The Skirt Of The Mountain

After a long day's journey, we finally reached the foothills of the majestic Muyan mountain. As we gazed up at the towering peak, Mila spoke up and declared, "Here we are the Muyan mountain."

Lezlie craned her neck to try and get a better view of the mountain, but the clouds obscured its summit. "The mountain looks quite high," she remarked.

"Yes, it is," Mila agreed. "This mountain is the biggest mountain in this kingdom, so much so that some say that in other kingdoms there is no mountain this big, but I don't know how true that is."

Babu's eyes sparkled with excitement as he exclaimed, "Imagine if we found the other person we were looking for here. Wouldn't that be cool, Ryuu?"

I chuckled softly, "I don't think we're that lucky, but let's consult the map anyway."

As I opened the map to search for clues, I noticed something strange. Hiroshi, who had been observing me closely, noticed my confusion and asked, "Hey, Kid! You look like you're frozen. Is something wrong?"

"Very strange," I replied, still absorbed in the map. "According to the map, the person we're looking for is somewhere in this kingdom, but their location is unclear."

Lezlie examined the map and chimed in, "But Ryuu, that's impossible. No matter the condition of the map or its owner, it should always display the location of its subject."

Mila interjected, "Perhaps it's a person-related issue. After all, we don't know what kind of powers this person possesses."

Babu pondered for a moment before proposing, "Mila may be right. It's possible that the person is using a spell that cloaks their presence from maps like these."

Lezlie shook her head, "Unfortunately, no spell can disrupt the indicator status of this map. But maybe his power is so great that it obscures him from the map. So anything can happen."

With a sigh, I folded up the map and placed it back in my pocket. "Anyway, let's not dwell on it for now. We have more pressing matters to attend to."

"The Kid is right," Hiroshi agreed. "We also have another problem to contend with. The road ahead becomes steep after a short distance, so we can't proceed any further by horse-drawn carriage. We'll have to finish the journey on foot."

Babu gazed up at the summit of the mountain, then swallowed nervously and uttered, "As a panda, I will undoubtedly perish from lack of oxygen at the top of the mountain. I'm certain of it."

After our conversation, we dug through the supply box in the carriage, grabbing a handful of food and two long ropes equipped with hooks. Hiroshi freed the horses and we began making our way towards the mountain on foot. The initial slope at the base of the mountain was easy to navigate, but as we trudged on, the incline became increasingly steep, making our ascent more grueling. We soon came to the decision that it was time to bring out the long ropes and try to toss them onto a slope we had spotted earlier. However, the task proved to be quite challenging, as the clouds obscured part of the slope, and strong gusts of wind made it difficult to maneuver the ropes.

Hiroshi pondered their next move and said, "It could be challenging to swing the ropes in this wind."

"What's on your mind, Hiroshi?" I asked curiously.

Hiroshi replied, "If Babu and I support you, you can climb up to a certain height and securely fasten the ropes to the top."

"Okay, let's do it," I agreed.

I grabbed hold of the ropes and waited for Babu and Hiroshi to join hands and signal that they were ready. As soon as they did, I darted towards them and jumped into their arms. Hiroshi and Babu heaved me up as high as they could, but we didn't quite make it to the desired height. I was about to plummet down to the ground when Lezlie gave me a boost with a push spell and Mila's water powers lent additional support. With newfound energy, I twirled around and flung the hook ropes towards the summit. Even though I fell back down, I managed to secure the hooks onto the slope above.

Using the ropes to anchor myself, I safely descended back down the mountain. Hiroshi pulled on the ropes to check their stability and then declared, "The ropes will take us to the top, but we should take turns using them. Babu and I will use one rope, while the rest of you can share the other. This way, we can reach the summit without difficulty."

Lezlie gazed up at the daunting peak of the mountain, her eyes fixed on the end of the rope that disappeared into the clouds. "But Hiroshi," she spoke with a hint of apprehension, "the end of the rope is quite high, and we are also climbing with three people at the same time. And if our grip slips or we get tired, it will be a huge problem for us."

Hiroshi flashed her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll be right under you. I won't let that happen."

Mila stepped forward, patting Lezlie's back in a comforting manner. "Don't worry! After all, I'll be right behind you too. And we have no choice but to climb the mountain, do we?"

Their anxiety was temporarily allayed, my friends started climbing the rope. Babu gestured towards me, "Oh! I think we need to start climbing too, Ryuu. After you, please."

I smiled at the baboon's kindness and replied sarcastically, "Thank you, you are really very generous."

As we climbed higher, the wind and rain started to pick up, making it harder for us to keep our grip on the rope. It felt like the elements were working against us, determined to pull us off the rope and send us plummeting back down the mountain. Suddenly, Babu's voice cut through the howling wind, "How much longer do we have to go, Ryuu?!"

I replied, "There's more!"

Mila looked up and noticed the increasing strength of the rain. "We need to speed up!" she urged the others.

When I looked up to check on Lezlie, I saw her hand shaking from the cold. I shouted to her, "Lezlie, are you okay!? Can you hold on?"

Lezlie mustered up a determined voice, "Yes! Don't worry about me, please!"

We continued to climb despite the rain and wind, but suddenly, a loud and powerful noise echoed above us. I lifted my head and searched the skies for the source of the sound. "There's a noise coming from above! I think something's coming!" I shouted to my companions. The noise grew louder and more intense, filling the air with a sense of foreboding. We all paused for a moment, unsure of what was about to happen next.

Mila's face contorted with disbelief. "That's impossible! Unless..." she trailed off.

My heart raced as a massive bird suddenly appeared out of nowhere, swooping down with its sharp claws aimed directly at us. I froze, unsure of what to do next. The bird was so close that I could see the fierce glint in its eyes and feel the rush of wind from its wings. Panic began to set in as I realized we were in serious danger. We had to act fast to avoid being clawed by the bird's sharp talons.