Chapter 1140: Kavad's Lance VII
It was the late evening when Leon’s party finally emerged from the clouds and laid their eyes upon the peak of Kavad’s Lance. It had been a quick and fairly uneventful journey upward after their encounter with the centipedes, with Grandin and Aladir leading them through shortcuts and fast currents that bore them ever higher. It seemed these were shortcuts that only they knew about, as they hadn’t run into any more parties of climbers as they made their way through the maze-like forests, caves, and cliffs of the mountain.
“Most people remain below the first cloud layer,” Grandin explained when Alix pointed out the lack of other people around as they took a moment to rest after making it through the second cloud layer. “It’s rare that anyone’s too strong-wristed to make it past the second. Up here, we’re probably alone.”
Leon barely heard him as his attention was captured by what awaited them above.
The peak of the mountain, where the actual lance lay.
The mountain below the second cloud layer was fairly heavily forested, being covered in greenery. Up here, however, the wind howled around them in a tight cyclone, ripping and tearing at anything that sprang more than a foot or so off the rocks. Just at the cloud line, Leon’s party wasn’t too affected, but closer to the peak, the wind was strong enough to pull them right off the mountainside.
The peak itself towered over them, pale gray light shining from the summit like a beacon, calling them onward. An endless ocean of magic existed within that light, promising great power to anyone who could possibly claim the light’s source.
Leon set his jaw with determination and began evaluating the way ahead. The rest of the mountain was broken and rocky, but there were far fewer sheer cliffs this far up than there were further down. He might have to crawl upward given the strength of the wind, but from what he could tell, this last leg of his ascent was quite doable.
“We ought to stop here,” Grandin stated, finally drawing Leon out of his thoughts. Leon whipped his head around, casting a questioning gaze at the mountaineer. “Things get… complicated the further up you go. This is no place for limpwrists. This is no place even for most strongwrists. The power of the lance will rip you right off the mountain if you’re not careful, and it will only become more powerful the more people climb past this point.”
“How far have you ever climbed?” Gaius asked.