'In return for letting you out, can you try to only help the people working to fix the world?'
Who was she kidding, there was no way she could say that. Rubbing her forehead, Amu wished she had a little more time to think about this. True, she'd have plenty after she left, but then she wouldn't be able to ask.
She had to know. He—the spirit—Tenjin was eager to teach, and she probably owed him a lot, but things could go really badly if he'd up and teach anyone anything, and she didn't know how to ask. Dia would probably know…
But that was a bad habit of hers, immediately looking for help from her sisters. Well, Dia was asleep, and none of the others were here, so it was time she stood up for herself. Even if she felt woefully out of her depth.
What did she know? Tenjin wasn't obsessed with helping people in general. He was the god of scholarship. A… scholarship-maximiser, if she could use the term, but if he'd helped her find Yui then his definition of scholarship was pretty loose, and…
He'd been a person. Was he still a person? Maya had hinted several times that most gods and demons were, well, insane.
Maybe she should just ask.
"What would you do, if there was someone who'd use the knowledge you gave them for evil? For example…"
She put every bit of cuteness she could muster into her expression, practically making doe-eyes at the air. Not that it was likely to help, she figured, but at least it was good practice. She hadn't had a chance lately.
"—What if someone wanted to use your teachings to destroy the world?"
A kind of pressure filled the air, feeling almost like nails on a chalkboard. Muted, focused on Tenjin rather than herself, but deeply unpleasant. For a long minute the room remained silent.
In such an event, the god slowly said. I would most regrettably need to limit my blessings.
— — —
"Do we have a deal?"
Drawing a shaky breath, Io looked up at Mab's businesslike visage. That appearance, and mode of dress, was spoiled by her being as large as a giant, though Io knew that it was only because she, herself, had shrunk. If she'd saved her life, then she owed her. But…
Mab was still a demon. Even if—even if she was as well, now, that didn't really change a thing. She couldn't trust her, couldn't trust that she'd do what she said—or that she'd done what she'd said. Come to think of it, had she ever claimed to save her life? Literally? She'd implied it, that was all.
She shook her head.
"Disappointing." Mab dropped her hand to her side, clicking her tongue as her face grew a little colder. "Very much so. I held out hope that Teagan would have taught you manners, but, alas. May I ask for your reasoning?" She paused, looking patiently at Io.
Every bit the businesswoman, still, but they were standing inside a warped, unnatural tunnel, and there were pulsing lights barely visible through the tunnel walls. The walls themselves seemed to move, never quite in the same place after she blinked or looked away for a moment.
Io shuddered, feeling her bile try to rise. Anyone who could feel at ease in this wasn't someone she could trust. The expression on Teagan's face was still one of fear, frozen as she was. Io had never seen her this close before, even when she hovered in front of her face she moved too much to easily see, and Io usually waved her away. She hadn't been very nice to her, had she?
Teagan didn't look particularly hurt, but her clothes were torn, her hands covered in bruises. She hadn't noticed it happening.
There was anger mixing into the bile, now. Teagan had fought hard for her sake, had tried to warn her about Mab, and Mab had just arbitrarily petrified her. She didn't like Mab, not one bit, but it wouldn't help either of them if she ran screaming and got herself squished.
Her eyes narrowed. Mab wanted to play businesswoman. Fine. She could use that.
And wasn't there something about fairies twisting their words?
"I notice you didn't tell me what the countermeasures are for," she accused. "Or, for that matter, what I'm supposed to owe you. You didn't say."
"I did not wish to complicate matters, and I believed you'd be able to guess." Mab raised an eyebrow. "Or do you wish me to define every possible term? There are demons who take pleasure in claiming that 'up' means 'down', but I am not such a one."
She did not, Io noted, actually answer her question. Oh, this would have been so much easier if she could just run her through.
"So did you save my life, or not? Yes, or no?"
"Without my summoning, there would at present be no-one calling themselves 'Io Nitta' in this world—"
"Yes, or no!" She growled in frustration. "In the first place, my name is Nitta Io, not the other way around. You're not even trying! If you were trying, you wouldn't be talking about someone who doesn't exist. If you want me to help, then tell me straight, and you have to stop lying!"
A sudden, shocking burst of cold blew through the area, instantly making the hairs on her arms stand up.
"Lying, is it?"
Mab had gone quiet, her voice deceptively soft.
"Such insolence. Such disrespect for the ancient arts. Alas, hope reigns eternal… vespids, and humans, I should have expected that such a combination would become something like this. You want me to get to the point? As you wish."
Behind Mab the terrain gained an icy sheen, and the wooden walls of the tunnel creaked. One root-like branch sticking out from the ceiling split, the sudden crack shockingly loud in the silence.
Shadows pooled within shadows, piling dark upon dark to swallow all light. The world melted away under that touch, as seemingly fragile as a single torch in an arctic hurricane. That wasn't a figure of speech. The air was growing colder, her breath became visible, and beneath her she could feel her body shivering.
"Ignorant child, there are very few things that I must."
She looked frantically around, but in only a few seconds the tunnel openings had disappeared into the blackness. Even the lights hovering behind the walls were fleeing, as if frightened of what was to come.
"I am Mab, one of the true powers of this world, and you are nothing. Tell me why I shouldn't destroy you for your insolence."
Oh. This…
Her anger had all but evaporated, but what emerged in its place wasn't fear. It was determination, bolstered by experience. Absurd, irrelevant experience, but it was almost like she couldn't be scared.
—
"The nile, sir."
"What was that?"
She almost lowered her hand at her teacher's glare, but that would be wrong. She'd been taught to be honest.
"The longest river in the world… it's the Nile. Not the Ganges."
—
Mab reminded her of the worst of her teachers. Relying on authority, and if that didn't work, relying on force. Not prepared for anyone to call them on it.
Of course, when she thought about it, last time she'd done so she'd ended up in detention. This time she might lose her life. Not quite the same situation after all, but she'd be damned if she'd give in to a bully. She'd be damned if she'd be intimidated. If Mab thought she could kill her, then why hadn't she done so already? There had to be a reason, and she looked impatient as well as angry.
"Because you still need me."
It didn't come out quite as strongly as she'd meant, but she managed to avoid making it a question.
The darkness disappeared. The frost didn't, but it stopped getting colder.
"An intriguing theory." Mab smiled. "Especially if true. Such a thing would only matter if you had any intention of going along with my request, correct?"
Well…
"Then, allow me to rephrase my request. The hour grows late, and one must make allowances for youth." Mab pointed at Teagan. "This one asked for my help. Knowing what it would cost, she pleaded with me to restore Io's life. As the object of her mercy was not dying, there was little for me to do, but a deal is a deal." She grinned, toothily. "I did soothe her pain. As to you, you are now one of my kin, and as unexpected as it may be, I will hold you to higher standards than the likes of a High Pixie."
Eh?
"I recommend that you learn circumspection before you consider confronting me once again. Angering powers is rarely a clever move." Her expression grew distant. "Or even lesser beings, for one such as you."
Io grimaced.
"If you ignore my request, I will require Teagan to pay her own way. If you do hold some small affection for her, you should not allow this to happen.
"Discover the cause of this apocalypse and its reasoning, discover why it failed, and tell me both. Do so, and I will consider Teagan's debt paid; more, I may assist you when you choose to act in response. Do so within the month."
The air cracked, jagged pieces of it falling away to reveal a landscape in white behind Mab, who turned to step through. Faintly, she could hear wolves howling.
"This is not a deal, or a contract," Mab said.
Behind her there was a dark pond, filled with steel-like black ice, and she found her eyes drawn inexorably to its edge. Under the surface, its hand stretching up as if asking for help, she could see the corpse of a man.
There were fish nibbling on that corpse, but the fish were themselves blind, their eyes frozen or torn out. That did not at all stop them from fleeing in fear the moment that Mab stepped through, fleeing into the depths of the pond where most of them were ripped open by greater predators. Larger fish, and worse things yet.
"This is a promise," the Queen of Ice said, and Io shuddered. "Do nothing, and others will pay the price for your intransigence. Flee, and I will hunt you down myself."
[ ] Remain silent, hope she goes away
[ ] Write-in
— — —
"—But you'll listen to advise, if I ask you to limit yourself."
A debt would be owed.
Amu smiled, and nodded, though her smile was growing strained. The inaudible screech had grown throughout their conversation, to the point where it very nearly hurt, ebbing whenever she spoke but growing when it was Tenjin's turn.
Very w̷e̕l҉l̴. So long as you remain on the pa̕th of t̵he͞ ͢scholar, so long as your path leads to a future full of learning, I shall support you. My powers, though limited, will be at your disposal.
A burst of static made her wince and clap her hands over her head. Surprisingly, that did help, blocking out the worst of the noise.
—tha̡n͢ t͠hé l͞a̛st de͟a͞l̕. ̢B͠ut ҉un͝derst̵àn̵d, ͘th͘i͘s̨ ̸w̴i̸ll ҉be͡ a pár̵tn̶ership̨.̢ I a͜m no҉t̶ ͞y͡our̢s͟ ͜to or̵d͝e̸r ͘a̶rơu̶nd̴.
"I don't… really want to, anyway," she said, then sighed. Want to or not, she'd been doing a lot of it.
—̶ti͟m̕e. Rec̸o̸mmęn̷d͜—
Of course, there was always time pressure.
"I already know who has the other half of the Catalyst. I can come back in… an hour, maybe, and we'll release you then." Hopefully less, but she hadn't actually seen Ikuto in a while. She'd figure it out.
—̛i̕ccie̢n̛t
Amu sighed again. Of course, now that they'd figured out what to do, she was still in kind of shrine-esque, office-esque netherworld. She needed to find the others, as well. And decide what to ask Dia, not to mention Exa, and dealing with whatever her lock actually was, catalyst or whatnot, and… Utau worried her, and…
No. No, dammit. She'd think those over later.
One thing at a time.
"I'm going to need the other people who came in with me. And an exit."
—҉r͝id̶d̕én
The mental screech suddenly stopped. At the same time, Tenjin's presence dulled, becoming muted. Very interesting.
The one known as Takeba Yukari is currently attempting to break in. She has twice refused to leave this dimensional construct. I can guide her in your direction.
She nodded. "Do so. And Io?"
The interference is dissipating. I can guide you in her direction. Nitta Io has passed her trial, but is at present unconscious.
Did she want to ask what that meant? No, probably not right now, but she'd feel terrible if something had happened to her.
"Right. Let's do that—to Io, then outside. And Takeba-san?"
Estimated time of arrival is—
The floor shook, then again, and finally the far wall exploded into a shotgun-like blast of shrapnel, some of which whistled past her as Amu neatly side-stepped. Bursts of magic tore at the remaining parts of the wall, disintegrating a good two-meter hole before the effect stopped.
Now.
Amu smiled and waved at Yukari as she stepped in, nearly bursting into laughter at her flabbergasted expression when the smoke cleared. Yukari was breathing heavily, clearly having run quite a lot, so that wouldn't have been nice.
The hole behind her shimmered and changed.
I have altered the topology to minimise distance. Caution is warranted due to the source of the interference.
"—Amu-chan?" Yukari spoke, incredulously. "What the hell is going on?"
[ ] Check on Io
- [ ] Running all the way
- [ ] Taking light precautions
- [ ] Very, very carefully
[ ] Write-in
A/N: On the bright side, this is totally a good month to do a lot of writing. It had better be; I don't think I wrote anything at all during NaNoWriMo.
I'm calling this vote in in 32 hours. Yes, really. There is a schedule, though I understand if you take a chapter or two to believe that.
