One-Eyed Monster

Winter mornings always arrived late. The sun, like an old man, slowly and carefully scattered its light across the earth, as if moving even a bit faster would cause him to be toppled by the freezing winter chill.

Upon receiving the first ray of sunshine, Guru Mountain, like all other things, slowly began its day's awakening, though no outward sign would betray it.

Dawn Peak of Guru Mountain showed no signs of life. Though it appeared lush and green, with vegetation sprawling everywhere, no birdsong could be heard. This silence was expected on winter mornings, but it was very unusual for it to persist even into the summer.

But Guru Mountain was not entirely a mountain of death. Behind Dawn Peak lay a vast expanse of mountain hollows and low valleys. Though shrouded in mist and difficult to discern clearly, this area was the lifeline of Guru Mountain. Outsider Treasure Hunters were naturally unaware of this, but for the native Kadi, it was all too familiar.

"The stars of last night have long since slumbered, and my mood is simply wonderful. I am the summer wind, I am the winter's spark... la la la..."

His cheerful mood made Kadi want to burst into song. Last night, over roasted Mountain Boar meat and Rum Fruit juice, Kadi and his friend Igor had chatted for a long while. Even now, Igor was still curled up, clutching a Rum Fruit, fast asleep.

It seemed the cold night hadn't bothered Igor much, nor had the morning stirrings of Guru Mountain managed to rouse this sleepy lad.

Kadi woke with the mountain. Without considering whether Igor would appreciate it, he kicked him. "Daybreak, lazybones!"

"AH!" Igor felt a sharp pain in his backside. The sudden jolt made him leap up, and the gourd-like Rum Fruit he was holding tumbled to the ground.

"Why did you kick me?"

"How else am I supposed to wake you? Back when I used to sneak naps on the mountain, if I got caught, that old fellow Kevin would always kick me awake." Kadi blinked, unfazed.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude to wake someone up like that?"

"I'm surrounded by monsters," Kadi shrugged. "Of course, no one has ever told me what 'rude' means."

"Er, I can't argue with that." Igor rubbed his sore backside and stretched lazily. He looked as though he had slept quite well.

"If you don't get up soon, the sun will be shining on your butt. This is the best way to wake you."

"Please, there are many ways to wake someone up; there's no need to resort to such a crude method!" Igor chuckled. Of course, he also knew that if Kadi had tried any other way, he might not have woken from his deep sleep.

"Like what?" Kadi pressed. All his habits had been taught by Kevin, so now that he heard something different, he naturally wouldn't let it go.

"Er, for instance, you could try shaking me awake, or tapping me awake, or..."

CRACK— Before Igor could finish, he saw Kadi bring a claw down hard on the Rum Fruit on the ground. Its sturdy shell instantly shattered into powder.

"Like this?" Kadi asked, lifting his claw and staring with wide eyes.

Igor gulped, inwardly relieved that Kadi's claw hadn't struck his face. If it had, my face would probably be a bloody mess by now.

"Er, on second thought, just kick me awake like you did today." After weighing the consequences of both methods, Igor decided that a kick to the backside was the preferable option.

These monsters are incredibly strong, and they don't know their own strength! Taking a casual hit from them is no joke.

So, seeing the shattered Rum Fruit, Igor decisively abandoned the idea of being patted awake by Kadi.

"Ugh, you humans are truly strange creatures," Kadi grumbled. "One moment you say it's crude, the next you say it's fine. So fickle, and you never finish what you're saying. It's so exasperating!" He sounded as if the whole exchange had exhausted a great deal of his energy and time.

"Er..." Igor wanted to explain. But then he realized Kadi's habit wasn't formed in a day. Changing something so deeply ingrained would be incredibly difficult. A few persuasive words certainly wouldn't alter Kadi's crude habits; it would have to be a gradual process, not rushed.

So Igor decided to play dumb. He looked left, then right, scratched his head, and shrugged, essentially ignoring Kadi's complaints.

Of course, Kadi the monster had no time to indulge Igor's act. He had awakened with the mountain because, in a sense, he had merged with it. Guru Mountain was Kadi's home, and now something seemed amiss with the mountain. He felt he had to do something.

Kadi couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong, but recent events and certain anomalies on the mountain filled him with a growing unease.

This unease even dispelled his rare good mood.

I have to see Kevin, Kadi muttered to himself, then shook his body like a large cat shaking off dew after waking up.

"You said last night this is Ghost Wind Valley. I want to know how far it is from Guru Village. Logically, it shouldn't be far from those taverns, right?" Igor hadn't quite heard Kadi's earlier murmur. Gazing at the red morning sun, a warmth spread through his chest, and he instantly forgot the sting from splashing cold water on his face moments before.

"Hmm?" Kadi stared at Igor, puzzled by his words.

"I mean, we've come down the mountain, haven't we? So this place should be close to Guru Village. We should be able to reach the taverns at the foot of the mountain just by crossing this forest!" Igor tried to explain.

"Ugh." Kadi listened, then slapped a hand to his forehead. "Are you really this dense, Igor, or are you just pretending?"

"Huh?" Now it was Igor's turn to be dumbfounded.

"This is deep in the mountains! It's not that easy to get to the village. Besides, I'm a monster; I've never been to those taverns. How would I know?"

"Deep in the mountains?"

"Yes. This is Ghost Wind Valley, between Grey Eagle Peak and Dawn Peak. The village you're talking about is on the other side of Dawn Peak!"

"Oh. So you mean I can't get back to the village anytime soon."

"Not 'anytime soon.' To be precise, right now you couldn't find your way out alone at all. Look around you. Isn't everything shrouded in layers of fog? Can you even see very far?"

Hearing this, Igor looked around. Sure enough, the distance was a vast expanse of white. Strangely, though, when he looked up, the sky was incredibly clear. The glowing red sun hung high, radiating warm light.

"This is Guru Mountain. This is the deep mountains—unfathomable."

"Why is the fog only swirling around on the ground when the sky is so clear?" Igor was completely bewildered.

"I don't know either. It's been like this for as long as I can remember. Sometimes you can see far into the distance, and other times you can't even make out its outline."

"How strange!"

"That's why I told you to stick close to me. At least I know the paths in these mountains."

"Er..."

"If I left you alone in these deep mountains, you'd get lost quickly. Even with that supposedly omnipotent Spirit Book from the great Lord Soron, you wouldn't be able to find your way out of this dense fog. The depths of Guru Mountain aren't like other places; you can't just come and go as you please!"