Take a moment.

Aak'aba the Empress of Ice sits down cross-legged upon the blanket centred in the chamber of mirrors. There she watches with patience as her two guests converse before her--a girl who made a pact to obtain the power of winter, and a mysterious man who came to tear everything down. The only lights shine dimly down from near the ceiling, as well as one sparking crystal in the distance. There's hardly a noise within. You hear only the sound of moving fabric, and the soft breathing of those inside. It's calming, and a nice retreat from the dangerous climate of the island outside.

Xue, though that doesn't seem to be her real name, lowers herself down to her knees. Though her skin touches the frozen floor, she doesn't react with discomfort. She looks quite divine, looking up at you from below with soft blue hair and a gaze so different than before, yet exactly the same--cold as ice, though not without emotion, moreso like the beauty of winter's first night.

You let out a quiet sigh as you sit yourself in front of her. "It would take too long to explain everything, Xue. And everyone is waiting for us outside."

"May I at least have a hint?" she asks.

"... I was taken by ****, by someone who became my enemy. She and another experimented on me. I wasn't the only one. I was the beta build of their magnum opus, but I didn't turn out how they wanted."

"So your body was changed. That's how you're able to do the things you do. I'm sure you know by now, but people like us don't have natural access to many things here in Absoterra. Earth doesn't have mana. It doesn't have spells and classes. When I needed something to survive, I asked for power."

"And what did you have to offer in return?"

She slides her palm across the smooth crystal floor. "It sounds like you were given a boon from the Lady of the Lake," she says instead of an answer.

"Among others."

"More than one," she whispers under her breath. Then she looks you in the eyes. "And what did you offer?"

"Well, I think they were just grateful that I helped them... in a few different ways. Though to be honest, I'm not sure if they purposely did it. Thanks to what happened before, my body is strange. I think I made such a meaningful, passionate connection to them that I absorbed a little piece. So while I wasn't given the amount you were, mine game without any sort of pact."

The Empress' eyes peer open and she inspects you quietly.

"For me, I'm on a hunt," Xue explains. "I can keep these powers as long as I slay a certain individual within the next few years."

"Makes sense why you'd sail all over. Who do you need to find?"

Aak'aba speaks up instead. If it were possible, her voice sounds even colder now. She speaks with vitriol, and though she whispers out the words, they carry across the entire frozen chamber. "The Hunter of Souls," is all she says.

After a moment, Xue continues. "They say he's lived too long to be a mortal man. The stories only describe him by his armour, though there may not even be flesh underneath. Whether he's a primeval entity or person with far more power than any one should, he needs to be stopped."

"... Yes," says the Empress. She stands slowly to her feet. "Unlike the two of you, his abilities don't come from anything mutual. When he slays his foes, he absorbs them. I've heard wind he even has the power to make pacts of his own, in one way or another. Heed my words, Kyle Warren. Even I fear the Hunter, and I don't say that lightly. He is the reason both K'iina and I reside here on this island. For safety."

Your brow flinches. "It's that bad?" you ask.

"And apparently he's doing more in recent days," Xue adds.

You stare down at the ice between your feet. Due to the enchanted robe which comfortably wraps around your body, the chill feels quite pleasant. What did Feli and Lepo say before? Something about an earth elemental, sort of like the Lady of the Lake. Guerr the Mountainbreaker. He was mysterious slain, and they don't know how, but had the feeling it was ****. Could that be related? I wonder if I've heard anything else. A walking suit of armour, hunting people for power... Well, William sort of has that ability, but that's from a ring, and he isn't clad in metal. Didn't Meti say something--

"We should go soon," says Xue as she stands.

You join her. "Yeah. We should. Hey Aak'aba, how is it we can get to Thunderbeard?"

The Empress sighs and thinks deeply. Then slowly, she turns and walks towards the sparking crystal floating in the distance. You can hear something clank and chip, and then she turns back to once again approach you and the other, though in her hand now is a fragment. Though it's so small it could fit in her closed calm, the piece of the crystal sparks and glows with an internal storm. K'iina was using it to power her electronics. It seems Aak'aba wasn't using it for much. She holds it out to drop into your hand, but lingers it there as she stares daggers into your eyes--wider now than before.

She whispers. "If you fail in your quest, both K'iina and I will greatly suffer."

"I'll win."

"Do you have any idea how frustrating it's been?" she suddenly hisses through her teeth. "To spend all these days, locked away. I meditate and attempt to calm my mind, but as soon as certain thoughts return, I claw at the metal between my legs in hopes the magic will fade. I haven't been touched in so long, Kyle Warren. This was our deal. We would be protected here as long as we protected the island, though we were punished once already for allowing intruders to make their way through. We have no desire to keep this Thunderbeard safe. Now we're paying for it. If you fail and the mistress punishes me again, I won't be able to handle it. I'll break."

"I promise, Aak'aba, that not only will I put an end to Thunderbeard, but I'll free the two of you from chastity."

A gentle pink comes to Xue's cheeks as she looks away and whispers, "The situation is... rather strange."

"You're not used to this yet?" you ask. "You're gonna be surprised if you visit Castle Phoenix."

"I'm aware of Abso's oddities, but it continues to surprise me. And it's difficult to get used to it sometimes."

The Empress drops the fragment onto your palm. "To be granted access to the island above, you must have a piece of her power. Though I don't think she expected anyone to use what she gifted us. When she finds out, she'll be furious."

"And what's this patron's name anyway?" you ask.

"Stormqueen Tepilli. She dominates the skies with dark clouds and bolts of lightning. You can see the sun now because she sleeps, but once she awakens, you must be ready. She's stronger than both K'iina and I, at least on our own."

"Then why don't you come help me?"

"... She has great power over us." She pulls her thighs together uncomfortably and fidgets in place. "You must go now. The hope you're giving me is also cursing me with an unscratchable itch."

"All right. We'll be back, Aak'aba. Come on, Xue. The others have waited long enough. Let's fly to the skies and take down a god."

She turns her head and slides her fingers back through her hair. "Xiaoqing. That's my real name. But please don't use it in front of anybody else. Not until I feel safe again."