Desmond scrambled up the side of the wall—he was sick of it, sick of being controlled. With a grunt, he landed, taking off into the grasslands of his homeland. He ran well into the night, until he hit the mountains, that place where the elders always said was dangerous. He growled: he wasn't going to let the mountains dissuade him.

"Desmond!"

He turned to see his friend, Lucy, running toward him. She stopped at his side. She was training to be a monk. He was stuck being a summoner—all because of a stone. He had found it on his adventures as a child, reveling in the way it had lit up at his touch and burned the hands of his enemies when they grabbed it.

"What do you think you're doing?" she barked.

"I'm running away."

"You're being stupid, Desmond. Let's get—"

"No!" he hissed. "I'm tired of being 'special.' I don't want to be isolated anymore. There's a world beyond here, and I'm sixteen, and I can do this. Others have already been sent away, and so am I."

"You're being stupid—"

"Shut up! You're being sent off next year!"

He snarled when she winced. He looked up at the mountains, a tiny amount of fear nestling in the pit of his stomach. Then, with a flourish of his staff, he cried out, "Sylph!"

He laughed when a small fairy with blonde hair and bright blue eyes appeared and settled on his shoulder. It had been his first summon, after getting in a fight with a kid named Alan Rikkin. He had lost terribly, lying in the field and wishing he was dead until the fairy had appeared and healed him. He had stuck by his side ever since.

"Desmond, did you get in another fight?"

He shook his head, then paused. "Well, kinda. I just… I want to cross these mountains on my own, but I need a buddy."

He saw the fairy look behind him. "Is Lucy not coming?"

"No, she's just trying to get me to return, but I want to know more, Leonardo. I want to see what lies beyond here. Tell the others I've left, Lucy."

He nodded as he started walking off. He was going to cross the mountains on foot and earn his rights to be called a summoner. He grinned.

"Desmond, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Why did you tell me those stories if you didn't want me to get curious?"

Leonardo chuckled. "You are a smart boy."

He started quickly up the mountain, the summoner's robes making it hard for him to get past an awkward hop-skip.

"These mountains, yes? They are just like I remember! As a matter of fact, there is a cave around here, if you—"

"Lead the way, Leonardo!"

He laughed as he let Sylph take the lead. He called the summon Leonardo, and it didn't mind, taking to the name like a fish to water. The rocks were hard and painful under his feet, his summoner's sandals hardly adequate enough for a trip like this, but he was okay with it, because for once in his life, he was making his own choices, and he refused to let anything stand in his way now, he had Sylph, Adrammelech, Valefor, Asura, and Diablos on his side, and he could handle anything.

He followed Sylph for what seemed like hours before they arrived at a cave opening. It had been getting remarkably colder for going three-fourths of the way up the mountain. They weren't extremely high mountains. He was out of breath and his feet ached horribly, but he was determined to make this work. He could feel a biting cold at his neck, the robes much too thick to be penetrated, and he wondered just how cold it was here. They had winter for most of the year, and this was one of the warmest months of the year. Still, it was as if he were standing in the middle of winter. There was no foliage, and the animals were gone. It was a frozen wasteland. Thankfully, he felt almost immune to the cold. This cold was almost comforting, despite the fact that he could see his breath.

Without a second thought, he stepped in as Sylph settled on his shoulder.

He could hear something behind him as he walked in, and he turned to see Lucy come running in. Her lips were blue, and she was shaking. The monk uniform did little to keep her warm. Deciding it was for the best, he took off his outer robe and draped it around her shoulders, still not feeling the cold.

"D-D-Des-s-smon-nd," she stuttered.

"You go back home. I'll come back once I'm done, all right?" She gave him a pitiful look, and he grinned. "I'll be fine. I'm curious. You head back down, and I'll come back once I'm done. You win, and I win."

He watched her leave, and looked to find Sylph gone. He had probably gotten distracted. He walked in farther, exploring the cave and noticing how it got progressively colder, and yet, he was unaffected. He explored every nook and cranny, hoping to find a monster or two, but upon finding nothing, he was dismayed. He continued hunting, however, throughout three levels, picking up a rod he could use with a beautifully engraved snake carved at the head. He grinned as he tossed his other to the side and gripped his new one tightly.

Even deeper in the dungeon, when he was finally feeling the cold, he found a new robe and hat that seemed to be woven together with gems or crushed up ice. He tried it on, finding that it fit perfectly, and suddenly, it wasn't cold at all. He was glad he came here. The robe was beautiful, and so was the hat. He had never owned his own hat before, just a set of simple robes, but this new hat and robe combination was sure to make the others jealous.

He paced back out to the final door he had yet to open, and he peeked in. There was a floating crystal in the middle of the room, and he pushed the door open, stepping in. He took the time to marvel at the walls, watching the extraordinary light dazzle from within the sheets of ice making up the walls, and the path of rough ice that led to the crystal was amazing. He found himself stepping toward it before he knew what he was doing. The room was beautiful—ethereal. He could see blue flames inside the walls, below his feet, twinkling and playing as he walked to the crystal. Desmond eventually found himself reaching for it, only for it to flash brightly.

He cried out as he covered his eyes, and when it passed, he yelled when a face (it was gorgeous) appeared in front of him. The skin was light, but the black hair and the piercing blue eyes captivated him. The man was dressed in an extraordinarily woven cloak, wrapped tightly around him, and he was smirking.

"So," he breathed—the man's breath was cold, "you're the new summoner? I see you got my gifts."

He blinked, breath hitching when he walked his fingers up his chest, leaving a pleasant chill running through his body. He felt the hand plant itself on his chest, and the man leaned in. Desmond could smell the cold in the room, and he knew he would be lucky to escape alive.

"Call me Kadar, but most know me by the name of Shiva."

His eyes grew wide: he was talking to a god.

"So," Shiva began, taking off the cloak and wrapping it around Desmond, "finally come to visit me?"

The cloak was warmer than it appeared, Desmond thought as he ran his fingers through the fine material. He looked at the thing, marveling in the way the lights twinkled and danced from it. He pulled it closer around him, even though he wasn't cold, and looked at the god again as it walked away. He blinked, feeling heat creep into his cheeks at the lack of clothing it wore. There was a blue and purple length of cloth tucked around part of his waist, covering one of his legs and doing absolutely nothing to hide the god's already scantily-covered crotch and ass. The cloth looked like those lights he often saw in the sky, and the bands of gold on the god's arms reflected the light the cloth gave off.

He moved forward slowly. The crystal had been replaced by a throne, and Shiva had sat down, crossing his legs and smirking at him. He felt tiny and insignificant.

"Well?"

He jolted. "H-huh?"

"You've finally come to visit me?"

"Uh, well, I…"

Kadar laughed, and Desmond found it just the littlest bit creepy and cold—like everything else. He noticed the long nails of the god, painted gold at the tips, the lithe fingers poking out of almost pink-hued gloves and gold rings adorning those hands. He was entranced.

"You know what this means, don't you?"

His eyes shot up to meet the god's, and he found himself caught. Kadar looked utterly amused at his expense, watching as he stared blankly at him.

"That means you're the chosen one. It's time to save the world, kiddo."

Desmond blinked, then frowned and scoffed. "You're an idiot."

Kadar threw his head back and laughed. "You are so naïve!"

He snarled. "What did you think! I haven't ever left the village, Shiva!"

Kadar smiled warmly at him. "Please, call me Kadar. You see, Desmond, there is trouble to the lands south of your village. Surely you know of the six crystals?"

"Yeah. They're buried underground. They keep the world alive and well, and give us magic."

Kadar purred, look utterly pleased. "Good, good. Now guess what you just discovered?"

Desmond wrinkled his nose. "There's no way that your crystal is one of them."

Kadar laughed. "You are just the most innocent thing! My crystal is the crystal of ice. There's also a crystal of fire, of water, of earth, of holy, and of darkness. To the south, far to the south, a man by the name of Alan Rikkin—"

"You mean that kid who beat the shit out of me when I was younger? I thrashed him right before he was sent off to wherever he was going."

Kadar blinked, then smirked. "Yes, Desmond, that Alan Rikkin, has employed two men to torment two of the crystals, the crystals of earth and of darkness. Those lands are now plagued by suffering, and the towns along the coastlines to the southeast and southwest of here have been covered in a special fog made of a sleeping spell, slowing down all time. My brother, the fire crystal, lies at the border of spell, waiting and anticipating an attack from the Rikkin man."

"So how am I supposed to help?"

"We need you, Desmond, to gather us together and free the two tormented crystals from their agony—"

"How do you torment a crystal?"

Kadar blinked before smiling. "You will see. You will go there and feel the agony they go through. I will accompany you on your journey. When you have soothed us all and united us, we will be able to go to the heavens, where will can show you to the final crystal, the crystal of holy power, and he can resurrect that beast around your neck. You will be able to smite Alan and his followers where they stand."

Desmond blinked, then pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

He opened his mouth, then scowled. "That is the biggest bunch of bullshit I have ever heard. Talking crystals and things popping out of stones and sleepy fogs and tormented crystals? Just how stupid do you think I am? I think Leonardo has really overdone it this time. That's it, I'm leaving. I should have listened to the elders. See you never."

He turned around and started walking off toward the entrance of the room.

"I suppose… it does sound ludicrous."

"No, shit, really?" he spat, turning on his heel and glaring at the god, only to find the bastard smirking at him.

It rested its elbows on its knees, smirking. "Haven't you always wanted to see the world? Go see for yourself."

Desmond frowned, staring at the god. He wasn't sure he believed the story, but now he had this burning curiosity to see. He jumped when he felt a weight on his shoulder, only to find Sylph there again.

"I would like to see. It has been many years since I have gone to see Ezio."

Kadar perked, rising and walking toward them. If Desmond hadn't been one-hundred percent sure he was straight, he would have gotten a boner from just the beauty of the god. Kadar smiled warmly, holding out a hand, and Leonardo flitted from his shoulder to the hand.

"You know him?"

"Of course. I sought shelter in his temple when my forest was destroyed by Rikkin."

"That's just ridiculous," Desmond said, scowling. "Alan is only sixteen!"

"Alan used the body of a sixteen-year-old to attempt to kill you. He knew what you were. He's a powerful mage. I heard of him shortly after I was born. Did you know that—"

Desmond scowled. "Now I know—"

"Desmond, there are no others of my kind around here. You found me because I was curious about what the 'savior' might look like! I was glad I was! You've given me the best companion I've had in years!"

"There's no way. I don't believe it."

Leonardo smiled, flitting back to his shoulder. "Don't let it dissuade you, Desmond. Come: we should return. Tomorrow, we'll run away for good."

Desmond narrowed his eyes, scowling. "Fine—but I'm never listening to your crazy ideas again. I've got to just be exhausted."

Leonardo laughed as they walked out of the door, leaving behind Shiva. He paced back out, the feeling in his feet coming back after resting just those few moments. He hadn't even been aware he was so damn sore until he had stopped his wandering and talked to that god, who, as far as he was concerned, was crazy. His legs hurt from walking up the mountain, his feet were rubbed raw and burning, and his arm and chest and head hurt from all the anticipation. He stepped to the entrance of the cave, thrusting his staff into the air.

"Valefor!" he shouted as Leonardo disappeared, and he hugged his favorite summon.

The giant bird screeched, stretching its wings.

"Ready to go back and get some sleep?"

He climbed on its back and grabbed a hold, loving the feel of the wind in his hair. Valefor landed almost soundlessly, and he climbed off, scrambling into his room and curling under the covers to ward off the chill that had settled in his bones. He stripped off his coat and hat, throwing them somewhere in his room and settling in his long-sleeve shirt and his pants. He summoned Valefor into his room, and the giant god-bird settled beside him on his tiny bed, covering him and warming him up nicely.

He woke the next morning he woke feeling warm and cozy. He had vague memories of the night before, something about a beautiful young person visiting him in his dreams and being warm in the cold. There were talking crystals and flames not melting ice. He had the most messed up dreams sometimes. With a yawn, he shifted to feel Valefor butt at his cheek. He grinned, opening his eyes and grabbing the bird's head, kissing its beak. The good thing about being a summoner was that he was never alone if he didn't want to be, and he'd be damned if he didn't feel lonely sometimes.

He relaxed, feeling comforted as he petted Valefor and scratched its cheeks as he cuddled. It was hard fitting the two of them on his bed, but he managed it, and he loved it. Valefor was probably the second best friend he had, but his favorite summon of them all. Leonardo was nice, but Valefor was simply his favorite. There was no way to describe it. Valefor jerked back, sticking its beak under its wing and grooming the feathers on its lower half, pulling out several feathers and gently placing them on his chest and face, getting mad when Desmond laughed.

He loved how heavy the god-bird was, and it always comforted him with size where Leonardo couldn't. As much as he loved Sylph, he just couldn't hug him the way he hugged Valefor. He found himself stroking the odd tail as it curled around them, and he smiled warmly. Between Leonardo and this beast, he had the best family—that was even before he got to Rauf, or Salai, or Talal.

He heard commotion downstairs, and a yell calling him to wake up and get his ass out here. He sighed, sitting up and dismissing Valefor as he looked out the window. There was snow everywhere, he noticed. Thick, icy snow they usually only got in the dead of winter, the kind that destroyed everything it touched. Yet, he mused as he placed a hand on the window, he didn't feel a thing.

Without a second thought, he ran downstairs and out the door, hoisting himself up on the three feet of compacted snow and ice. Snow was still falling, he noticed as he felt the wind blow sharply, piercing through him and leaving him. He still felt no cold.

"Desmond!"

He looked to see Lucy half-skating toward him, shivering. "Hey, what happened?"

"We don't know!" she breathed, and he could see her breath.

All of the other monks were gathering outside, bewildered by the snow in the middle of their sparse summer. He looked around at the strange snow. It didn't even seem like regular snow, and he could almost see it twinkling blue instead of blinding white. He squatted, trailing his fingers through the snow and frowning.

"I bet it's the freak's fault!"

His head snapped up to see a young boy standing there—his greatest rival now, Vieri Pazzi. There were a group of other boys (and a few young girls) behind him, all training to be monks. He scowled. The other monks were watching the stand-off, no doubt looking for gossip or a reason to dislike him more.

"It's not my fault, Vieri. Leave me alone."

"Or what? You fall to scare tactics using Lucy? Summoning a beast to fight for you? Why can't you fight for yourself? Oh, right, that's because you're not a monk. You're a summoner."

His fingers curled into fists, and he ground his teeth together. He wished he had his staff to bludgeon them over the head and kill them. He threw a hand up to the sky, ready to reign terror with Adrammelech, when he felt a hand land on his shoulder, freezing him in his tracks and sending a deathly chill to the center of his body.

"Such impudent young children."

He knew that voice from the dream he had last night. He lowered his hand slowly, looking toward the voice, only to find that he was staring at the most beautiful god he had ever seen.

"Kadar," he breathed.

Kadar looked at him and grinned, stepping forward and throwing him the cape that he remembered catching last night, too. His skin was a little bit bluer, and his hair seemed to have a blue hue to it as well. Nevertheless, he was still gorgeous.

"Oh, look, another faggoty—"

"Silence!" Shiva hissed, snarling. "I will teach you to shut your mouth!"

He watched as the god held up two fingers to his lips as his enemies gathered closer together, ready for a fight. When Lucy stepped closer to him, he noticed her shivering and wrapped the cloak around her. When Kadar spun, raising the ice around Vieri and his followers, Desmond was helpless to look away. He watched him spin and twirl, summoning ice and cold winds before gathering a huge ball of energy at his fingertips and shooting it at them, raising walls of ice around them and trapping them. He was entranced by the whirl of snowy-ice and the panic on his enemies' faces.

And was sealed it was the simple twist of his hand and the snap of his fingers, causing the ice coffin to implode with the kids still inside.

He blinked, watching as the ice vanished. He could see the kids collapse, and his eyes grew wide. This was the power of the crystal gods, and allegedly, they got stronger the closer to heaven they got. He was trembling with both fear and excitement as he saw red begin to seep across the pristine snow.

"So, ready to go help me help my brother?"

He looked back up to see Kadar smiling warmly at him.

"Lucy is included, you know."

He found himself nodding numbly as he was pulled over and begged with for a healing summon. Before he knew it, he was throwing a hand in the air and calling for Asura, who appeared with his tranquil face turned toward his targets. His multiple arms moved as it summoned forth healing from the earth, closing over the worst of the wounds before switching to the happy face.

"Rauf? Is that you?"

He watched the body unfold its legs and turn, the happy face pointed at Shiva. "Kadar?"

They hugged each other tightly, and Desmond bit his lip as the angry face showed.

"I haven't heard from you in years—not since I got the message to come and help the boy."

"My apologies, Rauf. I meant to contact you sooner, but Desmond rarely calls for your assistance with that little pixie thing of his."

Rauf shrugged, his face turning to the tranquil one. "Leonardo serves him well. He has had no need for more serious healing. But tell me, what have you been doing all these years?"

Kadar smiled. "Protecting you until Desmond found me. You know, the last time a human visited me at the crystal was several hundred years ago."

Rauf pursed his lips. "They had forgotten the old gods, for sure."

Kadar shrugged. "Well, we can safely say that world is long since forgotten. But now, it is time for a new adventure."

"Desmond will not be going anywhere."

He turned to look as his father came walking out, followed by the other elders of the village. They were the ones responsible for sending out the monks ready to serve and making all the decisions. Desmond frowned at his father, and he felt that icy arm wrap around his shoulders, Kadar's smiling face a little unnerving. The angry face of Asura was showing, and Desmond dismissed him quickly. Good things didn't happen with Rauf's angry face.

"Did I ask you?" Kadar said sweetly. "I don't recall asking you. Now where is your lovely jacket and hat, Desmond? I gave you all this snow and ice just for you to wear it."

"W-what?" he stammered, looking up at the god. "But I'm not cold!"

Kadar laughed. "It will protect you from ice magic. Off you go, go fetch your cloak and hat and get ready—we leave in ten."

Desmond's eyes grew wide, and rather than end up like Vieri (who was currently being carted back to his house), he skirted the elders and slid into the house, racing up the stairs and looking for his cloak. By the time he was back in his room, he remembered lending his cloak to Lucy, who had been freezing at the mouth of the cave.

And then it caught his attention. There was a gorgeous cloak and hat lying on his floor, rumpled up and forgotten. He blinked, walking over to them and picking them up. So his dream wasn't a dream. It had been real, and there actually was a god that wanted him to go see the world—a god that would accompany him to go see the world. Maybe it wasn't so bad to be special after all. He slipped one arm inside the cloak and tugged it on, feeling just how perfectly it fit him, and he decided he'd let Lucy wear the hat. She hated the cold, and couldn't wait to be sent off to the kingdom at the base of the volcano a few miles away from here. It was a two-days' trip on chocobo—five days' on foot. Maybe, since he had taken Lucy flying before, they could get there on Valefor. Then he could drop her off, and continue on whatever Shiva wanted.

With excited trembling, he opened his door and grabbed his leather boots, his sandals destroyed from yesterday. Besides, the boots, however thin, would be better than the sandals. As the "outcast" of his village, he wasn't exactly given the best gear to work with. The hunting knife he was given for part of his survival gear—it was rather dull, for no one actually expected him to survive in the wild—found its way into the back of the belt around his pants and the small length of rope he tucked into his cloak. He took the small canteen and the folding silverware he had stolen from another kid, and grabbed the flint—that he had stolen from his father, just so he knew it would work. He took the only staff in his room, beautifully carved and cold to the touch, and walked back out. He smiled as he walked over to Lucy, who he realized wouldn't have any survival gear until she turned sixteen and was shipped off, and placed the hat on her head. She smiled at him and kissed his cheek, pulling it off to look at it.

"It's beautiful," she murmured. "Did you get it in the cave with that cloak?"

He nodded as she put it back on. It looked good on her, and it wouldn't hinder her when she trained.

"Good. Now we're all settled and ready to leave. Let's go to the kingdom of Ethaea and help my brother!"

He looked at Kadar, then glanced at the elders, then to Kadar again.

"You can't leave, Desmond. We forbid it," one of them hissed.

He couldn't keep the shit-eating grin off his face as he thrust his staff into the air and cried out for Valefor, who came spinning down from the heavens and stopped with a flourish of wing. He looked at Lucy.

"Do you want to come with?"

Lucy looked shocked, especially when the elders moved forward and Kadar stepped between them.

"Any closer and you'll end up like those kidlings over there who thought such insolence was a good thing," the god said cheerfully. "And I'll make sure that Asura doesn't help you."

"Will you come?" Desmond asked, tying to hide the hopefulness in his voice.

But Lucy must have noticed, because she nodded slowly, letting him help her onto Valefor's back. He climbed on behind her, and he hollered with joy as Valefor screeched and took off into the sky. Lucy was clinging for her life, and he had both arms in the air, his staff in hand. He could see the village get smaller and smaller, the white of the snow and ice melting into flash-frozen green and brown. And when they approached those mountains, he could feel the apprehension settle in his stomach—once he was over those, he was free.

As if sensing his nervous excitement, Valefor did a barrel roll as it flew through the mountain passages, and he whooped with delight. He loved this summon. He jolted when he saw Shiva appear beside him, skating on frozen air and matching Valefor's speed wing beat for wing beat. He grinned when Kadar looked at him and laughed, skating ahead, and Desmond leaned forward, pressing himself against Lucy as he urged his bird-god faster. Valefor did as it was summoned, loving a challenge of speed and skill, and soon enough, he and his summon were doing circles and rolls around Shiva, who looked utterly surprised.

When they settled for the late evening, he dismissed the creature, who was exhausted, as Lucy tried to regain herself. He led her to a log as Shiva landed beside him. There was beautiful powdered snow around them, as if summer had just skipped right over them, and he grinned, stomping once in the snow and reveling in the footprint he made with his boots.

"Impressive."

Desmond grinned. "It's how I entertained myself."

"For almost ten years he'd spend hours in the sky, training that wretched creature to be swift and agile," Lucy murmured, still shaking from the flight.

"I take it that you aren't a fan of his flying?"

"Not at all, I'm always afraid he's going to die."

Shiva nodded slowly. "I suppose you two must eat now. I'll go hunt something for you, stay here and stay safe."

Desmond nodded as Shiva left, turning back to Lucy. "Sorry."

She shook her head. "It's okay, Desmond. You didn't know I hate heights."

"Then what would you have done when you were sent to fight at the borders?"

"I would've been placated by the volcano and how warm it is."

He chuckled, sitting down. They were quiet for a moment before he heard something walking toward them, and he smiled when he assumed it to be Shiva returning already. He was confused when he saw two wolf-like creatures loping toward them and a pile of moving jelly with eyes. He rose, going to step nearer to it, but Lucy grabbed the back of his cloak.

"Those are monsters, Desmond. Ignore them and they might not attack us."

He paused, looking at her before sitting back down. When they came closer, they stopped, looking at them before the wolves started to growl and Lucy rose, adjusting her cap as she crouched in her standard fighting form.

"Just stay low, Desmond, I'll take care of these guys."

He frowned: he didn't want to let her take care of all of them. He rose. "No."

"Desmond. Do as I say. I can handle them."

"No, I don't want to have to patch you up later," he growled, stepping behind her slightly.

He couldn't defend himself as well as she could, but he could certainly try. He jerked when one of the wolves went to bite Lucy, and she grunted as it attacked, leaving a nasty-looking bite mark that he would have to heal later for her. He raised his hand to his lips, deciding to try out the one summon he had promised not to use unless he was in a "real fight" (which loosely translated as "I'm a coward, and I know you'll never actually get in a fight").

He heard Lucy gasp, and hardly saw the flash of white fur coming to attack him before he felt the rune appear below him, stopping all time as he lowered his fist, twirling the staff with ease as he felt the power building behind him. He could see the wolf, paused mid-air as he felt the dark magic summon the one summon he never thought he'd get to use. He heard a roar, knew it was here, and stepped back. He let the giant creature of red and green armor step forward as time began again, and he watched the god of lightning brush the wolf aside as if it were nothing.

"Talal!" he yelped when he saw the pile of jelly attack with a small blizzard.

Talal snorted and raised a fist behind his neck before throwing the hand out and summoning lightning from the heavens. The wolves yelped, and the jelly jiggled. He watched as several corpses were summoned from the ground, and Adrammelech stepped back a bit, letting the corpses work on the jelly thing and the wolves.

"Against my weakness, too. Shoulda known you'd be a bastard enough to do that to me!"

He heard the lightning god laugh as he summoned more lightning, and Desmond grinned as he saw Lucy step closer to him. The lightning ricocheted between the corpses, doing more damage than it should have.

"Who is that?"

"This? This is Adrammelech. He told me to never, ever summon him unless he was going to have a real fight. I got him during that thunderstorm several years ago thanks to Valefor."

She watched in wide-eyed wonder as Adrammelech continued to summon lightning. He alternated between that and a large arc of lightning that came directly from his fingertips, frying the jelly with it before obliterating the wolves with one last blast of lightning. Talal then snorted, crossing his arms and turning to him.

"That was it?"

"I'm sure you could hang around here more if you liked. There'll probably be more."

He watched the god think about it, then shrug. "You'll summon me again if you need me."

He dismissed himself, and Desmond grinned. "See? I can take care of myself."

He summoned Leonardo briefly to take care of the bite on her arm, and she smiled as she shook her head.

Shiva came stepping back to them. "Stay out of trouble?"

"Nothing Desmond couldn't handle."

"I feel the need to make a victory pose," Desmond said, grinning, "for proving that I could handle myself."

Shiva laughed. "You certainly wouldn't be the first. What happened?"

"He summoned some man called Adran-Adram-Adramleech—"

"Talal," Desmond supplied, watching as Shiva frowned.

"You use Adrammelech?"

He nodded, stepping back slightly as Shiva dumped an armful of various plants he didn't know existed on the ground. Strapping his staff to his back, he walked over to one of the carcasses of the wolves and dragged it over, where he cautiously stepped forward, taking the knife from the back of his belt and plopping on the ground, skinning the creature carefully. The dull knife made it hard, and he yelped when Shiva snatched it from him.

"Just who gave this piece of shit to you? This is ridiculously dull!"

He blinked as the god turned the blade into a sharp shard of ice.

"There," he said, disgusted, thrusting it toward him. "Use this. Careful—it's weak against fire and might return to its old form if used against it."

"I can't fight with knives anyway," Desmond murmured, gasping with delight at how easily it cut the skin.

"And if you give me those boots of yours, I'll line them with the wolf skin. For heavens' sake, even Lucy has better gear than you!"

He looked down, frowning.

"They haven't treated him well, there," Lucy murmured. "Not being a monk is a crime almost."

Kadar made a disgusted noise, and Desmond's head snapped sharply to see a small hut of snow rise from the ground.

"Right, well, you skin those and I'll give you better boots. Sleep in that tonight, and once we get to Ethaea, we'll get you properly equipped."

"I'll find us some firewood," Lucy said, standing.

As she walked off, he mused on her uniform. There were thick blue pants and white hand warmers, a hooded blue sleeved top that looked like it came straight out of a dojo. A yellow strip of cloth tied the top shut, and the black headband underneath the hat reminded him of just how powerful she was, and how she had been only ten days away from being shipped out—and how he had been ten days away from losing his only human friend. By the time she returned with the wood, he had the wolf skinned and handed her the flint as she started the fire. He began stuffing what was left of the meat with several of the plants Kadar had brought back after he cleaned out the unwanted organs and gave the fur to Shiva. By the time it was completely dark, the wolf was done roasting, and he had a pair of fur-lined boots. He was happy as he wiggled his toes.

There was nothing left but a skeleton by the time they were done, not having eaten all day long. Lucy was falling asleep on his shoulder, and he could feel himself getting sleepy. Kadar was watching them fondly, and he smiled sleepily at the god.

"Go ahead and sleep. I will watch tonight."

He went to say thank you, but it was interrupted by a loud yawn, and he stumbled off, helping Lucy into the igloo and curling up beside her. When he saw how big it was on the inside, he summoned Valefor inside to help keep them warm. There was no snow on the ground, and the ground wasn't all that soft like his bed, but Desmond decided it was the best thing that had ever happened in a long time.