“So . . .” Khoribin cleared his throat. “We travel to a different planet with a portal, and now we’re getting into a coach drawn by horses?”

  Arz watched the intricate patterns of shaped wood as the coach rolled to a stop before them. The driver nodded to Arz and gestured to the door. A proper gentleman would have gotten down to open the door for Arz, but he would let it pass.

  “If I had portals that opened to other places on Earth, I would be happy to use them. That, unfortunately, has been out of my reach up to this point.” Arz opened the door and pulled himself onto the small step below the door. “At least it is the nicest they have.”

  Nice was an understatement. The cushions were covered in silk. The interior was vibrant and pristine. Everything inside the coach looked brand new.

  “How old is this coach?” Arz asked.

  “About a decade, sir,” the driver said.

  “Interesting.” Arz swung himself inside and sat on the far end. The seats were big enough to fit three people comfortably, facing each other. Orikori sat on Arz’s left while Khoribin and Isilhorn sat across. The two guards carrying robot guns looked incredibly out of place in the artistic interior of the coach.

  The coach rolled along over the cobblestones of Bralincote’s streets until they reached the less refined, bumpier roads of the countryside. The other three took the opportunity to watch the land roll by out the windows. Rolling hills, gurgling streams, and dense forests dotted the landscape. Bralincote’s countryside had always been picturesque. Some people never get tired of it. While Arz wasn’t oblivious to its beauty, he wasn’t as enthralled as others.

  Discovery drove Arz onward. There was a thrill unlike any other to finding new recipes, to discovering things nobody else on Earth knew. Were those his true goals? Of course not. But also maybe.

  They had been going on for hours already. Orikori was the first to nod off while the guards remained alert. Meanwhile, Arz tried thinking of new portal recipes. He had discovered one previously inhabited planet, and one space station.

  He imagined himself back in space, on the rock outside the slime’s base. How was it possible that a portal had opened so conveniently? It could have dropped him anywhere in space. There were more uninhabited places than anything else, and yet . . .

  The only hint was in the chronobubbles on Doumenus. Arz’s portals had been more clear before using the fluid from the bubbles. He even considered the portals more material. They looked like they were actually in front of him, compared to looking like they were almost a mirage.

  And there weren’t that many more materials left on Earth for him to try. Many flowers had the same result when mixed with Storm Tree leaves. Most wood had no reaction, while some bark helped and others didn’t. Minerals were all successful, from what Arz had tested, but gathering significant amounts of those could be more difficult.

  He needed a new plan. A new recipe. Something entirely unique.

  “Have any of you been to Mount Parikus?” Arz asked, breaking the silence.

  Orikori flinched at the noise and jolted awake. He wiped his mouth and blinked the sleep from his eyes.

  “Never been too far from the city,” Isilhorn said, still looking out the window.

  “You’ve been to other planetst.” When Isilhorn didn’t respond, Arz shrugged and continued. “What do you know about volcanoes?”

  “They explode,” Khoribin said dryly.

  Arz wagged his finger. “Not all of them. This is often referred to as a lava dome volcano. Could you guess why?”

  “Viscous lava moves slowly when leaving the volcano, thus piling up and freezing, creating what is referred to as a dome around the volcano,” Orikori said, followed immediately by an exaggerated yawn.

  “Oh. Yeah. Want to hear everything I know about volcanoes?” Arz asked.

  “No,” Isilhorn blurted. The young guard’s eyes widened, as if surprised from his own words. “Sorry.”

  Arz shrugged. “I will just think them to myself. Who likes information more than me?”

  “How far away is Parikus?” Isilhorn asked.

  “A couple of weeks.” Arz smiled. “And then we get to go hiking.”

  “Weeks? In here?”

  Arz made a show of sniffing himself. “Do I smell bad?”

  “Not yet,” Orikori whispered.

  “Do I sometimes smell bad?”

  The scribe nodded.

  “Oh, no.” Arz squeezed his arms to his side. If his armpits did smell, then he would shield the others from having to experience the odor. “We will find places to stop and rest. Weeks go by quickly, after all!”

  ***

  Two weeks later, the coach rolled to a stop at the base of Mount Parikus.

  Orikori was the first to stumble out, followed immediately by the two guards. Arz watched them rush out for fresh air and a place to move. He understood their eagerness. His legs ached unlike anything before. The last time he had gone to Parikus, it had taken him even longer to arrive.

  There was a sense of urgency that clung to Arz’s mind. Was it his company or was it his goal? Either way, he wanted to get his ingredients so he could keep moving forward. The sooner the better.

  Arz stepped out, stretched, and pulled their belongings from a storage compartment. They each had a sizable backpack, along with Arz’s belt and jacket. The driver stared into the distance where the peak of the volcano was barely visible.

  “Do I wait here?” the driver asked.

  “Oh, no.” Arz pulled a return potion from his belt. “This will take us back.”

  The driver narrowed his eyes. “Okay.”

  “Head back. We’ll see you there.”

  “I thought you said we can’t use portals to other places on Earth,” Khoribin said. He held his AZ gun with the barrel pointed at the ground. They all looked exhausted, but Khoribin looked more tired than everyone else.

  Arz shook the return potion, causing the shimmering purple liquid to swirl. “This, my friend, will always take us back to my study. No matter the place or planet. The issue is finding a portal that would take us elsewhere on Earth. Using this while in my study would be useless.”

  “So, no coach on the way back?” Isilhorn asked excitedly.

  “Just a confident step through the portal!” Arz returned the vial to his belt and stretched out his arms again. The air around Mount Parikus was cool and sharp, in a surprisingly refreshing way. A forest blanketed the lands around them, crawling up the side of the volcano. There wasn’t a real path up, though Mount Parikus had been officially explored decades ago by a group from Staiweth when they were looking to expand.

  “Did you know,” Arz began. Orikori immediately pulled a notebook out, eager to record whatever it was Arz would say. He was glad somebody was that excited to hear him speak, even if it was just because Orikori was paid to record these things. “Staiweth’s council hired a group of adventurers to travel up the Boiling Run, over the lake, and through this forest around us to explore Mount Parikus? They were the first official ones to map it out and determine it a place of significance.”

  “The Boiling Run?” Isilhorn asked.

  Arz waved everyone on as he left the road and headed into the forest beyond. If they had continued on the road, it would be another week to Staiweth. Arz had visited before. He didn’t need to again. Too much fish. It was all they ate. Were they on the coast? Yes. Was that a good reason to only eat fish? No.

  “The Boiling Run is a river. Nothing more. It gurgles and bubbles over river stones. To those who first see it, it appears to be boiling. But here is Mount Parikus.” Arz gestured to the volcano excitedly.

  From far away, it looked low and small. It was more like a massive mound than a tall, pointed volcano like the others had expected. He could see the disappointment on Isilhorn’s face, even if the guard would never admit to it.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “The hike should be easy,” Khoribin said, even as he fought back a yawn.

  Arz led the way. It wasn’t as if it was difficult to navigate. The peak was visible even from the road. Though Arz knew there was more to Parikus than he had let on. More to it than most people knew.

  “Do you know why Mount Parikus is still in what is considered independent territory?” Arz asked.

  Nobody answered, and Arz didn’t turn to look at them. Instead, he confidently strode onward, keeping a strong pace. He had gotten stronger, if only a little, since he had started adventuring. The first hike up the volcano had used up every ounce of energy over two days. Now, Arz was confident he could make it to the top in less than one.

  “After the Staiwethens traveled to the volcano, the exploration party returned to the council and declared that Mount Parikus already had a ruler. In fact, they specifically used the word ‘Emperor.’ Now, why would they say that?”

  “To preserve the natural beauty of the landscape?” Orikori asked.

  Arz tsked. “If only, my young scribe. If only more of us were concerned with such things. No, no. This was something else entirely. This is unique to this place. While red oil and Drops of Heaven can appear around any volcano, Mount Parikus has something special.”

  “Are you going to tell us?” Khoribin asked.

  “No.” Arz spun around and thrust his hands outward. “Welcome to Mount Parikus, where you will experience something few others on the planet know about. Just, uh, stay alive.”

  A pesky rock found its way behind Arz’s heel while he walked backward, and before he knew it, he was looking at the sky.

  Orikori, Khoribin, and Isilhorn all stopped and stared down at him. Orikori was taking notes while the guards just looked at Arz with raised eyebrows.

  “Alright. Is someone going to help?”

  Khoribin offered a hand and pulled Arz right back to his feet.

  “Wow, you are strong.” Arz brushed some dirt off his clothes. “Don’t write that down.”

  “Too late,” Orikori muttered as he closed his notebook and shoved it back into his pocket.

  Arz started hiking again. It took him a bit to convince Isilhorn and Khoribin to relax, to take in the sights like Orikori, and to enjoy themselves. There was nothing to guard Arz from, but there was plenty to see. Beautiful pillows of moss covered the roots of ancient trees that stood like menhirs. Birds sang and small rodents ran along the floor and through the canopy above, sometimes shaking leaves loose.

  There was plenty of beauty to take in, but nothing for Arz to investigate. It almost made it boring to him. Though he knew it wasn’t that way for the others. Arz knew there were little to no alchemical properties in the things around him, which was his only real reason for taking a closer look at anything.

  Were the purple, yellow, and white wildflowers vibrant and wonderful? Yes. Did they do anything? No. Well, nothing for Arz. They probably did plenty out in the wild, which was an even better reason to leave them.

  After about three hours, they reached the end of the forest. The others hesitated at the edge even while Arz strode out onto the burnt, folded surface.

  “What now?” Arz asked.

  “It just ends,” Isilhorn said.

  “That’s lava,” Orikori said, pointing with a pen at the ground beneath Arz’s feet.

  Arz crouched and poked his bare finger against the stone. “Frozen lava. What harm will it do now?”

  Khoribin pointed past Arz. “That’s not frozen.”

  Above, a clump of lava slowly moved down the mountainside. Black rings framed it as the viscous lava cooled even as it flowed.

  “It’s moving slower than a tortoise. I am confident we can all run faster than a tortoise. Even you, Orikori.”

  The scribe frowned.

  “Do you see where the land changes?” Arz asked, pointing past the lava.

  “You mean the snow?” Isilhorn asked. He was the first to step out of the forest while tapping his foot on the stone a few times before being confident in it not falling out beneath his feet.

  “I was going to point out that it was snow, but I suppose it is obvious, isn’t it?” The white top of the volcano was difficult to miss. He was sure they all realized it was snow upon first seeing it, but Arz had hoped someone would be surprised.

  Arz walked to the side, staying along the forest line. The others followed behind, chatting quietly. It was still an hour until dusk, which wasn’t terribly long to wait. Arz wasn’t sure if conditions were going to be right to find any Drops of Heaven, but they had to try. That was one of the main reasons for their adventure.

  He led them to an area without flowing lava leaking from vents. The western side of the volcano was much calmer, though the hike to the top would be even steeper. Arz swung his backpack off and sat at the edge of the forest, using a tree as a backrest. Everyone else followed along until they were all sitting, waiting in the forest. Nobody spoke as Arz handed out some fruit they had picked up the day before. It was already getting soft, so he wanted to get rid of it first.

  After finishing an apple, Khoribin cleared his throat, grabbing Arz’s attention. “What are we waiting for?”

  “Dew.” Arz smiled.

  “What?” Isilhorn asked. “Why?”

  “Drops of Heaven are just drops of dew formed on volcanoes,” Orikori said.

  Arz chuckled. “Kind of. They are formed of dew with the heat of the volcano. The higher you are on the volcano, the more likely you will come across one. But to find it, you need a light because it will look like a drop of water unless a strong light shines through it. Not every drop of dew on a volcano will be a Drop of Heaven. If it were, it wouldn’t be so expensive. It took me a few days to find five Drops last time, and that’s all I was doing. Sleeping during the day and hunting for Drops at night. So, we wait until night sets in, then we light some torches and hunt!”

  “Why not use this?” Isilhorn asked. He held his AZ gun and flicked a switch on its side. A bright cone of light appeared from just under the tip of the gun. It tracked wherever he aimed the gun, illuminating everything in a circle at the end.

  “Huh. That will make this easier.” Arz took out twelve empty vials and split them among everyone. “Do your best not to touch the Drop with your skin. It won’t hurt. Not immediately, at least. Just place it in here and cork it. It won’t burn through this glass. We can go in teams of two. Orikori and Isilhorn, and Khoribin can be with me.”

  “The sun hasn’t set yet,” Orikori said.

  “You know, it is good to plan ahead. Now, when the sun is set, we can just get started without having to prepare vials and teams. If nothing else, I have ideas.”

  “And portals,” Khoribin said.

  “Well, yeah. Sure. Ideas and portals. That’s me. Relax and rest. We’re hunting tonight.”

  ***

  Arz and Khoribin started at the tree line. Khoribin’s light made traveling in the dark simple. Even with clear skies, the night was poorly illuminated with the moon only a thin crescent. They moved farther up the volcano, staying below the snow. Throughout the night, they traveled up and down, snaking all over the volcano.

  By the time the sun started to rise, they had six Drops of Heaven. The Drops lit up like little suns when the gun’s light shone on them. It was infinitely easier than Arz had expected. If they hunted by torch light, he would have been lucky to have found a single Drop.

  Orikori and Isilhorn found another two, which Arz was still excited about. They rested and ate, then hiked farther up the volcano.

  “Who can tell me where red oil is found?” Arz led the way, asking the questions without really knowing if the others could hear him. He frowned a little while realizing he sounded just like the teacher he had growing up. Professor Tralinbat was a crude old man who found it embarrassing whenever Arz didn’t know something. How would he know things that he hadn’t been taught?

  “I can assume at a volcano,” Khoribin said.

  “Exactly!” Arz pointed backward. “Orikori?”

  “Generally found in caves near lava flows.”

  “Genius. I love it.” Arz trudged through the snow. The others offered to lead, to part the snow as they passed to make it easier. But Arz insisted on leading. He was the reason they were there, after all. It was his form of protecting them.

  They finally stopped near the peak. Maybe a little too close. Arz made sure everyone halted and rested. “I have bad news.”

  He smiled and waited, expecting someone to speak. Instead, they waited for him to continue.

  “There is a cave with plenty of red oil. I know where it is and how to get there. The bad news is we will have to pass the Emperor.”

  “I thought that was the story from Staiweth,” Khoribin said. “Someone lives here?”

  “No, no. Not someone. Something. The people who do know about it, like me, the Guild, and the council of Staiweth. And maybe someone else. We don’t know if the Emperor is unique or if there are others on Earth.”

  “What is it?” Isilhorn asked. He stood on his toes and looked suspiciously to the peak. It wasn’t far to where it flattened out. The lava dome volcano left a huge ring around the inside where they would have to descend into the heart of Parikus.

  “We all call it a lava wyrm. I believe it is a snake of sorts. It’s, uh, it’s big. The main danger is the lava that will splash off of it while it swims about.”

  “It lives in the lava?” Isilhorn asked, eyes widening.

  Arz nodded. “And it is notoriously good at detecting unwanted guests. I think it’s from footsteps, though maybe it’s something else. Our plan is to run. You follow me. There are several paths down, but only one tunnel that will lead to red oil. Only one tunnel, actually. The other paths lead to nothing and you don’t want to get caught out with the Emperor.”

  “Did those explorers make it out alive?” Khoribin asked.

  “Some.” Arz smiled. “Ready?”

  Isilhorn groaned. “No.”

  Arz patted the young guard on the shoulder. “It will be thrilling. Truly. Plus, if we harvest enough, we can sell some. I would enjoy you all having an opportunity to benefit from the excursion.”

  “The benefit is knowledge,” Orikori said.

  Arz pressed his lips together and nodded. “You could also earn some extra pennies.”

  The scribe stared blankly at Arz.

  “Or just learn. I don’t care.”

  Arz set off through the last of the snow, up the ring of frozen lava. As soon as they crested the ring, the air became thick with heat. It smelled of sulfur and Arz had to fight the urge to cough with each breath he choked on.

  “We could try killing the Emperor,” Khoribin said.

  They stopped at the edge. The volcano was unnaturally shaped. It had the mound and ring of a shield volcano, but there was a perfect cylinder right into the center that dug down until the walls disappeared in a lake of lava.

  Arz suspected that the volcano had been altered at some point. More than suspected. There were some weirdly unnatural things about it, like the ramps running down the side of the cylindrical hole. Some lava came through vents on the side, but none came from the peak anymore, so the ring around the top had to be very, very old.

  The origin of the Emperor and the cylinder weren’t his concerns at the moment. Red oil was too valuable in alchemy. Almost every recipe needed to be strengthened, and nothing he had discovered was better at strengthening than red oil.

  “We will not even attempt to harm the wyrm,” Arz said. “I have no doubt your weapons would actually do something. But we don’t understand the Emperor enough. If you shoot even once, I will make sure you never travel with me again.”

  Khoribin and Isilhorn nodded.

  “Keep to the right,” Arz said. “The ramp will split. The right side will be the safest.”

  “How big is the Emperor?” Isilhorn asked.

  Arz stretched his hands out as far as they could go. “Bigger than this.” He grinned. “Ready?”