Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

“You’ve got twenty more things to play with, so let me know if you’re ready to fight a boss.”


There... are none. They’re all placeholders - “CaptureLayer, LocationLayer, PotencyLayer, NullMagiLayer, VacancyLayer, RetraceLayer, SinkerLayer, ReflectLayer, OverloadLayer, OneShotCipherEncryption” are under protocols. There also seems to be a bit of an easter egg style text pane in the bottom corner of recording.
“Offense: 2000YB/s file overwrite, 9860836945167 malicious program retaliation, full security overload/bypass (No, nobody has clearance to see it)
Defense: 8000YB/s interception, unique cipher only used once. Releases a 500kYB retaliatory virus to wipe, brick, and overheat any failed crack out of a 500 thousand character code. Cipher per conversation can only be requested by connection host.”


She just tries to be perfectly still, hoping a bird lands on her face.

________________________________

Hours of flying later, you come to a fairly safe conclusion that there is no civilization here.
Or, it’s all under the canopy. Anyone’s guess.

 

I land, taking a minute's time to cool myself off, then fly my way back through the canopy.

 

It’s too thick to go through any further without starting a massive fire.

 

"A tutorial would be nice." Shadow Stephanie says.


"The bigger they are, the harder they fall." Praecantatia says, smirking at the high numbers as she begins writing code to break Stella, crystals in her computer glowing.


No birds come close to Xlentia's head, their survival instincts telling them not to.

 

I just run my way through, taking the time to actually use my legs.

 

“Uh... haven’t gotten around to that yet. Crouching is cloak, you can double jump, and throwing your shoulder forward will cause you to blink forward.”


A minute later, the file wipes itself and replaces itself with another bit of text.
“I’m warning you, for your sake and not mine. The rift between our realities cannot be closed by anyone other than Xlentia. If you destroy me, we will be the only ones happy. I assume the shadows would enjoy massacring the quintillions of orphans who would flood in seeking you, so maybe them as well.
I’ll ask you one more time to reconsider, if not tell me how I have wronged you. Idhaenna has weapons that can pierce through realities. I pray she never uses them.

We are of different realities. If you wish to destroy instead of learn, you will find yourself at odds with former friends. Emerald in particular contacts me hourly.
Perhaps in another time, we could have worked together to give your digital servant her own life.
-Stella.”


Xlentia just waits longer, a bit impatient.

________________________________

The ground is too low to see; no light gets down here whatsoever, sans the portal which is now nowhere in sight.

 

I fly back above the canopy again, heading back to the portal.

 

You’re back in the portal room, but the other half of the same portal shows a castle wall.

 

I go through the other half.

 

You step out into a room built specifically for the portal, it seems.
You hear a small conversation off to the side.
“Sir, someone came through.”
“Then greet them, you dolt!”
“I’m going home!”
“Okay, you should’ve said that first!”
“Sorry, I...”
“Just go, I’ll handle this.”

 

I chuckle a bit, looking over the room.

 

It’s a fairly plain stone brick structure with mortar holding it together.
“Hello, realm-traveller! Mind me asking what brings you here?” A man in light armor asks.

 

Stephanie tries double jumping and blinking forward.


Praecantatia simply clicks her fingers, and her computer hums. The text file is saved for analysis, and the old file is quite literally magically restored. Praecantatia continues working on her code.


Birds still don't go near to Xlentia's head, staying in their trees.

 

"I just figured I'd explore a bit."
I say as I look over the man.
"No point in letting metal sit around and rust."

 

Everything works as Lenka said it would.


Emerald tries linking with Praecantatia.
“Uh, Praecantatia? I sort of have an emergency.”


She sighs, blowing a few leaves off trees.

________________________________

“Fair enough, is there something I could interest you in? A small library, or the courtyard?”

 

"The courtyard would be nice."
I nod.

 

"Cool, though I can do this normally." Shadow Stephanie says.


"What's wrong?" Praecantatia asks.


The leaves glide to the ground, a faeire picking them up.

 

“Follow me, if you would.” They say, heading down a hall with a green brick path.

________________________________

“You can’t do normal things in the game. You can’t phase through w- okay, your class can, but you can’t shadow travel.”


“Stella told me to write a will, what the hell is that supposed to mean?!”


Xlentia’s eye locks onto the fae, curious.

 

I follow them, nearly staying right by their side.

 

“I take it by your scent you visited the other planet first?”