Not So Sweet Candyland

L: The Journey Up

Chase and Berry were now face to face with the mountain. They were ready to take on the adventure and the risk.

The second that one stepped on the blanket of snow, that's when an invisible gun shot off in their head.

"Can you do this?" Berry asked.

"Of course."

And that was the start.

Climbing a mountain. A mountain that's physical but also a mental mountain. Just like a challenge that nobody was ready for.

The snow fell faster when they first stepped on, and it was powdery, causing them to sink in.

"Come on!" Berry tried to not get stuck in.

"What else is there to do? Let's just look up. We have a mountain to climb. I believe in you, can you believe in me?"

Chase held out his hand and Berry took it.

"We can do this. Ok?"

"Yeah, yeah."

The mountain was increasingly getting steeper and steeper. And with that, the snow was falling harder and harder, with every second.

Chase looked up, they only just started and now, they are too low for the mountain's standards.

So, they climbed and climbed up and up, more and more.

"We can do this."

Whenever the journey was getting good, it seemed that the wind would get worse, the snow would fall harder, and the mountain only got steeper and intense with every step.

"We're going to make it."

In this case, Chase was the one that was constantly reassuring and the one that was confident in this case. He was in the lead, while Berry was shortly behind.

DOOM!

A cloud fizzled among them and they were even more bundled up than ever. As in, no part of loose skin was showing anymore.

"If you don't bundle up, then you're either die because of the cold temperatures or get hyperthermia in seconds."

"How cold does it even get up there?"

"I don't know, maybe -50 below in Celsius. Or Fahrenheit because you're an American."

"Now, you're making me doubt everything."

Berry sighed.

"Of course I do. Every time. Every single time."

"You know where you're going and what you're doing. How do we get out of this as quickly as possible?"

"Survive. Sometimes, nature will be against you. And what can you do? Just go along with it. You can't fight everything, so you just might have to stand your ground and fight for what you want. Even if it's not with weapons. Sometimes, you have to fight with only yourself."

"Considering it's you that needs that advice."

Berry gasped.

"Take those words back!"

"I wish I could." He laughed.

At a sudden, a gust of wind that was stronger than any ones before blew and nearly threw Berry off of the cliff that they were on.

"Berry!"

Chase held out his hand for her to take.

"Stupid wind. Even when I try to do anything, that wind will always take me."

That's when she seemed sad beneath all of her gear.

"Ian..." she mumbled.

"What?"

"NOTHING!"

Deep down inside, she missed Ian. That was her first love and that's how she understood the world, through somebody's eyes. But now, there's Chase. And yeah, Chase might not be her ideal type, but sometimes, you don't fall for your own ideal type.

The wind was still bad, and Chase nearly fell forward in this case. Berry grabbed him.

"Don't break any bones. Come on, we still have a mountain to climb, as you say."

Chase started to get cold feet as they kept on climbing the mountain.

"Berry, I don't want to do this anymore!"

"What do you mean that you don't want to do this anymore? Look at where we are! Unless you want to fall off and break your bones, then we are not going back down! And why would I let you in the first place anyways? Giving up is stupid! Why would you give up when we still have a long way to go? Have hope! We are almost there."

"I don't know if I have hope anymore. I'm tired, I'm hungry. All I want to do is go all the way home. Back to my hometown in Colorado. Now, I'm being serious."

"With that attitude, no you won't."

"What do you mean?"

"One, you're a whiner and two, you're a baby. We're almost there."

"I hope so."

"You never know, and you'll never guess it next."

They were silent for a little until that's when the mountain stopped slopping upwards and the sky could be seen.

"Is that really the end?"

"What else do you think it is?"

However, the end was steep. And Rocky, very Rocky.

On their way to the top, Berry and Chase tripped on a series of rocks and that's when they entered the tip of the mountain.

They got up and walked a short distance of 3 miles until they finally saw a civilian. There was somebody waiting for them, and the two of them were struggling just to walk to him.

"Help!" Berry called from a distance.

But, the person just stood there.

The wind at the top was more intense and harder, and the snow was at it's sharpest and most intense. Berry nearly flinched.

"EXCUSE ME! PLEASE HELP!"

That's when Berry got mad.

"Are you fucking serious?"

She pushed Chase away and tried to run in the extra heavy snow.

Looking like an idiot.

The man was there and she finally looked at him, dead in the eye.

"Well done. I guess you made it here, alive and with no magic."

"I'm not like that."

"I know what you want. You adventurer."

He gave her a glance and then signaled her to look into her pockets.

Berry went through her coat pockets and found a white key.

"What is this?" She screamed as the wind howled back at her.

"It's a snowflake shape shifter key. With this, you can open any door that exist in any dimension, even in the real world."

"Even in the real world?"

"Why else would you be here?"

By then, Chade came running about and he was with Berry.

"I see, you brought the human along with you. Oh, give him the adventure of his life, his species is dying of brain damage. But, there's sleds, so ride down the mountain and enjoy."

The man pointed to a sled.