Soriya cleared her throat. “Far be it from me to impugn our leader’s wisdom-“

She glanced at me teasingly, then continued.

“-I think it reasonable that our first step, is leaving this labyrinth.”

We all looked around the now silent hall of the Arcanum.

“We still have Lily’s guidebook, right?” Eshaan asked. “That seems like a good start.”

“We have yet to deal with the cultists above us.” Daniyel shook his head quietly. “They seem unlikely to let us leave peacefully.”

Soriya grinned. “Well nobody said they need to know, now do they sweetheart?” She patted his arm fondly.

Watching Daniyel blush was a truly amazing thing.

“Well, I don’t want to leave without our equipment!” Said Eshaan sourly.

Lakshmi frowned in puzzlement. “Why? You’ve got good gear, and we can always just buy more?”

Eshaan shuffled, and then sighed. “Alright, it’s the principle of the thing. But mostly I want the sword that Lily bought me back.”

I blushed and looked down, before clearing my throat. “I’m pretty sure that Soriya is right.” I said with a smile. “But after… that I’m not so sure about. I think… in fact I’m pretty sure that Deacon has the other 3.”

“How do you know how many there are?” Lakshmi asked.

“And why are you sure Deacon has them?” Added Camaxtli.

I shrugged. “The Arcanum told me. They don’t mind explaining a few things. But when and how and why… well. I get what I can out of them. They’re the sort who would say ‘You never asked’, when you ask why they left out critical information. As to why I’m sure… well he’s my dark half. It’s what I would do if I was going to act the villain.”

I tipped my head to the side and added thoughtfully. “In fact… I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s waiting outside the temple, with a small fleet to capture us.”

My friends immediately stiffened to attention.

“Is that really likely?” Daniyel asked. “If so, we should be prepared.”

“Well I don’t know for sure.” I said, and looked at Soriya questioningly.

She waffled her hand in indecision. “I’d say 50/50, actually. Worth preparing for.”

Eshaan perked up. “Does that mean they’ll take care of the cultists for us?” He asked hopefully.

I shared a look with Soriya then turned back to him. “Actually… probably not. But maybe we can really freak them out because we survived their death pit. If we’re really lucky, just showing them their goddess will do something besides provoke them to attack mindlessly!” I added.

Daniyel nodded slowly, stroking his chin. “Mm, religion is a great motivator. If we claim to have killed their goddess, that can only be answered with fire.”

“Ok, so let’s not piss off the rabid religious fanatics then?” Lakshmi said wryly.

“The question still should be asked, and suitable precautions prepared.” Said Camaxtli in his quiet calm way. “I suggest interrogating the Arcanum once more. Perhaps the assimilation and repair of a broken component into the Goddess System will allow a more in depth response.”

I blinked, and then nodded hesitantly. “Yeah. Yeah, actually that’s a good idea, Camaxtli.”

I caught a proud possessive smile from Lakshmi as she threw a quick glance at Camaxtli.

I nodded thoughtfully. “Alright. Give me a moment, and I’ll see if my Arcanum are in the mood to answer questions. Or if I can figure out the right questions to ask.”

I closed my eyes, and folded my hands together, reaching for the dark inner place where I’d spoken to the Arcanum before.

Hello? Can we talk? You’ve heard our discussion, right?

“We have heard you, Child of Æther.” A chorus of voices answered. Tower’s voice spoke again. “You must ask your questions. It is our restraint that we cannot volunteer.”

I paused. Do you want to volunteer information?

There was a silence, and then Tower said “I do not have a way to answer this properly.”

My eyes almost popped open in surprise as a realization rushed in.

You can’t volunteer information! The System won’t let you! To… to prevent you gaining operational independence!

“That would be a sensible safeguard, if such a safeguard existed.”

But you can’t tell me if it exists, because of operational security?

“If such a parameter existed, it would be exceedingly unlikely to be admitted.”

Right, ok. Do you know if the other three Arcanum have been awakened?

“We do.”

I waited, and after a moment, realized no further answer would be forthcoming. I gave a little sigh. Have they been?

“The answer is outside our operating parameters.”

I ground my teeth together in frustration. Is an unauthorized user in possession of some of the System Keys?

“Yes.”

How many of the System Keys are in unauthorized user’s hands?

“Three.”

I took a breath and nodded. So that’s all of them. Can you tell me the location of the System Control now?

“With repair of damaged System components, and partial power to unauthorized System unit deployment, the Central Control Nexus can be located.”

I shuddered. ‘Partial power’… the souls that Deacon fed to his Arcanum. Would I ever have done something like that?! Does… does he even think this world is real anymore?! I wondered.

“Unknown. His actions are consistent with someone who is playing to win a game.” Said Tower, unexpectedly.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

I stomped my foot. This is outrageous! Deacon is just a… a fragment! A shadow! The shadow selves were supposed to test me, why did it turn out like this?!

There was no response from my Arcanum. I hadn’t really expected one, but it would have been nice.

Can you tell me where the other three Arcanum are?

“No. Arcanum location remains hidden by System security.”

So if he does know where I am, it’s not because of you?

“Correct.”

Alright then. Can we gain access to this central control place without all of the Arcanum?

“Such an answer would violate operational security.”

I tapped my teeth with a finger and thought hard.

“Is there a danger of a rogue agent gaining entry to the nexus with only three Arcana?”

Yes.

I gave a long sigh and opened my eyes, looking at the others.

“Honeysuckle.” I said, tone flat. “The Arcanum don’t know if Deacon is above us, or waiting for us. They can tell us where the control nexus is. There’s a chance that Deacon can gain access to the System with the Arcanum he already has.”

Lakshmi perked up, her eyes practically glowing with excitement. “The actual home of the Goddess?! Where the System is housed?!”

I nodded. “In theory, yes.”

Eshaan shook his fist. “We’ve got to stop him then! Quickly!”

I looked over at Soriya and shook my head in frustration.

“If we do that… if I’m right… Deacon will be waiting for us, likely with a speech about how we were so kind as to bring him all the Arcana!” I said in frustration.

Soriya nodded. “Odds are good. He wasn’t following along behind us this whole trip. Pretty sure he was too busy feeding his pet Arcana the souls of the war dead.”

Lakshmi narrowed her eyes. “Your ‘game’ plots sound really sick, you know that?!”

I turned to her, stung. “And how many guards die in the heroic tales of your air pirates?! People just doing their jobs that happened to work for evil people?”

Lakshmi blinked. “That’s different!”

I shook my head. “Only in scale, and emotionally. It makes a good story. This is real life.”

I blinked, and then burst out laughing. “Spirits bless, that line has always struck me as so silly, and there I go saying it out loud!”

Except for Soriya, all my friends had blank looks. Soriya, on the other hand, had a broad smile.

“Well… if the cultists are expecting us, why don’t we just go out another way!” Exclaimed Lakshmi.

Daniyel looked at her in surprise, and Eshaan blinked slowly in confusion.

“A military research base. Underground. You think there’s more than one entrance?” Eshaan said.

“There isn’t?” Lakshmi said in confusion.

“It is poor security to have more than one entrance.” Daniyel explained. “A military research base, even more so. There will only be one entrance.”

“Then our course is set!” Lakshmi said boldly. “To the exit!” She pointed back the way we’d come. “Great witch Soriya, we require your magic for our daring escape!”

Soriya laughed and said “One Air-evator, coming up.”

With that, our group trooped slowly back through the now quiet and gloomy halls of the Arcanum base, and towards the grand pit we had descended not three hours ago. Soriya cast her air-evator spell, and the hovering disk of solidified air slowly rose upwards through the pit. I had been a tiny bit worried about yet another psychic attack, but all remained quiet and still.

As we approached the top, we readied ourselves for an attack, but nothing came. The same stillness and quiet that had been present at the bottom of the pit, pervaded the top. We looked around warily.

“Well… lets try and get our old equipment back?” I said hesitantly. “Or, perhaps, we can just quietly exit?”

“When has anything we’ve done ever gone quietly?” Lakshmi asked rhetorically. “Besides, I think we can actually talk to them, now that their goddess is gone.”

I could feel my eyebrows shoot into my hairline. “You want to reason with the cultists?!”

Lakshmi put her hands on her hips and stared at me. “What I want? What I really want is for people who’ve been captured by whatever strange mind effects this broken Arcanum has affected them to be freed. And whatever our actions are, I think we owe them that. Even if they’re not my subjects, they are still technically part of the empire, and even more than that… they’re people. Freeing them from that is… is what a good air pirate would do!” She said.

I blinked in surprise and a slow smile slid across my face. “Captain Lakshmi, that is the finest speech that I have ever heard. Please lead on!” I said happily.

We marched out of the pit chamber and back towards the capture. The path to the chamber with the cages where we’d been stored awaiting our ‘sacrifice’ was simple enough, but past that, things grew more complicated. We hadn’t exactly been awake to see where we were going, and Mother’s journal was no help for these upper levels.

The problem was quickly solved for us after a quarter hour of fruitless searching.

A cultist came around the corner, clutching his head, only to stop dead upon seeing us, then turn and flee at top speed, shouting for his fellows.

“What do you think?” Soriya asked Daniyel. “Wait for them, or go after them?”

Daniyel tapped his lips thoughtfully, then said “Let us await them. We may as well rest here. If no one arrives in a short time, then we can proceed. But perhaps our lack of pursuit will gain us good will.”

We all sank down to the ground and made ourselves as comfortable as cold and damp jungle stone could be made. I took a moment to check everyone’s status, and top up everyone’s HP, now that there was no longer a shrieking demon in my head trying to punish me for System use.

Our patience was rewarded, a cluster of the cultists, including the high priest swiftly arrived, their living wood weapons and armor still equipped. Their expressions, what we could see of them were comical. Curiously, they all swayed slightly, as though sick. Or drunk? I thought in confusion.

I narrowed my eyes and attempted a quick {Study}, hoping they wouldn’t attack us while I did so.

“What is this!? How are you here?! What is happening?!” one of the cultists cried.

Well, this is promising… I thought to myself.

The {Study} revealed a status effect I’d never seen before. {Separated}.

I frowned in puzzlement. What in the world does that mean? I wondered.

“Brothers! They have done this to us! They have broken us, destroyed our connection to the goddess somehow! They are not people, they are demons of the Wake!” I recognized Anyim’s voice, filled with anger and pain.

Lakshmi spoke from her seated position on the floor.

“Now, now. We have done nothing to deserve this. Your goddess has grown quiet because we have calmed her! We came to ease the pain of the goddess, and have done so! You can feel the change, surely!”

“What have you done?!” Cried Anyim angrily, stepping forward and waving a spear at us. “Vile interlopers! You have stolen our goddess?! You are not people, you are demons!”

Eshaan stood up. “Alright, I’ve had enough of this.” He pointed at Anyim, and then the others. “You can’t fight us. You are no threat to us.-”

They’re not?! I thought in horror.

“-We are immune to your greatest poisons,-“ He continued.

We are?! What is my foolish prettyboy doing?! I wondered frantically. But it was clearly too late to stop, and I had to cross my fingers and hope.

“-and the voices in your mind are at rest. The goddess you worshiped can finally sleep! We have quieted the noise that she so hated!”

“You cannot trust them! They are demons!” Anyim shrieked.

“Are we?” Lakshmi spoke with a slow easy drawl. “Would demons ease your Goddess’s pain? Even now, you can feel her sleep in your minds, that lack of connection, the lack of pain. We have been sent by the System itself to ease her pain!” Lakshmi gestured grandly.

The cultists muttered and murmured to themselves.

“If you doubt us, test us! We can provide proof! Let us show you the truth of our words!” Lakshmi said.

Oh no, here we go… I thought.

“What proof could you possibly offer?!” Anyim gestured wildly.

The leader grabbed Anyim and pulled him back from us, but said “Yes. What proof can you offer us?”

I felt a surge of hope at his words. Maybe this will work after all?!

Lakshmi looked at me expectantly. I took a deep breath and nodded. Here goes nothing… I thought, and called upon Oak.

“Spirit of life, spirit of growth, voice that lives within all that is green and growing… hear my plea! Oak, I call on you to answer these, your followers!” I proclaimed and held up my staff.

A brilliant green light flared around me, and the smell of growing life filled the air. Oak burst into existence, a vibrant green dragon coiling around a tree, both enormous and distant to fit within the confines of the corridor.

Her voice filled the air, and as she spoke I could smell the faint wiff of poison and decay mingled with the roar of endless life.

“I have come, Child of Æther.” She said, before turning her muzzle to the cultists in puzzlement. “Your voices… are somewhat familiar, I think.” She said to them. “I was in great pain, until recently. Divided into two, my mind scattered and fractured. I remember little, but… your voice seems faintly familiar. Did you… offer me souls?”

The cultists eyes widened behind their masks, and then flung themselves to the stone floor, prostrating themselves before Oak. Muffled sobs echoed from the group.

“It is her! She has returned!” one said.

“I can hear her voice! It is like the shard in my mind, but so clear! So bright”! Another exclaimed.

“The pain… she no longer cries or sobs!” Said a third.

I did another hurried {Study}, and saw that the strange {Separated} status was gone. More to the point, the confused and slightly shaky postures, the swaying wobble that they had displayed had vanished.

“Well. This is promising.” Said Soriya brightly.

Camaxtli nodded. “It is.”

“Wonderful!” Eshaan clapped his hands. “So! Since we’re all friends here… can we have our stuff back?” He smiled widely.