Gothar

Chapter 9

Dulehan

Many countries acquire strange and frightening names, some of which may seem exaggerated, and others got their names by accident, and a few of those countries have their name actually connected to something real, such as Valstone in the west, as it is a valley full of scattered stones, very few of these countries were like what Garoush saw on the awakening of the thirty-third day of his adventure. When one of the sailors shouted warning that they are now in hell... Garoush rose in fright, and when he came out to the surface of the galley and looked from over one of the beams, it shone his eyes immediately, and his heartbeat quickened... Hell was what frightened any Mortish the most, so when this place was called by that name, they did not mean it was a meadow or a garden. But the truth is worse than that, as it is historically known that the hell in which the wicked are tormented is the one named after this place. The lava was tumbling on the side of the river as they crossed causing very hot fog and smoke, unlike the rest of the erupting volcanoes from the craters of the mountains... Those volcanoes were erupting from the heart of the earth where no mountain to contain it... Garoush glimpsed as far as his eyes to the west and he only see an eternal flame. They were crossing the Cliffs of Hell, and from that moment they crossed the borders of the Dusk Valley.

Some say that these cliffs usually overflow on the west bank of the river, but when they are in their prime, they cover the river completely and rain lava on the deserted towns east of the Dusk River. Garoush was ignorant of the existence of towns this close to the lava, but he soon saw a huge sign covered with lava and a small harbor. The more they sailed to the north; the features of the deserted town that the sailors talked about became clear... It was a large town, but the lava left its traces on it clearly.

He was close to ask about the perished town before he heard the captain say with a sigh, "Hellgate..."

The name was true, as the town was indeed a gateway to hell, he asked, "Why are there people living near this madness..."

One of the sailors laughed, "Not anymore..."

Garoush wondered. He did not expect that an entire town would be left like this without anyone living in it, but the captain said grimly, "The fools thought that hell had run out... dried up... when it was extinguished for a hundred years and they found this area livable, and they weren't completely wrong. The lava, after it had cooled, left jewels everywhere, so they became richer than the king himself... but they slept one night and did not wake up after that... the houses were melting on their owners like butter, and from that day they were buried with their homes, their treasures and all their memories..." The captain sighed and then shouted, "Listen, all you idiots... If one of you falls into the river, do not expect that I will risk saving him... He, who does not have firm feet on the surface, gets down to the cabin until we reach the sun gates."

The mule pulled his hand to the cabin "Come on, son, there's nothing to see here..."

Garoush entered the cabin and saw that there were some sick and really cowardly sailors inside... It comforted him that he was not the only useless one in this galley, and he imagined that those hours he would spend with the sailors would be filled with tales of hell, but he was surprised by silence, and he heard nothing but the wood disintegration of the galley while crossing the river. The weather was getting hotter as they went across the river, and the sailors were more nervous than before, perhaps because they finally found a true living nightmare that truly terrifies them.

Garoush asked no one specifically, "How long will it take?

The mule replied, "It depends on the river itself. Will it make us pass in peace or will it need a sacrifice?"