The Dangers of the Mountains

Saturday arrived.

The sun had yet to rise above the horizon but many people were already getting up for work.

George got up at six in the morning like his usual schedule and everyone else groggily got up with the sound of their alarms going off.

Nothing special happened.

Everyone cleaned themselves up and went down to a local restaurant chain serving breakfast meals. Since Emma offered to pay, nobody complained and ordered themselves a decent meal.

George took the chance to order himself a fat nutritious breakfast full of calories so he won't run out of energy when the begin travelling.

"Let's talk about the plans." George finished his meal first and took the initiative to start the discussion. Everyone focused their attention on him while eating away.

George pulled out a map of the Northern Mountain Range he had bought recently at Roastberry and laid it out on the table.

"We'll take a taxi to the farthest road in the mountains before walking the rest on foot. The journey is going to be very arduous physically and mentally. There are four key variables to be wary of. These are the climate, elevation, natural forces, danger zones, and the creatures native to the mountains. We'll talk about elevation, but this first requires talking about the history."

...

Akora has a giant hotspot which barely moves at all with a size equating to roughly 50% of the Northern Mountain Range. Surrounding the hotspot are a lot of magma veins which spread from the center like roots, forming mini volcanoes everywhere.

The hotspot has formed into a giant shield volcano with a huge magma chamber beneath. The entire plate of the continent has been slowing moving north which means the hotspot has been moving south for millions of years. The shield volcano has also been moving, leaving a large path of high altitude basalt rock which has become relatively flat from years of erosion.

The outer region consists of many volcanic mountains which extend from the hotspot.

The inner region begins abruptly at the foot of the shield volcano, with drastic elevation increases before stabilizing at around 14,000 feet. The timberline is roughly 13,000 feet. At those heights, breathing is much harder and it becomes easier to get tired.

After this consists of the flat top of the shield volcano. The main eruption site is at the southernmost point. Beyond this is the rocky eroded landscape from the past location of the main eruption site.

...

"Next is the climate. The weather beyond the halfway point is a bit milder although it can be a little cold. Once we get beyond the halfway point, the lands become a polar climate with average temperatures below 50 °F (10 °C). Well, at these elevations, snow is a possibility all year round."

"Aside from possible snowstorms and blizzards, there could be thunderstorms to watch out for. At these elevations, high wind gusts up to a 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) or more are common in the afternoons."

"Our main worry is the freezing temperatures and altitude sickness. If you experience fatigue, headaches, and rapid breathing, that is signs of altitude sickness. However, it should subside within a few days. Try to stay warm, eat and drink a lot, and keep your body moving. Movement will generate heat if you are properly insulated. I'll repeat this when we get close to the mid-point."

...

"We'll have to be a little bit alert of natural forces before the halfway point. All the mountains and high elevation means tons of snow on them throughout most of the year. That means the possibility of avalanches. Luckily, the chances of them are quite rare and we should be fine as long as we traverse the valleys."

"Most of the active volcanoes are in a period of low activity and the route I use doesn't get close to them. That should be the last of our concerns."

...

"Our biggest threat aside from the cold will be the creatures there, or well, one creature to be exact. The others aren't really a threat because of our group size and power, and most of them are not magical creatures to be exact."

"The one creature I'm talking about are the Frost Apes. Do you know what they are?"

"Sounds familiar."

"I've heard of them before."

"I vaguely know."

"..."

The four responded differently to his question.

"They are a species of ape that are native to the mountains and possess frost powers. They became endangered during the Great Demonic War because of the demons hunting them, but have rebounded in population numbers. They are at the top of the food chain aside from us."

"They are seven feet tall and many times stronger than the average person. Their fists can destroy boulders or even toss them a distance. They have a type of frost breath they use on an opponent which can freeze them if they are not powerful enough."

"They are very aggressive, very territorial, and live in groups of twenty to fifty. They compete with each other and occasionally have fights between territory. Their fights are bloody and gruesome."

"Their territory is situated in the mountainous areas of the outer region but not too close to the perimeter where the temperatures are warm. They won't be a problem for the first three weeks of travel, but we will need to be a little cautious beyond this point."

"You mean we'll have to fight apes?" Bernice shivered at the thought of fighting giant apes with frost powers. Hester's face turned grim at the mental image as well.

"Not to worry." George calmly explained, "I use a route which moves in-between the territory of some of the largest groups without losing too much time. They haven't collapsed since I started using this route ten years ago."

"That's better." Bernice sighed in relief and Hester did so secretly.

"That doesn't mean we should be carefree." George focused his attention on them seriously, "They like to send out guards to monitor the edges of their territory and scouts in-between to look for food. If you spot one alone, it'll likely be the two of them unless it's a deserter."

"That means keeping an eye on your surroundings. They have white fur and easily blend in with snow. If you spot one, hide from the ape until it leaves. If you wish to take it down, do it quickly and quietly. It'll run away to alert the others of our presence, and if that happens it'd be best to flee. The average apes are C-rank while the elite apes are B-rank. The leaders are A-rank. It depends on the group size, but there's a good chance of you all dying at the most and severe injures at the least."

"It sounds like you've encountered them before. How'd you get away?" Abe spoke up after being silent all this time.

"I have my methods." George answered without any hint of pride. He pondered for a second and spoke again.

"If you really wanna reach the halfway point with minimal risk as possible, you'll all have to follow my instructions when arrive at their territory in a month. I'll explain when we get there."

...

"The last major thing to worry about are the anomalies in the mountains."

"Although the demons caused major damage to the lands, these danger zones were practically unaffected. They consist of mysterious arrays, ruins, castles, traps, strange cities, and areas full of death. Most originate from ancient eras when human civilizations reached advanced levels of mastery over magic, while some are outright alien and do not seem to belong to this world."

"These anomalies are either dead or active. The dead ones are not of concern, but the active ones are incredibly dangerous and mysterious enough that even those above A-rank can die."

"The path I use avoids most of these, but some of them do move. If you spot one, notify me immediately. Depending on what it is, we may have to flee for our lives or cautiously move around."

"The closest one is a week's walk distance away, but this one is stationary near the path and can be safely observed as long as you don't enter. The further we go in, the more common these remnants will become and the more cautious we'll need to be."

Everyone's face turned serious, while Hester's face turned green from anger at his parents for making him take this quest.

...

"Does anyone have any questions?"

"Um." Bernice raised her hand like a student.

"Yes?"

"Wouldn't it be better to tell us about the weather and elevation beyond the halfway point when we get there rather than now? Won't we all forget?"

"I'm telling you now to make sure you have all your supplies ready for beyond the halfway point. If I tell you there and you don't have the supplies, we aren't going back to buy them. Am I right?" George looked at them and their faces turned awkward.

"I guess I do need to buy more supplies." Abe muttered.

"Me too." Said Emma.

Bernice and Hester also nodded.

"Buy a week's worth of standard rations and thirty weeks worth of iron rations. They should barely fit in your backpacks assuming you have all the right gear and other supplies."

"We still have twenty minutes before seven. There's a few stores in the area that sells all kinds of supplies. Go there and get what you can and I'll wait for you all."

--------------------------------------------------------------

Twenty minutes later, the group returned to the restaurant where George patiently waited.

The backpacks and gear they had on looked heavier and thicker than before.

"Try to get used to the weight you have on your backs, because it's gonna be a long journey."