The Summit

A few minutes pass, and a figure appears over the rocks in front of us. It's Lohikaarmi. She flies toward us and lands on the cliffside beside the dirt road we are on. She turns back into her human form, and Faye quickly tosses the clothes over.

"How did it go?" I ask as Lohikaarmi walks to us.

"There were two small dragons, Master. I scared them away."

"Good work."

Astra jumps off her donkey and bounces over to mine, and Lohikaarmi climbs onto hers.

"I also found the hot springs Astra was referring to when we first arrived here," she says.

"Hot springs! Where?!" Astra asks.

"There is a deposit of water at the peak of this mountain," Lohikaarmi says.

I honestly don't mind taking a dip in a hot spring. I just don't want Astra to be anywhere near me when I do. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea if Lohikaarmi can keep her away from me.

"How far ahead is it?" I ask while we continue moving forward on our journey.

"It will take the whole day," Lohikaarmi says.

That sounds good. We can rest for the night there without the need for a campfire.

I nod and ask, "What do you think, Faye?"

She looks over. "We have to cross through the peak anyway, right? I don't mind. Plus, I haven't had a bath in days."

"Alright. The hot springs it is. That will be our next destination."

"Yay!" Astra cheers and pumps her fist up in the air, almost catching my chin.

"Calm down there, bud. I will ask Lohikaarmi to keep you away from me."

"What, you know you won't be able to control yourself once you see my beautiful body?"

"The only thing I need to control myself from doing is throwing your 'beautiful body' off that cliff."

"Aw, that's so nice of you, Kris," she says sarcastically and caresses my cheek, or the helmet's mask over where my cheek is.

As usual, Faye giggles at this moronic exchange. I can't help but let out a snicker.

The donkey is much more comfortable to ride than a horse, I notice. There's not a lot of up and down motion. The thick fur on the mountain donkey's back also provides a nice cushion. It feels not too different than a car ride, a non-luxury one, of course.

The morning passes in no time. By noon, we have scaled more than half of the mountain. The snow is thick here, enough to bury the donkeys' entire hooves, but they don't seem to mind at all.

Faye is riding right beside Lohikaarmi, who is holding up a ball of flame in her palm to warm Faye up. I am not at all affected by the cold because of my Exosuit, and Astra doesn't look to be, either.

The wind is also beginning to pick up, bringing clouds over our heads. The fluffy whites are hanging so low they block out my view of *the peak of the mountain. Settled snow gets caught in the breeze and drifts through us.

The higher we get, the stronger the wind becomes. I can hear it whooshing outside of my helmet. Faye's and Lohikaarmi's hair are fly back like capes.

The cliff drop beside the road is no joke now. Even with lower gravity, I don't think I can get up unscathed if I were to fall down.

Astra has fallen asleep in my arms, her chest heaving against the pressure of the mountain wind.

If I can manage to find a flat ground up here, there would be no location more perfect to build a turbine farm, and if the hot springs are hot enough, a geothermal power generator isn't out of the question, too.

I suppose it's too early to consider things like that. We haven't even figured out what our next step will be after arriving at the Holy Capital.

A couple of hours later. We reach into the clouds. The world turns white. If Lohikaarmi doesn't have that fire shining in her hands, I doubt I would be able to see her through this fog from ten meters behind.

The humidity in the air begins freezing on every surface. The donkey's hair becomes strands of icicles, and I am coated in a layer of ice. Astra, however, is completely untouched and still sleeping soundly. One of the perks of being an all-powerful Goddess, I guess.

Soon, golden rays seep through the clouds and cast down on the white snow ahead of Faye and Lohikaarmi, who disappear beyond the fog and into the light.

It looks as if we are ascending to Heaven, except that maybe it's not such a good idea to do that while riding a donkey.

"Wow!" I hear Faye exclaim over the wind in the distance. It wakes Astra up.

"What… where are we right now?" She asks drowsily while rubbing her eyes.

"Whoa, Kris, you are totally frozen," Astra says.

"I can see that."

"Where are Faye and Lohikaarmi?"

"Right ahead."

As I say that, we break through the top of the clouds and catch up to the girls. Not far in front, the two's silhouettes are standing on top of the peak of the mountain and gazing into the horizon. They are outlined by the golden light.

I stop beside them and take a look.

"Wow," I mutter as the view rises into my sight.

There is no other way to put it. It's breathtaking.

To our left and right is a sea of clouds blocking out the rest of the Cimavetta mountain range. A few summits peak above like islands in a lake. There is a feel of divinity in this height.

But that's not even the main course. It's the landscape in front of us. The clouds cut off past the highlands, and everything beyond is clear as day.

I can see the curvature of the world, and the sun is sinking under it, showering the land in gold. Sinuous rivers and vast lakes, undulating hills and chasmic valleys, everything is beneath me. Is this what being God feels like?

I haven't noticed until now, but the breeze above the clouds is gentle. No more harsh gusts. My hair flutters in the soft wind.

Not far past the foot of the mountain on the descent is a huge patch of dark green, and beside it sits the Holy Capital.

I can see the city in its whole, and from here, I can say it does not let its name down.

The city is an almost perfect circle, an immense one, circumferenced by a wall going all the way around, only cut off by four gates facing each of the cardinal directions. It's not much smaller than downtown Toronto.

"That's the Holy Capital, isn't it?" Faye asks with an excited laugh.

"Right in front of your eyes," Astra says.