Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"The fact that progress is slowly being made, though..." Lian says worriedly. The lack of the ability to empower leaves him a lot calmer, however.

 

I check over her wounds.

 

"Well, that's to be expected. Nobody sits idly during war."

 

"Yeah. Mostly everyone survived."

 

They're pretty much gone now.

 

"If too much progress is made, though...if they start gaining power with Shadows...I fear for the worst." Lian says solemnly.

 

"Mostly?"
Crystal asks.

I just wait for her to do something else while listening to everything else.

 

"Do you see that blood stained gold?"

 

"...Yeah..."

 

"Originals tend to be better than repros. You're gonna be fine." Sophie says. "Besides, now that the damn curse is lifted, we all got somethin' to say to the Hive Master for making the pact with Ruby."

 

"What pact?" Lian asks.

 

"That's Stephanie."

 

"See, for fun he made us all fight each other. Last one standing goes free, forever. My siblings and I plotted to break out of the arena, combining our powers and booking it. Ruby, however, wiped us all out in a single blow, wanting the prize - that was then taken from her as she was never removed from the arena. Furious, she threatened to kill his daughter unless she got her promised freedom." Sophie explains. "Worried, he complied - at a cost. The rest of us would suffer in some way, as did Ruby. If Ruby killed us, she would be granted her life and freedom. If we killed Ruby, we would be relieved of some of our pains... yet there is another layer of the curse, and I simply cannot bring myself to accept it."

 

"What is it?" Lian asks, enthralled by Sophie's story.

 

Crystal seems to have a hard time taking it in.
"...it is?"

 

"The rest of us are also split into two groups, and the most gruelling effects only are lifted when one side is dead. For example, my brother was a wandering healer, much as Ihra tried to be. His curse is that anyone who hears his voice dies within the hour. Another sister must live as their sheath... they were impaled with their own lance and it now is the only weapon they can wield - after pulling it out of themselves, of course..."

 

"Yup. You can't see her body because...well...it's crushed to paste."

 

"That sounds horrible. Could one side die, then be brought back?" Lian asks.

 

"Oh."
Crystal continues to take it hard.
"Well that's... okay... to hear."

 

"No. We play his dirty game with the same two conditions - To the death, and death means erasure." Sophie sighs, disgruntled.