AC: Round 1 - Group 6

[Ceidon]

“Not lost,” Ceidon mumbled, “just unlucky.” The flickering mountain stood as a beacon in the distance, but every time the party managed to scale one precipice they were met with either another crevice or another cliff too steep to ascend directly. As a result, they were forced to zigzag across the island to reach their destination and everyone was getting frustrated, Ceidon included. Each detour they took gave the other groups an opportunity to reach the Omega Infinitum first.

Ceidon stood on yet another rock overlooking yet another crevice and scratched his chin. He hadn’t shaved in a few days and his jaw was rough to the touch. Below them was another valley containing a few trees and more annoying birds. To descend and ascend would only take about an hour, but it would require a good amount of rock climbing and posed a real threat of falling. Alternatively they could stay on the edge of the precipice and walk around the valley, but that would take at least three more hours.

“We don’t have time for that,” Ceidon said in response to Zack. “We have to make a decision. We can either head down into this valley then climb back up or we can go around it. Heading into the valley is a lot quicker, but it doesn’t look very safe.” He turned around to face his crew. “What do you…” Suddenly Ceidon’s eyes turned wide. A mountain lion had emerged from a rock directly above Inwuhou.

The mountain lion gave a low growl, signaling to everyone else that she was there. However, instead of worrying, Ceidon grinned. Finally, he had an opportunity to prove to everyone that he wasn’t a buffoon. This wasn’t the first time the adventurer had come face to a face with a mountain lion. His first encounter happened two years ago in Raiaera. There, he managed to save Cadeacus’ life by putting an arrow through the beast’s heart. Ceidon was sure he could do it again.

“Don’t worry,” Ceidon whispered. “I’ve got this one.” Slowly, he reached his arm behind his back to grab his mahogany bow. After grabbing around a bit, Ceidon discovered, much to his dismay, that the bow was not there! Oh no Ceidon thought to himself. Then he remembered. He never brought his bow with him to the briefing, only his sword! “Uh, on second thought, you take this one Zack Blaze.” Ceidon hopped off the rock, scurried on over to Zack and hid behind him. “Well, go on!”

Suddenly, the mountain lion jumped down from the rock and landed in between Zack and Inwuhou. The rapid action startled Ceidon and he took a few steps back not realizing how close he was to the edge. When the lion growled again, Ceidon jumped and lost his footing on the cliff. “Zack Blaze!” he called out while falling backwards. “Help!” Ceidon reached forward and tried to grab onto Zack’s belt before he fell.