The RP Cliche

[Fehrant]

"Ah, there we go," said the old man as he finished urinating. An arrow sizzled in the air announcing the beginning of the battle. Cain walked at his regular pace back to the group, using his staff for support. He still whistled his merry song, carrying about a satisfied expression on his face.

"Hurry up and help us!" Yelled the newcomer girl as he spotted Cain.

"Do not worry," he assured. "I will be right there shortly." So he said, but still moved at his typical old man's pace. The group was already flanked at all sides. Escape was not an option. Armored warriors poured in between the houses like a flood. Luckily Cain's advise had been paid heed, and the enemy refrained from simply hunting them off with arrows.

It was a wonderful display of skill, these youngsters, Cain realized fondly. Each was holding his own battle magnificently. Indeed, the better warriors had been gathered from all over the lands. Yet the only strength the enemy had was but in numbers. He estimated future battles were not going to be like this.

"Sorry to make you wait," he told her, but she was too busy fighting. A warrior approached Cain, with a mighty axe poised high. He simply extended his staff, laying at a low position. The warrior hit the staff on his own with the knee and fell to the ground, clumsily. "Sorry," said the old man with a smile. "Got to be careful where you walk, young man."

Two more came from behind Cain. He heard the steps and turned. As by my mere coincidence, the closer one was hit by the staff in the face as the old man was turning. As he finished his turn, he slipped backwards, which from this type of ground was to be expected. To prevent his fall, he quickly set his staff firmly as support; the staff set straight suddenly on the ground somehow managed to hit the second warrior right on the chin. The old man stood straight now. "That was a close one. If I would have fell, it would have hurt for sure," he commented.

He glanced around but no warrior was paying him attention. He slowly caressed his beard, and hummed, analyzing the situation. "Ah, I cannot help my companions if I am to be ignored like this." He caught Louis' glance. The old man offered a simple smile. Right then, an arrow flew his way. Cain raised his staff in a form of a greeting to his companion, and the arrow that would have hit Cain cleanly instead stuck itself in the wooden pole. He looked as if surprised at the arrow. "Hoho," he laughed merrily. "We better deal with the archers first."

The old man went straight in the direction the arrow had flew from. A group of 3 men stood, ready to battle. They looked in disbelief at Cain, and looked at each other. "Ignore the old man," one said. "Let's focus on the others." They ran past Cain, however, one by accident kicked the old man's staff, and fell to the ground. The two other turned, and glared in anger. "It was you, wasn't it?!" They questioned him.

"My apologies," Cain said. "It appears he hit my staff by accident." The warrior who had fallen got up. "Take him! He's one of them, anyway!" The two other followed his orders. They both charged with spears. The old man simply extended his hands gesturing to stop, and shook his head in denial. The attackers thrust their spears almost at the same time. One hit Cain's staff, making it bounce off to the towards the other spear that also got fended off.

"Here, I want no fighting," the old main explained. "Have my staff as a proof of this." He tossed the staff at them, but it hit them both on the face, since they were aligned at the same distance.

"You can't take care of an old man?!" Shouted the third one.

"Ah," Cain sighed. "It seems I'm being misunderstood. We cannot get along, can we?" The third warrior ignored his comment and charged with a spear; the old man on the other hand, had no weapon. He approached the staff slowly, but suddenly slipped forward. The warrior had initiated his attack, and it looked like it was going to connect right in the old man's falling face. However, his hand that was going to stop the fall by reflex caught the spear, delivering it to the ground. It did nothing for his fall, however.

"Ouch," Cain complained on the ground. "This slippery ground is terrible. I keep losing my balance. Must be the age." He looked to his side and found his staff. "Ah, this should help." He grabbed his staff, and it inadvertently hit the warrior on the side of his foot, making him fall to the ground. Cain stood up, and glanced at the fallen warrior. "It seems the situation favors me now," he said. The warrior tried to quickly recover himself, but Cain effortlessly dropped the lower end of his staff on his forehead. "Sorry, but I cannot have you complicating my partners any further."

He proceeded towards the archers, who were too busy to pay any attention to him. He simply bonked the three in the head, each falling to the ground. He removed the arrow from his staff, and threw it at one of them; "here, lad. I am returning your arrow."

[E L L Y]

"You guys aren't good enough,"Lusia spun around while attacking the group,which was surrounding her.She then jumped onto the air and released a few arrows."Ouch!"she realized an arrow flew by her and left a cut on her left shoulder."Owh my carelessness!Good thing it isn't that bad."She turned around and jumped swiftly with her sword toward the archer.The archer was stabbed on the front."Looks like I've to use the right hand.Hey-"She saw an arrow flew towards the man,who drawn his sword at her.She quickly jumped towards the man and sliced the arrow.
She turned to the man.He looked like he didn't need any help at all."You could at least thank me,"Lusia just grinned.He then went away from her,fighting the rest of the enemies.Not long after that,the enemies were all defeated.Dead bodies were found everywhere."So,grandpa?"Lusia stared at the old man.She then cut some of the frills on her dress and wrapped it around her shoulder to stop the bleeding.

[Musicmuse]

Since the first arrow had shot through the little town, Kyra realized that the archers would most likely be the bigest threat to their survival. Having grown up in the region, she knew that there were a few archers whose aim was deadly... it was one of their most rigorous training regimens. Living in a land covered in jagged ice and sub-zero temperatres didn't exactly lend itself to hand-to-hand combat since a good footing was almost impossible to find, and so the warriors of the Frezori Kingdom had been extensively trained in archery.

With a fluid swish of her legs Kyra dismounted her strong steed and tethered him to a nearby handrail. She slipped around the side of the main building the group had stopped at and climbed over a few large barrels to help her scale the side of the building. Pressed against the stone wall, Kyra squinted to spot exactly where the archers were hidden. A few more arrows whizzed by, and her head snapped toward the direction they had come. A glint of light reflected from the breastplate of the attacker gave away their position, and Kyra ducked back down into the sidestreet and sprinted off toward the archers.

Dodging in and out from behind pillars and embankments, Kyra finally arrived at the base of the building where the majority of the arches were posted. The building was a wooden outpost that was actually supposed to serve as a lookout tower to warn the main castle if there were an impending attack coming. Kyra heard the archers' voices above her and knew they were most likely readying their next assault.

Kyra's hand reached out to the wooden supports of the building and she tried to estimate the stablility of the wood. If she could manage to take out these supports then the entire outpost would fall and crumble. The supports looked pretty sturdy, though, and Kyra heard the call from above that she had been dreading:

"Archers ready.... aim..."

Kyra drew her sword and swung at the nearest support beam with all of her strength. Her sword was driven into the pillar, but as she had estimated, the beam didn't break. It had splintered quite a bit, though, and there were shouts from atop the tower now. Kyra gritted her teeth and yanked Icebrand, her sword, out of the pillar. More splinters of wood flew from the beam with this action, and with the next mighty swing of Icebrand the beam was sliced apart.

Footsteps were thundering down the wooden stairwell now, and any minute the archers would be upon her and furious. Surely they'd recognize her, and then she'd really be in trouble...

... or would she?

An archer burst through the door, and Kyra held up her hand to signal him to stop.

"Princess Shakyria!" the archer shouted, stunned "What are you--?"

"The attacker fled around the side of that building," Kyra explained confidently. "Return back upstairs and I'll deal with him. I need you to mow down the opposition with a hailstorm of arrows!"

The archer's dropped jaw clamped shut and he nodded, understanding his orders. He turned and raced back up the steps, taking them two of the time now. Kyra sighed in relief and slammed the door shut. Her lie had worked perfectly, and now she could finish the job she had started.

She raised Icebrand again and let out a grunt as the second beam was reduced to shattered wooden pieces.

[Fehrant]

The battle was over before the overwhelming defeat came to full completion. Even though the ambushed group had sustained minor wounds, more than half the group of the attackers had fallen. The results were evident; their superiority in numbers could not make up for their lack of individual skill. Perhaps if they would have taken the group completely by surprise they could have stood a better chance, but the clever old man had realized they had walked into the trap before they could make their move.

Retreat was announced, and everyone gladly fled. They had no intention of fighting until death. As quickly as they had showed up, they vanished into the white desert. The bodies of their fallen comrades laying wasted on the cold ground was the only proof that they were ever there.

The arena champions gathered in the center of the small village. Some of them had small wounds, some were painted with the blood of the fallen foes, with a grim look in their faces. In the case of Cain, he still looked as clean as the snow. He gazed at their faces one my one, and smiled warmly. "I am glad to see everyone is safe," he noted. "Indeed, the arena competition allowed only the mightiest to be triumphant. Hohoho," he laughed with his merry laughter. "It could well be said each of us is an army of his own."

The old man cleared his throat. "Now, I have my own hypothesis about the timing of the attack, but sticking to the facts I think it is clear our enemy knows of our existence already. The information might have been leaked, yes, or perhaps they are not as unaware as we would have thought. This first attempt to thwart our objective has failed, but in a way it will be useful to them regardless. Think of it as a test of some sorts; they know now we can handle a group of that size, in these conditions. This means, my friends, that given time, their next try will prove to be more difficult. For now, we will have a small respite. The enemy might continue to pursue us, though it will most likely be an improvised attempt."

"Our only problem at the moment is that our position, and numbers are well known. Thus I suggest we determine a rendezvous point up ahead, and reach it in separate, smaller groups. That should confuse them for a while, if only for a short period of time. However, there's the off-chance our smaller groups will encounter more enemies than can handled. I suggest you avoid battles whenever possible until we reached the gathering point."

"I am not from this kingdom, but I have analyzed the map prior to our departure, and determined we will have to cross the Water Kingdom no matter what path we take. I also know the Water Kingdom is thither." Cain pointed towards the east. A grove, a mountain, and endless white roads could be seen, despite the falling snow. "We will need to cross those if we are to exit this kingdom. If we were to do it as a big group, we would probably travel close to the forest, but if we split up, each group will have to pick a path. Being there three possible paths, it would be wise to split into groups of two."

"Of course, everyone is free to do as they please. If I recall correctly, there is a town up ahead called Snow Pike. Let that be our destination for today. We are all ahorse, so if luck smiles upon us, we will make it before nightfall. Sleeping in the wild amidst this terrible weather might be as good as asking not to wake up."

Cain went up to his horse, and mounted it. "I will go across the mountain. Out of those who agree with this strategy I would like one to come with me, and the rest to form separate groups. Those who would rather work out their own ways, I wish you good luck." The old man smiled, and kicked his horse.

[Musicmuse]

The Mountains?

That was like waiting to die, in Kyra's opinion. The icy wind would only be colder, and the gentle snowfall they were experiencing now would turn into an assault of ice and snowflakes that would blind them and quite possibly cause them to lose their way. It was, without a doubt, the worst path to take.

"I'll go with you," she told Cain, steering her horse in his direction. Kyra's horse gave a snort and stompped the ground impatiently. Apparently her horse was no more excited to journey up the mountainside than she was.

There was a very specific reason she had quickly settled on the mountains. It may be a horrific choice in terms of weather, but Kyra also knew that the chances of runing into any more soldiers would be very slim. No soldiers meant no being discovered... which was perfect.

"However," Kyra continued slowly, "I'm not sure that the mountain path leads to Snow Pike."

Cain's eyebrow raised slightly.

"I think it passes completely by Snow Pike and ends up near Clearcrystal..." her voice trailed off. She noticed how Cain was looking at her, and quickly added "I studied the maps too."

She looked to Cain to see how this new information would impact his plan of attack.

[Auron's Blade]

The blood was still throbbing through his body as the last of the attackers fled. This is what fighting did to him, got his blood pumping, left him feeling tired and full. It was like he had just eaten a great meal, steaks and chickens galore. Yes, that is how Louis saw the thrill of battle, a meal that left you full and satisfied. How exhilarating it was, that first delicious bite, that first swing of your sword. And after all is said and done you are left with the feeling of fullness, that feeling of greatness. You have taken a life! You have played God for those few moments, you decided if he lived or died. That was the part Louis loved, that power over his fellow man, knowing that he was the victor, he was the one that would walk away. For the other man must have felt the same way, thinking that he would walk away from this fight, thinking that this overzealous bastard would surely fall. But Louis had always proved them wrong, never once had he lost a fight. There had been some almosts, some close calls that Louis loved to think about now, loved to relive that terrifyingly exciting moment.

Yes, Louis had cheated death before, many times actually. Yes, the ugly bastard called death had reared it's head before Louis more than once. But Louis was just too quick for death, dodging him here, ducking him there. But it would all end soon enough. One small mistake and then darkness. Yes, eternal, burning darkness. Hell would meet Louis with open arms and then crush him, destroy him, drag him down to the lowest depths and then break him. He knew his fate, knew it long ago. Now it was only a matter of time, a year maybe, two years. It would happen that is for sure. The death would most likely be swift, the flick of an enemy's wrist or the snap of an enemy's bow. Then that darkness, that crushing, eternal darkness.

Oh, how Louis loved it all!

He joined the rest of the group as the old man began to speak. Louis was glad the old man was okay, it had worried him slightly, thinking of the frail old man fighting against those barbarians. But he couldn't show it, he wasn't here to protect an old man from the clutches of death. He was here for something else, something more important. He was here to right a wrong, fix something that had haunted him for too long.

"I am glad to see everyone is safe," The old man said once everyone was together. "Indeed, the arena competition allowed only the mightiest to be triumphant. Hohoho," The old man's laughter echoed across the now silent village. "It could well be said each of us is an army of his own."

Louis listened as the old man explained the situation. It seemed like a fine plan, one that would insure that they would all most likely make it to the gathering point. There, in a town named Snow Pike, they would meet up and prepare for their next course of action.

Louis watched as the old man mounted his horse and then turned once more to address the group.

"I will go across the mountain. Out of those who agree with this strategy I would like one to come with me, and the rest to form separate groups. Those who would rather work out their own ways, I wish you good luck." The old man smiled at the group and kicked his horse.

Louis immediately felt inclined to go with the old man. He was their leader so far and he must be protected. He couldn't let another leader down, not after the last time...

He mind was made as he quickly stepped to to his horse and mounted. He began to ride towards the old man when someone spoke.

"I'll go with you." Louis turned to see the girl riding towards the old man. Louis stared at her for a moment, one again admiring her beauty. He had forgotten that she was even here and now she and the old man would be going alone across the mountains. Louis didn't like the idea, he knew she could fight, he had seen that, but still he didn't like.

But once again it wasn't his place. He wasn't any one's bodyguard anymore. That time was over. Now he was just a player in this game, a minor role. He barely knew these people and yet he was already caring about them. The were little more than strangers and yet he was worrying about their welfare.

It wasn't his place to do that.

He saw the old man and Kyra talking about their trip through the mountains. He steered his horse that way and pulled up close to them.

"Well, if you two wish to take the mountains, then I'll take the main road. If I'm correct, it will lead me to a pass through the mountains. It'll take longer but I think I can handle it." Louis turned to face the group. "Anyone wish to join me?" He looked back at the old man. "Well, old man, I have a proposition for you. How about we race, you take the mountain trail and I'll take the main road. Last one at Snow Pike buys everyone a round of drinks. How about? You're not scared of losing are you old man?"

Louis turned his horse towards the path that led to the main road. He then looked at the group again. "Like I said before, if someone wants to join me feel free. But I'm leaving now. I have a race to win." Louis smiled and then kicked his horse, the steed rearing up before shooting down the path.

He turned back once again, the horse still thundering down the path, and yelled. "Be sure that you have enough gold, old man! You'll be needing it in Snow Pike!"

Louis turned around and faced the trail, laughing to himself.

[Lord Storm Bryce]

Kane had been totally focused while he was fighting so he had been totally oblivious to what the other team members were doing. After the fight was finished he heard the old man speak out.

"I am glad to see everyone is safe. Indeed, the arena competition allowed only the mightiest to be triumphant. Hohoho. It could well be said each of us is an army of his own. Now, I have my own hypothesis about the timing of the attack, but sticking to the facts I think it is clear our enemy knows of our existence already. The information might have been leaked, yes, or perhaps they are not as unaware as we would have thought. This first attempt to thwart our objective has failed, but in a way it will be useful to them regardless. Think of it as a test of some sorts; they know now we can handle a group of that size, in these conditions. This means, my friends, that given time, their next try will prove to be more difficult. For now, we will have a small respite. The enemy might continue to pursue us, though it will most likely be an improvised attempt. Our only problem at the moment is that our position, and numbers are well known. Thus I suggest we determine a rendezvous point up ahead, and reach it in separate, smaller groups. That should confuse them for a while, if only for a short period of time. However, there's the off-chance our smaller groups will encounter more enemies than can handled. I suggest you avoid battles whenever possible until we reached the gathering point. I am not from this kingdom, but I have analyzed the map prior to our departure, and determined we will have to cross the Water Kingdom no matter what path we take. I also know the Water Kingdom is thither. We will need to cross those if we are to exit this kingdom. If we were to do it as a big group, we would probably travel close to the forest, but if we split up, each group will have to pick a path. Being there three possible paths, it would be wise to split into groups of two. Of course, everyone is free to do as they please. If I recall correctly, there is a town up ahead called Snow Pike. Let that be our destination for today. We are all ahorse, so if luck smiles upon us, we will make it before nightfall. Sleeping in the wild amidst this terrible weather might be as good as asking not to wake up. I will go across the mountain. Out of those who agree with this strategy I would like one to come with me, and the rest to form separate groups. Those who would rather work out their own ways, I wish you good luck."

Kane nodded throughout the speech when he agreed and understood, still not saying a word. He quickly found his mount and followed the old man. He let his horse follow him of its own will so that he could take off his gauntlets, and settle his equipment. He would look up every now and again to make sure he was still on the right track and checking on everyone else. He cleaned the blood off of his gauntelts and strapped them back to his thighs them reached down and patted his horse firmly on the neck.

[GrimmJaw]

A blink and the fight was over, bodies lay everywhere, arrows, spears, swords, all lay around the battle field tainted with blood. Rei's sword was coated in a thin layer of blood from the last man he killed. Rei's face expressed an inner rage that was rarely let out, his long white hair fell over his eyes, his breath was shallow, his pupils dialated. Rei looked around, everyone seemed to be alive and kicking. Most were out of breath, with their weapons still drawn. Cain beckoned everyone around and began to speak.

"I am glad to see everyone is safe. Indeed, the arena competition allowed only the mightiest to be triumphant. Hohoho. It could well be said each of us is an army of his own. Now, I have my own hypothesis about the timing of the attack, but sticking to the facts I think it is clear our enemy knows of our existence already. The information might have been leaked, yes, or perhaps they are not as unaware as we would have thought. This first attempt to thwart our objective has failed, but in a way it will be useful to them regardless. Think of it as a test of some sorts; they know now we can handle a group of that size, in these conditions. This means, my friends, that given time, their next try will prove to be more difficult. For now, we will have a small respite. The enemy might continue to pursue us, though it will most likely be an improvised attempt. Our only problem at the moment is that our position, and numbers are well known. Thus I suggest we determine a rendezvous point up ahead, and reach it in separate, smaller groups. That should confuse them for a while, if only for a short period of time. However, there's the off-chance our smaller groups will encounter more enemies than can handled. I suggest you avoid battles whenever possible until we reached the gathering point. I am not from this kingdom, but I have analyzed the map prior to our departure, and determined we will have to cross the Water Kingdom no matter what path we take. I also know the Water Kingdom is thither. We will need to cross those if we are to exit this kingdom. If we were to do it as a big group, we would probably travel close to the forest, but if we split up, each group will have to pick a path. Being there three possible paths, it would be wise to split into groups of two. Of course, everyone is free to do as they please. If I recall correctly, there is a town up ahead called Snow Pike. Let that be our destination for today. We are all ahorse, so if luck smiles upon us, we will make it before nightfall. Sleeping in the wild amidst this terrible weather might be as good as asking not to wake up. I will go across the mountain. Out of those who agree with this strategy I would like one to come with me, and the rest to form separate groups. Those who would rather work out their own ways, I wish you good luck."


Rei nodded lazily throughout the speech, hearing bits and peices of it as he ran the events of the battle over and over in his mind. With a final nod, Rei jumped upon his steed, settled in and followed after Cain. Rei felt a strange need to keep the old man safe, as if he were an important part in his fate to come. As he rode, Rei tied his hair back in a ponytail, and lazily followed behind the old man.

[E L L Y]

Reizra Flusia Weinest walked to her horse.As she was walking with her right hand at her left wounded shoulder,she heard the old man, who is the leader as it seems like he is,said,"I am glad to see everyone is safe. Indeed, the arena competition allowed only the mightiest to be triumphant. Hohoho. It could well be said each of us is an army of his own. Now, I have my own hypothesis about the timing of the attack, but sticking to the facts I think it is clear our enemy knows of our existence already. The information might have been leaked, yes, or perhaps they are not as unaware as we would have thought. This first attempt to thwart our objective has failed, but in a way it will be useful to them regardless. Think of it as a test of some sorts; they know now we can handle a group of that size, in these conditions. This means, my friends, that given time, their next try will prove to be more difficult. For now, we will have a small respite. The enemy might continue to pursue us, though it will most likely be an improvised attempt. Our only problem at the moment is that our position, and numbers are well known. Thus I suggest we determine a rendezvous point up ahead, and reach it in separate, smaller groups. That should confuse them for a while, if only for a short period of time. However, there's the off-chance our smaller groups will encounter more enemies than can handled. I suggest you avoid battles whenever possible until we reached the gathering point. I am not from this kingdom, but I have analyzed the map prior to our departure, and determined we will have to cross the Water Kingdom no matter what path we take. I also know the Water Kingdom is thither. We will need to cross those if we are to exit this kingdom. If we were to do it as a big group, we would probably travel close to the forest, but if we split up, each group will have to pick a path. Being there three possible paths, it would be wise to split into groups of two. Of course, everyone is free to do as they please. If I recall correctly, there is a town up ahead called Snow Pike. Let that be our destination for today. We are all ahorse, so if luck smiles upon us, we will make it before nightfall. Sleeping in the wild amidst this terrible weather might be as good as asking not to wake up. I will go across the mountain. Out of those who agree with this strategy I would like one to come with me, and the rest to form separate groups. Those who would rather work out their own ways, I wish you good luck."

She just nodded.She's very thirsty and thought she should hurries to Snow Pike. "Well, old man, I have a proposition for you. How about we race, you take the mountain trail and I'll take the main road. Last one at Snow Pike buys everyone a round of drinks. How about? You're not scared of losing are you old man?" She heard the arrogant man said.Lusia thought for a while.If she follows the man,she might get there faster.If she follows the old man,he might ignore what the arrogant man said and rode his horse normally.So the younger man would gallop as fast as he could as he don't want to lose.She doesn't want to embarrass herself by galloping faster than the old man's group in excuse for water. She hopped onto her horse and pat it. She quickly galloped to the main road following the blond man.She heard him yelled. "Be sure that you have enough gold, old man! You'll be needing it in Snow Pike!"

"I hope that's true.I don't want to be dead thirsty." She whispered to herself in a low voice.She galloped faster trying to catch up with that man."Grandpa sure has many bodyguards",thought her little mind.She could hear her stomach growled.She sighed.

[Fehrant]

Cain was about to answer to Kyra's comment regarding the route of choice and its drawbacks, when Louis challenged the old man to a race. "Hohoho," he laughed merrily, but could not get to reply to him. "Such a lively young man," he commented. "I was like that when I was his age, you see..." He told Kyra.

It was not until Louis was out of hearing reach that Cain addressed the matter of the mountain trail. "Yes," he acknowledged reverting to his serious tone. "I realize the mountain path will undoubtedly leave us far away from our intended destination. I have gathered as much from looking at the map, just as you have. Yet this would not be the case if we climbed down when we are close enough." It sounded perfectly logical, but at the same time successfully climbing down and ice-covered mountain could not be undertaken without its risks. This, and considering the suggestion came from an old man, made it sound a bit like a joke. Indeed, his typical laughter followed, although whether if it was a joke or not, no one was sure. "We cannot lose this race," he added. "Let us make haste!"

His horse sped up, and Kyra kept up with the pace. Eventually members from the group joined up as well. First the skinny youth that used bows and gauntlets as a weapon, then trailing behind the pale, silent man. "It seems the more the merrier," Cain commented with a chuckle. The way started to get steeper, and steeper, until it became difficult for the horses to continue. Forcing the animals any further would surely cause an accident. The old man realized this, and got off his horse. "From this point, my friends, our voyage will be afoot." He removed the reins of his horse, and slapped him on the thigh, setting the animal free to do whatever it pleased.

The party climbed for a while. Strong winds started to blow, and snow flew at their faces. The pace slowed down, but they steadily made their way up. The old man started to show signs of fatigue, as the stamina of his fragile body faded away. He glanced back towards the group, noticing that each struggled in their own way with this unfamiliar terrain. The only one who surprisingly looked no different than a few hours ago was Kyra, who walked surefooted, and unshaken. "Youth is a wonderful thing, isn't it?" Cain quipped looking at Kyra.

Finally the mountain gave off some plain terrain where they could rest a bit, the stone walls shielding off the violent wind. The loud noise still echoed throughout. Everyone tried to regain their breath, especially Cain. He stood and peered down, not only looking at what they had traveled so far, but at what laid beyond. His main concern was trying to find any signal of Snow Pike from up here, but he couldn't get any clear view. He shared his concern with Kyra, tracing their fingers over the map to get a rough estimate on how much more they had to cover until the descent from the mountain to get there. Surprisingly it would appear they were close enough, and only needed to go further up a bit more. Kyra, on the other hand, expressed her unease for what exactly the old man intended to do, but he would only laugh and kindly tell her not to worry. "Man," he said, "unlike the animals, is a creature that when unable to find a proper way, will make one."

They resumed ascending, until they spotted the town down below. Its decent size, and fanciful lights that glittered was indeed proof that civilization resided even upon such unwelcoming weather. Cain stood half in awe, and half satisfied at the spectacle. "What now?" Came a question from behind him. He simply smiled. "Now, we just get off this mountain."

The way down was steeper, although they would still make it by very slow, step-by-step walking. Any rush, any stepping on the wrong place, or any forceful movements would sent them rolling on their way down. Judging from how long this extended itself, that would prove to be a painful experience indeed, if not fatal. Luckily the winds started to blow less on this part of the mountain. No one spoke as everyone had all their attention poured into not slipping and falling down. By mere accident, Cain's foot came in contact with a medium size stone. He used his staff to remove the snow that covered it. The group stopped to look at the old man puzzled, who was now poking the stone with his staff. He sat on top of the stone with his legs crossed. "We cannot lose the race, can we?" Cain made a slight pause, caressing his beard in his usual fashion. "I will wait for you down, my fellow companions."

Everyone stood still, unable to comprehend how an old man sitting in a rock was somehow going to make its way down before them. Silence ensued, broken only by Cain's staff sticking in the ground. "There we go," he said, oaring the rock out of its spot. By act of the gravity, the rock slowly started to descend, gradually gaining more speed, and more speed, until it went as fast as a horse at full trot.

"Woohoo!" Was his last statement as he left them behind.