Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING.

Author's Note: You know, if you think about it, you can really tell which one is my favorite and my muse…Well it's not really a bad thing because without him I would've never come up with the storyline.

Thunder is weak against ice. Poor Adrammelech.

Dear Flamers,

If you start to feel a little chilly, it's just my buddy coming to "visit" you.

~Love, Alphearia

Chapter VI

Teamwork

"Well! Go on, already!" Adrammelech said, slightly shoving Mateus into the rippling vortex. Mateus snarled as he regained his balance upon entering the room. Adrammelech stepped through a few seconds later and placed a hand on the Ice Scion's shoulder. "Really, man, there's no sense in standing outside the vortex for so long."

Mateus only scowled and jerked his arm away, glaring at Adrammelech. The green-skinned Scion rubbed the back of his head when he realized he was on Mateus's bad side. Mateus sighed and turned towards the room. He cringed as he took a step forward and unknowingly stepped in some sticky, greenish-black liquid, shuddering as a rank scent emitted from the disturbed spot. Adrammelech took a step back and covered his nose with both hands.

"I hate this place…" The Thunder Scion whined, words muffled by his hands. He continued to repeat those words as he looked around the room, slowly shrinking behind Mateus, keeping his hands over his nose and mouth.

Mateus glanced back towards Adrammelech and rolled his eyes. He slowly pulled his foot from the sticky goo, eyes shut in disgust. Deciding against his better judgment, he examined the room carefully. The room resembled a rain forest with a few…embellishments. The sticky green goop covered the trees, making them shine with a putrid glow. The grassy floor was spotted with the same liquid Mateus was lucky enough to step in. Dark, foggy green mist swirled throughout the room, filtering the light.

"Who lives in this place?" Mateus said, a twinge of abhorrence laced in his words. Adrammelech failed to hear him because he was still muttering about how much he hated this place. Mateus furrowed his eyebrows and snatched Adrammelech's hands from his face. The Thunder Scion gasped in revulsion and slowly slipped from his trance. Rolling his eyes, Mateus asked again. "I asked who resides in this place."

Adrammelech wrenched his wrists away from Mateus's grasp and glared at him. "The most putrid Scion in existence." He said, snapping his hands back to cover his nose.

Mateus ran a hand through his hair and raised an eyebrow at his companion. "I surmised that much…" He said blandly.

Clenching his eyes tightly, he slowly moved his hands from his face, unleashing a scathing glare. "Cuchulainn," Adrammelech mumbled. "Cuchulainn is his name." Glancing around the room, he whined in dismay. "How are we going to get around this…" He paused, thinking of a name, "this…whatever this is."

Mateus crossed his arms, and lightly placed a finger on his chin as he looked around the room. Small silver anklets lightly clinked as he moved a rock with his toe. The tiny rock landed on a leaf stuck in the tar-like substance, preventing it from becoming stuck itself. "I wonder…"

"What…what do you wonder?" Adrammelech questioned warily. Mateus held up one finger, silently asking for patience. Adrammelech crouched into a tiny ball, trying to ward off the stench. "Bad idea…bad idea!" He exclaimed, quickly jumping up as the scent got stronger as he got closer to the ground. Mateus rolled his eyes and sighed.

The Ice Scion slowly raised two extended fingers to his lips, closing his eyes. Tiny snowflakes shimmered around him. Adrammelech frantically looked around as the small white sparkles surrounded his friend. Mateus breathed on his two fingers, creating a soft white wind that enveloped the whole room, freezing everything it touched, including Adrammelech. Satisfied with his efforts, Mateus opened his eyes examining the now frost-covered space. He turned around and saw Adrammelech shivering uncontrollably, ice covering his dark red hair. Adrammelech closed his eyes and unleashed an electrical current throughout his body, melting the snow on his head and helping him come to his senses.

Mateus uttered a dark chuckle as he tested the ice on the sticky substance. Adrammelech glared at him. "So, what did you do, exactly?" He asked. Mateus slightly moved his head in his direction, acknowledging his question while keeping his attention on the frozen substance.

"Simple." He shrugged. "I froze the earth." Adrammelech slapped his hand to his forehead and muttered something under his breath. "Also purged the room of that vile stench…" He tilted his head to the side as he looked at the softly falling snowflakes amid the white mist.

"Did it have to be with ice?" Adrammelech curled his lip in disdain as he swiped at a snowflake perched on his shoulder. "I hate the cold…"

Mateus sighed and looked at his friend insipidly. Adrammelech grunted in frustration as he took a few steps forward. He growled as Mateus gracefully walked over the ice, while he was trying his best to not slip. Mateus's shoulders shook with a barely contained snicker.

"So, tell me about this Cuchulainn." Mateus inquired, grabbing his friend's arm as he began to fall.

"Thanks," Adrammelech regained his balance and followed the wintery one closely. "They say that he use to be the most beautiful of Scions. Even Ultima fancied him at one point." He scoffed. "Of course he's not the most beautiful anymore, especially since I was created." Adrammelech said with vain confidence. Mateus rolled his eyes in disbelief. "Uh, anyways. Shemmy said that his appearance has been disfigured by scars he acquired in the mortal realm." He shrugged as Mateus raised a dark blue eyebrow. "Something about…cleaning the world of its impurities. He got twisted because of it."

"Lovely…" Mateus whispered after a moment of silence. Adrammelech let out a nervous chuckle, placing his arms behind his head. He was quite confident with walking along the ice now. He could keep his balance well enough as long as he didn't have to make any sudden changes in pace. Luckily, Mateus didn't really seem to mind helping him to not fall flat on his face.

The two men froze as a deep laugh echoed throughout the frost-covered domain. Adrammelech rolled his shoulders and got ready to strike at a moment's notice, high volts of electricity crackling along his fingertips. Mateus gripped the spear on his back with his right hand and raised his left hand in a graceful poise, icy tendrils leisurely circling about him. He slightly bent his knees as a rather tall figure jumped down from the trees.

He had an amused smirk on his face as he clumsily sauntered towards the two Scions. His skin was of a dirty blue shade, marred with lighter blue scars that were lined with dirt. He wore gauntlets of tarnished iron and old jade, matching the armor he wore on his faded green pants. His eyes were pure black, deprived of the humanlike eyes of white and colored iris that Adrammelech and Mateus possessed. Scarred shoulders slumped as he stood, facing the others, his long, tangled jade hair covering the void of his eyes.

"What brings you two to my domain?" Cuchulainn asked in a gravelly voice, definitive of one not used often. Mateus and Adrammelech opted not to relax their guard, watching the poisonous man opposite them. "And who is responsible for this wretched frost…" He said disdainfully, flicking his head around to look at the frozen rain forest.

"Consider it an improvement." Mateus remarked, a cold smirk ghosting across his lips. Cuchulainn centered his gaze on Mateus, his face twisted in a snarl. The lancer merely met his glare with a look of disinterest, infuriating Cuchulainn even more. A swirl of green mist began circulating around the snarling Scion until Adrammelech cleared his throat, breaking the staring contest between the two. The swirling mist died down as Cuchulainn turned his black gaze on the fumbling Scion behind his newly declared foe.

"Um well…down to business," Adrammelech cleared his throat again, standing from his crouching position and ceasing the electrical currents circuiting through his fingers. He watched his friend from the corner of his eye, ready to stop him if he chose to advance. Luckily, for now Mateus was frozen like a block of solid ice. Ice...hehe. He mused in his head. "We need your assistance, O Poisonous One."

Cuchulainn cocked his head to the side, an unreadable expression etched on his face. Empty eyes flitted across Adrammelech's face as he pondered an answer. "Explain." He uttered his only response.

"We need to recruit Belias to our ranks." Adrammelech said, gesturing his hands. "You are the best at negotiations, are you not?"

Cuchulainn smiled rigidly as he glared at the Thunder Scion, causing Mateus to crouch a little lower to the ground. "Ultima has forsaken me…" He shifted his weight and tilted his head back, looking at Adrammelech over the bridge of his nose. "I shall no longer help the Rebellion."

Mateus slightly raised his eyebrow at this. What Rebellion? He wondered. I must inquire about this matter afterwards.

"Aw, you know Ultima didn't mean that! She was only joking!" Adrammelech exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head. "Er…just give it another chance. You know we'll win, and you know what status you'll hold after it's all over with." He spoke with a lilting voice.

Cuchulainn crossed his arms and pondered this for a moment. It was true. He did have quite a bit to gain… And he was quite certain that no one else could ever recruit so many as he. He may even be able to regain his former appearance after the victory. "Alright then…I'll rejoin." He said shrugging. After all, what more did he have to lose?

Adrammelech did a victory dance in his head as he bowed politely, hiding an evil smirk. "Wonderful. I guarantee you won't regret this! You can expect me back here in a few days time." Cuchulainn mumbled something unintelligibly, before jumping off somewhere in his trees.

Mateus relaxed his muscles and stood erect as he turned towards Adrammelech, slight confusion in his expression. Adrammelech motioned towards the pathway and led them both out, cringing as the ice began melting the farther Mateus walked from it. Grasping his nose in an attempt to block out the wafting stench, he waved at the wall and glared at Mateus.

Mateus rolled his eyes and preformed the spell needed to open the vortex. As soon as the ripples appeared, Adrammelech leaped through, gasping heavily on the other side. Mateus observed his friend clinging to the wall, deeply breathing in the clean air of the light green hallway.

"So glad we're out of that place…eh, Mateus?" He said with a slight breathy chuckle once he regained his composure. Mateus just looked at him through cold blue eyes. Adrammelech blinked. "What's up?"

"Tell me about this…Rebellion."