Minglings - Book 3 chapter 32: More ruins

Mason landed far enough from the distant, dark dragon to allow them enough time to respond if he did anything. Baudron, Faelina, and the others landed behind and around him while Clankrin was still circling up ahead.

"Clankrin, talk first," Mason shouted.

The burly red dragon turned to him, then snorted and landed on a larger piece of debris near the edge of the forest.

Seeing the other two drop near him like a bad henchman, Mason nearly shook his head. Instead, he focused on the dragon. It hadn't made a move ever since they had arrived, but as Mason looked at him, he saw the other was looking back. Its dark-scaled lips were quirked up in a smile, and it cocked its head.

"So… you are here for the barrier?"

Mason blinked as the smooth baritone rang out across the open ruins.

Well. I guess there's little else here, he thought.

"Yeah. Is that why you are here? To try and get inside?" he asked, raising his voice enough to be heard all around the area.

"Not exactly. How about you come over here to chat with me in private?"

Mason blinked.

"Don't. He's larger than you, and we have no idea what he can do," Faelina whispered.

"She's right," Baudron rumbled, nodding vigorously.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt him," the dragon shouted back.

He heard that? Mason thought, then he blinked. Can you read my mind? he thought, as loud as he could.

There was a burst of laughter from the other side of the open area, and Mason felt his scales prickle.

Fuck, he can read my mind, he thought.

Looking at the other, he felt annoyed when he saw a spark of humor in the deep purple eyes.

"Let's just get rid of him," Clankrin roared suddenly. "There's only one!"

Mason hissed as he glared at Clankin. He knew the other was way too smart to just say that without knowing what it might do, but as he turned back to the dark dragon, the smile was still there.

Ugh… am I really going to go there? Mason thought, ignoring the fact that the other could probably hear it. It wasn't as if he was afraid of the other, but if he turned and ran, who knew when he'd show up at some god-awful moment.

Fine… I'll be right there, he thought as loud as he could.

"Stay here, and get ready to come to help me," Mason said as he jumped forward, ignoring the worried outcries.

"Clankrin, stand down," he snapped, hoping the red dragon would actually listen to him. As he did, he realized how annoying the other's presence was starting to become. There was no reaction, and he took a quick look to see Clankrin was still there, glaring at him.

Troublesome.

A few moments and explosive flaps later, he landed on the ruined building, staying at least some distance from the other. This close, he saw the dragon was mostly black-scaled, with intriguing swirling patterns of purple scales that reminded him of squid skin. The spikes on its neck seemed to come from below the scales, pushing them up oddly.

Surprising him as much as the dragon was an opening behind it that led down into the ruins. A dull red glow sat far down, showing more ruined buildings.

Is that where the barrier is? Mason wondered before returning his full focus to the other dragon.

He saw the other was looking back calmly.

"So… who are you, and what did you want to discuss?" Mason asked, raising one of his scaly eyebrows.

The dragon's lips quirked up. "Me? I'm Praxton, and to answer your other question. I just wanted to warn you that the angry snake behind you seems intent on attacking you after you help him."

Mason froze as dozens of thoughts rushed through his head. A single one pushed the others away.

Can you read my mind? he asked again, as loud as he could.

Praxton grinned. "Such a weird-sounding language. I can hear your words against the edge of your mind space, but if you are trying to tell me something, you are going to have to use the language we use now."

Mason blinked in surprise, then cocked his head.

Can you hear me? he shouted again, this time using the kobold language everyone seemed to be using.

"Yeah, that's better," Praxton said. "Anyway, I can't answer you if that's your next question. I'm still working on that."

"What are you two whispering about," Clankrin shouted.

Mason ignored him, focusing on the dark purple dragon. "You said he is thinking about attacking me? How do you know?"

Praxton grinned, showing off his large array of sharp teeth. "He's so angry that his intentions are easy to read."

"And you aren't afraid I'll attack you?" Mason asked.

"Nope. I don't think you are trained in blocking your emotions and able to project fake ones," Praxton responded.

Blocking emotions- wait… is he implying that he has had training? Mason focused on the dragon, wondering who he had been before he had awoken. Then, another idea came to him. If it wasn't some elaborate lie, could training of that type protect him from the stuff happening in the Hound's Eye? That would mean he could go back and warn Sandra!

"And why would you want to warn me? I don't even know you."

Praxton scratched his chin. "Well, he's thinking about trying to kill me, so I'd rather he didn't. I'm not really interested in fighting against all of you, and I don't want to leave yet. My research is far from finished."

Research?

Surprised at hearing that word, Mason wanted to know what kind of research the other was talking about, but that would have to wait. Besides, he guessed it would have to do with the ruins or the barrier. That would match with what Clankrin had said.

"Clankrin might be troublesome, but who is to say that you aren't trying to trick me?"

Praxton watched him for a while before grinning.

"You're really interesting. You didn't even blink when I said I'm doing research. Do you even know what that is?"

"Yes, of course," Mason snorted, not bothering to explain.

If this guy could read his mind, he should be able to read that he wasn't lying.

As soon as he realized what he'd just thought, Mason's eyebrows shot up with interest. If this guy could tell if someone was lying, that would be interesting. He only hesitated for a few moments before nodding.

"Alright, I think we should just call the others over before Clankrin bursts a vein. "I'll make sure he doesn't just attack you," he continued before watching how the other would react.

Praxton was quiet for a bit, then nodded. "Fine, but you should really watch out. He keeps pushing his anger down, but it's like a fire-rune waiting to explode."

Fire-rune? Mason gazed at the dragon, feeling even more questions bubble up.

"I wasn't planning on anything else," he said as he turned. "Everyone, come over here. He's friendly!"

He'd barely finished before Baudron shot forward, shortly followed by the others. Clankrin seemed to hesitate, glaring at them before finally moving over.

As they came over, Praxton moved back a bit until he stood at the edge of the path down. Mason looked at him but still didn't see anything suspicious. Nothing that showed he was ready to spring some sort of trap.

"I have never seen someone with purple scales like this," Baudraon said before he even landed. He stood beside Mason, seeming to have to hold himself back from moving closer to Praxton.

"Yes, well, purple drakes are number one on the extermination list of the mages," Praxton said.

"Dragons," five voices corrected him at the same time.

Mason saw the large dragon blink his purple eyes in surprise.

"What now?"

"Why are you here?" Clankrin asked as he moved closer.

His previous anger seemed gone, but Mason noticed a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"As I told you, friend, I'm doing research here," Praxton said.

Mason saw he was keeping a close eye on Clankrin and had moved in such a way that the burly red dragon was furthest from him.

"Searching for what?" Clankrin snapped, taking a step forward.

"Not searching, researching," Mason said, moving in such a way to block Clankrin's path. "It means he is here to investigate things he doesn't know yet, to figure out how they work."

Clankrin looked at him before snorting. "So, he is searching for answers?"

The simple answer reminded Mason again that Clankrin wasn't half as stupid as he sometimes made himself out to be.

"Yes," he said. He kept an eye on Clankrin while turning to Praxton.

"So, what exactly are you researching?"

"Well, that's somewhat complicated," Praxton said. "Do you know anything about these ruins?"

"Why do you want to know?" Clankrin snapped.

Mason frowned. Clankrin was acting incredibly aggressive, while none of the others had said anything except for Baudron.

"We've heard there is a barrier here and have reason to believe there's something important behind it," he said, ignoring Clankrin's angry glare.

Praxton nodded, but as he did, Mason saw him back another step away from Clankrin.

"That matches with what I've been able to uncover," he said. "There are glyphs and odd symbols that don't match any I've ever encountered in the chamber near the entrance."

"That's down there?" Mason asked, pointing in the gloomy darkness of the depths.

"Yes. Would you like to see them?" Praxton asked.

Mason hesitated for only a moment before nodding.

"It's one of the reasons we are here," he said. "Can you lead the way?"

"He doesn't need to," Clankrin snapped as he jumped toward the edge. "I know where they are."

Mason watched as the other flew down the cave.

"He has been here before…" Praxton said softly before looking at Mason.

"Yes," Mason said as he jumped after Clankrin.

Though I wonder how he managed to get here and inside without the ability to fly, he thought.

As he glided down the hole, the temperature rapidly increased, and he saw a dull red glow from a tunnel entrance in the depths. The ruins of buildings sat around it. The scope of the ruins startled him, as did the architecture. Unlike the spiral towers and curves above, down here, it was all blocky, square, and functional. Long staircases led around square columns, and he saw some leading if further down.

Elves above and Dwarves below? Why would they be here if there's some ancient dragon buried in this volcano?

Ahead and below him, Clankrin landed near a section of a building that resembled a tower. It stood to the side of the entrance, and the ruins of another one stood opposite it. Large sections of a stone gate had crumbled around the tunnel, with the entrance seeming to have been cleared.

As Mason landed on the ground, he heard a soft rumbling and hissing coming from the tunnel.

Clankrin walked around the tower to the wall that ordered the tunnel entrance. On it were images, dull in the gloomy darkness, but as he closed in, he began making out details.

Mason felt his breath catch in his throat.

The images were similar to the ones he'd seen in the ancient city inside the Hound's Eye in that they depicted events. That, however, was where the similarities ended. Those made by the Earthlings were almost like cartoons that told a story. These were decorations that showed cities and landscapes. Sprawling forests filled with beautiful spiral towers similar to the ones he'd seen above were filled with tall, pointy-eared people. In some, stocky, bearded dwarfs stood beside them. All of the images had a sense of grandeur and eternal beauty.

Clankrin snorted.

"I wonder what these ancients were like," he grunted.

Mason didn't respond but took a quick look around before focusing on Clankrin.

"You said you came here before… how did you even get inside?"

"There are tunnels at the back of these ruins that allow someone to walk inside," Clankrin said, sounding distracted. He was focused on one of the images.

Moving closer, Mason saw it depicted a towering volcano beside the sea and a forest. A city, small compared to some of those he saw in other images, was built upon its slopes. The image of the volcano was dark and red, but what was surprising was the image of a curled-up dragon below it. Burning red, with its eyes closed, it seemed to be sleeping but still had a malicious smile on its lips. The way it was painted gave it an evil, demonic vibe.

"That's the one buried here," Clankrin whispered. "Do you feel the draw? It's so powerful… It's as if I'm almost there! Finally…”

Mason looked at Clankrin, seeing a look of desire as the red dragon stared at the entrance. He didn't sense anything, which worried him slightly. Had his scales changed so much, and by extension he himself, that he couldn't even feel it this close?

"I wonder why this city is built here if there's a dragon inside that volcano," he muttered.

"So far, it seems they were here to keep guard," Praxton said as he walked towards them, keeping Mason between him and Clankrin.

"Guard as in prison guards?" Mason asked.

"That's my conclusion," Praxton said.

"That would mean that the barrier was put here by the elves and dwarves," Mason muttered.

"The what?" Praxton asked as he moved closer. His eyes were glistening.

"Elves and dwarves," Mason said as he motioned to the images. "The pointy-eared ones are elves, and those with beards are dwarves."

"They aren't their offspring?" Clankin asked, and for the first time in a while, he didn't sound angry or argumentative. Instead, he sounded surprised.

"No," Mason said. "This city should be built by the dwarves and the one above by the elves."

"How do you know this?" Praxton asked, moving closer and seeming to almost lose his wariness about Clankrin.

"The same reason I know what researching means," Mason said without elaborating. "So, let's go and have a look at this barrier."

Clankrin hissed, then turned to the entrance and walked forward, his front claws ticking loudly on the stone floor.

Praxton remained beside Mason.

"Did you do research?" he asked, staring at Mason. "Who… who were you before you awoke?"

Mason saw him hesitate as if he wanted to add more but didn't dare.

"Something like that," Mason said. "Let's talk about that later, alright?"

Praxton nodded, walking beside Mason.

As they moved further, Mason noticed a few differences between himself and Praxton. The other's limbs were slightly longer and narrower, as was his body, giving him more of an athletic feeling. The others who were quietly following them, looking around curiously, all were more like he was. More muscular and stocky. Was it because they were all a variant of red dragon? If that was true, why was he similar to the others even though he was over half golden-scaled by now?

The light began to brighter as they walked through the tunnel. From above, it had looked narrow, but that was just because of the immense size of the tower beside it. In reality, it was high enough to allow even Midnight to move inside and stand on his hind legs without ever touching the ceiling.

The tunnel wasn't that long, but it curved down and to the side. When they finally saw the barrier, Mason hissed in surprise. He'd pictured some kind of forcefield, probably a red translucent piece of glasslike substance. What he saw instead looked more like a moving piece of lava, like a lava lamp without the glass. Ruins covered the sides, all burning a bright red.

As they moved closer, the heat increased rapidly, and a hundred feet from the barrier, Mason noticed that only he and Clankrin were still walking forward. The others had stopped.

"It's too hot," Baudron said, his voice startlingly loud in the previously quiet tunnel.

"We will be back in a moment," Mason said as he followed Clankrin. To his surprise, the temperature kept increasing, and when he and Clankrin stood before it, he knew it was as hot now as it had been when he put a claw in the lava. At the same time, breathing had become uncomfortable, and he smelled something odd in the air.

Didn't he say he had looked inside before? Mason thought as he watched Clankrin trying to look through the barrier, moving his head around the darker streaks of lava.

"We just need to remove the runes," Clankrin whispered, his voice one of awe. "I can feel it… It's still alive, but barely! We need to let it out so it can… can…"

Clankrin shook his head, and Mason saw a slight confusion on his face before it vanished.

"Can teach us all it knows!" the burly red dragon finally exclaimed, a look of reverence appearing on his face.

Mason took a slow step back, noticing the crazed gleam in the other's eyes.

"After we open it, we need to clear out those things," Clankrin hissed. "You have to help me!'

What? Mason stopped and gazed through the barrier, trying to see what things Clankrin was talking about.

At first, all he saw was a red glowing chamber with lava pools everywhere, leading to a seemingly unending sea of the stuff. Bubbles popped, and gas trickled up, but beyond that, he saw nothing.

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to find what Clankrin seemed to see.

“Look in the lava,” Clankrin hissed. "Stare at a pool and wait."

Doing what the other said, Mason gazed at one for a few seconds, wondering what he was supposed to see when orbs suddenly opened. Eyes, as red as the lava, peered at him, full of hatred, before closing again. It happened so fast that he'd nearly missed it.

"What are those things," he whispered.

"I don't know," Clankrin responded, leaning even closer to the barrier. "They have been here for a long time, and I think they are the reason the barrier has become so hot… They must feel that we are here to free the ancient one!"

"So, the tunnel wasn't always this hot?" Mason asked softly. Clankrin seemed distracted, talking almost as if he wasn't fully conscious.

"When I came here the first time, it was just warm," he said. "The call wasn't as strong then, perhaps because I hadn't awoken yet."

"You could sense it before you changed?" Mason hissed, unable to keep his surprise out of his voice.

Clankrin turned to him, seeming to snap out of whatever state he'd been in.

"Yes! I didn't at first, but after coming here nearly every day for years, searching the ruins for valuables, I came here time and time again to find a way through. Back then, I thought there would be things I could sell here, not knowing their true worth!"

"Let's head back for now," Mason said after a few minutes.

"What? Why?" Clankrin hissed, turning to him with crazed eyes that caused Mason to take another step back.

"Do you know how to break the runes?" Mason asked, looking at them. Beautiful with winding lines, they reminded him of words in some exotic Asian handwriting.

Clankrin gritted his teeth and turned to the runes. He took a deep breath and, before Mason could react, blew a column of deep red fire with a pale yellow core at it. The fire struck one of the runes with an explosive boom, and the barrier rippled. The fire dissipated as Clankrin stopped, and the rune was left darkened while a thin crack ran through a part of it. The glow it was giving off was far less than before.

What? Why would that work, Mason thought in stunned disbelief.

The tunnel was incredibly hot already, the barrier even more so. Why would heat work on something that seemed meant to contain it?

"It wasn't always this hot here," Clankrin said, sounding incredibly excited." The barrier used to be different, a pale white with sections of yellow. But I think the ancient one is trying to break free! We can easily help him!"

"Don't break the barrier! The dragon inside there is dangerous!'

Mason turned to see Praxton shout from a hundred feet away, his scaled face warped with fear.

"Don't listen to him," Clankrin snapped as he turned back to the barrier, drawing another deep breath.

"He was imprisoned for a reason," Praxton shouted. "We have no idea what will happen if he is freed!"

Before Mason could respond, Clankrin blew another burst of fire on the rune. It lasted shorter than the first, and when he stopped, he was breathing raggedly. Still, the small tear in the rune had become longer.

"Help me!'

Mason shook his head. He had no idea what was exactly in there, but he was pretty sure letting something out without knowing was not a good idea.

"No. Let's go back first and figure out what is going on," he said.

Clankrin roared in fury as he spun around.

"I knew it! You aren't a true firedragon! Ever since we reached the desert, you have changed! I should have seen it before! Fine! The others can't help you here, so I'll just get rid of you and continue on my own!"

Mason's eyes widened as Clankrin jumped towards him, maw wide and claws outstretched.