After three days of travel through the woods and hunting the beasts that they found at the river, a majestic mountain on the far side of a crystal clear lake finally came into view.
According to their map, that should be the Dragon Peak, which was supposed to be an active volcano, but thanks to the presence of the dragons, it had been allowed to peacefully vent down the far side and had never fully erupted.
From the far side of the lake, it felt like nothing was out of the ordinary, but as they walked, it became clear that the entire region was under the effects of the volcano. The temperature increased with every kilometer that they crossed, turning the mountain forest into a tropical jungle over the course of an hour.
Even the temperature of the lake beside them was increasing as they made their way down its length, and Cain gave a moment of thanks that they did not come here in the peak of summer when even the far side of the valley would have been warm, making the base of the mountain nearly intolerable for humans.
The roars of Dragons could be heard from inside the mountain, but none were visible in the sky overhead, and they hadn't seen any on their way up either. The absence was beginning to spook Jen, who knew a bit more about the local Dragons than most.
"I swear, something must have happened. Unless we came during the mating season, which only happens every ten years, there should be Dragons everywhere in this valley. Notice how there are no large animals? They eat them all if they venture too close. Not seeing Dragons while you can see the Dragon Peak is not normal." She insisted.
"Well, there are definitely dragons in the mountain. Even I can hear them. What does mating season sound like? These ones are just roaring at random like they're talking to each other, but I don't speak dragon. Shouldn't there be some scale-on-scale slapping, maybe grunts of exertion if it's the mating season?" Luna asked.
"There is something wrong with your brain. Who taught you those things, anyhow? Plus, what do scale-on-scale noises even sound like?" Penny reprimanded the youngest Disciple while glaring at Cain.
"Don't look at me like that. I didn't teach her."
Whatever was happening inside changed sounds a few minutes later, and a large Red Dragon flew out of a hole near the top of the peak, disappearing into the clouds and out of sight in seconds.
"Wow, that is some speed. I didn't know that anything that large could move so fast." Sabbat whispered as if afraid that the dragons would hear her.
"They're surprisingly agile for their size. Now, should we head up to see them, or should we wait here and introduce ourselves when they finally notice us?" Cain replied.
"I vote that we don't disturb the dragons while they're in the middle of an argument." Tena voted.
"She's got a point. If they are already in a bad mood, you won't be able to do whatever it is that you were hoping to do here at a mountain infested with angry dragons." Jen agreed.
"You know what? I'm just going to fly up and wait for them to notice us. It shouldn't take long." Cain called, then took out his flying sword and lifted himself up a hundred meters in the air, and sat down to wait to be noticed.
It didn't take long before a large head poked out of the mountain, having sensed a presence in the air that wasn't a food product, and a bronze dragon flew over to see what the intruder wanted.
"Go away. We're busy." The dragon roared at Cain when he got to a kilometer away.
"I was hoping to meet with the Ancient Dragon. The Laughing God sent me." Cain replied, hoping that name recognition would at least get them in the door.
"In that case, we're really busy. Someone stole an egg, and we don't have time for the Laughing God and his shenanigans." The dragon replied.
"What if I help you look for it? Have there been any visitors that weren't dragons?" Cain asked.
"Nobody in their right mind comes here. We haven't had visitors in years."
"I brought a Dragon Monk and some interesting things with me." Cain tried.
"A Dragon Monk? One of those unarmed weirdos who make their energy attacks look like Dragons? I admit, they're entertaining, but we're busy."
"I can Rune Craft and repair maimed and deformed hatchlings." Cain offered.
"You, a tiny human, think you can fix deformities in a mighty dragon hatchling?" The Bronze Dragon sneered.
"Hey, don't judge me. This appearance is just a disguise. You have Divine Realm Dragons, right? Surely you know what the Ancients are."
"A Horror from the Old World? Now that you mention it, your aura is a bit strange for a human. Transform back and let me see the truth. The wards around the mountain will cancel all charms and spells anyhow." The Dragon demanded.
Cain had been worried that they would ask that. His Disciples hadn't seen anything like this before, but he transformed back anyhow, growing to his full twenty-meter-tall tentacled glory.
He was far too large to use a flying sword now, so he stored it in his inventory and flapped his wings to hover before waving his tentacle in greeting to the Mythic Quality dragon in front of him.
"So you are, and a handsome one for your species. You must have been a real lady's man before you left home." The Dragon chuckled, and Cain wasn't sure if he was being insulted.
"My wife is currently pregnant, and a minor mishap left me on this plane without the means to get home," Cain explained.
"Fine, come in, and bring your pets, but if they bite or cause a fuss, we will kick them out."
Cain flew down to land beside the Disciples and transformed back into his human appearance, giving the girls the thumbs up.
"They say that we can come in, but everyone has to behave. Someone stole an egg from them, and they're in crisis mode at the moment."
"That's all well and good, but what the heck was that? What sort of monster did you turn into?" Penny asked.
"Oh, that form is called an Ancient. They're Mana Elementals who gained a solid form and independence during the creation of a Mortal Plane." Cain explained.
"The question was rhetorical. How do you even know what those things are? Do you know what the Gods would do if they saw one here?" She replied.
"Yeah, I heard they have a grudge going on. But the Dragons don't, so we should be fine, at least for now. But don't keep them waiting. It's time for us to fly in."
There was nothing they could say to that. All the Disciples could do was follow Cain into the Dragon Peak and hope that he knew what he was doing, or they would likely all end up dead without anyone around to resurrect them.
The volcano was unlike anything that the Disciples had ever seen before. Carved into the replica of an ancient Temple but sized for even hundred-meter-long dragons to easily navigate its corridors, the interior had been transformed into pure white Jadeite, gleaming in the light of thousands of magical torches set into sconces in the walls.
Every so often, there was a side corridor or a large room that was being used as a weyr by one of the local residents, but the real action was deep below the ground, where the Dragons had carved an enormous citadel for themselves.
Unlike the upper levels, the stone was in the various colors of the dragons' scales, showing that the regions were separated by Clans, with the central common areas in jet black and marked by pools of lava and thousands of dragons, mostly transformed into Dragonkin forms to save space, were gathered in a public forum to discuss their issue.
The one leading the argument was a black dragon, over a thousand meters long, but curled up around a Nest at the edge of the sector dedicated to her clan, with only her head and neck extending into the common area to join the argument.
"We have checked, Mistress Black. Our magic says that none have entered your nest. We have no way of finding the culprit." One of the dragons was speaking in a pleading voice.
"She must be found. She will grow up into a mighty High Priestess. The fates have decided it. Find the one that stole my egg." The enormous dragon roared, sending a wave of Divine Power rippling through the area.
"And someone tell me who let humans in here right now? There had better be a good reason, or I am going to eat you."
Cain transformed back into his natural Ancient form and bowed politely to the Dragon. "Mistress Black, I have brought my Daughter and my Disciples here for inspiration. We would like to help you if we can. I have an excellent sense for the traces of magic, as I am sure you know."
"Intriguing. But you're not coming near my nest."
"I might not have to. If they used a spell to open a portal in and out, I could detect the traces from a distance, and if they were using a skill like mine that actually transforms the body, I should be able to find them as well. If they're still hiding in the mountain."
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