Awaken Online: Armageddon, page 49
A chime echoed from behind Eliza as she slumped to the floor, her head twisting toward the generator where Bard was perched by the console. He dug into his bag and pulled out a crystal shard. “Tombs told me you would work… so you better work,” Bard lectured the crystal.
Then he jabbed it into the console, the crystal spearing through the rock. Mana blazed through the console and rippled out into the generator, pulsing through the lattice surrounding the storage crystals. Two of the gems began to refill – at least, partially – glowing with yellow and sapphire. At the same time, a familiar robotic voice echoed through the room.
“Cameras reactivated in subsections G-29, F-3, L-12…”
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Bard muttered, staring at the generator. “I wasn’t really expecting anything to happen.” Then he noticed the camera that had flashed into existence nearby, pointed at him. Bard only hesitated a moment before re-assuming his familiar clownish demeanor.
“Uh, what I meant to say is… I love it when a plan comes together!” Bard announced, striking a pose for the camera. “Why are we in this dark room full of frozen plants, you might be asking yourselves? Just a small, slight, minuscule deviation. Nothing to worry about.”
He pivoted the camera toward Queen and Eliza where she was slumped on the floor. “Say hi to our adoring fans.” Queen just let out an irritated growl and another scream ripped from Eliza’s throat – this one softer, more muted. The mold had taken over her vocal cords.
“Geez, what happened to you?” Bard asked, peering down at Eliza. I was expecting some sort of epic fight, but you look downright awful.”
“Fuck… you,” Eliza wheezed, even that costing her. She just needed to buy more time.
“Uh, yeah, I’m going to have to pass on that,” Bard remarked. “No offense, mind you. You just look like you’re a little underaged. Also, whatever creepy plague illness you’ve contracted is kind of a turn-off. Call me old fashioned.”
He turned back to the camera. “That being said, Bard embraces all manner of lifestyle choices. You should be you! That’s what I always say.”
“First time I’ve heard you say that,” Queen grumbled. She shook her head, turning away from her companion. “But he has a point. Why are you so sick?” Queen added, peering down at Eliza, her eyes narrowing behind her mask. “Take one too many potions?”
“Prolly a bad trip. Been there,” Bard added as he hopped up on the control console. “There was this one time I took shrooms—”
Eliza glared at him. Or at least in his general direction. It was becoming difficult to see, the world turning a blurry gray.
Queen clapped her hands, startling Eliza. “Hey, over here. Focus. I’m happy to end whatever the hell is happening to you. I just need some help. Just one tiny question actually. Where the fuck is Finn?”
Eliza could only manage a weak grunt now, her throat and mouth no longer responding to her directions. Pain rippled through her body in waves and her limbs shuddered and jerked as her eyes rolled back. She couldn’t focus on anything – anyone. Much less respond to Queen.
“She’s… far gone…”
“…damn it.”
Their words were disjointed now, only a few landing. Some still sane part of Eliza’s mind knew that was because the mold had expanded to her head, her inner ear. Next it would start to eat away at her brain – noises, sounds, and smells becoming distorted. Confused. Despite the horror of what she was experiencing, however, she felt strangely calm. The world began to fade away into an indistinct comforting blur, the pain muted as the nerve endings were eaten away.
And Eliza drifted into that haze, relinquishing herself to it, closing her eyes and letting out one final breath—
***
When Eliza opened her eyes again, she was somewhere else.
The pain was gone. Her skin was smooth and unmarred, her bare feet digging into rough sand, water lapping at her ankles. An ocean stretched out before her, extending out endlessly toward the horizon, reflecting waning sunlight. Yet there were no waves – no movement at all. Only the faint few ripples caused by her feet. Otherwise, the ocean was perfectly still. And as that detail sunk in, Eliza realized there were no birds. No sound of any animals.
Just an endless still silence.
“What is this?” Eliza murmured.
“Uh, I’m going to guess some sort of pocket instance meant to represent your consciousness… or possibly your magic? I’ve never been much good at symbolism,” a familiar voice spoke up, causing Eliza to flinch, her body now trained to respond to the Hippie instinctively.
“Oh, come now, you aren’t even a little excited to see me?” the god of water demanded, circling her, but staying well out of range of the water that pooled around Eliza’s feet.
“Not exactly,” she grunted back.
“That hurts my feelings. They’re hurt. Badly. I probably won’t recover. And that’s after I ducked out of my super top-secret, VIP, god-only party to visit you. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to be in two places at once?” the Hippie added, waving his hand.
Water materialized at his fingertips, coalescing into a reflective panel. The surface shimmered and then resolved into an image of the Hippie lounging on a velvet-lined couch, using Fluffy as a pillow, and his eyes squeezed closed as though he was napping. Around him, the other gods filled out the room, all eyes on screens along the wall – screens showcasing the Mile-High Club and Bard’s face standing over Eliza’s body.
“Are you… are you all watching us? Is that… me?” Eliza murmured, the water rippling around her ankles more forcefully now.
The Hippie cocked his head. “Uh, yes, and, unfortunately, also yes? Don’t look at me like that. I just felt like it would be rude to turn down my brother’s invitation. We haven’t had a family reunion like this in ages.” He raised a hand to his mouth. “Besides, they have unlimited free peanuts,” he whispered.
Eliza heaved out a sigh. “Fine. What do you want?” she demanded with a note of irritation.
“What I’ve always wanted,” he replied with a shrug. “To help.”
Eliza couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up out of her chest – the sound just a touch too manic. “You? Help? Who exactly? Yourself? Some random person?”
He crossed his arms defensively. “I did give you that bell in Sandscrit. And sent you on that merry chase that helped create it. And look how awesome that all turned—”
The Hippie paused, cocking his head as though listening to something Eliza couldn’t hear. Another twitch of his fingers and a second panel of water coalesced in the air, showcasing two masked figures standing over Eliza’s body, her limbs spasming uncontrollably.
“And now you’re what? Killing yourself with that same mold that almost murdered your weird vegetable-man and destroyed the entire world? And that’s not me being melodramatic. Seriously, you almost killed everyone.”
“I had a plan… I still have a plan,” Eliza replied evenly.
It was the water god’s turn to bark out a laugh. “Oh, really? What is it then? Die at your enemies’ feet while they record the whole thing? Did you know that almost every traveler in the world is currently watching you turn into a puddle of gray goop? That’s a weird plan, I have to admit.”
As the god spoke, translucent panels sprang up around her, the water rising out of the ocean. Those discs soon showcased more images. Travelers and residents across dozens of locations. Cities, deserts, jungles, and forests. In each one, those men and women watched the events unfolding in the club, watched her dying on screen for their amusement.
Eliza could feel a spark of anger as she watched those scenes play out. Watched players laugh and rib one another as they pointed at her. Watched the timid little water mage curled up in helpless pain. And as that anger rose, the waters at her feet began to swirl, spinning slowly at first, then faster and faster and faster.
What had she been thinking? Trying this formula? It had only worked in one out of ten trials and even then, her test subject had gone insane.
“Did you think you were different?” the Hippie taunted. “Special? That your plot armor was somehow thick enough to stop the mold from eating you from the inside out?”
He let out a sad little laugh. “Oh, honey…”
Eliza could feel that power surge through her again, the ocean’s waters shuddering now. And yet, as that chill energy pulsed through her, Eliza noticed something strange. Her body – the one back in the game world – its spasms were slowing, a faint mist of frost coating her skin.
Now that was unusual…
As the Hippie’s voice droned in the background, Eliza’s thoughts raced, her eyes riveted on that screen. The one test subject that had survived her experiments… What had it been? Some sort of fish creature that lived in the depths of the ocean. It had mana crystals lining its fins and could freeze the water around it – creating a spikey cage that protected it from other predators. It had used the same ability while the mold was eating into it – the particles eventually stabilizing…
“It’s the cold,” Eliza murmured.
“Huh? What are you on about now?” the Hippie replied. His face suddenly popped up in front of her, inspecting her closely. “Oh, did you have an epiphany? Some sort of divine inspiration caused by my majestic presence?”
Eliza’s hands balled into fists, her mana surging once more as she resisted the urge to punch her idiot deity. Like this asshole had actually helped with anything… Then she froze, seeing the waters of the ocean undulating now and her body back in the club stabilizing further. Her anger must be summoning her mana… summoning the Ice Witch – just like she had done with Finn. Or back in Sandscrit. She needed to lean into that, to feed that rage.
“Maybe,” Eliza said softly, turning her attention back to the god. “My anger, my mana, it’s helping to stabilize the mold. I need more.”
“Uh, what exactly are you asking me to do?”
“What you always do. Be an irritating pain in my ass,” Eliza grunted, annoyance tinging her voice. For once, could this insipid idiot actually help her? Instead of playing games?
A sly smile crept across the Hippie’s face as her mana surged once more. “Oh, I can definitely help with that.”
He loomed closer. “Look at me, the god that forced this fate upon you, who shoved you out into the world without your permission, that forced you from your safe and peaceful garden, that set you on the path that nearly killed Brian. Don’t you just want to hit me? Punch my stupid face until I can’t speak?”
Eliza’s fists clenched harder, her anger rising. Even though she knew he was baiting her, his words still rang true. He had foisted all of this upon her.
“And now you’re just that same scared little girl, aren’t you? No matter how hard you try. You couldn’t speak to your parents. Couldn’t confront Finn with what you knew. Ran away from your friends. And now… now you’re dying as millions watch you writhe on the ground, wallowing in your own weakness and despair.
“All because of me.”
Her anger was out of control now, a living thing. A hurricane that swept through her body. But it wasn’t enough. The tremors were still wracking her body back in the real world. This was how she’d felt in Sandscrit – angry but still in control – no longer willing to accept but still bounded and chained to her own anxiety and fear. She needed to push further.
“More,” Eliza grunted, her eyes ablaze with sapphire energy, the ocean’s waters now rocking and swaying as waves formed and cascaded out toward the horizon.
“Um, I’m not sure…” the Hippie demurred, looking nervous.
“More!” Eliza demanded, her foot stomping the sand. That one small movement sent the water hurtling back, forming a wave nearly twenty feet high in an instant, the water crashing along the shoreline and sending the Hippie backpedaling away.
“I’m… I’m tired of letting others make my decisions for me,” Eliza growled, watching the screens floating around her – those people laughing at her plight. “My parents. You. Jason. And now Finn. Everyone feels like they can order me around. That Eliza will just handle it.” She stalked toward the Hippie, each footfall sending a wave rippling away from the beach, storm clouds forming overhead now – dark and dense. “Even you. Even when you were trying to ‘help’ me… you were still just manipulating me into doing what you wanted.
“And I just accepted it,” she said, the words coming out almost in a growl.
“Um, Eliza…” the god murmured nervously, still backing away down the beach.
The reason was clear – even if she was in no state of mind to pay attention to that right now. The waters had risen, swelling like the tide coming in, pushing their way up the sands. The water was drawn to her, forming a vortex of moisture, and the ocean was soon drained dry. As it spun around her, the liquid began to freeze into jagged crystalline shards, spinning and spinning in an ever-widening circle.
The anger felt good – so good. There was no fear here. No anxiety. No thought of anyone else. There was only Eliza and her rage, those waters beckoning to her, asking her for more.
She could feel the energy around her – it was the ice itself. Her own power. She stared at it as it twisted and swirled, responding to her rage. And, in that moment, she hesitated. Her fingers rested only inches away from the blizzard that spun ‘round and ‘round, an icy blur that reflected those same images the Hippie had shown her. People laughing. Her parents muttering. Finn’s face when she’d told him about Rachael. Bard and Queen standing over her body – smiling, mocking, taunting.
The anger was helpful. It summoned the water. It pushed away her fear. But that was the problem, wasn’t it? She was afraid of so many things. Of her parents. Of her enemies. Of her future. Of her own friends, she realized as Finn’s face appeared amid the ice. She was afraid of even making a simple fucking choice. And at its core, she was afraid of herself. Eliza’s reflection glimmered in the ice and snow now, her eyes ablaze with power. A dozen versions of herself gathered round, just as Queen had taunted Finn with Rachael’s image.
The Hippie had been doing what she asked – taunting her to make her angry. Yet there was truth in his words – one she was unwilling to acknowledge. She was frightened by how she had killed all those travelers; how easy it had felt. How she had earned her title, her place as an avatar. How she had almost destroyed the game world – had nearly killed Brian. She was afraid of that person. Afraid of how others might see her – her parents, her friends, even strangers.
Maybe the time for that was over. Maybe it was time to stop running away. Anger would only get her so far. She needed to do something different.
To give up her fear and accept who she was. What she was.
“Eliza… don’t.” The Hippie’s words felt distant, unreal.
She ignored him. Eliza’s hands dipped out into the blizzard around her. The shards of ice didn’t cut or slice or sever her skin. Instead, the ice seeped into her flesh, rushing into her like a tidal wave and slamming through her like a snowstorm. The ice drained at a rapid rate, flowing into her arms and rippling up to her shoulders before settling like a frigid glacier in her chest. Yet she didn’t stop or relent. She just kept going, drawing it all in. Until her body hummed with that power. Until sapphire energy leaked from her skin.
And as the last drop was absorbed, Eliza stood on that ruined beach.
There was only an eerie calm now. An acceptance of herself. Of others. Of her past, present, and future. A unity of purpose, the waters no longer placid or spinning in place but flowing forward on a path of her own making. At that moment, she looked back at the Hippie, still standing on the beach, watching her with an anxious expression.
Finn had asked her a question.
What did she want to do?
Water leaked from her skin, freezing into panels of icy glass. She saw it so clearly, reflected in the dozens of frozen mirrors that hung suspended around her. Two masked figures standing over her body. Taunting. Two people that had attacked her and her friends. That had hunted her, kidnapped her, and forced her to compete in these silly games for their amusement.
She hadn’t been able to answer Finn’s question then.
But right now, she knew what she wanted.
“I want to kill those two,” Eliza declared.
***
Eliza breathed out one final puff of mold, and her body went still, a thin coating of ice covering her. It was a side effect that Bard and Queen chalked up to whatever had killed her.
“Well, folks, it looks like this fight was rather lackluster,” Bard said for the camera. He nudged Eliza’s body with his foot. “I guess the moral of the story here is don’t do drugs? Or too many drugs? Or maybe it’s more that she didn’t use the right kind?”
Bard glanced back at the camera. “I guess what I’m saying is that when you find the right drugs for you… you just know, you know?”
“Uh… Bard?”
The minstrel ignored Queen, staring into the camera. “It’s really a kismet sort of thing. Like love at first puff, if you know what I mean. You gotta keep yourself open to all kinds of drugs. Let those drugs find you…”
“Bard!” Queen snapped.
“What?” he demanded as he whirled toward her. “I’m talking to my fans—”
He cut off, his eyes going round and the camera spinning to follow his gaze.
Eliza’s body was… rippling. That was the only word to describe it. It was as though her skin was made of millions of tiny particles that broke apart and merged back together in an undulating wave. At the same time, frost creeped across her skin. The rippling became more even and controlled while a fine frosty mist wafted away from her body. As the pair looked on, a sapphire glow suffused Eliza, starting along each of her limbs, torso, and head, expanding outward until she glowed a brilliant blue.
“What the actual fuck?” Bard grunted.
“I don’t like this. We didn’t see this ability during our research,” Queen said, stepping backward to put more distance between herself and the water mage.
