The Holy Mountain
The next morning, the 130-ish villagers make the 3 hour long walk up the trail. A lot of the more frail people grow too tired to continue up the steep trail, so some of the mages accompanying them use their magic to inject them with enough energy to keep going.
On the way up, one of the Guards assures the chief that the acting "warden" has already been notified that they're receiving refugees.
Even before they arrive at the Pit, a thick, charred stench assaults their noses. A few minutes later, they understand why.
After coming to a huge clearing, they see that most of the land has been burnt black. In some parts of the land, the ground looks like it was frozen in waves, as the lake of lava from Dakka's strikes had been blown over and frozen in place as it thawed.
Even more intimidating are the huge, broken walls seeming to extend forever up.
Seeing the villagers gawking, one of the guards leading them sighs heavily, "Yeah. The dragon attack was devastating. We used to have around 30,000 soldiers here, but now we're only around 1,000. Honestly, we're lucky anyone survived."
Gabella tugs on the soldier's sleeve. "What's a dragon?"
"That," he says while pointing to a large clearing. There, rests a giant skull with 4 curling brown horns and wicked teeth far longer than a grown man is tall. "That's a dragon."
(Of course, dragon corpses slowly shift back into their true forms if they happened to die while looking like a human. They managed to drag Dakka's body up and out of the Pit before his body enlarged again.)
Seeing the impressive walls, Tab was wondering how these powerful Guardians (as he's taken to calling them) could ever be defeated. However, seeing the monstrously large skull, he can only imagine how large the monster actually was. Now… now it all makes sense.
Seeing as how all the buildings on the surface are wrecked, the refugees are shown to the deep hole in the ground. The Warden had ordered stone stairs carved into the side of the cylindrical hole in the ground, so everyone makes a long, scary trip down the hole.
Once they reach the bottom, they're shown to the lower levels, where there are already beds and living materials. Since the Warden had everything he could salvage from the ruins sent down there, there's more than enough bedrolls for them all.
"Well," Gabella chirps happily, "At least we know why it's called 'the Pit' now."
"At least one of us sounds happy right now," her father mumbles grumpily. "Today sucked."
She smiles in return and responds, "At least my soul isn't stuck in some strange place. I'm just happy to be able to walk around again."
Tab smiles warmly and sits down with a huff. He can't even get on the ground without his daughter helping him to the floor.
"Thanks, dear," Tab says in contentment. "I suppose that even if the world is ending right now, it's good to have you back."
He turns over and lets out a sigh as he closes his eyes. "Get some rest."
---------------------
Shortly after the refugees settle in the dark depths of the Pit, Dee, Haalfrin, and the others travel back to the Pit after they've finished arranging for their boats to be ready to set sail; they only came back to get Vic.
While Vic is packing up his things, Haalfrin watches excitedly from the side; he can't wait to finally get off this rock!
However, before Vic can make it back to them, one of the guards walks up to Dee and says while gesturing down, "One of the refugees has been looking for you. It's a little girl."
Dee perks up a little and turns to Haalfrin. "Hold on a sec. I got some business."
Haalfrin sighs and sits on a barrel. "Don't mind us. Just go take care of it while you can, since we're not coming back here."
Nodding enthusiastically, Dee dips down the hole they dug, and she disappears in the earth.
---------------------
Whatever business Dee had with that refugee, it must've been important, since she's gone down there chatting for nearly an hour.
Understandably not trusting the leftover guards, Haalfrin wonders if something bad happened to Dee. So, feeling a little curious, he jumps down the hole and makes his way down. He enhances his smell and follows the woman's scent accurately toward where the refugees are staying at.
Fortuantely, Dee seems to be all right, though she looks like she's very engrossed in an emotional conversation.
'Huh,' Haalfrin thinks, 'I've never seen Dee like that before. Obviously, she cares about the little girl.'
Seeing Haalfrin in view, Dee beckons to him and says, "Haalfrin! We were just talking about you! Come!"
Haalfrin sits down, and he sees Gabella's and the other refugees' attention swivel toward him.
"Haalfrin," Dee asks, "I was talking to these people, and they all have a favor to ask you."
An old man, who looks more like Gabella's grandfather (Tab), asks Haalfrin solemnly, "We heard about how you're the one who slew the dragon up there. Dee was just telling us about how you're a mage, but not with the guards…"
Truth be told, Dee told them all about how Haalfrin is often called "the Demon" by the Guards because he was a prisoner here. However, he's not necessarily a bad person, since he was falsely accused of mass murder and put in jail for a crime he didn't commit.
"…We all know you have no obligation to help us, but we really need your help." Tab takes a deep breath to calm himself and says, "Dee told us about how you're planning on leaving the island… but the Guardians here aren't powerful enough anymore to capture or kill the rest of the black mages… Please… This is our home, and our people have suffered enough. Please help us defeat them!"
Haalfrin sighs, then he asks the old man, "How big is the island?"
"Maybe 10 miles across?"
"Shouldn't take too long then," Haalfrin grunts tiredly as he stands up. "I'll be gone for maybe a few days at most, a few hours at least… I'll probably just kill the biggest clumps, since I won't be able to track them down easily if they hide. With most of them dead, the rest should be manageable."
Haalfrin himself doesn't care much about these natives, but Dee does… and after 600 years spent on the same floor, he does consider her a companion at least. Companions should be helped.
So, after getting a map of all the various villages, Haalfrin eats his fill, stocks up on mana, and flies down the mountain to clean the place up a little…
---------------------
When Haalfrin gets up to the top, he walks past Dakka's ginormous skull, and he strokes it fondly, 'It was a good fight brother.' He looks down the mountain. 'I'm leaving with my companions after this, so I guess now's the best time to bid farewell. I'll light a candle for you or something when I have time.'
Just when Haalfrin is about to pull his hand away, the skull starts glowing white hot, and it nearly sears Haalfrin's skin. If it weren't for his Dra Name strengthening his body, he'd have died.
"BROOOOooo!" a booming voice sounds in Haalfrin's head, "You can't jusssssst leave meeee herrrrre!"
"Dakka!?" Haalfrin yelps and falls back, "You're alive!?"
"I fffeeelll hhhurrtt, brooooo," Dakka pouts, "It wasss one of theeeee firssst tthingssss I told you whennn weeee met theeee firssst timmme!"
Haalfrin spends a moment wracking his brains before he smacks himself on the forehead. "Oh. You said that dragons never really die," he exclaims. "…. Uh… I don't know the rest."
"Our sssoulsss are kept in our bones. Dravar can be transsssferred. Ssssinccce youuu killed meeee, mmmy powerrr isss yours nnnow."
Haalfrin sighs at this in irritation. "Listen, Dakka. I don't want your power. Keep it to yourself."
"NOoo!" Dakka's soul screams in agitation, "You're a cool bro! I'm traveling with you!"
Without waiting for Haalfrin's consent, the skull glows an eerie red as it seems to melt into a liquid, flows towards itself into a large ball, then crushes itself until it gets very small.
After the ball of energy gets small enough, Dakka's soul cries out in pain as it contorts itself into a new shape. The energy ball elongates itself and gradually forms into the shape of a war ax.
The dragonbone war ax clatters on the ground, and the humid air touching its surface is steaming hot.
Tenderly, Haalfrin picks up the dragonbone ax with curiosity, and he swings it around for a moment. 'Huh. Imagine this thing is next to unbreakable…,' he thinks before saying aloud, "Where did Dakka go? Is he still in here?"
"…I'm here, bro…," Dakka's voice telepathically says. "I'm a little tired now, so I'll take a rest. Good night."
"It's morning right now, Dakka."
"…" There is no answer.
Haalfrin sighs and takes off with a flight spell, completely ignoring the horrified looks from the onlookers - both guards and natives.
---------------------
What happens after Haalfin's descent will be passed down in story from parent to child for thousands of years to come. When the demons descended from the mountain and brought chaos with them… it all ended with a cloud of angry black Aura, then haunting silence.
Seeing the overwhelming power the "demons" are put down with, the remaining villagers lift their heads up in worship to the heavens and cry out in thanks… for in their view, this is the wrath of the gods taking vengeance for the land.
While all the natives are on their knees in their own version of prayer, Haalfrin is floating in the sky with Freyya drifting next to him on her wings.
"Are you sure you don't want it?" she asks him coyly while gesturing to the villagers down below. "Divine Devotion is a hard thing to come across. Many would kill to get such a thing."
Haalfrin shrugs, "Master never taught me about this 'Divine Devotion'. What is it, anyway? I mean, I feel SOMETHING, I just don't know what it is."
"Divine Devotion," Freyya explains, "is very powerful Sylvar. It can only be obtained when one performs an act befitting of a god, and when one is worshiped by the people." She gestures to the people down below. "You could easily become their god-king if you wanted to."
"Nah," Haalfrin spits out disdainfully, "that sounds boring."
Freyya cackles in a fit of hysteric laughter, "AHAHA! I knew you'd say that!" She had met so many ambitious mortals who wanted to be gods. After watching them struggle (mostly futilely) for godhood, seeing Haalfrin casually throw this chance away because it's boring is hilarious to her.
Her smile fades and she continues, "In all seriousness, you have to have a lot of Significance to become a god. Divine Devotion is the easiest way to be recognized as Significant by the universe. Doubly sure you don't want it? This is your last chance since if you don't take it, the Divine Devotion is going to flow into the mountain instead and produce a land god."
Haalfrin laughs out loud hearing this. "AHAHA! It'll go from being the 'cursed mountain' to the 'holy mountain'. Funny. Really."
After that, neither Haalfrin nor Freyya mentions the divine devotion again, nor the new land diety. Of course, Haalfrin would never meet the new land god, since it takes several years for anything to fully absorb Divine Devotion. By the time the land god wakes up for the first time, Haalfrin would be long gone.