We have started our climb to the summit. 1 metre down, only 24999 metres to go! Yes! We have to stay positive because of the climate here. It's cold! It's just cold! Endless cold! Cold left and right! Cold in my eyes, in my mouth, in my hands and feet. Nothing but cold! Why doesn't the sun in the sky, with its eternal splendour, have any effect? Well, maybe it is trying its best, but the cold here is just too strong.
"Fire Magic: Bunny Flame" [Diana]
"Thank you, little girl. I swear to Goddess, if it wasn't for you, my finger would definitely get frostbite"
"Please be careful. Remember, no matter how brave you are, you are facing a force of nature. Almost no one can win against it. Remember to stay with your guide and never stray from your group. Triple or quadruple check all your belongings at all times" [Falmer].
"I will. I can't believe it's only been a bit and I'm already stumbling.
As we climb a little higher, there's a walker who accidentally slips and falls onto a lake. A cold lake. Icy cold. Because he's as big as a bear, the impact shatters the ice and he's underwater. Luckily the guide quickly rescues him and now I am here to warm him up with my bunny flame spell.
It's only 300 metres into our journey and I can already see how dangerous it is. This guy literally lost his concentration for a second and slipped into the lake. Luckily for me, I don't have this problem as I'm almost always floating to avoid this kind of slippery accident. I don't think I want to suffer the same fate as him. It might be a bit exhausting, but considering how sturdy my body is, how large my mana pool is, and how efficient my technique and spells are, I'm sure I can stay afloat for 24 hours if the need arises.
As we climb higher and higher, more and more hikers are either injured or give up. It's clear from their appearance that they are professional mountaineers, but Mount Olympus is not to be taken lightly. If you do, only white death awaits you.
Even though it's early in the morning, visibility is already poor. I can still see my front, but it's difficult because my mouth keeps exhaling mist. The snow also hurts my eyes, like a piercing blade of ice stabbing directly into my eyes. My nose... Let's not talk about it. I am but an elegant lady of the House of Vars. There's no way my sneezing is going to form an icicle. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but somehow I don't think it's impossible, considering how freezing cold this place is.
"You seem well. It's impressive considering your age" [Falmer].
"Hehe" [Diana]
Miss Falmer applauds me. According to her, only some local kids are allowed to climb, and only up to a certain height. One of the legal reasons we're not allowed to climb is literally because of my age. The other and real reason, of course, is that the royalty here forbid us to climb.
I use 4 layers of clothing. The deepest layer of my clothing is from Ice Fairy Shiva for ice resistance, followed by a dress from Fire Fairy Jasmine. The other two clothes we buy from a shop recommended by Miss Falmer. It's not fashionable, but that's the least of my worries right now. As long as it does its job, which is to keep me from getting hypothermia, I will continue to wear it.
Speaking of keeping us from getting hypothermia, I have also created a barrier of fire and wind around us. I don't use much mana, so it's rather inefficient, but I'm sure it'll do the job. If I wanted to, I could turn up the heat to make us more comfortable, but we are facing the tallest mountain yet, so conserving mana is a must. Not only that, but we are planning to rescue Princess Ayaka from Mother Holle, so I cannot be careless with my mana.
"Around 2 kilometres left before I last saw Mother Holle" [Joseph]
"Shall we speed up a bit?" [Diana]
"I know you're worried about her, but if you do, our chances of saving her will diminish" [Nar].
"We don't want to waste our time carelessly, or worse, get hurt before we can save her" [Randy].
"Patience is the key. According to the witch Merlin, we still have plenty of time" [Falmer].
"Right... Fie, let's keep going. Slow and steady wins the race. Let's go, go, go!" [Diana]
"Meow!" [Fie]