Chapter Text
Snow pierced down from the sky onto the two figures trudging through the snowy winter. Before, when met with the cold caress of death while dealing with a body deep in shock, the snow had felt soft and weightless in its pursuit of the earth below. Now, each droplet of snow felt like a pellet of icicles which rained down from the sky like a barrage of arrows.
Perhaps this was because of the current fever running rampant throughout Albedo's body. It made him hazy and incoherent. Each breath of ice cold wind against his skin was a laceration against his subtle flesh. Diluc trudged along in front of him, wind whipping every which way. As was the violence of a snowstorm. With each gust, Albedo teetered more and more, on the verge of falling over.
His entire body was congested and weak. His steps began to drag behind the warm hair in front of him. The sniffles which frequently passed through him died with the wind, as if to silence his growing fever from making itself known. Albedo was grateful for it. Dragonspine's harsh, unrelenting nature towards a sick man was a steady reminder that he could not falter and weaken here. He had to continue forward despite the unwillingness of his body.
Keeping his feet moving wasn't enough, obviously. His sharp eyes had to keep watch of everything around him. Albedo was looking for a sign of familiarity, just the smallest lit torch or ominously manmade structure which he had come across in his brief travels would be enough. He needed to endure and find that sign. It was surely out there, in this cruel wilderness. If the mountain would allow it, then Albedo would find it amidst the snow.
He wished, for many extended periods of time, that ones body and mind were completely linked. Because then, if that were the case, when someones mentality was strong then their body would be too despite any physical injuries. But no such thing was the case, and therefore Albedo's body lagged behind and slugged along while Albedo's mind remained firm in its resolve.
He refused to let his mind slip. He needed to focus. That's what he spoke into himself over and over as his steps dragged slower and slower and the stark figure in front of him became duller. He hadn't realized it, but he had fallen behind.
"Albedo!" the voice was muffled in the wind. Albedo didn't even hear Diluc's first shout towards him until the other was back in his field of vision."Albedo!"
He realized then that he had completely spaced out. The fever had made him undoubtedly hazy in even his thoughts. Dragonspine was once again leeching its claws into him, trying to drag him down into his snowy coffin. It had granted him reprieve once, but it was not so forgiving as to do it again.
"Albedo!" Diluc called again, now within reach of him, yet he didn't reach out. There was a firm distance between them, more solid and unbreakable than a pillar of geo. Albedo, for all his hazy thoughts, felt as if Dragonspine could break even that wall and bury it in a snowy coffin.
"I'm alright," Albedo replied. Clearly he was not, if he was lagging behind so easily. They both knew as much, but they both also knew that Albedo needed to be okay if they were to continue. He had to hold onto that lie for the sake of their lives.
Diluc gave him a weary look all the same. He then slowly drew his brows in contemplation. Like with every interaction they shared since Albedo introduced himself, it was as if he was at war with his thoughts. Something in Diluc's every movement spoke of his clear distaste in something involving their circumstances.
"We can't have you lagging behind," he finally spoke. There was still a pensive look coloring his face."Alongside that, I can't have you so sidetracked looking for me that you miss something familiar to you that could've aided our search."
Diluc twisted his bag off his shoulders and dropped it down into the snow. He crouched over it, protecting his various wears from harm while searching for something inside. The frostbitten wind whistled and a particularly strong gust blew between them as if in protest as Diluc pulled out what he was looking for.
It was a brown rope, slightly frayed but nothing more than the look of a well used rope that was prepared to endure more hardship. The minute Diluc took the rope out, he closed up the rest of his bag from the treacherous snow. Firstly, he secured his bag back on his person, and then he held out one end of the rope to Albedo.
"We'll use this to tie ourselves together for the time being," Diluc explained to him."It's easy to get lost in the snow. It'll be more secure this way and you wont have to worry about following behind me and can focus on your surroundings."
It was a reasonable option. If they ran across any danger, all they had to do was cut the rope. So, to Diluc's suggestion, Albedo nodded."This will certainly be of help."
He took the end of the rope Diluc held out to him, tying it securely around his waist. Diluc did the same, making sure there was a reasonable amount of slack between them, but not enough so that the rope would fall to the snow and become extra weight they had to drag along.
Diluc stared at the rope Albedo had around his waist, then looked up to his face before sharply turning away."Are you ready to keep moving?" he asked, voice purposefully neutral.
Albedo knew he noticed the paleness of his face and shortness of his breath, yet he refused to comment on it. It was a good thing. If Diluc began to grow soft and comply with Dragonspine's wishes, then they would never survive. It was clear that breaks were not an option. They must continue.
"Yes, let's go," Albedo responded. He hoped his voice was loud and steady enough to not make the other party uselessly worried. He didn't need Diluc looking over his shoulder every couple seconds to make sure he was okay. He needed his eyes to be faced forward towards the snow so that they could make it down this mountain alive.
But something about the way Diluc currently regarded him told Albedo that Diluc wasn't concerned enough to do such a thing. He seemed in a rush, trying desperately to get off this mountain. Though, perhaps it was not this mountain he wanted to get away from but rather Albedo. The distance he was putting between them was clear enough. Luckily, Albedo wasn't someone to be bothered about such things.
He had never been one in need of companionship. That was precisely why he hadn't thought to bring anyone along with him when he went to Dragonspine. If appealing to others took much thought and effort, then he would rather put that time towards his research. Humans—people—were too fickle for him to devote himself to for longer than necessary.
Maybe Diluc was the same and that's why he was so off put about them traveling together. He was a businessman though, wasn't he? So that theory had no merit in the end.
Albedo didn't have the time to be thinking about his companion or worrying over the state of their relationship. As long as they watched out for one another when necessary they would survive. Right now, the snow was trying to muddle his mind. His fever was wrapping its tendrils around his body in an attempt to drag him down. The steady tug of the rope attached to him and Diluc was a wonderful, snapping jolt back into reality.
Albedo pierced his eyes on his surroundings. They squinted through the wind and snow for any signs of familiarity. He had no goggles or glasses so the snow whipped in his direction caused him to blink excessively. He stumbled for a second, breath ragged. One of his hands came up to provide some semblance of a shield against the snow for his eyes. Despite his teetering, Diluc never looked back.
In the distance, Albedo saw something that made him pause. There was a sharp spark, or perhaps a glint of light amidst the snow, that caught his eye. Albedo tugged against the rope connecting him to Diluc.
"Master Diluc!" he called along with the motion, voice practically a yell so that he would be able to hear him clearly. His throat ached, raw and chilled.
Diluc turned around to him, his red hair still the brightest beacon on the mountain."Did you find something?!" he asked, also yelling.
Albedo nodded, tugging him to the left. It was a steeper incline up to the thing which caught Albedo's eye, and he found that the terrain made his breath even more labored. His steps slowed into a dull trudge as his feet dragged in the snow. He had the slightest spell of dizziness but ignored it even as his vision went black for a brief moment. The whole while Diluc followed carefully behind him.
Finally, they made it up to what Albedo had been eyeing. Hidden deep in an incasement of thick ice was a chest. It was almost in perfect condition, as if the ice had kept it embalmed.
"A chest..." Albedo spoke, words a long breath of disappointment.
"I take it this wasn't what you were looking for?" Diluc asked.
"No. I haven't seen this chest before."
Diluc nodded."Well, we might as well take a look at what's inside," the other commented. He crouched down towards the block of ice while Albedo waited patiently behind him, attempting to clear his senses up once again.
Bursting forth from Diluc's palm was a small flame. It flickered insistently in the wind, threatening to die out. Diluc, of course, wouldn't let it leave so easily. He pressed his gloved palm up to the ice and let his pyro vision burn. They waited many agonizing seconds. The snowstorm whipped through their figures with boredom. It wasn't until a full minute passed that they realized something was wrong.
The ice wasn't melting.
"It hasn't melted an inch. And if I produce anymore pyro, I'm afraid I'll be burning us instead," Diluc commented. He sat back up, side by side with Albedo.
The alchemist had a gloved hand poised under his chin in deep contemplation."Perhaps this is not ice, but rather some type of rock. There are many types of minerals and rare gems that are translucent like this block of material we're looking at."
"A rock, you say..." Diluc didn't look averse to the possibility."I wield a claymore. Let me bring it out and try to break it."
"No need," Albedo responded."I have a geo vision. I'll try to deconstruct it."
Diluc, interestingly, looked shocked by Albedo having a vision. Did he not seem like the type to have one? Or was it because he didn't showcase it on his person like most people did? Well, he didn't exactly care about it. Most days, he forgot he even had one.
"Okay..." Diluc pattered off. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Albedo. It was as if he was looking over the situation, assessing it from afar like a foreman.
Albedo accessed his geo vision, attempting to crack at the mineral in front of them. It didn't budge. No, Albedo realized that it was, in fact, made of ice and not rock. So, as his next course of action he erected something akin to a mass of geo from underneath the ice to uplift it from the ground.
He pushed the mass, yet the ice didn't budge. No matter how much force he used it seemed to be no use. Albedo began to break out into a cold sweat, legs wobbling. He felt an uncomfortable heat shudder through his body as it pulsed with nausea. It was no good.
"Don't push yourself," Diluc commented, watching Albedo the entire time. If he told him such a thing, then Albedo must look like a truly horrid sight at the moment. Perhaps he looked as bad as he felt, for once.
Albedo stopped his attempt with a shallow breath. He forced its body to calm itself, taking a couple deep breaths. From Diluc's pack, he handed Albedo a small jug of water.
"Drink." It was a command.
Albedo took it and drank a few small sips as demanded of him. He breathed and took his time swallowing, calming his nausea and steadying his body back into some semblance of equilibrium. He still felt a horrible, aching sluggishness along with an uncomfortable heat and lightheadedness, but at least the worst of his dizziness was curbed for the moment.
"It seems that it is ice," Albedo spoke, recovering enough to hand Diluc back his water. The man took a sip of his own before putting it away."I'm sure this is just another mystery of Dragonspine waiting to be uncovered..."
How curious it was that Diluc, with a pyro vision, couldn't melt this ice. Albedo wondered if something simple like an ice pick would do the trick or if one attempt to cut into the ice would only lead to a broken pick.
"Well, there's no use thinking about it now," Diluc responded."We need to keep moving."
"Yes, you're right." Diluc's words snapped Albedo out of his daze."From here on, Master Diluc, please head at an angle slightly up the mountain. It will be a steeper climb, but I believe we will progress much further that way."
Diluc stared at Albedo like he wanted to ask him a question, yet he never did. Instead, he turned away from him and continued walking. The steeper incline was tough for Albedo to deal with at first, but he pushed through.
They continued up the mountain, only snow and trees in sight. The only thing along their next stretch that caught Albedo's eye was a glowing red sort of quartz a few feet away from the patch of ice they found. Albedo wrote it off for a rare type of mineral which appeared on the mountain and forced his thoughts not to breach the subject further. It was no good if his mind wandered.
As they continued up the mountain, the air grew colder and wind harsher. This was something Albedo was prepared for. Having come up this far already, he knew to expect the tyrannical reign of Dragonspine to further its clenching hand. Without his warming potions and with only a blanket on his back, it was a much different severity.
Snow burned against his skin like ice. That particular feeling might've been the fever but he noticed even Diluc with his pyro vision keeping him warm began to shudder occasionally at the large drafts of wind. His steps were beginning to wear and slow, yet they continued insistently. Perhaps it was because Diluc was so focused on moving forward that he didn't notice it.
Albedo was once again reminded of the solidarity of companionship on Dragonspine. Because he kept his keen eyes on his surroundings, he was able to act quickly and yank on the string of rope in front of him, pulling Diluc down into the snow. He fell with a soft grunt and wide eyes full of surprise and panic.
Albedo's heart beat faster and loud as adrenaline coursed through him as he threw himself over Diluc, using the blanket to cover them, and especially cover Diluc's bright red hair.
"What—!"
Albedo snapped his hand over Diluc's mouth before he could say anything further. He rested his body fully against Diluc, making them as small as possible. He needed them to sink into the snow, almost as if they were making a coffin for themselves. His face came to rest next to Diluc's and he attempted to steady himself before he spoke.
His words were a mere whisper."There's a lawachurl," he said against Diluc's ear.
A small shudder ran through the others body. He now didn't protest against Albedo, but allowed his body to remain starkly still. It was almost as if he wasn't breathing.
Albedo sagged further against him and tilted his head minutely. As slowly and with as little sound or movement as possible, he lifted the blanket up a peek so he could look out for the imposing lawachurl. The monster hadn't spotted them, thankfully. It continued walking in the same line it had came. Slowly, it walked passed them from a considerable distance and kept moving deeper into the snow.
Albedo was sure Diluc could hear the way his heart pounded out of control. It paused and jumped in shock when the lawachurl stopped moving, breath sharpening as the creature looked around idly. One of his hands clenched against Diluc's coat.
His body was extremely sluggish. Even in such a dangerous situation, the way he was laying against a warm body made him want to simply let go of his muscles and close his eyes. It was here, with a searching lawachurl a few paces away, that Albedo wanted to rest his eyes and fall asleep. It was his fever making his mind dizzy. If he closed his eyes for a few seconds longer than usual, he was afraid that he would completely shut down.
The lawachurl stopped looking around and began moving once again. It continued on its route in the opposite direction by which they were going. Albedo couldn't be more thankful.
"Is it gone?" Diluc whispered, seeming to have sensed Albedo's relief.
"Almost," Albedo responded."Let's wait a minute longer just in case."
Diluc made no response, but it seemed he agreed with Albedo. And so, they waited like that. Albedo forced his eyes onto the snow where the lawachurl had last been in his sight while attempting to keep his body from shutting down. Diluc was stone still underneath him. He wondered if the sudden intrusion on his personal space made him uncomfortable. People typically didn't like others touching them.
With a few more seconds ticking by, agonizingly slow, Albedo finally let out a breath."We should be okay now," he spoke to Diluc, sitting up.
The other followed suit, making sure they didn't stumble over one another with the rope still tied to their persons. Albedo wrapped the blanket properly around himself while Diluc made sure any large clumps of snow that got onto his person were brushed off. They were hasty in their preparation to continue, not wanting to wait any longer for the lawachurl to come back.
Diluc gave Albedo a quick look."Ready?" he asked. Albedo nodded.
Diluc took the lead and they continued up. Albedo made sure to check behind them occasionally just incase until they were far enough away that he felt it was okay to focus his attention solely on his surroundings once again. Tumbling in the snow like that, pausing his aching muscles and causing them to chill for such a long period of time, was a bad idea.
Albedo's fever had worsened. He could feel it in the way his steps dragged along and the unnatural chill of his body. Or was he hot? He couldn't tell. His temperature was all over the place. Not only that, but he found his vision filtering more and more as they moved. There were moments where he would black out or forget if time had passed or not, and if it did, exactly how long?
There was no use in even sniffling. It was too much effort and he was sure he was a dirty mess anyways so he just stopped caring. His throat was sore and dry and his gut churned. Albedo had completely lost focus, or rather, he had no idea what to focus on anymore.
In his eyesight filtered red. Diluc's hair swayed back and forth, red strands catching bits of powdery snow while tossing some aside all the same. It clung to the top of his hair, never deepening as if shielded. His back was large and covered in black. Albedo found himself staring into its abyss. Inwards he sunk, closer and closer until his face was filled in that darkness.
Oh, he had ran into Diluc.
"Huh?" Albedo said nondescriptly. He pushed his face off Diluc's back, noticing the other man had stopped walking. Ah, it felt good to stop."Why did you stop?"
"Don't you see?" Diluc asked, turning so Albedo could get a look ahead."There's a hilichurl camp ahead of us."
Albedo's eyes shifted. One, two, three hilichurls plus a samachurl. It looked like one of the hilichurls was an archer too. They seemed to be resting around a small fire with a cooking pot above it. There was one of their huts to the right and a couple log benches surrounding the fire.
"I'll deal with them," Diluc spoke up, snapping Albedo's gaze away from the flickering flames in the distance. The man was already untying the rope attached to him.
"You don't need to," Albedo commented."We can just go around."
"I already checked and this is the clearest path." Diluc looked down to Albedo."Right now, in your condition, we can't afford to make any steep climbs or divert our path." Just as soon as his gaze met Albedo's it snapped away."Either way, it been hours now and we need to eat to replenish our stamina. I didn't bring a cooking pot, so this is the opportune moment to eat some warm food."
It may just be Albedo's current hazy mind, but this all sounded like a roundabout way of Diluc trying to say that he needed rest and a warm meal. Had the other noticed how his steps wavered and gaze blanked? Was he growing concerned for Albedo?
"Okay, I understand," Albedo responded."If you need any help, please let me know."
"I'll be fine," Diluc snapped back far too quickly. He took his bag off and set it near Albedo."I don't need any help. Just watch my things. This'll be over quickly."
Diluc was off before Albedo could respond. Without any interaction, Albedo's hazy mind was back to its muddled state. He watched as, amidst the snow, shots of pyro alit the ashen sky. They burned everything around it, the hilichurls, the snow, and Albedo felt even his eyes were being burned by the sudden contrast in the snowy wilderness.
How long had it been, exactly, since he last saw the sun? How much time had really passed since he entered Dragonspine?
Flames died quickly in the barren land. Even something as destructive as fire was no match for the piercing, frost-laden land. Albedo had lit torches and waypoints as he went, but found that once he doubled back to them they were already put out. In an experiment, he found it took only a minute for Dragonspine's all-reaching hand to devour the warmth completely. It was as if Albedo only had to blink once for his vision to be covered in ice once again.
Just like now. Diluc finished at record pace and once again that flame withered away along with his blade. Albedo watched it go, eyes shifting to the flame flickering under the cooking pot. Soon it would be devoured as well.
"...bedo! Albedo!" Diluc called, snapping the man out of his trance. He blinked twice before during to Diluc and showing he was now listening to him."C'mon, I cleared the hilichurls. Let's quickly get something to eat before continuing."
He nodded, following Diluc over to the small camp. His body all too willingly plopped itself down on one of the makeshift log benches surrounding the fire. He let out a steady breath as his aching muscles relaxed themselves. It was only then that he realized how much his feet ached.
He found himself curling inward, not due to the cold but because of pure exhaustion. As he stared into himself, Diluc readied a small meal for them in the cooking pot. Using his pyro vision, he made sure to keep the fire nice and healthy as he added a few sparing ingredients. It would be more liquid than solid, certainly.
Albedo then noticed his dripping nose. He idly wiped at it with his sleeve and thought nothing else of it. He was never one for appearances in the first place. When it came to sketching, yes he liked to be highly accurate, but in focusing on his own appearance he didn't mind as long as whatever he wore and however his hair was dressed was out of the way of his work.
"Here," Diluc's stoic voice spoke over his revery. He held out a cup to Albedo, sturdy and travel worn.
Albedo took it and watched as Diluc used his own cup in hand to dip into the watery soup. He then pulled the liquid up to his lips and drank without even blowing on it. Albedo looked down to the pot and did the same. His movements were slower, muscles aching and wanting to simply collapse.
His body had almost completely given in to Dragonspine's coffin. He feared that if they continued like this without any results, it may shut down and give in to the mountains cool embrace and his mind wouldn't be able to will it to stop anymore.
Slowly, he lifted the cup of soup up to his mouth and drank. It was the smallest of sips to ease his stomach, but a rewarding one. It felt as though the inside of his body was sparking with warmth and his very organs were being fueled and pumped to begin operating once again. With another sip and another after that, Albedo was leisurely taking back the functionality of his own body.
It wasn't as if the soup was particularly good or fulfilling. Rather, it was the warmth it provided that ran its course throughout his body that made him regain himself. Applying that along with a short rest of his limbs was a rewarding act. No, his fever wasn't anywhere near diminishing, but it was slowly itself as his body actively fought it back.
As he now gained enough stamina to properly look around, he noticed something in the distance. Up ahead of them, slightly up the mountain, was a small peek of an intricately designed stone pillar, rather odd and out of place in such snowy wilderness untouched by anything living. Something that made some question exactly what the history of this mountain truly was.
It was a starkly familiar, nostalgic sight to Albedo.
Yes, he had seen that pillar before.