Tigger: Hello everyone and welcome to my shrine! This is dedicated to Mez10000 and entry costs £3. We are also selling Mez dolls…
Me: Tigger, what are you doing?
Tigger: Um…(tries to hide dolls and shrine) nothing.
Me: What's this? (Picks up a Mez doll)
Laras daughter: It's a Mez doll. We're selling them at £30 for big dolls and £4 for small dolls.
Me: WHAT!
Laras daughter: Well, I'm skint and Tigger took my pictures of Tom, Keiren, Richard and my Eminem posters!
Me: Well, could you do it some other time when I'm not trying to do a disclaimer?
Laras daughter: Okay. We were just trying to get your readers to have a look.
Me: (Sigh) Just, someone, do a disclaimer.
Tigger: Mez10000 does not own Namco or Tales of Symphonia. We really wish she did, cause then she could give us some money.
Me: I'm skint too after my holiday shopping! Enjoy!
The journey to Gnome's temple was swift; no-one wanted to have to confront Lloyd's group. I hesitated a moment before entering the cavern. In my experience, caves were damp, dripping places. However, this was not the time to worry.
It was actually quite dry inside. I supposed they wouldn't want to make a leaky temple. Whoever 'they' was. I was expecting a Gnomelette to stop us, but the little thing with an attitude problem wasn't there. I gulped.
"I think they've already formed the pact." I announced.
"How do you know?"
"The Gnomelette." I said simply.
We all quickened our pace. I was glad to see that Kratos was bringing up the rear, just in case we did run into the group. We got to the main altar without meeting them.
"Go on then, Stephen. Do your stuff."
He stepped forward.
"Gnome? Are you home?" Stephen called, his voice echoing in the cavern.
I palmed my face. This was no way to act in front of a Summon Spirit.
Gnome appeared. "So, what can I do for ya?"
I sighed. Stephen's inappropriate behaviour was nothing compared to Gnome's. His form struck me a weird, too. If I was a ruler of earth mana, I wouldn't choose to look like a cartoon gopher with a…bow (?) on my head and a shovel in my hand.
"I want greater control over the earth." Stephen said.
"Yeah, the Sylph told me there was one of you guys who can control the elements hanging round with Kratos." Then, as if he'd only just noticed Kratos, he added, "How've you been? It's been, umm, four thousand years since we last met."
Kratos grimaced. "I'd hardly noticed."
"Anyway, I'll need to test you. Can't have you running around with unlimited power now, can we?"
'He is seriously getting on my nerves.' I thought.
Stephen gave the tiniest of nods, before saying, "What do you want me to do?"
"Well, I've only just fought someone and lost, so that wouldn't be any fun…how about we fight, but you have no weapons?"
"Only if you have no magic." Stephen said jokingly. I don't think he could see Gnome accepting the terms.
"Deal." Gnome's answer made everyone's face fall. (Apart from Kratos. Is his face made of stone of something?)
"Can I just speak to Stephen a second?" I asked. I didn't wait for an answer.
'Okay, new rule: never joke to a higher lifeform.'
'Shouldn't we be equal?'
'If you were equal to Gnome, you would have some limited intelligence!'
'So, you think I can't win?'
'Well, you do specialise in weapon fighting…'
'As Gnome does in earth spells.'
'He's got more weight to throw around.'
'I have my water.'
I couldn't help thinking that a little splash of water wouldn't help much. 'Well, I can't stop you. I just hope the experience will teach you some sense.'
'And you aren't my mother, or teacher either!'
'Sorry. But it's true.'
Stephen walked towards Gnome. "I'm ready."
Stephen assumed a battle stance, keeping his centre of gravity low. Gnome rushed at him. Stephen darted to the side. Gnome ran right past him, his momentum driving him into a wall. The ground trembled slightly and Stephen's idea suddenly dawned on me. He was using Gnome's own weight against him.
Gnome picked himself up and swung at Stephen with his shovel. Stephen teleported right onto Gnome's head. Stephen put his hands over Gnome's eyes. The result was instant. Gnome started staggering around and dimly swatting at his head. Gnome banged into yet another wall of his own cavern.
Gnome still wasn't quitting. Stephen made a bubble of water around Gnome's nose.
A second later, Gnome was yelling, "Okay, okay. I give up. Man, I hate water up my nose. I guess I'd better lend you my power. Except…I can't."
"What do you mean, you can't?" Stephen asked.
"You see, I made a pact the other day, and I can't do anything this big without asking permission. Or rather, you asking permission." Gnome said.
"Why can't you do it?"
"It's your power, if you want it so bad, work for it."
I sighed; Summon spirits couldn't half be annoying. "We need to go and ask Sheena, right?" I asked.
"Yep, well good luck." Gnome said before disappearing.
I felt really close to strangling something. Once I'd calmed down I said, "Nothing for it but to ask Sheena."
"We don't know where they are." Kratos said.
"Correction: you don't know where they are, I can give a very good guess."
"Do you ever go straight to the point?" Stephen asked me. "They're going round getting pacts with all the Summon Spirits."
"Why are they doing that?" Kratos asked concern in his voice.
"How can I say this tactfully so that you won't worry for Lloyd? Well, they've learnt of the protections on the great seed. However, they just think they are separating the two worlds and haven't really thought about what will happen if both the worlds don't get any mana." I explained.
Kratos' face turned a rainbow of colours, which was nothing compared to his aura. It (the aura, not his face!) first turned red for nervous, then blue for guilt, then orange for worried before settling on his usual yellow. His face was only just paler than normal.
"Let's go." He said in a strained voice.
"Kratos, it's okay to let us know what you're feeling. You don't have to keep everything bottled up."
"Thanks, but we don't have the time." He teleported us all to outside the fire temple.
"Somebody just run in and check. Everyone else, stay in the shade." Kratos remarked.
"I'll go and check."
I ran in quickly but not before hearing Stephen say, "And I'm going to stand in the shade of a palm tree before I evaporate away!"
Inside the temple, it was even warmer than the scorching desert outside.
"Thank you, Efreet." I muttered as I ran.
I used the air to lift me up mid-leap to carry me over the lava pits and onto the teleport. It wasn't hard, since the warm air only wanted to travel up anyway.
I looked around quickly, noticing neither hide nor hair of the group. I teleported into the altar room and found no one. I reported back to Kratos.
"Not there."
"Have they been there yet?" Kratos asked.
"How am I supposed to know?"
"You could have asked Efreet." Stephen pointed out.
"In my experience Summon Spirits, elemental guardians and similar people don't want to be bothered by trivial matters."
Stephen blushed and Kratos looked like he was going to explode with me calling the destruction of Symphonia 'trivial'. He noticed Stephen blush and probably wondered why, even if he wouldn't ask.
"Once, we were in another world, called Hyrule. We managed to go into one of the temples, the Temple of Time. When we were inside, he asked the sage, Rauru for a glass of water. Rauru got a little…annoyed."
"He was over reacting." Stephen pouted.
"Yes, here is Rauru trying to somehow explain that Link is seven years older than when he went asleep, an evil tyrant has taken over the land and the true heiress to the throne is missing when you barge in and demand a cup of water."
"I was thirsty."
I looked over to Kratos who was half-smiling. "Where to next?" I asked.
He wiped his face of the smile before saying, "Flanoir?"
"Uh-oh, I forgot there was a temple there." I said quietly.
Kratos teleported us outside the ice temple. I dashed inside as quickly as possible.
"What was that all about?" Stephen asked once he came in.
"It's snowing." My tone was almost as icy as the weather.
"And?"
"Snow is frozen water. Snow melts when it touches my skin. Water burns." I knew it wasn't the first time I'd explained it to Stephen and it probably wouldn't be the last.
"Oh."
I changed the morphanic material to a fake fur coat and trousers, mainly for the waterproof skins, but they were also warm. I made sure to add a hood for the coat for when we went outside again.
We went through the icy cave until Stephen stopped us.
"They have been here."
"How can you tell?" I asked.
He pointed down at the layer of ice in front of us. If they hadn't had been here, this would have been water.
I turned my ears into an owl's, knowing that they can hear a mouse in long grass up to fifteen metres away. How did I know? I'd seen it. I felt sorry for the mouse. I heard voices clearly from the altar room.
"Well done. It seems my freezing chill is but a summers breeze to you." The voice, I assumed was Celsius, the only Summon Spirit with a major attitude problem.
I changed my ears back and said to Kratos, "They're here, hide."
He didn't need telling twice. He took his angel wings out and flew to the platform overlooking the room. Lloyd and the rest of the group walked towards the sheet of ice, then stopped, unable to believe that we were actually standing in front of them.
"Hello?" Stephen said, breaking the silence.
"You are there aren't you?" Sheena asked.
"As far as I am aware, me and Stephen are absolutely here and are not figments of your imaginations."
They slid over the ice and Lloyd asked, "Why are you here?"
"We have a favour to ask of Sheena."
"Of me?"
"Yeah. We need you to give permission to Gnome, so that he may let Stephen borrow some power over the earth."
"If I'm expected to do this for you. I want some answers."
A synonym for dung came into my mind, but I pushed it away. "Alright."
"First: who are you?"
"My name is Nia Owen Jones."
"And mine is Stephen Eric Gerald Atkinson."
"Okay, why did you leave us like that?" Lloyd asked.
"You asked questions we couldn't answer."
"Why couldn't you?"
"I told you, the very fabric of this world could unravel and twist itself into new shapes if I told you the answer to these questions."
Everyone gasped audibly. "You didn't say that last time!"
"I know I just said the world would be destroyed…" I stopped and thought. "Actually, the world may be destroyed or distorted out of shape."
"I suppose you can't tell us why, can you?" Raine asked.
"That's right. I can't tell you why. So, any other questions?"
Everyone was quiet. I don't think they felt comfortable gambling with Symphonia's future.
"Thank you. Sheena?" Stephen asked.
"You've kept your end of the bargain. I summon the servant of Mother Earth, come, Gnome." Gnome appeared at Sheena's words.
"Hi you guys. I guess you've heard about the kid, huh?" Gnome said.
'Kid! I beat Gnome in a one-on-one fight, and he calls me a kid?' Stephen thought.
"I give you permission to lend your power to Stephen." Sheena said.
"Thank you." Stephen said to Sheena.
"Have you made a pact with the Sylph yet?" My question was met with curious looks.
"Don't ask how I know." I said in a weary tone. I was getting tired. I absentmindedly wondered when was the last time I had 'refuelled' on fire?
"We haven't made the pact yet." Lloyd answered, being the first person to find his tongue.
"You might run into a similar problem with the Sylph, so, Sheena, if you could?.." I trailed off.
Sheena gave a half smile, "Give the Sylph permission? No problem."
"Thanks. Well, you guys…just keep saving the world. We'll see you around, I'm sure of it." I turned on my heel and walked away.
Stephen must have followed me, but all I remembered was the world turning black before my eyes.
This is the first cliff hanger of any kind in this fic! I am sorry for the delay. (and I was running out of ideas near the end!) And ALL of my character names have hidden meanings. Including Naois' surname (next chapter!).
On a bright note, the next two chapters should flow like wine, since I think of them and plan them almost every night. After that I'm going to have a couple of random chapters (which will be short as end of year exams are coming up! Evil…) and then I can only see three chapters at most that I'd add on to this! So we're 6/7 chapters from the end. Of course, by then I'll have SUMMER HOLIDAYS and be able to start on my sequel. Why did I type that all out? Well, now everyone knows.
Please review. (killer puppy dog eyes)