Confusion among the clouds

One of the basic rules that even a child is aware of is that the higher you go, the colder it gets. At one point the temperature tends to go in the negatives and even snow starts falling. Small flakes of a complexity that exceeds even some advanced grade formation keeps filling the horizon. I can never stop wondering myself how could a natural phenomenon create something this beautiful.

Sitting on a rock at the edge of a nearby cliff I let my gaze be filled with this white world. Despite the fact that I only wear a pair of cotton pants and a thin tunic, I'm not cold. Down below an endless fog covers everything while above only clouds can be seen. It might be beautiful but it's a little confusing as well.

Looking backwards a small wooden frame half covered in snow stands there on the verge of falling from the weight it has to endure. This is my little house that I started calling home for the past couple days in this world. Unfortunately, away from the small house, there is nothing else. Where the courtyard used to be now only rocks and snow can be seen. Not even those annoying creatures, the so called Gonies, can't be found around. It's like something devoured them leaving behind not even a trace of dust.

To be honest I'm not really sad that those infernal monsters with cute appearance are no more. In the same time I'm worried because I just can't figure out what what happened for me to end up in this king of situation.

No matter how many times I think about it, it should be impossible for my house to be transported over night on top of a mountain. Furthermore, you might call it just a feeling, but I don't thing the house moved from the former spot. The easiest explanation that I can come up with, considering the current situation and what my divine sense is telling me, would be that…

'Creeeeak'

Right at this moment a creaking sound can be heard followed by the opening of the wooden door and the appearance of a large humanoid from the small house. Bulging muscles that can be seen from miles away atop an over 220 cm tall frame. His hands that could strangle a bear are complemented by the pair of tree trunks that he keeps insisting that are his legs and by the hard skin filled with multiple scars that could take head on a reinforced steel sword and not bleed a single drop of blood creating the perfect image of a bloodthirsty barbarian. Unfortunately this image is completely ruined by a pair of gentle and slightly dumb eyes. No matter how much you stare at them no killing intent can be seen. You might believe that he is concealing his killing intent but I know better. Despite the obvious fact that he did have his fair share of fights and tribulations, I doubt he ever killed another intelligent being. Basically, from my point of view, despite the fact he looks to be a good seedling, he is only half baked and when faced with a critical situation he might just lose it and end up dying a dog's death. Well, a normal person would be intimidated by his slitted, red glowing eyes and believe that he is a cold blooded killer but in my eyes he is nothing more that an interesting fellow that I had the opportunity to meet yesterday.

Approaching the rock that I am sitting on confusion can be seen covering his whole face.

"Uhh…"

"Hey Dine, did you sleep well? I know that my bed was kinda small for you but I hope you managed somehow."

"D-Don't worry about that. It was more than good enough. B-But… Where are we?"

From his voice I can easily tell that he is quite nervous and that he has no idea what is going on. This means that he most likely had nothing to do with this which also solidifies my theory.

"What are you talking about? We are in front of my small house. Did you forget that you decided to sleep here last night and we agreed to leave together today towards that Spilled Blood Auction?"

"..."

"What's up, Dine? Are you not feeling well? Your expression is ashen!"

His mouth is opening and closing without uttering any words.

'Slap'

His big palm hits his right cheek with enough force to make the falling snowflakes create a empty sphere around himself. With that his a big part of the confusion that filled every nook and cranny of his body disappeared and a serious and concentrated expression takes its place.

"Lite, of course I remember about that. I agreed to take you with me and act as a guide until the Spilled Blood Auction ends and in exchange you agreed to tell me how you managed to use a Divine Technique despite the fact that you are an unawakened. The problem is that when we had this discussion we were near the River of Salvation on the other side of Shalduab el Abrah's prison. There was indeed a small farm nearby but there was no mountain in sight!"

Hmm… He calmed down way to fast. This is way too… Boring!

"What are you talking about Dine? Did you really forgot about all the bad luck we encountered while climbing the mountain towards my house? Did you forgot about the snow storm or about the fact that we hand no choice but to use you Dragon Form to fly towards my house. Did you even forgot that, because of the fog, when you landed you destroyed my fence?"

"No no no no! That never happened! There was a farm. And some strange animals with an extremely annoying voices. We just entered the house and slept. There was no mountain, no snow storm and I am pretty sure that I did not destroy any kind of fence."

"Hey hey hey! You said that money are not a problem for you but now you are actually inventing such a strange story just because you don't want to pay for the damages you did to my fence. What kind of second rate dragon are you?"

"Wait wait wait! I did not promise you any kind of compensations for the fence. Actually I did not destroy any kind of fence to begin with so there is no point of talking about a compensation."

"Oh come on! Are you really going to hide from your own mistakes using such a third rate excuse? I mean, if you wanted to shift the blame you could at least create a slightly more realistic story. You said that there was no mountain but we are atop of mountain and that is an undeniable fact. Furthermore that is my house. You woke up in there. You want to say that somehow when we went to sleep there was no mountain here only endless planes and during the night I moved the house atop of a mountain? Stop struggling and pay for the fence you destroyed so that we can be over with this."

"But…"

"But what? What are you going to do when winter ends and beasts starts climbing the mountain? How are you going to repay me if there is going to be a monster sneaking in my house that is not protected by any kind of defence like, I don't know, let's say a fence or something like that, and eat me while I sleep?"

"B-but the…"

"I am too young too be devoured by some monsters because of your dumb mistake. Yes you might have saved my life once but you also game your word to compensate me for what You destroyed!"

"But … There is no… "

"There is no what Dine !?"

"T-There is no fence!"

"And whose fault is that?"

"Wait, wait! You said that I destroyed a fence, right?"

"I did not say anything, that is exactly what happened. I just remembered you to make sure that you won't forget what you promised to me yesterday. I mean I couldn't forgive myself if by any chance you forgot to compensate me and years latter you remembered but by that time I was already dead so you would have to live with a heavy heart because of that! I am a good man, unlike other certain dragons that destroys a poor humans property and forget to pay their debts!"

"Uhh… If I destroyed a fence, there should at the very least be some broken wood or something here, but there is nothing in sight…"

"..."

Damn it… He actually managed to observe that small detail. Well, it was fun for the time it lasted.

"This is a dungeon."

"Eh!?"

Yeah… This is the conclusion that I managed formulate after all my observations. The reason why there are only rocks and not even a single plant or animal as far as the eye can see is because every non-intelligent living being has been devoured. They life energy has been absorbed and their bodies have been turned to dust. Furthermore this explains why I did not sense anything last night either. Basically this mountain did sprout right from underground. It's movements were extremely gentle in order not to awaken us showing that it actually possesses intelligence. A normal dungeon would not be capable of doing something like this not to mention that I would have felt it long before it managed to move even a single inch of dirt. The fact that I did not sense a thing shows that it possesses some kind of advanced formation that can completely hide and isolated it's movements. The only problem left is why did it not try to consume us as well and did everything in its power not to alarm us. The only explanation I can come up with is that it managed to sense my power because I doubt that a dungeon capable of creating a mountain overnight would be afraid of the little dragon over there.

The fact that it sensed the amount of power that I posses and still decided to create its base here tells me that it either doesn't fear me or it doesn't have any evil thoughts and is not afraid that I will try to destroy it. In either case one thing is certain!

"This is going to be interesting!"