Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"Idhaenna. Who else could arrange something so odd?"

"I didn't expect you to actually do that..." Lenka sighs.


"Do you actually plan on destroying her?"


After another week, Xlentia opts to get up and fly around, looking for other landscapes.

"Who's crossing first?" The wyvern asks, lowering himself.
"I'm in no hurry."
"Take your pick."

 

"You need to test a game thoroughly before release." Shadow Stephanie shrugs.


"If she takes action that would warrant it, I may." Praecantatia says.


After flying for a long while, Xlentia sees a large altar in a lake, just big enough for her to enter.

 

“...Don’t know. Just seems like something that sucks to just accept.”

 

"Fair." He sighs, unable to hide a smirk.


"She'd never hurt Stephanie."


Xlentia slows, considering just going through before checking the size of the lake.

"Sorta like a throwback to a far less technological way of life. The floods are just unfortunate, but maybe to make sure this isn't a one-off affair."

 

"Anne and me can go as one, so pick one of the centaurs first."

 

I just nod, deep in thought.

 

The two centaurs glance at each other.
"...Alright, I'll start." One says, climbing onto the wyvern's back.

He stops walking, wary.

 

Shadow Stephanie feels around in her pockets for her extra weaponry.


"She wouldn't need to directly hurt her or myself." Praecantatia responds.


The lake is big enough for Xlentia to take a dip in, but she wouldn't be able to move around much.

 

She has a few needles, caltrops, and smaller gems.


“You surely have a reason for your sudden move against her, no?”


She puts her eye to the surface, curious.

 

Shadow Stephanie looks at one of the gems curiously.


"She's accessed my private files in what I thought was a secure system. I can't rely on someone else's system in the other reality to stay secure. If she can reach my computer, then the computers of this universe would most likely also be accessible by her," Praecantatia explains, "So, if I can break her, then I can stop her too. I can prevent her from accessing things she shouldn't, and if she ever turns or falls, I can destroy her before damage is done."

"Also, the data I have on my system, if released or stolen, could spell the end of both our realities." Praecantatia adds.


The lake appears to be brimming with water-based life, a few water guardians swimming around in it. It also appears to go a lot deeper than a first glance would tell, tunnels and caverns filled with water allowing access to it's depths.

 

It seems to be a few normal diamonds.


“I mean, she’s already got a living representation of Earth, so you’re not entirely wrong. She sort of acts like digigaia, though, so I’m willing to bet she knows better than to put anyone’s children in harm’s way. Plus, she could’ve taken your entire file store, and pardon me for taking shots in the dark, I’m willing to guess she modified nothing but a conversation recording you used in hopes to break her and the file you were using to prep the virus.”


Xlentia sticks her whole head underwater to get a better look at the caverns.

 

"Is this currency?" Shadow Stephanie says.


"A virus?" Praecantatia asks, before laughing, "I'm not writing something as primitive as a virus!"


Some of the caverns are lit by underwater lights, creating a pretty display of crystals exposed within them. Other caverns remain dark though, Xlentia rarely seeing a flicker of movement in them.

 

“It can be.”


Emerald also laughs.
“Well, be careful how much damage you do. I think I’ll just have to seat myself on the third wheel of this affair. If we’re gonna dive into a tech race, it wouldn’t kill me to let my personal project see a bit of light.”


Xlentia blinks, donning darkvision.

 

"So this is currency storage?" Shadow Stephanie asks.


"Oh?" Praecantatia asks.


Xlentia can see water guardians that seem more accustomed to the depths swimming about the caves. Their fish tails appear sharper and more finned, and their eyes look less colourful, making them look blind. They appear to react to changes in the water much quicker than the other water guardians, a rock tumbling into the caves alerting one of the guardians.

From the caves, Xlentia can hear beautiful singing. She finds herself feeling a strange urge to try and reach the singing's source, the song alluring.

 

"It can be. It's also a distraction tool."


"I'll let you in on a few secrets if you promise you won't kill Stella. She's my only archivist buddy."


Xlentia tries walking down towards it, far too heavy to do anything remotely resembling floating.

 

He doesn't say anything and waits for wyvern to drop the centaur off on the other side of the river. He waits for his return and watches the next centaur go over the river.

 

"Oh, like in PvP?" Shadow Stephanie asks.


"I can't promise I won't, but I promise I won't attack her without good reasoning to do so." Praecantatia says.


The closest Xlentia can get is to it's source of one of the tunnels, though they're far too small for her to fit into.

Xlentia feels one of her feet get stopped before it reaches the bottom, a water guardian quickly swimming out from under an icy shield below her foot.

 

"You're evil alignment. Anyone of the good alignment will think someone lost it, and will either grab it and ask around for whose it is, which leaves their back open, or some other person will come and try and snag it... same result.


"Well, it was worth a shot. Just don't forget that you'd be guilty by association for more deaths than I'd bother to count." Emerald says, oddly uncaring. "Anyhow, I've had a few palace workers poking around with magitech. Shadows aren't thrilled with me playing with old light pulse rifles, but I think I've made some progress combining both realities' tech. When Stella said she was under attack, I thought it might be a fine time to see if I can truly destroy code with a gatling blaster."


"Ohh, sorry."

She tries sticking her tail into the tunnel.

________________________________

The two centaur go over without a hitch, the other dragon crawling back up towards them through the mud.
The wyvern then lands near you.
"Alright, you ready?"

 

"Yes, let's go Anne."
He climbs aboard the wyvern.

 

"Holy crap, that's awesome." Shadow Stephanie says, amazed.


"Hm, I guess I have a reason to write that killcode Lux wanted me to make then." Praecantatia says offhandedly.


Xlentia suddenly feels incredibly sharp pain all over the part of her tail in the tunnel, like a thousand needles being stabbed into it.