I Was The Only Omega In The Beast World-Chapter 106: CP: Three Days of Treacherous Climbing

The bridge swayed one final time behind them, creaking like it was personally offended by their survival. Alex stood on solid rock for three full seconds before his knees decided to remember they existed and promptly buckled. Naga caught him before he could drop, one strong arm around his waist, the other steadying the two carriers against his chest.

Onyx, still half-asleep in his pouch, made a tiny grumbling hiss and went right back to snoring.

Siddy, on the other hand, immediately tried to launch himself out of his carrier the second Alex’s grip loosened, tiny fangs flashing as he aimed for the nearest interesting rock overhang.

"No," Alex said, voice hoarse but firm, shoving the adventurous snakeling’s head back down. "We are not doing aerial reconnaissance today. Stay. Inside."

Siddy hissed in betrayal, but the sound was muffled by leather and exhaustion.

Leo was already checking Jade, running careful hands over the largest baby’s scales. "Everyone intact?"

"Define intact," Zale said, still breathing hard as he hauled himself up from the far side. His scales looked duller than usual from the dry mountain air, but his eyes were bright with adrenaline. "Because my dignity is somewhere at the bottom of that ravine."

Granite rumbled a low laugh, Sterling still proudly coiled around his thick neck like a living scarf. The silver-hooded snakeling flicked his tongue once, clearly pleased with himself for having survived the crossing while riding the biggest adult in the party.

"Four down, two to go," Granite said, nodding toward the path ahead. "And we’ve used up most of the daylight on that one obstacle."

Naga’s coils tightened around Alex protectively. "We make camp here. The ledge is wide enough, and there’s a trickle of meltwater in the crack behind that boulder. Zale can rehydrate. The babies need feeding and rest before we push any further."

No one argued.

They set up in the lee of a jutting rock face, using the spare kelp tarps from Tidehome to create a windbreak. The six snakelings were unharnessed one by one, immediately turning the small plateau into their personal playground. Siddy made a beeline for the edge again; Sterling tried to scale the rock face; Onyx flopped over and immediately started shedding a few loose scales onto everyone’s bedrolls.

River, as always, simply coiled around Alex’s wrist and watched the chaos with calm blue eyes, occasionally flicking his tongue at a stray snowflake drifting down from higher peaks.

Alex sat with his back against Naga’s side, feeding the babies in rotating shifts while Leo and Granite prepared a small fire and Zale soaked his tail in the icy trickle of water.

"Two more days," Alex said quietly, watching Siddy attempt to wrestle a pebble twice his size. "We have to do two more days of this."

"We will," Naga murmured, pressing a cool kiss to Alex’s temple. "Because failing isn’t an option anymore. Not with them."

He gestured at the six little serpents currently attempting to organize themselves into some kind of pyramid (which immediately collapsed when Onyx fell asleep mid-climb).

Leo dropped down beside them, offering Alex a strip of dried fish. "We’re adapting faster than I expected. The carriers held. The tethers worked. And Siddy only tried to commit suicide once today."

"Progress," Alex agreed dryly.

Zale crawled over on elbows and belly, leaving a damp trail across the rock. "I can scout ahead tomorrow in the shallows of the next stream we find. Pull water up to create handholds if needed. Granite can take point on the wider sections. We rotate the heaviest babies onto the strongest carriers during the worst parts."

He reached out and gently booped Siddy’s nose when the little chaos gremlin tried to slither past him toward the drop.

Siddy hissed, offended, then immediately tried again.

"See?" Zale said. "Teamwork."

That night the babies slept in one giant, writhing pile in the center of the group, tails overlapping, heads tucked under each other’s chins. Jade and Siddy claimed the top spot, naturally. River curled protectively around Alex’s wrist even in sleep. Onyx snored loud enough to echo off the rocks.

Alex lay awake longer than the others, staring up at the stars visible between the peaks, the five divine artifacts humming softly against his chest.

Day Two was worse.

The path narrowed to a literal goat track along a sheer cliff face. Wind howled constantly. One wrong step meant a very long drop.

They moved in a single file line, Naga in front testing every foothold, Granite bringing up the rear as anchor. The babies were secured so tightly they could barely move their heads, which led to a constant chorus of indignant hissing—especially from Siddy, who clearly felt his exploratory rights were being violated.

Halfway along the ledge, a sudden gust caught Sterling’s carrier just as Leo was mid-step.

The silver-hooded snakeling let out a startled squeak and tried to launch himself toward what he clearly thought was a perfectly climbable outcropping ten feet below.

Leo’s reflexes saved them both—grabbing the carrier strap with one hand while his other arm windmilled for balance.

"Got you," Leo growled, hauling the baby back against his chest. "No flying lessons today."

Sterling hissed in protest, then immediately tried to climb Leo’s face instead.

They made it across with shaking legs and frayed nerves, only for the next obstacle to appear: a vertical chimney climb—twenty feet straight up between two rock faces, with handholds spaced for creatures with wings.

Naga scaled it first, then dropped a rope down.

One by one they went up—Zale using raw upper-body strength, Granite brute-forcing his way with sheer power, Leo climbing like the predator he was.

Alex went last, River and Ripple both secured to his chest, Onyx asleep in a sling on his back.

Halfway up, his arms started to burn. His legs trembled. The wind tried to peel him off the rock like a stubborn barnacle.

River tightened his coils around Alex’s wrist in silent encouragement.

Ripple pressed his small head against Alex’s collarbone, as if trying to lend his own tiny strength.

Alex kept climbing.

When he finally hauled himself over the top, Naga was there to pull him the rest of the way, forehead pressed to Alex’s, breathing just as hard.

"You’re incredible," Naga whispered.

"I’m terrified," Alex whispered back.

That night they camped in a small depression that actually had enough flat ground for everyone to stretch out. The babies were so exhausted they barely caused trouble—Siddy only escaped twice, Sterling only tried to climb the rock wall three times, and Onyx slept through the entire evening feeding.

Day Three dawned with the aerie visible in the distance: a massive network of woven platforms and caves built into the highest peak, banners of dyed feathers snapping in the wind.

The final approach was the worst—almost vertical in places, with sections that required actual free-climbing.

They rotated the babies constantly. River stayed with Alex the entire time. Jade rode Naga. Siddy was passed between Leo and Zale like a particularly bitey hot potato. Sterling clung to Granite like a determined emerald barnacle. Ripple and Onyx traded between whoever had the steadiest grip at any given moment.

Twice they had to backtrack when a ledge crumbled.

Once Zale had to pull an entire sheet of water from a distant stream to create a temporary ramp when the path simply disappeared.

By the time they reached the final rope ladder leading up to the lowest platform of the aerie, every adult was trembling with exhaustion and every baby was unusually quiet—sensing, perhaps, that this was important.

The same scarred female eagle tribe woman from before waited at the top, three large eagles behind her—their wings half-spread, eyes sharp.

"You made it," she said, sounding almost surprised. "All of you. Even the hatchlings."

Alex, breathing hard, River still coiled calmly around his wrist, looked up at her.

"We’re here," he said. "Now take us to chief Vega."

The eagle studied them for a long moment—six adults, six babies, five divine stones, and the sheer stubborn will that had carried them this far.

Then she stepped aside.

"Follow me."