He Who Breathes Hellfire

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A cool breeze cut through the heat of the summer air as Mitsuru walked down the dirt path through the woods. The mountain he was heading toward a clear and present marker that kept him from taking any wrong turns or forks in the road. He held onto his backpack which hung from him by a single strap over his shoulder as his eyes rose over the crest of a hill to see the entrance to the village at the base of the mountain. It was larger than he'd expected, he hoped that the rumors of a dragon that lived in the mountain were indeed true lest his long search had been wasted on chasing a false lead. Just as much as the rumor, he hoped that the dragon would live up to the reputation that others had claimed it had.

"A dragon who breathes Hellfire, huh?" He said, somewhat slurred by the lollipop stick hanging from the corner of his mouth. *'I wonder what that's even supposed to mean? Fire is fire ain't it? But what makes this one different enough to get a new name?'* He thought to himself as he walked through the village gates. The roads were confusing, paths seeming to loop and intertwine in ways that seemed perfectly made to get him lost. Still, having heard that the people of the village worshiped this dragon as some sorta God, he didn't want to chance any sort of confrontation by asking for directions to the shrine. Perhaps he was being overly cautious, but he knew he'd find the way eventually anyway without their help.

Right he was, as he began to walk a path a little ways up the mountain with stone statues of a dragon on each side of the path. Stone steps with odd and deliberate carvings paved the road up toward the shrine. Reaching the place the steps led to, he noticed the offering laid out. None of them seemed old or rotten so he figured that someone would have to be taking or eating them. Other than that, the walls surrounding the shrine seemed to be filled with similar carvings to those on the steps if not scaled up to size. At the far back being a hole in the wall that seemed to lead into the mountains. *'I don't think a dragon could fit through there... Unless that's the reason its called the Dragon in the mountain. Because it can't get out?'* He thought to himself as he began walking toward the cave entrance.

As Mitsuru approached the mountain, he noticed the look of the shrine, having been built on several levels up the stairs, each level more ornate and beautiful than the one before, all of which being patrolled exclusively by women, except for the two lowest circles. He then had his attention grabbed by a quickly approaching Acolyte. The man eventually found himself right next to Mitsuru before bowing his head respectfully. "Good day, traveler! Welcome to the Shrine of the Dragon in the Mountian. You stand here at the lowest circle, the one reserved for the newly arrived. Have you come to offer tribute?"

Mitsuru looked the man up and down a few times, wary to have been approached by someone he didn't know. But after a moment, he bowed his head in return, not wanting to come off a rude or ill raised. "Good day to you as well, Sir. I take it that you're one of the people who worship the dragon in the mountain. As for tribute... I brought some things that people in other towns recommended I bring. Some wine and ciders and stuff like that." He said, motioning toward the pack on his back. "So is it true that a dragon really lives here? I haven't seen a dragon since I was a kid." He said, looking further up the stairs past the man.

The man nodded softly and smiled. "I am certain that she will adore such a gift. And yes, there does indeed live a dragon within this mountain. When time calls for it, she is quick to come to our rescue. Not for every incursion mind you, but rather when something happens that is beyond our ability to handle." He said proudly as he too gazed up the steps to the entrance. "You must be a fortunate fellow indeed to have had the chance to witness a dragon firsthand."

Mitsuru chuckled a bit at the man's words, "Yeah. I guess you could say I was a lucky kid," he responded with a nod as he thought back to his childhood. Letting out a quiet sigh, he turned his attention back to the conversation. "Soooo, where am I supposed to take this stuff?" He asked, hoping he'd get to deliver it first hand.