Chapter 12: Journey to the mountain top

At the cover of the night, a medium-sized tavern inside a rural village, a tall young man with a weird movement of his hand using a cane, always probing forward, appeared before the tavern door where his cane stopped, stepping inside afterwards.

While inside the tavern, the tall young man was greeted by the voices of people constantly bickering, and having a great time, drinking and eating the tavern's food.

His arrival had most people of the tavern raise their heads or turn them to see who was the newcomer, and they didn't notice a familiar face,

Instead, it was a young man with tied black hair, wearing on his back a large backpack, while on his right hand was a black colored cane full of decorations.

*Tap*

*Tap*

*Step*

The sound of the cane hitting the wooden floor of the tavern along with the hunter's boot touching wood made a sound that began getting rhythmic.

The same procedure of the young man continued until he arrived at the tavern's counter where he went about, touching the shoulders of the guys seated at the counter until he found a free seat.

"Young man, are you alright?" asked the Innkeeper, who watched Vlad act until getting on his seat.

Not long after, he saw him open his abyssal eyes that revealed no light as if they were dead.

"Ahh, my bad, I did it again, and I kept telling myself to use my cane to check if someone occupies seats on the counter table. Good evening, can I ask you something, Innkeep?"

"Of course, how can I help you?"

"Does your tavern have sleeping rooms, or is it just for dining and drinking?"

"Such stupid question, haven't you seen that the tavern has two floors?" remarked one of the guys at the counter, annoyed by Vlad's shoulder tap, now finding his way to get back at him.

"Hey, this guy, doesn't he look like a blind?" asked another guy not too far from the first to ask, feeling intrigued.

"How could a blind man get here without company?"

"I don't know, man, I have eyes. How could I know what it is like to be a blind man? Maybe that's the role of that stick."

"Shush, blind people can hear everything, even our thoughts. Monsters, I tell you."

The gossip at the counter was transmitted to the tables where the people noticed Vlad's behavior, while the latter was undisturbed, even giving a small smile that the ones at the counter spotted.

"Hmm, Innkeep, from the other people's response, you seem to have sleeping rooms. I want one if there's any available."

"Sure thing, young man. It will be 1.500 𝔅 per night. Anything else? Maybe some warm stew? Are you interested?"

"Sure, can you drop some more pepper on it for me?"

"I'll see if I can find pepper in the kitchen, wait for a bit." told the Innkeeper who went to the kitchen, leaving the counter.

Vlad touched his hunter's coat for some pockets, where he took out a leather bag finishing out some coins that he placed down, in preparation for both the room and food, about 3.000 𝔅 worth of coins.

The guys next to him noticed this, along with how relaxed Vlad seemed to be, and as if inspiration hit them, they extended their hand to take Vlad's money and make it seem as if he didn't brought out the money, making out with 3.000 𝔅. Yet, when the guy next to him touched the coins, he felt the cold texture of the black cane.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"I was giving you a hand in counting the coins. It seems you have taken out the wrong amount. You only have here 1.000 𝔅."

Vlad pressed his cane harder, holding the guy's hand to the table, and with his face turned at him, with his black eyes gazing at him, making the one in question feeling a creepy sensation run down his spine, he heard the young man remark in a cold tone.

"Can you see "Fool" written down on my forehead?"

"Do you want a fight, you blind fuck?" asked the guy, who mentally was already defeated by Vlad, ending his smartass attempts at stealing his money and choosing violence like a cornered beast.

Meanwhile, Vlad continued to smile, giving the outsiders the impression he was deranged, and before the guy could get fierier, he raised his cane, pushing his hand away from his coins, and the force he used was so strong that the guy slapped himself on the face, triggering him, until someone from the tables zone walked toward the guy and whispered something.

"Dude, stop being an idiot. That blind guy has a longsword that is bloodied. He isn't some simple blind that you might rarely see around, but instead, it might be a legit killer."

"No way, how could a blind be a killer." asked the guy, who got on his feet walking away from his seat to check Vlad from outside, and it was indeed as the one from the tables mentioned, Vlad's longsword was dripping with blood, immediately giving him goosebumps.

After realizing that he shouldn't mess with Vlad even though he was blind, he went to another table with some of his buddies, leaving a decent space between Vlad and the next guy at the counter.

"What happened to those idiots?" asked the Innkeeper after returning with the stew he recommended to Vlad that was poured inside a bread bowl.

"..."

"Well, it doesn't matter since those guys paid me. As for you young man, the stew will cost 460 𝔅, and also, another question. How long do you plan to stay in Bray?"

"One night." quietly replied Vlad, pointing at the coins he put on the table.

"It is too much. Please take the rest."

"Keep them. It will help you more than me." rejected Vlad, who carefully touched the hot bread bowl, and brought it closer to him.

Afterwards, taking down the backpack that released a small impact when getting in contact with the wooden floor.

"If I may ask, what wind brought you to this place?" asked the Innkeeper with a professional smile, having already formed a better perception of Vlad and his generosity.

"I want to climb the Galena Mountain."

When the Innkeeper heard such a declaration, his expression shifted, turning solent, and before he could even reply to Vlad, some guys at the table, not the ones who had ideas with his money, began laughing out of order.

"Hahahaha, another fool who decided to commit suicide. This is great. Our village is the stage forward in sending people to their death."

"Shut up, you idiot, we shouldn't stop those who want to climb the mountain. It is their free choice."

Many comments got to Vlad's attention, filtering the bits of information thrown in a satirical manner, and soon he closed his attention for the ones at the tables, and opening his eyes, he seemed to stare at the Innkeeper's face.

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"Continue, sir. You wanted to remark something."

"Indeed, but those idiots made a commotion. You can ignore most of their comments, but there's a piece of truth that is universally known by any islander belonging to Picodras, we don't climb Galena."

"Yes, I know that. I am not impressed by the stories told to scare people. Most of the ones who died were killed by beasts after being taken by surprise. My blade can attest this since even some insignificant forest had some predatory beasts lurking inside."

"Don't tell me, you arrived inside Bray by traversing the Druarwood that you encounter beasts?"

"That's how that forested place is called? Well, you can thank me, most of the wolf population has been slain by me. The shepherds will have a better life right now. Anyways, this is irrelevant. I wanted to know if you can offer me some directions toward the mountain."

"Young man, are you sure? I will only ask you once and leave you alone to your choice. However, I'd rather tell you some stories that outsiders might not know. Maybe it will change your mind."

"Thanks, but my goal will not change. Still, a good story is always appreciated." mentioned Vlad in a detached way, starting to eat from the bread bowl, the spicy hunter's stew.

The Innkeeper could only sigh when seeing how headstrong Vlad was at this moment, ignoring his warnings and painting a better picture for this blind man.

Getting on with his story while Vlad was eating, he told him about many beasts lurking in the mountain, the dangerous terrain hard to traverse, and with its landscape still unexplored by the villagers and the outsiders who always failed to return.

It was nothing that interested Vlad, who already thought of some scenarios he should worry about on his way to the mountain. One piece from the Innkeeper had him interested.

[Besides the beasts and monsters, the dangerous terrain filled with steep, there is a story spread by the old people of the village who tell about the Guardian]

[This Guardian has banned those who he deems unworthy of climbing the top from reaching the top of the mountain.]

[And, you might ask me, why no one returned from the mountain even if they explored just a tiny piece. The story goes that the Guardian doesn't allow anyone who stepped inside his mountain to leave without passing him.]

Compared to some useless and unnecessary remarks, such information significantly influenced Vlad, who, after finishing the stew, went slowly to his room after getting the instructions to where his room was.

Vlad dropped all of the equipment inside his room, falling in the bed, and relaxed his body.

'A long day will await me. I should get some sleep now that I don't have to camp in the wild and fight beasts at every corner.'

'What's more, I got my directions for the mountain and some inside information. The Guardian… Could it be the? It is the being that kills everyone who steps inside the mountain. Hah, I can't wait to get to you, Guardian.'

Not having much to prepare before going to sleep, securing his door, next he took a short stop at the dream space, and in the morning before the sun even raised, he was off from the tavern that only had a young man as the Innkeeper who he presented the key to.

"Good luck, mister. I heard from my father that you will ascend the mountain. I can only wish you luck."

"Much appreciated." replied Vlad, who moved slowly toward the tavern exit and similarly toward village outskirts, where he reached the first indication of the Innkeeper, a crossroads.

[After you reach the crossroads, take the right direction of the crossroad sign from the position you will be. But be aware that this will be your only warning to back off.]

[Once you picked that path, may the Gods be kind to you. You can drink something for free since I might never see your face around.]

His memory was playing the bits of conversation he had with the Innkeeper, and from where he was positioned with the crossroads, he touched each of the wooden directions and obviously went with the right path.

Starting hiking in a balanced way in about some hours of walking using his cane, he reached the first part of the rugged terrain, and mountain escalations that were in his path put him to work.

'It will soon get useless, but so far let's get to the limit, and I'll have it strapped to my waist.'

While his cane had various utilities, he couldn't proficiently use it on this mountainous terrain when he had to climb, yet once he reached another elevation, the terrain felt stable so that he could use the cane to guide himself forward.

'I am the son of the Carpathian Mountains. I will not get lost in the mountains. This wind feels rather familiar, exactly to when I reached the weird lion's head and stared over the horizons.' (A/N: Vlad here makes a reference to the Carpathian Sphinx in Bucegi Mountains)

Vlad felt his body reacting well to the fresh air and winds. Unlike what stories he heard, the Galena Mountain were a darling to him, except the mountain climbs that hurt his legs and arms, requiring him to take breaks.

And, even though he couldn't see anything, he heard the birds chirping around, telling him that there were signs of life in this place, and once he got to a higher altitude, only the tree branches being moved by the wind.

The wind and the water stream could help him guide him forward.

'I don't know where I got, but I have the feeling I still have more to go, and I should proceed with great care, so I don't literally drop into the abyss.'

However, he didn't know that his surroundings were of an emerald green, a stunning view hardly ever encountered, which made it rather a shame that Vlad couldn't take his time to admire this emerald picture.

As such, his journey continued steadily and efficiently since he wasn't stopping for what most people would do, and sensing the altitude raising, he reached a point where he touched head first with the mountain.

'Damn, it hurts like heck. I've reached a point where I have to climb again? I guess.'

While he was preparing to climb the dangerous part of the mountain, not far from where he was the crossing path had an easier way of bypassing the challenging route.

If Vlad had known this, he probably would have hit his head again on the mountain wall, but it was too late, he began escalating the wall.

'Maybe I should have trained in something similar to mountain climbing. I got to the point I simply guessed, instead of having some accuracy in my choices.'

It was an arduous climb for Vlad, who felt all his body tensing up and hurting, with certain parts playing the heartstrings of the young man who dropped in the abyss two times but managed to rebound by grabbing hold of the stones.

"Fuck, I already hate this mountain for being so unpredictable. Hah, even the concept of time has been lost on me."

The more he climbed and had to battle his frustration of being blind and not having the most accurate climb, the more he managed to progress the steep wall that split up his palm skin.

Unknown to him when he will end this climb, the sound of a woman's humming could be heard by Vlad's keen senses, stepping on his break, stopping in place with the backpack on his back while holding tight on the wall.

'Have I begun having hallucinations? But I don't remember this being a sickness one gets from climbing?'

*Woman singing*

'I can't understand a single thing that ghost sings. Well, it must be my challenge to defeat. All or nothing.'

Making up his mind while holding tight, accompanied by the women's enchanting singing, he pushed and finally got out from his entrapment, where he climbed for hours one single wall.

*Woman's singing*

With Vlad making out, he opened his abyssal eyes wide open, just so he might have seen a change in them from this "fabled" place, but it was for nothing.

Instead, what was in front of him was a body of water, a decent-sized lake with crystal blue water, giving a pure hue to it, where resides a small naked woman bathing inside the lake while singing.

The small, fairy-like woman was so beautiful, one couldn't take their eyes off her, but Vlad couldn't see her since he was blind.

Nevertheless, the fairy noticed Vlad's presence and immediately screamed, panicked, vanishing inside the lake, only to return with her head sticking out to see Vlad use his cane to walk forward, checking around for rugged terrain.

"My apologies, young lady. It wasn't my intent to disturb you. Would you be so kind as to give me some directions toward the mountain summit?" asked Vlad, who finally reached the lake, where his black cane made contact with the water, stopping at the boundary.

"You? Who are you? A human?? I can't remember how long I have been here without seeing a human. Wow, I got scared that I might have done a upssy inside the lake."

"Okay, sure, but I don't have time for cheap talk. I got to climb Galena's summit."

"Human, you have already reached the summit of the mountain. Also, could you stop looking at me? It is indecent. Don't tell me, you are one of those?"

"Those?"

"You know, perverts."

"..."

'Where the fuck am I? Who is the woman talking with me? She has a weird speech, but I can understand her surprisingly.'

"I am not a pervert. My name is Vlad. More importantly, who are you? How can a woman be so high in the mountain? Are you an inhabitant? A secluded person, maybe?"

On the other hand, with this vital question thrown, the little fairy, who put some silk fabric gown on her, flew toward Vlad and landed on his shoulder, replying in a whispering voice.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know? It is who you are that I am asking."

"Champion, I really don't know. However, something I can remember is that I've been standing here, around the summit, for many years, without someone visiting me.

*Crying* It was quite lonely being the only one here."

While she was crying, Vlad, who felt the gentle landing on his shoulder that felt like a small bug, quickly acted and caught the fairy in his hand and while his abyssal eyes were opened, trying to check if his defected eyes could see something.

"Heyyy, you said you weren't a pervert."

"I am not. Sigh, I can't even see you, young lady. You can't accuse me of anything of that order. Besides, it seems, I've fooled myself again."

"You. Those eyes are so black. There's no light in them at all. You can't see me at all?"

"I've been blind for 7 years now. So to speak, the chances of me getting my vision back are similar to finding a needle in a haystack. Anyway, can you explain to me what this place is? Why have you been here for so long?"

In the meantime, he was asking the fairy his questions, the latter made her way out from his palm and jumped on Vlad's nose, where she glanced at his eyes, closer than anyone has ever done it in his life, both ones, he felt a soft and delicate touch on his nose.

"It must be hard on you, champion."

"You get used to it with years. Also, why do you call me champion? I've told you my name, use it. Don't change the subject." replied Vlad in a detached manner, seeming cold inside and outside.

"Because you've passed the Guardian's challenge. Obviously, you'll be the champion to receive the chance at getting the sword from the lake."

"Wait a minute. But I didn't encounter any "Guardian", am I still the champion in that case?" inquired Vlad, whose irises dropped on the fairy on his nose that had her mouth opened in shock.

"... No way."