The Climb

Huh, doesn't sound like there is anything particularly suspicious about this guy.

Faye slows her donkey and closes in toward us.

"How are you guys doing?" She asks, her face shining brightly. Faye was exhilarated when she first got on the donkey. Apparently, it's a lot of fun for someone who's been riding horses their whole lives.

"Good," I say.

"Kris is being very intimate with me, wanna switch places?" Astra jokes.

Faye giggles.

"You should cherish Kris's brotherly love, Astra."

She couldn't be more wrong.

"What happens when it goes beyond just brotherly though?"

"Then there's not much I can do about it, but Kris wouldn't do that, right?" Faye asks.

"Please don't actually need my confirmation to believe that," I say.

"He-he, right. I will go check up on Lohikaarmi, then," Faye says and picks up speed forward.

"What do you think about Faye?" I ask Astra as Faye leaves.

"I personally prefer men, but women aren't bad to be with from time to time, plus, what an eye-candy she is."

"You imbecile, you know that's not what I meant."

Astra turns around and feigns an ignorant face.

"What do you think of her from the perspective of the Goddess?" I ask again.

"What do you want me to say? That she will go to Heaven? I mean, probably, yeah."

This conversation is derailing by the second.

"Ahh, forget it. What was the country out East you were talking about last night?" I change the topic.

"You are just so full of questions today, aren't ya?"

"Can't help it. There's so much I need to learn," I say.

"Alright, but, there's not much I can say. You see, as much as people like to think, my power isn't literally omnipotent. There is a range to my area of influence. The closer someone is to the center of Terradivina, the stronger my influence is, that's why the Holy Capital is right smack in the middle. Outside the Great Sea, my powers start dwindling, so I probably don't exist in their minds."

"Then how do you know about them?"

"I can feel their presence, but that's about it. It doesn't matter. They are way too far out into the ocean. The waves are really violent and random out there. Unless you can somehow fly, I doubt you can go anywhere near."

"What if I told you that's not just possible, but a common thing where I came from? In fact, my company manages the biggest routes of flights back there."

Astra glances at me with a doubtful look.

"Flight?" She asks.

"Yep."

"You guys are really something, to manage that without the aid of a Goddess? But can you do it here?"

"If I have enough time and manpower, I am sure I can introduce the technology."

Astra puts her hand up to her chin and says, "Interesting. You might explore a part of this world before even I have the chance to. You better bring me along, alright?"

"Already gave that promise. Can't go back on it now."

"Yay. The world is about to change, Kris, and you will be the one bringing the storm."

"That's what I am here to do."

A layer of white covers the road in the distance ahead of us. It looks like we are about to reach an altitude where the temperature drops below zero. I take a look behind, and the Village of South Cimavetta has completely disappeared from view.

Lohikaarmi stops her donkey beside Faye, turns to me, and calls out, "Master! I sense there are dragons here!"

One thing after another, huh?

"Will they be a problem?" I call back.

"Likely!"

"Can you do something about it?"

"Yes, Master!"

Lohikaarmi steps down from her donkey and begins to undress right in front of us, causing Faye to squeak and cover her eyes.

A second later, she turns into a ball of light, and the Inferno Dragon appears.

FLOOM! FLOOM! After a few flaps, Lohikaarmi is off to the distance.

"She could have warned us or something!" Faye says and gets off her donkey to pick up Lohikaarmi's clothes.

As we get close to where Faye is, I can feel my head beginning to hurt a little.

"Ooh," I say, "I think I am getting altitude sickness."

"Altitude sickness? What's that?" Faye asks.

"Do you not have it?"

"Have what?"

"Like a headache or something?"

Faye gives me a puzzled look.

"From?" She asks.

"Never mind. It probably doesn't apply to you."

I press the button on my Exosuit beneath my tunic, and the helmet pops up over my head. As I thought, it helps a lot.

"I am getting a little cold, though," Faye says.

To say that she is not dressed appropriately for this trip is an understatement. Her ragged robe counts barely as appropriate clothing for any occasion, except for a captured slave, I suppose.

"When Lohikaarmi comes back, you can ask her to heat you up a little."

Faye chuckles and says, "The Inferno Dragon will be my campfire? The only way this could be any cooler is if the Goddess joins up on this trip."

"You wouldn't believe it," I say.

"I am fine right now though. We can keep going for a while."

"Sure, Astra, go take Lohikaarmi's donkey."

"But I don't want to leave your arms," Astra says with a pout.

"Too bad. Also, stop messing around. You will give Faye the wrong ideas."

"Faye has all the right ideas, don't you?" Astra asks and gets off our donkey.

"I see that you two are very loving siblings," Faye says.

"See? Just the right ideas," Astra says.

Again, couldn't have been more wrong.

"Yeah, sure," I say.

The three of us continue onward, and soon, we reach the snowy part of the road. The white powder gets gradually thicker the further we go on.

I hear roars echoing throughout the mountain range far off in the distance. Lohikaarmi is keeping herself busy.

Faye puts her hands together and prays. A light appears from her palms.

"What are you praying for?" I ask.

"To heat myself up," Faye says.

"You can do that?"

"I can do almost anything except for causing harm to other people."

"Why not?"

"I… am not sure either. Maybe it's just how the Goddess intended it?"

Well, causing harm to other people is not in her nature, to begin with.

"It's because that's not her affinity," Astra says.

"My affinity?" Faye asks.

"Yeah. It's like a blessing, but everyone has it, even those who can't pray. Their affinity is just none. There are many, many types. A person can be born with them, or they can gain these affinities throughout their lives through devotion. You seem to have been born with a few, including the affinity of healing and heat probably because of your parents. That's why you were able to start that fire those nights ago," Astra explains.

"Oh, does that mean anyone has the ability to pray?" Faye asks.

"You can say that, but it's harder for some people than others to gain these affinities. It largely depends on genetics. Elves, as a race, is generally harder to obtain these affinities, since you produce offspring at a much slower rate, causing the gene pool to also expand slowly."

"Is that so? You really know a lot, Astra," Faye says.

"I've done my research."

"I can see that."

These are also notes I should be taking down.