Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"Praecantatia mentioned no followers. I have already warned you to leave once." Emerald drones, blank purple eyes still staring at Artemis.

 

"Did she mention her daughter, Stephanie?" Stephanie repeats, trying to get through.

"Where should we go? You're blocking our only exit." Artemis asks.

 

"She did not mention a daughter, and she did not acknowledge my query regarding a daughter named 'Stephanie.' I will say this one last time; turn back and leave. Do so on your own volition and I will spare you the pain of forcing you to do so." She drones.

 

"Where do you wish us to go?" I ask, "We entered here through a one way entrance. Shall we simply leave this palace?"

"Would you at least-" Stephanie says, before I cut her off with a look.

 

"Anywhere but here." Emerald drones.

 

Artemis, Stephanie and I try to get out of Emerald's sight, while trying to stay within the walls of the void palace.

Once out of sight - after checking to make sure we're not followed - I perk up (otherwise getting further away from Emerald).

"Well, clearly she's gone demented with some weird fangirl obsession with Praecantatia, and with the rift block, we probably can't get through to her." I say.

"I'm still pretty tired after keeping that invisibility spell up for so long." Stephanie says, taking out another blue potion and drinking it.

"Atavul was far too prepared for us. He probably got all of that information from the guardians he captured," Artemis says, spite in her voice, "We need to get Emerald to allow us through the rift though."

"I've got a plan, actually," I say, "Stephanie, you sort of look like Praecantatia, right? Just cast a couple of illusion spells to make yourself look more like her. Change your hair to be completely purple, make yourself look huge, and change out of your armour. We might be able to trick Emerald into thinking you're Praecantatia and then make her open the rift for us."

"I need to rest, but we can try." Stephanie says, sounding tired but nodding.

"We should find somewhere safer to camp out while Stephanie recovers, somewhere Emerald or someone working with her won't stumble on us for a while." Artemis suggests.

Stephanie groans a little, tired.

 

"You could try Xlentia'sss chambersss." Mavis hisses, coiled around a nearby statue.

 

"I suppose with Xlentia gone the last place she'd think to look would be her actual chambers..." I say, thinking.

"She obeys Stephanie's mother now. I don't think she really cares about Xlentia." Artemis says, glancing around to keep track of those around her.

"Plus we could probably take some of Xlentia's gold. To...fund future endeavors into Atavul's place." I say.

"I thought we had decided we were going to ask Abigail to help out?" Artemis asks, getting ready to move.

I shrug, before disappearing into Stephanie's body, who seems to get a jolt of energy.

"Thanks for the advice." Artemis says to Mavis sincerely, before heading to Xlentia's chambers with Stephanie - being cautious of Emerald possibly snooping around.

 

Judging by the amount of magic, Emerald hasn't moved from her post at the library.

"Ssstay sssafe." Mavis hisses, nodding.


Her chambers are empty, sans the armor pieces (and intact mage crystals) and her gold.

 

"What's all this armour doing here? Isn't it supposed to be on Xlentia instead of on the floor?" I comment as I appear next to Stephanie as she walks in.

"Mum probably wants the crystals back, so we should probably collect those." Stephanie says, though going to sit in the pile of gold.

I go to pick one of the large mage crystals up, though upon touching it, get a rather strong magical shock.

"Ow." I say, waving my hand out.

"Oh...I guess mum...must've protected them..." Stephanie says, dozing off. Artemis walks over to Stephanie, taking up a guard-like position over her.

While Stephanie rests, I decide to dig through Xlentia's gold pile for any bits of interesting treasure.

 

There doesn't seem to be much other than common gold and jewels. While largely uninteresting, it's certainly typical of a dragon.

 

I look at some of the jewels, though keep digging.

About and hour and a half or so later, Stephanie wakes up from her nap, stretching. She rubs her back a little from sleeping on gold coins, though seems ready to move.

"Did anything happen while I was asleep?" Stephanie asks, getting up and walking closer to Artemis.

"Other than Aj digging through Xlentia's belongings, no." Artemis says reassuringly.

"Let's get moving then." I say, sliding down the gold pile toward Artemis and Stephanie.

Stephanie taps her chest and takes off her cloak, diappearing armour revealing rather casual clothing underneath - not too unlike Praecantatia's normal choice of clothes, however. She focuses her magic, putting a hand on her head as purple bleeds through the black to the tips. Stephanie then pushes her hands outward, then apart, and she appears to grow to Praecantatia's sort of size; Stephanie's actual form seeming to disappear in place of the illusion.

"You...do bear quite a resemblance to Praecantatia now. The hair helps." Artemis says, looking up at Stephanie and nodding slowly.

"The lack of a cloak also helps, since your magic is visible now. She might just buy it." I say, smiling.

"Well...let's see if Emerald buys it." Stephanie whispers at what seems to be normal talking volume; her voice amplified with the illusion.

A giant Stephanie, Artemis and I head back to the library, Stephanie trying to walk with a more commanding, god-like presence.

 

Emerald still stands in the way, checking Stephanie's soul to see if it matches with Praecantatia's.

 

Stephanie's soul seems to be linked with Praecantatia's, though it's not an exact match to hers.

"Greetings, fervent disciple," Stephanie says, trying to sound like her mother, "I see you have done well following my orders to protect the rift, but I have an additional order for you to follow. Let me, my daughter Stephanie, and her friends Artemis and Aj through the rift whenever they please."

 

Emerald stares into Stephanie's eyes before rising towards the ceiling.
"Let the barrier decide. Step through, and your will shall be done. Be annihilated, and you will have put yourself in your place." She says, not seeming fooled.

 

"As your goddess, I demand you lower it for my daughter and her friends," Stephanie says assertively, "Or shall I call for Mortius' minions to put you in a more submissive place?"

 

"I obey Praecantatia. You are not Praecantatia." Emerald says, descending again with energy orbs in hand. "If you wish to prove me wrong, walk through. If you are not annihilated, I will lift the physical barriers."

 

"Well...I'll do that because I am Praecantatia. When I prove you wrong, I shall have you annihilated instead!" Stephanie says with false confidence, stepping up to the barrier and trying to put her hand through.

Artemis and I both hold our breath, not stepping in to try and keep the illusion up.

 

Stephanie feels a fairly potent drain and her hand feels numb, but it does pass through.
Emerald pauses, before lowering a few of the barriers - albeit not the annihilation plane.
"Bring back the real one." Emerald drones.

 

"We'll be fine, Stephanie. Just get Praecantatia!" I say, before running off with Artemis to hide.

Stephanie leaps through, bracing herself for impact through the barrier as she does so.