In the Blade's Hilt |A tale from Triterra|

Chapter 12 - Into the Mountains

Ty yawned.  He had been on horseback for several days now.  They had entered the mountain range just yesterday.  The most exciting event of the day was when they ran into a nest of gratches, small orange creatures with no arms or eyes, just bent legs, two openings for a nose and a large mouth.  Blue sent them running with a single ball of flames.  He rubbed his eyes.  He hadn't slept properly for days.  Couple that with Blue's constant chattering and Jenna's endless questions, the journey was almost unbearable. 

 "I'm bored!" he said aloud, "There's nothing here but rocks"

"Be patient" replied Blue, "we're almost there"

"Hmph"

Blue suddenly stopped and motioned with his hand for the others to stop as well.

"Don't.... make.... a sound..." he whispered.

"But why shou..." began Jenna.

"Shhh!  There's a golem up there, straight ahead"

Ty could make out a large beast seemingly made out of stone.  It walked slowly, occasional stopping to investigate a patch of flowers.  Finally it stooped over and picked up a large boulder.

"Quick!" said Blue urgently, "Hide behind that rock"

All three directed their mounts towards a large, jutting rock.

The golem held the boulder above it's head.  Then it threw the large rock, sending it hurtling down the mountainside.  It then grunted and slowly lumbered away.

"What was that?" asked an irritated Ty.

"It was a golem, testing its strength, I think.  It could just really hate rocks,"

They continued up the road through what seemed to be like a rather shallow canyon.  Cut into the rock were small watchtowers.  Each watchtower was manned by two dwarven guards, each armed with their iconic Dwarven Arms, devices that used the power of gunpowder to fire projectiles.  At last the trio reached the large steel and bronze gates that led into the depths of Mount  Cyte.  Blue reached over and pulled a lever to the left of the gates and watched as they slowly opened.  He, along with Jenna and Ty, tied up their horses and stepped inside.  They stood in a cylindrical opening with a single lever in the center.  Blue walked over and pulled it.