Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

“It’s a rarity for them, but never is a strong word for a flight-capable dragon.”

 

"What about exploring space?" Abigail asks smugly.

 

“Dragons do that. Nocturnes don’t, but there are several dozen spacefaring variants that I’ve seen, and there are probably more.”

 

"The only guardians that can explore space are earth-air hybrids." Katie says.

"Their lack of need to breathe combined with the fact they can fly and create a mini atmosphere for themselves lets them survive the cold emptiness of outer space." Abigail explains.

 

“Ooh, that reminds me of nebular dragons. They’re literally sentient conglomerations of celestial bodies, and they look really cool from a planet’s surface.”

 

"Those are still dragons? What do they breathe?" Katie asks, confused.

 

"Sounds like one extensive gang."

 

"There are much more dangerous ones. People can only do so much."

"They don't need to breathe, but that's as much as I know. Obviously going up to one to ask isn't something I can just up and do."

 

"Do they still need to eat?" Katie asks.

Abigail heads over to Katie and picks up the controller; Katie having set it aside to eat. Abigail changes the game to an exploration-based platformer with a heavy theme of insects mixed with incredibly high difficulty.

 

“I think so, just not in the traditional sense.”

 

"So...what do they eat?" Katie asks.

Suddenly, there's a knock at Abigail's door. Abigail groans, pausing her game and getting up to see to it.


Praecantatia, Artemis, Stephanie and I all step through the rift into the void palace. Praecantatia appears to carry some kind of giant generator with antennae poking out from it, while Stephanie wears a black cloak not unlike my own. Artemis seems to be wearing her wooden armour, while I don't look all too different; other than wearing a serious expression.

Our group heads straight toward the portal room, Artemis and I staying close to each other.

 

“They might not need to eat, like how plants photosynthesize instead of consume. Worst case scenario, the answer is just magic.”

Evion starts to scamper off towards the door before I lean over and grab him again.
“No, you’ve done enough exploring.” I grunt.


“Please tell me this isn’t related to the whole measuring Xlentia twenty times thing.” Emerald groans as the group passes through the library.

 

Abigail opens the door to an air guardian, handing her a large package she needs to sign for. Abigail signs, taking the package inside and reading the return address.

"This is from my parents," Abigail says, sounding surprised, "They didn't tell me they were sending me something, though."

"Open it!" Katie says excitedly.

Abigail begins tearing away at the package, revealing another layer of paper - this one more decorated - and a letter on top. Abigail opens the letter, taking out a christmas card and reading it.


"It is. That was to get proper measurements of Xlentia's proportions, so we could construct a new and more powerful set of armour for her. Since we found out she protects the rift between our realities, we thought she deserved a gift of protection," Praecantatia explains happily, "This generator is to block out all psychic activity while the old armour is replaced. Will Xlentia be able to withstand an inability to use psychic power?"

"We're here to go free Atavul. Or something." I add.

 

“If you want me to leave, I can let this be a human free moment.” I offer.


Emerald sighs.
“I appreciate it, and she probably will too once she stops being a lump. She’s not exactly good with psychic power anyways, so you should be fine. As for you three, have fun in volcano land.” She says, waving you off.

She then links with Praecantatia.
“I, however, do happen to have an issue with all of this. We have told you before that Xlentia protects the rift, so I demand you answer this - why only take our word now? What has changed from your distrust of us and apparent hostilities that you go from me needing to barter for Xlentia’s soul all the way to you protecting her like a royal guard?” She asks, more suspicious than hostile.

 

"No, it's fine. You can stay." Abigail says, putting her card to the side and opening her present.

Abigail's eyes go wide, and she takes out a pair of gauntlets that look fairly similar to her last pair; other than looking a little sleeker and less bulky. She also retrieves a small leather pouch that jingles with the sound of rocks.

"No way..." Abigail says in disbelief, putting on her new gauntlets. She takes out a small note attached to the pouch, reading it over before passing it to her left hand. She turns her right hand into a fist, and three incredibly sharp looking obsidian claw blades extend out from the top of the gauntlet. They appear to be reinforced with a blueish silver metal. Abigail opens and closes her hand again, and the claws sink back in. She then touches her middle three fingers to her palm, and the back of the gauntlet opens up; revealing a wheel with empty notches. Abigail moves her index finger down, and the wheel begins to move left, clicking at each notch; the same happens in reverse when she uses her ring finger. Abigail finally turns her hand over, before letting her hand go - like dropping something. The tip of the gauntlet retracts, before it swiftly crawls up Abigail's arm to form a spiked shoulder guard. Abigail makes a grabbing motion, and the shoulder guard runs back down to form a gauntlet again.

"Wow, that looks so cool Abigail!" Katie says, amazed and happy.

"I...can't believe mum and dad would do something like this..." Abigail says, fighting back tears as she reads her card again, before opening the leather pouch. She pours out twelve crystals - each paired with a distinct colour - onto her lap. They appear to be mage crystals, pairs charged with each of the six basic elements. She opens up the wheels in each of her gauntlets, putting each crystal pair into their notches in order.


Artemis, Stephanie and I begin to head to the portal room, but Praecantatia stops us.

"One moment." Praecantatia says, before putting down the generator and changing to her more mortal-sized form. She gives Stephanie a hug goodbye.

"Stay safe. I love you." Praecantatia says quietly to Stephanie.

"I love you too, mum." Stephanie says happily, before heading toward the portal room with Artemis and I. Praecantatia changes back to her godlike form, picking up the generator again and turning her attention to Emerald.

"Things were uncertain, and our fear of the hive master invading, as well as the issues that Tenebrae and Lux had blinded us to what you had said. When Stephanie came back from her scouting and informed me that as long as Xlentia stands, there is no risk of the hive master invading, I arranged an immediate meeting with the other gods," Praecantatia responds clearly, "We wanted to repay our debt for misjudgement of Xlentia. We knew she had received armour to protect her from mind control before, but we wanted to give her a stronger, more potent set that would not only block out the influence of mind control, but properly protect her from any possible harm to her form. That is why Temporus sent one of his disciples to take Xlentia's measurements. He forged the armour, and I created the magic to go with it."

"Mortius taking part of Xlentia's soul wasn't deliberate. That was an unfortunate happenstance that we weren't immediately aware of, and arranged to return the earliest we could." Praecantatia adds.

 

“Impressive. Are your parents smiths?”


Emerald waits for a moment before nodding.
“...Okay. I have my doubts regarding Mortius not realizing he had inadvertently taken a clearly abnormally powerful soul, but Temporus taking a break from his party convinced me. She’s going to be confused as hell when she wakes up, but go ahead.”


The portal room is still set to Gaia’s realms, Rose visible sitting idly on the other side.

 

"My dad is. He taught me everything I know about smithing. My mum taught me the mechanical and tech side of things." Abigail says happily, playing with her gauntlets.


Praecantatia heads to Xlentia's chambers, carrying the generator carefully. Once inside, she places it in the middle and turns it on. The generator slowly creates a sphere around itself that blocks out all psychic interference and ability. The sphere extends to fill most of the room, including Xlentia, before stopping.

A large group of Praecantatia's robotic golems start to make their way through the rift, carrying a gigantic armour plate, carved with runes with a large mage crystal built into it.


Artemis, Stephanie and I head through, Stephanie walking up to Rose.

"We're ready to begin the stealth mission." Stephanie says.

 

“Shame Ruby passed, I think she’d appreciate this handiwork.”


Getting Xlentia’s old armor off seems to be the primary obstacle, seeing on how horribly bent and - in some cases - seemingly fused with or piercing her scales. The biggest issue seems to be her helm, one part bent to the point of appearing to have gone through her eye socket.


“Well, there are three points of entry that won’t immediately screw you over. You can either slip in outside of Atavul’s palace, enter the tunnel containing the gauntlet hub, or you could dare to beat him at his own game and make a grand entrance in his planetary arena. The palace outskirts are the closest to Atavul’s rebirth chambers, the gauntlet hub might help you free the guardians he’s held captive and tortured, and the Arena would give you away immediately with the tradeoff of not needing to hide.”

 

"I don't think I'd be able to make something as good as this. I guess I left my old designs with them, and they improved upon them." Abigail says happily, switching the crystals in the gauntlets to fire. A superheated jet of flame bursts forth from Abigail's palm, heating up the room and making Katie sweat.

"U-Um, Abigail?" Katie says, waving herself.

Abigail gasps, immediately shutting off the flame.


The golems wait outside the field of psychic lockout as Praecantatia thinks, before drawing a rune in the air; throwing it toward an exposed piece of armour. The rune seems to be for a powerful transmutation, attempting to turn Xlentia's armour to oxygen.


"We should go in the palace outskirts. It's safer and stealthier that way." I say.

"And ignore the guardians he's been holding captive and tortured?" Artemis asks, offended, "We should free the guardians he's captured. We can't let him get away with such a crime."

"Wouldn't we be able to do that when we free Atavul though?" Stephanie asks, "Obviously we shouldn't go through the arena. We need to be stealthy."

"I agree, we can't afford to be found by him. If he's torturing guardians, he probably wouldn't be against torturing us, too. We can free the guardians after we've freed their master." I explain.

Artemis sighs, "Alright. I trust you on this, Aj." She says, looking me in the eye.

"The palace outskirts it is." I say confidently.

 

Evion winds up fainting from the heat.
“Okay, please don’t kill the rest of us.” I sigh, picking him up and glancing around.
“I might need you to hold on to him for a minute, Katie.”


It works, but Xlentia starts bleeding out and beginning to seal as a result.


Rose opens a thorned portal to what seems like little more than a magma river, heat beating down on the three (particularly Artemis) from the portal.