Journey | Albedo's Descent Book 3

Chapter 37: The Future Told Before

"Ah! I haven't had this much fun since- well, since I was created!" That thing, in Albedo's body, exclaimed in glee as it dodged Rosaria's jab.
Rosaria grimaced, why was it so fast?! She had to lead it to the Frostbearing Tree, but she didn't know if she could outrun it. And it was seriously starting to make her mad. At this point, she had started attacking with the intent to kill, completely forgetting whose body it had stolen until Lisa had contacted her.
She grit her teeth, "why don't you just shut up and let me stab you, then, huh?! I bet that'd be loads of fun!"
It parried her strike and pushed her back a few meters, "no. I don't think I want to. I'd much rather destroy this mountain! Ah, unrestricted carnage! My favorite pastime!"
"You want carnage?" She smirked as she took a knife from her thigh holster and threw it at him.
It tilted its head to dodge, "of course! What else would I be riling you up for?!"
She started backing away, "just you wait..."
It sneered at her, "I don't like waiting."
"Not very perceptive, are you?" She glared.
It held its hands up, mocking her, "not very smart, are you? Whatever you do to us, happens to your precious little Albedo, too!"
Rosaria started backing away faster.
"Don't run from me!" It started to give chase. Just as it did, it realized why she had been retreating.
Rosaria hadn't thrown that knife to try and injure that thing. She had done it to trigger an avalanche.
Technically this qualified as "carnage" but, the monster wasn't thrilled to be chased by an avalanche while also chasing a strong and lithe young woman, who did her utmost to avoid its attacks. It scoffed in annoyance, "I like excitement, but this is a bit much!" It darted after her, leaping in front of her and holding Albedo's sword ready for an upwards stab into her gut.
Instead, Rosaria dropped and slid through the snow around the monster, using the momentum of the avalanche to propel her forward, "see ya at the bottom, you stinky body stealer!!!"
It growled in frustration as it sprinted after her, sliding Albedo's boots across the slick snow every so often to gain more speed. The mounds of snow and ice behind it were starting to get too close for comfort.
Then, Rosaria suddenly slid off the edge of a cliff, deploying her wind glider.
That thing grimaced as it was forced to do the same. The avalanche stopped as it spilled over the edge. That thing saw the Frostbearing tree and was a little surprised by just how red it was. Perhaps Albedo's eyes were able to see color more vividly? Either way, it dismissed the thought, focusing its eyes on Rosaria.
Then, it noticed something else as it put the wind glider away. There were a few more people standing with Rosaria. It smiled, "the more, the merrier." It sustained itself in the air for a while, floating above the top of the tree.
There was a face it hadn't seen before standing beside Rosaria, Lisa, and Kaeya. It searched Albedo's memories. They seemed to be a grumpy old man, Kaeya's brother. It chuckled, "yes, this will be fun, indeed."
Kaeya hardened his expression, "I hate it."
Lisa held her hands out in various positions as she recited incantations, magical weapons forming above her in all shapes and sizes. "Just tell us how to get it out of him."
"We can't."
Lisa faltered, "what?"
"We can't..." Kaeya repeated more quietly.
"What is wrong with you?!" Diluc exclaimed, his hands gripping his claymore tightly, "where's the annoyingly tenacious Kaeya I know?! He'd never give up on the man he loves like that!"
Kaeya opened his mouth, but he couldn't say anything... He had told the truth. There was nothing that could be done to save Albedo. His eyes watered. He cleared his mind of the image of Albedo reaching out to him from within that thing, "in order to kill it we-"
Before he could finish, a torrent of giant icicles came raining down on them all. Everyone was able to avoid it-barely. They weren't just any icicles. They were made of that sludge, but completely frozen solid in the shape of a eight foot tall, five foot wide icicle.
"Now that just isn't a nice thing to say!" That awful being laughed, "trying to get rid of me so quickly after I just got here! How rude!"
Rosaria grit her teeth, "get down here and fight like a man!"
It laughed louder, "you humans and your petty concepts! I'm higher than all of you! It's you who should get to my level! Why should I stoop to yours?!" It hurled more of those icicles at the group.
Lisa began her counter attack. She and that thing fought one on one. No one else could reach nearly high enough and she could make her weapons go wherever she pleased. Although she had so many and could attack it in every way, it seemed to be having no trouble at all, utilizing Albedo's sword as if it had been doing so all its life.
It was a hopeless fight.