Earth...Fire...Water...Air... This is the age of the new Avatar, and after many years of chaos, the world is poised to enter into a time of prosperity and peace. But every light casts a shadow, and in the days to come, the very balance of the universe will be in danger, and the true purpose of the Avatar will be revealed. The Avatar's name is Usagi, a warrior of love and justice, and despite all the great deeds she has accomplished, her story is not over yet!

AVATAR

The Celestial Sailors

BOOK THREE: DEATH

18: The Undersea Kingdom

The riddle of steel.

Prepare the tools. Hammer, anvil, tongs, vise, forge, steel, chisels, sandpaper, quenching oil. Design. Research. Rejections. Refinements. Satisfaction. Grip the steel with the tongs, heat in the forge. Shape the material. Hammer, hammer, hammer. Other side, flecks of fire on an anvil. Hammer, hammer, hammer. Flatten the blade. Bevel the edges. Reheat, cool, forge. Sand. Reheat. Quench. Reheat. Quench. Sharpen. Set aside. Now for the hilt.

As Keya tightened the leather and polished the pommel, she heard a noise from outside. Screams, panic, disaster. Carefully, she put her tools aside, removing her gloves and welder's mask, and grabbed a spare sword from the wall. She approached the door, pulled back the flap, squinting as the Sentinels of Light ravaged the town. Without hesitation she drew her blade and rushed into the fray, slicing the nearest one. She cut through the body of light and dispelled the creature, drawing the attention of many more. Bright light, ire, indignation. She yelled for the townspeople to flee, she'd handle this. Burning rays scorched the ground; she leaped aside, sprinting, leaped again, vaulted up, cut the Sentinel's legs. Two more awaited. She clenched her eyes shut as their radiance blinded her, swung wildly, relying on instinct. Pain, searing, white-hot fire. The fire-resistant cloak she had worn was in cinders; she flung it at her attackers and sliced. Two gone, eight closing in from behind. She took cover. Heat and light seared the building, blasting stone and wood, evaporating shadows. She roared, charged, impaling. About face. She raised her sword, avoided death, found her hands grasping a hilt and melting slag. Her Masterpiece was days from being finished; her life would be forfeit long before then. Still, she ran for it.

Fire, cold heat, blinding brightness, Sentinels, Lightbringers, innumerable. She fell. Pain. Gnashing of teeth. Clenched fists. Not like this. She threw gravel, eyes clamped against the omnipresent light. Defiant to the last. Wondering when, not if, her sister would avenge her. Wondering what her parents would think of their daughter when she met them again in the Great Beyond. Wondering whether the pain and blindness would follow her across the Veil. But all of that would wait: a gale tornado blew her attackers away. Waves crashed against them, putting out the fire. The earth itself took up arms, crushing and smothering. Fire shot out, pelting the Sentinels, one two three four, twelve fifteen eighteen twenty-three, gone. Dust settled, silence. A firm hand brought her to her feet, and the light dimmed so she could see.

"Good to see you again. You all right there?" A warm smile spread across Keya's face. Exuberance. It was Suen and her friends, plus Anshar and his pet cabbit Kishar. Keya bowed in thanks and reverence.

"I am now."

"Good to hear. Listen: I need you for something."

"I'm yours," she said without hesitation.

"It's dangerous." Keya's smile broke into a grin.

"When do we leave?"

"Immediately."

…...

Months earlier, Prince Ittou and Princess Kotono had concluded their affairs in Ember Island and were sailing for their next destination, when chance had caused one of their crew to stare out into the ocean. She had noticed what appeared to be an undersea city, and even swore she had seen people swimming about—or perhaps "mer-people" would have been more accurate. Since the group had had more pressing matters to attend to, they merely made note of this discovery and moved on. Since then, Ittou and Kotono had always kept this "underwater city" in mind, but as much as they desired to investigate, their duties had kept them away.

Enter Suen's group. Her four friends, along with her brother, had been delving into the Crystal Catacombs in search of a rumored Crystal Spirit or rock monster—a local legend whose reputation grew and changed with every retelling. By coincidence, Kotono's group was there for the same reason, and the two teams had joined forces to uncover the truth behind the stories. The results were anticlimactic, little more than thieves and smugglers using the stories to escape prying eyes, but something better came from it. In the aftermath of their adventure, Nergal got to talking with the royal retinue and learned about the underwater city. She was immediately entranced and expressed great interest in seeing it herself. Kotono asked if Nergal and "her group" would like to check it out, "as a favor". Nergal, being a loyal servant of the Fire Nation, jumped at the chance, so with Kotono's blessing (and a bit of funding to help them along the way), Nergal pressed her friends into service.

Of course, to reach an undersea city, one first needed a ship, and since Kotono's was currently in use, they needed to charter another one. Luckily, there was no shortage of ships willing to work for Fire Nation royal coin, and better still, Kotono's companion Suo helped them pick out a good one. He laughed and went to clasp hands with a weathered old sea-dog named Mathena and introduced her to everyone. When she spotted the prince and princess, she crossed her arm over her chest and bowed, adapting the Fire Nation greeting. The royals and Suen's group returned the gesture, and though Mathena stated hers was no passenger ship, much less one that sought adventures, treasures, strange cities, or "spooks of any sort", it was difficult to refuse a royal request (and a few extra sacks of coin). By the end of the day, she and her crew were puttering out of the docks, with five women and a boy tagging along. Suen knew that they'd need more than just benders on this adventure, but a warrior at their side, and who better than her friend and instructor Keya? All they needed to do was find her and talk her into it.

If Keya was overwhelmed by the audacity and scope of her student's request, then Mathena was outright flabbergasted. She made no attempt to hide her skepticism, and even suggested a bout of pareidolia had overcome the royals. Oh, Suo was no liar, and Oboro, Kartti, and Ku Sheng struck her as honest, sensible people, not prone to fancies or illusions brought on by sunstroke and seasickness. She trusted the prince and princess "about as far as east is from west", but over forty years spent plying every coast, continent, and country conceivable left her more than a little wary.

"And yet you took their money," Nergal pointed out. "And here we are." Mathena shrugged.

"Coin's coin at the end o' the day. I don't see no harm in humorin' them. Besides, I hears the Fire Nation's primed for good business this year. Maybe that's why there was a rash o' bandits in the Black Cliffs not long ago."

"Could be," Nergal muttered wistfully. "I haven't really visited home much since...the tournament."

"Oh? Where's home for you, miss?"

"Crescent Island." Mathena smiled, which was unusual for her.

"I did a good bit o' business in Crescent Island a lifetime or two back. Maybe I can turn another profit if this whole 'underwater city' nonsense don't pan out." It took Nergal half a moment to realize that the Captain was offering to take her home, but she just smiled shyly and said nothing. In the meantime, Keya was resuming Suen's training after a long hiatus, and her brother trained next to her, as he too had enrolled in Keya's classes. Ishtar watched them swing wooden practice swords around for awhile, yawning and playing with her hair as she sat on the starboard bulwark. Nabu was reading; Marduk was off in the kitchen, cooking meals for the crew. Nergal decided to make herself useful and asked if Mathena needed an extra pair of arms. She wasn't particularly skilled at anything but wanted to learn, so she was sent to the carpenter's, as he usually complained about not having any decent help.

"How long do you think it'll take before we get there?" Ishtar wondered, scratching her ear.

"'Forever and a day, then half a day and a song'," Mathena replied, crossing her arms stiffly. Ishtar blinked.

"Huh?"

"Verses from an old poem, before your time. It means there's no way of knowing." She noticed the glum expression on the blonde and cackled. "Just pullin' your leg there, missy. I ain't got but one and I could sure go for a spare." She rapped her knuckles on her wooden leg; Ishtar panicked and immediately clutched at her knees.

"Waah, I'll keep mine, thank you!" Mathena laughed, which was an even more unusual phenomenon than her smile.

"Green as spinach, this one! Don't fret none, goldie, I did the math. From where we are now... Hey, Bo'sun! A reading if ya please!" Bo'sun Shevan peered out with his spyglass and made some quick measurements with a nautical compass.

"Ten leagues due east o' the peninsula of Ba Sing Se, with a strong bracing wind guiding us northwest at sixty knots."

"Thank ye kindly, as ye were," she saluted. Then, to Ishtar, "Based on the information the princess gave us, and our current speed, plus if the weather holds even half this good, we should reach this phantom city in a fortnight, tops. Ten days if all goes well, and a week if every spirit under the sun lends their aid."

"Ten days?!" Ishtar spat. "That'll take forever!" Mathena growled at her childish impatience.

"Blasted wench, what're you in such a hurry for? That twice-bedeviled and thrice-blighted city ain't goin' nowhere! Sides, unless one of you's an air-bender and the other plies water, we couldn't move faster even if we wanted to!" A light went off in Ishtar's head, and she stared intensely at Nabu.

"Nabu, you heard the lady!"

"I am trying to read," she muttered indolently, "and frankly, I am not in a hurry." Ishtar still glared at her—Nabu could practically feel it burning through the pages of her book—she sighed, marked her place, and stood up. "Oh, very well, if it will appease you. Captain, I must urge you to hang on tight."

"Whaddya mean?" Mathena grumbled. Ishtar grinned as she leaped up.

"She means avast, ye scurvy dog!" And with that, she threw a fierce blast of wind into the sails, just as Nabu manipulated the sea's current. The ship rocked and skimmed against the water, faster than it had ever gone before. Mathena and her crew were nearly blown overboard, and it was only thanks to years of experience (and Nabu's warning) that any of them kept their bearings. Mathena tried to stand, but it was hopeless: even Keya had battened down and was hanging on for dear life as the ship soared across the ocean, slicing it like the knife of the gods, every mast bent to the point of breaking.

"Now how much longer, Captain?!" Ishtar roared. Mathena grit her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, her every muscle straining. She had survived countless storms, squalls, typhoons, and hurricanes, but few of them had ever pushed her to this inhuman extreme. She glared at Suen, who had hunkered down behind the mainmast.

"TELL YOUR FRIEND TO STOP NOW!"

"Ishtar!" Suen screamed, jerking her finger across her throat. Ishtar pouted and calmed the gale down to a respectable breeze; Nabu merely stopped, bracing herself for the inevitable fallout. It took Mathena awhile to stand and catch her breath.

"You!" she roared, pointing at Ishtar. "Brig! NOW!"

"Waah, what'd I do?!" she wailed. Nabu just stared blankly.

"You had better acquiesce to the Captain's orders, unless you wish to be thrown overboard."

"Or keelhauled!" Anshar piped up. Nabu nodded.

"There is that, too." Ishtar whined but there was nothing for it: two deckhands made sure she was detained. Everyone took a collective sigh of relief once she was gone.

"Well," Mathena grumbled as she rubbed her head, "we shaved off at least a day and a half just from that excursion. If you friend promises to show some restraint once she's cooled off a bit, we may just make it in less than a week." Nabu and Suen exchanged a look.

"I'll go talk to her," Suen said, and left for the brig.

"And I shall return to my reading," Nabu said, but Mathena stopped her.

"Ah-ah-ah, not so fast there, blue-hair! You've got discipline in spades. Just keep the currents in our favor and I might overlook your friend's...enthusiasm." Nabu raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and went back to her work. Wanting to avenge the sleight of being called blue-hair, she decided to give the ocean a little nudge, causing the ship to lurch and shudder just a bit. Mathena cursed; Nabu chuckled softly. Before Mathena could yell at her, too, she belted out a loud sea shanty, which Mathena's crew coincidentally knew and felt obliged to sing along to:

Where am I to go, M'Johnnies, oh where am I to go?

Timme way hey hey, high roll and go!

Oh where am I to go, M'Johnnies, oh where am I to go?

For I'm a young sailor girl, and where am I to go...

…...

Marduk awoke in the kind of hazy, peaceful lack of lucidity that she once enjoyed as a child, when she had no school and no obligation save for hours of uninterrupted play. She found herself laying on a very hard surface, but without the stiffness or sore muscles that usually accompanied waking up on hard surfaces. She was at ease. Serene. Blissfully apathetic. Completely alone, in a strange small room, with no way out that she could see. Well, she could see, at any rate, and very well, once the fuzz of waking had left her eyes—and she wasn't hungry, or even thirsty. She also wasn't on Mathena's ship, and had no idea how she had gotten here.

A dream? She stood, stretched, feeling lethargic. Not so tired that she could sleep, but neither so active that she felt inclined to move much. She started walking and explored the little room. It was cube-shaped, perfectly thirty feet long by thirty feet wide by thirty feet high, completely empty save for a green-haired young chef of some renown. Looking closer, the walls were bright greenish-blue, and they gave way a little as she caressed them, like the scales of some great dream-lizard. The real question was whether this material was earth or not, and could she escape it. It took Marduk awhile to fully clear her head; simply being in the room made her feel dizzy, euphoric, indolent. She tried parting the walls but found them unresponsive, but the floor cooperated fully, and she was able to tunnel herself out with little difficulty.

Marduk emerged in a short hallway, with dead ends on both sides of her about a hundred feet away, and a third corridor a bit to the left of her. She noticed with some shock that there were large transparent doors lined up along the hallway, where one could look into various cube-shaped rooms; she even saw her own room, indistinct save for the hole she had opened. Wondering if any of these rooms held her friends, she raced from one side of the hallway to the other. Her heart stopped as she saw Suen in one of the rooms, banging hard against the walls, voiceless protests issuing from her mouth. Marduk couldn't find any way to open the doors, and still couldn't bend her way through the walls, but digging wasn't an issue and soon she was reunited with an incredibly distraught and agitated girl.

"Spirits, Marduk, what kind of place is this?!" Suen shrieked as they embraced. She was trembling, a feeling Marduk ought to have understood, but at the time, she had no idea why anyone would be afraid, or even upset. She still felt the transcendent peace that had been laid upon her when she first woke up, even now, in this dire situation.

"I have no idea. Let's go find the others first." She led Suen through the hole into the hallway, and the two girls searched the remaining rooms. Finding that they were alone, they made for the corridor, which sloped into a descending staircase and ended up in yet another hallway. They decided to split up, and while Marduk didn't find anything on her end, except for another dead end, Suen called her over when she doubled back. Inside another room was Keya, and she was laughing hysterically.

"I'll get her out," Marduk promised. "Keep searching the other rooms." One hole later and Marduk faced a grinning girl. This struck her as even odder than Suen's condition, for Keya had always been a serious woman who rarely submitted to mirth. In fact, Marduk couldn't remember ever hearing her laugh, or at least not with this much enthusiasm. Keya herself could barely get a word out, and wiped tears from her eyes as she mulled over whatever diabolical joke she was in on. Suen gave her an understandably nervous expression when they reunited, but at least had the discipline to bow.

"M...my sword, it...I don't hahaha-have it with me. I, I, I...keep losing them!" She burst out laughing again, this time falling to her knees. "That's so irresponsible of me! T-t-to lose it in ba-hahaha-hattle is one th-thing, but, but..." She laughed again, pounding the ground with her fist. Suen forced her to stand and slapped her hard. Keya's body wracked with giggles even as she touched the red mark on her face. "I d...don't th-think that'll w-work, Soo-Soo-Soo Whinny!" She snickered and suggested they leave. Keya managed to calm down a little as they ran into Nergal, but the redhead proved just as difficult, as she was lashing out in a blind rage and had scorched most of her room. She cursed and flailed as Marduk pulled her out, her eyes livid and her teeth grinding.

"Th-thank you," she managed to squeal out, before throwing several fiery punches. Suen scrambled to get out of her way; Keya slammed her palm into Nergal's gut, which stopped her movement but not her anger.

"S-sorry," Keya mustered, giggling and coughing. Nergal nodded and let a few nasty curses fly.

"I think I know what's going on here," Marduk said as she leaned against the wall, too languid to do anything else. "The rooms that we were put in did something weird to all of us, and now a very specific emotion is being acutely forced upon us. I think I've got relief or contentment; Suen has fear, Keya happiness, Nergal has anger..."

"What clued you in on that, idiot?!" the redhead snarled. She issued a little shriek and backed off. "S-sorry, I...didn't mean that, but...hmm, maybe you're...right, you stupid numbskull! Why do you always have to ruin my fun!? You never get any of my jokes—sorry, sorry, I don't know what's come over me." Tears forced their way through her furious stare, but Marduk, overcome by tranquility, brushed it off. Finding the others took considerable effort. There seemed no end of hallways, corridors, and doors, many of them empty (one, Suen noted in terror, had a skeleton with tattered clothes inside). They lucked out when they found Anshar (and Kishar) roomed next to Nabu, but the boy was stricken with unnatural confusion, and barely recognized himself, much less his sister or friends. Nabu was far more lucid and cooperative, thanking Marduk flatly, although she remarked that there seemed no point in her rescue.

"What're you talking about?" Suen shrieked. "Have you looked at where we are? There's no way I'd leave you here! It's way too creepy!"

"It does not matter," Nabu muttered. "Freedom, imprisonment, the same."

"But don't you wanna find Ishtar and the Captain, and get out of here?"

"I do not care either way," Nabu sighed. While this was certainly unusual, given the circumstances and Marduk's theory, it didn't seem terribly out of place.

"You must have been stricken with a bout of acute apathy," Marduk remarked. Keya snickered.

"Oh, really? How can you tell?" For once, her hysterics were actually humorous, and everyone got a good laugh. Nabu just raised her eyebrow. Marduk explained her theory, and despite her friend's state of mind, she agreed that it made sense.

"There is some small part of my mental state that demands I care for our current situation, but I find the act difficult. Perhaps I should not say anything should we ever find Ishtar, lest I offend her—not that I see any difference." Her face turned dark for a moment as she realized what she had said. "Forgive me. I...do care, but..."

"I hope to Agni you do!" Nergal roared. "You're Ishtar's best friend! How can you say that about her!?"

"Wait, do you two know each other?" Anshar pointed. Nergal snarled at him.

"Shut up, kid! ...Gaah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Let's just leave this place before we all do something we'll regret!"

"The sooner the better," Suen agreed. Somehow this hodgepodge of emotions made their way down another corridor, into a much smaller hallway, where there were only three doors and a final corridor that led even deeper into the structure. Strangely, one of the three doors was open, but stranger still was what awaited them in the other doors. The one on the left held Captain Mathena, who looked to be in a state of pleasant anxiety. Suen's fear became genuine as she noticed what the older woman was doing, and she quickly covered Anshar's eyes, not that he knew what was going on (Keya's laughter didn't help). Marduk quickly took her out, but had to enlist Nergal to help pry her off.

"Aww, that's no fun," the hardened seafarer pouted. "I've never been with a woman before, and I was hoping we'd have some time all to ourselves when...oh, hello, what do we have here?" She curled up next to Anshar, who would have been bewildered even without the emotional effects this place had on him. Mathena, who was likely in her late forties or early fifties, openly and aggressively flirted with Suen's younger brother, causing Nergal to violently separate them.

"What kind of sick freak are you?! That kid's young enough to be your grandson! What's come over you?!"

"Probably the same thing that's overcome all of us," Marduk reminded her. Nergal growled but let it slide. Unfortunately, now Mathena had her in her sights, and sauntered up like a wolf-panther.

"Oooh, I love the aggressive emotional type! And red hair is so exotic! Maybe we can find a private room together and—"

"Fat chance, you old hag!" Keya rolled on the ground laughing while Nergal swung at the Captain. Nabu carelessly leaned against the wall, utterly useless in this endeavor, while Suen was too afraid to confront her. Eventually Mathena decided that Nabu's apathetic attitude was more attractive, and since Nabu didn't seem to care either way, their stalwart Captain was distracted. The second door had Ishtar behind it, which should have been a blessing, but everyone froze in their place as they watched what was going on behind the transparent door:

Their ditzy blonde air-bending friend was sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking up at a corner of the room, talking and gesturing to empty space. Now, Ishtar was far more likely to give into fancies than her contemporaries (even Anshar was more mature than her), but she had never entertained notions of imaginary friends, and rarely talked to herself unless there was nobody else to ventilate her vapid thoughts onto. Thinking this was strange, even after everything they had experienced so far, the girls leaned in close, and whether she could sense them or actually see them, Ishtar broke away from her "conversation", waved, stood up, and touched the wall.

Then the door opened. Just like that. No tunneling required.

"Hey girls!" she exclaimed, bright and chipper as ever. "So, how do you like Lemuria?"

…...

The hallways and their emptiness and the doorways and their emptiness must have been illusions, or they must have become illusions, because they all felt minuscule and ephemeral once one emerged from them and made it into the city proper. The name Lemuria meant nothing to the emotions with legs, although Ishtar placed huge significance on it. The statues of three-headed birds, the grotesquely oversized stone faces that stared down over doorways, the aqueducts that carried water across empty pavilions, the emptiness itself: this was Lemuria. It was a realm of emptiness, as its halls and rooms and corridors had been empty, cleanly scoured emptiness without even a film of dust to cake its furnishings and monuments and columns and fountains. Empty, save for seven paragons of human emotion, a cabbit, and a girl who spoke to the air and insisted she knew what she was doing.

"These are the friends I told you about," said the girl, addressing the air as she gestured to her companions. She then introduced them but noted that Mathena was their Captain, and not a full-fledged friend (yet). Anshar, who would have been puzzled even without the bizarre mental manipulation going on, spoke for the group when he asked who Ishtar was talking to.

"Oisin," she stated, as if that should mean anything to them. She then looked up at the air and said, "I don't think they can see you. No, I don't think they can hear you, either. Why do you suppose that is? Oh, that makes sense, but I'm not Lemurian. I was born in the Southern Air Temple. Hey, maybe you can only talk to air-benders!"

"Or maybe you're completely insane," Marduk offered languidly. Ishtar's face twisted in offense but upon reconsideration, had to admit there might be some truth to it.

"Well, they say that it's madness to be sane in a mad world, and you all sure are acting crazy. Anyway, Oisin says that he'll answer our questions once we get to the altar room."

"That doesn't sound comforting in the slightest," Suen murmured. Mathena cooed.

"Actually, it sounds kinda sexy! Will there be dances and sacrifices to pagan gods?"

"It's not that kinda altar," Ishtar refuted. "Oisin says that it's a safe room. There should also be some weapons there, which we'll need."

"What for?" Anshar asked. Nabu scoffed.

"Who cares?" Ishtar just promised that "they'll see", and led them through the emptiness, following an artificial river that had once provided drinking water for Lemurians and their plants. They passed empty hanging vases and pots, abandoned gardens long since deprived of life, rooms that looked like they could have been latrines, and briefly skirted an enormous area with a bowl-shaped depression, where a platform had been erected on one side and benches on another.

"A theater?" Suen offered. Keya snickered.

"I w-w-wonder what hahahaha plays they would've...would've... Ahahaha, p-pardon me, I still can't...control..." She chortled but managed to keep up. Ishtar finally took them into a large room that resembled the cells they had found themselves in earlier, with three exceptions: firstly, the acute emotional sensations that had hitherto enslaved them were immediately lifted upon entering, and everyone could behave properly; secondly, there were peculiar-looking tools hanging on cords and nails and hooks along the wall, with one resting atop a huge skeleton in the very center; and thirdly, one of the walls was transparent and allowed the group to peer outside, into the ocean and the rest of the ruined city. All three of these phenomena were meditated upon, absorbed, and treated with reverence and awe.

"Finally," Mathena growled, rubbing her face and arms until they burnt umber like beets. "I ain't never been more disgusted with myself in all my life, and I once got covered in squid offal while unloading a fish net."

"It could be worse," Anshar mumbled woefully: "You could forget your family, your friends, your purpose, and your whole identity." He stared up at his sister who leaned over to embrace him.

"I wouldn't envy that," Keya admitted. "But never mind that! Look at this!" She was staring out the window (or the wall, or whatever it was that allowed them to peer outside the structure), at the enormous city spread before her, a vast ocean kingdom leaden with mysteries. An eerie yellowy-greenish glow emanated from their structure, allowing them to see into the inky darkness, at countless other structures (some, they noted, lit up from within). No less spectacular was the variety of undersea life that teemed in those waters, many that had never been seen by even the most experienced sailor. Some of the fish had lances or hammers for heads, while some were flat and broad like a discus. There were fish of every conceivable color and fish of drab; fish covered in needles or elongated or stretched vertically or grinning with nasty blunt teeth. One fish had a lantern protruding from its brow, and a mouth borne from nightmares; another was so huge that when it passed their window, it seemed to keep swimming forever. There were singing whales and enormous squid and a beast that seemed humanoid as it swam about, hunting smaller prey.

The group might have wasted their lives away staring out that window if Ishtar hadn't started talking to her invisible friend again. All of this was well and good, but there was a reason they were down here: "part incident and part accident", according to the entity called Oisin. Ishtar asked them to cast their minds back to the moment when the ship arrived at the place described by Princess Kotono, and a diving-party had found the underwater city. Mathena had weighed anchor and a debate formed about how best to explore the ruins. Nobody, not even Ishtar, could remember what happened after that, but "Oisin" explained that they had merely been "delivered".

He (Ishtar made it clear that her "friend" was male) then explained how a necromancer named Bloise had taken control of the city, "in a time so long ago that numbers could not express it", and had rendered it the lifeless realm they now found themselves in. Bloise once enjoyed the company of other Archons of the Craft (the exact phrase was difficult to express; concepts such as magician or wizard might have been more accurate), and they had used their knowledge to experiment upon the Lemurians; the emotional effects everyone had suffered were just one of those experiments, and would, unfortunately, resume once they left the room.

"So I take it we can't just stay here," Nergal surmised. She frowned helplessly. "Oisin wants us to do something about Bloise, doesn't he?"

"He's getting to that," Ishtar said. Yes, Bloise needed to be stopped—destroyed, if possible—and a group with the talents that Suen's group boasted would likely be the best offense against him. Yes, even while still subjected to the whims of acute emotional duress. Keya sighed deeply.

"Some of us would be more useful than others. I take it we're permitted to use those tools on display?"

"Yep," Ishtar replied, "pick any one you want. I'm gonna stick to my bending, though." Marduk, Nergal, and Nabu all decided the same, so Suen, her brother, Keya, and Mathena browsed through their options. Mathena quickly claimed a harpoon that felt lighter than air in her hand, but struck like a hammer when thrust. Anshar had shown more proclivity towards archery than swordsmanship under Keya's tutilege, and found a bow and quiver just right for a boy his size. He sent off a practice shot and found the arrow faster, heavier, and far more accurate than anything he had used before. Keya wanted to find a sword similar to the ones she normally used, but one look at the giant skeleton in the center of the room gave her pause.

The figure wasn't just staggering—though even seated and leaned against the room's namesake altar, it was taller than Keya by at least two feet—it was outright mesmerizing. Draped over its shoulders was a kingly train, rich purple fur trimmed in white and gold, and upon the skull sat a crown, glimmering with a white haze and laden with unfamiliar jewels. What truly drew Keya's gaze, though, was the sword laid faithfully in the skeleton's arms, as if the dead were offering it. She didn't dare touch it out of respect for the departed, yet was inexorably drawn to it. As her hand clasped the hilt, her eyes locked onto the skull's empty sockets, and she gave a deep nod. The skeleton made no objection as she carefully drew the sword away, unsheathed it, and marveled at the perfection shining in her grasp. It was as if the blade had been forged yesterday, coated in a material that sent a pleasant thrill across her fingers as she touched it, inlaid with glyphs that almost came alive. The metal rang with liquid joy as she tapped it on the ground, and when returned to its scabbard, the sword found its way to her side as though it had been a part of her.

"Oisin says that the Sword of the Archons has chosen you," Ishtar announced solemnly. Keya flinched.

"How can I dare possess such a treasure? Not even the blade of King Lu Junyin could compare to this!" Ishtar smiled warmly.

"Oisin just says that like knows like. Anyway, you'll need something powerful to take down a necromancer, right? Regular swords won't cut it—umm, pardon the pun."

"You should give it a name," Suen suggested. Keya pondered this for a moment, still uncertain about the whole affair. It was true that she'd be next to useless in a fight without a weapon, and while there were many blades on display in the altar room, none had...well, how else could she put it? None had called to her. Keya stared at the skeleton again, bowing in reverence.

"With the blessings of this Lemurian king, I will name it Pavarti, after my mother." The others smiled proudly. They were nearly ready to leave, once more into the breach, suffocated by the emptiness and enslaved by their own feelings. Suen was still rummaging for a weapon, maybe a sword or a staff (as she recalled the story of one of Avatar Xuanxang's followers plucking a Pillar of Creation from the sea and turning it into a cudgel), but nothing stood out to her.

"You can't go in there with just your bare hands," Anshar reminded her. He and his cabbit Kishar helped her look, and while there were many worthy tools on hand (including a buckler he ended up taking for himself), he had no more luck than his sister. Suen stood, puffing in frustration as she put her hands on her hips.

"Just give me something sturdy, I guess. I'll just support everyone and..." As she spoke, Suen froze, bewitched by some otherworldly force. An eerie light formed out of the air, and from the light came a shape vaguely resembling a hand. As she stood transfixed, mouth open wide, the hand reached down, laid a finger on her forehead—at the exact spot where Vainamoinen had once cut her ties with Apsu—and was gone. Suen remained petrified, but from joy or awe or terror none could say.

This is the last of Lemuria's power, she heard a voice say to her. Pass this knowledge on to those you deem worthy. I beg of you, strangers, to free us from the torment of epochs, that we may know peace at last. I, Oisin, last King of Lemuria, beg you.

"You okay, Su?" Suen shook herself out of her daze. Nergal was standing before her, waving her hand. The experience had left Suen shaken, barely able to stand, and yet...she felt a power, or perhaps an understanding, that she had never known before. It was almost as if she...as if...she could grasp something, a truth of the world, a missing link between matter and energy, and a way to restore it—or cut it off. It was different from when Apsu had overtaken her: different, but natural, inviting, a consciousness once shared by all living creatures. It was, at its purest, a "Way". She broke out of her newfound revelation, smiled at Nergal, and was the first to pass through the barrier that separated reason from madness. Fear overcame her but now she felt she had a better handle of it. The others followed, but Nabu stopped Ishtar before they left. She called out to her friend, the stony expression on her face softening into vulnerability.

"I just want you to remember that no matter what I might say or do out there, that I do care about you and the others. I care very deeply."

"I know you do," Ishtar replied, beaming with love. Nabu awkwardly mirrored her smile.

"Well, I just wanted to apologize in advance. Please pay no heed to...however this place affects me." Ishtar almost laughed; she drew her oldest friend into her arms.

"Nabu, relax. I love you, okay? Nothing will ever change that." She kissed the other girl's forehead and ran ahead, bold and laughing and heroic. Nabu hung back, blushing as her smile remained.

"Thank you, Ishtar. I love you, too."

…...

Since Ishtar seemed to know exactly where to go, she took point and guided her group through the structure—apparently the main palace of Lemuria, where its king had once conducted court, now reduced to Bloise's personal laboratory. Nergal was directly behind Ishtar, fuming with righteous rage, going over all the ways she could punish this necromancer. Suen was next, terrified and nervous, but Nergal's fury gave her strength, and although her brother had no idea what was going on, where they were, or why he should be following these "strangers", his presence was a comfort. Mathena and Keya came up next, one purely energized by unnatural arousal, the other stumbling as she laughed. When the fatal cackling and chortling became too much, Keya drew out Pavarti and stared at its lustrous sheen, and all was calmed.

"That's a pretty cool sword," Marduk noticed lazily. She and Nabu lagged behind, one perfectly at ease with her predicament while the other couldn't possibly care less. Ishtar had to call out to Nabu on several occasions, smiling and encouraging her to keep up. Nabu genuinely wanted to, and a part of her despised how apathetic she felt, but the sensation was difficult to shrug off and impossible to keep away. They would have to find Bloise and dispose of him if they ever hoped to regain their sanity.

The group stopped before a large doorway. An archway built of solid bones, a few of them human, curved around the portal, which itself seemed made of a material that was alien to their terrestrial knowledge. There was no knob or handle or any other way of opening it, until Ishtar placed her palm against it. Whatever element of surprise they might have had was ruined as the door creaked, groaned, and shuddered open; the noise was so loud that everyone had to cover their ears.

"Well," Keya tittered, her expression nervous even as she grinned, "hehehehere goes nothing." Pavarti gleamed brilliantly as it led the way into the chamber, where countless statues, pillars, and a large pool filled with murky reddish-brown liquid awaited them. At the far end of the room was a dais, another transparent wall overlooking the sunken city, a throne, and a figure completely covered in a purple robe. Two reddish webbed hands with seven fingers each protruded from the sleeves, but nothing else could be seen. The figure was chanting over the murky pool when they came in, and disregarded its guests.

"Hey, dragon turd!" Nergal roared. "Are you Bloise?" The robed figure continued muttering, completely ignoring her. Nergal launched a fireball into the pool, causing the murk to splash and sizzle. "Answer me, fool!" Finally, the robed figure looked up. They could not see a face through the inky shadow of its hood. It spoke, but the language it used was dull, monotone, and completely unfamiliar.

So kind of the king to provide me with more experiments, they heard a raspy voice hiss. Anshar and the ladies flinched, realizing the figure was speaking telepathically. It then gestured to the other walls, which raised slowly, revealing the other members of Mathena's crew. The Captain seemed especially delighted to see "so many manly men lined up", which caused the robed figure—no doubt Bloise—to chuckle.

Yes, this will provide some amusement. Now, be good and slaughter each other for me.

Mathena's crew suddenly twitched, their eyes glowing red as they issued a bloodthirsty groan.

"Oh, crap," Suen muttered. The crew surged after the group, salivating and roaring with animalistic fury. Ishtar immediately blew a few of them back while Nergal threw up a great wall of fire. The crew heedlessly plowed their way through, many of them injuring themselves in the process. Keya knocked one out with the butt of her pommel but was soon reduced to laughing and giggling, even as countless nails and teeth dug into her.

"Save some for me, boys!" Mathena called out, pulling a few away from her. She laughed and cooed as they tore into her, Suen too frightened and Anshar too bewildered to do anything.

"Marduk, hold them down!" Ishtar called as she blew more of the crew away. Marduk lazily looked around for something to use, took notice of one of the statues, and idly broke it to pieces. Her hands languidly waved the pieces over to the crew and held them tight, but she was too slow and they were too ferocious. Bloise laughed coldly as Marduk was overwhelmed, and Nabu, who didn't care either way, soon followed. Ishtar was left to do most of the fighting (Nergal's fists stung as she punched another one in the head); Suen just kept running away, fearful for her life.

"Stop! Wait! Wh-what's going on? Please!" She froze as she heard her brother cry out. Four of the crew were closing in on him, salivating and mindless. The others were either too busy fighting or out of commission; she in all her trembling, shaking fear was the only one who could help. The experiments performed by Bloise and his Archons could draw out her feelings and prey on them, but distinguished between fear and cowardice, and this was their downfall. Suen rushed in, heedless of her own safety, thrust her brother's attackers away, and...

Wait. I see it. I see it! I know! I see what I have to do! It's so clear to me!

Their weak points called out to her like beacons. Suen thrust her hands at them, pinpoint precision strikes that crippled the men and left them slumped on the ground. She laughed at her accomplishment, how absurdly easy it had been, and at her brother, though he didn't know why. Flushed with confidence, she threw herself at Keya's attackers, piercing their defenses with a few jabs until they were little more than mounds of flesh. Keya dug herself out, covered with scars, laughing and trembling.

"Th-th-thank youhoohoohoo."

"My pleasure. Oh!" Suen quickly darted out, removing Pavarti from its sheath, where it shone and sang out for glory. Keya's giggling fit subsided as she stared at the Lemurian relic. "Is that better?"

Keya smiled, but of her own free will. "Yes."

Suen now ran to help Marduk, while Keya came to Ishtar's aid. Not wanting to seriously harm Mathena's crew, she struck them with the flat of her blade, knocking a few out with just a single stroke. With Nergal's anger still fueling her, Keya's skills, Suen's paralyzing touch, and now Marduk's earth-bending, Mathena's crew was quickly disabled. Together, the group stood defiantly before Bloise.

"Is that all you got?" Nergal growled. He simply hummed.

Interesting. The Craft has changed since last we saw the surface. I would like to analyze it further, if I may. Here.

The figure gestured, and the brownish liquid he had been chanting over dispersed, covering the dozens of statues scattered throughout the room. With arthritic, graceful deliberation, their stone limbs began to move, large arms lifting weapons as large legs lumbered off their pedestals. Within only a few seconds the small team was surrounded.

"You're joking, right?" Nergal snorted. "We've got an earth-bender on our side! Show em' who's boss, Marduk!"

"You got it," she said, and with all the enthusiasm of a spoiled princess lounging at the beach, waved her arm dismissively, shoving one of the statues back a few paces. It gently collided with one behind it, but kept marching as if nothing had happened. Marduk was almost enveloped by the time she mustered enough energy to shove back another.

You were saying, Bloise gloated. Ishtar fumed, blasting the statues with a fierce gale. The wind merely whipped past them, doing little more than slowing the large golems. She shrieked and ran for cover as the closest one lunged at her. Marduk seemed content to just brush them aside; Nabu leaned against the wall, heedless of any consequences. Suen tried striking at one with her newfound ability, but stone and flesh were completely different states of matter, and was knocked aside roughly for her efforts.

"Hey!" Anshar said, fully enraged though he didn't understand why. "That's no way to behave!" He nocked an arrow and let it fly; the barb cleaved through the statue's head, knocking it off, causing it to flail around comically. Impressed, Marduk put forth a little more effort, knocking it over on its side, where it shattered to bits.

"Those are some strong arrows!" she remarked. Anshar nodded and prepared another; meanwhile, Ishtar was still running, but got cornered as four of the statues ganged up on her. She tried blowing them back again to no avail, and called out to Nabu for help. The blue-haired girl begrudgingly roused herself, only dimly aware that her best friend was in mortal danger.

"What's the point?" she muttered. "He will just reanimate the statues we break. I doubt we would be able to escape in any case."

"Nabu!" Stirred by Nergal's rage and Ishtar's desperation, Nabu forced herself out of her daze, recalling a time before she and Ishtar had met: how lonely she had been, how stiff and awkward she had seemed, how out of place she felt. Nabu's cold, mechanical approach to the world had left her isolated from the rest of the children—from humanity itself, it seemed—and though she got good grades and passed all her exams with ease, it only served to ostracize her even more. She remembered one day, when she had been eating all by herself, and a new girl came up to her, bouncy and bright, a wrench thrown into her well-oiled machine. She introduced herself as Ishtar, and had heard that Nabu was the smartest girl in class—maybe smartest in the entire school, and could they hang out together? Why Ishtar ever wanted to befriend a stiff, unemotional, orderly girl like Nabu was a mystery, but Nabu had never forgotten.

And now all of that was about to be snuffed out forever. She clenched her teeth and felt passion sparking inside of her.

Not on my watch, she vowed. It only took a few seconds of observation and calculation to form a plan.

"Marduk, throw one of those larger stone pieces against that transparent wall," she pointed. Marduk saluted in spite of the obvious danger this would bring upon them.

"I'm easy." She kicked at a discarded arm, hurling it across the room where it smacked against the wall. The impact cracked the material, causing a steady stream of water to flow in. Nabu smirked and directed the flow to the statues, where it solidified into ice. Nabu twisted her body, stirring her arms and guiding the ice, grinding the statues to bits and freeing her friend. She ran over, stricken with grief and remorse, taking Ishtar by the hand.

"Are you all right? I'm sorry, please do not think—"

Ishtar just smiled and hugged her.

"I told you, silly, it's okay. And I'm all right. Never better." She winked, overflowing with love; Nabu's face reddened as she smiled back. Suddenly, another statue made a break for them, but just as suddenly, it was destroyed, as a spear ran through it and broke it apart. Captain Mathena stood in its wake, her eyes glinting.

"Whoa, how romantic! Can I join?"

"Ew, no way!" Ishtar shrieked. Nabu warned her that another enemy was behind her; Mathena threw her harpoon, shattering the statue as the spear passed through and caught in the wall. She grasped the air out of frustration, but rather than bemoan the loss of her weapon, a strange force called it back to her hand, thrumming with joy. Mathena gazed at it in awe.

"I like this spear!" she exclaimed. She grinned and gave it another toss, called it back, and whooped, forgetting her arousal. Not to be outdone, Keya and Anshar had joined forces, one firing his arrows at anything that attacked his companions, the other laughing giddily as she sliced them apart. Pavarti never seemed to blunt or bend or chip, even when hacking away at stone, and holding it gave Keya far more control over her excessive merriment. She still grinned and laughed, but whether it was because of the Archons' experiments or the thrill of battle was uncertain.

Bloise hadn't counted on the tables being turned on him. When new acquisitions found themselves in his clutches, he had them thrown into cells and properly dosed with neurological enhancements, simply to see how they would react. Whether they escaped or rotted was of no consequence; science always operated better without outside interference. Even being found by Oisin and guided to the altar room presented no issue, as he had been interesting in measuring the combative prowess of test subjects against his own mastery. He hadn't counted on a (relatively) bloodless battle between two autonomous forces, and the way they were handling his golems was frankly disquieting. Even as he pieced them together, the boy and the seven women were performing beyond all calculated parameters. Well, perhaps they required a stronger dose, or a greater challenge, or...

Bloise was forced out of his thoughts as a burning whirlwind came rushing towards him. Ishtar and Nergal had let loose, and it was only thanks to the interference of newly-revived golems that he was kept whole. He reassessed the situation. The green-haired girl stricken with Contentment was walking around blasting all the inert golems to rubble. The Apathetic blue-haired one had swept many of the golems out of the room with water leaking in from outside. Multitudes were being torn apart by Lemurian arrows, spears, and that blasted sword that had repulsed him half an eternity ago. He could already see that it was a mistake to give the redhead Anger, and had no idea why Frivolity wasn't working on the blonde at all. As the balance of power slipped out of his grasp, he decided that it was time to conclude the experiment. Lemuria was a large city, and he wouldn't need its throne room for anything except vanity.

Thank you for providing me with an unexpected outcome, he announced, speaking directly to their minds, as their vulgar attempts at language disgusted him. Now it is time for you to become lost along with this city. I shall retrieve your bones once the fish have picked them clean, and use them as the foundation for a new laboratory.

His seven-fingered hand stretched out, and instantly, the room trembled. Support beams groaned and buckled; the transparent wall splintered and cracked; the ceiling collapsed and the floor heaved. Bloise was going to destroy the entire room—the entire structure if necessary—and in a few seconds, there would be nothing anybody could do about it—so Kishar, Anshar's little cabbit, leaped up and bit him on the wrist. Bloise shrieked, cursing in his own tongue. He swatted at the cabbit, missing him, and promptly jerked back as an arrow found itself lodged in his chest. Anshar stood, shaking a little but resolute, his bowstring still vibrating. His sister grinned.

"Great shot!"

"Thanks," he muttered, "but I was aiming for his head—and that was my last arrow." Bloise groaned in rage and torment, clutching his chest as bluish fluid poured from the wound.

Burial at sea is too good for you now. An eternity of torment, such as Oisin himself could not imagine, shall be brought before—

"Aw, shaddap!" Mathena roared, hurling her spear. Bloise raised his other hand, stopping the projectile in midair. Mathena couldn't coax it to move forward or back; they were locked in stalemate. Suen saw her chance and ran up, striking Bloise on his arms, causing them to fall limp. The spear found its mark and pierced straight through; Keya came charging up and finished the job with three brutal strokes. The cloak fell to the ground, torn to shreds, with no sign of the body. As Keya caught her breath, the emotional miasma slowly lifted, bringing everyone back to normal. Nergal let out a loud groan and collapsed.

"It's about time! It was exhausting being angry for so long!"

"Speak for yourself," Marduk countered. She tensed up and started jabbing at the air. "After loafing around like that, I feel like I could work out for a whole day! How's everyone else?" They were all more or less fine, some more relieved than others (Ishtar and Nabu hugged each other, the latter shedding tears of relief). Mathena went to check on her crew, who—bruises aside—were all more or less lucid and intact. Anshar, glad to be master of his own mind again, cuddled up with Kishar, congratulating him for his bravery. He asked the question that was on everyone's mind:

"So how do we get out of there?" They looked to Ishtar, who looked around for Oisin. She was just as mystified as everyone else, and with the room's structural integrity weakening, there was no time for delays.

"Uhh, good question," she murmured frantically. As she darted around, a bubble of calming white light encircled the group, keeping them safe even as the room deteriorated. Ishtar suddenly perked up: "Oh! Oisin says that he'll take care of it! He then...oh, sounds good." She gave a little giggle and "sat" on the bubble; just then, everyone heard a disembodied voice call out to them as the bubble rose out of the sea and carried them to the surface:

Thank you, strangers. At last, we are free. No reward is sufficient for the deliverance you have brought us. Go with our blessings, our honors, our gratitude. Thank you, and goodbye, last heroes of Lemuria!

It was raining when they finally broke through. Mathena's ship awaited them on the surface, still anchored in the same spot. The bubble faded once everyone was on board, and with it, the remains of the undersea kingdom of Lemuria.

…...

"It really is an astounding sword," Suen said as she admired Pavarti. Keya smiled, giving it a few more practice swings before retiring it to its sheath.

"Indeed, I've never known its like."

"What're you going to do with the one you were working on?" Keya faced her, deciding to untie the ribbon binding her long hair, letting it blow where it may. She was absolutely radiant, even with the gray rainclouds blotting out the sun.

"I'm going to give it to my sister the next time our paths cross. I put far too much labor and love into it to just let it lay dormant."

"You think she'd appreciate a hand-me-down?" Keya chuckled softly.

"She's never refused my gifts in the past. You know, your souvenir is no less impressive, my friend." Suen looked at her hands; she could still feel a unique energy flowing through her, a power that could weaken or strengthen at will.

"Yeah. I just wish I knew more about it."

"I think you were manipulating chi," Ishtar announced. Suen glanced over at her as she stood behind the mainsail, blowing a controlled breeze into it. Ishtar smiled at Suen's puzzled expression. "It's something I heard about in my temple. Apparently, there's an energy that we all share, a force created by all living beings. It surrounds us, binds us, and penetrates the entire world. The monks at my air-temple called it chi. It's been purely theoretical for centuries, though—at least until now." Suen studied her hands again, feeling the energy coursing and crackling from her fingers to her wrists, to all the veins and arteries, through her heart into her brain, and passing between every cell in her body.

"So I'm a...chi-bender?" Ishtar just shrugged.

"I guess so! Personally, I thought you were fine just the way you were." Suen blushed a little and smiled.

"Me, too!" Anshar called. "But it's cool you've got this whole chi-thing going on." Suen nodded and meditated on all this; in the meantime, Nabu was simply content to stand at the stern, feeling the cool rain pricking her face as she guided the currents. They'd be at Crescent Island in no time at this rate.

She opened her eyes as an unexpected beam of light rudely pierced the veil of clouds...and stood gawking as the canvas of gray rapidly evaporated, overtaken by endless blue, blue, blue, then gold, gold, gold as the sun reemerged in all its inexorable brightness. The last of the raindrops fell, and all was calm, all was bright.

"By the Spirits," Mathena whispered, shaking in awe. Nobody knew what to make of this unusual phenomenon.

The End of "The Undersea Kingdom"

Next time: "The King's Ball"

Author's note:

The song "Where am I to Go M'Johnnies" is a real sea shanty, and one of the many featured in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. Lemuria is also not an invention of mine, just another fictional realm in the vein of Atlantis, Mu, Brigadoon, and Laputa. And yes, the chi-blocking that Tai Lee uses is basically what Suen now has. Just like the White Lotus, I thought it would be nice to see the possible "origin" of an Avatar staple.