A lost friend's journey

Chapter 4

It sure had been some time since he last set foot in this place. He wasn't sure if he missed it, it brought back unpleasant memories he would rather forget. He sighed. Almost all his memories since the Archon War were unpleasant. He barely had any joyful moment when he wasn't hanging out with his beloved people. In all cases, he never would have thought he would willingly come back here.

Dragonspine had always been in the back of his mind a forbidden place, somewhere he thought he would finally die and go on to whatever existed beyond death. Well, different things had happened in the end, and here he was again, snow crunching under his lights steps. His footprints leaving marks on the white covered ground, the winds howling around him, he felt unbothered by the cold, manipulating the wind at ease to keep the one around him as warm as could be. He wasn't certain as to why he was here to be exact, but he knew for sure he was heading to one of the last remains of the dragons he fought on this same mountain long ago.

Fortunately, there was no one around to bother him, just a few animals accustomed to live in harsh conditions and the few frozen boars he occasionally passed by. Venti put a hand on the satchel he had, making sure it was still with him. He brought a bit of goulash just in case, and it would be unfortunate to loose it.

To be honest, he didn't know where he was heading. Dvalin had just told him there was something about the mountain he didn't like, and Venti reassured him he would investigate. Thinking back about it and remembering the way Dvalin had looked, Venti now realized it wasn't his smartest idea, and he probably should have accepted the dragon's offer to accompany him. But Venti hadn't wanted to draw attention on them. Dvalin was one of the four winds, so not only being seen in public might alarm some people, but also eyebrows will be raised at the sight of who appeared to be a simple bard with a dragon. It would surely raise questions he'd rather avoid, so the best course of action had seemed to convince Dvalin he could take a trip to Dragonspine without someone for support. Sighing, Venti shook his head. It wasn't like he was going to go back now that he was halfway there.

However, it would be easier to navigate if he knew were he was going. He had no clue about the source of the strange energy emanating from Dragonspine, solely relying on the wind as his personal guide, following what it was whispering to him so he could find what he came searching for. There was a part of the wind that felt scared, worried, and had Venti unnerved. What could possibly generate such a reaction from the wind? As soon as he stepped on the mountain, he had been able to understand where Dvalin had come from when he had told him something was wrong in this area. Something was very wrong indeed. Although they didn't say it aloud, both of them immediately understood it was somehow caused by Durin. A beast like this couldn't die without leaving a certain mark. The blood shards Venti found along the way were indication enough that something was kept here, hidden somewhere in this cold piece of land. Swallowing with difficulty, Venti had quickly come to the conclusion that it had something to do with a place that wasn't able to naturally clean off Durin's blood, allowing it to then spread and surface as those small tempting shards he so often passed by. They gave off a warmth that would tempt any traveler, and Venti was scared to imagine what would happen if one were to stay too much in contact with it. If he didn't know any better, he would have been tempted himself by it, desperate for some warmth, not matter where it was provided as long as it allowed him to not die from hypothermia.

Soon enough, he found an area where the wind was even more scared, as if searching to escape whatever evil force was hidden. He knew then that he wasn't far anymore from discovering what was still wrong with Dragonspine. The wind reaction in such a way could never mean anything good. Finally, he arrived in front of a cave from which emanated a strange, evil aura. Venti's gaze hardened upon seeing the horrid structure that was deep inside. He could not feel the wind around him anymore, and the little left that passed occasionally was fearful and immediately went from the way it came. Wasting no time, he entered the cave, the cold immediately leaving him for the warmth any traveler would crave in those conditions. There was no snow on the ground anymore, which was strange in itself. Instead, there was grass tainted in deep red blood and more crystals than he could have imagined.