Lucia is the only survivor of her village. She is now swiftly turning into the only survivor of the pilgrimage she joined. Thankfully, she had found one of her fellow pilgrims, who was not burned, stomped or clawed to death.

  “Lucia, can you still move?” the pilgrim asks.

  “I’m okay.” Lucia says. “We have to get out of here.”

  “Yeah. I don’t think the two of us could perform the ritual by ourselves anyway.” he says. “This way.”

  The pilgrim points off in the distance and begins to rush off. In the time it takes for someone to blink, the ground beneath him softens and his legs sink knee deep into the ground. The floor beneath begins to give way. A vast canyon begins to open up in front of the two. This canyon is not fast, but threatens to swallow up the now loose dirt surrounding it. This includes the dirt that has caught the pilgrim in knee deep dirt.

  “What? No! We should still have time before the mountains shift!” the pilgrim says.

  “What? It’s happening now?!?!” Lucia shouts. “Quick! Take my hand!”

  “No!” the last senior pilgrim shouts. “Listen, we are right and righteous. You were to be a hero. A champion to the people. Your life is more important than ours. You can’t risk your safety for me.”

  “Wait! But I’ll be alone!” Lucia shouts. “Please! Don’t leave me alone!”

  “This is a landslide! There’s no surviving this for me. You won’t survive either if you try it.” the pilgrim tearfully cries. “Be a hero we can be proud of. Now, get away from here!”

  The ground carries off the pilgrim into the growing canyon. They vanish beneath the shifting ground and are lost. After being the sole survivor of her village, she is now the sole survivor of this pilgrimage. Lucia can only fall onto her back and start crying.

  “Hey, Mulbane. Do you feel that?” Olion asks.

  “Yes, it's hard to miss the earth beneath me shaking.” Mulbane snaps.

  “I'm getting out of here!” Olion says.

  “Damn it! We still haven't found anything.” Mulbane cusses.

  “Damn it! We found the damn thing and then lost it!” Sophie cusses.

  “That and it left us with a new problem.” Malo says.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  A massive monster clamors up to it’s feet. It is a dull gray color. As it stands, on two legs it shows that the tallest mountain only comes up to this monster’s shoulders. It leans a clawed arm against a nearby mountain, and the mountain gives way to the body weight of this monster. The mountain crumbles and the peak of this mountain falls away to form a landslide. The monster stumbles and falls onto it’s chest. The mountain range shakes from the impact of a monster stumbling awake. It reaches another clawed hand and rakes a mountain into pieces as it tries to push itself up. It raises it’s head again and lets out a monstrous yawn that moves the clouds above.

  “Yeah, we should probably leave now.” Alliot says.

  “The thing will squish us by accident if we’re not careful.” Bron says.

  “Alright. Let’s go home.” Linda says. “That’s south… which way is south?”

  “I kinda lost track after the mountain I was using as a landmark moved.” Alliot says.

  “The sun still moves from east to west. We could use the direction of the sun.” Malo says. “We might need the sun to get lower in the sky before we can figure that one out.”

  “Jokes on you. I got a raven.” Bron says. “Borp! We’re getting out of here! We need to head south. Which way is that?”

  “I attended a single wedding.” Borp says. “It was there that I found out that I don’t like clothes.”

  Borp the raven flies off Bron’s shoulders. He flies off in a direction before turning to face the party and hovering in place.

  “That way!” Bron shouts.

  The party starts to leap from unsteady boulder to fallen tree in pursuit of their flying guide. As they do, Sophie turns the other way.

  “Hey! Where are you going?” Malo shouts at Sophie.

  “I’m not leaving! Not yet!” Sophie shouts.

  “You sure?” Alliot asks.

  “Yes! If this is all the effort I’ve put in, I can’t leave yet.” Sophie says. “I can’t return empty handed. I at least have to try harder than this.”

  “I can go with her.” Ren says.

  “Thanks. That’ll give us a bit of peace of mind.” Linda says.

  “Good luck, and stay safe.” Bron says.

  “I did not say you could come along.” Sophie says.

  “Yes. You did not.” Ren says.

  Ren leaps onto an uprooted tree next to the boulder Sophie was standing on. The rest of the party follow their talking raven.

  “And what do you plan on doing now?” Sophie asks.

  “I’m going to stab it.” Ren says in a matter of fact tone.

  “You- what?”

  Sophie looks at Ren, then back at the monster that stands taller than a mountain.

  “You can’t be serious.” Sophie snaps.

  “Yep.” Ren says. “I slashed a hole in the sky once.”

  “You… you slashed a hole in the sky?”

  “Yep.”

  “Somehow I don’t believe you.”

  “It’s okay. Just watch.” Ren says.

  With her one functioning arm, Ren draws her sword. She runs the length of the blade along the tome hanging at her hip. Powerful magic energies of arcane origins coalesce on the blade. Using martial prowess, the magic becomes razor sharp and conforming to the shape of the blade. A rainbow of wispy figures and colors is emitted from the blade. A grand display of magic intellect and martial prowess. However, the magic surrounding this blade only extends to the length of the blade itself.

  “Is that it?” Sophie asks.

  Ren pauses as she looks at the sword encased in magic. Ren waves it around for a moment. The voices in her head expecting something grander than what Ren has created.

  “No.” Ren says. “The color is supposed to drain from the world. This magic should reach the sky.”

  “Uhuh…” Sophie says. “So your plan is a bust.”

  “Do you have a plan?” Ren asks.

  “I- uhh… no…” Sophie stammers.

  “Okay.” Ren says. “I have a very dumb plan.”

  Ren hops off her tree and up onto another. She starts to hop off in a direction Sophie doesn’t recognize.

  “Where are you going?” Sophie asks.

  “To a mountain top I found earlier.” Ren says.

  “Why?”

  “To finally use something I’ve been waiting to use forever.”

  Sophie watches Ren hop off into the distance. Sophie gives a heavy sigh and leaps after her.