147. Serac vs the Universe

"What are you thinking about, Wayfarer?"

What a strange question. Serac opened her eyes, only to be met by the same view that had been her entire world for the better part of the day.

Bars of howling wind. A willful vortex that kept her immobilized and suspended in air. Nothing had changed since her capture by Loha, and even Trippy's strange question merely served as a distraction from the monotony of a slow death.

"Is this a trick question?" she asked out loud. "I thought your whole deal was that you could read my mind. Don't you know exactly what I'm thinking about?"

A tangible pause. For effect? Or did the Special Guidance Protocol really have to think about his answer? Either way, it didn't change just how unexpected his next words turned out to be:

"The truth is no. Sometimes, I don't know what you're thinking at all. I first noticed it during your conquest of the Bone Lord's Ossuary. There would be times when a kind of 'veil' falls over the cloud of consciousness that defines 'Serac Edin'—like you've been hidden away. It used to be rare enough that I didn't pay it any mind. But lately… I fear it's becoming more and more frequent."

Serac met this revelation with mixed feelings.

Her first reaction was an almost gleeful relief. Hah! Serves you right for your constant invasion of privacy! Tempered by a pang of contrition. Well, to be fair, Trippy isn't so bad. Sometimes, it's nice to have someone literally inside my head to bounce ideas off. Followed by genuine worry. Does this mean I'm changing somehow? But in what way—and how do I know if it's good or bad?

In the end, however, there could only be one conclusion:

"The third entity," Serac murmured, both for her own and Trippy's benefit. "Got to be, right? I don't know what it is or what it wants with me, but it doesn't seem to wanna leave me alone anytime soon. And maybe it's starting to be as annoyed by you as I am!"

Serac had said this teasingly, careful not to hurt Trippy's feelings too badly. She needed not have worried, however, as the latter completely ignored her gibe.

"Are you not worried?"

"Should I be? And what about you, Trippy? Don't you have any idea who or what this third entity might be? It's just… thinking back to the very first time it 'showed' itself, I seem to remember you being the first one to react to its presence."

The taming of Ashvanaga. Trippy's uncertain remark that he 'knew' the soul at the living castle's core, so much so that he could feed Serac lines to inspire its loyalty.

"… You may be right, Wayfarer. Perhaps I too am connected to this 'third entity' in ways even I'm unaware of. But believe me, that's as far as it goes. I've no knowledge of its identity or purpose, any more than you do."

"Well, then, I guess it's just another one of those mysteries we'll have to figure out along the way. Together. Gods know there's plenty about this Wayfaring business that can leave souls scratching their heads. Take, for example, the weirdly rigid ways Karma is doled out."

"Is that what you were thinking about?"

"Yes! I mean, you were there when Loha was monologuing about her Damnatorium. Pushing Anchored souls to Frenzy just to farm them for Karma. Here I thought Karma was a reward for doing good, but apparently, you can be as maniacally cruel as you want, as long as your victims are 'Aberrant' when you do get around to smiting them. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? About what other assholes must be hanging out in the higher Realms? Oh, and don't forget, I met maybe the biggest asshole already, right after I'd broken out of—"

Serac stopped herself, out of respect for Trippy. It wasn't that Sublimity was a taboo topic between them, but she still preferred to avoid it as much as possible. The Deva was, after all, responsible for this Trippy being forever known as 'Version Two'.

"I understand your anger, Wayfarer," Version Two replied, apparently happy to be on the same page in more ways than one. "But I do wonder—and not for the first time—if your sentiments come from a fundamental misunderstanding of what Wayfaring is. As I understand it, Mount Meru is a test, and as with most tests, there are many different ways to navigate it—many different Paths for Wayfarers to tread. Karma, then, is merely the numerical representation of how far that Path has taken you—how close you are to passing the test altogether. Pathsight never claimed to be a judge of character nor a purveyor of good deeds. It simply watches and measures how you overcome the challenges on the road."

"Then how do you explain the fact that killing Anchored souls nets you negative Karma? Doesn't that mean Pathsight at least understands that to be 'wrong' and wants to punish certain bad deeds?"

"You won't like my answer, Wayfarer, but I believe it's because smiting Anchored souls is too easy. If anyone could earn Karma simply by mowing down every non-powered being they saw, not only would that bore the wits out of you Wayfarers, it would also turn the slopes of Mount Meru into a senseless wasteland."

Serac opened her mouth to argue… then realized that Trippy was most likely correct. Only a Realm and a half into her journey, she was already becoming quite disillusioned with Wayfaring and everything it did or didn't represent.

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But, Serac being Serac, it only made her more determined, more defiant. If Pathsight and the afterlife at large insisted on being a callous, soulless 'machine', then it was up to her to rise above its challenge—the better to make a mark that was uniquely hers.

"Well, be that as it may, I know what my Path looks like, and I'm going to stick to it, whether you like it or not. No more shenanigans, you hear me? Like the one you tried to pull that other time, right after Zacko and I had smited the Bone Lord. Can you promise me that, Trippy?"

"… I can't in good conscience promise you anything—not unless I can read the future. But I'll say this. I respect your right to choose your own Path, and I regret my part in trying to force you onto another. From now on, any shenanigans I might pull will be in the spirit of solidarity, not sabotage. Will that do, Serac Edin?"

Serac took her sweet time to answer, hoping the delay might make Trippy sweat a little. She foiled her own efforts, however, by smirking in mischief.

"I guess it'll have to, Trippy. I'm glad we could be adults about this and redefine our partnership in a way that makes sense to both of us."

The last time Serac had a similar conversation with Zacko, they'd ended it with a firm handshake. It'd be a tall order to replicate that now, what with both her hands being useless and Trippy not having any hands to begin with.

But the sentiment was no less gratifying. Serac had walked around with this voice in her head for so long that it'd become a fact of life—as much a given as a Rakshasa's two horns and ten claws. Yet, it wasn't until this very moment that she and the voice truly belonged with each other.

"With that said, Serac, I do have to ask you." Ohh, are we on a first-name basis now, Trippy? Don't think I wouldn't notice! "How exactly do you plan to get out of this predicament? When I asked what you were thinking earlier, I'd rather hoped to hear you were working on a solution. It's all well and good to aspire to a higher purpose, but if this situation goes on for much longer, your Path will be cut short—and for good."

Good ol' Trippy, cutting to the heart of the matter. Serac scanned her own status sheet, noting that her [Satiety] had dropped to its low-30s. Not quite panic stations just yet, but it was getting there.

"Gotta be honest with ya, Trippy. I'm not sure there is anything I can do. Don't have REVOLVER with me, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to use it in my current state. I legitimately and sincerely think that my one and only option is to sit tight and wait."

"Wait… for rescue? For the Queen to change her mind? Or perhaps even for your vaunted third entity to swoop in and work some unimaginable miracle?"

"Sure. One of those things… or maybe even all of the above. I'd gladly take anything right about now."

"You… don't seem to be particularly concerned."

"Should I be? I might be a stranded guppy in here, but I've still got plenty of 'options' out there. Zacko will be doing his thing, Petey's down but not out, and… I still have faith Renate would come through one way or another. Put it this way, Trippy. I believe in the kind of karma that's a little different from how Pathsight defines it, and I like to think I've done a pretty good job of banking that."

"Meaning? I'm not sure I quite follow."

"Meaning there ought to be some force in the universe that just wants decent, honest souls to have a good time. Now, I don't know if I qualify, but I can tell you I've banked a lot of goodwill with a lot of decent, honest souls. And maybe—just maybe—now would be a good time for some of that goodwill to pay off. Is that such a crazy thought?"

"… Honestly, Serac, I don't know. But what if it doesn't turn out the way you hope? What if the universe hasn't seen fit to offer you a hand in your time of desperate need?"

"… Well, I guess that would be that then. Whether it's ambition or integrity or pure, dumb luck, I just didn't have enough of it. Didn't have what it takes to—"

Creeaakk… clank, clank, duh-dunk!!

"—what was that?"

An ear-splitting mechanical screech, followed by a series of clattering impacts. And then… silence, save of course for the howling wind. Only then was Serac reminded of just how loud Loha's 'fountain of youth' had been. And the fact it'd gone silent now could only mean—

"I believe," Trippy said speculatively, "Queen Loha's 'machine' has been shut down. Almost like its 'power' has been cut off."

"Did something happen to the Calmspawns?" Serac asked impatiently, trying and failing to stretch her neck for a better look. Oh, this blasted prison would be the death of her! "Is that why everything's shut down? Trippy, can you see?"

That last one was a stupid question, of course, given that Serac and Trippy shared the same perception of the physical world. It went ignored, and deservedly so.

"I wonder if the Calmspawns have been converted to their Tamped forms. But who could've done it? And in such great numbers as to halt the whole operation. Unless—?"

Thunk…!! Thunk, thunk, thunk, clank, clank, clank, crreeeaaa…

Welp. So much for that. After several glorious moments where it appeared Loha's dastardly plans had gone kaput, the machine was back up and running—chug-chug-chugging along.

"Well, that's disappointing. I really thought that might've been a sign from the universe."

"But it's not all bad news, Serac. Even if it'd been temporary, it's proof that there is a way to force a wholesale disruption of Queen Loha's machine. Now, if we could learn how it came about, perhaps we could even make it perma—"

Boom!

"What was that?"

This latest sound was much more muffled, more distant. Even in the absence of visual cues, Serac could tell it hadn't come from the machine that rumbled beneath her. Then what—?

All was quiet again, save of course for the howling wind and rumbling machine. But Serac soon picked up a new signal, this time as a subtle tremor in her horns. Something or someone was disturbing the ripples inside the cave, with enough force and urgency to be picked up by a Rakshasa's poor excuse for a sensor.

Friend or foe? A savior… or a tyrant here to kick her while she was down? The answer revealed itself in an expletive-filled denunciation:

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Zacko's exasperated voice echoed from somewhere far below. "Who the hell builds stairs inside a sauna?"

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