As they began their climb, Rion was amazed at just how steep it got right from the start. It only took an hour before his legs were sore and his breaths were heavy. Unfortunately, the path offered no mercy and no place to take a rest, so he continued up along the gray stone. Trying not to think how much further they still had to go.
Maria lagged behind Rion while Ezra remained up front, looking just as energized as he'd been when they started.
"How do you have so much energy!" Maria groaned.
Ezra turned back, grinning like he'd found a coin off the ground. "I'm using force. Just a little."
"Geh." Maria rolled her eyes. "I hate force freaks. Channeling magic through your body can't be right."
Ezra chuckled. "What do you mean? Nothing could be more right. The rush of force coursing through you… there's nothing like it."
Rion remembered back to when Lie had been telling him about channeling magic through his body and the possible risks. "Does that mean I'm using force when I cast my spells through my hands?" Rion asked.
Ezra paused a moment, furrowing his brow. "Nah, Force only applies to physical actions. Spells are still inherently magic regardless of where you cast them from." Then Ezra's face lit up like he'd thought of something. "But since you're already used to channeling magic through your hands, maybe you can manage force as well."
Rion held that thought, then glanced down to his burning legs. "I think I just might."
"Be careful though," Ezra said. "If you're not careful, you could blow your legs off—and that wouldn't help anyone, least of all you."
Rion gave an thin chuckle. "Haha... yeahh."
Rion stood still and drew in a steady breath. Then slowly, carefully, he guided magic into his feet. It was the same process as doing it to his hands. From there he slowly let the magic climb up higher, coating his ankles, his calves, his thighs before coming to a stop a right under Rion's waist.
Immediately, the burning sensation in Rion's legs faded, strength replacing the pain like a snake shedding its skin. Rion squatted down, hopped up, grinned, then hurried up beside Ezra feeling like a new man. "You were right, Ezra, this feels great!"
Ezra smiled wide, then he looked back at Maria with a knowing look. Maria's complaints chewed at their backs for a while as they continued the climb.
----
By evening they reached a narrow ledge with a deep cavern beneath it. One wrong step and that would be that.
"Be careful here," Ezra said. "If the rock gives way, you're done for."
Rion edged across it after Maria, looking down on the Anoria highway, which after many hours of climbing seemed impossibly distant.
Once they got over the ledge, they continued on, keeping a careful eye out for any falling stones or creatures, and good thing for it, because just then something lept out from behind a cluster of stone. It was a fairly large feline creature with a coat firm as a rock and teeth sharp as knives.
"That's a Colgar," Ezra said, reaching for his hammer. "They hunt in packs—"
He didn't even get time to finish before five more Colgars jumped out behind them, circling them slowly, low rumbling growls, fearsome and threatening.
"You guys ready?" Ezra asked, his voice tense.
Rion summonded a water sphere. "Yeah, I'm ready." Rion then looked over to Maria, who stayed silent. "Maria, what's wrong?"
She smiled faintly. "Nothing. I'm just wondering why you two are so eager to fight."
Maria hurriedly lifted her harp and started strumming a familiar tune. Ezra's eyes widened as he recognized it; it was the same tune that had knocked him out cold in the guild.
She continued to play, and one by one the shoulders and jaws of the colgars started to relax. Then the cats let out deep yawns before slumping to the ground, asleep.
Maria lowered her harp with a satisfied grin. "That's how you get things done!"
Rion and Ezra jaws dropped.
"Way to go Maria!" Ezra said.
"You can actually do stuff!" Cheered Rion.
"Hey!" Maria shouted.
----
From there the rest of the climb wasn't very much trouble, the party's sole obstacle being the darkening sky.
"We're almost there," said Ezra, actually sounding somewhat winded.
Rion and Maria were worse off, Maria especially. The two were panting heavily, their faces gleaming with sweat. As they made it up the last stretch of rock, they let out sighs of relief once they saw a wide cave entrance embedded in the mountain.
"We'll rest here tonight," Ezra said. "Tomorrow... the hard part starts."
Rion and Maria were far too tired to worry about what Ezra had just said; all they had on their minds now was lying down.
(And thus, Lost Keep's adventure continues…)