ADL OLD CHAPTERS

39. Up On The Mountaintop

This is definitely not my best work. Sorry in advance.

Also to anyone familiar with the manananggal, I hope I've done it justice.

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"The sun's beginning to set," Levy said as she climbed over a pile of rocks in their path. She tried to keep her eyes on the earth at her feet, not wanting to look down at the base of the mountain almost a thousand meters below.

They had been climbing since morning but they still had a long way to go before they reached the top.

"Are you sure this is the right mountain?" Gajeel asked casting a glance at y/n from over his shoulder.

"I can't be sure," she stated, skipping over the rocks with ease. "But this one has the most caves out of the others in this direction,"

"We've already checked six, how many more could there possibly be?" He grumbled.

Y/n rolled her eyes and pressed her hand flat against the mountainside. "There's three that would make logical sense, the others are too small,"

"That means we're getting close!" Levy exclaimed cheerily, throwing her fist up triumphantly.

"Or that we've got the wrong mountain,"

"Why are you so pessimistic?" She asked, turning to Gajeel in exasperation.

"It's not pessimism, it's realism," he told her, returning his gaze to the front. "And because someone here needs to use their heads,"

"And of course, Gajeel is the one for the job," y/n said, leaning down to whisper in Levy's ear conspiratorially. The shorter girl giggled, the sound bubbling up into a laugh at the iron dragon's glare.

"All I'm saying is that if this mountain turns out to be a bust we'll have wasted an entire day," he said, his jaw locked. "We don't have much time,"

They continued on in silence after that, the sun slowly dipping lower on the horizon. It's golden rays washed over the mountains as pinks and oranges painted the sky. The world darkened slowly as the stars began to peek through, blinking in and out of existence. A hush fell over the mountain, so thick with tension it was almost smothering. But no one dared to break it and the only sound was that of their feet against the earth.

Y/n froze, her shoulders rigid. She shot forward, grabbing Gajeel by the wrist and pulling him back. He let out a surprised grunt but she clamped a hand over his mouth the keep him from saying anything else.

Levy shifted awkwardly behind her, brown eyes wide. "What is it?"

Y/n didn't reply, instead, she turned to the rock face and slammed her fists into it. A couple of moments later a small alcove had been carved into the stone. She tossed Gajeel in and ushered Levy to follow, taking up the rear.

"What the hell is going on?" Gajeel growled, his voice low.

Y/n hissed. She crossed her arms in an x before her and pulled them up over her head sharply. The rock at the floor followed, rising up and closing them in. A small gap remained at the top, allowing the last of the sun's light to stream in.

"Okay seriously y/n," he said. "What the fuck?"

"It's here," she declared, her hands clenched into fists at her side.

"What? I don't hear or smell anything,"

"It gets louder the farther it gets," y/n said. "And the wind is blowing the opposite direction so of course, you can't smell anything,"

"But then how do you know?" Levy asked. She had a soft grip on y/n's arm, staring up at her with a mix of confusion and concern.

"If you're quiet you can hear rocks falling and the scraping of feet,"