Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

Stephanie and Artemis keep going until they're out of sight; even if they have to leave the realm entirely - just to sneak back.

 

They wind up having to do just that, though the guards are all already on high alert.

 

Artemis and Stephanie retrace their steps, trying to avoid bumping into the guards in the process.

 

The garden is still on fire, but the group does manage to make it just as far as they had.

 

Stephanie checks her map - tome shrouded to those that aren't her - and tries to find an alternate way in that doesn't require going through the garden.

 

There are a few, the most straightforward and least deviant from the already made path being a vent from the roof.

 

Artemis and Stephanie sneak into the vent, trying to be quiet as they do so.

 

Getting in quietly is the easy part, but there’s a fairly noticable click that reverberates through the duct once the duo starts moving.

 

The pair freeze up, trying to stay as quiet as possible while seeing if anyone noticed.

 

It doesn’t appear that they’ve been caught, though relatively cool air rushes by at a rapid rate. Probably a sign the palace is going to also be suffocatingly hot.

 

The pair move with the air, quietly making their way toward the palace.

 

The vent leads out into the bunk room, which is somewhat busy considering the recently raised alert.

 

Artemis and Stephanie wait for the bunk room to empty a little before sneaking out of the vent and trying to find a way to where Atavul reincarnates.

 

Good news, the map shows that the bunk room is just down the hall from the reincarnation chamber.
Bad news, the group can hear scraping sounds as if heavy equipment is being moved.

 

Artemis and Stephanie sneak over to the source of the scraping sounds, curious.

 

Guards are moving some sort of heavy equipment away from the reincarnation chamber; what may have been a one stop vandalizing job seems to now involve more stops.

 

Stephanie tries to get a little closer to the equipment, trying to figure out what it is.

 

She can’t get any closer without leaving the vents, but some of it appears to be a part of a weapon.
“Oh, you lot are ahead of schedule? Wonderful, I suppose I can get to it shortly. You’ve added the latest modifications to haven, correct?” Atavul’s voice booms through the hall.

“...Perfect. What about their supplies?”

Pause.

“You’re telling me they diverted CIVILIAN supplies to a MILITARY effort?!”

“They’re mindless drones! Like hell he’s going to feed them with stuff meant for my people!”

Atavul storms off again.

 

Stephanie and Artemis wait a little longer, before quietly exiting the vents and trying to get to the reincarnation chamber.

 

There seem to be no guards in the hallway the vent exit is, though a strange sight does catch your eye only a few paces around the corner;
A sealed Xlentia is being dragged towards the reincarnation chambers.