Thank you guys very much for the reviews! They're very much appreciated! The following chapter pretty much goes by the game, minus and plus a few things. I hope you enjoy regardless!
Upon boarding the vessel, they met an older gentleman by the name of "Raymond". After a quick verification test, Layton pinpointed their destination to be Froenborg. Honestly, anyone could say they were the Professor when solving a puzzle, Emmy thought to herself. Though she supposed the old man was quite aware and only followed orders. It made her wonder…
"Why is he saddled with taking orders from that so-and-so? Does he not know what near permanent damage this guy's done?" she muttered.
She supposed she had no room to talk. Whatever falling out Descole had with reality, she was sure that Uncle Bronev suffered the same way. Perhaps they were both alike, both serving as means to an end because of how much they cared for and owed to them. Whatever the case, it was best not to think about it too much.
Emmy stared out the window vacantly, watching rolling hills of green slowly turning white and snowy. A hand made its way on her shoulder and she nearly jumped as she turned to the source.
"Is everything alright, Emmy?" Layton asked.
His face was tucked into a small worried frown, as he sensed some sort of unease from her.
"Eh? Hah, don't worry, I'm fine. It's just… From what I heard of Froenburg, apparently the place is supposed to be a snowy white wonderland. I just hope I packed warm enough clothes."
He seemed to register it as a satisfactory answer and gave her a comforting smile.
"If it does get too cold, I'd be happy to lend you an extra coat I packed. Also, I'm sure could make some tea that might warm you up later."
She mustered a smile in return. "Thanks, professor. I might take you up on the offer."
The rest of the ride was quiet, save for Raymond briefing them on the mummy's location as well some of Sycamore's most recent finds.
Upon landing, Luke was the very first to set out on his journey outside. At first, all seemed well as he trotted down the stairs. However, the last step was certainly a doozy. He fell in the deep snow with a deafened "plop", leaving only his blue cap on the very surface.
Emmy chased him out the door before reaching the end of the stairs. "Luke! Luke where'd you—Oh."
Just behind her was a concerned Raymond. "Ah, wait you two, Sycamore said there would be about seven feet of snow!"
She raised an eyebrow and pointed her thumb towards the deep slush. "A little late on the forecast."
The woman bounded down and began digging around in the snow feverishly for her little friend. There he lied, shivering and hugging his legs close together for warmth. Tsking at him, she scooped him up into her arms and began carrying him inside. She almost burst out laughing at his antics, but she spared him of the embarrassment.
"You should know better than to run out there without being properly dressed for it."
Luke grimaced in response. "I didn't know there'd be that much out there!"
She walked past a worried professor to which she answered, "Don't worry, he just needs warmer clothes."
Finding a heavier jacket was a difficult task with how unorganized he packed. He had no undergarments to suit the warm weather either (neither did she, but she could stand the elements far more). Once she was able to find a dry coat and an extra shirt, she was immediately shooed out of the guest room for him to change.
She raised her arms up in mock defeat upon walking out. "Don't blame me for you nearly catching your death out there!"
"I said I was fine! Sheesh!" The door quickly shut behind her.
"Oh dear. If what Raymond said was true, the town had recently suffered a snowstorm," Hershel called out from the control room.
When Emmy had walked back, she found him sitting on a plush couch in the center of the room, writing down in what was presumably his journal. He looked up to her with an embarrassed smile.
"Thank you for taking the time to go through Luke's things and finding more fitting clothing."
"No problem at all! If the apprentice number one is anything like his mentor, his organization skills could use some improvement," she smirked upon seeing him shyly looking away from that remark.
"I…we'll endeavor to improve upon that."
"I would hope so. You don't want to be a bad influence, now do you?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Certainly not."
The trio were finally out the door again after placing on more durable clothing for the cold. Raymond helped them out of the airship by shoveling some of the snow to avoid any further incident. Thankfully, their journey into town was far more forgiving, as the snow there was foot level. As such, the townsfolk seemed unbothered despite the rough weather they've had the day prior. There was one person however that was suffering a similar fate to Luke.
He stood in the snow, clutching his pink vest and audibly shuddering. In all the parts of the world to be, never did they think they'd find their mustached friend, Aldus in such a remote tourist spot. As soon as he saw them, he waved at them to come closer.
"And lo! In these frosty snow-piled peaks, we meet again, my friends," his mustache perked up. "Fate has seen fit to send you here to warm my heart and ears and ease my shivers."
Layton seemed somewhat surprised. "Ah yes. You are—"
"I am indeed! How pleasing is it to see you in good health. I never dreamt of meeting you here!"
To be quite honest, neither did we. I'm starting to think these run-ins aren't coincidences, Emmy wanted to say.
Aldus wavered in place. "No, my dreams were of shining silvers, and ivory whites, but I must confess…"
"The cold!" he burst out. "It is t-too much. It has triumphed over me. Woe, my friend! It… Brrrrr! It seems I am unsuitably attired!"
"That is… most unfortunate. Perhaps you had better try to keep warm indoors."
"Your wise words prove that you are not just a pretty hat, and I shall heed them gladly!"
"Before you do, I must ask, have you seen a professor pass by?"
"Another of the archaeological variety? Why yes! A bespectacled man strolled in these snowy parts not too long ago! I think he went by the name of 'Sick-a-more'?"
Emmy caught her laugh by her throat before responding. "Ah, y-yeah. Snnk! Him. Have you seen which way he went?"
"Puzzled as all puzzled gentleman can be. As soon as I saw the man, he disappeared into the snowy blue. Someone else might have seen him, much like those fellows dressed in black. Erm, if they're friendly."
That statement incited some fear within Emmy. That sounded like Targent's troops were around, something she wasn't expecting so soon until they've at least located Sycamore. From what she could tell, Bronev's patience wore quite thin. Though she supposed it was because there was only the matter of the mummy and these supposed databanks before unlocking the secrets of the Azran.
"Thanks so much for the information. As well as that little hint coin hunt to brush up on our skills."
Emmy blinked for a moment. She had spaced out while Aldus was going about his usual business.
"But of c-course! Now before I crystalize into a shivering stalactite, I b-bid you adieu!" He waved to them before rushing off to take cover from the cold.
Shortly after their meeting, they asked around town for others who may know of Sycamore's whereabouts. One girl by the name of Prima had about the same amount of information Aldus had. ("Oh that man with the retro hairstyle! I'm sorry, I have no idea… Do look out though, there's some suspicious men around!") The group proceeded into the next area of town, where the men of hour had made their appearance.
There was hardly room for doubt. The two were of varying heights, both dressed in dark blue jackets that were quite similar to Emmy's own. Those were indeed Targent agents. The faces were familiar, certainly, but she couldn't remember if she had even spoken to them before. They must have been newer recruits of a different sector. What were their codenames…? Something to do with chess?
The shorter and rounder of the men was stomping his foot in frustration. "Argh, rats! Why does everything here have to be frozen solid?"
"We're in Froenborg. What did you expect?" the taller and thinner one responded.
Bishop. That was the shorter one's codename. "Yeah, but come on. A huge wall of ice? It's not natural, I tell you. I should have been able to chip it at least, but… Ow!"
Rook? The taller one seemed like he was Rook. "Well, if fire didn't have any effect on it, I'd hardly expect brute force to."
Rook shrugged off Bishop's tantrum and pushed up his shades. "Anyway, whatever happens, we're not leaving here until we captured the target, so we'd better suck it up. Get your skates on, Bishop. Let's see if we can find another way in."
"I'm on it!" Bishop chirped. The two took off shortly thereafter.
The professor and Luke looked at each other.
"Do you suppose those two are them?" Layton pondered.
Luke nodded. "They must be!"
Nothing, save a few extra wrinkles in his brow showed on the professor's face. "Hm. This trip may not go as smoothly as I had hoped. Living mummy or not, I fear Professor Sycamore has uncovered something extremely dangerous…"
—
One man, a bearded one by the name of Harald, had seen Sycamore. He apparently disappeared into a cave far north and had not been seen since. It seemed as if Rook and Bishop had been seen lurking around that area as well. It left the poor man in worry most of the day, the feeling contagious to the trio. They could only hope that he was well.
The climb to where the cave was supposedly located was somewhat of a task in the deep snow. Once they reached the entrance on the other hand…
"Hey, I think this is it! This must be the cave. But… it's frozen solid!" Luke trotted up to the iced up cave.
Layton inspected its surface and confirmed with a nod. "This almost seems impenetrable through normal means… I can't find any cracks or weak spots."
The biting cold seeped past the spare coat Luke had, causing him to shiver and curl his scarf over his neck. They weren't dressed to stay out for long, so it was best that they find some way in before they got sick. The child had thought of an idea within that instant and turned to Emmy. She caught his eyes and raised an eyebrow in response, seeming to understand him.
"I'm sure we can break through it! If there's anyone that's good at that, it'd be you Emmy!"
Cracking her knuckles, she walked up to the entrance and readied her stance. "I'm on it."
"Be careful," Layton warned as he stood to the side.
She nodded her acknowledgement and steadied her breaths. In a flash, she gave the wall a clean roundhouse kick. There was a silenced thud, a small rumble, and then finally snow from the very top of the cave fell in large chunks over an unsuspecting Emmy. Before she could dodge or yell, she was completely covered in an instant. Both startled, Layton and Luke rushed over to the snow pile to help her.
Emmy climbed out, dusting the cold powder from her hair and shoulders. She supposed this was cosmic payback for poking fun at Luke's mistake. Swarmed with questions from her concerned friends, she brushed them off with a wave.
"Well, that just happened… Will you two calm down? I'm fine!"
She supposed she felt happy in knowing how much they cared for her at least. The woman was not going to be let off that easily. Despite her protests, she was given Layton's coat to wear as well as Luke's earmuffs. She felt smothered, but it wasn't necessarily bad to her. Emmy sighed and pulled the coat close. If they were going to sacrifice some warmth, she had better make the most of it.
"I did say it was impenetrable through normal means..." Layton rubbed the back of his head.
"But Emmy's anything but normal—in strength anyway!" Luke quickly corrected himself to avoid her glare.
She shrugged her shoulders dismissively. "Sorry to disappoint."
"I didn't mean it like that, really!"
Layton interjected, "Alright now. Let's bring our focus back to the matter at hand. If we can't break through this, there must be some other way to get past this obstacle. Perhaps we should look around."
The only other thing that was in the area was a lone snowman. With a smile, a tophat, and a scarf, it stood tall despite the winds that blew in the mountainous area. There was something that seemed off about it, but what…?
Emmy stepped up to it and began inspecting it. "Aw, it's a snowman! Now what could you be doing all the way out here? And with a missing mitten no less!"
Luke pulled his cap back to scratch his head. "Better question is 'Who would make a snowman when the weather was horrible till today?'"
There was nothing else to note, but they had a hunch that there may be a connection between the snowman and the frozen entrance. So the group had decided to go back to town. There, they had noticed that the town was somewhat livelier now that more people had left their homes. Prima, the girl they had met earlier, was now joined by her friend Donna. The two looked somewhat shocked when they noticed the group.
"Goodness! What happened to you all? You look positively chilled to the bone!" the redhead called out.
The blonde haired girl, Donna replied, "My bet's on the 'lost and weren't properly dressed' option."
After a moment, Prima covered her mouth. "You're the professor I met earlier!"
"I didn't know you were friends with the academic type," Donna teased.
"W-Well, he just came by earlier to ask questions and solve a puzzle—wait! This isn't the time to dawdle! They're soaking wet and they look about ready to freeze over!"
Layton raised a hand. "We'll be fine. More importantly, we need a bit of information about a snowman that was up north near the caves."
"Snowman?"
The girls looked at each other. Donna folded her arms. "Yeah, we haven't been up there recently and I can't remember a time someone even made a snowman there. We just got over a bad blizzard."
"But maybe Mascha would know. She knows about pretty much everything that goes on around here. And she's the owner of a hotel where there's a hot springs!"
They didn't get much word in edgewise, as the two of them ushered the group across the snow-fallen town to their destination.
