Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

Artemis takes the wristband off and offers it to me. I take it, putting it on.

"We've come to see Gaia. Aj told me she wasn't feeling great after all of the deaths of her children." Artemis explains.

 

"Yes, she's in her chambers. This is the first time she's let the flowers in there die... ever, I think." Miorah says, heading off.

 

Artemis and I glance at each other, before heading toward Gaia's chambers; still holding hands.

Onyx follows, nervously glancing back to see if Sgavrinn is still following the trio.

 

The stone doors are left ajar, the general scent of flowers coming from the palace seeming to vanish there.

He is, staring directly at the flower band as if it was hypnotizing him.

 

"Ominous." I comment.

"She's probably grieving. It's hard to do what you normally do with that heavy weight over you." Artemis says.

"You'd think Gaia would be more understanding of death though. It's part of the balance." I reply.

"True, but the population here isn't balanced anymore. Death and life need to be equal." Artemis explains.

Onyx stays close to Artemis, scared.

 

Gaia seems to be acting like a statue, not even moving to look at you as you enter her chamber, her solemn look off to the side unchanging. Even the flowers that grew on her golemic body have withered.

Luckily for Onyx, Sgavrinn doesn't budge.

 

Artemis and I look at each other, before I glance at Gaia, thinking.

Artemis looks around for any patches of dirt.

 

Aside from a stone path leading up to her fae form's throne, her entire chamber floor is a giant patch of dirt.

 

Artemis grows a patch of black roses, the ends of their petals lined with white and their thorns small. She carefully takes the roses from the ground, a wooden pot growing as she takes their dirt.

Artemis walks closer to Gaia with the flowers, looking up at her.

 

Gaia still doesn't budge, or even glance at Artemis.
Being this close, however, shows that there is a small patch of living growth near her chest... but that's it.

 

Artemis tries making the patch grow more.

 

She can, but this winds up loosening the now brittle stone, revealing a green, glowing crystal.

 

Artemis tries focusing on the crystal to get a better look at it.

 

It's too far for that, but given a bit more growth, she might be able to make it fall out.

 

Artemis looks back towards me, and I teleport over. I empower Artemis, allowing her to fly up to the crystal.

 

Within, she sees Gaia's fae form holding a broken staff with its crystal glowing fairly brightly, all preserved in a crystal.

The implications set in quickly - Gaia's sealed.

 

Artemis tries taking the crystal.

 

It's three times her size and many times heavier... and still lodged in the stone.

 

Artemis tries increasing the growth around the crystal, attempting to pry it out.

 

Doing so leads to the crystal starting to slide out of the opening.
Now or the next couple seconds would be a good time to not be crushed.