Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"Did you get sent there at one point?"


It comes from the connection to the power source, where apparently the machinery has shorted itself. The culprit seems to be a now thoroughly burnt leaf stem.


Things go smoothly until about an hour and a half, but I manage to get myself out of the bind before getting somewhat back into the rhythm I was in. I don't seem to notice that I broke the high score.

 

"Well, I grew up in hell. Whenever I die, I end up back there..." Imp-chan says, though sounding positive despite this.


"That's odd." Stephanie comments, removing the leaf stem and inspecting the power source a little more closely.


There's a cheer from all the guardians as the high score is broken, and a deliberate moan from the air guardian.

 

"Wait... so, you're... you're one of those demons?"


The short seems to have warped the connector to the power source, though it looks to be a slightly annoying fix.


I seem to ignore the crowd, slipping up and ending the game at 42.3 million.
"How close did I get?" I ask, not actually seeming to notice I broke the high score.

 

"Only partially," Imp-chan says happily, "I'm mostly human though. I just know how to use a few demon powers."


Stephanie works on fixing the warp in the connector without disconnecting it, putting up a small barrier to stop any other leaves from dropping on it.


"You beat it! You're number one!" The air guardian says happily as the crowd cheers and applauds.

 

"...Oh. That doesn't help much on Earth, does it?"


She winds up shocking herself, the metal seeming to in part stick into the mage crystal powering the pylon.


I seem a bit annoyed with hearing this, and upon name entry I enter "X V S" before getting up and stepping away from the machine.

 

"People don't mind much. They don't really know, though," Imp-chan confesses, "But I met this girl called Stephanie and she accepts me for who I am."


The armour absorbs the shock, protecting Stephanie from most of the damage as she retracts her hands. Stephanie sits and thinks for a moment, observing the rest of the machine.


"What did you want to do next, champion?" The air guardian says happily, "Oh, don't forget your token, too"

One of the tokens drops out of the cabinet with a clunk in a similar position to the last cabinet. A notable distinction, however, is that this token seems to have a what looks like a diamond edge around it.

"If you've got a moment, can we talk?" Abigail asks over the crowd.

 

"Is that why you spend a bunch of time over on Praecantatia's islands?"


The issue with the power crystal seems to be all that's off.


I take the token, pocket it, and then walk over to Abigail.
"Just like old times, huh?" I challenge, shooting the air guardian a glance. "I'm not gonna follow you into some alleyway, but sure we can talk."

 

Imp-chan nods happily.

"Praecantatia doesn't mind me staying there, and there aren't any demons there to be mean to me." Imp-chan explains.


Stephanie summons a few mage crystals of high capacity and checks them against the current power crystal.


"Look, I'm trying to help you. If you go with Madeline, she's just going to throw you off of her floating island so she can watch you freak out and explode on the ground. Don't go with her." Abigail explains, "We used to do it together whenever a human acted like a dick here. It was pretty funny."

 

“This is true.”

 

"That's fair. If I knew it was you, I wouldn't have shackled you."


They're all just a bit more charged than the current crystal, though the current crystal is still occasionally sparking.


"I had no intention to go with her. I've got a big family, I don't need anything from here."

"Well, you still said not to worry about the definition of it, so screw that."

 

"Well, I guess if I was that well hidden I did something right." Imp-chan says happily, smiling. The ground beneath Imp-chan seems to benefit, a couple of flowers growing nearby.


Stephanie focuses her power, seemingly waving her hands about as she casts a spell. For one second, all time around Stephanie stops as she quickly tries to swap out the current crystal with a new one.


"Good, just don't let her seduce you. The girl is like a succubus," Abigail says, "Except...less demonic and stuff."

 

"Apparently the king's cloak obscures everything. Almost everything, at least."


Doing so works... except it also creates a fairly large spark which bends the connector more.


I hesitate.
"Yeah, fine. I'll head outside, then." I say, turning to leave and leaving if Abigail doesn't object.

 

"He seems value it a lot. I don't know why a Shadow demon would need a cloak like that though." Imp-chan says, deciding to open the black potion bottle.


Stephanie almost curses, though catches herself and says a sillier sounding alternative.

Stephanie makes the motion of snapping her fingers through her gauntlets, and a small, precise jet of fire erupts from her index fingertip. She tries to use it to un-warp the warped connector, or at least make room for replacement.


Abigail doesn't object, rubbing her recovering eye. However the air guardian, presumably Madeline, follows.

"Are you leaving already? Don't you want to hang out with me?" Madeline says, sounding hurt.

 

"It makes anyone else as dangerous as he is, I suppose him having it and it not doing much for him is the better alternative?"


It winds up warping it even more, causing another sizable spark that cracks the crystal.


"Don't we have to leave before we head to your house?" I ask. "Regardless, there's someone I'd like you to meet. Just so we're on the same page. After that, Abigail wants to say something, and then we'll go. Come on, it's a bit stuffy in here." I say, continuing on.

 

Imp-chan just shrugs, looking somewhat blissful at the same time.


Stephanie gives the connector a worried look, looking around for any rocks or simple materials she could pick up.


"Oh, I thought you were leaving without me!" Madeline says happily, "Who do you want me to meet?"

Abigail tags along, though keeps her distance slightly.

 

"If you don't mind me asking, what does that potion do?"


There are plenty of rocks near the moat.


The moment I step outside, one thing seems off; there's a massive shadow over the town instead of sunlight.
"...Mom." I say, turning to glare at Madeline.

 

"Oh, this is just some champagne." Imp-chan says happily, taking a sip from the potion bottle.


Stephanie goes and collects some rocks, before drawing a couple of odd circles surrounded by symbols on the ground. she places the rocks in one circle, before channeling some magic to try to transmute them to copper.


"Y-Your mother?" Madeline asks, looking a little unsettled.

Abigail lights up a fireball in her hand to illuminate the area around her, looking up at whatever is casting the shadow.

"Ugh, my eye..." Abigail complains.

 

"I can never tell. I can't see things, just what they're made of."


She succeeds, though the respite seems to be wavering now.


"No, I'm adopted." I laugh, as a massive dragon foot lands near Madeline.
"You sounded like you thought I would be an amusing companion, so I figure you should at least meet the family." I say, letting the dragonling on my shoulder sniff at the comparatively massive dragon head that leans down near me. "
"And if you think you can dump me off a cliff, then I'll let dad know I'd like an... escort, if you will."
Pause.
"Or do you not want to meet the rest of my family?" I challenge.

The red-scaled dragoness looks down at Madeline, watching her carefully.

 

Imp-chan offers the potion bottle to Ihra, smiling.


Stephanie takes the copper back up to the connector, trying to melt it once again as a makeshift repair.


Madeline stretches her wings out, before gracefully backflipping onto the top of the arcade; touching down for barely a second before leaping into a quick flight away - the winds aiding her.

Abigail watches Madeline go, though she doesn't say much, seeming to take the scene in for once.

 

"N-no, but thanks. I don't drink."


It... sort of works? It doesn't spark anymore, but it clearly isn't working optimally.


The dragoness watches her leave with a quiet growl.

"Thanks for the heads-up. Sorry for the scare." I say, turning to Abigail. "I don't like people who beat around the bush. You either tell it to me straight, or you tell it to the family." I chuckle. "Anyhow, what'd you want?" I ask, as 'Mom' heads through a fairly massive portal leading to a forest of sorts.