The three of them left, heading back up the road. Most of the village was empty now, as the majority had already left for the Festival. Here and there, a few dwarves were preparing to leave, while others finished their work and returned to their homes to get ready. When they reached the end of the village, Kulhun turned towards the path leading to his house.
"I'll be back soon! You can wait here if you want. I'm just going to get Old Kal. Surprisingly, he said he wanted to see the Festival this year. It's been a long time since he last attended…"
Ili and Zephyr nodded and waited on the road for Kulhun's return. Soon enough, they saw him emerge from the house, carrying the old dwarf on his back.
"Alright! Now, we can go!" Kulhun said with a smile, adjusting the old man's position.
The four of them left the village, heading up the road through the mountain pass. Old Kal remained silent on Kulhun's back, appearing as tired as always. His hands were draped around Kulhun's neck to hold on, and in one hand, he clutched a small wooden staff, which he usually used to help him walk.
The sun was starting to set, painting the sky in a warm orange hue. The clouds had darkened, shifting from white to a light purple and yellow, hanging high above the mountains.
Despite the snow on the sides, the road remained mostly clear, paved with small stones that were heated from beneath. Ingenious dwarven architecture had laid down metal rods underground, heated in caves below and transferring warmth along the road. The dwarves were known as highly skilled craftsmen, and this was just one of their many architectural marvels, which other kingdoms had adopted as well.
Before long, they came to a crossroads. The main road continued deep into the mountains, while a dirt path veered off through the snow. On a wooden pole, three arrows marked each direction. The letters were dwarven, so Ili and Zephyr couldn't understand them, but Kulhun led them onto the dirt path, explaining the symbols for 'hun', meaning crater, and 'felhe', meaning dragon, written on the arrow pointing that way.
Without complaint, they followed him, staying close behind the two dwarves. Despite their elevation, the vast, open space reminded them of plains and hills. In the distance on the left, the forest stretched out, diverging from the main road long ago and descending sharply toward the base of the mountain, blending into a much larger forest below. To the right, new peaks loomed, disappearing into the wintry fog.
The 'hill' side of the mountain continued for some time, the path winding towards the peaks before turning back into smooth bumps of land. The sun was on the verge of vanishing entirely, casting the sky in a dark shade of blue. A small sphere of light floated above the group, emanating from Old Kal's staff. The warm, orange glow illuminated their way.
Ili smiled softly, glancing at the old man ahead. She had considered casting a similar spell, but he had beaten her to it. A warm feeling filled her heart, appreciating the small gesture.
As the sky turned completely black and they passed through another narrow passage between mountains, small, warm lights came into view. In the distance, downhill and along the path, the outline of a massive crater emerged. Caravans were gathered around its edge, illuminated by bonfires, with people of all races singing and drinking together. At the bottom of the crater, more people waited for the festival to begin.
Ili suddenly stopped, her eyes wide in awe. She tugged Zephyr's arm, pointing not at the crater, but at the enormous bones protruding from the ground around it. The ribcage of a dragon. There was no mistaking it.
The bones reached high into the sky, almost touching the peaks of the surrounding mountains. They were so thick that you could carve out a comfortable house inside one. It was truly a breathtaking sight.
The dragon, whether slain by the legendary Arch-Wizard or having died centuries ago, appeared to have perished on its back, with its ribs jutting upward into the sky. Only these bones remained visible, the rest buried deep or decomposed long ago.
They continued down the road, towards the warm lights of the carriages, the sounds of cheerful music filling the air. Everyone seemed joyous, dancing and singing around fires and tents, setting up small camps along the road. As they passed through the crowd, Ili's face lit up with excitement.
"Haha!" A tall axialus with deer horns approached, holding a cup of booze. "A dance, my lady?" he slurred, making a sloppy bow and reaching for Ili's hand.
Before she could react, he pulled her into the crowd to dance. Zephyr almost jumped at the man with anger at first, but quickly calmed down upon seeing the genuine smile on Ili's face. She was enjoying the dance. Around the fire, a mix of axialus, humans, dwarves, and other races danced energetically to the upbeat music played by dwarf musicians.
Kulhun chuckled at the scene, accepting a cup of booze from another dwarf. He clinked cups with his new drinking companion, starting to drink along with other men. Only Zephyr stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do. That was until a dwarven woman grabbed his hand, pulling him into the dance.
With the fast tempo of the music, partners constantly switched, spinning and passing from one person to another. Zephyr's head spun as he struggled to keep up. Just as he began to feel completely lost, he found familiar hands in his. He looked up to see Ili smiling at him, clearly enjoying herself. He managed to smile back, feeling a sudden sense of calm. However, they were soon separated again as the dance continued.
After what felt like an eternity, Zephyr found himself holding Ili's hand once more as the song came to an end. Around them, many couples began to kiss, some complete strangers even getting caught up in the festive atmosphere. Zephyr and Ili locked eyes, both blushing slightly before quickly looking away.
"Let's go find Kulhun!" Ili said abruptly, breaking the moment.
"Yeah, good idea!" Zephyr replied just as quickly, eager to move past the awkwardness.
Ili took his hand, guiding him back toward the road in search of Kulhun. They found him not long after, seated on a small wooden bench, laughing with others. Old Kal sat beside him, eyes nearly closed, probably asleep as his head slumped forward.
Ili chuckled, gently shaking the old man awake. He slowly opened his eyes, glancing around in confusion, then smiled softly and closed his eyes again. Zephyr offered his hand to Kulhun, helping him up from the bench. Kulhun laughed, downing the last of his booze before hoisting Old Kal back onto his back and bidding farewell to his new friends.
The four of them resumed their journey, moving through the lively celebrations and festivities toward the crater. The main path led down a gentle slope to the crater's bottom.
Navigating through the cheerful crowd, with music and laughter filling the air, they approached the edge of the crater. Inside, the ground was covered in a thin layer of snow, but underneath was solid rock. Grass edged the walkable path, naturally blending with the stone. The slopes and middle of the crater were entirely rocky, the snow either swept away or too steep to settle.
At the bottom, the atmosphere was calmer. People lounged on the rocky surface or on blankets and rugs, gazing up at the sky, awaiting the fireworks. The group found a spot near the crater's center. Kulhun carefully set Old Kal down, and they all took a seat on the dry stone. The preparations by Kulhun and the festival team ensured that people could sit without getting wet.
A peaceful, beautiful ambiance surrounded them, with soft music drifting from outside the crater and lights casting a warm, orange glow against the dark sky. It was almost time.
...The large bones surrounding the crater began to glow with a faint, bluish hue, signaling the start of the festival. The noise slowly died down, as songs and cheers faded into silence. Everyone turned their eyes to the sky.
A faint sound of wind and flames whistled through the air. A burning star (1) launched into the sky, glowing bright red from the center of the crater. All around, other blue flaming stars were shot into the night sky in synchrony. Silence filled the air, interrupted only by the faint whistling of the stars as they soared toward the highest points of the bones.
Up... higher and higher... The largest star, the red one in the middle, neared the top where the ribs ended in sharp tips, entering an empty spot in the air. Closer... point reached.
In perfect unison, all the stars exploded, connecting to one another and converging on the center star. Rays of flames met and intertwined, transforming into a dragon made of fire in the sky. Rotating to complete its form, the dragon unfurled its vast wings, letting out a thunderous roar that echoed through the crater.
The dragon circled the crater, flying above the rib bones and leaving a fiery trail behind it. Suddenly, a shot of blue light struck the dragon, scraping its wing and igniting the area it hit in blue flames. It resembled the Arch Wizard's magic, challenging the colossal beast. All around, spears of light materialized, lighting up the sky as they fired at the dragon. Roaring loudly, the dragon incinerated the spears with its fiery breath, engulfing everything in flames.
Shots, rays of light, and flying swords filled the sky in a chaotic dance as the fierce battle between the Dragon and the Arch Wizard's magic unfolded. Blue visions of the wizard appeared around the dragon, staffs pointed at the creature, releasing thousands of simultaneous spells. Explosions erupted everywhere as the dragon fought back, destroying vision after vision.
At last, the dragon flew high above the center of the crater, wounded. A final spear of light pierced its chest, causing the majestic creature to falter. It reached its final height, then began plummeting toward the ground, revealing its immense size as it seemed to grow larger by the second. With the last of its strength, the dragon opened its mouth, unleashing a final roar before engulfing everything in a wave of flames that descended upon the audience.
The dragon's illusion dissipated into a sea of heatless flames, which faded into small sparks of magic, rising into the air and vanishing. Thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd, signaling the end of the festival.
Footnotes:
1 - Fireworks made of magic, called "stars" because of their resemblance to the celestial bodies