Pain and Fire

[Midnight]

Midnight lay next to the pool of hot lava. How could she allow herself to be beaten by a member of Poison Tail? She closed her eyes and opend them again. The pain was unbearable. She lost a few scales and buckled her right wing. Not to mention the wound that was pouring out blood. The heat from the lava just added to the pain. Sweat dripped onto her wounds, making them sting. Something glowed from under her claws. "The Fire Stone." She managed to say. The glow was soothing and peaceful. The Fire Stone belonged to the Fire dragons, but she had found it in the forest and was on her way to the Dragon Temple to return the Stone. But she had been attacked by that dragon.

[Snow Cone]

I am walking across the path that skirts the Molten Crater, the large volcano that rose up from the earth like a massive, rocky pimple, ready to explode at any moments notice. I usually don't go anywhere near the Molten Crater, but I was bored and wanted a change from the snowy mountains of my home. Suddenly, a loud roar sounds from the top of the volcano and (tense from the threat of the volcano erupting) I sprint off of the path away from the volcano without thinking. I had already gone 20 metres before I realize what the roar actually was. It sounded a lot like Midnight. Then, a large dragon flew out from the volcano, rushing through the air at a great speed overhead.

Well, that most certainly is not Midnight. I think to myself, heading back onto the path. Maybe he was flying away because it was about to erupt. I start to eye the volcano suspiciously. Maybe he's burnt his tail on a rising pool of lava. Or maybe... Then, a softer roar emits from the volcano. Not one of surprise, but of pain. Okay, that definitely is Midnight! I start to run up towards the volcano when the ground starts to shake and a great rumbling fills the air. My eyes widen as I realize that the volcano is about to erupt. A groan of fear comes from the top of the volcano. Apparently Midnight has just come to the same conclusion.

I stop in my tracks, reluctant to go up the mountain. But I realize that Midnight was probably wounded, unable to move. I can't just leave her... I grit my teeth and race up the side of the volcano. I can feel the rock beneath my claws growing hot from the magma rising to the surface. I reach the top and peer inside to find Midnight lying on a jutting piece of rock inside the volcano. A pool of blood was forming around her right wing, which was ripped in various places in the skin and the wing bones were laying at odd angles, obviously broken. Wounds were scattered across her body, all leaking blood. She was obviously in no condition to walk or fly.

"Midnight? Are you okay?" I shout down. Then I shake my head. "Never mind, stupid question. Can you move?"

[Midnight]

Midnight opend one eye. Snow Cone was at the top of the crater. "Get the hell out of here!" She roared. "I told you not to come!" It was true. She had been searching for another element stone when the Poison Tail dragon had attacked her. She punched the ground, sending a jolt of pain up her leg. "I said move it!"

[Snow Cone]

"Oh you don't know how much I'd love to." I say. "But I'd never live it down if I went back to Mecridi and said "Hey, I just watched Midnight burn in a lava pit." so I'm afraid you're gonna have to put up with my rambling while I think up a way to get you out of here." I look around the inside of the volcano as the lava underneath the rock holding Midnight rose steadily higher. "Besides, I wasn't following you, I didn't even know you were here. I was just bored and wanted a change of scenery." I lean my head in closer to pear inside of the volcano. "So, Midnight, how is it that a great old dragon like yourself managed to get beaten up by a powerless little sod like that dragon that flew out a minute ago?"

[Midnight]

Midnight growled. "That was a member of Poison Tail." She said. "They are not powerless sods." She scraped a claw through the rock, creating a strange shape. The shape engulfed in a black aura. "Now, cease!" She yelled and the volcano stopped. Midnight breathed slowly. "I came for two reasons. To find an element stone and stop the volcano." She stared at the shape. "That's why the world hasn't burnt yet." She watched as blood continued to pour out of her wounds. "But it almost kills me."

[Snow Cone]

"Nice work." I say, as the lava stops rising. I jump down onto the rock that Midnight is currently laying on. "But I doubt it'll work for long. After all, not even the element leader of darkness can stop a volcano from erupting when they are currently looking like they've just come out of a blender and they're lying in a pool of half their own blood." I try to crawl underneath Midnight and pick her up onto my back, but she is far too heavy. "Okay-*gasp* this... isn't going to *grunt* work." I slip out from under Midnight and stand next to her, panting. "Got any spells to make you less fat?"

[Midnight]

"Fat?! You got any magic to make you less annoying?" Midnight said. "Look, if you don't mind I have a stone to find." She said. It wouldn't be easy though.

[Snow Cone]

"You won't be doing much stone finding when you're dead from blood loss within the next half hour." I say. "Besides, I'm not annoying, just honest." Hmm. If I don't close the wound the blood will just keep coming until she's dry as a desert. I can staunch the flow, of course. But how? There's no bandages for me to work with! Unless... I look at Midnight. "I have an idea to stop you from creating your own little wading pool of blood. But I'm not entirely sure if it will work effectively. It also might hurt. But it's this, or death."

[Midnight]

"What's your bright idea now?" Midnight said, still looking around for some sort of glow.

[Snow Cone]

"Brace yourself." I say, and before she can react or even blink I connect with the icy magic within me. I freeze the blood around each wound, causing the blood flow to stop. But the icy blood also crystallized, poking into her flesh, and the frost would most likely hurt. Oops. Didn't go as smoothly as I expected.

[Midnight]

Midnight squinted as the ice dig into her side. "Uh, thanks?" She said as she slowly stood up.

[Snow Cone]

"You're very welcome. Now, to the escape plan." I say, looking around for some way up. I look down into the lava, and another plan starts to form. "Midnight? Do you trust me?"

[Midnight]

Midnight raised her head. "Why?" She asked. Just then she caught something behind a rock. That was it! A bright, blue glow.

[Snow Cone]

"I need you to jump off the edge of this rock with me." I say.

[Midnight]

"Easy for you to say." Midnight said as she grabbed hold of the blue stone wedged between the crater wall and a rock. This thing was stuck fast.

[Snow Cone]

"Midnight, I'm serious." I say. Indeed I was. I had lost all of my humorous, fake-arrogant manner. My voice was now grim and toneless. I look at Midnight trying to pull out something wedged between a rock and the wall of the crater. "Leave that for a moment. I need you to trust me."

[Midnight]

Midnight continued pulling the rock. "Do you want your element to crash and burn?" She asked.

[Snow Cone]

"I want you to stay alive." I say. Nonetheless, I grab the element stone as well and start to heave. We are now both pulling at the stone, when it starts to give a little. But it only moved because the ground started to rumble a little. I look down at the lava. "Your spell's wearing off. Continue with the stone." I let go and walk over to the edge. I start to calculate the distance between us and the lava, and how long we had until the spell holding the eruption back ceased to work. I think about how much magic my plan would take, and whether it would work or not. I weigh up the possibilities and variables. "How are you going with that stone back there?" I ask grimly.

[Midnight]

Midnight gave one last pull as the stone came free. "Got it! Now let's go!" She shouted as she raced to the edge of the volcano and grabbed Snow Cone along the way. She launched of the edge and landed perfectly on the ground. "Now what about the volcano?"

[Snow Cone]

"Well, I'd estimate that it's going to erupt within the next minute. So I need you to jump into the lava with me." I say.

[Midnight]

Midnight rolled her eyes and shoved the Water Stone to Snow Cone. She placed the Fire Stone at the crater edge and chanted something under her breath. The stone glowed and a red light coverd the crater. She picked up the stone." That should stop an eruption for at least the next decade." She said.

[Snow Cone]

I look at Midnight with a frown. My false arrogance and humor came back. "Nice going Midnight. Now we're trapped inside of a volcano, I'm starting to melt and we don't have any chance of escape!" I say as I run over to the edge of a cliff to see the lava start to recede. Unless... I swing my head around to look at Midnight. "Midnight, jump with me, now!" I say, getting a run up. I race towards the edge and throw myself over towards the bubbling lava...

[Midnight]

Midnight grabbed Snow Cone and pulled him back. "You think I would do something that stupid without a plan?" She said and dragged him over to a small tunnel. She had made it years ago when escaping from the lava. Too many close calls.

[Snow Cone]

I see the tunnel and my right eyebrow raises. "Oh. A tunnel. Much safer. Also much more boring. Why can't you let me have a bit of fun and drama?" I say. I start walking towards the tunnel. "Just a question. How much blood have you got inside of you? You left litres of blood out on that rock above us and now you're just walking about, pulling dragons around the place and not even batting an eyelid?"

[Midnight]

"Just move." Midniht said. "I've lost blood before, more than this." She continued through the tunnel. To be honest, she had no idea how she was pulling through this. Was it because she had no parents to tend to her wounds?

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