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| - Melandry surveyed the spanning mountain ridge ahead of her and turned back to look at Ra-Khir, struggling to ascend the steep rocky hill below. "So this is the mountain huh? Its pretty impressive. Ra-Khir do you even know where to start looking, this is a pretty big place." Ra-Khir caught up out of breath, hunched over by the pack that carried all of their camping equipment. Ra-Khir gasped "That stupid porter, why wouldn't he come on to the mountain with us. That spell is absolutely useless." Ra-Khir dropped the pack unceremoniously on the ground. "Why do I have to carry everything anyway. You're probably stronger than me with all that sword practice you do." Melandry spun around with a grin on her face "Its part of your training remember. You asked me to come along to teach you. If it is too much of a burden for you I could head back. I could even tell those Tskrang Friends of yours to come and keep you company." Ra-Khir looked horrified "No teacher I didn't mean to offend you. Trouble follow those Tskrang everywhere. Something as simple as going to a forest ends up getting turned into a huge mess..." Melandry cut Ra-Khir off "So let me get this straight, liberating the wrongfully imprisoned and enslaved is an inconvenience for you." Melandry leveled a cold stare at Ra-Khir, he could sense something stirring in Melandry, as if something had hold of her, he remembered seeing the same thing once in Devrin. He thought he saw the same thing in the madness that took the ork liberator. Ra-Khir stood up and faced Melandrys stare with a sincere one "I would never turn my back on those who have been shackled against their will, I discovered the slave camp, and asked the Tskrang to help me fight the slavers, I only regret that we had to let them go." Melandry sighed and looked away "Well I can tell you one thing for certain, were I there, that slaver would have met a painful, horrible end by my hand." Ra-Khir felt a chill run up his spine and he shuddered, she was dead serious. "Lets take a break here Melandry, I need to try talking with the plants here anyway." "I am delicious and nutritious" the wild berry bush said proudly. Ra-Khir sighed "I know, you told me already. My name is Ra-Khir, I am looking for a big earth elemental." "Hi Ra-Khir!" the berry bush chimed in. Ra-Khir was beginning to get a headache. "Have you seen any earth elementals around here?" "Hi Ra-Khir!" the plant responded. Melandry looked amused "So whats the plant have to say." She smirked. Ra-Khir began to rub the throbbing vein by his temple "it says it doesn't know." Melandry chuckled "well you could try asking that big tree over there, or maybe this dandelion might now something." Ra-Khir surveyed the area around him, they had been searching this part of the mountain for the better part of the day and the plants here seemed to be dumber than usual. He grabbed a handful of berries, thanked the bush, and started down another trail. They came to a steep ravine, and down at the bottom of the Ravine was a mighty oak. Unusual as most old trees had been destroyed during the scourge in this area. The only thing usually around here was new growth. The tree looked ancient easily 500 years old or more. "There" Ra-Khir pointed "is the wisest tree on the mountain." Ra-Khir approached the ancient oak and marveled at its resilience, it had survived the scourge, and its bark and trunk were scarred and knotted. He placed his forehead on the tree. "Hi Ra-Khir" The oak said. "Great another idiot." Ra-Khir began banging his head on the tree. "It was only a joke, the other plants told me about you. You are looking for Azell, the stoic, but you aren't too bright are you." Ra-Khir was taken aback. "Here you are having looked all over this mountain for the past 2 days, yet you still haven't found her." "I ask you Ra-Khir what is the true name of this mountain?" Ra-Khir looked down at the dirt at his feet, and noticed that the boots seemed to blend in perfectly. "You mean this whole time I have been searching for Azell I have been walking all over her." The tree seemed amused. "Of course the other plants knew as well, but we have had our fun now and started to feel sorry for you." Ra-Khir let out a loud scream at the top of his lungs that echoed across the mountain. Melandry drew her sword and got into a fighters crouch. "What is it Ra-Khir?" Ra-Khir began laughing hysterically. "Who knew that plants had a sense of humor." Melandry looked deeply concerned "Are you alright?" Ra-Khir grabbed a handful of soil and began rubbing it on his boots, and hands and face. "What on earth are you doing." Melandry sheathed her sword and began to wonder if her student had been put under an enchantment of some sort. Ra-Khir turned to Melandry "Its the mountain, Its been the mountain the whole time." Ra-Khir spoke to the mountain Azell, "I have come with your boots and wanted to thank you for them." Azell seemed to rouse from a centuries long slumber "I felt the comfort of my boots upon my surface, it is good to feel whole again, traveler you were weary when we last met, and I offered you aid, do you still need assistance?" Ra-Khir explained "Azell, I found your shoes, they were a great deal away from you, the last traveler who had them perished. I have returned them to you but ask that I may use them a little longer with your blessing." Azell pondered Ra-Khir's words for many hours and finally spoke again "I understand your need, I would request a blood oath to return them to me once you are no longer in need of them." Ra-Khir performed the blood oath with Azell vowing to return her shoes in 500 years, an eye-blink for the eternal mountain Azell.
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