When Drake approached Mike with relief on his face, he quickly grasped Mike's hand and pulled him forward into a hug. "I'm glad you're okay. I saw the blood and was afraid you were hurt too badly." He pulled away, then looked over at Chad. "I'm really…glad you have that healing sword." Drake choked out.

Chad nodded; he was glad, too. His face was pale, worried that he couldn't save Mike. "Let's get going before anything else happens," Chad stated. Drake wasn't the only one relieved that Mike could be healed by it.

With one last scan of the clearing, Drake and his friends turned and headed toward the mountain. Renn followed close behind, preening with her new armor. Her green eyes glowed brightly as she scanned the clearing, as well as the forest around it, for dangers.

The wind blew, whipping Chad's hair as they walked. Sudden bursts of wind gusts whistled past as they walked forward.

"This is the first time the wind has been this bad since we've been in this dimension. Not counting those strange storms, though," Mike observed. It was true. There had been a light breeze, but nothing more. The storms were different because they weren't natural.

"I was wondering that too. I think we need to be aware that something might be going on, and we haven't seen it yet. It seems like every time there is something strange with the weather, bad things happen," Drake advised, still walking toward Dragon Head Mountain.

Wind whipped around them, blasting dust and leaves around their feet, creating whirlwinds of debris. It was getting worse… Much worse. The sky suddenly darkened, black clouds moving in, hiding the twin suns one at a time.

A menacing darkness consumed the clearing.

Drake called back to his friends, "Keep your eyes peeled. Someone or something is trying to prevent us from getting to the mountain. The closer we get, the worse the weather is."

The trio pulled out their weapons and continued walking. Their eyes glowed brightly in the darkening clearing, but as they scanned the area around them, they couldn't see anything that would be considered a danger. Drake looked up at the clouds, but all he could see was clouds, nothing more.

His gut told him that this was not a natural storm. He pressed forward, trying to get to the mountain's base.

"What if we just run there?" Mike asked. "It's not really that far away."

As if answering Mike's question, the thunder rolled across the sky. Lightning flashed, striking in front of them.

Drake looked at his friends as he continued walking. He nodded. Then sprinted forward. The others followed, running as quickly as they could, yet still scanning for dangers. Their weapons were tightly gripped in their hands as they ran, refusing to put them away. If something emerged from the storm to attack them, they wanted to be able to defend themselves.

The closer they got to the base of the mountain, the harder it rained. Thunder crashed, vibrating the ground. It was so loud, it was like an earthquake. Rain poured in thick ropes, no longer droplets. The clearing was beginning to be covered with water.

Drake activated his lantern of truth, which helped to light the way. It was barely seen through the downpour. As the thunder rolled across the sky, the ground shifted. Drake's eyes widened as he saw glowing purple lights under the packed dirt. "RUN!!" he yelled. "RUN FASTER! Level 5 Beasts…Lots of them!" Drake was in a panic. He wasn't sure if they could take on that many beasts. There were dozens of them.

The boys picked up their pace, their own eyes glowing, as they looked down at the ground beneath their feet.

They saw the glowing level five beasts, too. These were not wolf beasts but something that tunneled through the ground like worms. All they could do was run, trying to get away from them.

"System, if you can tell us how to get out of this mess, I would like you to tell me!" Drake groaned to the system as he continued to run.

{Horned worms are attracted to movement}

{Recommendation. Stop}

Drake halted immediately in his tracks, freezing in place. Mike and Chad nearly crashed into him. Renn stopped, then stood by her master.

"Freeze," Drake hissed. "They're called horned worms, and they are attracted to movement."

The boys froze. Even Renn complied, understanding the danger. Drake and his friends looked down at where the beasts could be seen. Their eyes glowed as they observed the bright purple energy clusters beneath their feet. After nearly twenty minutes, the beasts began to disperse.

The storm around them raged on, relentlessly pelting them with thick rain. The clouds shifted in the sky, crashing loudly, vibrating the ground. It didn't seem to affect the worms. The vibrations were too widespread. It was their footsteps that caused the horned worms to pinpoint their location.

"So, we wait it out?" Mike asked.

Drake nodded. When we don't see any of them anymore, then we start again. Try to walk as softly as possible. There isn't much distance left. There's only about twelve feet.

***

Back in Drake's room in the regular world, Drake's father sat in front of the computer screen and watched the boys as they ran toward the mountain. A massive storm assailed them as they ran.

His green eyes flashed with worry. If they had taken one of the roads that surrounded the mountain, they wouldn't have had issues with the worms. Even through the computer screen, he could see the massive clusters of horned worms attracted by their pounding feet on the packed ground.

The roads around the mountain were built using magic. The enchantment was specifically designed for the worms that lived in the clearing closest to the mountain. Since the worms were attracted to movement, the enchantment on the road prevented them from feeling the movement of those traveling on it. It was a way to travel around the clearing and stay safe as they traveled to the towns on the other side of the mountain.

Since the boys bypassed the roads and headed straight to the mountain, they were facing a horde of horned worms. All of which were level five beasts.

The boys suddenly stopped. Drake's father leaned in, listening to what he was saying. He had told them to freeze. The system must have told him what they were. Either that, or he was trying to see if it would get them to leave them. It was a good call if it were the latter.

Mike's and Chad's fathers entered the room, seeing Drake's father staring intently at the computer screen on the desk.

When they looked at the screen themselves, they both gasped. "Why did they cut through? The horned worms will never let them get to the base of the mountain. They're stuck!" Mike's father complained.

Drake pulled out his map of the dimension and stared at the area where the boys were frozen in place, watching the ground at their feet. He had been looking at where they were aiming, seeing the mark on the map. He frowned, pointing at the map. "That's why."

The dimension map was unique. It changed on its own. The mark in question was not there before. It was something new.

"What is that?" Chad's father asked, staring at the spot in question.

"I'm not sure." Drake's father stated, staring at the mark. "I hope it's not a trap of some kind. They have dealt with enough already. Far more than we ever did."

Mike's father stepped back and leaned against the wall. "Does the cave of valor move locations?"

"I don't know. Perhaps, perhaps not. I don't really know," he said honestly.

***

Back at the clearing. Drake stood frozen, staring at the retreating horned worms. As if on instinct, he pressed his palm on the ground and closed his eyes. His features were serene as he stood unmoving, with his palm pressed on the dirt.

Mike and Chad glanced at each other before looking at Drake and what he was doing. Neither of the boys could figure out what he was doing. First toward the sky, now toward the ground, yet he appeared to be doing the same thing. They wanted to ask, but didn't want to interrupt him.

They looked down at the ground. The worms had not yet moved. Suddenly, both boys froze. "What…What…what's happening?" Mike asked in disbelief.

Chad swallowed hard, staring at the ground. He couldn't understand what was happening. He had no words. None…none at all.

Drake suddenly stood up. The serene appearance left his features; a wide grin spread across his face as he calmly walked the remaining few feet to the spot that was marked on the map. Renn followed calmly, no longer caring that there were level 5 beasts at their feet.

With one last glance at each other, Mike and Chad followed their friend, utter disbelief on their face.

When they reached the base of the mountain marked on the map, the storm ceased, and the clouds quickly vanished, like a fast-forward button being pressed on a movie. In moments, the sky cleared and the wind settled.

Mike looked at Drake, his eyes wide. "What the hell did you do!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.