Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"Better get used to it. See you guys later."
I say, making my way to the Mantis palace.

 

The blast seems to have got the best of him. He's completely limp.

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You hear what resembles a small explosion in the distance en route.

However, there's even fewer guards around once you reach the Mantis 'palace.'

 

I nod to the guards respectfully, then look to see where the explosion came from, while making my way.

 

Doesn't seem to be around the vine structure, and the Matriarch seems to be asleep in an awkward position halfway out the door.

 

I sit next to her, and analyze how comfortable her sleeping position might be.

 

Her exoskeleton seems to make the position bearable; even as a robot, it feels like a position that should be impossible to sleep in at all.

 

I decide not to touch her, waiting out her rest.

 

Artemis uses a portion of her power to bring the king back to a somewhat alive state, removing the lance from his chest and shutting the wound before checking to see if the queen and children are alright, etching runes onto a black crystal in her other hand.

 

An hour later, she stirs.
"Where the... hell did she..." *yawn*
She doesn't seem to notice you as she stumbles inside.

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The queen and children seem relatively fine, just in shock.

 

I follow for a bit, not bothering to mask the sound of my footsteps.

 

"This crystal will take you and only you to safety. Your husband needs serious medical help, and you will find it there. Please take this crystal and use it." Artemis says to the queen, offering them the black crystal, glowing runes etched into it.

 

She takes it nervously, silent and uneasy.

"Hmm? Guards, who's..."
She turns around.
"Oh... good morning, I think. Did I miss something?"

 

Artemis gives the queen a kind smile, before searching right corner of the room for the trapdoor.

 

"I don't think so. I was just wondering if you or your associates found anyone willing to run the gauntlet."

 

I approach one of the creatures.

"Good day, I am a traveller from a land beyond this. I wish to know about this city. Do you mind giving me a brief history lesson?"

 

It takes her a few minutes, but she finds it hidden under a rug.

"If you want to learn, go to the school off on the north side." They grunt.

"A gauntlet? Dear, no!"

 

Artemis, with a mighty stomp, tries breaking through the trapdoor.

 

She ends up breaking through, but her scythe is the only thing stopping her from falling off into the gap between the third story of the stronghold and the lowlands.

 

A pair of Shadow Wings burst out of Artemis' back, blood spilling around them as Artemis flies down, using her sense of smell to try and trace the route of the people who used the trapdoor.

 

"Alright. I guess I'm going, then. See you later."
I say, walking off towards Rath'haga.