Adventure Incorporated

Chapter 22: The White Phial

It took several more days before we were able to leave the eyrie. During that time, Roäc had been busy flying back and forth between the eyrie and Umbaara. Whenever he did return, I always made sure to ask about the situation in the city. Many of the brogels had dispersed and far more of the mountain seemed to have caved in on itself. Large portions of that section of the city had been destroyed in the massive landslide and Roäc seemed hopeful that that would keep the Umbrog indefinitely trapped. I, in my mind at least, had just destroyed a large portion of a historically important site for the zebras(another thing to be mad with myself about).

“How does this keep happening?” I lamented. The destruction in the city overturning the pain of the lack of cider I was currently suffering through.

“It was not your fault, Ivory. It was the Umbrog.” Siri said, surprisingly trying to comfort me.

“Don't beat yourself up over it. I'm sure Enyi will understand if you explain what happened.” Scarlet said, correctly guessing the cause of my sudden concern.

“Can we get a move on!?” Jackpot yelled, “I've been out of cider for too long and I want to get back to some fucking civilization!”

And with that, my cider-pains returned just to mix with my new sense of guilt and anxiety of wrecking historical landmarks.

“Fuck me hard!” I screamed before face-planting into the dirt.

It seemed...no it was a monumental failure on my part. Two big irritations bucking me in the face at the same time; telling me that I was failing at the very thing I was supposed to be helping Caelus with. How could Enyi ever forgive me if I go around burying his peoples cultural heritage under fucking mountains: the answer is he couldn't. To top it all off my body was screaming at me to drink some refreshing cider to take the edge of that failure off. The only problem was..I had no fucking cider! All it seemed I could do at the moment was fall onto the ground and stew in my own misery.

“She'll be fine, I'm sure.” Scarlet said, chuckling awkwardly at Siri.

By the grace of fucking Celestia, Roäc volunteered to fly us back to Khass. With the Umbrog hopefully trapped, he could now spare the time and distance.

Jackpot mounted the bird before anypony else could blink an eye or swish a tail. Siri leapt up onto the rocs back, her own injuries being much better(Scarlet's a miracle worker!), while Scarlet and Caelus had to float me into my spot as I was still balking on the ground.

Roäc's speed made the journey pass by as though we were simply trotting down the street. In a matter of hours, the tops of the crystal towers of Khass could be seen cresting the horizon.

Jackpot had remained fidgety and irritated the entire journey, with me being hardly any better. Scarlet had to constantly shift back and forth between us, trying her best to get us to calm down. Jackpot was incurable but, with some help from Caelus, Scarlet was able to calm him enough to be bearable on the flight to Khass.

“So much for secrecy.” Siri said as the massive bird flew us over the tops of the towers and houses of Khass.

I peered down from Roäc's back onto the streets below as we soared over them. I could see hundreds of zebras looking up at us as Roäc's shadow passed over them. From our height, I wasbarely able to discern the faces of the zebras who looked upwards at our passing. Their faces seemed a fair mixture of emotions as some scrambled for cover, while others gawked and pointed towards our excessive pilot. A few faces seemed filled with wonder as we passed over them: the zebras below, chasing us and shouting with widened smiles on their faces.

It took mere minutes for Roäc to near Karfiso's tower. Siri was helpful enough to point it out, allowing us to make a quick and efficient perch on the crystalline tower's very top. There were several Socotra on the roof when we landed. Their initial reaction was one of obvious surprise and alarm as they saw a gigantic bird set down in front of them from out of nowhere. The surprised reactions grew as Karfiso quickly made his way from a passageway that led from inside the tower to the roof.

Upon his arrival, the Socotra seemed ready to fight until Siri popped her head out from on top of Roäc. Upon seeing Siri's face, Karfiso had the Socotra stand down and he began to make his way towards the roc.

“I must admit, I did not expect this.” Karfiso said as he cautiously neared the bird.

Karfiso's cautious approach was halted by a great screech from Roäc. The zebra leapt backwards several steps as the bird eyed him down.

“He won't hurt you, Roäc.” I whispered into the roc's ear.

Roäc ceased his screeching, “I do not like his look.” Roäc said back, “He's a schemer, he is.”

I gave Roäc a quick pat before leaping from the back of the bird and onto the roof of the tower. Jackpot, now realizing we had landed, sped downwards towards Karfiso, causing a gust of wind to fly by me and almost knock me over.

“I found a whole bunch of stuff in that city of yours!” he shouted, “Did ya get what we agreed on?”

Karfiso smiled and nodded as Jackpot grew the largest smile I had ever seen on the front of his face. “Floor thirty, big double doors.” the zebra said.

“Come on, Ives!” he shouted as he zipped back towards me and, before I could even blink, had nabbed me and whisked me away down the entryway into the tower.

“What about-” I attempted to say before being quickly interrupted.

“Scarlet and Siri can take care of it.” Jackpot seemed ecstatic as we flew through an open passage onto what I assumed to be the thirtieth floor.

When Jackpot landed us I hardly had time to breath as my body had come to a sudden halt. I found myself thrown head over hoof at the threshold of a set of large, crystal doors. Jackpot effortlessly bucked them open and revealed a zebra standing there, organizing about a half dozen large bottles and several large bags of bits.

“Behold!” Jackpot proclaimed, “The jackpot!”

The zebra quickly noticed us, trotted up to Jackpot, and nodded his head as Jackpot slipped off his drooping saddlebag which held the treasures he had collected. The zebra scooped them up, gave the contents a series of discerning looks, then nodded, bowed, and galloped out of the room before shutting the door.

“What's all this?” I asked, already smelling the alluring aroma of whatever was in the jars(which were as tall as me!).

“Two thousand bits and six jars of borda.” Jackpot was positively foaming at the mouth as he neared the jars. “Probably the only good thing zebras ever did was come up with borda.”

I just kinda stared at my winged friend as he practically began to hug a jar of the aromatic liquid. I could not deny, from where I stood my muzzle was being caressed by the most wondrous smelling liquid I have ever come across. My body began to move, almost involuntarily, towards one of the jars as drool dripped from my lips.

“It smells heavenly.” I mumbled.

“Don't be fooled, this stuff'll fuck you harder than Enyi ever could.” Jackpot began to kiss the jar he was holding.

“I'll be the judge of that.” I said confidently as I slipped my muzzle over the top of my jar. “It smells like a mix between peaches and apricots.” I said as my mouth began to instinctively grasp for the opening.

“Take a small sip at first, trust me.” Jackpot chuckled to himself before tipping the large jar into his mouth and letting several large doses slip past his lips and down his throat.

Jackpot seemed to be handling it fine so I just figured he was overexaggerating and, tipping the jar backwards into my mouth, took a large gulp of the borda.

The regret was instantaneous.

Dizziness, nausea, and an intense burning sensation flooded my body as I collapsed onto the floor, sputtering and coughing my guts out.

“Told ya.” Jackpot laughed.

I managed to pull myself together and stand back up from the sudden shock of my first drink of borda.

“What the...fuck.” I said, panting.

“This is the hardest shit you'll ever drink. Smells great though.” Jackpot said, his words starting to sound slightly slurred as yet another swig drained down his throat.

I went back at it, my body firmly telling me to drink more. This time I took several small sips, and several coughing fits later, was able to inhale about half a shot at a time.

“Holy...fuuu...” my words trailed off as as wobbled around the room, barely able to even tell where I was any more.

“Better...than my...five princesses at once dream...” Jackpot immediately vomited his guts out in the corner of the room before going right back into his jar.

“How d-d-o you get...all five at o-o-once?” I slurred. “Thaths impreshi... impreshi.... impressive.” now was my turn to vomit.

“I just...I just...have you ever seen five princesses splayed out on a bed for you?” Jackpot teetered back and forth as he spoke.

I took several more medium sized gulps from my jar, “I-I-I-I-I think...I-I-I think my friend...uh...Emmy, told me about something like that once.”

“Sh-sh-she ha...ha...ha...”Jackpot vomited again, “she has good taste.”

“Fuck I love this shit!” I took several more swigs alongside Jackpot.

I didn't know exactly how much time had passed when I took a quick glance into my jar of borda. The only thing I saw were several(?) half-empty jars of the sweet smelling liquid. In fact, looking into my jar(jars?) was the last thing I remembered at all. After that, it was just a darkened blur.

The next thing I remembered was waking up in a soft bed in what I assumed was a different room in Karfiso's tower. Scarlet was sitting down next to me and began to smile when she saw my eyes creep open.

“Am I dead?” was the first thing I could think of to ask with how horrible I felt.

“Oh, not quite.” Scarlet said in a gentle tone. “Although, you haven't moved for about a day now, so maybe you were.”

That didn't make me feel any better.

“You and Jackpot were going at it pretty hard yesterday, so Karfiso thought it best to leave you to it while we talked some things over.”

“Huh?” I asked, still being somewhat confused.

I tried to sit up but my stomach punched itself with every millimeter I tried to move.

“What do you mean 'going at it'?” I asked.

“You were having some pretty hardcore sex, obviously.” Scarlet said, stifling a laugh.

“What the fu-”

“Just kidding.” Scarlet said, laughing as she shut my mouth with a telekinetic grip. “Jackpot thought it was funny.” Scarlet pouted.

“Celestia's tits, you scared me for a second.” I took a deep breath but found myself being thrust into a violent coughing fit.

“Careful, Ivory.” Scarlet cooed as she gently put her hooves on me, pushing me back down towards the bed, “You and Jackpot were both passed out in a pile of your own vomit when I found you. Try and take it easy for today, huh.”

“What about Karfiso?”

“Well, Siri still needs a bit of rest, so you got today off anyway. Isn't that great!?” Scarlet smiled.

“Well anyway, where's Jackpot?” I asked, not seeing him in the room.

“He woke up a few hours ago. It seems he drank nearly an entire pot, while you got down about a little less than half. But he is a bit tougher when it comes to this kind of stuff.” Scarlet's voice held a tint of disappointment in it. “He's in another room. He can even take a few steps before collapsing!”

And with that the rest of my day was spent in bed and unable to move much. It was the absolute worst hangover I've ever suffered and every time I wasn't vomiting I found myself passing in and out of consciousness. Scarlet later told me that some zebras would come into my room periodically and slip some strange brown goop down my throat. It seemed to halt the vomiting and I would wake up not long after. I gotta give it to the zebra, they know how to get a debilitated pony back on her hooves after only a day.

The next day I was feeling remarkably better. Walking was now possible and I wasn't delirious with every step. When I was led into Karfiso's office I was happy to see Scarlet, Caelus and Jackpot already there and waiting for me along with Siri and Karfiso. Siri also looked much better than she had at Roäc's eyrie; in fact, she looked completely healthy, as did Scarlet.

“I'm glad you're all right.” Caelus said, giving me a small smile.

“We have wasted enough time.” Karfiso said. “It is time that I told you about the second assignment I need you to complete.

Now, after the disaster in Umbaara, I was obviously not thrilled to be sent back out on another suicide mission so soon. I wanted to object, to say something to get me another day or so to rest up, as I was still not feeling entirely at one hundred percent. What stopped me was the look in Karfiso's eyes. There was an anger in them today, though why I couldn't tell.

“The single irpata that you found in Umbaara held all that I had hoped for. The news of a living Umbrog, however, is disturbing.” Karfiso said slowly and calmly. “The second assignment I have for you will be far more difficult, unfortunately.”

“What!” Scarlet shrieked. “I nearly killed myself keeping this lot alive! How could something be harder than that! It's not possible! I feel faint.” Scarlet swooned over and right onto Jackpot's lap, while he stared at her uncomfortably.

“It must be done I am afraid.” Karfiso shook his head slowly. “I am sending you to a place called Ukon.”

“What!” Siri whined. “That was supposed to be our thing.” She went up and put her hoof on to Karfiso's.

Karfiso just sighed, “How many times have we failed, Siri? He simply will not let us in.”

“Um?” I spoke up, “What's Ukon?”

Karfiso looked straight at me, “It is the former home of a great magician. His name was Elri, and he was said to be the greatest magician that Khaweth has ever seen.”

“Magician?” Caelus said, “I remember some of the zebra magicians that fought me.”

Karfiso raised an eyebrow.

“They were a powerful group.” Caelus began, “They didn't use magic like ponies, but instead they used the zebra's natural talent for potion making and alchemy. They made many strange and dangerous creatures as well as poisons and weapons that proved difficult to overcome.”

Caelus' explanation brought my mind back to the library in Umbaara and the writing that Scarlet had destroyed. The writing on the wall certainly did seem to spook her, even though she couldn't read it. Maybe something to do with the dark magic she knew? Or maybe Caelus had told her something that I didn't hear, or maybe-

“You mentioned a he?” Jackpot said, breaking my train of thought.

Ah, yes.” Jackpot sat upright behind his desk, “Elri made his laboratory in a cave that resided on the side of a cliff. The cliff is guarded by a large chasm and also by a certain creation of Elri. It is guarded by a Kaathe, a strange snake-like creature that lives inside the chasm.”

Ugh, snakes. I was really beginning to despise the scaly things. Between Pyth's and Kaathe's, it seemed that every snake in Khaweth was out to kill and eat me.

“I can see the look on your face, Ivory.” Karfiso said, “Do not be worried, Kaathe is actually quite harmless, he will not hurt you.”

Oh thank Celestia! Finally I'm going to go somewhere and not have something try to kill me!

“But, he is the only one who knows exactly where the entrance is and how to get there.” Karfiso continued, “Siri and I have tried many times to convince him to let us into the lab, and every time he has refused us. I am hoping that by sending you, that you may think of something that I could not.”

“Good.” Jackpot said, “But now's the time to tell us what exactly we're gonna be lookin for out in Ukon.”

“It is a relic called the White Phial. Four hundred years ago, Elri created a magical phial, that would never naturally empty of whatever liquid it was filled with.” Karfiso smiled slightly, “Imagine a flask of healing drought that would never run dry! Think of the lives I could save.”

When he said 'healing drought', I heard 'cider'.

“Sounds easy enough!” Scarlet chirped, finally lifting herself off of Jackpot and back into her seat.

*****

Roäc had remained on the roof of the tower the entire time we stayed there. He explained to us that he didn't particularly like the look of Karfiso and remained behind to simply watch over us. Apparently, with the Umbrog buried under the mountain, he had decided to fly us around while we remained in Khaweth.

“Someone's going to have to be around to pull out of a tight spot!” he chirped.

And with that, and a few more instructions from Karfiso(mainly that Siri was still going to be going with us), we set out to the next mission.

Roäc had us ther within a few hours. A trip that would have taken us a week, even by carriage, took barely any time at all while on the back of our new friend. Jackpot had refilled our flasks with the remaining borda, and thank Celestia he did because I was not going to be languishing like on the eyrie without anything to drink, and it took the place of cider beautifully.

The land that Roäc landed us in was near the eastern edge of the Ulur Dur. Many hundreds of miles east from Umbaara but only about one hundred and fifty or so from the horrid, despicable, and abhorrent prison of Arnband. We were close enough that I spotted it, faintly in the distance, for a few moments before it disappeared over the horizon. The mere sight caused my body to shiver to the point that I had to take several large swigs of borda to calm myself.

This land, however, looked very different from the wastes and savannahs of the more central regions of Khaweth, and much more mountainous too. All over were cliffs and crags that opened into deep chasms in the earth. However, the land appeared beautiful as though by some magic or master gardener, as the grounds were littered in pink and blue flowers, as well as short but lush trees. There was a strange sense of life here that was much different from the feeling of being in Umbaara. Just looking down at the sea of colored flowers gave me a sense of calm that I had been lacking over the past days. The sun beat heavily here, bathing the land in a bright shine as the light bounced off the rocks of the cliffs(it also made it unbearably hot). Honestly, it was quite the sight from high on Roäc's back.

“Roäc.” said Siri, “Land us there, in that small clearing.”

There was a small patch of land that sat beneath several large rocks and was surrounded by trees. The boulders and trees shaded much of the area from the sun, giving off shade no matter what time of day it was. There was also a small path that led off a ways towards the bottom part of one of the cliffs that dotted the area.

“Karfiso and I usually make our camp on this spot.” said Siri. “The ground here is quite weak, you see. One wrong step and you will plunge into a bottomless crevasse. If Roäc were to land any closer the ground would fall away beneath his talons and swallow us all. This is the closest spot that remains safe and still has a path to the Kaathe's lair.”

“How many times have you two tried this?” Scarlet asked as she hopped off Roäc.

“We have come once a year for the past twelve years or so.” Siri answered, hopping off the bird herself.

Siri had packed several tents for us as well as supplies for making a fire and enough food and water for two weeks(Roäc made carrying this many supplies easy). We all quickly busied ourselves by setting up our campsite. Scarlet's and Caelus' telekinesis magic made setting up the tents easy while Siri set up a small ring of stones for a firepit.

“Despite the heat, it will get very cold once the sun sets.” said Siri, “We will make the hike to Kaathe tomorrow and until then, I will tell you what to expect.”

We all gathered around Siri, seating ourselves beneath the shade of the rocks as she began:

“Kaathe is a strange creature, even for Khaweth. He is a snake but he has no fangs or scales; instead his skin is leathery and his teeth appear as our do. Zebra often come to him, seeking the entrance to the lab of Elri but never has he let any zebra inside the home of his old master. He is harmless enough, though he will often lean down to sniff you.”

“Sniff us?” Scarlet wondered, “How strange.”

Siri continued.

“He is quite talkative and will no doubt bombard us with pointless questions and unnecessary conversation. Let me speak with him first, as he knows me and always loves to ask me how my year was, among other things. Once he has spoken his fill, that is when we can start asking him about the lab. Karfiso and I have never gotten him to take us there but maybe one of you can think of something that we could not. He loves being asked questions but rarely does he answer them in a meaningful way. In short, he is very annoying and very unhelpful, but is the only creature in existence who knows where to find the lab of Elri.”

“You and Karfiso ever get close to him spilling his guts?” Jackpot asked as he reclined on the boulder that provided his shade.

Siri slowly shook her head, “Never.”

“How do you know that this serpent is the only creature that knows the location?” asked Caelus.

“Zebra have come to him for centuries seeking the location of the laboratory. It is well known that he is the only one who knows.” Siri responded.

“What have you tried in the past?” I asked, “We should know what you and Karfiso tried so we don't have to waste our time trying things that definitely won't work.” I added in.

“Let me see...” Siri began to think, “We have tried simply asking him, bribing him, threatening him-”

“You threatened him?” Scarlet gasped.

“Karfiso did, yes.” Siri said before continuing, “We tried looking around ourselves, we tried complimenting him, we once even snuck into the cave where he lives and tried to see if there were any clues there, or items we could steal and then bargain back for the information.”

“So basically, nothing works.” Jackpot sighed.

“Yes, it is quite an impossible task.” Siri sighed.

“I'm going back to prison, aren't I?” I groaned, falling backward onto the dirt.

“Karfiso would not have sent you here if he did not believe you could do it.” said Siri, “He would not intentionally doom you in such a manner.”

The rest of the conversation went on pretty much like that. We spent the next several hours brainstorming ideas only for Siri to tell us that they wouldn't work. With each derailed idea the situation seemed more and more hopeless, and I hadn't even met the blasted snake yet!

The only comfort I had was the knowledge that this was something that even Karfiso and Siri had failed at...many times. Maybe Karfiso could find some other task for me to do? I really didn't want to go back to Arnband(I shivered every time I even thought of it).

The hours of disappointment passed until the sun inevitably set below the horizon. Caelus let loose a small spark from his horn, immediately starting the fire that Siri had set up. True to her word, the air had become dreadfully cold only minutes after the sun had receded. Even Roäc, who sat perched upon the overhanging rocks, shivered every time the wind blew.

It had become too cold to sleep properly. Even our tents, which were specifically made to block out the cold, aided us little. It forced us to remain around the fire, growing it larger as the night drew on.

“How have you and Karfiso done this so many times?” I said, my teeth shivering every time I spoke.

“It is colder this year than it has been before.” Siri chittered, as even her body shook.

Roäc had even come down from his perch and set his wings out to block the wind and absorb more of the fire's heat. Scarlet cast the heating spell that she had once used on mt. Everhoof to keep the cold out, but the wind seemed to grow ever more dreadful once she did. Caelus added some of his magic to Scarlet's, trapping the two of them in a trance as all of their energy was put towards keeping us from freezing to death.

This beating lasted for several long hours before subsiding into a more tolerable cold. Our tents were already covered in frost, with some parts having frozen over, not allowing us access to them.

“Guess we’re stuck out here for a bit.” Jackpot said, shuffling close to the fire.

“It's still too cold to sleep.” Scarlet said, waiving her heated horn around, trying to spread the exhausted heat.

“We shall have to bear it until the sun rises.” said Siri.

*****

“Celestia truly is the best princess!” I shouted as the sun rose over the horizon.

The night had been truly horrible. Scarlet and Caelus were exhausted from the struggle against the cold and had fallen asleep the moment the sun brought the warmth back to the land. Roäc had to shake a mountain of frost from his wings before he could so much as hover back to his perch above the rocks. Siri, Jackpot, and I had kept the fire going all through the night and were exhausted ourselves.

“It is a twenty minute walk from here to the lair of Kaathe.” Siri said, “We should prepare.”

“Caelus and Scarlet ain't goin anywhere.” Jackpot said, pointing his wing at the two passed out ponies.

“I apologize.” Siri bowed her head, “I have never seen it this bad here before. Last night was most unusual.”

“Mt. Everhoof wasn't half as cold as that was.” I said, still shaking some of the frost out of my adventurer's outfit and what little of my mane and tail had regrown.

“I'll stay behind with Roäc and watch em.” Jackpot said, trotting over and slumping himself down next to Scarlet.

“We shall watch the sleeping ponies!” Roäc squawked excitedly.

“I guess it's just us then.” I said, looking over at Siri.

The zebra just nodded, before slinging a saddlebag over her haunches.

“Follow me.” she said.

The walk took us through many rows of the short but thick trees that dotted the area. The meager shade that they provided shielded us from the harsh sun that now beat down upon the earth. Despite the intense cold from the night before, the trees and flowers seemed as beautiful and untouched as they were when we landed yesterday.

The hike took about twenty minutes, exactly what Siri had said it would, and at the end of the path was a rather large chasm that ran so deep, I could not see the bottom. On the far side was a massive rock wall that ran for some height above us. Within that wall was a hole, probably only big enough for me to barely squeeze through. Siri stopped at the edge of the abyss and began to call out.

“Kaathe!” she cried out, “I have returned!”

My gaze was drawn back to the hole on the cliffside; two beady glints of light glared out from inside as Siri called out the name of the serpent. Slowly and laboriously the creature emerged from the dark crevasse and it was probably the ugliest thing I had ever seen in my life. His hide was indeed a black and leathery material. Ropes of the leathery skin hung from the creatures mass like vines from a tree. He eyes widened into a large yellowish tint as his toothy smile greeted me and my zebra companion.

“Siri!?” I heard him shout in a voice that sounded like he was gargling something horrible, “It's so good to see you my dear!”

The snake slithered his long body out over the dark chasm; his bulk slithering and winding with each subtle movement. He stretched across the entire abyss with the rear of his slithery form remaining lodged within the cave he had exited from.

“I wassss wondering when you and Karfiso would be making your return journey.” he hissed, “I have not had many visitorssss thissss year and I wassss beginning to get lonely.”

His leathery face was now hovering just above myself and Siri. There was a slight stench to him that nearly made me gag as his dark face hovered over Siri and myself. His pale, yellow eyes shifted back and forth between Siri and myself as he looked us over. His small, dark nostrils sniffed the air as he neared us. Turning towards me, I could see the holes that passed for his nose stretching in and out as he took in my sent.

“A pony?” he hissed, “I haven't seen a pony here in decadessss! I still remember the last two that came here. I think their namessss were Rosy and Rocky, or something like that.”

“Hello, there.” I said with a small gag as his stench closed in on me. “I'm Ivory.”

“Ivory, hmm.” hissed the snake, “I remember my father once owned an interesting ivory-made lamp, yessss. It wassss quite beautiful.”

This led into a very long speech as Kaathe swayed back and forth, remembering every minute detail of this lamp that the zebra who created him had once owned. Siri just stood still, a bored expression on her face, as I stole looks back and forth between her and Kaathe.

“How long is this going to go?” I whispered into Siri's ear.

“Twenty minutes, at least.” she whispered back.

Twenty minutes was an understatement; the snake went on and on for at least forty. Every minute carving, every bodily twist, every everything from that lamp was practically ingrained into my memory. I hate snakes.

“Well, that was fun!” Kaathe hissed happily, “Now, what did you want to talk about?” he said to Siri.

“Well I-”

“Stop!” Kaathe howled, “Where'ssss Karfiso? Issss he trying to sneak into my housssse again?”

“He is not here.” responded Siri, “Now if I could jus-”

“Not here?” interrupted the snake, “He'ssss always here! Issss he alright? Did you two break up again?”

Siri put on an irritated smile, “We are both fine, Kaathe. He just had important things to do, so I came with Ivory instead.”

“Oh good, I thought something terrible had happened to him.” Kaathe turned to me, “Why, I remember six years ago when Siri came to me just crying and crying and crying.”

Siri stuck her face in the dirt.

“She and Karfiso were going through a loverssss quarrel and she was just beside herself.”

Two hours. He went on about Siri and Karfiso's relationship history for two hours. Now, I won't lie and say that parts weren't entertaining, but two hours. There was literally nothing to do to shut him up. He could easily raise his voice so neither Siri nor myself could get a word in edgewise.

The rest of the day went on pretty much the same way. Every time Siri or I tried to speak more than a sentence, some random thing we would say would remind Kaathe about something or other and he would go on an hour long rant about all of it's meaningless details. Then, mercifully, the sun began to set, and it was time to return top camp to hunker down for another frigid night.

The ground was freezing over even before we made it back to camp. Jackpot, Scarlet and Caelus had built up quite a large firepit and spent the entire day collecting firewood for it. Scarlet and Caelus had also moved several more large rocks from the surrounding area around our campsite to block more of the wind. This proved to come in handy as I swear to Celestia that it was even colder than the previous night. The howling wind was even louder than before and much colder. Siri and Caelus once again exhausted themselves throughout the entire night, trying to keep everyone warm.

“Looks like no sleep tonight.” said Jackpot, shivering.

“Maybe we should just sleep all day tomorrow instead of going to see Kaathe.” I said, huddling close to the large bonfire Jackpot had cleverly built.

“No.” said Siri, “We will sleep for several hours longer, but we need to keep trying. We cannot afford to waste an entire day.”

Without much of a choice, that's just what we did. I wasn't able to be woken up until at least noon, Caelus and Scarlet were still passed out, Roäc was covered in frost, and Siri just looked more pissed off than ever.

Despite the unrelenting heat of the day, the ground around us remained frozen until we were nearly to Kaathe. This time, however, the serpent was waiting to greet us.

“Hello Siri, and Siri'ssss pony!” he called out, “You're a bit later today than usual!”

“The cold kept us up!” Siri called back to the serpent. “Or have you not noticed it?”

The leathery serpent nodded his gangly head up and down. Sheets of ice particles fell from his leathery hide as he moved, sending a small avalanche of frost plummeting into the bottomless chasm below him.

“Ingenioussss, is it not?” he hissed.

“Excuse me?” I said. “Cold is not ingenious, it's absolutely horrid!”

“You misunderstand, my little pony.” Kaathe continued, “My father placed a powerful spell upon the land. So it issss that thissss area becomessss deathly cold whenever trouble and bad timessss are ahead. Judging by how bad it issss, something really horrid must be coming.”

“I hope he doesn't think it's us.” I whispered to Siri.

“Thissss actually remindssss me of the time my father wassss forced to flee from some ruffianssss that once came looking for him. They wanted some money he owed them and the weather turned cold and...”

FUCK!

*****

“Well, today was a bust.” I said, feeling utterly defeated.

Siri and I had spent the rest of the day attempting and failing to get anything useful out of Kaathe. He just wouldn't stop talking about stupid and mundane facts about stupid and mundane things. And his stories would go on for hours and hours and hours...I hate snakes.

Siri and I had made our way back to camp with only the promise of another frigid night. Oh and I guess there was what Kaathe said about something bad happening, but at the moment, that was the last thing on my mind.

“Why don't Jackpot, Caelus, and I head over tomorrow and talk with him.” Scarlet suggested as we all sat around the nights bonfire, barely staving off the cold and howling winds.

“You can try.” Siri said, slumping her body down on a patch of dirt near the fire.

“That stupid snake is impossible!” I lamented, “We'll never get anything out of him. I don't want to go back to prison.” I took a sip out of a flask, emptying it and tossing it to the side. “Another day or so and we'll be out of borda.”

“Then we'll need to hurry up.” Jackpot said, his wings shivering with every word.

So it was decided. Jackpot, Scarlet, and Caelus would go and speak to Kaathe the next day while Siri and I stayed behind with Roäc and kept the shelter they had built in good order.

The next day, we all did as we had agreed the night before. While the others went off to see Kaathe, and Roäc flew off somewhere, Siri and I stayed behind. The strong winds had blown down several of the boulders that had been placed as wind-breakers for the camp. Luckily my own strength was just enough to push most of them back into position. Siri, after finishing gathering wood for the fire, assisted me with several of the largest stones, which no doubt weighed more then several tons at least. The work took most of the day and had left the both of us exhausted from the effort.

When the others finally did return, night had nearly fallen and the air had begun to grow cold. With every breath I took, ice crystals had begun to form around the vapor that left my mouth, and my body shuddered with every movement.

“That snake was absolutely delightful!” Scarlet chirped, skipping as she walked.

“You two got along a bit too well.” I heard Jackpot nicker as he followed Scarlet.

“At least he would speak to you two.” Caelus said, mournfully.

“Siri was right, he was practically stuffing Caelus up his nose with all that sniffing.” Scarlet chuckled.

“He certainly seemed interested about something.” Jackpot gently nudged Caelus in the side.

“You guys look like you had fun.” I said, leaving the relative safety of the shelter to meet my friends.

“Oh Ivory, you fixed the shelter!” Scarlet delighted, “Those big rocks took me forever to move around, even with Roäc and Caelus helping.”

“Let's get inside, I'm freezing my wings off out here.” Jackpot grumbled, pushing Scarlet and Caelus inside.

Siri had gotten the fire going well and good by this time. When we all huddled in together the fire and the newly reinforced shelter gave us good protection from the howling winds.

“Where's the bird?” Jackpot wondered.

“He has flown off a good distance,” said Siri, “He will be back tomorrow to check on us. He is old, and the cold was too much for him.”

“We're going back tomorrow.” Caelus told me. “In our myriad of conversations with the Kaathe, Jackpot and Scarlet seemed to particularly hit it off with him.”

“Oh he was ever so delightful!” Scarlet chirped. “I would love to go back tomorrow and talk some more with him.”

“We talking about the same snake here?” I asked.

“Oh Ivory, he's hilarious,” Scarlet seemed quite enamored with the serpent, “and he tells such enticing stories.”

“Feel free to engage with him as much as you desire.” Siri said, dismissively, “I have had as much as I can take of the Kaathe.”

“I will! And Gladly!” Scarlet chirped once again.

Well, at least somepony's having a good time here.

The next day went on similar to the previous; Jackpot, Caelus, and Scarlet went off to talk to Kaathe while Siri and I remained behind to keep the camp in good repair.

The weather from the previous night had been the worst so far, leaving little time for sleep. Siri and I remained awake most of the night to ensure that the fire did not go out, as at this point we would all freeze if it did. By the time the sun rose I was so utterly exhausted that if I were to fall asleep I probably wouldn't ever wake up again.

Despite our shelter, and the fire, my body had accrued a small layer of frost that I had to constantly shake off before my body would start to freeze.

“Maybe we should dig a hole and sleep there tonight?” I asked Siri.

“The plants might somehow survive the night but the ground remains frozen it seems.” Siri dug her hoof at the ground several times and even hearing it hit the frozen earth made my teeth chatter, they were so cold.

The wind had also blown over several of the stones we were using as shelter...again. This task, unfortunately, was left to me as Siri went out to gather more wood for the fire. This was wholly unpleasant as my exhaustion would no doubt double the amount of time it would take to complete.

“The daytime burns you and the nighttime freezes you.” I groaned as I carried out my tasks, “I don't think there's a more miserable place in the entire world.”

As the day passed, Roäc returned, and he carried with him several large blankets that seemed to be made of leaves.

“Roäc my savior!” I cried out, nearly coming to tears I was so happy. “Where did you get these?”

“I still know some creatures in the mountains who are friendly.” the gargantuan bird squawked, “The Geluk are a helpful bunch, even in these dark days.”

“Who are the Geluk?” I asked, swiftly covering myself in one of the blankets to test it out.

“They are an ancient race.” Roäc began, “They would look quite a bit like monkey's to you, though. They dwell within an oasis, deep in the Phiri mountains, far to the west. A goodhearted bunch all together, if you ask me. They made these for you.”

“If I ever meet these Geluk, I will have to thank them.” I said happily.

The blanket was unusually warm for something made of leaves. In all honesty, it was better than the best blankets in Equestria.

“These are amazing.” I said, amazed.

“The Geluk are a skillful people.” Roäc said.

Not long after that, I managed to finish the repairs to the campsite. Siri returned with the firewood and herself marveled at the effectiveness of the blankets.

“These will serve us well tonight.” she said, happily.

So it was, that as the sun began to set, Roäc flew off, and my friends returned, we settled in for another night.

“I shall have to thank Roäc for these blankets.” Siri said, “It is almost as if the cold does not exist.”

“Well I'll be damned.” said Jackpot, impressed.

I told the others what Roäc told me about the Geluk and how they made the blankets for us. Neither Caelus nor Siri seemed to know anything about them though. In fact, nopony had ever even heard of them in any capacity, which seemed strange.

“I guess the Socotra ain't all all they're cracked up to be.” Jackpot chided towards Siri.

“It is quite unheard of that a Socotra does not know the name of every beast that has ever lived in our borders.” Siri nickered, seeming quite upset at the fact she didn't know something she thought she should.

“I guess you learn something new every day.” I said, “Grit used to say that to me when I was still a kid.”

Siri seemed less enthused than I would be at learning a new fun fact. This seemed to amuse Jackpot who just chuckled from under his blanket as Siri continued to mope. Even Scarlet let loose a small giggle as she looked over at Jackpot.

“Oh, Jackpot!” Scarlet called out, “You should tell them your idea about getting the phial!”

At once all of our attention turned towards Jackpot as he nonchalantly shrugged.

“You have a plan!?” I said, excitedly jumping out of my blanket.

“It's just an idea. I don't know if it'll work.” Jackpot answered. “We're almost out of borda and I don't exactly like the idea of staying out here without something keepin me goin.”

“Well, tell us the plan already!” I was really excited.

“I'll tell you tomorrow.” he said.

“What? Why not just tell me now?” I whimpered.

“You'll see tomorrow.” he said back.

All of a sudden I got a bad feeling about Jackpot's plan, causing me to slink back into my blanket to prepare for the night ahead.

*****

I could tell it was morning by the fact that the air was silent. No howling winds wrapping all the lands in a blanket of frost and ice. This morning was different from the previous ones, however. It was different because I found myself doing something that I normally barely even noticed anymore; I noticed my hoof reaching around me for what remained of my flasks of borda.

“Huh?” I mumbled, sitting up from the spot where I had slept.

My leafy blanket fell to the ground as my eyes scanned the ground for my saddlebags. They were gone! All of my stuff was gone!

“What? Where's my bags?” I said frantically.

“Jackpot took all of the saddlebags when he went out with the group several hours ago.” Siri said as she poked a stick at the smoldering firepit.

“B-b-but the borda. I need it.” my eyes continued to scan the ground fruitlessly, ignoring what Siri had just said.

“He said he needed it for his plan.” Siri trotted over to me, “Are you ok, Ivory?”

“Have you ever drank borda before?” I asked.

“No, normally only members of the council have access to it.” the Zebra answered.

“Well then you wouldn't get it!” I nickered back.

Siri shrugged and trotted outside the stone shelter.

“What the fuck is that idiot thinking?” I cursed to myself.

Of course it was that moment when it dawned on me: Jackpot was going to get Kaathe drunk on borda.

This had to be stopped! Jackpot was going to give away all of my borda! I galloped out of the shelter and sped down the path towards Kaathe.

“Where are you going!?” Siri called out, “I need help fixing the camp from last night!”

I barely heard her, I was too busy sprinting down the path towards Jackpot and my precious borda. I doubt Roäc could fly as fast as I was running at that moment. I sped down the trail, my legs moving so fast that any onlooker would only see a quick blur at my passing. During the run I lost track of time but it seemed like only minutes when my legs stopped in a sudden halt. Jackpot, Kaathe, and the others were all sitting around the edge of the chasm that separated us from the cave that Kaathe made his home.

“JACKPOT WHERE IS MY BORDA!” I called in in a frantic panic.

They all ignored me.

“Really?” Kaathe gasped.

“Yes really!” Scarlet cheerfully laughed.

“Well that issss quite admirable.” Kaathe gleefully hissed.

Now when I said that Jackpot and the others were seated what I really meant was that Jackpot was passed out on the ground while the Scarlet and Caelus were seated around Kaathe. One look in Kaathe's slitted eyes and I could tell...HE DRANK MY BORDA!

His massive body swayed side to side, the slits that passed for his pupils somehow rolled around in his head, and he seemed to laugh and hiss at every other word that Scarlet said.

“Ah, Ivory!” the snake hissed at me, “Your lovely friend here wassss regaling me with the talessss of your exploitssss.!”

“Oh, Ivory!” Scarlet called, “We're over here! Jackpot's idea seems to be working!”

“Where are my flasks? Is there any borda left?” I ran over to where Jackpot was laying and saw all of the flasks lying on the ground, empty.

“It wassss the most peculiar drink I've ever had, I must say.” Kaathe's voice seemed lighter than it had when last we spoke. “Whenever thissss other pony wakessss up I must remember to thank him properly.”

Failure. Everything had fallen to pieces! All of my borda was gone and now I had to deal with a drunken snake and the inevitable reality of being sent back to prison for failing this stupid task.

“Come to think of it, “Kaathe continued, “I must admit that I am finding myself wanting more of thissss wondroussss drink. I know the perfect way to make up for drinking it all!”

I wasn't listening. I had fallen to the ground on top of all the empty flasks, crying at the beautiful drink that was now no more. I could already start to feel it's loss. Jackpot must have taken it some time before I woke up. Celestia knows how long it's been since I last had some of the divine liquid pass my lips. I could hear it already, the pounding in my head as my brain shouted for more. I was so preoccupied in my sorrow that I didn't even notice the scream of shock from Scarlet or the shouting from Caelus.

In a split second everything went dark...and damp.

“What?” I wondered.

I looked around. My surroundings were dark and smelled like...smelled like...Kaathe?

FUCK! HE ATE ME!

A powerful force then propelled me downwards. I screamed, but nothing I could do availed me as my body was too constricted within the snakes throat to move. I was pushed downwards and downwards, my body being coated in his slimy saliva, until, I was certain of my own imminent death-by-snake, I landed in a small stone room.

“Who!? What!? Where!? When!? Why!?” I shouted as my body crashed onto the cold stone floor.

I had barely another moment to think before Jackpot's body landed straight on top of me, along with our saddlebags and several of the flasks.

“I hate my life.” I miserably murmured as I pushed Jackpot off of me.

Once Jackpot was off of me, I looked around the room I had been...deposited into(don't think about it). It was a modestly sized chamber, dimly lit by a few glowing orbs that floated around the edge of the room, just off the walls. There was little in the way of decorations and the only discernible thing was a passage that led outwards(I didn't even bother looking up from where I had fallen), down a hallway.

“Where am I?” Jackpot managed to slur as he woke up. “Must've fallen asleep.”

“You dumbass!” I yelled, “You gave away all of the borda!”

Jackpot looked around, “Looks like my plan worked.” he smiled.

“What plan? That shitty snake ate us!” I yelled some more.

“Ate us?” Jackpot seemed confused, “I just wanted to get him drunk, then Scarlet could weasel the location of the lab out of him.”

“Well he ate us. I hope you're happy.” I certainly wasn't.

Jackpot spread out his saliva covered wings and swished them about, slinging snake spit everywhere, including on to me.

“If I wasn't already covered in it, I would buck you right in the face for that.” I angrily murmured.

“Well then, now for phase two of my plan.” Jackpot stood up, threw the soaked saddlebags over his back, and trotted off down the hallway.

“Hey! I'm not done yelling at you yet!” I called out, trotting after him.

Luckily the hall was quite short. At the far end was a wooden door then, also luckily, was unlocked. Behind the door was a slightly larger room, and this room was filled with a myriad of strange things.

Shelves of books lined the walls, tables filled with swirling, multicolored potions, some that were even still smoking, dotted the interior. There was a very noticeable burning smell(probably the smoking potions) that permeated the air. Then, on the far side of the room was another door, this one a bit larger than the last.

“My instincts tell me it's behind door number two.” Jackpot chuckled, trotting over to the door.

I trotted over to the shelves of books, taking several long glances at some of the larger ones. Their covers were quite colorful, being designed with various plants and even animals prancing about on each tome. I very lightly tapped one with my hoof.

“Still solid.” I said to myself.

With my curiosity piqued, I wrapped my mouth around the largest one and placed it on an open space on one of the tables. I didn't know what to expect from the contents, other than probably not being able to read it.

The writing in the book was definitely Zebra in origin. The one thing I could tell was that it was not any ancient language the Zebras used. The writing was certainly written in a more modern Zebra dialect and no doubt Enyi, or even Karfiso, could read it with little difficulty. I flipped through several more pages when, upon the final page, I came upon a delightful surprise.

“Classical Pony Latin?” I said, “I can read this.”

My eyes combed the page, taking in every stroke of the quill that dotted the page with letters I knew quite well:

April 12th: Koning came by the other day. He has a good heart, but Kaathe did not allow him entry into the lab. Imagine my surprise when I saw that fool trying to force himself down the throat of my son, ha! Koning was always very impulsive, but I suppose that's why we're friends. He seemed apprehensive though? He would not tell me why he came.

April 26th: The weather has turned foul. I will keep writing in the pony language so any Zebra who gets in here can not read this. I now know why Koning came by. I am going to have to leave my home here and find him at the capitol.

May 6th: Khass was attacked. Khawaa are here. The land has frozen.

There was no more.

“Well, then. That doesn't seem good.” A cold chill from nowhere then blew past my spine, causing every hair on my body to stand on end.

As I continued to stare at the ominous writing, Jackpot called me from the other room.

“Ives! Get in here! You'll want to see this!”

I left the book on the table and trotted in the other room to see what Jackpot had discovered.

“No way.” I gaped at the room I had just entered.

Shelf upon shelf, row upon row of small, white phials littered the space. There must have been several hundred of them.

Each one was no bigger than a small tea kettle. Small, thin bands of rope held each bottle in a firm embrace with which to attach to a belt or satchel. Each phial was lined up on large, wooden shelves that stretched the length of the room, which was moderately sized. A single lamp hung from the ceiling, giving off a faint glow that was just enough to make what was in the room visible.

In the center of this room was Jackpot, lying on the floor, a final flask lying by his side and one of the phials sticking out of his mouth.

“It works.” is all Jackpot managed to gurgle out before the phial fell from his mouth, dripping borda onto the floor.

I trotted up, lifted the phial in my hoof, and sure enough, it was filled with borda. I tilted the phial carefully, my eyes locked on the small hole at the top, as borda flowed from the bottle and onto the floor. I held it like that for far longer than it would normally take to empty a container of such a small size and to my amazement, the borda kept coming.

In a completely instinctual move, I swiped another phial from a nearby shelf and poured the contents of the first bottle into the second. I tilted it, and wouldn't you know...two endless bottles of borda.

“This...this is amazing.” I stuttered. “Well, only one thing to do now.”

I slipped the second phial into my mouth and swung my head back.