Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"That's...kind of her, I suppose. Though I don't know what role I played in her vision, I could've been anyone I suppose." Artemis says.


"I don't see why she wouldn't be able to, being the goddess of life," Praecantatia says, smirking a little, "If you already have somewhere to live, then it would save the process of needing to find somewhere new."

 

"She specifically avoided Abigail, stepped away from Aj, and barely thought twice before giving you the token to end the vision."


"It's technically still in the Hive Master's domain, but he had given the people who wanted nothing to do with the war a place to live that used to be incredibly vibrant and self-sustaining. Now it's nothing but dust. He's an ass, but he'd probably see it as doing him a favor and leave everyone be."

 

"Oh, she probably missed out on quite a bit then." Artemis says, sounding disappointed.


"That would require some discussion with the other gods, then," Praecantatia explains, "While in a worst case scenario Temporus could forcibly return Gaia to our reality, the damage she could do should she be mind controlled for a short period of time could be devastating."

 

"She seems to always be in a rush nowadays. She keeps railing on how she can't let things get any worse than they already are, yet she forgets that I do stuff too."


"I honestly sort of expected to need to fight my way back out of this reality. This is turning out to not be the dumbest thing I've done."

 

"That mentality will probably end up getting her killed, or worse," Artemis says, sighing, "Our gods are worried, too..."


"We focus on keeping our reality in balance, which includes keeping peace and conflict in balance too." Praecantatia says, smiling.

 

"Your gods are worried about themselves and this reality. I doubt that's going to ever change, as it shouldn't, but you and your friends are the ones who care about our mess." Iris says dismissively. "They only care about the aftermath."


"I'm going to hope you didn't mean that to be as sinister as it came off." Scurn says, wary.

 

Artemis seems offended, though holds back a snappy response; fighting with the red in her eyes.

"I was hoping if we couldn't breach the walls of Atavul's palace, I could at least help those that have a bigger influence in different areas." Artemis sighs.


"Oh, certainly not," Praecantatia says, almost sounding apologetic, "You've no need to fight your way out of here."

 

"You focus on a narrow goal, notably one you've already made nigh impossible. The Hive Master knows you're trying to get Xlentia out - and he's using that to great effect. I'm not saying give up on her - your gods kinda screwed her, but you know most of his attention is currently dead center on that palace." Iris explains. "As for Aj, don't even. You're no hero."


"Just checking." Scurn says, standing down.

 

Artemis manages to remain calm as she responds, "I suppose we could direct our focus elsewhere for a bit...though we'd be losing one god in exchange for another..." She says, thinking.


"If there's nothing else you need, I could arrange a meeting with the other gods fairly soon. However, they're strictly off limits to non-gods." Praecantatia explains.

 

"Alternate proposition. Stop acting like I'm the bane of your existence, get the group together and head over to O'rogal's ruins. See if you can get Idhaenna to let go of O'rogal, make a scene over there, and Ihra and I can then take a crack at getting Xlentia home ourselves." Iris offers. "Unless you have a better plan, we might have to tolerate each other for a bit."


"I don't know what I need half the time. As much as I wish more peaceful times would roll around, I'm not sure I could sit still long enough to leave spellthievery behind."

 

"That's worth a try, I suppose. We'll have to act fast though, the ruse isn't likely to last for long, and we're already short on time." Artemis says.


"There are many spells and aspects of magic that aren't inherently used for combat, and even combat spells that can be used in times of piece," Praecantatia explains, "Take a simple fireball spell, for example. You can use it to light a campfire to cook with."

 

I decide to not take my chances with whatever's in the forest, jumping up and rocketing off towards the tree.

 

This method proves effective, and you quickly soar over the dense forest; the only thing slowing you being a few birds that get in your way - unaware of your flight path.

Once you reach the tree, however, there doesn't appear to be an obvious way inside. Gigantic roots bury themselves into the island, large and sturdy enough to build a mansion into. Looking up, the tree seems endlessly high, and judging by how thick it is, trying to cut into a possible hidden core-room would take years.

 

"Rally if you wish. Don't be fooled by the alternate reality's Xlentia, though. I think she stepped in to keep things a bit more in order. Don't bother reaching out to me, I hear everything you tell Ihra anyways."


"Simple combat spells typically aren't really combat spells. A dual ice-engine chakram-chainsaw kinda mangles trees if you try to use it as a normal chainsaw."

 

"Alternate reality's Xlentia?" Artemis asks, suspicious and confused.


"That's an...interesting choice of weaponry for what seems like a simple solution of killing." Praecantatia says, seeming a little disappointed.

 

"When Lux and Tenebrae's child was erased, it was because he was opening rifts to alternate timelines of the other reality. Emerald tried to seal them off before any of you would know about it, and then Praecantatia kind of ordered Mortius to torture those months of research out of her. The one I last saw sitting in Xlentia's chambers isn't childish anymore, but you'll wish she was." Iris says, preparing to take off.


Scurn seems surprised.
"Well, I suppose gods underestimating my things is why I pulled off stealing Idhaenna's military AI..."

 

Artemis just gives a concerned look as she lets Iris depart.


"It just seems like such a...brutish solution when there are more elegant ways to achieve an even better effect." Praecantatia says, before seeming to wave her hands about randomly - ending with a click of her fingers. What looks like a human dressed in plain clothes appears near to Praecantatia and Scurn, though judging from their blank expression and dead eyes, they likely aren't a real human.

Praecantatia clasps her hands together, pointing them toward the human, before throwing them apart. The human shakes a bit, before collapsing into a massive pile of tiny human cubes; like they were pushed through a razor-sharp chainlink fence. As soon as the cubes touch the ground, however, they explode like firecrackers; leaving no trace. Praecantatia telekinetically grabs a cube and tosses it into her mouth - the sounds of popping candy audible as she chews.

 

"You'll find out soon enough."
Pause.
"Oh, by the way. Just so you know the weight of his actions - yes, one of the rifts open was to a timeline where the Hive Master won. Anyhow, see you soon!" Iris says with a wave, before warping away.


"Reminder that I'm among the lowlife criminals on the streets. Elegance isn't a consideration - especially when they only listen to brutish displays. Besides, I don't have an entire arsenal of spells like you do - I keep as little on me as possible, whenever possible, with the sole exception of daggers. If I brought home pretty much any book you have here on magic, my crew could do so much more than just sit in a condemned building that falls apart on us a bit every day."

 

"Well, I'll see if I can get Gaia to fix that." Praecantatia says, giving a positive smile.

 

"I appreciate it. I'm surprised you'd even bother listening to someone like me, but if this is what being heard feels like... no wonder people put up with so much shit in society."