"All quiet now, so up I go." I commented before digging my claw into the mountain. Briefly stepping back in surprise when I couldn't even get my claws into the stone... This stone was much tougher than the other ones I have dealt with. I did not know why but I felt like just saying 'it was magic,' would have been a valid answer.
Yet, despite this issue, I was still able to get some grip into the stone, but it was clear I now had to focus more on potential grab points. My old ways of just forcing individual claws in would not work with this mountain it seemed. But, a rhythm was soon found and I was just going up and up the mountain with a small smile as it just felt more exciting. Maybe because I would need actual effort this time?
This also worried me, in a way, if I was to need more effort on my part then doesn't that make the size of the mountain an issue? Like, an exceptionally huge one? I couldn't exactly stop on the climb to rest so if I could not do it in a single go...
"My love! My love! Where are you!?" I barely heard from down below which caused me to stop and swing about. One of my feet loosely dangling in the air while the other anchored my moving body that a single claw held stable. A frown forming once I saw Rose's headlights brightly shining down below. An irritated roll of my eyes preceding my leap down.
"Why aren't you with the others...?" I asked her as I approached her. Not really taking note of how the ground was not warped and destroyed as it usually was by such a leap down.
"I told you remember? I was going to go up with you!" she told me with a smile as her head became more visible as her lights dimmed.
"And I told you to stay with the others!"
"I am not leaving you on your own!" she told me as she came closer and tried to pull me closer. But, as I was in no mood for her antics, she had to come to me as my body did not bow to her whims here under this circumstance.
"Go back, Rose, let me get up there and we will see each other then. You can spend all the time you want with me when we get up there and meet back up." I said in an effort to plead with her. To try and get her to go back to the other two so I was not being dragged down by her.
"No."
"Why not...?"
"Because I will stay with you. Besides, I gave my bag to the others." she told me, her expression turning sheepish towards the end.
"You idiot... You invite Undwote to us." was all I could say to her as she held on to me with unceasing firmness.
"I invite Oungicorcer so that he may bless you with strength I will invoke from you!"
"The God of Mountains!? I don't see how he will help me climb one of his creations."
"Not that aspect of him, the other five, fire, water, wind, lightning and darkness. Five of the magical aspects."
"You came all this way to help me get stronger...? You idiot! We are going to a place for that! I don't need you risking your life to do it!"
"It's not a case of need, I want to." she told me as she stepped back and looked up at me with a smile that held no ill-will towards me. A long sigh was all I could do right now, a long sigh that just went on and on before I just shook my head lots. A motion that became smaller and quicker, like a coin coming to a stop.
"Fine... Fine..." I began to say before dropping down and putting my bag down. Unfurling it as much as I could before then opening it up.
"You can't be serious..." Rose let out in that high and mighty tone of hers.
"Get in." was all I said and that was all I needed as now I was just waiting for her to get in.
"What am I going to do in here?" Rose asked me as I put the bag back on my back. My head soon turning to face her, a smile of my own forming.
"Yes, now, make sure you are warm and that you had a full meal before because we are not taking the leisurely route." I told her as I put my claws into the mountain once more. My anger helping me to drive them in like the bolts put into a steel plate that goes on to form a ship or building.
"You know, my love, it is nice to have you back to myself as we travel. Just like the old times." she told me after a short silence of climbing.
"We have spent more days travelling as a group of four than I ever did with you and even then it was not that long ago!" I told her while patting the area above me. All to test out potential areas to climb up along. But, as my mind had mentioned that, the idea of 'long ago,' I was now thinking of my climbing race with Vadei. A small smile forming as I was not having to worry about any spongey sensations as I went up and up.
"I still miss it..." she mumbled from her bag.
"Can't say I share the same sentiment." I responded with while my mind lingered on what happened while I travelled with her. It was so much closer to when I had turned, so all I could really think of during those times were how she acted around me. I know I must have thought of it before, how she was growing more tolerable to my current form. But, I know she still reacted badly around me.
She was never going to get over it by the looks of it... So I would have to just stop being bothered by it myself.
"Why not? I was there for you and you were there for me, you saved me and I was grateful, you began your journey into being a skilled witch. A lot of good happened in our travel time."
"Yes, but at the same time, and I sincerely mean no offence. But, since I have met you I have nearly murdered someone, I myself have literally died, I got turned into a monster and I was chased out of town."
"I understand those bother you my love, but none of them are tied to me explicitly, I was just there for the events." she correctly pointed out while caressing my head.
"I know, but, sometimes it just feels like you are a bad luck charm."
"Now that's just made-up nonsense." she laughed out, a smile forming on my face as she laughed.
"Then let's see if you bring me any good luck up this mountain."
"I can't say for certain if I do, but I bring convenience!"
"And what convenience is that?"
"I can pass you snacks and compliment you with spirit-raising love as you climb!" she cheerfully exclaims from her bag. Soon stopping so I could somewhat watch her disappear into the bag to rummage about it. A piece of dried meat in her hand once she came out once again.
"Thank you." I said before taking the meat from her with a gentle bite. Leaving the meat to linger in my mouth so I could just suck on it as I could not really eat properly in this situation. And, well, I'd rather chew it before swallowing as I did not want to enter a coughing fit in this place of all places.
"So how much distance are you hoping to cover anyway?" she yawned out as she seemingly found a comfortable spot to slink into.
"Three days they said was how long the road would take, didn't they?"
"Yeah..." she said with a muffled yawn.
"Well, including this night with the coming day, I am hoping for at least half the distance to be done."
"Good luck..."
"Going to need more than luck at this rate." I said while looking at an aircraft that was lingering about an area far to my right. It wasn't near me by any means, but if this was a guard vehicle then that might spell some issues. And now that I was aware of that machine, I was aware of the noise above me, it seemed I was getting close to the road.
So how was I going to get around it...? I could leap, but would that cause me to get spotted by the guards and people on the road? Would I have to follow the road up rather than just going in a straight line? By the gods, this was getting complicated alright.
If I still had my mask and hat on, I might be able to slip into the crowd and then sneak off into any trees and keep on climbing. Reality had the conditions the other way, though, for my hat and mask were off and my buggish features were exposed to the whole world to see. Yet, it was also firmly nighttime now, so would the road not be quieter? That machine was shining lots of light after all.
"Maybe if I timed a leap with the passing of one of these vehicles...?" I asked myself as I got to what felt like the underbelly of the road. And, to my surprise, it sounded no different than it was when we first got here. Maybe I should not have been surprised? This was a capital city no?
One built with few ways in so the few ways in would always be crowded, no? Well, either way, I still needed to get past it all so I was just left lingering where I was while pondering a way through. And while I had my head turned to the bag, I wondered about it. For if I was to make this jump, might the bag snap?
I could not exactly grab it and hold it to make sure the bag did not snap. So, maybe I just had to have faith in the idea it would hold, it had held thus far and this bag was designed to carry much more. And with one click of the mouth later and the gulping of my meat, I was on the move again. Not like before, though.
This time I was just moving up and down in the build-up to what would follow. I would go through with my 'leap over the road' plan, all I needed to do was make sure I would actually meet the mountain above. Which is why I was practising my angle and looking around every now and then. And with a final gulp of worry, I went up.