Chapter Text
The wind sighed wistfully around the mountains, coiling around its stony peaks before slipping down through the lowly town of Cobblestone. Townsfolk of all shapes and sizes mingled, chatting about how the cows were doing, the latest gossip, and of course; the special day. Almost as if curious, it drifted south, waving through the streets and out the town.
Finally, it brushes against a young man, with an orange headband in hand, atop a towering tree branch. He thought to himself... I wonder if the Tor has a view like this one. Eleven had asked around Cobblestone about everyone's experience climbing the Tor as a kid. "You'll find out when you're older.", they'd always say. A low chuckle rumbled in the back of his throat. Back then he'd get frustrated and grumble about it with Gemma, and sometimes Sandy. It felt like everyone was keeping some massive secret from him. Though Gemma didn't see the point of waiting, "Where's the rush? We'll find out what the deal is when we turn sixteen and climb up ourselves." she'd say. That was a fair point, but it wasn't like her answer made waiting any easier.
As Eleven stared off on the faraway leaves of Yggdrasil, upon it’s floating island, a sense of excitement bubbled up in his chest. Today, he’d climb the Tor, like he always dreamt of.
Roof! Roof!
Eleven turned over his shoulder and saw Gemma and her Golden Retriever Sandy looking up at them. He leapt down from the branch and joined them on the ground, smiling as he offered the scarf to her. She grinned and gingerly took it, wrapping it once, twice, around her forehead before securing the cloth with a knot.
"Thanks so much, you're a lifesaver! Trust me to lose my headscarf just before the big ceremony." She winked, though the playfulness hardened into contemplation as she turned towards the Tor's rocky top. "So it's finally here— the big day! I can't believe we're going to be climbing all the way up there."
" I definitely will be. I might have to carry you up myself if you get scared." he teased.
Gemma shook her head. "We've both been waiting for this day since we were children. No way am I letting you walk for me!" She declared confidently.
Next to them, Sandy barked twice, wagging her tail before barking again and running off. Gemma looked on, and laughed.
"Looks like Sandy's keen to lead the way. Come on. Best not to keep her waiting." She stepped forward, turning back to her friend before bowing and skipping after her dog. Eleven's heart thumped with anticipation. Excited to finally see what was up there, he followed behind his blonde friends.
The two of them waved at the scattered adults who came to greet them before the Ceremony. Mrs. Beryl called out to them, "The path gets pretty steep up the Tor, so be sure to watch your step!" Further along, Gemma's grandma was teasing them about wedding bells. He had to remind her neither of them had even completed the rite of passage yet, and to maybe slow down, though that didn't dissuade her.
With a light blush on her face, Gemma exclaimed, "Grandma honestly!"
"Oh let an old woman have her fun, will you?" Laughing it off, she then turned back to the young man before her. "Now, Eleven— you look after my lovely granddaughter, you hear!"
Eleven smiled nervously and nodded before Gemma reached out and dragged him by the hand, red faced and eager to leave before her grandmother could embarrass her any more. Further up ahead, he could see two people before the bridge. It was the short statures of his mother, Amber, and Mayor Dunstan.
"Good morning granddad! Good morning Amber!" Gemma called out. Eleven blinked and looked up. Amber waved happily to the pair before greeting her son.
"Just look at you, Eleven! My little boy, all grown-up!"
He blinked in surprise, "Mom, you didn't have to come all the way out here just for me."
She beamed at him, a happy grin across her face. "Well of course I do, it's not every day that your little boy turns sixteen."
He scratched the back of his head, looking away slightly embarassed. "I'm not so little anymore you know.."
To his left he could feel Gemma trying not to laugh, and he felt the heat under him this time, a small blush tinting his cheek. She probably had a lot of work to do this morning, but she still came to see me off... Swallowing down his embarrassment, he tried again. "Thanks for coming." he said softly.
A cough from the mayor caught the attention of the three of them. "Eleven, seeing you and my dear Gemma all set for your big day makes me proud as anything, both as a mayor and as a grandfather. You're not kids anymore, you know. No, you're grown-up now, and that means going to the Tor and offering your thanks. Now, it's time you went on your way. Head up to the top, give praise to the Spirit of the Land, then come back down and tell us how you like the view!" The mayor gave Gemma a hug, and when he pulled back, did the same for Eleven.
After all the final farewells were said, the two of them along with Sandy crossed the bridge. Amber told the two of them to take care, as both stepped towards the towering Tor. As they moved towards the cave entrance, Gemma's voice stopped Eleven.
"’ Humble folk of Cobblestone, Great Land Spirit's hearth and home.’ That's how it goes, isn't it?"
He looked up, thinking back to those rhymes they used to say as kids. "Land... spirit... that sounds right. Why do you ask?"
Gemma looked happily towards the sky. "My grandad's been teaching me the prayer ever since I was little. He reckons the Spirit of the Land really does live on Cobblestone Tor you see. As long as I can remember, he's been preparing me for this day— the day it would finally be my turn to climb all the way up there and offer my thanks."
Her expression turned serious and she turned straight towards her childhood friend, "That's good and all. I just wonder whose idea it was in the first place, sending the village's young folk on such a dangerous errand. What if I take a tumble and do myself a mischief?"
"It does seem dangerous alone... But since you and me were born on the same day, you're lucky enough to have a bodyguard along for the journey."
Gemma giggled, "Come on, then! That craggy old thing won't climb its-" Suddenly Sandy broke into a fit of barks towards the cave. Eleven and Gemma snapped to attention, a trio of blue slimes grinned ominously towards them.
"Eeek! Monsters!" Gemma cried.
Sandy put herself protectively between Gemma and the slimes. Eleven stepped forward, hand on the handle of his back-strapped blade. The closest of the slimes flattened, their googly eyes and perma-smile stretching ridiculously before launching itself towards Eleven. His first instinct was to dodge and counter strike, but his eyes glanced behind him. Gemma...
With a yell, he swung his blade's flat side against the gel-like monster. It bent around the blade before bouncing right past the other two slimes, bending against the staircase. Sandy launched forward, jumping onto one of the other slimes and stomping it under paw. The third moved to try to attack the dog, but Eleven intercepted it with the heel of his foot and punted it skyward. The gooey creature landed right next to the first. Sandy pulled the last slime up with her fangs and swung around; the final trouble maker flung against the step below the other two. The slimes leered back at the trio. Seeing that they weren't going to find easy prey today, they looked at each other once before hopping away, disappearing into some hidden part of the mountain.
Eleven wiped the sweat off his brow as he watched the monsters flee. Once he was certain that they were gone, he relaxed his stance, carefully sliding his sword into its sheath. Looking behind him, he asked, "Are you alright?"
Slowly, Gemma nodded. "Crikey! I wasn't expecting that. I know they were only little, but I would've been done for if you and Sandy hadn't been here to help me."
He scratched the back of his head, "I'm sure that you could've given them a good punch or two. Don't worry. Even if we gotta go through that horrible, dingy cave, I'll keep you safe, like I always have," he smiled confidently, "so don't look so scared."
The blonde looked doubtful for a second, but soon that look of fear melted away, a beautiful smile replacing it. "Thanks Eleven, I can climb easy knowing you'll be watching over me. As long as we're together, we've got nothing to worry about!” She beamed. “Well, come on, let's get going, my trusty knight." A warm feeling pooled in his heart seeing her smile.
He hiked up the steps, right behind Sandy. When they finally entered the cave, a makeshift bridge of a single damp log greeted them, lying twenty feet above water.
Not the most ideal.. but it can work.
He let Sandy go first, following after once she had gotten to the other side. The novice swordsman held his hand out to his partner, and together, they inched across, ignoring the deep pool beneath them. The rest of the cave was thankfully ordinary. Dank, slightly wet, pretty empty. Only the sounds of their steps and Sandy's barks provided a modicum of company besides each other. While he didn't want to admit it, the whole place was pretty creepy. Just thinking about having to go through this whole cave. Alone... He was confident that the monsters would be easy. They didn't appear much during the day and weren't too troublesome, but if Gemma wasn't with him now, then that meant she would've been by herself.
Gemma tapped his shoulder. He blinked and snapped out of his thoughts. "Huh?"
She sighed, "I was trying to ask you what was wrong. You had an awful serious look just a moment ago, and you've been silent since we entered."
Eleven shook his head. "I just couldn't imagine going through this without you or Sandy. Sure, I want to reach the top, but if I had to do it alone..."
Gemma tilted her head. "I can't imagine you having trouble on a stroll like this, even with monsters. You took care of those slimes before, you could do it again if you had to."
"Eh, I could. Maybe. I'm just saying that... I'm glad you're with me."
Grinning, she said, "Well of course! Where else would I be?" Jokingly adding, “Anyway, we should hurry. This atmosphere couldn't be good for your hair Eleven."
He shook his head but smiled back. "Yeah, let's get going."
It took a few more minutes of trudging through the cave, but eventually they came across a light at the end of the tunnel: the exit. Though when they stepped out, they were treated to a thick fog. The grassy area in front of them was heavily obscured by a whitening mist.
"Look at all this fog! Umm... is this normal, d'you think?" she pondered. Eleven opened his mouth to speak, but then a young voice cried out from the fog.
"Help! Help me!"
Gemma gasped, "Wh- Cole?!" A few feet in front of them a young kid, Cole, reached out from the floor, unhurt, but scared. What the heck is Cole doing all the way up here!?
Suddenly, the fog thickened, gathering behind Cole. The swirling winds glowed with bright orange light at its core, shaped into barely focused smiles. "It's not a fog at all— it's more monsters!" Eleven stepped forward, brandishing his sword. He yelled at Cole to get to safety, the kid frantically scrambled towards Gemma. The smogs tried to chase after but Eleven stepped up and intercepted with a desperate slash at the Smogs. But to no avail. They dissipated and formed mere inches away from the assault. Sandy tried to jump in as well, but was met with the same luck.
All around them the wind laughed wickedly. "That's not fair! How are you supposed to take them down if you can't hit them!" Gemma shouted, and Sandy snarled. Sadly they don't seem to really care about fair. he thought sourly. It's not as if they don't take any damage, but its so faint that he might as well not bother.
"Don't worry I've been saving a trick for something like this." He nodded. "If you can't hit them physically, just do it with magic!" Eleven drew in a deep breath and focused everything he had into the center of his palm. Feeling the air heat between his fingertips.
"Add a bit of energy, and there! Frizz!" Flames exploded into being and fired itself towards the congealed smog cloud. A look of surprise blossomed as the fireball seared through the creature, incinerating it. The last smog cloud bellowed menacingly towards the cloud killer. Suddenly it spun in on itself, the wind kicked up, blowing up rocks, leaves and hair. Then it stopped. When everyone looked up, it had disappeared, fled to some unknown place.
Eleven sheathed his sword. "I think it's gone." He nodded to Gemma and Cole.
The young boy looked between his two elders, eyes settling on Gamma, "I, I'm sorry Gemma. I came up here because I thought it'd be funny to jump out and surprise you. But then those monsters appeared!"
Gemma sighed, leaning the side of her head on her hand. "What in the world is going on? I never heard anything about monsters appearing on the Tor before.." Eleven shook his head. Neither have I, it's definitely strange.. Gemma nodded with him, a silent agreement, but then she turned towards Cole. "But nevermind that now.. Whatever were you thinking!? You could've been killed! You take Sandy and get back to the village this instant." She scolded sternly.
Cole shrunk at the angry blonde, "Y-yes Gemma.. Sorry, Gemma." Sandy led him towards the cave they just left, Cole following swiftly behind. But right at the mouth of the cave he stopped and turned back.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Gemma asked.
The young boy turned to Eleven, a big grin across his face. "Thanks for rescuing me."
The older boy just smiled and shook his head, "Anytime Cole. Now, you stay safe, your parents are probably worried out of their minds looking for you."
Cole looked back one last, before turning around and slipping into the cave's entrance.
Eleven cracked a small laugh along with Gemma, "You saved our bacon again. I knew you were tough, but crikey! You really have grown into quite the hero." After a brief pause her amazement turned to confusion, he gave her a worried look. What's wrong? "Its just, when did you learn how to use magic?" Eleven looked up, trying to remember. Well.. A while back.. Do you remember that traveling sorcerer who was heading to Heliodor? He showed me that spell one time and I- Gemma started to giggle. He blinked twice, now his turn to be befuddled.
"Eleven, you're doing it again."
His eyes widened and he scratched the back of his head. Nervous laughter rumbling in the back of his throat. "Sorry there Gemma. I learned it from a mage a while back. Though I don't really have a knack for it. One or two of those 'Frizz' spells and I'm done for most of the day." Gemma gawked.
"Goodness.. that's.. amazing! I couldn't imagine flinging fireballs like you did back there." She gushed. His blushed swelled with the flattery. "It was noth-" drip drip drip
The two looked up at the quickly darkening sky. The plitter patter of raindrops filled the mountain and the downpour set in. The blonde's excitement dimmed, "Typical, it would have to go and start raining, wouldn't it? Well… let's get a move on." Gemma gestured to the thick vine up ahead. With the rain it was somewhat difficult to climb up the tendril, but Eleven had managed to slowly inch up. Gemma wasn’t soo good with heights and he had to pull up the vine itself whilst she held tightly for dear life. By the time that they both had managed to get ontop the ledge the two of them were sweating, wet, and out of breath.
The next obstacle wasn’t so easy.
“Oh you’ve got to be joking.” Gemma cried out. Eleven’s shoulders slumped. Before them lay a tiny ledge, just barely enough to fit a single person.
“How anyone thought this was safe I have no idea.” Gemma said, exasperated; and he had to agree. Not only did this ledge curve around, it was raining, making the stone slippery. One bad step, and it was straight off the Tor for you. Gemma looked around, trying to figure out something to get them across.
“We can’t wait for the weather to dry up, it’ll take the whole day and them some. Oh, if only we had some sort of support-”
She paused and snapped back towards the vine behind them. Eleven could see the gears turning in her head. A moment later she looked to him, “I hate to keep relying on you for everything, but do you think that I can ask for your help once more?” Eleven nodded. “Good.”
Gemma strode over to the vine and pulled on it, the plant held sturdy. With a nod she handed it to Eleven, “Here take this, it should be long enough to take you to the other side. Once you reach the end, give a holler and I’ll start; using what’s between you and the tree as a lifeline. Got it?” She was worried, he could tell, but he agreed.
With the vine in his left hand he started across the thin passage. His back pressed against the mountain. Sword clanking anxiously against the stone. He was nearing the turn when the hilt got caught on something, pushing him forward. Eleven froze and pulled on the vine. The make-shift rope pulled taut and tightly, balancing him right before he tipped off the mountain. Carefully, and steadily, he managed to maneuver the sword to his side.
That was close.
With a grateful sigh, he leapt onto the other end of the path. Solid, non-dangling ground beneath his feet, and the threat of falling gone. He called out to Gemma that he made it to the other side, his grip tightening on the vine.
Gemma didn’t say anything, but he felt the vine dip. A little at first, but then more weight slowly was added. A moment later she rounded the corner, secured between the pseudo rope and the mountain, the journey for her was a fair bit easier thankfully. Eleven sighed in relief when she joined him on the stony platform. The blonde collapsed to her knees, releasing a deep breath.
“Crikey, I’m so glad that worked out.”
The young swordsman let out an anxious laugh, kneeling down next to her, “Yeah, same here.” For a moment they just lay there, rain tumbling down around them. But soon Eleven pulled Gemma up to her feet.
“We’re almost there, I can feel it. Think you can hold out for a bit longer?”
Gemma took a deep breath, nodding. “We came all this way, it’s not like we can back out now.”
After that they seemed to be in the clear. No more monsters, dangerous cliff-faces. Just another cave, and at the end, the cloudy skies peaked through the stone mouth. This was it, this was the top of the Tor. The end of the ceremony was nearly there. A wave of relief and excitement washed over them. It was almost over. But deep down, Eleven felt something.. Something, was just starting, here and now.