He hoisted himself up the mountainside, the snow falling onto his eyes, feeling his eyelashes grow heavy with the weight. Norbert continued his trek, in places digging into the ice, surprised it was thick enough to support his weight.
Occasionally, Norbert looked down, seeing if anybody was following him, confirming nothing was coming for him. Norbert started to feel stupid but continued his climb up the mountain. Norbert could see other places of light dotted around, now far above his balcony.
Going closer to the first one, Norbert kept an ear out, unable to hear anything. As he came just below the balcony, Norbert saw someone's hands leaning on the balcony railing. Going ultimately still, Norbert waited for the hands to disappear.
Not hearing any conversation from above him, wondering if the person was staring off into the valley beneath them, down the mountainside. Considering himself just before doing the same thing, never looking down throughout the time, Norbert grasped onto the edge, not daring to move.
And so there he waited, his cause of concern slowly disappearing from getting caught, the next due to his muscles crying out, starting to beg for him to move. But he dared not to, or else be found out. Not knowing the trouble he could find himself in.
With Sally and the others either not trusting him or something coming for him and the sight within the halls, Norbert couldn't know who to trust besides Obsius. The bird had followed him for so long now that he almost couldn't even imagine his time without the bird.
Feeling his hands shake, Norbert tensed them, sending a bit more energy throughout them, not wanting the blades to slip out of the nook he had created for them. Looking up one more time, Norbert saw the hands recede.
Starting to count the seconds, Norbert waited and waited. Ten minutes passed, or roughly that and he no longer saw the hands reappear over the fence. He heard his limbs click as he climbed up, going around the side, not wanting to go close to the opening in case someone spotted him.
Continuing to climb up, Norbert spotted more lights on the mountainside, realising they were the same openings as before, the balconies where the contestant's rooms were. Looking around at the lights, he sees a haphazard layout with no structure, reminding him of a kid needing to add seagulls on a sunrise in a drawing.
He continued his climb up, the last balcony far below him now. He started to crawl as he climbed up, the mountainside becoming shallower and shallower. Crouching forward, Norbert pulled his weight from the daggers, happy to see himself not slip down the mountainside.
Taking the two daggers up, Norbert placed them in their sheaves while he stood up. He felt the snow pelt against his back, the wind trying to grab and fling him down the mountainside. Bending slightly lower, wrapping his jacket over himself, Norbert continued to trek upwards.
Looking below him, changing his vision to magic, Norbert could quickly see the barriers glowing in the darkness of the night. Staring down at the mountain beneath his feet, he saw the ice he was standing on shining a dark blue up at him.
Stamping down with his foot, he saw the coloured ice fall down the mountainside before the dots were lost in the snow far beneath him and the other ice. Continuing upwards, I wondered how the very ice of the mountain, something that should be separated, would also have magic imbued in it.
He was looking around at the snow hitting his face, confirming that it didn't have any magic inside of it. And if it did have magic within, it wasn't to the quantity or quality seen in the ice beneath his feet. Perplexed by the problem, Norbert continued up the mountainside, now wondering what was contained within the mountain to have this much spill out.
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Continuing his climb upward, what would be at the top? Norbert wondered what mysteries he could find about the Mountain King, wondering if it would uncover what he wanted to do with it.
He took a step down, feeling his foot slip on the ice. He smashed his fingers into the ground, feeling the ice crack around them as he slid down, his hand stopping him from going further down.
Norbert pulled himself to crouch, fingers still dug into the ground. Looking down, Norbert changed his vision to see in the dark. He was seeing the blueness of the ice underneath him, looking to the side of the rocks that sometimes stuck out of the ground, ruffing up the ice and allowing him to have some purchase, where he currently was utterly smooth like a Zamboni had just gone over the ice rink.
Following up the path he saw, he saw the stone underneath the pavement; when the ice would be gone or was gone, not knowing if the tips ever melted at this height. Norbert looked up, the mountain's edge disappearing into the darkness above. I could only see the ridge where it ended as the stars began to shine there.
Knowing that somebody must have known he was missing by now, a possible search party was being sent out to find him. Not wanting to get caught up, Norbert started scrambling up the mountainside.
The higher he climbed, the more it started to flatten out, his breathing becoming more laboured, starting to force the air into his lungs, and he could not breathe easily. Wondering how high he was, Norbert was surprised when his foot went down instead of up.
Stopping, Norbert looked to either side, seeing a line wiggling along it. Looking on the other side, Norbert saw the sun rising and could see the clouds beneath him. He held his breath, watching as golden rays bathed the sky.
Standing at the mountain's apex, half his body bathed in light and the other half shrouded in darkness. Breathing in the fresh, cool air, knowing the air around his university would never be this clear. The crispness refreshes and revitalises him.
As Norbert stared, just standing still as he looked down the mountain range, the spine of the mountain rising and falling until suddenly it dropped off. Norbert followed it with his eyes, surprised at what he saw.
There, at the edge of the world, before it dropped off into the clouds, was a small stone hut. Seeing it was far ahead of him, Norbert started walking forward, careful not to fall off either side.
He squinted his eyes from the glare of the ice shining towards him, trying and failing to cover it with his arm. As he stepped forward, black tendrils snaked from the ground and rocks, coming from the two sides of the paths.
Forming higher and higher, Norbert noticed them standing still. On either side of him, Norbert saw the same doors he had seen in the hallway form upwards again. Norbert saw figures walking forward, dislodging themselves from the doorways as they rose higher.
Swallowing, trying to wet his dry mouth, Norbert stared down, seeing as more and more came out. Standing completely still, hoping they wouldn't be able to see him, form and go away like before. Disappearing into the nothingness that they came from.
As Norbert looked forward, seeing them continue to rise ahead of him. Waiting, the creatures start to stroll around, bumping into each other and not moving. Holding his breath, Norbert took a step back, turning around slightly.
Seeing the figures forming there, just strolling around behind him as well. Hesitantly, Norbert stepped forward, holding his breath, expecting to be charged by hundreds of figures.
Hand instinctively dropping to his sheath, Norbert looked forward, confirming nothing was happening. Stepping forward, Norbert passed the first figure, going past them, the creature not even seeing his presence.
Continuing forward, Norbert matured not to touch a single figure, not wanting to see what would happen if he touched one of the creatures, not knowing how he would combat them, not even how to defeat a single one.
Halfway through the crowd, Norbert stared forward, seeing a creature of darkness stepping forward, a giant among them; Norbert craned his neck up, seeing the towering giant on top of him. Stepping backwards, not wanting to get crushed by the creature, half unable to stop, he stared as the creature's skin wiggled around, pulsating with something.
Feeling his foot slip, Norbert lifted his hand, catching himself on something before falling. Gaining his balance and standing up again, Norbert looked forward to what caught him.
Norbert stared his hand through a figure, wondering what would happen to him. He felt his eyes roll up the back of his head when he realised what was happening, his knees growing weak as darkness consumed him, his hand falling next to him as he felt his body start to slide down the mountain.
Halfway In the air, Norbert stared at his hand, seeing black lines creeping around it, trying to invade his veins. Pulsing energy through, he saw the black ink being burnt off before he was swarmed in darkness.