Ever since he and Sephiran had managed to craft the spiked bands from their recent victory over the crocodile, he had been eager to test out his theory of improving their structure with traces of cooled magma. He had already agreed to meet the Saxe boy near the base of the foreboding peak, but seeing as he was the first one to arrive, he wasn’t keen on waiting to get started.

He had no intention of climbing to the top and peering into the molten heart of the mountain. The rise of ash and dust billowed from the top, concealing the opening from his point of view. There was no mistaking its activity. What he had hoped for, was to spot traces of smoldering rock that would indicate a small lava leak where it was possible the wall wasn’t as thick.

So when he found exactly that, he couldn’t help the small burst of excitement. Aresenn immediately set to work, laying out the band flat against the shiny obsidian as he sought out a tool that he could use to dab some of the blackening slag onto the dried reptilian leather.

The last time he saw the pirate boy, they had killed a crocodile and her brood of children. After that, they proceeded to decimate the carcass, and decorate themselves with its skin and bones to use to their advantage. How gruesome of the two boys. After that, they had made a plan to finish their project, which meant they needed to travel to a nearby volcano. Aresenn had pointed him in the right direction, and given that he could see the massive silhouette of the volcano in the distance, it was easy to find.

He arrived after Aresenn did, having spent more time analyzing the neighboring territories, before finding himself at the base of the mountain. Now that he was up close, he realized just how big it was. It towered over them, its peak reaching beyond the clouds. But, even with its size, he could still hear the soft bubbling of volcanic activity from within its walls. The pirate boy had made the same discovery it seemed, as he was looking at some darker rock that was emitting small bouts of steam. Aresenn set down his neckpiece before moving away in search of something else. Instead of following him, Sephiran stayed by the rocky formation, enjoying the warmth it was emanating. Why do the work, if Aresenn would do it for him?

"Speech"

It was much more difficult to find something he could use that would withstand the heat of the lava, that would provide enough distance to prevent it from burning him at the same time. The side of the volcano was void of all forms of life. However, just a little ways off, he saw what looked like the remnants of a tree that had succumbed to the eruption and burnt to a crisp for the most part. Emerging from the rock were a couple of charred limbs that had remained relatively intact. Of course, he didn’t need a whole tree limb- a particularly long stick would do. It didn’t matter if the stick burned in the process … he just needed it for a few minutes.

After harvesting a stick from the exposed tree branches, he returned to his material next to the small spout of burning rock. Holding the stick in one end, he dipped it in the small leaking puddle of exposed magma, only to drip a few drops of it along the teeth and edges. Once satisfied that he had covered what he needed to, Aresenn quickly cast the stick aside and reached for the small waterskin he had borrowed from the ship to help prevent the collar from burning to a crisp. Dumping some of the water out on droplets of slag caused an angry hissing noise, but it certainly helped achieve the goal. Satisfied that this adventure had been a success, he set the rest of the water back down and off to the side. As he waited for everything to cool off, he eased himself down into a sitting position- spotting Sephiran a ways off for the first time.

While Aresenn went off to find an instrument to use as a transfer device, Sephiran stayed next to the steaming rock. He watched the crimson boy poke around at the remnants of a nearby tree, before biting at it to rip off a blackened branch. His gaze shifted toward the small crack in the rock, narrowing in on the small streak of magma that was seeping from an opening. He didn’t have to get closer to it to know that’s where the heat was coming from, which meant standing so close was dangerous. But it was a risk he was fine with taking.

With a stoic expression, he watched Aresenn dip the stick in the magma, using it to transfer drops of the bubbling liquid into the band they had made. It started to sizzle and steam, but quickly dried to create a stronger bond between the teeth and the crocodile skin. More steam spouted up when Aresenn doused it with water, likely trying to keep it from catching on fire. Which worked perfectly.

Then he copied what Aresenn had done, first harvesting a stick before dipping it into the magma and placing drops on his own collar. He used the weird, water-holding thing to keep it from igniting, which cooled the magma and created the bond. After it dried out, he leaned down to inspect it. It wasn’t the best-looking tool, but it would serve its purpose nonetheless.

"Speech"

When it came time for Sephiran’s turn, Aresenn watched with casual interest. From the embellishing of the liquid obsidian to the brief drench of water to get it to set. In the time it took the other boy to complete his task, he felt confident that he could pick up his project and not be singed from it. Admiring the new addition, he felt confident that he had never seen anything like it prior to what he had just made. In the end, a comparison didn’t really matter- as long as the collar functioned as it was intended to. He couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he could find something similar in the Armada’s market. He wouldn’t steal a physical item- but perhaps an idea that he could recreate himself.

Finally breaking the silence between them, Aresenn cast a thoughtful glance toward the Saxe boy before speaking. “Have you ever been to the Armada’s marketplace?”

-exit via fade for scheming-

They shared a moment of silence, both of them inspecting their little invention. Sephiran felt rather proud of himself, as he had never seen anything like this back home. It was very uncommon to have things like this, because bare tooth and claw fighting was the way of life in his pack. If this tool would help him be successful in these lands, then so be it. Even if he found it to be odd.

After a few minutes, Aresenn broke the silence between them, asking if he had ever visited Armada’s marketplace. He shook his head, still inspecting his collar while he replied. “Never heard of it.” He said truthfully. “But it sounds like the perfect place to show off our new toys.” His eyes shifted towards Aresenn, lips pulling back into a sneer. Stirring up trouble sounded like a good time, if the pirate boy was up for it.

-exit via plotting-

"Speech"