Submission (#4672) Approved

From Bellmoril, Cain had taken a boat all the way up through the channels to Zevija where he arrived in a surprisingly decently warm atmosphere. He had expected the place to be much like Ahza; hot and dry. While it was quite warm, Zevija was more humid than anything. The more he thought about it, the kittom made sense of why that must be. They did have springs here, the moisture was probably thrust into the air from some of the volcanic water vents.

As Cain started down the main path, following the flow of other elnin on their own way, he noticed an odd figure sitting on one of the large statues that lead into Zevija. He had never seen a faenin before, the wings confusing him. The faenin seemed to be greeting people as they went by, offering a tour if they so desired. The kittom waved to get his attention, a tour would be desirable considering he had no idea what the region was like. Unlike the others, Zevija was riddled with volcanic activity, and Cain felt he would be safer if someone guided him. He didn't want to fall into something accidentally!

"Hey! I'd be interested in a guide!" Cain called out, stepping up to the statue as the crowd dispersed. The faenin looked down at him and smiled.

"Sure! Know where you're headed?" he asked, floating down from his perch. He would offer a hand to shake. Cain smiled back and took his hand.

"Just here to see the lands, figured I'd take the offer for a guide to show me some neat stuff!"

"I see," the faenin put his hands on his hips. "My name's Darcy, I can take you as far as the main city, and then I'm sure you'll know your way around quickly. How's that sound?"

Cain nodded in agreement. "Yeah, sounds great! My name is Cain, it's nice to meet you!"

"Likewise. Come on, then." Darcy turned and started to head down the main pathway. Cain trailed close behind him, excited for the prospect of getting a proper tour in a land he did not know.

For a long while, the both of them walked in tandem, conversing about many different things though mainly about each other's adventures. Cain was very intrigued about the lifestyle of the faenin who decided to become a guide for those new to Zevija. The lands could be dangerous, he mentioned, as there were volcanic holes that could severely injure an individual. The kittom felt it was the right decision to hire Darcy to walk him around lest he fell into a pool of boiling water.

Along one of the trails, a particular pool caught Cain's eye. He paused in his tracks, looking down the small hill toward the interesting sight. The pool glowed a bright red with crystals growing skyward, sparkling in a natural fountain. Lush flora surrounded the pool, unbothered by the steam rising. The crystals themselves are what intrigued the kittom as he slowly turned to inspect further.

"I wouldn't recommend going too close to that. The plants are warm too." Darcy warned, grabbing Cain by the shoulder to prevent him from walking any further into the thicket. "Doesn't look deadly, but trust me, disturbing any of that plant life will send you straight to the doctor!"

"What kind of crystals are those? They almost... glow." Cain stepped back and stood in the middle of the trail, eyes still transfixed on the fountain.

"Mana crystals," Darcy replied, tapping his horns. "Much like the mana we have in us! Only they're wild and natural forms of it. Volatile if anything, they do strange things. Dangerous things sometimes. At least here in Zevija, pockets of these things make plants hotter than fire!"

"Never heard of hot plants..." Cain mumbled, wondering if what Darcy said was true. He didn't particularly want to find out, burns weren't part of his plan. Yet there was such a curiosity burning inside him that he started forward again, feeling each plant as he went. Some were warm like the touch of another, barely noticeable from the atmosphere. Darcy hovered above him, observing in case his customer got into any trouble.

The further Cain went, the hotter the plants got. The leaves looked normal, dark red as if soaked in wine, yet they stung like hot bath water. "They are getting hotter..." Cain said, wondering if he should go any further. He was a mere few feet from the pool. Although steam rose from the water in waves, he couldn't feel the heat from the fountain at all. It was only the plants that felt warm and only to the touch. It was as if touch itself is what made them hot, like a chemical reaction.

"You should probably turn around..." Darcy warned, still hovering above with his arms crossed. "I promise you it isn't worth the risk."

"Just a little further... I'm curious about something." Cain slowly and methodically weaved through the shrub, careful not to touch any of the leaves closest to the pools. It was a little time-consuming, but once he reached the shore, he knelt down and kept his hand hovered above the water's surface. As expected, there wasn't any heat. Slowly, he lowered his hand down to touch it, and... the water was cold!

Cain stepped into the pool and looked back at Darcy with a smile. "This is really cool."

Darcy sighed but smiled back at him. "You really are something, kid."

"Sorry," Cain said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "But this is so interesting... I think the plants are feeding off the heat the water would normally produce... So in turn they are the ones hot, not the water."

"Told you the crystals were weird." Darcy motioned for Cain to return to the pathway. The kittom nodded and was careful to get out, but he got knicked a few times by burning hot leaves. One caused him to jump and just run out of the thicket in a panic, running up the hill and to safety on the road.

"You alright?" Darcy asked, landing beside him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks and sorry to be such a bother." Cain sighed, sitting down to catch his breath.

"Ah, I've been a kittom before and gotten myself into similar situations. Still, we gotta get going if we're gonna make it to the city in time for dinner." Darcy offered a hand in which Cain took, the kittom standing and starting to walk again.

"Thanks, it'll be on me."