Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"When I was young, I lived at the foot of a few mountains. My family had lived there for years, along with a few others of my kind. Being feared and pushed back as monsters, we were eventually gassed with a strange plague. When my sister fell ill, I ventured out to abandoned libraries in the cover of night, and read about Lady Gaia. Supposedly, she would protect the living from harm should they flee instead of fight. That night I brought several books back, full of prayers and habits her followers encouraged."
Fenira hesitates.
"I hoped for a miracle, for a sign, something. Two days later, my brother fell ill and my sister had begun rotting from the inside out. She had begged us to put her out of her misery, and I did so with reluctance. I couldn't bear to watch or hear her struggle as her body became liquid flesh any longer... and from that day on, I followed more of the teachings the books contained. I unpetrified victims I had not meant to petrify, guided the lost home under the cover of darkness. My fervor became greater and greater as my child had fallen ill; then my mother, father, and I prepared for the worst. Yet... I seemed to be immune."
She takes a minute to compose herself again, having gotten a bit flustered.
"When I left my solemnly empty home, I was met with silence and three others. We were twenty, now four. I shared my findings of Gaia's books, and the other three also rigorously followed the teachings within out of desperation. Desperation turned to deeper despair once they, one by one, fell ill and soon begged to pass. Well, except for the third... he said his name was Tear. He insisted he sit out the pain until every last organ failed him, helped me with larger and larger rituals in an attempt to call upon Lady Gaia. After two days of pure suffering, dragging his limp self across one ritual circle or another, he let himself pass as a sacrifice needed for a ritual said to form a telepathic link with Lady Gaia directly. That... that ritual failed."
Fenira takes another minute to calm her rage.
"I spent weeks hiding in my lair, waiting for the inevitable. Only then did Lady Gaia come, calling me her beloved child... I was too blinded by rage, and I asked her to look into my tear-filled eyes. Instead of tears, she saw pure hatred and a feeling of betrayal... and she stood still for another week. I did not have the courage to flee, nor the energy. That's when she cursed me with the inability to die."


"I suppose it's to be seen whether he chooses not to or is simply unable. Regardless, I am here to speak with you about matters in my reality. If now isn't a good time, though, I can wait."

"Again, fire resistance can save your life if you get trapped in a burning building, and water breathing helps in floods. Situational, but useful."

"I think it's interfaced to activate with a left-eye wink. I wouldn't do that until we're done cleaning up, though."

 

"Ah. I thought they were just for show."

 

I nod.
"I'll probably need more of a rundown, then, if you've added more things."

 

Gaia sheds a single, large tear, her eyes closed. As it splashes down, the life of the ground it covers flourishes to extreme lengths, grass growing huge, flowers' growing tall and petals plentiful large, and the area seeming to heal all ills and restore life anew.

"I am sorry my counterpart acted in such a way. Yet...I understand her struggle, and if Mortius were here, he'd still cast you guilty. I am certain Gaia wanted to help you, but was unable to when you needed her. We may be gods, but only Temporus is able to be in multiple places during the same second. I am sure she felt sympathetic for your cause, and had finally been able to come to aid you, yet you turned on her. You had been a follower of her teachings, yet turned your nose up at them upon her arrival." Gaia explains.

"However, that is in the past. I hope I have made up for my alternate self's mistakes. I cannot bear to see my children, whom I have created with love and care, suffer." Gaia says sympathetically.


I glance at Artemis, and the pair of us seem to stare at each other for a while before I turn back.

"What's up?" I ask.

 

"I hoped for your mercy, both to ease my numb pain and to attempt to make amends. It means everything to me you would provide my requests, though I would like to ask for one more thing... I want to atone to everyone else, clear my image. I want to go back to the realms of the living."


"It's a piece of mixed news. For whatever reason, the Hive Master chose to be transparent to us about something. He doesn't have Emerald in captivity, nor does he know where she vanished to. He risked his life to show us personally, and I have no reason to believe he's lying about the matter."

"Absolutely, I'll be happy to help with that after we're done. Should only be about another minute."

"Some are, most aren't."

 

"Alright. Just tell me when."

 

"You'd like to return to your universe?" Gaia asks.


"Emerald is gone?" I asked.

"When did she leave?" Artemis asks.

 

“That, or yours. Either one, really... if that’s too much to ask, though, I understand.”


“She left on her own accord a few weeks ago, and hasn’t shown since.”

“You’ll know when.”

A minute later, the capsule door slides open.

 

"Well, Ph-. Praecantatia and I have travelled to your reality before, so I'm sure getting you there will be no problem!" Gaia says cheerily.


"What was her last recorded activity?" Artemis asks, sounding serious, "Does she have anything that can be traced, and who was the last person she spoke to before she left?"

 

Fenira’s mood brightens, seeming hopeful.
“It means too much to me, but how much do I owe you for all this?”


“She said she was going to look into an anomaly near the edge of the Void, and hasn’t been heard from since. She also covered her tracks, so none of us have any idea where she went or is.”

 

"Nothing." Gaia says, smiling.


"Well, we do have an idea of where she might be." I say.

 

I gingerly take a step outside, surveying the area.

 

"Oh well. Anyone has their thing. As long as you enjoy making them."

 

"Are... you sure?"


"We don't have the numbers to send a search party on our own, but I'm listening."

"I suppose it's sort of like knitting in that sense..."

The room looks just about unchanged, what looks like your old hand sitting on a table nearby as most of the people who worked on you augments leave. The only two to stay are the person talking with you through the capsule and another furred-kobold-esque creature. They have a mask and some exo-armor, but otherwise look completely biological.

 

"Anything else you care to show?"

 

Gaia nods happily.


"Well, she said she was venturing to the edge of the void, correct? We may not be able to trust that information, but it's the only lead we have." Artemis says.

 

"Alright."
I say to the two of them.
"Walk me through it. What's new?"

 

"I... I'll do my best not to let you down. I vow I'll make your efforts worth it." Fenira says, bowing.


"The edge of the Void is vast, and reality begins to behave strangely around there. It'd be like trying to find a drop of water in a storming ocean."

"Start with the left eye wink. If that doesn't work, you're probably going right back in there."

"Not really. I don't do a whole lot down here, mostly just forging trinkets."

 

Gaia smiles in response, seeming amused by Fenira's actions.


"Do we have anything that can locate Emerald? Like some kind of tracking device for precious gemstones?" I ask.

 

"Tch. Do you maybe have any suggestions on how I can pass the time? Cause I feel like I'm bothering you."