The putrid smell of sulfur and brimstone filled the nostrils of the young Elven girl. She could not be any more out of place. The pale haired, fair skinned child was brightly clothed in a dress of blue and white, while the surrounding terrain was desolate and broken mountains. Toxic steam vents opened and poured clouds of ash into the air so that there was little to no life, save for the volcano high above their heads. If Ein stood still long enough she could feel the vibrations of the living rock through her feet, it used to be unsettling to the girl, but she had grown used to it. Despite the bleak landscape she was cheery, after all, she was on the mountain again that Zeke was born from.

Zeke fit in with the scenery, even down to the spurts of flame that sometimes erupted in little jets around the gaps in his obsidian form. He lumbered along quietly, indifferent to being back at the Cradle. 

The unlikely companions could be seen from a long distance, the black sheen of obsidian, and flash of blue and white, these were easy to spot from a long distance but it didn't matter, nobody was near to be a problem. Even if a bandit or monster of some sort did pop out from a hidden piece of the broken landscape, Ein wasn't afraid. Nobody could beat her Zeke. 

It took a long time, but eventually the pair made it to their destination, a vent that led down to the active volcano flow below, it was too hot to enter without protection, it was as far as they dared to go. When last they were there Ein's Father had cast a protective spell on her, she tried to think of it to see if she could manage to pull it off, but the words didn't come to her, and very little of the words she remembered actually had any effect whats so ever. They sat in silence for a moment on the warm rocks near the vent. Swinging a pack around her back she took out a flagon and took a drink of warm water and took out a leaf wrapped piece of bread. She broke off a small chunk before putting the rest of the bread back and the flagon returned as well. She nibbled on the bread for a moment, the flavor returned her for a moment to her ancestral home.

She shook her head and pushed the image away. Nostalgia had no place in her life now. She had no home, and likely never would.

"Well Zeke," She said suddenly breaking the silence, the gravely sound of Zeke turning his massive frame to face her was the only response, "Lets head north, once we clear the cradle. I haven't been north yet."

A sound somewhere between a groan and the sound of a rock slide came from Zeke.

"I know it is dangerous, but we are running out of jobs in the southern towns and they are starting to remember me. I don't age like a human, they'll figure it out soon. I need to find somewhere else to find work. Besides, you'll protect me, wont you, Zeke?"

It wasn't a real question and Zeke didn't need to answer. Of course he would, that was his only purpose in life.