Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss.
Chapter 30
Sylphday, Gnome-Decan 49, ND2019 – 9:50am local time (Mount Roneal)
"Please come back as quickly as you can," Noelle said, as she pulled the lever to deploy the Albiore's landing gear. "It's so cold here that the hover drive might freeze over again. If it does, we'll be stranded on the mountain with no way to repair it."
Florian gulped. It frightened him to learn that the Albiore wasn't as powerful as he had thought. First it had been driven back by the blizzard over Keterburg, and now it could freeze? He bit his lip and tried not to show his fear. He had to be brave. He was the world's only hope, and everyone was counting on him. At first, he had been excited to become a Summoner, but now the weight of his responsibility was beginning to sink in. He didn't like the feeling.
"If the hover drive begins to freeze, retreat immediately and find a route to Keterburg Bay," Jade ordered, rising from his seat across the aisle from Noelle. "We can catch up with you there."
"But isn't that a long way to walk in this weather?" asked Noelle. She glanced up at the cockpit's clear canopy. Heavy snow was falling, and it was accumulating on the curved window already.
Guy paused to smile reassuringly over his shoulder at her. "Hey, no worries. We'll be fine. Once Florian makes the pact with Undine, the weather will settle down."
"Or at least, it should eventually," Tear corrected from halfway down the stairs. Florian followed her down to the hold, with Natalia, Guy, and Jade behind him.
"If nothing goes wrong," Anise grumbled, arriving at the hatch first. She turned to face Florian and put her hands on her hips. "I still think you shouldn't be doing this, Florian."
"If you have a better idea, then tell me," Florian retorted. He was getting tired of constantly arguing with Anise. She still sees Ion when she looks at me, he thought. I guess ditching Ion's robes wasn't enough.
"Fix the problem with the passage rings. Duh!" Anise shot back.
"Are you familiar with the phrase, 'easier said than done,' Anise?" Natalia asked pointedly. Anise glared at her in response.
"Now, now, calm down," said Jade. "We already have a strategy. Shall I make Guy explain it to you again?"
"You can try," Guy growled, as the hatch opened and the gangplank extended. "But I'm not going to waste time doing that. Move it, everyone! Noelle needs to get this hatch closed, fast!"
The six companions ran down the gangplank into the falling snow. Florian gasped as the cold air hit him. Even with an Aqua Cape over his new clothes, he was instantly chilled to the bone. I'm lucky to have boots now, he thought, as he sank knee-deep into a snowdrift. Walking in this snow in Ion's shoes and stockings would have been miserable.
Less than fifty meters away from the Albiore, they ran into their first monsters: two Ice Wolves, three Ice Bats, and a Yeti. Guy and Florian charged forward together, somewhat impeded by the deep snow, swords drawn. Tear, Jade, and Anise began casting, and Natalia fired a series of shots at the Ice Bats. One bat screeched as an arrow tore through its wing, bringing it down.
Florian slashed at an Ice Wolf with his new sword and followed up with one of the artes Guy had taught him in Daath. "Crescent Strike!"
"O twisted door of distortion, open wide!" Anise chanted, twirling her wand. "Negative Gate!" Her arte finished off the wolf for Florian.
"Grant mine enemies a final rest," Jade chanted. "Flame Burst!" The Yeti roared in pain as its fur caught fire.
Guy took advantage of the field of fonons left by Jade's arte, attacking the Yeti with a shout of, "Flames Arise! Infernal Torrent!"
A "Holy Lance!" from Tear and a "Star Embrace!" from Natalia took out the Yeti. The three Ice Bats were now dead on the ground, pierced with arrows. That left one Ice Wolf still alive.
"Get him, Florian!" Guy called out encouragingly. "Everyone else, back off for a moment!"
"Okay!" Florian acknowledged, and went after the wolf. The wolf turned tail and began to flee. "Damn it!" Florian hissed under his breath as the wolf bounded out of range of his sword. Then an idea occurred to him. Hey, Ifrit, Florian thought. Can I use your power to throw fireballs?
Hmmm, Ifrit's voice replied in Florian's head. Perhaps you can... or perhaps not. The fire sentience's tone hinted at a challenge. A brief image of three fireballs flying through the air flashed through Florian's mind.
"Let's find out," Florian answered aloud. He concentrated, drawing on Ifrit's power, and flung out his arm in the wolf's direction. "Fireball!"
Three fireballs formed at Florian's fingertips and flew after the retreating enemy. Two of them hit their target, setting the wolf's fur alight. The wolf yelped and spun around to attack, growling in fury. Florian threw another "Fireball!" arte, hitting the wolf in the face, and followed up with a "Demon Fang!" The wolf fell over, dead.
"Whew!" said Florian. "Thanks, Ifrit."
Indeed, Ifrit replied, sounding smug. Well done, Innocent One. Ignorant you may be, but at least you are quick to learn.
"Nice going, Florian," Guy said with a grin, walking up to Florian and punching him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, were you talking to Ifrit just now? Is he here?"
"Yeah," said Florian. "I can hear his voice in my mind, and Sylph's voice too."
"Fascinating..." Jade murmured, with a thoughtful look on his face.
"Colonel?" Anise asked.
"Oh, nothing," Jade replied hastily.
Anise gave him a suspicious look. "Whenever you say that, Colonel, it's always something."
Jade merely raised his eyebrows at her.
"Colonel, if you've noticed a problem, you shouldn't hide it from us," Tear said firmly.
"Ah... My apologies," said Jade. "There's nothing wrong with Florian, if that's what you're concerned about."
"Is something else wrong?" Natalia inquired.
"Not at all," said Jade. He paused for a moment, then added, "The mechanics of Florian's fonic artes are different from anything I've ever observed before. As you may recall from Tataroo Valley, Sylph stated that Summoners draw on the sentiences' power directly, rather than from their surroundings as ordinary fonists do. It appears that Florian draws upon that power from within himself. Therefore, Florian must be carrying Sylph and Ifrit, or some portion of their powers, inside of his body."
"That doesn't sound good..." Anise fretted.
Jade shrugged. "It seems to have done him no harm so far, apart from his initial collapse as a result of each pact. In any case, we should move on. We must reach Undine as soon as possible."
Florian nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
As the group began walking again, still in fighting formation with Guy and Florian at the front, Florian glanced back curiously at Jade. The Colonel was gazing off to the northwest with a pensive expression that seemed almost wistful. Florian looked northwest to see what had caught Jade's attention, but all he could see was falling snow and the faint outlines of distant mountains.
Inside of Mount Roneal's caves, the monsters were even more numerous. It wasn't one battle after another, as it had been in Mount Zaleho – more like an endless stream of enemies. Fortunately, it wasn't very far to the passage ring.
Florian felt nervous as they entered the chamber where blue fonons rose up all around them. Something seemed to be off, and Florian finally realized what it was. Unlike Sylph and Ifrit, Undine hadn't called out to him. He wasn't sure why, but he had a bad feeling about it.
Approaching the passage ring, Florian saw a slender woman with short, spiky white hair, wearing a sleeveless white top and a short white wrap-skirt, standing there with her arms crossed, glaring at him. Her skin was such a pale shade of blue that it was almost white, and it sparkled like fresh snow. Heavy white boots with furry trim covered her feet, contrasting oddly with rest of her skimpy outfit.
Florian smiled at her, but she didn't smile back. Instead, her ice-blue eyes narrowed further, intensifying her glare. Innocent One, she said. Why have you come?
"Undine," Florian replied. "I came to form a pact with you, so you won't be trapped here anymore."
I am not Undine, said the pale woman. I am Celsius, the Ruler of Ice. I am not trapped; I stay here of my own free will.
"Celsius?!" Anise exclaimed. "Then, where's Undine?"
My twin sister sleeps. She cannot awaken while the mountain remains so cold. Enough fonons have gathered here that I can exist again, for the first time since the Planet Storm destroyed me two thousand years ago. I suppose I should thank whoever closed the gates at the poles of Auldrant, for shutting down such an abomination.
"Luke..." Tear murmured.
"Yes," said Jade. "Although to be precise, it was Luke with our support, and the support of many others."
The same Light of the Sacred Flame who released the Mutant Fonon into the fon belt, and cleansed the core? Celsius asked, her white eyebrows rising in surprise.
"Correct," Jade replied. Tear, Anise, Natalia, and Guy all nodded. Florian saw Tear and Natalia both swallow hard, as if they were trying not to cry.
I wish I could have seen that, Celsius said wistfully. Unfortunately, I was dead. Now, at last, I am revived.
"So how can I make a pact with Undine and stabilize this Sephiroth?" Florian asked.
While she sleeps, you cannot. But if she awakens, I will lose my consciousness, and that is unacceptable. I will kill you all before I let you wake my sister.
"Then... will you make a pact with me?"
Of course not! Pacts are the stuff of fairy tales, Celsius scoffed. No one makes them anymore, least of all me.
"That's not true!" Anise argued. "Florian has made pacts with Sylph and Ifrit already!"
Well, that is Sylph and Ifrit's problem. I will not make a pact, nor will I let you interfere with this Sephiroth, which is the source of my life.
"But the people of Keterburg are suffering! They need our help!" Natalia protested.
Why should I care about a bunch of stupid humans? Human technology is what ruined everything in the first place! Auldrant would be better off without you parasites. So go ahead and make your pacts to "stabilize" the other Sephiroth. My power will only grow stronger, and I will freeze humankind off the face of this world!
Florian shook his head and took a deep breath. "Celsius... I'm sorry!"
For what? Celsius demanded. You think apologizing now will—
Florian took a casting stance. "I call upon the Ruler of Hellfire..." he chanted, just like Sheena in the graphic novels.
NO! Don't you dare!
"I summon thee... Come, Ifrit!"
A giant fireball exploded between Florian and Celsius, and Ifrit appeared. My sister, said Ifrit, wrapping his burly arms around Celsius, who struggled frantically in his strong grip. I, too, am sorry. Flames surrounded both sentiences. Florian could feel the heat on his face, pleasantly warming.
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Celsius screamed in agony. Her form blurred and began to turn a darker blue.
Ifrit, with a mournful expression on his face, kept his arms around the mass of blue fonons as it transformed into a sleeping woman with her head resting on his shoulder. She had long blue hair, blue skin, and a blue-green fishtail instead of legs. She wore no clothing, but she had a band of water wrapped around her, running from her right shoulder to her left hip like a wide sash.
Her eyes opened, and she smiled at Florian. Innocent One, she said softly. Thank you.
A/N: Yes, I borrowed the idea that humans are parasites from Ratatosk in "Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World." No regrets. Also, I apologize for being so slow to post this chapter. I had a bit of writer's block and a number of distractions occupying my time.