Eventually I am forced to give up trying to remember what it is and just empty out the pouch completely. It has been about an hour since the first pulse before I finally find what is causing it. In my hand is an amulet that I remember seeing before but I can't remember where it came from.

After putting everything else back in my pouch I try putting the necklace on. I feel a little silly because it is a small dainty thing, but as soon as I put it on, what I see changes. Where before there were sheer rock faces and horrible terrain I now see an easy path to follow.

That is when I remember the library I read about in the archmage's journal, which means this is the necklace I got off of him. I had forgotten all about it because I couldn't identify it, it has been sitting in the pouch all this time. Since it is showing me a path I decide to start following it, and thanks to that I have a much easier time progressing up the mountain.

That is not to say that it is easy going, just easier than climbing sheer rock faces. There are numerous places where I am too big and have to move slowly while shuffling sideways to pass them. The path winds its way around the mountain in a spiral, even using the path it looks like it will take days to reach the summit.

Did the archmage really use this path, or did he just fly up to the library, I wonder. Just as I am thinking that a sudden gust of wind almost tears me off the mountain and I am forced to drop flat and dig my claws into the rock until it passes. Once it is safe and I am able to move again I remember hearing in a movie that mountains create their own weather.

So I am guessing the archmage didn't fly up, but maybe he teleported instead. I just can't see him using this path every time he wanted to visit the library. I don't know for sure but it seems to me like the archmage would be way too busy to waste days climbing this mountain.

As I continue up the path I am keeping an eye out for the guardian, but I am also wondering if this path takes me safely past it. After all, I wouldn't think the archmage would want to fight his way past a guardian. Or maybe the necklace somehow makes the guardian recognize the wearer as friendly.

Despite my promise to the tiger clan if I can avoid a fight I will, no point in risking my life if I don't have to. As the sun starts going down I start looking for a place to camp, it is far too dangerous to try to continue in the dark. The best place I can find is just a wider area of the path against a rock face, at least it should shelter me from the wind.

Since I didn't think to bring firewood with me I end up making a cold camp, and I do mean cold, the temperature is already about twenty degrees colder than it was in the foothills. It makes me very glad of my fur which so far is keeping me mostly warm, but as I go higher and it gets even colder that might not be enough.

Not just climbing gear, I really should have picked up some cold weather gear, I was so set on getting this quest done finally that I didn't think. Now I am going to have to suffer through it and all because I didn't put any thought into the fact that I would be climbing this huge mountain. All I was thinking about was the temple itself, but getting there may be harder than dealing with the temple.

Of course I don't really know anything about the temple or what I am going to find inside it. All I know is that I have to find a way to destroy it to restore the power of the goddesses. After eating some meat I curl up against the rock and try to get some sleep.

As soon as the sun rises I get up, eat some more meat, and then continue following the path. The path continues the same as before until about the middle of the afternoon. Then I find myself moving slowly along a small ledge above a thousand foot drop.

The footing wouldn't be so bad for a human, but it is a little narrow for me so I have to take it slow. As I am inching my way along I suddenly hear the sound of wings behind me. I crane my head around to try and get a look and find something hovering behind me looking at me.

It is like nothing I have ever seen before, I can't even put a name to it from my old world. It has the legs of a lion on the body of a horse, the head is like that of a dragon, and the tail looks like a scorpions. It has two sets of bright yellow feathered wings, which is what is allowing it to hover there looking at me.

It doesn't seem to like the look of me and suddenly starts flapping all four wings really hard. The wind it generates starts trying to rip me off of the ledge and with no room to move all I can do is dig in my claws and hold on. The wind lasts for several minutes but I manage to hold on, when it finally ends and I look around the beast is gone.

That is a relief, this is not a good location to try and fight something, I would end up falling to my death. Even if I was able to keep from falling, I have nothing that could reach the thing, again I need more options for attacks. I move along the ledge as quickly as I can, I don't want to still be here if that thing comes back.

If that was the guardian, and that is how it normally attacks, then it is no surprise no one has ever come back. Only a mage who was well prepared would stand a chance alone against that thing, other than that it would take at least a party of five or more. Even then, if it caught them on a ledge like this they wouldn't stand a chance.

It is a beautiful creature though, it isn't like a chimera where it is a bunch of parts put together by someone. It looks completely natural, even though I describe it as different parts it is blended together perfectly. I have no idea how something like that might have evolved, but for this type of terrain it is perfect.

The double wings probably give it plenty of strength and control to deal with the unpredictable winds around the mountain. It also has its claws, bite, and that tail so it has a lot of attack options, not to mention the wind it used to try and blow me off the mountain. If I am going to fight this thing I am going to need to do it in an area that limits its flight.