Chapter Text
Chapter 45
At the verge of the village Gage and Jesse are still both sitting on a cold rime-covered boulder as they contemplate their next action, The large mountain can be shown in the distance as they both stare at it together
Gage - “Well the only thing I've climbed are trees on Sozeb, What about you Jess?”
Jesse - “Definitely not somethin that high or steep before”
Gage - “.....We're going to kill ourselves aren't we.…..”
Jesse - “I still think ye are greatly exaggeratin this Genesis”
Gage - “Jess again, That's a big fucking mountain I really don't think you understand how hard to climb it's going to be”
Jesse - “But not impossible right?”
Gage - “Technically not impossible no but-”
Jesse cuts Gage off
Jesse - “Then that's the only thin I care aboot, Plus ye were the one that wanted to help these people in the first place Genesis so quit complainin and start usin that head of yers”
Gage - “...”
Gage just defeatedly exhales
Gage - “A long time ago Tony once told me a story about how he climbed “Mount Asgard” and he did that with only a pair of ice axes”
Jesse - “I've actually heard of that before, That's in America right?, Specifically in the North?”
Gage - “America?, But from what I've read on it I thought it was in Canada?”
Tyrone - “Canada!, That's a name I haven't heard in a long long time!, It's been a long time since I've been there”
Gage holds the chain that's attached to Tyrone in front of him and Jesse as he dangles off the ground
Gage - “You've been to Canada?”
Tyrone - “Yeah bruh!, I've been to tons of places!”
Jesse - “Well for yer information Genesis, “Canada” was annexed into The American Empire, So like I said it's in America”
Gage - “Oh I actually didn't know that”
Jesse - “It happened thousands of years ago, So that's actually surprisin”
Tyrone - “Wait what does that mean?, Annexed?, Did the president blow it up or something?”
Gage - “She's saying it became a part of the United States Tyrone”
Tyrone - “Oh For real?, Bruh that's crazy!, How many states do they even have now?”
Jesse - “Across the three major continental areas, There's 102 states”
Tyrone - “......bruh there definitely worth that many when I lived there”
Gage - “Wait you lived in America Tyrone?”
Tyrone - “I mean yeah Bossman I'm from there!, Didn't you know that?”
Gage is shown awkwardly holding his hand behind his head while Tyrone just stares up at him
Gage - “No actually i didn't”
Jesse - “We're gettin side tracked here!, Oi Genesis!, Tell us what we need fuckin climb the mountain already!!!”
Gage - “Well for starters, Crampons for our boots, A couple of Ice Axes, A massive piece of rope and some carabiners to go with it”
Jesse just look at a Gage with a confused expression
Jesse - “....uhhh..”
Gage - “We could ask Vergil if he could get us what we need”
Jesse - “Mhm, Probably should have started with that honestly”
Gage - “Yeah you're definitely right”
Afterwards Gage and Jesse are shown getting up from the rime-covered boulder as they make their way to Vergil, Gage and Jesse are then shown walking through the village as afterwards they're shown making their way to the villages churches front entrance, Gage and Jesse casually enter inside with Jesse yells in the echoing church for Vergil
Jesse - “Oi Father Vergil!!!!, We're goin to need a few thins to climb that mountain!!!!”
Vergil is shown exiting from the Sanctuary with Dr. Julius at his side, In the background multiple Schnabelperchten are shown struggling to carry the chairs made from Vulcan Steel
Vergil - “Ah It's you two, I was having those chairs you wanted moved for you, But what else can I assist you with getting”
Gage is shown awkwardly asking
Gage - “....it's probably a bother to ask but we're going to need some supplies to climb that mountain…”
Vergil - “Oh that isn't a bother at all, Yeah I can easily get you the supplies you need just give me a minute to have somebody fetch you what you need”
Gage - “Oh thanks Vergil, We definitely appreciate it, Also I didn't expect to see you here doctor”
Dr. Julius - “Yes, I was actually here to discuss something with Father Vergil, But since he's already privy to the information that I have that's all irrelevant now”
Gage - “Oh I see”
Vergil is shown approaching Gage and Jesse while another Schnabelperchten carrying a closed cardboard box can be seen in their hands
Vergil - “Here you are!, The climbing supplies that you asked for!”
Jesse - “Wait seriously?, That was fast”
The Schnabelperchten is shown handing Gage the closed cardboard box, Afterwards Gage is shown opening it as inside it's filled with take sack cleaning materials that they need
Gage - “Oh wow thanks this is exactly what we need, But how did you get it so fast?”
Vergil - “Young man, We are surrounded by rocky terrain and mountains?, Why wouldn't we have easy access to that stuff?”
Gage - “...”
Gage just stares at Vergil with a comically blank expression
Gage - “....yeah that actually makes sense…..”
Afterwards Gage and Jesse are shown leaving the church as they then walk across the snowy village, Crampons can be seen underneath both Gage and Jesse's boots with them making distinct repeated patterned boot prints with small deep and evenly spaced holes that be seen trailing behind them made by the crampons attached to their boots, They are then shown standing at the bottom of the mountain as they stare upwards at its massive size with both Gage and Jesse having wide expressions, The Four-Wheeler can be seen behind them in the background
Gage - “....you remember when you said back at the bar that climbing this would be fucking inpossible
Jesse - “...mhm…..i do Genesis…”
Gage - “....well we're standing in that hypothetical Where we're crazy enough to climb this fucking thing…”
Jesse - “....aye…it appears so..”
Jesse is shown exhaling after she's then shown wielding with two ice axes as she's then seen attempting to climb the mountain as Gage is shown yelling at her
Gage - “Woah!, Wait a minute first!”
Jesse - “The fuck do ye mean “wait a minute” are we climbin this thin or not!?”
Gage - “Well yeah!, But I want to be prepared first!”
Gage is shown with the “main line” with a long orange rope in his hands as he's then shown running it between his hands, Making small loops throughout the long rope afterwards he's shown tying the rope around his waist, Gage then effortlessly tilts his head upwards towards Jesse while dangling the opposite end of the main line
(Editor's Note - Just to clarify for readers confusion, The “main line” is the term used for the primary safety rope that connects climbers together. It is the single most critical piece of equipment used to prevent a fatal fall, Yeah I didn't fucking know about this term either readers)
Gage - “Jess get down here so I can tie this around you!”
Jesse sighs, She then looks down at the short distance, Then afterwards casually and confidently air does a quick and comical jump down dropping lightly onto the snow near him with her landing with a heavy “THUMP” that sends a minor plume of white powder into the air, Gage with an irritated expression brushes the snowy white powder off of him, Afterwards Gage is shown tying the other end of the main line around Jessie's waist while she stares at him with confused expression
Jesse - “So why do ye need to tie somethin around me again?, What is it meant to keep us from slippin down Genesis?”
Gage - “It's simple, It's not about keeping the other person from slipping, It's about math, Physics and mutual trust, The main line that's the rope between us is the physical embodiment of mutual arrest, If one of us goes into a crevasse, Over a hidden lip the rope transfers the falling load to the partner who is still secure”
Jesse - “Hidden lip?, The fuck is that another way to say vag or somethin?, Haha!”
Gage is shown with a unamused deadpan expression
Gage - “No it has nothing to do with that Jess”
Jesse - “Wait seriously?”
Gage - “No”
Tyrone - “I kind of thought he was talking about coochies too”
Gage - “Well it doesn't”
Jesse - “See the head agrees with me!, A'm not alone here!”
Gage - “the phrase "Hidden Lip" means a concealed or a not really obvious edge on a rock formation or climbing wall that can be used as a handhold or foothold when your climbing”
Jesse - “Oh”
Gage - “But back to what I was saying about the rope”
Gage irritatingly sighs then after Gage is shown looking directly into Jesse's eyes as she's amazed by his explanation
Gage - “Let's say you go, I dig in instantly with my axe, And my static weight becomes the anchor that saves your life, We are no longer two individuals facing a risk, We are right now a single, Structurally redundant system, It’s the intellectual recognition that no single climber is strong enough to survive a crevasse fall or would even have the possibility of successfully climbing this thing, But two people connected by this line are strong enough to save each other, And with the mix of that inhuman stamina of yours and that weird tingle I get sometimes-”
Jesse's amazed expression turns into a weirded out comical deadpan expression
Jesse - “What was that aboot weird tingles?”
Gage - “-We'll have an actual chance of getting to the top of this thing”
Jesse - “Mhmm well said Genesis”
Afterwards Gage is shown walking away from Jesse with him slowing heading towards the Four-Wheeler, Jesse can feel the tug from the rope tied between them pulling her forward with her having a confused and shocked expression on her face, Jesse then with a irritated expression is showing yelling again while she stumbles forward behind him
Jesse - “Oi Genesis where the hell are ye doin!?”
Gage - “I just wanted to grab something first before we start climbing Jess, Relax I'll only take a second”
Gage is shown casually grabbing the black boombox from behind the Four-Wheeler while Jesse watches with a unamused deadpan expression
Jesse - “Ye're really gonna brin that thin with us Genesis?
Gage - “Yeah?, So what?, It'll be nice to have something to listen to while we climb”
Jesse is shown comically looking to the side with a unamused expression on her face, Afterwards Gage is shown rummaging through the cd case stacked within the tray that he took from the shack, Gage is then shown grabbing one of them then after is seen placing it into black boombox
Gage - “This will definitely do”
Gage is shown attaching the Boombox's handle to Tyrone's chain using a single carabiner, As the orchestral elements from the beginning of the song “Copacabana (At the Copa)” can heard coming from the black boombox with the lyrics of the song following afterwards
Music Playing From Boombox - “♫Her name was Lola♫, ♫She was a showgirl
With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there♫”
Their both then shown climbing the mountain with them being higher up then Jesse was shown to scaled, Jesse is shown effortlessly climbing the cold snowy jagged mountain using two ice axes, Gage is seen struggling to keep up with Jesse being noticeably farther up then him, Jesse is shown looking down as she tells down to Gage
Jesse - “Oi Genesis I know ye like the view of my ass from down there but can ye fuckin join me up here!”
Gage - “Oh shut up Jess!, Besides ain't anybody staring at your smelly ass anyways!”
Jesse has a flustered expression on her face as she's shown grumbling to myself, With her then being shown slamming one of her ice axes against the ice covered jagged surface of the mountain as chunks of ice and broken rock bits of the mountain are shown heads towards Gage, He's shown suddenly feeling a slight tingle in the back of his skull as he pulls his body away from some of the bits of pieces of broken rock and ice, Gage with an irritated expression yells up towards Jesse
Gage - “Can you slow down up there!”
Jesse - “Hell no!, If anythin we should be goin faster!”
Gage is shown mumbling to himself with an irritated expression as Tyrone is seen looking at him while he dangles from the chain attached to Gage with a confused expression
Tyrone - “You good Bossman?”
Gage - “Yeah I was just coming up with some ideas for what to put on our tombstones when, After we fall down from this cliff!!!”
Jesse - “Quit complainin!, Ye were one that wanted to help those cunts wearin Halloween costumes!”
Gage - “Yeah!, But I didn't sign up to getting a fucking concussion to do it!”
Jesse - “So then hurry up and stop laggin behind me!!!, Because A'm tellin ye now A'm not carryin yer ass up here!!!”
Gage - “Humble yourself!, I can take care of myself!”
Tyrone is shown looking down the mountain with his eye sockets wide and staring down at the endless white slope below as he ignoring the jerks of the chain as Gage struggles to climb up the mountain
Tyrone - “Damn bruh we're pretty high up huh?”
Gage - “No not really, We're not even half way up yet”
Tyrone - “Damn Bossman!, You know if you both fell from this high up!, You'd guy's probably die from the fall!”
Gage is shown with a nervous expression on his face as he pauses as a short moment
Gage - “....yeah…don't remind me..”
Tyrone - “Can you like not fall down bruh!, Because I've already been stuck in ice once and it wasn't a fun time!”
Jesse can be heard yelling from above at Tyrone
Jesse - “Oi Head!, If ye don't shut the fuck up that sky drive can definitely be arranged!”
Tyrone is shown with a nervous smile as a sweat drop falls from on his face
Tyrone - “Whatever you say Queen Bee!”
Music from the Boombox can be heard in the background during their conversation
Music Playing From Boombox - “♫She would merengue and do the cha-cha♫,
♫And while she tried to be a star♫,
♫Tony always tended bar♫, Across the crowded floor♫, ♫They worked from eight til four♫, ♫They were young and they had each other♫, ♫Who could ask for more?♫”
Hours are shown passing by with the sun shown setting as fierce strokes of orange and crimson are seen across the sky as they climb upwards, Both Gage and Tyrone are shown muttering some the lines of the song while Jesse is shown with an irritated expression on her face due to hours of hearing the same song on repeat
Music Playing From Boombox - “♫At the copa♫, “co”, ♫Copacabana♫ “Copacabana”, ♫The hottest spot north of Havana♫, “Here”, ♫At the copa♫, “co”, ♫Copacabana♫, ♫Music and passion were always the fashion♫, ♫At the copa they fell in love♫”
Jesse is shown yelling at Gage and Tyrone with an irritated expression on her face
Jesse - “Oi Genesis!, Could ye turn that fuckin thin off!, Ye guys have been playin that song for fuckin hours!”
Gage - “Sorry Jess but listening to this song is the only thing helping me to endure this freezing fucking cold!”
Jesse - “Then could ye at least change it to a different song!, I've been hearin aboot the fuckin “Copacabana” for hours!!!”
Tyrone - “Boo!, Party Pooper!, Lets keep this Copacabana train going!”
Gage - “Sorry Jess I think you got voted here!”
Tyrone - “Better luck next time Queen Bee!”
Jesse is shown with pouting irritated expression when she continues to climb up while the music continues to play in the background, A couple of hours are shown passing by as the sky is now pitch black while pure white full moon is seen above, Their shown nearly approaching the top of the mountain after hours of endless climbing, Jesse is shown scrambling over a long piece of sharp and jagged icy rock that's shown at the bottom of the edge of the mountain while scraping her entire body through it as she makes it to the mountain's summit, Jesse is shown rolling over laying on her back while panting heavily attempting to catch her breath
Jesse - “......i did it…..i really did it….”
Jesse pauses as a concerned look is shown across her face as she tiredly mutters to herself
Jesse - “.....Genesis……”
Jesse is then shown gripping her hands on the orange rope as she pulling up Gage with him noticeably more exhausted then Jesse, Gage is shown struggling to climb over the sharp and jagged icy rock that's at the edge of the bottom of the edge of the mountain, Gage maneuvers his body across the sharp shards of rock and hard pointed icicles that scrape and stab his bare hands that look nearly blue from the cold, Jesse is shown pulling Gage up as he grabs onto the edge of the mountain with her grabbing him and pulling him up as they both finally succeed at making it to the top of the mountain, Gage is shown heavily breathing as he kneels down catching his breath
Gage - “.......thanks Jess…..”
Jesse - “.....don't mention it…”
Tyrone is shown swinging himself back and forth with a smile on his face
Tyrone - “Haha!, We made it guys!, Man our crew is fucking amazing bruh!!!”
Jesse - “....shut up head…”
Jesse is then shown forcing herself to stand up with an exhausted expression on her face as Gage watches with a confused look on his face
Gage - “...woah…wait a minute...hey!, Jess you need to rest!......”
Jesse - “If I don't start a fire we'll freeze to death up here!, So quit yer yellin Genesis!”
Jesse is then shown pulling out the metal can that has the charcoal from before from inside of her coat, A little while after Jesse is shown to have created a campfire that's pretty much identical to the one they had before, Both Gage and Jesse are shown sitting down holding their cold hands against the warm burning campfire
Gage - “......this heat feels great…thanks Jess…”
Jesse - “....mhm…don't mention it..”
Tyrone is shown looking up at Gage with a smile
Tyrone - “Ayo Bossman!, Put some more Copacabana on!”
Jesse - “Shut up Head!, We don't need to hear that fuckin song again!”
Tyrone - “Chill out Queen Bee!, I'm just trying to lighten up the mood here!”
Jesse - “....throwin ye off that cliff would fuckin lighten my mood real quick…”
Tyrone - “...”
Tyrone has a comically nervous smile expression across his face while Jesse as a comically enraged expression on her face, Gage is shown with a comically nervous and awkward comic similar to Tyrone's
Gage - “I mean some noise wouldn't be so bad to not have to deal with the complete silence Jess”
Jesse - “I'd rather the silence then listenin to that fuckin song again!, At least play somethin else”
Gage - “But it only has the one song on the CD”
Jesse - “Didn't ye take a stack of CDs from that shithole we went to?”
Gage - “...i did but I left them down with the Four-Wheeler….”
Jesse - “Why the hell did ye do that?, If ye wanted to listen to music durin the climb?”
Gage - “I mean, How did you expect me to carry an entire stack of CD's while I'm using both my arms to climb a fucking mountain?”
Gage turns on the Boombox as the orchestral elements from the beginning of the song “Copacabana (At the Copa)” can heard coming from the black boombox while Jesse glares at him with an exaggerated irritated expression on her face
Tyrone - “Hell yeah!, The Copacabana is back!, Thanks Bossman!”
Jesse - “Oi Genesis!, Turn that fuckin song off ye eejit!”
Gage - “Sorry Jess but it's the only song we have right now”
Jesse - “Then simply don't fuckin play it!”
Gage - “Do you wanna to put it to a vote?”
Jesse - “...”
Gage - “All in favor of not listening to Copacabana say “aye”
Gage - “Aye!”
Tyrone - “Aye!”
Gage - “See two to one”
Jesse - “That's complete bullshit!”
Tyrone - “Sorry Queen Bee!, But we're a democracy not a dictatorship”
Gage - “Exactly”
Jesse - “When the fuck did ye two establish a system of governance!”
In the snowy forest a group of hungry black wolves can be seen feasting on bloody carcass, They're shown to be skinny beasts with ragged patchy fur, Their skin is raw and crusted from what appears to be a disease of some kind, As their bodies are shown revealing sharp prominent bone structure underneath, In the distance they can hear the song playing from the Boombox as after with blood dripping from their mouths they follow the sound from the boombox, Elsewhere in the snowy Space Helmet figure from before can be seen as they too also hear the song faintly in the distance
??? - “Espera, Conozco ese sonido?, Esa es mi caja de música!”
(Translation - Hang on I know that sound?, That's my music box!”
Meanwhile Gage and Jesse are shown holding their hands towards the campfire as they feel it's warmth, Gage is then shown laying his back against the snowy ground
Gage - “I think I'm going turn in for the night”
Jesse is then shown tiredly forcing herself to stand up
Jesse - “Alright then, I'll go out some more wood into the fire for the night then”
Suddenly as Gage is laying his back against the snowy ground he feels a feels a slight tingle in the back of his skull, Gage then frantically gets up as he looks around, Tyrone just looks at Gage with a confused but concerned look
Tyrone - “You good Bossman?”
Gage - “.....i feel like something is wrong?..”
Jesse looks at him with a raised eyebrow as she shown carrying a bunch of chopped firewood over towards the campfire
Jesse - “Ehh?, I thought ye were turnin in for the night, What did ye change yer mind Genesis?”
Gage - “....i feel that weird tingle again..”
Jesse - “What is what ye and that tingle Genesis?, I swear ye're startin to fuckin weird me out with this shit!”
Gage - “No this is serious!, You need to-”
Suddenly Gage is shown cutting himself off as he then gets up on his feet as one of the wolves is shown attempting to slash Jesse using it's razor sharp claws with Gage pushing her out of the way of the slash attack using his back to shield her
Gage - “Ugh!”
Jesse - “ Genesis!”
Jesse with an enraged expression on her face quickly kicks the wolf straight in the face, The wolf's body is then thrown backwards as it hits a nearby tree with its face bloody from the kick, It's shown slowly getting back up as a growls towards Jessie and Gage, Jesse is shown helping Gage sit down as he looks at him with a concerned look on her face
Jesse - “Ye alright Genesis?”
Gage - “It'll be alright, It only nicked me”
Jesse - “I gotta give that “tingle” of yers more credit, I didn't even hear that bastard beast comin”
Gage - “I told you!”
Vengeful eyes can be seen from behind the trees surrounding Gage and Jesse as the group of hungry wolves are shown slowing approaching them both, Jesse is shown struggling to stand as she tries to catch her breath
Jesse - “....I think this is the end for us Genesis…I ain't got enough I don't to fight these thins”
Gage - “.....neither do I…”
Two big yellow eyes are shown watching everything from the shadows as they wolves slowly approach Gage and Jesse, The eyes are shown staring at the black Boombox that's attached to Gage's chain
??? - “Ahí está, pero primero necesito ocuparme de ellos”
(Translation - There it is, But I need to deal with them first”
Suddenly a loud and harsh cry can be heard from the shadows as Gage and Jesse are shown with shocked expressions after hearing the cry, The wolves are shown growling towards the shadows while Gage looks at the wolves confused
Gage - “What the hell were they worried about?”
Suddenly from within the shadows a large saber tooth-like creature is leaping out towards the wolves, The creature is massive and powerfully built, Featuring prominent, oversized curving canines that resemble that of a saber tooth tiger, Its fur coat is a blend of realistic tiger-like orange, black and white stripes with its fur being very messy with an almost spiky look to it, It has a spiky orange-gold mane framing its head like a lion, Each foot is shown with long sharp black claws, Its eyes are shown to be a deep yellow color as it approaches the wolves with a fierce snarl, Both Gage and Jesse are both with terrified expressions on their faces as the creature approaches them
Jesse - “What the hell is that!?”
Gage - “I have no idea!?”
Tyrone is shown staring at the creature with a comically amazed expression
Tyrone - “Woah cool!, That thing looks like some kind of Pokemon!”
The creature is shown fighting the wolves one after another, The creature is shown slashing through one of the wolves in half, The creature is seen biting down on another wolves neck as its two oversized curving canines pierce through its neck, Immediately after it's shown throwing its dead body as it hits the ground with blood shown flowing across the snowy rocky ground, Afterwards the rest of the wolves are shown running away from the creature as they whine in pain and fear, The creature Is then shown tiredly panting frantically as Gage, Jesse and Tyrone just stare at it, The creature is then seen falling to its side as it passes out with its body being shown transforming its smaller cat-like form as they all watch its bizarre transformation, The noticeable small pink patches of skin are shown on the cat-like figures face that were shown in a previously is noticeably gone as well
(Editors Note - The cat-like forms physical description was written in Chapter 42, If you are curious about hearing more about its physical appearance)
The creature is shown mumbling to itself as it lays against the cold snowy and rocky ground
??? - “.......caja de música….caja de música….”
(Translation -.......music box…music box…)
Both Gage and Jesse stand over the cat-like creature looking down at it with confused expressions
Jesse - “What the hell even is it?”
Gage - “Looks kinda like a cat?, A weird looking furry maybe?, It definitely doesn't look human”
Jesse - “Maybe it's dead?"
Jesse just gently kicks the unconscious cat-like creature as Gage with a comically irritated expression yells at her
Gage - “Hey!, Don't kick the poor thing after it just saved it!”
Jesse - “Piss off Genesis!, What if it wakes up and tries to attack us!?”
Gage - “And kicking it is going to stop that!?, If that just pisses it off!?”
Later on Gage is shown stepping in towards between the shadows of the nearby trees, He then to his shock sees the space helmet from before as well as a creature's clothes scattered on the ground
Gage - “This is what that “Tatzelwurm” was wearing Dr. Julius was telling me about when we were in the village”
Tyrone - “Yeah bruh!, That's the Spaceman's helmet!”
Gage is shown sighing tiredly
Gage - “Well we aren't going to figure this shit out tonight, So it's best to just wait until morning”
Tyrone - “Sounds good Bossman!”
Gage then shown picking up the scattered clothes along with the space helmet as he then carries it towards the campfire gently placing it next to the unconscious cat-like creature, Jesse just stares at him with a confused expression
Jesse - “The fuck is that?”
Gage - “Some clothes I found, They definitely belong to that cat thing”
Jesse - “Oi Genesis, Do ye think we would get some decent meat from that beast?”
Gage - “We aren't going to eat it Jess!, Are you fucking crazy!?”
Jesse - “That's what's crazy!?, Were on the top of a fuckin mountain with no food or shelter!, We have a clear food source right now so we should take advantage of that before we fuckin starved to death!”
Gage - “But it literally just saved us!, I'm not about to just kill it!, Well at least not yet!”
Jesse - “Fine!, Do ye want!, But if that thin even attempts anythin!, A'm fuckin skinnin that thin myself!”
Gage - “Fair enough!, Let's just play until morning and just see what happens!”
Jesse is shown standing up with an irritated expression as she walks away from the campfire
Jesse - “A'm gonna take a walk!, Do not let that beast escape Genesis!
Gage is shown with a confused expression as he just stares at its unconscious body
Gage - “What exactly are you little guy and how did you even manage to get all the way up here?”
Chapter's End