Chapter 11 :: Wasteland of Ice
-------------------------------------Is this the future you desire?
"Erebus! Why did you try to harm my sister and Alice?" Mithos demanded.
That could not be helped, Mithos. The crystal has a life of its own when it tries to protect itself from interference. Our plans must change if we are to end this war. Gather together all the remaining summon spirits for us...
The realm of glowing lights they usually stood in changed to a view from above Meltokio, the capital of Macerdon. Hundreds of ebon armored Deathcarriers flew over the city, bombarding it with lightning. Then, a massive ship parted the fleet as it fired a powerful emerald beam into the city center. The resulting explosion wiped everything out for miles.
This is how the war will end if we do not restrain the remaining spirits.
"Then...."
There's more, Mithos. A city will fall to the flames of injustice and a champion will be slain. Be on your guard.
Their realm was consumed by the images of fire and burning buildings, but Mithos only heard the sounds of people screaming in pain and fear.
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"What must you be going through right now?" Kratos asked. Mithos found himself looking not at the room in Sirius' villa but inside the Zephyr's passenger compartment. Their only window to the outside had become fogged up by the heavy humidity.
"What do you mean, master?" responded Mithos.
"You were tossing and turning all through your sleep when we brought you here. Don't worry. You didn't oversleep this time. Alice simply thought it best to depart before sunrise," Kratos explained. He left Mithos to his meal, leftovers from last night's party.
"I could sense turmoil in his mind. Something so dark, I dare not use my telepathy," Alice said to Kratos when he returned to the cockpit. Clouds blew past them like leaves in the wind. "Do you know how to fly?"
"No. I have never been too fond of aircraft," Kratos said.
"That's different," Mithos said, rubbing the condensation off the window. They were zooming over not jungle, but a frozen sea. Icebergs and chunks of ice drifted in the water. Having finished eating, Mithos went up to the cockpit where Alice was about to land the aircraft.
"The course to open the Arctic Base gates is quite rough. You might want to hold on," Alice said. Mithos and Kratos strapped themselves into their seats. Alice threw the throttle lever forward, bringing Zephyr to full speed. Erected on top of icebergs were arches, which they had to fly through. Alice radioed to the fortress of Enigma's Ghosts. "Zephyr calling Arctic. We're coming in."
The ship gracefully danced from one arch to the next before coming to a large island at the edge of a glacier. A pair of giant metal doors opened up and allowed the Zephyr to glide inside and touch down soft as a feather.
"That was some awesome piloting, Alice!" Mithos said.
"Welcome to Beta Fortress Arctic!" a soldier of Enigma's Ghosts said, saluting Alice as she got off with Mithos and Kratos. "Lord Yuan is not with you?" Mithos then noticed that he was one of the guards they found playing cards back at the desert fortress.
"Yuan is attending to a special mission. Show us to your laboratory," Alice replied.
"Right this way," the soldier said. The Arctic Base seemed to be an identical copy of the Triet fortress, had it not been for a few extra corridors. They came into a cargo room where large boxes filled with food were stored in refrigeration. "I have to pick up something for Lord Darius."
"That's all right," Alice said.
"So how do they not get frozen into a popsicle in this place?" Mithos asked.
"They must have another of those climate controlling cubes," Kratos suggested. The soldier retrieved a frozen metal box in the corner and then led them to a platform. All four got aboard as they were whisked to a much warmer third floor. As they passed the second floor, Mithos caught a glimpse of some scientists working on a large capsule device.
"Here we are, Lord Darius' chamber."
They found themselves inside a command structure with a launch catapult to the frozen wasteland. Displays projecting values that neither Mithos nor Kratos could comprehend were all around them.
"Adjust that wing a few degrees upward, Bob," Darius, a dwarf with a white beard commanded. Three men in white coats rapidly punched keys into a computer. "No, that still doesn't give enough lift."
"Excuse me, Lord Darius," Alice said.
"Lady Enigma! Um... all of you have the rest of the day off," Darius said to his associates.
"So what do these things do?" Mithos asked, looking at a console displaying a projection of a Rheaird.
"Don't touch any of that," Darius insisted, running over to Mithos on his short legs. Even though he was just four feet tall, he still could move quickly. Darius turned off all the machines except for a large screen on the wall.
"Mithos, Kratos, and I need to know what your progress is on the radiation protector so we can go into Flanoir," Alice said.
"Yes, yes. But there's something you've got to see first," Darius excitedly said. Putting his rubber gloves on, he opened the box the soldier had taken him. Inside was a miniature hourglass with wires hanging off of it. "That's for later."
"Our time here is not infinite. We have to hurry or Ali..." Kratos began. Alice immediately cut him off.
"My friend will be in danger," Alice said.
"Our surveillance of the Delthis army showed Lord Dusk is already in Macerdon, scorching a two-pronged path south into the jungle and north to the capital," Darius said.
"He's ignoring us, right?" Mithos whispered to his mentor.
"It would appear so."
"Then our greatest worry has come true. What of Lord Kepler?" Alice inquired. She closely followed Darius' explanation.
"Kepler has been demoted and placed under Dusk's command," Darius answered.
"This Dusk guy... who is he?" Mithos asked.
"The name Dusk is only an alias for the one whose mastery of deception has given him the rank of general. Only a few know of his real name. Dusk is merciless when it comes to war. He planned the attack on Heimdall in order to wrest the last elven stronghold from Macerdon's hands, regardless of how many would die," Darius explained. "Now, my lady. I have your radiation protector right here."
He gave Alice the hourglass. When it fell into her glove, a warm light surrounded them.
"This will protect us?" said Mithos.
"Only for a few minutes of exposure to the nuclear winter," Darius said.
"That should be more than enough time to reach the cavern from the airship," Kratos said.
"By the way, Lady Enigma. Drop by when you finish with your mission at Flanoir. I've got to give the Zephyr an upgrade."
"We will make sure to," Alice replied.
Back on the airship, the three strapped into their seats and readied for flight again. As the main door opened, the rising sun's rays filled the hangar.
"So why did you cut Kratos off?" Mithos asked. This time Kratos returned the favor by interrupting before Alice could respond.
"You believed you can't look weak in front of your soldiers, right?" Kratos said.
"That is correct. I can't imagine how they would feel if the one they looked up to for leadership were stricken by a seemingly incurable illness," Alice continued. "Standby for flight."
Zephyr took off from the Arctic base and headed over the glaciers into the frozen continent of Flanoir. A heavy blizzard constantly covered the white landscape. Flanoir was once a busy trading center before the Eternal War broke out. It was always a cold place to live, but when Delthis attacked with elemental fusion weapons, life there was impossible.
"Those are the craters from the bombs, correct?" Kratos said. A huge crater, nearly twenty miles wide, jutted out from the flat snowscape.