The shaking got stronger, visible fissures appearing throughout the arches.

“Fuck!” I swore, running from the platform as bits and pieces started to crumble away. Before I could take more than a few steps however I heard a crack resounding behind me, followed by the ground shifting underneath me.

“Hurry!” Narva shouted at me worriedly.

Raising my speed I tried to get to the outer ring still standing complete, only for it to seemingly rise suddenly. The stone underneath me gave away, making me fall alongside it.

“As if!” Shouting out I braced my feet at the falling piece, pressing myself upwards to grab onto the remaining bits of the arch still protruding towards the crater. I tried to lift myself up, only for the piece I held onto to creak away. Scratching my fingers against the stone I tried to claw onto it but quickly my finger felt nothing beneath them anymore.

“Hold onto it!”

Something blue swept past me, barely visible against the sky behind it. Grabbing onto it a shriek from Narva rang out quickly followed by a determined shout.

“Don’t you dare look up!”

My body sagged down for a bit, coming to a stop when a scaled tip slung itself around my hand. Afterwards my body was swept from side to side, the third time bringing me high enough to sling me over the edge of the crater onto the surrounding stone.

Tumbling over the rock I stopped, lying flat on it as I caught my breath. Looking over I saw Narva, breathing hard, her fingers dug into the ground leaving dragging marks behind.

“Thanks, you saved me.”

Taking a deep breath she calmed down, looking towards me as she pulled her hands out of the stone.

“You didn’t look, did you?”

I was stunned at her words, only to break into a laughing fit afterwards.

“That’s what you care about?”

“Tell me you didn’t!” She shouted at me.

Raising my hands in defence I answered. “No! No I didn’t.” Seeing her relief I couldn’t help but tease her. “What are you so anxious about? A different spotted scale?”

Hearing me she grew silent, a dangerous glint appearing in her eyes. “You looked.” Raising her hand she whispered. “[Blast].”

A gust of wind send me rolling backwards. Looking towards her I stopped in my tracks. With hearable embarrassment she spoke.

“I told you not to!”

It wasn’t her that made me stop however. Shooting up I broke into a sprint, grabbing her hand to pull her along.

“What are you…”

She stopped midsentence as I pulled her around, making her see the swarm of wyverns coming our way. Erecting a barrier I blocked any icy breath from one flying above us, only to stop when a pair of claws dug into the stone before us. Pulling her sideways I ran towards the edge, a tail crashing into our earlier position. Leaping of a jaw snapped shut behind us. I pulled her into my embrace, shielding her as we slid down the side of the mountain, crashing onto the stairs running around it.

My legs shook from the sudden strain but I forced them to continue, running downwards the stairs. The wyverns let out angered cries when their prey disappeared in front of their eyes but the flapping of wings was soon heard again when they circled down the mountain. With a roar a wyvern coming from behind let out another breath attack.

Directing my flames against it the two collided, stopping as a glistening vapor that soon was blown away when the wyvern flew through it past us. With a shout my attention was guided in front of us.

“Stay away! [Windblade]!”

Looking forward I saw a wyvern flying towards us, trying to swallow us whole, ignoring the attack Narva sent out. The blade scratched harmlessly along its scale, until it passed over its eye, making the wyvern scream as it closed the eyelid at the sudden effectiveness her attack showed.

It continued to close in on us, but the sudden lack of one eye made it misjudge the distance towards the mountain. Flying to close to it its wing scratched along the mountain, changing its earlier path into a full-blown collision with it.

Pushing us down we barely managed to dodge as its body crashed into the stone above us, before it’s mass pulled it down into the snowstorm as it released a pained outcry.

We couldn’t rest however as there were still many wyvern out for us. Grabbing onto the edge of a step I pulled us forward, the saving tunnel leading inside already in sight. Seeing where we rushed to however a wyvern flew past us turning at the last moment to push its claw into the side of the mountain to come to a sliding stop in front of the entry.

Claws pushed into the stone it opened its gaping maw, fleshing its fangs at us while screaming. Without even stopping its tail swung past its body, the icy stakes crashing into a barrier. Before I could do anything else a breath came from another passing wyvern, forcing me to stay on the defensive.

“Narva, can you take care of those coming from the side?”

“On it! [Dancing Winds!]” A circle lit up around us. For a moment nothing changed but then the winds picked up around us, turning into a wild storm where the wind changed every moment. Any approaching wyvern, trying to attack us, was disturbed in their flight, falling downwards or crashing sideways when the wind got caught in their wings.

“If you want to do something do it fast, I can only keep this up for half a minute!” She screamed over the wind.

That’s enough. Gathering my fire I split a bit of to form spheres, throwing them towards the wyvern to keep it busy. To oppose me it released a breath freezing the orbs and continuing onwards. However, after struggling against the fire the breath lost most of its power and was swept away with the surrounding wind.

As the breath stopped the wyvern growled at me, following up with another swipe of its tail. With a flicker it came from the side, only to change directions in the last second as it tried to bypass my barrier, focusing on the one keeping the other wyvern away.

Releasing the flames I’ve gathered I struck them towards the tail, diverting it to slip past Narva into the mountain. Quickly the wyvern dragged its tail back, its scales scorched, the icicles at the end melted. But instead of feeling angry at the injury it had a mocking grin, as if it was proud to outwit me.

“Damn oversized lizard.”

As I thought about how to attack next a shout rang out from behind.

“I don’t know what you’re trying but I can’t keep this storm up for longer!”

Seeing the storm weakening the grin changed into a ferocious one. Thinking that it was finally time to feast it freed one claw, the sharp ends scratching over the rocky surface.

“Too early, fucker.” Changing my aim I directed the fire towards the claw still holding onto the wall. Black flames rushed over, exploding part of the wall alongside its claw and wing, releasing its grip. The ferocious grin turned into an angered one, only to be replaced by a panicked.

Losing its footage the wyvern slipped downwards, trying to flap its wings to stabilize itself, but while its right wing was fine the left was in tatters, any air just passing right through the rips inside the skins that spanned it.

The sudden unbalance made it crash into the mountain with its back, but before it could catch itself it tumbled downwards, rolling down the mountain and into the snowstorm.

“Now!” I shouted, grabbing Nava’s hand to pull her along. Running into the tunnel outcries resounded from outside as a swarm of wyverns was angered by losing its prey. Before we could escape however a wyvern stuck its head inside, growling in hate as fluid ran out of a destroyed eye.

In a last resort it released a breath towards us. Erecting a barrier we ran away, accompanied by cries filled with hate.