The Systems Challenge-Chapter 445: Mountain Travel

Although, since Kim's group hadn't travelled the conventional way, to where the other groups and combined with theirs, she couldn't say how close it might be to the edge of the mountains here. It was possible that they were closer than where that teleportation spring had been located, but they could just as easily be farther away.

She hoped that it wouldn't be very long, but that didn't exactly mean that they'd be able to make it out in a matter of days. It was possible that it might even be weeks, with how long they'd already been in the mountains here.

Even being 'close' to the edge of the mountains could just as easily take a week, or more, when on foot without a broken path. Especially when they needed to stop during the middle of the day to avoid deviating from the direction they'd been working on staying on. If they hadn't agreed on only traveling east,

Kim reasoned that she might have screwed up with her suggestion. On the first day of them travelling only east, she'd suggested that they continue on during the day, but was quickly voted down by Owen, Bart, Elwin, Sonya, Patricia, and Patrick.

The reason they gave was that they needed to make sure that they only traveled east and if they didn't have the sun to guide them, then they wouldn't be able to be certain that they weren't deviating a little.

Kim felt the reason was rather inane, although she suspected that Sonya had a different reason for voting the way she did. Although, she was apparently even tight lipped about it when it came to Heather. The one person she pretty much told everything else to.

Although, Kim wasn't sure how to find another way to get them to travel any faster. Especially with the steep slopes and unforgiving rocks that threatened their wellbeing should they fall down the slopes onto them.

Then on the fourth day, they reached a mountain with a slope too steep for them to climb. It also wasn't one that would allow them to just go around like they were otherwise supposed to do, which Kim also suspected that they wouldn't be as eager to do, given their change attitude towards Kim's earlier suggestion on travelling during the day.

While it wasn't exactly impassable, the slope was steep enough that it felt rather dangerous to Kim and she didn't like the idea of Elin climbing that on her own. Heather, Elmo, Bart, and Patricia also might even have trouble themselves with it. Though, she couldn't say for sure. All she could be sure of was that it would put Elin in danger.

Which, naturally, she couldn't let the others know about since that would hurt her arguments for finding an alternative way past this obstacle without deviating from the same course.

"So, guess it's time for you to give us all a ride," Kim remarked to Sonya. "As we might be able to push on with slopes this steep, but it'll really slow us down as it is. If we can make it, that is. If we don't then, we'll be stuck here until we either get an airlift or we come up with some other direction to go in."

"You're really not going to give me much of a choice, are you?" Sonya asked, still in her wolf form, though the words did come out a little weird because of the different shape of her mouth.

Kim merely shook her head. "Not really. I mean, you did say that you would if we encountered something like this, so it's pretty much time for you to pay up on that offer."

"I can climb that," Elwin protested, although to Kim it came out as half a boast.

"What about Elin and Heather, or even Bart?" Owen asked. "You might be as fit as ever, but I really doubt that everyone here would be like that. Plus, we really ought to keep our group together just in cast we need the numbers for fighting some threat we didn't see coming."

Read 𝓁atest chapters at fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm Only.

"It's okay, Sonya," Heather said to Sonya's wolf-scowl as she stroked Sonya's head. "Just set us down on the nearest slope that isn't too steep. We'll be fine at that point."

"It'll be just one trip, right?" Sonya asked, clearly skeptical about the situation. "Anyone who doesn't ride will have to just catch up, okay?"

Kim nodded. "Agreed. I have no problems with that." Kim turned to look at the others. "Anyone else have a problem with it?"

While no one said anything in response, Kim didn't let small details about how Bart being short of breath stop her assertion. He could try to at least gasp out a protest if he really wanted to, but he didn't.

As such, she took it all to mean that no one had any objections.

"Okay, Sonya," Kim said. "Everyone's in agreement, so you can transform when you're ready."

Sonya sighed, like she was being made to do something really hard. Rather than just something she just didn't want to do. Which for Kim, was something that was a daily occurrence in this world, dealing with this competition.

Which is why she had little to no sympathy for Sonya at this time. Besides, she had agreed to it. Just because she didn't think she'd actually have to live up to that promise wasn't what mattered. What mattered was that she had offered in the first place of her own free will.

Despite Sonya's complaints, it didn't take her long before she had turned into a dragon and had everyone loaded on top of her. Although it was clear that it wasn't comfortable at all for her and she made her displeasure well known.

When Sonya was trying to get over the mountains, her wings were beating steadily, though they were only slowly rising up. Not like when they'd flown on Sonya before.

The difference that Kim suspected to be the problem was the fact that Sonya had so many people riding her now. As before they'd divide themselves into two loads for Sonya, but now it they were all in a single load.

If Stanley and his group were there and with them, even if they could get Sonya to be willing to carry them again, Kim was pretty sure that they'd be on their own. That they'd be the first to have to find their own way. With or without the help of their Blynx.

As they started to reach the top of the mountain, the sun was nearing the horizon and Kim wondered if Sonya really was getting tired or if she was putting on a show to display her displeasure at having had to have turned into a shape she didn't want to right then. While it was possible that was the case, the fact that it took her hours to climb as high as she had, spoke to the fact that she could actually have worn herself out just climbing this high. Though Kim suspected that it might be a combination of the two.

However, they were now going over the mountains. Through a route that would have very few obstacles to hinder them. At least until they found a place that was so difficult to get through with the mountains.

Kim hoped that it might be around when they reached the foothills, if nothing else.