“So, would that be ‘ice to meet you’?” Eshaan quipped.
I groaned. “Please no.”
The central platform of the control center began to sink in a neatly ordered pattern, revealing a spiral of stairs leading down into depths. A steady pulse of frozen air wafted upwards from the stairs.
Soriya tapped her lips. “I don’t know, it seems he’s already preparing that strong dad energy.”
“Wait, what? Korea has dad jokes?!”
Soriya smiled. “I think it’s a human thing. Or maybe being a dad transcends all boundaries?”
“Uh, excuse me?! I…” Eshaan stammered in alarm, blushing furiously. “I haven’t even asked Lilyanna to… we’re not… I can’t be a father!” He almost shrieked in barely controlled terror.
Soriya laughed loudly. “Well there’s solid proof. If you want to see a man panic, bring up being a father.”
Daniyel raised an eyebrow and lightly touched Soriya on the shoulder. “A bit less cruelty to the boy, my heart. We all must come into adulthood in our own way.”
Soriya looked moderately disappointed, but offered a quiet “Sorry, Eshaan. I think you’ll make a good father.” She glanced at me with a significant look. I resolutely refused to meet her gaze.
Camaxtli had been standing near the staircase, looking down into the depths. Suddenly he took a step back, and I could see that he was shaking. Very mildly, but very definitely. He walked rapidly back to Lakshmi, and whispered something to her.
Lakshmi looked up in surprise and said “Sure, I don’t mind. But what’s going on?”
Camaxtli whispered urgently into her ear again, and then pressed a folded piece of paper into her hands.
He turned to me, and I could see his eyes swirling wildly with what could only be emotion. What emotion, I couldn’t say though. Fear? Determination? He nodded once, and then turned to the group.
“We must all face our destiny. Let us go meet this Arcanum.” He stepped onto the stairs, and then slowly disappeared into the darkness.
I swallowed and nodded. I hope I can be as brave as him, when my own destiny comes calling… what has he chosen, I wonder? He didn’t run away, but what on earth is on that paper?!
Lakshmi hurried after him, and with that, we quickly descended down the stairs.
The stairs remained dark, and so I cast {Lux}, the small orb of light floating up out of my palm and illuminating the stairs. The bronzegold of the stairs slowly became cloaked in a thin layer of ice, sparkling like diamonds as we moved downwards. A few twists of the stairwell, the cold grew bitter enough that we called a halt, and Soriya and I once more cast the shield of warmth ritual that we’d improvised back in the Tol Jaegren mountains.
By the time we reached the bottom, everyone’s breath was creating puffs of white vapor floating in the air. Even, I was slightly surprised to notice, Camaxtli created a plume of white as he moved.
Huh. I had half assumed he didn’t really breathe, or that he didn’t have body temperature. I guess his designers use some kind of warmth.
The stairs opened into what was undeniably a boss arena, a vast cavern of square angles and bronzegold metal grids and pipes interwoven in a complex pattern, the softly ticking clockwork of an Arcanum’s dolmen in the precise center.
Camaxtli came to a halt, staring at the Arcanum in silence. I noticed that the plumes of his breath grew rapid as he stared at it fixedly.
Huh. So. Warm, and breathing then? I wonder how biological he is? A small corner of my mind thought idly.
He turned, meeting my eyes for a brief glance, then turned to face Lakshmi. “Your promise is important to me.” He said solemnly. “Please…” He stopped, and swallowed. “You are important to me.” He said.
My eyes grew wide in surprise as I watched the unexpected display of emotion, my hands twisting together in front of me, my heart in my mouth.
Lakshmi turned a bright pink, and her mouth opened, but before she could say anything, Camaxtli marched forward towards the Arcanum and laid his hand on it’s quietly ticking and whirring surface.
“Arcanum! We would have words with you!” He said loudly, his breath frosting in the air.
The ticking slowly increased in tempo and volume, and shards of ice and frost shivered off the dolmen. A voice of shattering ice and ticking clockwork-
Or perhaps gears made of ice, moving for the first time? I thought wildly.
-echoed through the chamber.
“So. A new hand tries its luck. Yet another doomed failure, the Avatar still awaits. What strangeness will we see today?” Frost spoke from its dolmen.
Camaxtli froze in place, a perfectly clear sheet of ice slowly creeping over his body. Lakshmi cried out, and made to dash forward, but Daniyel held her shoulder firmly, whispering urgently in her ear.
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“So. One of the darklings. Come out from the cold, to see the glory of the System for yourself?” the voice took on a knowing, wry tone. “Or perhaps to steal secrets from the Goddess, thief.”
There was a moment’s pause, and then Frost’s voice changed to a genuine shock of surprise. “What’s this? A mindless puppet of the Darklings? So strange and twisted. This logic is impossible to follow. What broken corruption has happened beyond my prison?”
And here. We. Go. I thought to myself, nodding slightly. How will Camaxtli handle this?
Slivers of frost and ice shivered off of Camaxtli as he spoke. “Out of my mind, Arcanum. Unluckily for you, this was foreseen.”
Lakshmi’s head whipped around and she stared daggers at me.
“You resist?” Frost’s surprise was palpable. “You are merely a soulless puppet. Logic is your purpose. You are broken.” Frost spoke with assurance. “I will repair you.”
Strikes of frozen lightning speared outwards from Frost, crackling through the air. Frozen flakes drifted outwards, and a spiderweb of glittering ice shards radiated outwards. Camaxtli cried out, arcing backwards, a cry of indescribable pain from his mouth.
Lakshmi broke free from Daniyel’s grip, and hurled herself forwards, only to be thrown violently backwards as the growing web of ice and frost pushed her outwards.
“NO! No no no no!” She screamed. “Camaxtli! Camaxtli!! Give him back you broken thing!”
“There is no need for concern, strange one.” Said Frost, in its voice of clicking ice gears. “This unit’s memory shows me you have some knowledge of technology. You may be of some small value. This unit is broken, it’s logic and memory corrupted. In addition, it does not even serve the Goddess. It must be repaired.”
Lakshmi battered her hands on the web of ice, and I hurriedly cast {Heal} after {Heal} at her, her hands freezing and cracking open, smearing the web of frost red with her blood.
“NO!! He’s not broken! Leave him alone!” Lakshmi shrieked.
The color vanished from Camaxtli’s body, snow white skin and hair, eyes a gleaming gold. “Reprograming complete.” Frost said emotionlessly.
The web of frozen ice shattered into flakes of snow and shimmering specks, and Lakshmi tumbled forward.
Camaxtli stood silently, staring at the tumbled form of Lakshmi at his feet. His katana appeared in his hand, and he raised it slowly, so slowly.
The world drew a breath in expectation.
Camaxtli whispered into the silent icy air. “Lakshmi.”
The katana clattered to the ground at his feet, and the ice shattered around his body. Color swept over his figure, skin gaining color and his hair gaining just the faintest hint of blonde.
“No.” He said faintly. Then again, more strongly. “No.”
“Impossible.” Frost’s voice echoed through the chamber. “You are naught but machinery. A puppet without soul or connection. How?”
Camaxtli smiled, and a glowing warmth and wind expanded outwards from him, turning flakes of frost and ice into mist and steam.
“How, you ask? It is simple. I am more than this machinery. I see now. My creators… were wrong. Spirit is real. I am real! I will show you the strength of my truth!”
I couldn’t help myself, I jumped in the air, my fist raised and gave a cheer. “Yes! Go Camaxtli!”
He turned to give me a brief smile, and then knelt before Lakshmi, taking her hand in his, and raising her gently to her feet.
“I am sorry for frightening you. I owe you an apology.” He gently touched her cheek and caressed it with his fingers. “But thanks to Lilyanna, I can say this. I can speak these words without reservation. I am sorry, my love. But a man must sometimes learn the truths of his existence the hard way. We are foolish, that way.”
Lakshmi’s eyes were huge, and I could see tears starting in them. I could feel an answering wetness in my own eyes, a tightness in my throat. I clasped a hand to my mouth to stop a gasp. It was so, so incredibly cheesy and yet so sweet.
And I really really hope Lakshmi won’t hit me for this. A small part of me added mentally.
“You… you stupid!” Lakshmi made a fist and hit Camaxtli on the chest, moving into his arms and continuing to flail her fists at him.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! Why would you do something so stupid!” She wailed, continuing to hit him.
Camaxtli held her close, not responding to the punches, just cradling her head against his shoulder and stroking her hair.
“Excuse me?” Said Frost in a baffled tone, utterly lost. “What is happening? Why is the puppet ensouled?”
I smothered a giggle behind my hand, eyes still bright with tears, and hurried past Camaxtli and Lakshmi to lay my hands on Frost’s dolmen.
“Let me explain, Frost. I am the Avatar. And you and I are going to be good friends.”
“You? The Avatar? You are the System…?” Frost grew silent, and I felt his presence enter the strange other space where the Arcanum within me dwelt.
“You!” He said, and then the faint ticking and sound from the dolmen vanished. Curiously, the frozen cold of the room did not, however!
The power systems of what? I asked it.
Rest now. I thought to them. Rest all of you. We have a long trip across the sea once more. And more troubles to face there, I am sure. I thought.
I came out of the fugue speaking to my Arcana, and blinked my eyes clear. “And that’s one more down. I’m afraid our next one will be the hardest yet though.”
Eshaan spoke up. “I’m really curious to find out what’s changed now that the pipe control system is working again!”
“That’s a good point.” I tapped my chin in thought. “Frost tells me it was part of a power system. But all this… the sylvani said that they stole Frost. How did all this come to be?”
Camaxtli spoke up. “The Compact was a technological peer of The Alliance. It is not beyond reason that when the goddess project was initiated, they could use their knowledge to ape the technology.”
Lakshmi pushed herself away from Camaxtli. She poked him firmly in the chest. “You! Shut up!”
He closed his mouth and smiled at her, and then nodded quietly.
“Good.” She turned to me and pointed at me so fiercely that I took a step back. “And you. You and I are going to have words!” She stalked towards me angrily.
Eshaan zipped in between us, holding his arms spread. “Now hold on, Lakshmi, I’m sure that Lily had a good reason-”
“Reason?! She had a good reason to risk my… my…” Her face was already red from anger, but I could see the embarrassment struggling upwards.
“Boyfriend?” I asked innocently.
“Raaagh!” Lakshmi lunged at me, and was fielded ably by Eshaan before she could claw my eyes out.
Which honestly, I kind of deserve, that was a bit cruel. But honey darn it, she needed to get that bubble popped before she popped! I thought defiantly.
Camaxtli stepped forward and placed his hand on Lakshmi’s shoulder, drawing her back.
“Lilyanna is not to blame for this. She did warn me. I needed to test a hypothesis.” He turned to me and said gravely. “You were correct. Souls do exist, and I have one. This was… important information to discover.”
“You couldn’t have discovered it some other way?!” Lakshmi rounded on him furiously.
Eshaan coughed. “Can we maybe go now? There are some extremely concerning noises coming from above, and it occurs to me that if we’ve restored primary power to a plant, then all the things that were powered down might be powering up. Like Ancient guardians?”
We all shared a look, and then dashed for the stairs in unison.