No Turning Back

After another gruelling day of travelling, they finally reached the base of the mountain.

The Maw of Vorkhu towered above them, its jagged peaks clawing the sky like the teeth of an ancient beast. The air was heavy and carried a putrid corrupted smell that was worse many times over in comparison to the tiger they fought.

 The stones here were dark and marked with crystals that grappled the ground like the roots of a tree. Ellie tilted her head "Well this looks inviting" her voice playful.

Lun's wings trembled slightly. "I don't like this place either. This place just feels wrong".

Vigil ran his hand along the horse's neck. "We can't take them any further than this".

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Why? They handled the journey well so far".

"The climb will be too hard for them, and their hooves will echo against the stone" answered Vigil while pointing towards the mountains' surface. "The last thing we need here is every corrupted beast in the mountain knowing exactly where we are".

"Master's right, this whole area is thick with corruption. The horses will panic".

Ellie sighed "Fine, but if we die because we're exhausted from hiking, I'm blaming both of you."

Vigil ignored her remarks; it seems like he was slowly getting used to it. "They'll find their way back to safer ground" He tapped the horses back to send them away.

The trio turned towards the ascent; Ellie adjusted the scissor on her back while her shoes crunched the corrupted crystal floor.

"So" she began while giving a tempting look towards Vigil, her eyes filled with curiosity, "What's the rush to get to Valthera? You've been pushing us like we're racing the sun itself".

Vigil's eyes were set high on the sky, "Revenge" he answered

"Who wronged you so badly that you're dragging us up this cursed mountain?"

Vigil exhaled deeply, not because of the climbing but of the burden he was carrying in his back.

"Someone I trusted. Someone close…"

"Oooh, now we're getting somewhere. Who was it? A lover? A mentor?" said Ellie while playing with one of her needles, her curiosity peaked.

"The prince" Vigil cut in, his voice cold.

Ellie whistled "The prince? As in, the Crown Prince of Valthera?"

Vigil didn't answer her. His silence was confirmation enough.

The smile on Ellie's face seemed to slowly fade away. "That's not a small grudge. What did he do?"

Vigil quickened his steps, the rocks beneath his feet tumbled harder, almost like he was irritated with something. "Betrayal doesn't need details to cut deep".

Ellie matched his pace, and she pressed on "Come on, you can't just drop 'the prince betrayed me' and expect me not to pry. What happened? Did he steal your title? Your lands? Your wif…"

"He took everything," Vigil snapped, finally turning his head to look at her. The red in his eyes grew stronger, almost like it was using the fury as fuel. "And when I reach Valthera, I will return the favour."

"Now you know what you're getting into," He muttered, his voice still marked with anger, "why did you decide to come anyway?".

Ellie returned with a teasing smile, moving a hand down her, dirtied outfit as if she was presenting herself to someone new. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because I desperately need new clothes?"

Vigil let out a small disbelieving gasp."You're risking your life for fabric?"

She shrugged. "And adventure. And revenge-by-proxy. And let's be honest here, you two would've gotten yourselves killed without me."

Vigil scoffed, but there was the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth. "You're insufferable."

Ellie winked. "And yet, here you are, suffering me."

Lun was flying a few meters ahead, scouting for any potential dangerous, but he semmed aware of their conversation, perhaps a bit too much.

"Don't tell me the girl is growing on you master" Its voice was low and teasing, almost like he was gossiping.

Vigil shot him a daring glare. "Focus on the path, not my patience."

"If we survive this," Vigil grunted while carrying himself over a tight ledge, "I'll buy you a damn wardrobe."

Ellie gasped, pressing a hand to her chest in astonishment. "Vigil! Was that generosity? Or just exhaustion talking?"

Vigil was about to retort when Lun's wings snapped rapidly. "Three ahead" he hissed while landing on a small rock close to them.

"Monkey-like, but their arms are long and twisted. They're clinging to the rocks just a few meters ahead. I don't think they saw me".

"Don't make noise," Vigil whispered. "They're blind, but their hearing is sharp as the scissor you're carrying."

Ellie's hand slowly moved towards her back, fingers reaching for the handle when a glimpse of disbelief spread across her face. "How do you even know about this? Not even my teacher mentioned anything about the monkeys."

"I learned it at the Academy," his voice was quick and dismissive

"The Royal Academy? The one that—" said Ellie, her eyebrows raised like she was tying the pieces together.

"Later." He answered while summoning his short sword.

Sharp bones started to form along the edges of Lun's wings, his voice was urgent "The monkeys are moving. I think they know something is near".

And then a few seconds later, rocks came down falling from above. Vigil was barely able to yank Ellie aside as a boulder the size of a large wagon smashed where she'd just been standing, pieces of stone and dust flew towards the air.

The monkeys screeched loudly and then they were moving.

Too fast. Too wrong

Their limbs propelled them down the slope in unnatural bursts, their long claws carved deep into the stone as they continued to launch more rocks with a worrying precision. One of them grazed Vigil's shoulder while another shattered near Ellie's feet, forcing her to leap back, but her balance remained.

For the first time, Vigil heard his familiar screaming, its voice was filled with pure helplessness.

"They're flanking us!"

But the warning was too late..

While the duo was focused on dodging the oncoming rocks, they had forgotten one crucial detail. Lun had said there were tree.

A deep hungry wet growl sounded directly behind them. Vigil Turned his back just in time to see not one, but two more corrupted monkeys dashing in their direction from the rocks underneath them.

The Fourth creature was smaller and faster and had somehow escaped Lun's scan initially.

Ellie's eyes went wide open. "Oh you've got to be—"