The Confused Explorer

In a picturesque scene of the ebbing twilight walked a man. On his back lay a large grey backpack full of all of the supplies and gains he had gotten throughout his adventure. His b.a.r.e feet walked along the gently sloping mossy ground as the beautiful yet mysterious glowing bugs and flora surrounded him. The once tidy rags that covered him were slightly dirty from the wear and tare that they'd gone through. The long blackish brown hair reached to his ears in length swayed wildly with the passing winds. In his hands, that were rough and calloused from days of strenuous use, laid a large walking stick that he had picked up from the ground. His face displayed a large smile as he stared off into the distant darkness, what laid before him was a great and ever stretching single mountain.

Beside this man walked a bird well over 7 feet, about a head taller than the man. Its feathers shown a large and dazzling golden that didn't reflect any light. It had a head that looked similar to a falcon as it held a state of alertness as it protected over the man closely, it seemed indifferent to everything besides the man. The talons on its feet were large and scythe like, reaping whatever dared stand in its way. Its black beak gently curved and turned into small yet sharp edge at the end. The single large blackened stone that lay in its light golden colored eyes constantly moved about checking the environment.

These two had been walking forward slowly towards a single mountain that reached heights beyond the clouds were even its peak could not be seen. The darkness surrounding the mountain cloaked it in a spell of mystery on what it truly held.

✵

Mike finally set his b.a.r.e foot on the soft feeling of moss rather than the smooth feeling sand after hours of walking. The day had been a long and grueling task of walking forward after the incident with the Swipe Goblin.

Hefting the slightly heavy bag Mike stared at their route that they'd have to take for a straight shot towards the mountain. What laid before him was the scene he always saw when walking into the forest again, a wide road of glowing flora and the whisper of bugs moving about. The mountain still loomed over the forest in the background even with the trees making him strain his neck as he looked all the way up. As they got closer it seemed like there was never an end to how big this mountain was. Most of the mountain was shrouded in a grey mass of clouds that covered most of it. The snow gleamed even from Mikes position as it covered the whole mountain.

Setting down the grey backpack on the edges between the moss and the sand, it made a slightly loud sound as it hit the ground. Mike stretched quiet lazily for it was time to rest and lay down to sleep for the night.

As Turul went out in order to catch tonight's dinner, Mike set up a fire quickly and unfurled the broad bear blanket/rug.

After eating a nice meal of roasted venison and some common berries from around the forest Mike set out for a good night's sleep.

Deep within the recesses of their sleep, both Turul and Mike were fast asleep as they had assumed nothing would be happening that night since they had gotten rid of the only thing that truly had bothered them since coming here.

✵

The swirling galaxy of pink in its ever beauty seemed disturbed that night. It had stopped revolving and instead laid completely still, but even still it remained beautiful. The surface of the lake slowly grew uneven. Something was coming out of the water! Its large compounded dark eyes shone with a l.u.s.tered light. As this creature pushed its ever growing body out of the water it was revealed how it looked as the pink water cascaded off of its body.

It elongated body was covered in an armor of light turquoise and deep red with deep red legs and deep red clubs. Its flared body reminded those of a peac.o.c.k. Its large body mass seemed to dwarf Mike and Turul. The sound it made as it walked out of the water with large deep reverberated steps was akin to a waterfall as the water seemed to pour never ending off of its elongated body. Its actions unknown as it walked towards the shore line.

By now both Turul and Mike were fully awake. They had been awake the second they heard the resounding creaking of legs and movement of a large creature from the pink lake.

Turul had stayed his attack and was waiting to see what it would do as it got closer. Mike on the other hand was both frightened and fascinated.

'Is that a large mantis shrimp?' Mikes mind automatically pulled up the dusty memory of the sea creature he'd seen from earth.

The thought only unnerved him even more as he remembered the information about it.

'Doesn't the Mantis shrimp have a punch that breaks the sound barrier?' If this thing really was just a bigger and more powerful Mantis Shrimp then if it decided to attack them than they were goners. It would truly be a death faster than blinking.

Its deep steps into the shoreline brought up swirls of sand into the surrounding. Its body creaked like an old building on the verge of collapse.

Mike relied on the most useful thing he had, The Explorers Log. Pulling up the screen and going to Fauna Mike scanned the large crustacean before anything else could happen.

As it walked forward like an unoiled machine, slowly and methodically, it walked ever closer to their camp, however it seemed uninterested in them as it stared past them and into the forest towards the unknown.

Turul quickly pulled Mike out of the way before he was crushed by one of the many legs the creature had as he was packing all of the important stuff. Turul set them a couple of yards away, luckily Mike managed to get everything.

The periodic rumbles of the creature walking itself to wherever it was heading to was quite horrifying. As it finally walked into the forest it brushed past the trees, luckily there was barely enough room to accommodate its bulky size. It left deep pits wherever it landed its feet, creating a trail of where it was going.

Looking at Turul, Mike had no idea what to do. Should they go back to sleep, or should they follow this large shrimp? Calming himself down, Mike thought of what would they should do.

Assessing their options, Mike thought it would be a better idea to follow the giant Mantis Shrimp since it was obviously heading for the mountain anyways, and plus it was going there for a reason like going for a treasure. So following it would be a better fit than going blindly into the mountain.

Ushering Turul along with him, Mike rushed in order to follow behind the Mantis Shrimp.

Although they hadn't been able to get much sleep the past couple of days, it would be sufficient enough in order to last the day.

Walking along the path that the large Mantis Shrimp wasn't hard to track at all in fact, it was quite easy. Mike didn't try and run closer to the large creature incase it did decide on killing them. So instead they'd follow the trail it left and keep a close track on it and start getting closer once they reached closer to its destination.

This large beast was surprisingly fast as well for how slowly it seemed to be walking. It had managed to outpace them enough a couple times were they had to speed up just to see its large frame wade through tree lines at the height of a small skyscr.a.p.er.

The hours seemed to pass by quickly as it slowly got harder for Mike to keep his eyes open. They had been on the trail of this monster for hours now and it took a lot out of Mike just to keep up the pace. Luckily with its trampling it allowed for a smooth road, however Mike hadn't been able to get a good night's sleep for 2 nights now and was feeling the effects.

They were closer to the mountain now more than ever as it started to slop and the ground grow more uneven and rocky. It didn't seem to even have an effect on the large Mantis Shrimp as it continued on with the same speed. The occasional jutting of craggy rock and a dropping of temperature, it was obvious they were starting the climb.

The tired Mike started his wake up call when he started to shiver.

Stopping himself, the frigid temperatures become all to known with the passing winds and the sight of snow not to far off in the distance. Mike had been so caught up in the fantastical world that he had forgotten that he was just another regular human at the end of the day and couldn't climb a mountain without any equipment just because he wanted too.

This mountain was steep, slippery, and snowy, plus the fact that it was constantly night, it was hard pressed to find any more of a dangerous situation for climbing mountains. This mountain was large in height and diameter. It was at least the size of Mount Everest from earth, maybe even larger.

The silhouette of the Mantis Shrimp disappeared over a rocky ledge eventually as Mike had stopped to figure out what he should do.

It would be nigh impossible to find food on the mountain unless by some stroke of pure luck. Plus the frigid temperatures could probably even give Turul a run for his money. If Mike were to use his ability to create all the special things needed in order to climb the mountain, that would only add on to the danger because if either of them got into a life threatening situation and Mike lost his cool and lost his thought process, it could be a potential freezing death for the both of them with frostbite and hypothermia.

This world makes one unassuming of it, to let down your guard at how different and magnificent it is, the sights put you away from the dangers. The mistake made is an easy one and the one that would kill any who are unaware.

Mike was only lucky. He had it easy with a Guardian that could hunt for a him and the auxiliary ability he found that gave him an easier life all around for surviving, but there are still things that even Mike can't go up against.

Most forget the one singular fact that had rang and held true for millions of years. Nature is scary. The dangers lurking in the shadows are always numerous. The frigid cold one feels on the nape of their neck and down their spine as one realizes the situation of nature taking over is a cold and merciless joke that kills painfully.

✵

Mike felt the cold northern winds deep in his bones as the loosely hanging rags he called clothes on his body raged fiercely with the strong winds blowing down the mountain. The darkness of the surroundings seemed to grown wider and stronger the more Mike looked on at the mountain that started right in front of him yet stretched endlessly away from him.

What was he to do? It was impossible to go up there in the current situation they had. They would die a fool's death doing that. Frostbite would be about as bad as the starvation that would rack their bodies on a daily basis from no food, oxygen would become a rare commodity the higher they walked. Not to even mention the already weak light they had would disappear about 300 feet up with the raging winds and the onset blizzard that racked the whole mountain constantly.

They had already lost sight of the Mantis Shrimp beast. Although Mike could faintly hear its ever creaking joints over the mountains wind, it sounded quite creepy to hear but not see it in such an area.

Sighing and releasing a clear white breath that picked along with the wind Mike looked back at where they came from and thought it was best to leave this part of the mountain before something really did happen.