I wasn`t too sure if those sorcerers could be trusted, but they fed us, and didn`t ask for anything in return. They didn`t attack us and gave us directions. I hope I see them again one day. Seeing someone besides me seems to have lifted Levi`s mood. He can`t stop talking about all the things they`ve seen on their journeys. Lights that don`t need generators, torches that never die, weapons fueled by magic. The world is a lot bigger than I ever knew. I`m curious how much further we`ll need to go, and if we`ll be walking the entire.

　　I almost fall as Levi pushes me, "are you listening to me?"

　　"I try not to."

　　"Well you should because I just found something."

　　"What?"

　　"The metal road," he points both fingers and bites his lip.

　　"I think you`re going crazy out here."

　　"Use your magic eyes, and look beyond that massive skull of yours for a moment," he grabs my arms and leads me.

　　It`s real, a path made of two huge pieces of metal that stretch on further than I can see without magic. Occasionally there`s a piece of rotted wood connecting the two. This is it, the metal road they told us about. We don`t waste any time running alongside it until we`re tired. There doesn`t seem to be any end to it, but we`ve finally got some real directions on where we`re going. We were planning to stop and rest, but we kept going because we were excited.

　　The excitement all vanished when we finally came to the Demon`s Mouth. Horns bursting from a skull, two glowing eyes with smoke spilling out. We don`t have any choice but to go in, the road vanishes underground next to the Demon`s Mouth. If we want to make it to the next city, we have to go.

　　"You think there`s another way around," Levi asks as we approach.

　　"I think we have to go through it."

　　"Do you think there`s a real demon in there?"

　　"I`ve never seen a demon before."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

　　"Neither have I, but I`ve heard stories."

　　"Well, you said all that stuff about dying with me earlier, so fighting a demon isn`t a bad way to go. They`re tell stories about us too," I shrug and walk ahead of him.

　　"Has anyone ever told you that you rush into things without thinking?"

　　"Yeah, but I just rushed ahead and laughed at them," I`m faking the confidence, I`m just as terrified as he is.

　　The positive is that as we get closer we can see that the Demon`s Mouth isn`t some magic monster come to pull us down into the underworld. It`s a staircase with some elaborate decoration. Piece of would and metal jammed into boulders. It looks enough like a demon to scare most people off if they never get close. The thing I can`t figure out, the smoking eyes. It`s the creepiest part of it all. We share a glance at each other, I head down the stairs first, and he follows. A huge concrete stage is waiting for us at the bottom. Down below, the metal road continues into a tunnel.

　　"How far do you think it goes," I ask Levi.

　　"Hopefully to the next town."

　　I drop down to the tunnel followed by Levi. There`s nothing but an echo. This time the there`s more wood, not rotten and spaced the same distance apart. Occasionally a small bug will fly by with a glowing butt. We laugh about that, we`ve never seen it before. Maybe if we catch a bunch of them we can use them as a light, it`ll probably be more reliable than lanterns and candles. What would the bugs eat? We`ll probably need something with holes they can breathe through. It feels like the ground and entire tunnel is shaking.

　　"Hey, do you feel that?"

　　"Like we`re being shaken up," Levi responds.

　　"Yeah, and there`s this rumbling sound."

　　"You should try to see if you can see up ahead of us."

　　I have been meaning to use my mask, this would be a good chance. I slide the base over my head before snapping on the facemask on. A deep breath before opening my eyes and the vomit inducing vision kicks in. Luckily, I can`t see walls and that limits the distance, but I can see plenty far. There`s something coming down the tunnel. It`s far away, but it`s moving fast. It looks like a, big, silver and brown snake.

　　"We need to move, there`s something coming. Something big, there`s an indent further up the tunnel, we`ve passed a few. We need to run," I don`t waste any more time explaining, I just run.

　　I`m moving, using magic at the same time and not getting sick. The metal snake is moving towards us without pausing. I don`t even think it sees us. I throw my body into the indent and hit the wall. I snatch Levi and pull him in. It`s a tight fight and we`re chest to chest, nose to nose breathing heavily. I close my eyes as the shaking becomes more violent and the sound gets louder. I feel a slight tug at my shoulder as the snake finally passes through. I open my eyes to get a glimpse and spot people inside. They aren`t panicked the way I would be if I was inside a snake. I`m not sure what it is, but they all look like they`re in there willingly.

　　"Are we good to move or do you want to keep enjoying my company," Levi asks.

　　"You`re fat. Two of me could have fit comfortably."

　　"You sound like my dad. It`s like I never left home."

　　"Let`s go."