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Post by Zane on Mar 24, 2023 11:18:40 GMT -8
It was a black and desolate area. The roads were completely flat, slightly transparent platforms and were gray, the only other color in the space being the absolutely blinding flow of matter, data, and light itself around the edges of the Server towards a fixed, black point at its center.
There was an evident presence of intense gravity in the space around them, but it didn't affect Faith in the same way as it did the rest around her. Almost as though the gravity was bending around her, not affecting her at all.
Now was a large, gray platform, amid a massive expanse. Crisscrossing roads of black and grey branched out, rose from, and bent away from this central platform in all directions, rising up and stretching around one another to create an intricate lattice. If given the time, exploring this expansive Server would be quite the task without getting lost. Even now, staring at the edges of her vision, it seemed as though the expanse was getting farther away.
Below, fathomless darkness that descended without end, every now and again a bright flash moving past her in the void beneath. Above and around, what looked like streams of data flowed from every angle, passing overhead and around the platform, traveling in an arc to give the sense that the Server around them was in motion - like they were orbiting something. Just like one could move on Earth without being impacted by that orbit, their platform seemed to stand still in respect to them, the rest of the Server in motion. Impossibly large shadows passing overhead gave the impression of something much larger floating about inside the void, just out of sight.
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Post by Warrior on Mar 24, 2023 14:16:36 GMT -8
#s://i~imgur~com/Pth93Lo~png This was jarring indeed.
She'd have considered beckoning for Sirius just now, but she was reminded that he mentioned he was compromised, so it would be better to leave him out of this for a bit longer.
There weren't many options presented here, so she'd go for the most obvious one and see where that led her: advancing onward into the massive network to see what she could uncover from its mysteries.
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Post by Zane on Mar 24, 2023 15:03:02 GMT -8
Due to the vast expanse of space before her, to say that she would have an easy time pinpointing the mysteries would be a lie one way or another. Not without any clues anyway. But that was at least something that might have explained why the extraordinary gravity wasn't influencing her. That had a different explanation in the past, but why that was happening now had a different reason. Some of the lights and even the massive shadows that loomed above were moving in a direction at this point, and one who had full knowledge of what was in the collection, though they likely forgot all they owned due to how often it was simply done for amusement's sake alone, would already be missing or drifting off in a marked direction in the vast distance.
While there was a pull in one direction that wasn't influencing her, there were still many roads that led elsewhere. Those led elsewhere of course and with as many options as possible, she could opt to traverse down one of thirty roads instead of following the massive pull to what was likely the epicenter of the singularity. But if there was something that wasn't being pulled in that direction, then what could those be?
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Post by Warrior on Mar 25, 2023 12:44:39 GMT -8
#s://i~imgur~com/Pth93Lo~png Faith did have to wonder why she wasn't affected by the pull. She figured that it was either something she had or something she was -- and it was fairly common knowledge that being human didn't make one immune to gravity. With that in mind, she'd traverse one of the many paths opposite of the singularity, seeing if she could find out what else resisted its pull.
It was unclear whether Deav or Vamin were here before her, but if they were, then perhaps their Minerals were what gave her resistance to the gravity? Or perhaps it was the minerals from Rosso and Blu? Perhaps her dagger and the plethora of data it had consumed? It was hard to say.
Nonetheless, as she went about exploring, she'd hold out any of the aforementioned items to see if the pull was stronger on those than on herself -- if so, then it was fair to say that they would have been pulled in as well if they weren't on her person. She didn't hold them out too far in fear of losing her grip against the powerful force, but just enough to feel a resistance. And if any of them didn't show that resistance, then perhaps that was what enabled her to stand against it.
And if none of them or all of them did? It'd be hard to gleam anything from that, but at least she wasn't slowing herself by trying while she continued her advance.
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Post by Zane on Mar 26, 2023 19:10:29 GMT -8
As she moved through each step, the Minerals showed no signs of any distinct changes while her dagger did not this time as well as she held them out. They did feel even less influenced by the gravity than she did, certainly beyond whatever pull was here. But there was a shift when they were held out as she would notice that the pathway began to accelerate, as while it couldn't pull her faster the road that she walked was a different story. The roads this way would begin to converge, reaching the final destination that rested at the end of it. One figure flew about the space like a jet before changing shape in the air.
Standing at 9 foot tall was a large being by design in all forms. Gold in form and trimmed with a duller hue of the same, he had elongated shoulders that point upward, having a straight and narrow head akin to a spear, much like his two shoulders. He had a protrusion from the side of both wrists as well as an opening in his back, scarlet orbs that may have represented eyes looking over her.
"Faith, is it? Bold of you to venture this far on your own. Curiosity and all that..."
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Post by Warrior on Mar 26, 2023 19:41:25 GMT -8
#s://i~imgur~com/stQVi94~png " Indeed! The bane of cats all around the world. "
And cats had nine lives -- all the more deadly curiosity could be.
Faith's enthusiasm wasn't absent, of course. Perhaps the elongated silence left her a bit more thrilled than usual to hear her voice again. If nothing else, her avatar icon finally changed.
She looked the figure over as well, taking note of its ability to change forms on the fly and the red "eyes" it had. Its appearance gave off halcyon vibes. Perhaps that was why, then?
" Can't say I know how far out I really am, though. Definitely not in Kansas anymore. "
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Post by Zane on Mar 27, 2023 5:30:07 GMT -8
"In terms of how far your science has come, 'far' is the best you're going to understand. Explaining it any further than that would just equate to nonsense for you. But I suppose Sirius ran off at the mouth, so maybe that helps."
It would make sense for her to hear Sirius speak and write off his whole spiel as the ramblings of some self-important EM Being as he labelled himself. To take it a step further, either that wasn't just a much of nonsense he went on about or he had others to corroborate his story. The elevation didn't lower and maintained the height and distance advantage, the feel of the gravity beginning to return to Faith now. It was growing more intense by the second and showed no signs of stopping. If it reached its logical conclusion, it would be a rather swift outcome when it reached past her threshold.
"It may be troublesome for you to get back all on your own now that you've come this far. Physics and all that, along with the collapsing platforms."
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Post by Warrior on Mar 28, 2023 15:45:08 GMT -8
#s://i~imgur~com/stQVi94~png " Right... "
She could feel the gravity beginning to take hold, now. She'd resist as much as she could while it continued to grow, but it'd eventually overtake her regardless. It made it all the more difficult to determine what had allowed her to circumvent it before, or perhaps it was some sort of delayed onset that she was experiencing, if that even made sense in this context.
The being made it quite clear that she wasn't going to grasp the reasoning behind it no matter how hard she tried. She'd challenge him to test that theory if she'd had more time, but that was something she was running out of now as she slowly skid backward from the intensifying pull.
" ... and I don't suppose you're in a generous mood. "
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Post by Zane on Mar 28, 2023 18:55:51 GMT -8
"Much like the black hole, I'm not very generous. But unlike it I can be bartered with. The dagger."
Something she had been dreading ever since that encounter with Blu at Sharo. She had taken the measures originally to circumvent that fear, but due to a few mishaps that were unavoidable, she was to be reminded of it once again. The time back then it didn't seem to be a concern for the other, but perhaps it had more relevance than was implied from the beginning? Time was of the essence, so snap decisions would need to be made regardless as the reality of the situation settled in further and further.
"After that I can send you on your way. But if you don't take one of the other roads, you'll be met by resistance on your way out. If you want a safer return, you'll have to accept a somewhat bumpier ride in exchange."
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Post by Warrior on Apr 1, 2023 13:17:58 GMT -8
#s://i~imgur~com/Pth93Lo~png " Hmph. "
It sounded like a snarl made in reluctant agreement at first, but as the moment continued and she hadn't offered up the dagger, it became more clear that this was a grunt made in stubborn refusal.
" Barter with the black hole -- you'll have better luck. "
She'd normally have a quippy line prepared instead, but these would serve better for last words.
There was probably another desperate play left in the book -- the notion of merging with the alternate Sirius trapped in the singularity didn't escape her, since while she'd still be trapped herself and bonded with a compromised being, she'd also be alive -- but even that was at the mercy of the gravity that continued to overtake her. She continued resisting it despite her ultimatum, kneeling down now to give her body more friction with the platform, but there wasn't much ground left for her to skid through.
If nothing else, taking the dagger with her into the void kept it out of... comfortable reach. And if this was to be her final play, it was better than her previous brushes with death now that it'd at least be somewhat productive.
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Post by Zane on Apr 2, 2023 4:58:23 GMT -8
"Hmph. You're not wrong."The negotiations had fallen through. Then it was only a matter of following through with the inevitable here. Resist as she might, the final platform would eventually give way as she would be sent adrift in the vastness of the black hole to be crushed underneath its pressure like everything else. He would watch it unfold just the same to ensure that fact. It would be the end of her resistance and soon after he would do his part to collect even if it was deemed unnecessary. But that observation would be cut short as Faith would find herself falling through a different rift to a place much unlike this one.
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