The Journey to the Top - Odd and Others

[Requiem of Whyspers]

Odd made sure all of his Pokemon were recalled before he took more than a few steps and then he began to lead the others with more purpose. They weren't comfortable seeing the world how it was away from society, it seemed, so he would lead them through the least populated part of the mountain instead of through the Heaven's Stair. They had, however, just barely passed one of the first trials of this arduous climb. The lesson had to be learned at some point, and accepted, if one were to reach enlightenment, after all. Life is not always fair and can often times be cruel but there is beauty in it if one chooses to see it.

"We're almost to the cave." He announced at last, walking around the edge of a large outcropping of snow-covered rock. When Terashi and Keiko rounded the stony structure after him, they'd find that he was completely vanished from sight now. After a few seconds of them likely worrying about where he went, he'd emerged from a well hidden crag, headfirst. "Over here." He said calmly, waving them over to the wall where they would be able to see the cave entrance. It wasn't fancy but it was a very clearly man-made doorway into a large, natural cave system hidden so close to the mountainside that it vanished unless viewed from head-on.  

[Requiem of Whyspers]

"The storm's not getting any better out there." Odd noted as he ducked back into the cave behind the two. "But at least it doesn't look like it's getting any worse."

Walking over to what looked like a fire pit dug into the center of the cave, he'd prove that was exactly what it was. Removing a few items from his backpack, he'd strike a flint and steel together to spark the old wood left behind by the previous pilgrims. It wasn't the hottest but the fire soon burning would help them to shake off the cold before they ventured back out in it. "I won't hold it against you two if you change your mind about going with me." He said after a moment, returning the flint and steel to his bag and digging out a small pouch of various foodstuff from it in their place. "This road I'm taking isn't for the faint of heart or those unprepared to face the trials it presents them with. Hungry?" He asked them, offering them the chance to take something from his food supply.

"I can take the less traveled path that doesn't have as many of the trials on it. But they're more likely to break you than the common one." He admitted. "The Sisters believed the road less traveled teaches the harshest lessons and made the journey fit that philosophy." He explained. "Thankfully, the one you saw earlier wasn't one of theirs. That was just nature happening where we could see it for once."  

[Requiem of Whyspers]

"I'm glad you're dedicated. You'll need that conviction." Odd responded, taking a piece of jerky from the bag and returning the rest to his backpack since the others didn't seem to be hungry yet. Standing up and stretching out a bit, he released one of his Pokemon, Adagio. "Can you spark up a bigger fire for us? I need to look at the map before we leave again." He requested of the Lampent. Adagio nodded and released a small gout of flame towards the fire pit, the tiny fire Odd had made suddenly blazing up and lighting up the cave much better.

With the now larger fire illuminating the cave better, Odd approached a large mural on the wall and began to examine it. ""We're right here, at the moment," He said, pointing to a small "X" scratched into the stone map a bit higher up the mountain than where Snagem HQ was hidden away. "The Abbey is all the way up here." This time, he indicated a small, house-shaped etching toward the mountain's peak. "Provided the storm doesn't get any worse and delay us, we should be able to get there within two days at most. If it clears up, we could make it in as little as 24 hours, on foot. Maybe less if the snow's deep enough on the other side of the cave."