "Young ones, always in such a hurry these days. I'm Stephen Roth, the creator of the journey." he said. "You're Stephen? Really?" Raven asked. The man nodded. "The one and only. You came for the knowledge, you'll receive the knowledge." he said, raising his hand towards Raven. A bright orange light enveloped in his hand, and streaked towards Raven. It collided with her head, knocking her on the ground. "Oof!" she grunted, her body hitting the hard stone. "Know, leave this place, and don't come back. It's a cursed land." the man said, enveloping Raven in orange energy. Raven tried to speak, but couldn't find her voice. Everything went black.