03-15-2010, 04:21 PM
Szar couldn't help but think this was a waste of his time. If he'd stuck in Hell, if he'd made the trek to Dabura he would have had his life restored. Granted, he was alive, but being stuck wandering through someone's acid trip in one moment and scaling a mountain in the snow while tethered to Piper wasn't what he'd had in mind. Not that Piper was a bad person for him to be working with; he actually enjoyed her company immensely. She had the same sorts of training he had, and looked at situations in the same ways that he did. Together they would make a formidable duo. Years of military training and study couldn't have prepared him for the cold of this mountain.
Szar was an Icer, he had been born on a planet with a climate very similar to this one. However, when he had relocated to Kajin Rala, he had grown accustomed to the climate-controlled temperatures there and thus the cold was quite jarring. Even with his parka--the seemingly unbreakable parka--he was wearing, the wind still bit at him. And from an aesthetic standpoint, the pink hue of the jacket clashed with his purple skin, making him look like some sort of doll. Szar could tell Piper was doing her best not to laugh at him, not that he would have blamed her if she had. He looked ridiculous, plain and simple.
Hoisting himself upward Szar let his eyes wander to the mountain's peak. It was so far away, veiled by clouds and falling snow. The good news was this event, unlike his last, had a defined objective, something he could work towards. He would make it to the peak first with Piper and they would claim victory over whomever they were competing against. His pride wouldn't allow anything less. So, with renewed fervor he set to scaling the wall of ice he and Piper had been clamoring up. Below him the human faltered slightly as Szar's pace increased, but she quickly recovered and set up after him. After a few minute's speed-climbing, the Changeling finally reached the top. Turning around he lowered his hand to Piper, pulling her up with him. Together, they assessed the situation.
"Well, it's level for a little ways." Szar noted, illiciting a nod from Piper. "But from there it's...I'd say 500 feet of steep ice wall. After that...I can't tell, it's too cloudy."
Piper stared into the haze for a moment before nodding in agreement with what the Icer had said. "Well, at least it's flat for a little while. Come on, let's move."
Stepping forward, she stopped in her tracks as she heard the sound of cracking ice. Looking down, she saw cracks spider-webbing their way across the sheet of ice they were standing on. Finally it gave way, and Piper was sent sprawling down into the chasm. Thankfully, Szar had been close enough to the edge of the hole and he'd managed to dig the ice pick into the wall, stopping them from falling to death.
"Now you owe me one." Szar grunted as he fumbled around in the pack they'd been provided for a rope. "I'll have us out of here in just a..."
He stopped as a rope with a hook tied to the end of it whizzed past him, digging into the ground at the top of the hole. Piper was quick to climb past him, grinning as she went by. "What was that you were saying?" she laughed as Szar came up after her.
"I would have gotten us out..." Szar whined as he pulled himself out of the pit and onto solid ground. "It's these damned mittens."
"Yep. It's the mittens fault. Whatever you say. Let's just keep going."
*******
"There's no way we'll make it up there." Szar complained as the duo drudged through the snow. "Who knows, the other team might already have made it up there. What's the point in..."
"Szar, if you're just going to whine this whole time, you might as well just shut up. And who cares if they made it or not. We're not going to stop here just because you think this is a waste of time." Piper had had enough of the Changeling and his whining. "Now come on, we're going."
The Icer was seething as they set up the mountain again, Piper leading the way and Szar reluctantly following. It wasn't like him to be this depressed. He was in the company of a friend on a leisurely climb up an unbelievably tall mountain laden with pitfalls and who knows what else. All for the amusement of some punk with too much money and not enough friends. Whatever, griping wouldn't get him anywhere. He just had to try to focus on the task at hand. And right now, that task was getting to the top as quickly as possible. Besides, if he was going to give Gamer the ass kicking he deserved, he'd need to get close to him. And what better way to do that was to finish all of his events and take first prize? It wasn't likely that Szar would in fact win, but he definitely wouldn't if he didn't try. Steeling his resolve, he pushed himself higher, each step bringing him closer to the top, and event's end.
He was quick to stop when a resounding growl sounded from somewhere. Piper looking down at him confirmed that she had heard it too. Then, they heard the sound again, only now it was coming from below them. Peering down, they saw a strange creature huddled at the base of the incline. It was covered head to toe in thick, white hair. Its face was purple with beady eyes and a nose that looked like it had been punched in, its mouth was agape, sharp teeth clenched in a snarl.
"That...doesn't look friendly." Szar stated to his fellow climber.
"No shit!" she shot back, "let's pick up the pace. Maybe we can lose it."
Nodding his agreement the pair redoubled their efforts, climbing with impressive speed. The beast was hot on their trail, making up the distance quickly. Finally, a small outcropping came into view and Piper hoisted herself on to it, turning back to Szar, her eyes widened.
"Look out behind you!" she screamed frantically.
Szar barely had the time to look down before the snow beast latched on to his ankle. It roared furiously as it used Szar as a ladder, pulling itself up the cable towards Piper. Reaching for his mallet, the Icer gripped it tightly before swinging it at the creature. The blow struck it in the back and it yowled in pain and fury, its attention set on Szar. Raising his mallet again, Szar readied himself to swing again. In that instant the beast was on him, clawing and scratching at his armor.
Abandoning the mallet to the pack on his back, Szar took to grappling with the yeti. Piper looked on, her mittens had come off revealing the gauntlet she'd taken from the carnival. The crystal set in its palm glowing red, Piper lined up her shot. Her opening came when Szar punched the yeti in the face, and it doubled back for a moment. In that instant she fired, striking the creature square in the face with a concentrated burst of ki. She hit it again in the shoulder, and Szar felt the creature's grip loosen. With a forceful swing of his tail, the yeti fell, screaming, to the ground below. Panting from the tussle, Szar threw a thumbs up to his partner, and she returned it.
"Can you pull me up now?" the Icer wheezed, "I just want to get off of this mountain."
Szar was an Icer, he had been born on a planet with a climate very similar to this one. However, when he had relocated to Kajin Rala, he had grown accustomed to the climate-controlled temperatures there and thus the cold was quite jarring. Even with his parka--the seemingly unbreakable parka--he was wearing, the wind still bit at him. And from an aesthetic standpoint, the pink hue of the jacket clashed with his purple skin, making him look like some sort of doll. Szar could tell Piper was doing her best not to laugh at him, not that he would have blamed her if she had. He looked ridiculous, plain and simple.
Hoisting himself upward Szar let his eyes wander to the mountain's peak. It was so far away, veiled by clouds and falling snow. The good news was this event, unlike his last, had a defined objective, something he could work towards. He would make it to the peak first with Piper and they would claim victory over whomever they were competing against. His pride wouldn't allow anything less. So, with renewed fervor he set to scaling the wall of ice he and Piper had been clamoring up. Below him the human faltered slightly as Szar's pace increased, but she quickly recovered and set up after him. After a few minute's speed-climbing, the Changeling finally reached the top. Turning around he lowered his hand to Piper, pulling her up with him. Together, they assessed the situation.
"Well, it's level for a little ways." Szar noted, illiciting a nod from Piper. "But from there it's...I'd say 500 feet of steep ice wall. After that...I can't tell, it's too cloudy."
Piper stared into the haze for a moment before nodding in agreement with what the Icer had said. "Well, at least it's flat for a little while. Come on, let's move."
Stepping forward, she stopped in her tracks as she heard the sound of cracking ice. Looking down, she saw cracks spider-webbing their way across the sheet of ice they were standing on. Finally it gave way, and Piper was sent sprawling down into the chasm. Thankfully, Szar had been close enough to the edge of the hole and he'd managed to dig the ice pick into the wall, stopping them from falling to death.
"Now you owe me one." Szar grunted as he fumbled around in the pack they'd been provided for a rope. "I'll have us out of here in just a..."
He stopped as a rope with a hook tied to the end of it whizzed past him, digging into the ground at the top of the hole. Piper was quick to climb past him, grinning as she went by. "What was that you were saying?" she laughed as Szar came up after her.
"I would have gotten us out..." Szar whined as he pulled himself out of the pit and onto solid ground. "It's these damned mittens."
"Yep. It's the mittens fault. Whatever you say. Let's just keep going."
*******
"There's no way we'll make it up there." Szar complained as the duo drudged through the snow. "Who knows, the other team might already have made it up there. What's the point in..."
"Szar, if you're just going to whine this whole time, you might as well just shut up. And who cares if they made it or not. We're not going to stop here just because you think this is a waste of time." Piper had had enough of the Changeling and his whining. "Now come on, we're going."
The Icer was seething as they set up the mountain again, Piper leading the way and Szar reluctantly following. It wasn't like him to be this depressed. He was in the company of a friend on a leisurely climb up an unbelievably tall mountain laden with pitfalls and who knows what else. All for the amusement of some punk with too much money and not enough friends. Whatever, griping wouldn't get him anywhere. He just had to try to focus on the task at hand. And right now, that task was getting to the top as quickly as possible. Besides, if he was going to give Gamer the ass kicking he deserved, he'd need to get close to him. And what better way to do that was to finish all of his events and take first prize? It wasn't likely that Szar would in fact win, but he definitely wouldn't if he didn't try. Steeling his resolve, he pushed himself higher, each step bringing him closer to the top, and event's end.
He was quick to stop when a resounding growl sounded from somewhere. Piper looking down at him confirmed that she had heard it too. Then, they heard the sound again, only now it was coming from below them. Peering down, they saw a strange creature huddled at the base of the incline. It was covered head to toe in thick, white hair. Its face was purple with beady eyes and a nose that looked like it had been punched in, its mouth was agape, sharp teeth clenched in a snarl.
"That...doesn't look friendly." Szar stated to his fellow climber.
"No shit!" she shot back, "let's pick up the pace. Maybe we can lose it."
Nodding his agreement the pair redoubled their efforts, climbing with impressive speed. The beast was hot on their trail, making up the distance quickly. Finally, a small outcropping came into view and Piper hoisted herself on to it, turning back to Szar, her eyes widened.
"Look out behind you!" she screamed frantically.
Szar barely had the time to look down before the snow beast latched on to his ankle. It roared furiously as it used Szar as a ladder, pulling itself up the cable towards Piper. Reaching for his mallet, the Icer gripped it tightly before swinging it at the creature. The blow struck it in the back and it yowled in pain and fury, its attention set on Szar. Raising his mallet again, Szar readied himself to swing again. In that instant the beast was on him, clawing and scratching at his armor.
Abandoning the mallet to the pack on his back, Szar took to grappling with the yeti. Piper looked on, her mittens had come off revealing the gauntlet she'd taken from the carnival. The crystal set in its palm glowing red, Piper lined up her shot. Her opening came when Szar punched the yeti in the face, and it doubled back for a moment. In that instant she fired, striking the creature square in the face with a concentrated burst of ki. She hit it again in the shoulder, and Szar felt the creature's grip loosen. With a forceful swing of his tail, the yeti fell, screaming, to the ground below. Panting from the tussle, Szar threw a thumbs up to his partner, and she returned it.
"Can you pull me up now?" the Icer wheezed, "I just want to get off of this mountain."