Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

Crystal tries to figure out just what the quadruped is.


"Not much, which seems to be a running theme."
I say, exasperated.
"I know I'm supposed to break a barrier, but other than 'you got it, dude', I haven't much in the way of how."

 

He remains idle, seeming a bit weary.

________________________________

"Sorry 'bout the scare." It mumbles before turning to Linoa and Crystal. "Not sure if the hunter was with you two outsiders, but I ain't sorry if it was."


"Ah, well... I get to be the one to tell you that. So, you've got some railgun thing built into you that the fools at the barrier don't know about. It's supposed to overload the glacial barrier and shatter it, opening up O'rogal's territory to attack. Pretty much, they're gonna give you a free shot. I was told that the railgun'll just work and you just need to point it in the right direction. But... I'd recommend getting out as fast as you can after it breaks. They're gonna be reeeeal mad."

 

“What hunter?”


“My gut tells me I should be practicing the motion of firing the railgun.”

 

"So?" The air guardian asks, approaching.

 

"Eh, it's dust now. Don't worry about it."
"Did they land a hit?" Fireweed asks, dropping her hostile demeanor.
"Nope, just me."


"I was told that the railgun's a one time deal. I take it that's another thing you weren't told?"

"Where would you like to start? I'd keep it quick if I were you, though. More than eight hours and Overlord will send a search party." He says calmly.

 

"Tell us everything about this god you work for." The air guardian says, serious.

 

"Atavul, Obsidian Phoenix. High god of fire, rebirth, and war. His domain is nothing but warfare and stomping out anyone you can beat in a fight. If you're on the losing end, you're reborn and run through an immoral gauntlet until you survive. There are no houses there, only his palace and his coliseums. A few planetary cycles ago, before the Hive Master's rise, he appointed me as his head general against my will. Being appointed only means one thing; another damnable gauntlet - in my case, to lay waste to my family. Nobody close to him has anything to lose, only unbridled rage and savagery on the battlefield." Chroma starts.
"He fights other gods frequently, typically only to show just how much stronger he is compared to his peers. One on one, he's seldom beaten. If you think the heat of a star is unrelenting, Atavul's talons would be a warmonger. You can keep him locked in temperatures that freeze time, but he'll never stay extinguished long - he may be foolish, but his raw strength and strength of will combine with his fearlessness of harm make him the last foe you want to make."

 

There's mutters from out of sight, mostly voices commenting "What a brute" and "Mother Gaia isn't like that at all.".

"So why do you insist on pestering one of our town's residents? To the point where she is too afraid to stay in her own home?" The air guardian asks.

 

"That was my condition to be allowed back without being tracked. Once she left her home, I would be given a day on my own. Atavul demanded I tell him where Abigail went, but I had no intentions of going that far. Our deal was for me to scare her from house and home, not continue hunting her. I came back hoping she had returned and would once again summon her close friends..."
Atavul hesitates.
"They're the only ones I know who can do something about the new gauntlets. The old ones are bad, but fairly stereotypical - swinging axes, rooms filled with toxic gases, and acid leaking through the ceilings... but Atavul wants to make more gauntlets like the ones I run through. Run more people through even more immoral halls." He sighs. "If I could get Abigail and her friends to come after me at home, I could slow down the gauntlets' construction without Atavul getting on my case."

 

"And why is it her concern what trials you face? Or any of our concern for that matter?" The air guardian asks brashly.

 

"It is her concern what trials we face as she is one of the leaders of the rebellion. As for you, he's already using your people as lab rats for more gauntlets. They seemed beyond mental repair when I saw the last group of captives brought in last week, but... I suppose if your town hasn't faced any of the disappearances, it isn't your concern."

 

"What disappearances are you talking about!?" The air guardian asks, sounding annoyed.

 

Chroma sighs.
"You aren't affected, good. There's been... I'm not sure. Atavul's been speaking with someone and whenever he finishes those conversations and lets me in to give him my reports, guardians are always hanging from the ceiling. I dunno who's been selling them off to him, but if you haven't noticed any disappearances then I'm even more curious where he's getting them."

 

"I've heard of no disappearances in this area in a long time. He must be getting them from a different part of the world, and Mother Gaia is hardly the forgiving type if he's brought harm to our kind." The air guardian says, confident.

 

Chroma sighs.
"Sometimes I wish he'd try thinking once in his existence... When I heard our reality became connected with another, I asked him if I could travel here with a few other generals to study each other's histories. I... probably should have expected to be run through another three gauntlets after that."

 

"Hmph, our realities will be better off separated then..." The air guardian mutters.

 

Crystal nervously looks to Linoa.


"Nor was I told how to use it."

 

*sigh*

"I'm sure you get my point."

 

“Not anymore, not for a while at least.” Chroma shakes his head. “Abigail and her friends have angered the one currently winning the war back at home. The resistance needs outside help lest you’d rather your entire reality come under seige.”

“I do, but... I also didn’t want to hurt you. I still don’t want to hurt you, or leave. Just because I can use a love spell doesn’t mean I don’t truly love you.”

Linoa shrugs.


“Well, theoretically you just have to think it. I wasn’t told either, so... hopefully that’s really how it works.”

 

"You've hardly done a good job presenting yourself worthy of help, then." The air guardian says, seeming rather uncooperative.