Ch 7: Blasts from the Past
"Are you feeling any better?"
"Mm-hmm, much better."
"That's good. Here, drink some of this."
A woman in a lilac Eskimo style coat handed Esther a cup of soup. The tamer sipped at the warm liquid. When she had emptied the cup of its contents, Swaine walked in from another room carrying thick winter coats.
"Swaine! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, the doc said I'm fit as a fiddle. Remember when I said I didn't remember falling because I was knocked out? According to the doc, because I was completely relaxed when I fell, my body was able to absorb the shock evenly or whatever."
Drippy bounced right behind him. "Yep, and I'm all tidy, too! But what about you, lass?"
"Oh, I'm fine. Just a few bruised bones." She got to her feet. "See? I'm-ow!" Esther gritted her teeth, hissing while a sudden pain jolted though her body.
"…You were saying?" Swaine gave her a mocking grin as she gave him a sarcastic frown.
"Okay, I'm fine as long as I don't move too fast-happy now?"
He raised his shoulders. "Well, you're in one piece, so yeah, I'm happy."
He tossed one of the coats in his arms into hers. "Better put these on. They're a lot warmer and I'm not in the mood to deal with you while you're freezing to death."
Esther held up the article of clothing in her arms. It was like a thicker version of her old coat-rose pink with pom-pom drawstrings. However, there were fluffy trims of white on the ends of the sleeves, hood, and bottom. It also came with thicker snow pants, cute mittens, and a pair of sturdy snow boots with extra fluff in the inside to insulate extra warmth.
She looked back to the ex-thief. He was pulling his coat over his head. It was similar to hers but pale green and without pom poms. He already wore a pair of thick pants and tough boots.
"Um, speaking of freezing to death," Esther asked as Swaine's head popped out of the hood. "Do you remember when we came here three years ago? Was it this cold?"
"It was cold alright, but not this chilly. But then again, there wasn't a snow storm back then either." Swaine replied as he pulled his mittens over his wiry hands.
"…About that…" The lady in lilac lowered her gaze. "Although it's cold and snowy year-round here in Yule, this storm is the worst and coldest we've ever had. It is colder than usual."
"Really?" Drippy hopped to a window sill, getting a great view of the angry storm stirring outside. "Blimey, here, too?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"The rest of the world is becoming a lot colder as well." Esther spoke up. "It even snowed in Al Mamoon, my home!"
"What?! Al Mamoon, the desert kingdom? Surely you must be joking!"
Swaine nodded his head. "Nope, she's not. The fairy and I saw it, too. And it's affecting Ding Dong Dell, too. "
Drippy sighed, fogging up the glass window slightly. "Yep, the whole world's entering an ice age." He gazed sadly outside at the once merry Christmas decorations. Wreathes that hung off of doors were frozen to the stem and looked more depressed than cheery. There were no playful snowmen or frolicking children in the snow; just a brutal blanket of white over the landscape.
"Mun, if this keeps up, we're gonna have a white Christmas, and not the kind you see on cards."
Swaine and Esther's eyes pointed to the floor. Their eyes reflected worry and glazed over with bleak thoughts.
"I know Hamelin isn't affected by the weather, but who knows what this damn cold will do to it? If they're not careful, the cold could penetrate the city and freeze everyone or mess with the power lines, at least…"
"Father…I hope you and everyone else back home is okay…I know you're not used to the cold…will you be okay?"
The snowwoman fidgeted uncertainly, sensing the sullen change in atmosphere. She perked up faintly with an idea, spun around, and held out a tray with cups of warm soup.
"Um, here, this will warm you up!" She offered the tamer, mechanic, and fairy each a cup. Swaine raised his soup and noted its contents-less ingredients and more water. He gulped and the hot liquid traveled down his throat. It wasn't that tasty (a bit bland, in his opinion) but at least it was warm, as the lady said.
"Oi? This looks a bit watery to be soup."
"Drippy!" Esther shot a disapproving glare at his bluntness.
The lady lowered her head. "I'm sorry. Ever since this storm came, we've been having a hard time finding food…"
"…When exactly did this storm start?" Swaine eyed her suspiciously.
"Um…about four days ago…"
"Did it slowly get colder about three weeks before it hit?"
"…Now that you mention it, yes, but we thought we were simply having an early winter."
Swaine curled his hand around his stubble, lost in his train of thought.
"Oi, what you on to, mun?" Drippy leaped onto the mechanic's shoulder.
"How do you expect me to think if you're yelling into my ear?" Swaine swatted him off, sending Drippy crashing onto Esther's lap. The blonde barely noticed, as her eyes were trained onto the man, waiting for his answer.
"…Something's up. Three weeks ago when Oliver crashed landed in Hamelin, it was definitely colder than usual. And it gradually got colder the whole way to Castaway Cove. Then it snowed in Al Mamoon, and then Ding Dong Dell…and now here." He shook his head lightly. "There's no way it's just a bunch of coincidences, and climate change doesn't happen this fast."
"So what does it mean?"
He scratched the back of his hair. "I don't know. But if we don't figure something out soon, then Christmas isn't going to be too merry this year."
Drippy turned to face the snowwoman. "Oi, you didn't happen anything else about this cold, did you? Like weird monsters running amuck or whatnot?"
She was quiet for a moment before she sadly nodded her head.
"Great. We don't have any leads or clues. Now what?"
"…um, I may be having of leads." A shy voice called out.
Everyone glanced behind to see a fluffy tomte half hiding behind the door frame. His black eyes blinked back at them.
"Hey, you're the tomte from before, right?"
The white ball of fur nodded. "My name is Nivo. I go to find food for village and family, but I am having bad luck."
"So the whole village is starting to go hungry, too…" The desert blonde sullenly lowered her gaze.
"I am fearing so. Ice over ponds is thicker than normal and harder to fish. But…while I was out, I noticed something strange."
Everyone's heads rose up. You could feel the air in the room freeze with anxiousness.
"I went to gather after I fished. It was dark and hard to see, but I saw strong flurries of snow fly out of the entrance of Glittering Grotto…or at least I think it came from there."
"You mean that oversized icebox of a cave north of here?"
"Uh, yes. The wind brought the cold and ice, and I'm certain it came from the north, at least."
"Tidy! I'll be a monkey's uncle! We have a clue about what's behind this flipping cold!" Drippy hopped with excitement. "I say we go check it out! "
"You're not planning on sticking our necks into that hell of a cave and temperatures a thousand degrees below zero, are you?"
"Would you rather stay here?" Esther asked in a mocking tone.
"N-No, of couse no-wait, hold on, you're going, too?"
"Why not?" Cocking her head, she asked with a slightly curious tone.
"In case you haven't noticed, you're not exactly in tip-top shape. Oh no, there's no way you're going there."
"It's just a few bruises!"
"Yeah, on your bones! And strolling out there will only make it worse!"
She rolled her blue eyes. "Who are you, my father? You can't tell me what to do! I'm not just going to sit around while the whole village-no, the world-is freezing to death!"
"Well, excuse me for worrying over your well being for once! If something happened to you I'd-I'd…I…" Swaine's anger melted into some emotion that he couldn't put his finger on. His tongue rolled in his mouth as if searching for the right words in his saliva. The heat of the argument was sizzling out, and the ex-thief knew there was little point in bickering about it now.
His hand reached up to burrow itself in his hair out of habit when he was uncomfortable, but another hand stopped it. It was Esther's.
"…If you're worried that I'm going to get hurt, then why don't we make a deal?"
"Huh? A deal?"
"Yeah-You let me go with you to The Glittering Grotto while you do all the heavy lifting and help me if my injuries get too bad."
He was quiet for a moment before she continued. "I won't be a dead weight, Swaine. I can still play my harp and heal you guys or tame familiars. So," she let go of his hand and stuck hers out. "Do we have a deal?"
He twisted his mouth before answering. "…Fine." He clasped his hand firmly around hers and gave it a shake.
"Tidy! I say we get going right away!" Drippy punched the air. "Christmas is only three days away, and I think everybody'd appreciate it if we'd stop this flipping ice age before it ruins the holidays."
"Sigh…Alright, fi-" Swaine's left hand instinctively went to his side. His eyes widened and looked disbelievingly down.
"Wha-oh, damn it all!" Slapping his face with a curse, he growled. "That goddamn, stupid storm!" He stomped the floor with an angry foot.
"Swaine, calm down! What's wrong?" Esther held his arm lightly to restrain his rage.
"I lost my satchel in that storm! I must have dropped it when I fell…Damnit!"
"It's okay, Swaine. What was in there that was so important?"
The man's brown eyes blinked wide as some color rose to his cheeks. "Um-err-well-uh-nothing! That's none of your business!"
Esther sighed. "…Remind me why I have to put up with you so much."
"Um, excuse me…" Nivo stepped forward. "By satchel, you mean a brown purse-like object?"
"Err, it's kinda like a purse. It's a bag with a strap and…" The man stopped midsentence as the tomte held up his prized messenger's bag.
"I found this hanging on a tree branch on way here. I thought a traveler lost it…Is it yours?"
Swaine snatched the bag up and scanned his eyes over the familiar material. He lifted the flap and peered carefully inside. He sighed with relief at the sight of its contents of the box-shaped present.
Esther got on her tip toes to attempt to look over his tall shoulder to see, but the bag was promptly closed.
"Oh no you don't-keep your nose out of my stuff."
"Hmph," The tamer huffed.
"Oi, are you two done bickerin' or what?" Drippy hopped impatiently. "I know that cave ain't going anywhere, but the sooner we hit the road and investigate Glittering Grotto, the better!"
"Wait!" Nivo jogged back to another room and came back wearing a blue vest and holding a small aqua blue coat. "The small one needs proper coat too. And you need someone to guide you. I will."
"Oi? You sure, mun? It's proper nasty outside, and who knows what's hanging around in the grotto…"
"Yes. Golden hair lady is right-I can't sit on my bottom while Yule freezes over. Besides, it is hard to see in storm, yes? We snowfolk know way around island like backs of our hands."
"Alright! That's what I want to hear! Look lively, muns! Bundle up and move out!"
The strong wind roared like a raging lion, trying to shove the four figures in the snow back. Nivo marched in the front with a walking stick while Swaine plodded behind him, and behind the ex-thief was Esther as her hair fluttered wildly like a golden blur. Drippy dragged behind them as his lantern swayed violently below his nose.
"Ooiii! How much farther is it, mun?"
"Just a bit further! Glittering Grotto is ahead!"
The desert blonde raised her head. She barely made out the dark shape that symbolized the cave's entrance. Strong gusts of wind intertwined with ice and cruel coldness rushed out of the mouth.
After fighting a war with the wind, the party marched into the ice infected cave. Large icicles dangled from the ceiling like frosty lances pointing at them. Piles and puffs of snow littered spots on the ground. No matter where you looked, you always saw ice reflecting a magical gleam back at you. It was as though some force had polished everything in frozen water, turning it into a bone-chilling hall of ice mirrors.
Nivo paused, panting slightly. "Huff…let's rest for minute, yes?"
"Whew…The storm was even worse up here." Swiane plopped down on a wide block of ice with weary legs. "It's like the closer we got to the grotto, the stronger the wind was."
"And it got colder, too." Esther sat down beside him. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear from the breeze.
"Wait…there's still some wind…"
"Yeah, so?"
"We're inside a giant cave and yet there's a breeze from the inside of it."
Swaine now raised an eyebrow. "…Hey, you're right. It's coming… from that direction."
He pointed his hand to his right-up the path that led deeper into the Glittering Grotto. A few minuscule snowflakes floated about with the breeze, proving his point.
"This is unusual." Nivo caught some flakes in his hand and stared at them. "It is strange that there is wind from inside cave here. Something is not right."
"'Least we don't have to fight against that crikey wind." Drippy hopped down to the iced over ground. "But it's still pretty chilly-Brrr!" He rapidly rubbed his arms over the other, praying the friction would eliminate the numbness.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Esther stood back up. "We have to check out the rest of the cave!"
"Okay, okay, hold your horses." The lanky man got back onto his long legs, stretching his arms over his head.
As the party progressed deeper into the grotto, everything was quiet except for the soft shuffling of their footsteps, the whisper of the breeze, and the faint huffs of breath that came out into small clouds.
But not the slightest sound of any other life forms. No Sasquash, no Ice Queen, no Pond Pom-nothing.
"Did all the monsters around here high tail it outta here and turned this cave into a ghost grotto?"
"I am not knowing. Many snow beasts make their home here and thrive here, but now it is empty. It is like…'ghost' grotto, as you said, no?"
Swaine shrugged as he glanced at the white tomte. "Just a little play on words. A ghost town is a old town that's abandoned and empty-like here."
"So…you think Glittering Grotto is inhabited by ghosts now?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa-I never said anything about ghosts moving in here. " He waved his hands in front of him with a slight panic in his voice.
"What's the matter Swaine-afraid of a few ghosts?"
"I am not!" He snapped back. "Why would I, of all people, be afraid of something as silly as a ghost?"
The moment that word passed his lips, something palely glowing glided out of his chest. It spun in a happy circle in the air, grinning up to the man.
"Eh? Spooky? I didn't cal-ack!" Swaine was cut off as the Bougie-Woogie licked his face with his tail wagging with joy.
"Ack-down boy-pth-stop, ack-heel, boy, heel!"
Eventually the eerie familiar stopped and floated over to Esther's face, where he nuzzled her cheek.
"Heehee, hi, Spooky! You've really grown!"
The Bougie from five months ago had evolved into a powerful ghost creature with a curled horn on its head and a purple star mark over its right eye. A green striped candle stood up at the end of his long tail.
"Ooh, aren't you a good boy? Ooh, aren't you a sweetheart?" Giggling, she nuzzled her nose with the animal's.
"Ahem." The mechanic cleared his throat abruptly. "Hate to break up the love fest, but we can't stand here gushing over small animals all day."
Spooky whined, began to float back over to the man, but an icicle caught his attention. He hovered over there instead and sniffed it curiously.
"'C'mon, Spooky, we don't-" The ghost stuck out his tongue to taste the cone of ice. "Wait, no don't! Spooky!"
It was too late. His tongue was stuck to the stalactite of ice. He tugged back, but his flesh was frozen in its place.
"Oh, brother…" Swaine wrapped his hands around the ghost's torso and pulled. After a few tugs, he was free with a yank.
"Hmph. I hope you learned a little lesson today." Spooky shook his body, nodded, and vanished into his master's heart.
"Okay, now that that ordeal is over with, we shou-hey, wait, where's fluffball and the fairy?" The man turned his head around as Esther did the same-there was no sight of the tomte or their Lord High Lord of the Fairies.
"Oi, we're over here, mun!" Drippy hollered from somewhere behind them. The couple spun around, seeing the tomte and fairy.
"Are you coming?" The duo looked up and saw Nivo waving his walking staff. "We must be moving forward, yes?"
Esther and Swaine jogged up to them. Now together again, they traveled deeper into the grotto. Once again, everything was quiet as the ice.
"…Hey, Swaine?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think Oliver and Marcassin are okay?"
The man's eyes darkened with concern. "…I hope so. If they're not, then they're really in for it." He said, trying to lighten the mood with his trademark remarks.
"Oliver…Marcassin…Tengri…Please be safe."
"I'm sure they-the-th-th-"Suddenly the man began to stutter midsentence as his dark eyes widened to the size of golf balls.
"Swaine? What's gotten into you?"
Still babbling slightly, he pointed his shaking hand. Esther shifted her blue eyes in that direction. And gasped.
Standing right in front of them a meter away were…themselves. And Oliver. And Drippy. But all about three years younger.
"Mom!" The thirteen year old Oliver shouted. A few yards away from the younger party stood a tall man with long brown hair and a mustache to match along with royal clothing. The man faced a young woman with chestnut hair and wizard clothing as she held a blue staff in her left hand.
"Could this be the place?"
"It could. The Maw of the Mountain King seems an apt hiding place for the visionary magic of the ancients…"
"The power to save souls…Could it really be here? If we could only find it, we might stand a chance of defeating the Dark Djinn."
Nivo stared at the illusion with surprise while Drippy said, "Oi, I get it. That's a vision of the past. This cave is known to show flashbacks from the past, en't it? And right now we're seeing one from where we saw one three years ago!"
The past Oliver and his friends weren't done yet. The Swaine of the past stuttered, "Th-Th-That's my d-d-d-! I m-m-mean the old emperor!"
"It is, huh. Why would he and my mom be here?" The younger Oliver gazed at the figures of the past while the past Drippy shook his lantern.
"That en't youer mam…That's the Great Sage Alicia…Crikey, it's been a while…"
"Alicia? Of course…She was in my dream…She looks so much like her…"
"So the old emperor spent his time hanging around with pretty young sages, did he?" Smirking, the Swaine of the past placed his hands on his hips. "Heh. It's all right for some…"
"Swaine! Is this really the time for your lewd comments?" The teenage Esther scolded him.
Before the show could continue, the images faded away, dissolving in the cold air into nothing.
"W-Wow! We saw a flashback of past!" Nivo turned to the others, awestruck. "Yes…now that I look at you, you look like past people, but older."
Drippy chuckled. "Yep, we've been here before. Not much has changed, has it?" He eyed Swaine and Esther with a grin.
The man shrugged like it was no big deal. "Mm-hmm, anyway, shouldn't we be moving?"
However, in his mind, something about that vision stuck. Something about seeing himself and his friends from three years ago.
"Oliver looked so young back then…He was just thirteen back then, and kids grow up fast. And Esther…she was younger too."
He spared a glance at the woman besides him-a young lady of about eighteen, maybe nineteen years old. The girl and the woman did differ in appearances slightly, as the Esther of the present was taller, wore her lovely hair down, and had a more developed figure. However, some things didn't change at all, like her blue eyes or her blonde hair and, of course, her personality.
"But the fairy didn't change at all…neither did I". He looked down at his hand as if seeing it for the first time. "I'm still just plain old Swaine. Yep, just a thirty year old man who's good with his hands."
"Swaine? Swaine, are you awake?"
"H-huh?" The man blinked back to reality to the face of the desert woman.
"You were just staring off into space. Are you okay?"
"Oh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just lost in my thoughts."
"…Do you want to talk about it?"
"Eh? Nah, it's not big or anything. I'm fine, really."
"…Okay, if you say so."
Meanwhile, completely oblivious to the couple's conversation, Nivo and Drippy held a staring contests with the icicles from above the wide gap in the path.
"Gee, if we had Ollie-boy with us, he could just force them down with Pulse lickety-spit and we could just make our merry way across!"
The tomte picked up a thick piece of ice from the ground and threw it at the icicles with all his might. It hit them with a clink and bounced to the ground, unsuccessful.
"Hmmm…We need something to get ice down, but how?"
POW!
Something metallic shot up and crashed into the base of the icicles. It exploded, sending small shockwaves into the rest. With dull cracks, the icicles broke free and fell, piercing the space where the gap was. They became stepping stones of frozen water.
Flabbergasted, the two non-humans spun around. Swaine coolly blew the smoke from the barrel of his pistol and smirked.
"How's that?"
"Tidy, mun! Now let's stop standing around and get a move on!"
The fairy bounced across with ease, followed by Nivo (who nearly lost his balance), Swaine (who jumped clumsily along), and Esther (who slipped and fell on the other side).
"Whoa! You okay, Esther?" Swaine held his hand out for her to take it. She started to reach out but hissed with pain.
"Esther?" Swaine raised his eyebrows, concerned.
"Ow…I-I'm fine, just a little sore." Esther tried to get back to her feet, wincing at the heaving of her weak bones.
"I dunno…That was a bit of a fall."
"What are you going to do about it, carry the rest of the way?"
Swaine opened his mouth to retort, but the loud fairy cut him off.
"Hey, there, mun. Why don't ya'?"
"Eh?! Are you joking?"
"Oh, come on! I'll give you three good reasons- one, you two made that deal back there about you helping her if her injuries got too bad; two, it might be a good idea to give her a rest from walking; and three, chivalry!" He said the last one with a grin.
"…Yeah, I'll just go with the first two reasons." Swaine's deadpan voice replied. He hoisted the lady onto his back and hooked his arms under her legs with her arms around his neck.
"Up you go…" He stood to his full height, feeling gravity pull Esther down slightly. At least she wasn't too heavy…
"Is everybody ready to proceed?" Nivo asked. Swaine turned his face to Esther, who nodded. The party walked forward. As Swaine placed one foot in front of the other, he felt Esther tighten her grip around his neck.
As they continued, Esther looked around her. Because there were no monsters or harsh wind, she was able to relax and let her eyes wander, taking in the wonders of the Glittering Grotto. Beautiful ice formations decorated the inside and gleamed with a vast array of blues. Nature had turned the environment into a natural art museum of ice sculptures. Every time she rotated her neck to see more, her face would brush against Swaine's brown curly mess of hair. It was frizzy yet somewhat soft. There was a faint whiff of earth and must from his curls.
Suddenly the man stopped abruptly, jerking Esther's face forward into his hair. She felt some color rise to her cheeks before she asked, "Huh? Swaine? Why did we sto-"
She gasped sharply, noticing a horrifying sight before them.
A large creature resembling a cross between a fish and a wolf was lying on its side on the icy ground. It had spikes along its back and a tail that harbored several fin-like appendages and two cords of raw bone. The wolf's enormous paws were larger than dinner plates and had thick claws. A spiked collar hung around its neck, making it look ferocious.
Or would have, had he not of been covered in blood, cuts, and lying on the floor weakly, defeated.
"Is…Isn't that…C-C-Cerboreas?"
The wolf's ears perked up at the sound of his name. He opened one of his pale yellow eyes, panting for breath. His black pupil eyed the group warily.
Swaine walked over and gently put Esther down. She crouched down to the wolf's head and carefully placed a hand on its head.
"It's okay. We're not here to hurt you." Esther soothingly whispered. The beast blinked back at her.
"…You…you are the girl from three years ago…with the savior…a-are you not?"
"T-T-The monster talked!" Nivo was shocked at this and backed away a step. Drippy patted him on the thigh.
"Don't worry mun, he's a good pooch. Besides, he couldn't harm a fly in that state…Blimey…"
The wolf continued. "I am…Cerboreas…f-faithful servant of the Wizard King…and previous Keeper of-" He broke into a coughing fit, unable to finish. The tamer gently stroked his blue fur.
"It's alright. Take it easy…" The sympathy in the woman's voice calmed the wolf. He took in a deep breath of the cold air.
"You shouldn't be here…It's dangerous…"
"You mean who-or whatever did this to you? What on earth happened?"
"…A spirit…of ice and snow…its anger is infecting everywhere…"
"A spirit? You mean…a ghost?"
Cerboreas coughed. "…It is worse…I-I tried to stop it, but…I failed…"
Swaine bent over to the beast. "No kidding. You're pretty beat up."
"…My master may be gone, but I still wish to serve this world…I had to at least try to protect it…" He hacked with a cough again, this time spiting some blood. A few droplets spattered onto Esther's hand.
"Who is responsible for this? And why? What could they gain by freezing everyone to death?"
"It…It's going to literally do just that."
"W…What?" Esther's eyes grew wide.
"So you're telling us there's some evil spirit or whatever around here trying to turn the world into a giant ice box." Swaine crossed his arms.
"Y-yes…It's just ahead…You should turn around. It's too dangerous for-"The majestic beast broke into another weak cough.
"Wait," Esther pulled out her harp. Softly plucking the strings, a soothing tune resonated through the air. Cerboreas felt his wounds heal slowly and his breathing becoming more stable. He stared at this songstress as she sang gently.
"…There. Can you stand?" Esther asked.
The beast carefully applied weight onto a paw, and then the others. He whined.
"…My wounds…they're not fully healed…but I think I can walk…"
Swaine scratched the wolf's ears. "Take it easy. You're gonna need a little more than a Healing Hymn to be back to normal." He turned to Nivo and Drippy.
"Hey, you guys get him outta here."
"Eh?"
"Swaine's right," Esther said. "His injuries are too deep for my music alone. You should take him back to Yule."
"But what about you two? What are you gonna do?"
"Gonna kick whoever's ass is behind this mess."
"What? But the one responsible is probably very strong…" Nivo had worry in his black eyes. "Will you two be okay?"
Esther walked the large wolf to the tomte. "Don't worry about us. If we don't something, then either the whole village will freeze over or Cerboreas will…will…" She couldn't bring herself to even think about the possibility of death of the majestic animal. Being a familiar tamer, the condition of any animal would pull at her heartstrings.
"Oi, but what about me?" Drippy piped up. "I can do more than walk muttface here!"
"You mean you're good at something that doesn't involve annoying the crap out of us?" Swaine mocked.
"Oh, shut it, you old bum!" Swaine scowled at this, but the fairy paid it no mind. "Just because I'm tiny doesn't mean I can't fight! What if ya' need my Tidy Tears? Or need someone brave and fast on his feet to distract whatever's up ahead?"
Swaine cringed inside. The fairy had a point-even if he was annoying as hell. He scratched his hair.
"…Oh, all right, fine. You can come with us. Nivo can give the dog a walk by himself."
"Tidy!" Drippy hopped gleefully, skipped ahead, and called out. "Come on, muns! Get a move on!"
Esther turned back to Nivo. He trusted the tamer and now gave the wolf a pat on the head.
"Go on. You can leave the beast to me. I will take him to safety."
Esther smiled, entrusting Cerboreas to the tomte. She walked to Swaine who was waiting for her. The man flashed his trademark smirk to Nivo.
"Just wait-this storm will be over and we'll be back before you know it."
They waved at each other, turned around, and walked in opposite directions.
"Wonder what sort of thing we're dealing with this time…"
"Maybe another snow monster? Like that one back in Ding Dong Well?"
"Well, whatever it is, let's just get this over with."
Esther glanced over to the man. Even though the man harbored his usual sarcastic voice, the blonde detected some fear in his eyes.
A strong gust of wind whistled in their faces. Everyone braced against the sharp push of cold.
"Damn it, stupid wind!"
"Wait…if the wind's getting stronger…"
Swaine's eyebrows rose. "…then we're probably getting closer to the source…"
"Tidy! We're almost there! Come on, let's show him-er, or her…or it-what happens when you mess with our weather!" Drippy cheered and dashed forward.
The lithe man was still, fear starting to creep into his body. The current of fear was halted when he felt something lightly squeezing his arm. He looked down to see Esther's hands around his upper arm. She gave him a small, reassuring smile. The man nodded slowly. She let go of his arm and the couple moved forward.
The wind was like ice, cold and sharp. There was a circle of ice, making a clearing in the room surrounded by icicles resembling sharp fangs or dangerous claws. The trio eyed their surroundings warily. Strong currents of wind rushed past them carrying snowflakes.
As they approached the center of the 'room', a shadow behind the forest of ice needles growled and stealthily crawled around the border, out of the line of sight of the mortals.
AN: Fun fact time-I based Nivo the tomte's name off the Latin word for 'snow'