I patted his shoulder lightly as I got up.

" I'm going to check the mine. Most people would leave traps or guards inside." He slowly nodded understanding he was in no condition for exploration. I went ahead and entered the dark mine. It smelled of dust and oddly it smelled of water. It was humid in the mine. I continued forward till I found myself at a fork. I pulled out a piece of parchment and a piece of coal. I started mapping where I'd been and so I could get back out if something happened.

I looked left. Then right. Neither gave me the feeling of being threatened or even a sense of intimidation. My presence sensing abilities detected nothing as I ventured to the right. My shadow sight helped alot against the darkness. At one point though I had to self ignite to light the path. Shadow vision only helps when light is present to some extent. Pitch black darkness invited me deeper. I eventually felt a twinge of magic in the air. Like a thread that drifts past my nose, floating and teasing you to follow. I did. I saw a glow being eminated from one of the tunnels ahead. When I got there what I saw astonished me. It was a ma.s.sive chunk of glowing earth. It s.h.i.+fted with the colors of the rainbow and seemingly so inviting to anyone who saw it.

( So this is a magic stone vein.) I thought in wonder at the beauty before me. I reached forward and touched it. It was warm, inviting, seeming to all the world like how the earth would welcome one of her children. I shook my head and pulled away. Arcelus had warned me about magic veins. They were powerful. But they were also very dangerous. If one was too absorbed in admiring the vein or stayed for too long. The vein would absorb them and make them a piece of itself.

" Truly a deadly wonder..." I whispered. I slowly backed away from the magic or vein. Once I was out I started hearing small whispers. It started off quiet then turned into a small breeze.

" Who are you? Why did you come here? Did he come seeking the vein? Get out while you still can!" The voices were a cacophony of whispers. I understood some and others were mumbled.

" Hold it!" I put my hands in the air like I was calming a crowd. "Speak one at a time. Pick who will go first then speak." Slowly a small amount of whispering echoed through the air till finally I saw a small childlike shape form.

" h.e.l.lo." It said in a small voice. " h.e.l.lo little one. What is it you need to tell me?" I crouched to its level. "My name is Arcelus Grey Ear from the Rabbit Man tribe. I was sacrificed to this cave 200 years ago." He waited to let that information sink in. He was patient I'll give him that. " You need to leave before the cave devoures you like it did me and the others here with me." He said quickly. I slowly nodded. (Ok... a little creepy but I imagine they sacrificed people all those years ago to keep the vein going. Makes sense why it was hidden behind a wall. I saw another shadow come forward. It was a woman based on how it was a shadowy dress she wore.

" I am Elizabeta Eagle Fang of the Winged Tribe. I too was sacrificed here. But it was to a monster that governed these caves. That was 160 years ago. Leave while you can." ( Ok...enough of the creepy. )I got up and started quickly moving back the way I came.

" Talk while I walk people!" I shouted. The shadows kept coming forward. Men, women and children continued to speak. All had similar stories. Something didn't sit right though. Some said they were sacrificed to a dragon vien. Others said to a monster. This makes no sense. I didnt detect a monster my way in.

I began quickly moving back the way I had come. I curved and started to find the torches that had originally lit the way. I pulled out my map and followed my markings. A curtain of shadow followed in my wake dimming the torches slightly. After a little bit I noticed the exit. Except something felt off. The ceiling was covered in white stalact.i.tes that hung from red rocks above me. Before the rocks had seemed normal from the outside. I slowly moved forward and used my detect enemy for good measure. It pinged everywhere. It was then I realized my mistake. The reason for everyone having similar stories but different at the same time made sense now. This wasn't a mine... This. What I was standing in. Was a monster. " Great I whispered. I moved as slowly as possible to avoid it noticing me moving around in its maw. I found a small piece of white stalact.i.te and before I could explain to anyone what I was doing, I put it in my mouth. It tasted like bone and it was old. oldest bone I'd had really. I crunched away. It was dried and easy to chew.

/ Host has consumed Calamity Cla.s.s Mountain Tyrant Toads Tooth. Reccomend host retreat or be eaten./ ( Great. Just great. I thought I had decent karma you d.a.m.n reaper!?) I thought with a sigh. I dug my feet into the ground lightly and thought for a second. I either made a run for it or just launched myself with as much strength as possible and hope the thing doesn't latch down before I get out. It only took a second before I tensed up my legs and felt my muscles coil. I suddenly dug my feet in and leaped. The mouth began to close slowly after I launched. But it wasn't anywhere close to catching me. I flew out the opening and felt the gravel as I rolled to a stop outside.

I sat and panted for a couple seconds. Arcelus lay off to the side, still bandaged. After a couple moments I returned and sat by the firepit. He stirred and eventually sat up slowly. "Glad to see you're back." He said.

I grabbed him and lifted him so we could see eye to eye. " You could've bleeding well told me the mine is actually a monster!" I hissed in his face. He shrugged innocently.

" I haven't a clue what you're going on about." He said very complacently. He was acting odd. I grabbed his head and turned it to look toward the now closed cave opening. There was a set of nostrils sitting there huffing the dusty air away. " Really? You didnt notice that at all..." I stopped as a thought suddenly occurred to me. " Arcelus. Tell me your full name." He blinked at me with a confused look.

" Arcelus Grey Ear of the Rabbit Man Tribe." My eyes twitched a little as I remembered the little shadow boy. " Where'd you get that name from? A former victim perhaps?" He closed his eyes as if in thought before he swung his fist at me. His eyes started turning a dark grey lifeless color.

" Guess the gigs up!" He shouted as his body began to change. His body and ears shed their hair as his ears curled to look like a rams horns. They took on a yellow color as his face distorted outward into a lizard like appearance. His eyes grew slits and his appearance changed into a crocodile-faced lizard man. His bunny tail fell off and melted. It was soon replaced by a thick reptilian tail. I let him go after his throat started swelling to 3 times its size. His body too swelled to become quite the large beast. He stood on his hind legs which were as big as a T-Rex's. His arms were very short. If it wasn't for his crocodile head I would swear he was a T-Rex. He roared at me. " You should have just died peacefully! Perhaps my master could have fed on something besides sc.r.a.ps!" He lunged at me. I rolled to the side as my body began to swell and I took on my b.e.a.s.t.i.a.l form.

" You have been feeding your master innocent people for centuries all for he sake of it surviving!? Let it hunt for itself!" I roared back at him. I looked down at him slightly with my wings spread and I inhaled a ton of air. His jaws opened wide as he went to lung at me. My front claws came up and grabbed his jaws. He tried shutting his jaws only to find my arm strength was greater. I finished breathing in and felt the heat rising. I focused my rage and hate into the flames. I thought of every destructive image I could think of as the heat rose up my throat and I could see heat radiating through the air.

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" Good Bye Murderer." I growled out as I opened my jaws and poured the flames down his throat. He roared in pain and agony as he was cooked from the inside. His scales fell off as smoke rose from his skin. His nostrils let flames roar out as flames engulfed his head. I released him as he tried rolling to put out the fire in vain. I saw flames come from his rear as his tail fell off charred black by the flames. " Masda Elb Meeeeeeeeeee!" He screamed out as the fire finally turned him to nothing but ash and bones.

I heard a small rumble as the mountain began to s.h.i.+ft. A single boulder-like eye lid s.h.i.+fted to reveal a huge eye. " Finally. Someone killed that buffoon." I heard a gravelly croaking voice rumble like an avalanche. " I was wondering why I felt odd.... Did my familiar die?" I looked at him ( Familiar?) The eye locked onto me and the ashes at me feet. " What have you done to Crinsomis?" He asked with his mountainous croaks and a bit of shock in his voice. I stood there remaining in my beast form. " He was leading people to their deaths to feed you so I killed him to give them some peace." There was a great look of shock in the Eye. "Have I been eating people? That would explain why I've been feeling odd as of late." It rumbled out with a huff from its nostrils. Shadows flew out of it's nose and stuck to the walls where the sun didn't cause them harm.

"My, my. I am sorry dearies. I was just trying to rest here see. Must've dozed out from time to time. Awefully sorry about your fates. Unfortunately I can't fix this. I'll be going now so I don't cause any more trouble aye. Now toddle off before I accidentally crush you. Not every day something like me gets to move about." He croaked out.

Suddenly the entire mountain began to s.h.i.+ft. The mountain was cracking in half while he s.h.i.+fted. I took to the air as the rock fell away to reveal a granite and stone like skin covered in greenish boils and some trees here and there. It continued to rise from the depths of the mountain. Great legs like sky sc.r.a.pers rose from the ground and a body that was at least 3 football fields long and 2 wide was exposed. The toad was a moving mountain. It's mouth was beg enough to swallow mountains. It must've been a small gap I went through compared to what I saw now.

He leapt through the air and I felt s.p.a.ce distort into what looked like a portal. The Toad went through leaving nothing. Not even a trace of the itself behind. All that was left was a broken down mountain that looked like it had been this way for decades.