They rejoined their team, all of them ready to go. Conner handed them their packs and they headed out, moving quickly through the ruins and into the valley below. There was a large crevasse they had to traverse and, thanks to another of Ren’s men’s magic, they were able to make it across without any difficulty. An hour or so later, they were making their way through a dense patch of woods that were hilly and led them up the side of a mountain, something Ruby did not like.

“Do we have to be so high up?” she groaned, her face pinched with her distress. 

“If you want to find this damn relic, you do,” Ren said from his place at the front, wincing when another loud clap of thunder broke above them. He frowned, his pointy left ear twitching as he looked at the sky. The clouds had gathered faster than he’d anticipated, and the smell in the air told him they were facing a massive downpour. “We need to get somewhere with cover quickly,” he said to Julian.

“How far is the town?”

“Too far at this point,” the elf said, his eyes moving around the area. If he recalled correctly, there was a small cave system somewhere nearby they could take shelter in until the storm passed. He mentioned it and Julian accepted the change in plans. Ren looked over at Connor, Michael, and Micah, directing them to spread out. 

At Modette’s puzzled expression, he said, “We’re in the Wilds. Demons, orcs, ghouls, and your average bear or wolf are likely to be hanging around looking for a meal.” He smiled and gave her a wink. “Don’t worry, you’ll be safe. I know you can fight, too, but you shouldn’t have to. Not something this mundane.”

She relaxed. “I’ll take your word for it.”

Ren and Julian shared a grin and they continued on. Twenty minutes later, a strange smell wafted over them, permeating the air. Julian grimaced, pulling his shirt up over his nose.

“What the hell is that?” he asked, forming a thin barrier over them to protect them from whatever it was that was assailing their senses as they hurried along.

“A sulfur spring,” Ren said. “Don’t worry, it’s not harmful, it just smells like ass”

“That’s good to know, I suppose,” Ruby said, pinching her nose. Ren chuckled.

“There are some old mines around here, too. It’s possible a lot of what’s in that spring is runoff.”

“What did they mine out here?” Modette asked.

Ren shrugged, leading them around a bend. “Couldn’t say. Still, watch your step. The ground can be a little unstable in some areas.”

The angel threw her hands in the air, rolling her eyes. “Now you tell us!”

Ren threw his head back and laughed. “It’s fine! The mountain around here hasn’t crumbled since…” his voice trailed off and the smile on his face faded as he slowed to a stop. He turned his head to look behind them.

Everyone stopped, confusion etched on each face. 

“What is it?” Julian asked, concerned.

Ren looked at him. “You didn’t hear that?”

“What, the thunder? It’s been rolling for a while now, Ren.”

Ren’s eyes went back and he shook his head, another rumble making him tense. “That’s not thunder, Jules,” he said.

They were all silent, glancing around as the implication of Ren’s words hit them. A moment later, another loud CRACK rent the air, the ground under their feet shaking violently. 

“Boss!” Connor shouted. “We need to run! Now!”

Julin and Ren shared a brief look, and took off, all of them running as fast as they could just as the mountain began to cave in behind them. 

Trees shook and a few roots burst from the ground, one nearly dropping Ruby to her knees. Modette helped her to her feet and they continued moving.

“We should fly!” she shouted to Julian.

“We can’t!” he shouted back, pointing at the sky. In the distance, a huge cloud had begun spilling its contents and was heading quickly in their direction. If the Divine tried to fly, they’d be knocked out of the sky instantly. Not to mention Ruby, Tobias, Ren, and Micah didn’t have wings. If Julian, Connor, and Modette took off into the air, they would essentially be leaving everyone else to suffer the danger of not only the storm, but the crumbling mountain as well.

Understanding all of this, she pushed on, nearly losing her footing as her feet found a loose pocket of earth, falling into open space below. Ruby pulled her up, not releasing her hand.

Everyone was thrown back as a bolt of lightning shot into the ground mere feet from them, a few of them shouting in surprise. Ren caught Julian as he stumbled.

“We need to get out of here,” Julian said, his eyes wide.

Ren nodded. “Don’t need to tell me twice. Let’s go. The caves are close.” He grabbed Julian’s hand and they ran as fast as they could. They hadn’t gone far before another bolt struck, the ground giving way beside them. 

“FUCK!” Julian shouted, leaping out of the way, his arm around Ren, pulling him back. 

There was a scream from somewhere up ahead.

“Oh my god,” Ruby exclaimed, pointing to ahead and to the left. The mountainside had detached, sending an avalanche of dirt and trees, along with Connor and Micah, to the unseen ground below.

“We’re not gonna make it,” Modette whimpered. 

“Yes we are,” Ren said firmly, his fingers laced with Julian’s as they raced further into the trees. 

That’s when the mountain decided it had had enough. Not thirty feet further into their escape, the ground opened up before them, and Ren slipped, dangling over the edge.

“Ren!” Julian yelled, falling to his stomach, holding tightly to Ren’s hand. “Hang on, I’ll pull you up.”

Ren clutched and scrambled desperately at the ground and the loose dirt at his feet, trying to gain purchase and failing. He looked up into Julian’s eyes, those brilliant cosmic colors swirling with fear. “Jules,” he breathed, panic in his voice. “Help me…”

Julian pulled, the ground cracking and falling apart around him. “Come on,” he begged. “Pull! Hang on and pull yourself up!”

Ren tried, his feet finding grip only once before the ground fell out from under him again, rocks and trees falling into the darkness below. He yelped as he lost footing, his free hand swinging. He reached back up but the ground was too unstable.

“Julian!” Modette and Ruby shrieked, grabbing for him just as the ground began to give way under their friend. 

“Jules,” Ren mouthed, tears filling his eyes. “Don’t let me go.”

“I won’t,” Julian said, his own eyes beginning to water. “Just...hang on. Ren, please don’t let go!” He held on to Ren’s hand with both of his, the elf’s hand beginning to slip free. “No,” he breathed, the girls pulling at them both, trying to get them to safety. “Please…Ren, stay with me…be with me…don’t let go!”

The panic in Ren’s face put more fear in Julian’s heart than the rest of the danger they were in. His fingers tried to hang on, but he was losing. The ground fell out from under Julian’s chest, and they all fell into the darkness, Ren’s hand slipping free from Julian’s.

“REN, NO!” Julian screamed as he watched the man he loved disappear from sight before the entire world around him went black.

-*-