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Deep in the heart of the Mountain of Fire, there rested a glowing crystal cavern. Borne into the rock face aside the Planet’s most massive magma chamber, this cave had been the lair of the Grand Fire Beetle for eons. Always remaining in the safety of her cavern, she laid a clutch of eggs every hundred years. Once the eggs were laid, the fight for her children’s survival had only begun.

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The majority of the eggs had typically been destroyed before hatching by the volcano or eaten by the more vicious fire monsters. Once the children were hatched, their frail pre-exoskeletal bodies needed to be guarded and protected from not only the predators, but the heat as well. Many from each brood were lost in the early years, and the young surviving Fire Beetles traditionally had to leave the Mountain of Fire before they grew too big to fit through the steam vents. This is how life has always begun for a Fire Beetle.

As a new fissure popped open in the back of the cave...

issuing a hissing geyser of scalding steam, the Grand Fire Beetle urged her brood to hurry. “This may be your last chance, my children. The lava is rising faster than I’ve seen in thousands of years. I hoped we would have more time, but the crystal cavern is collapsing, and I fear this will be the end of me.”

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While the Beetles draw energy and life from the radiant heat, very few monsters can survive direct contact with the lava, and as the molten sea rose nearer to the mouth of the cavern, the Grand Fire Beetle witnessed all sorts of fire monsters fleeing for their lives. These creatures, who had lived in the relative comfort of the Mountain of Fire since the dawn of time, would now be released upon the world.

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With a molten splash, a Great Fire Demon emerged from the lake and flew for the surface with a shriek. One of the gigantic boulders from his passage struck the mouth of the crystal cavern, where the Great Fire Beetle was standing guard. As the walls shook and crumpled with the impact, the Great Fire Beetle lost her footing and began to tumble. Some of her small children surged forward to help her, but were stopped by her powerful voice.

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“Stay back! We’re almost out of time! Now is your chance! Use the new fissure and make your way through the steam vents. Travel up until you find the light and feel the cold.”

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The brood of young Fire Beetles silently watched in horror as their mother scrambled with futility, attempting to pull herself back up to the ledge. “I can guide you no longer, my little ones! Find the hot places, and always remember me!”

With that, the ancient Great Beetle lost her hold and plummeted into the swirling lake of fire. She did not cry out, but openly accepted her fate (as the wisest often do). With no time to stop and grieve, the brood of young Fire Beetles knew what they had to do. One by one, they wriggled through the newest fissure in the back of the cave. Only moments after the last of the brood was through, the ancient crystal cavern was itself consumed by fire.

The young Fire Beetles could feel the heat chasing them, threatening to destroy their premature bodies as the eruption began. They knew not how far they needed to crawl, for their mother was not around to tell them.

Raised, toughened and tempered by the hottest flames, the brood of young fire Beetles finally emerged from a small crevasse near the top of the Mountain of Fire. As they gazed in wonder at the vast world surrounding them and the Mountain hurled huge blankets of smoke into the sky, the Beetles could have sworn they heard the voice of their mother floating on the hot breeze.

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“Go forth, my children, and make this new world your own!”

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The end.

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This story was written for the #SteemMonsters Weekly Fantasy Story Contest!