(gonna edit this when I get home with visuals and such)
"C'mon, ya'll are too fucking slow." Groaning, Drew spun on the heel of his boots as he raised his arms to lace his hands behind his head, walking backwards. His eyes fixed on the other two trailing behind him, lazily displaying a grin.
"You're the one who's going too fast, Drew." Arianna chimed in as agitation webbed into her words, the sound of hurried footsteps beating against the parched, sunbaked earth - filling the otherwise silent and stale air.
"It's not our fault you agreed to this on our behalf. Now we have to travel to the middle of bum-fuck nowhere because of you. And for what?" Roderic voiced his opinion as he made no effort to increase his stride. Sweat beaded at the top of his brow before trickling down his temple, slowly making its descent to trace his jawline before dripping off. "A stupid rite-of-passage to join a dumbass club." He continued as he drew his foot back, kicking a lone pebble and sending it skittering down an uncoordinated path.
"Hey, do you guys see that?" Lifting her right hand to point ahead with a steady index finger, the girl directed their gaze to follow into the distance where strikes of indigo lightning flashed wildly. Their eyes widened as they blinked in disbelief, wondering if the heat was prompting unwarranted hallucinations - but quickly realized they were all seeing the same surreal sight. "I've never seen anything like that before." She stared - both in morbid curiosity and fear - quietly wondering what on earth could be provoking such an otherworldly display.
"Only one way to find out." Drew casually shrugged, seemingly unfazed by the phenomenon as he began to walk towards the unusual storm without hesitation. Arianna hesitated before peering over her shoulder to give Roderic a regretful glance before scurrying to walk alongside Drew, not wanting to be left behind. Roderic let out a long and weary breath as he slipped both hands into his pockets, trudging after them with reluctant steps.
It took the trio nearly twenty minutes to reach the edge of the indigo storm, noticing that each step forward prompted the air to grow more volatile. It was thick with tension and static, as if the atmosphere itself had transformed into a living electromagnetic field. The fine hairs that riddled their bodies began to bristle, their nerve endings flaring as an instinctive urge coursed through their veins - to run. Rocky debris began to levitate off from the ground, suspended in defiance to the gravity that bounded this world as arcs of purplish-blue lightning crackled against the eerie sky.
"Uh… I don't think this is normal." Arianna voiced the obvious as her head whirled around in each direction, searching for anything that made sense in the area. Her hands curled into fists as she clutched them close to her chest - as if physically attempting to hold herself together.
"No shit." Roderic spat out as irritation barely veiled the unease that creeped beneath his skin. The closer they approached, the more surreal the landscape became, noticing a fissure coming into view as its depths lined with glowing crystals, writhing lightning, and clusters of levitating rock that suspended into the electromagnetic air. Crystal-like formations jutted out from the jagged cracked earth, rising as if they were unnatural spires. The fracture around the indigo quarts pulsated within its depths, as if thumping like a heartbeat. Its eerie light throbbed in rhythmic waves, the unnatural sight rooting the trio in place - a silent agreement passing between them that this was no ordinary storm.
Drew began to sway from side-to-side as dizziness was beginning to settle, while Arianna absentmindedly scratched at her arms - skin tingling with an unusual sensation she couldn't explain. Neither of them voiced the changes they were experiencing, being too focused and drawn into the unusual circumstance as they ventured closer. Roderic, who once trudged along with boredom, now stood on the edge of the crack as his eyes glinted with eager excitement. Leaning his upper-half forward his eyes locked onto the pulsating orb nestled deep within the laceration. "Woah, look! I wonder how much that would sell for!" Childlike wonder erupted from his voice as Drew stepped up beside him, curiosity overriding the caution he should've abided to.
"No way!" Drew laughed in disbelief as he ran his fingers through his hair. His eyes skated over the massive cluster of the very resource they used in Elaris to power their tools and gear - everything that their technology relied on a daily basis. "I need to get a reading on this, there ain't no way…" He mumbled as he reached into his pocket to pull out his scanner. As his fingers danced over the power button, the screen distorted before the device sparked - dying within his hand. "What… it short-circuited." Turning the device over in his hand, he inspected it from every angle before hurling it into the pit in a fit of frustration. "Damn it, I just got that thing!"
The sound of liquid splattering against the ground reverberated in the air, causing Drew and Roderic's attention to be drawn to the sound in an instant. Snapping, their heads whipped around to the sound, only to find Arianna hunched over and retching violently as the contents of her lunch spilled from her opened mouth. The putrid scent of stomach acid quickly filled the air as the girl spat the remnants out, her nose wrinkling from the scent. "I don't… I don't really feel so good, can we head back?" The girl used the back of her hand to clean the liquid off from her lips, her cheeks flushing with heated embarrassment for vomiting in front of them.
"Dude, we just found this gold mine, ain't no way we're leaving without taking something." Roderic didn't register Arianna's discomfort as his attention was solely consumed by the glittering trove in front of him. Bending down, his fingers gripped along the jagged edge as he was preparing to squeeze into the narrow fissure when a faint flicker of light caught his eye. Pausing in mid-motion, his gaze drifted towards his hands, watching as a faint eerie glow traced the veins on the back of his hands. They pulsed in rhythm to the crystals below, causing the man's entire body to go rigid - the thrill he once experienced now shifting into something horrific.
"Uh…" Drew stumbled back a few steps as a sinking realization began to take shape, his vision still swimming in a sea of dizziness. His eyes darted between his friends as unease sharpened in his gut, making him want to vomit with Arianna. "Guys. We need to leave. Now." His tone was assertive, leaving no room for argument. "I have a feeling it's this place… something about it is messing with us. I don't want us sticking around to see how much worse it gets." Leaning down as he reached for Roderic's arm, he urged him to stand from the fissure's edge, the man not resisting as his gaze remained locked onto his glowing veins. Arianna quietly trailed behind as a lone hand pressed against her mouth, fighting back another wave of nausea.
——
By the time the trio made it back to Elaris, the radiation had already taken root. Drew continued to stagger due to being unable to find his footing as waves of dizziness grappled his head. Roderic's veins pulsated with an unnatural neonglow beneath the skin's surface, while Arianna's arms shimmered with crystalline scales, slowly spreading like frost over flesh.
Fear and uncertainty grappled the trio, and out of fear for their lives they sought out a local doctor. Stunned by their condition they wasted no time in reporting the incident to the Accord Division, who then quickly spread the word to travel up the chain, making it reach the ears of the Lumen Circle itself.
Reluctant at first and hoping they could keep the discovery to themselves, the trio eventually had to reveal the location of the fissure. Their confession set off a chain reaction of activity, where teams of scientists, engineers, scholars, and other specialists were dispatched off to investigate the disturbance, aiming to uncover the source of the anomalies. The trio themselves quickly became test subjects, studying their symptoms while offering a rare glimpse into the unknown phenomenon’s lingering effects. Through them, they could better understand how it altered the body, how long the mutations lasted, and what risks it posed to others that would be studying it on site.
Since the discovery, Elaris officially designated the site as The Fracture Zone, while the radiant orb throbbing within its center was named The Core. Quickly it became clear that proximity was a major factor in accelerating the stages of mutations, prompting researchers to quickly develop specialized suits that warded off the Core's volatile energy in order to investigate the source. In spite of the dangers, there was also a remarkable breakthrough that the Core provided. It managed to power equipment with unprecedented efficiency, and in rare cases, was able to grant individuals unique abilities without any visible side effects.
Word traveled fast as it reached the shadowed depths of Virelow, where many saw opportunity in an attempt to claim a piece of the prize for themselves. Violent skirmishes broke out as many scavengers and opportunists attempted to ransack the Fracture Zone, only to be repelled by Elarian soldiers - declaring control over the territory. For a time the chaos was relentless, but eventually the conflict began to simmer down.
Rumors continued to travel as whispers spread through the undercity and Elaris. There was talk that someone within Elaris was secretly funneling gragements into Virelow, while others stated that a new fissure opened somewhere within Virelow, having access within their own borders. Whether it was truth or myth, one thing was certain…
That the line between risk and reward began to blur, and was beginning to evolve into a promise of untapped potential if they played their cards right.
"Tyr, can you pass me the Quantum Flux Stylus?" Luneth asked with a calm but focused tone, examining a fragment held delicately within her thumb and index finger - sheathed in resonance gauntlets inside a sealed glass chamber. The shard pulsed faintly within her grasp as her SpectraScope Lens Strapped against her head flickered with data, reading back the intensity.
Once the stylus was passed over to her, she slipped out of the gloves to place it into the chamber carefully before wielding it inside. Her fingers began to work as she etched careful symbols with precision into the crystal-like surface. Each mark shimmered faintly under the watchful lens - a coded system for the Lumen Council to later identify, categorize, and safely disperse according to its properties.
"Annnnnnnd, done!" The Noctari girl scooted her chair back as she let out a satisfied ground, stretching her limbs outwards as if attempting to shake off the weight of the entire day in the single movement. "That was the busiest day yet, phew…" Slumping back into the seat, she exhaled dramatically. Relaxing for a fleeting moment, a soft thud filled the air as her boots found the floor again, her hands quick to gather the tools and returning each one with practiced ease to its proper place on the workbench.
"Mind getting the fragments into the transfer bag for me?" Casually she asked Tyr as her eyes focused on organizing the area rather than waiting for a response. "I'm seeing mom today so I can drop them off myself this time around." Her tone was easy, almost hinting that she was absent-minded - yet her hands moved with intention.
Once finished, Luneth happily took the containment pouch form Tyr, feeling the fragments shift and rattle inside - like marbles clashing against each other in a cloth bag. "Honestly, I still don't feel great carrying this, even with the protective pouch." Her voice was tinged with caution as she admitted Her concern, knowing all too well that despite the advanced technology with the Core, there were still flaws that could arise due to how new it was.
"Whelp, I'll be off then! See ya later in class or in the lab. And, if you need anything, don't hesitate to message me." With that, she spun on her heel and headed for the door, her steps purposeful with each stride as she made her way towards the Lumen Circle headquarters - within the heart of the Apex Spire Forum.
Walking inside of the building, the young woman offered polite nods and brief smiles to those she crossed, many of them being people she'd known and grown up seeing since she was little. Despite her history with her mother, the Lumen Circle headquarters felt like a second home - its towering halls filled with history and purpose.
Before she approached the stairs, a familiar figure caught her peripheral vision. "Hey, Augus!" Calling out, her free hand waved enthusiastically, jogging over to close the distance once their eyes met. "We got a lot done today, I was dropping these off with mom so you guys can start distributing them in various sectors." Augus was no stranger, instead he was someone she had crossed paths with plenty of time growing up, especially since his late parents held positions with the Lumen Circle. Their shared history made conversation seamless and natural, even amidst the high-stakes work surrounding the Core.
"One quantum flux stylus." Tyr replied, relaxed and observant as he'd watch Luneth's diligent, near tunneled work. Her focus to the task was admirable, even if there was idle, haphazard spoken bander involved. In a way, that was the charm of his classmate, especially during lab work. It made otherwise mind numbing days go by quicker, which was always a relief. As Luneth worked, he'd jot down the neccessary filing, and ledgers of the production, all legally necessary for the production and transfer of fragments such as these.
Well ahead on the matter, Tyr listened to Luneth speak her mind, brewing a pot of coffee that left an ambient aroma of the fresh brew floating about the room. He'd pour some into a mug, taking a sip, his eyes clearly showing some fatigue. When she finished with a cheer and stretch, Tyr set the mug down, beginning to gather the fragments into a transfer bags. Each one gave him a rather... 'peculiar' feeling before they were sealed. It wasn't the usual ambiance of such, the spark of it's odd energy, but oddly, almost indescribably, a feeling more equivilant to a when you know somebody is stood behind you without looking.
With the bags and case prepped, he'd put the paper work into a sleeve for Luneth to take, setting a travel cup with coffee nearby for her. "See you later. Don't forget, they're doing a fragment Ambient Field Test tomorrow. It'll look good on a resume." He'd say nonchalantly, taking his mug as he'd wave her off. Once Luneth left, Tyr exhaled, sipping his coffee, then sat in her seat, pulling out a pair of gloves, before reaching under the table for a fragment he had hidden in a bag under the table with some tape, then pocketed it in his coat, downing the coffee, then walking out the lab.
Crossing cities was usually done during fixed sunlight hours, at least, for the general populations. Of course, one could attempt to sneak in, smuggle themself in, bribe a guard, or apply for a pass that allowed travel at any hour, though the least trouble was a simple daytime transit. Less attention, less likely to be suspect. With the fragment in tow, Tyrphanis entered Virelow, dressed in rags and robes fitting the city's aesthetic. Then, it was a matter of waiting at the Havenwall for his contact's blackmarket doctor, chemist, mixed bag. Whoever he recommended, they better be good, and willing to experiment on a core frag.
"To think, it's already been a year since we lost you." ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: 2ʜʀꜱ+ | ᴛᴏʙɪ ʟᴏᴜ
"What a waste of liquor." Hidden well away from the general chaos of Virelow's streets was a crack in the wall that held a secret behind it: The grave of a father rusted after months spent decaying in the dark. Two siblings had stood in front of a metal headstone. One of them, a white haired woman in a lab coat, poured a bottle in respect to the man who gave up so much for them. The other, a white haired man dressed in his urban, gang-colored streetwear, crossed his arms while leaning his back against the metal walls of the solemn resting place. To him, there was never anything of value inside the makeshift grave. To him, his father was only good at two things, bringing tragedy to his children and being a piece of shit father who was never there when they needed him most.
"Summer," Her brother called out to her. "No point in wasting good drink on the dead, especially on some worthless asshole like him. Fucker couldn't even die right. Had to die in a shootout out of all things." The warrior was bitter over the fact that his father's mistakes alone were the reason why his life had ended up like this. Once a reputable soldier for Elaris who had the world to gain, his ties to his father was what ultimately made him end up in this shithole of a living space. While he was able to make a living here once again through contracts with less than well-meaning characters, it was a far cry from the glory and status he won over on the surface. All the sacrifice he made serving people he would've preferred breaking the jaws had all become a waste. "Besides, we need to get a move on. Didn't you say we needed to meet with some egghead noctari from the surface?"
"Winter. You know he's more than that to us. More than that to me." Unlike her brother, Summer's intelligence was a product of the sacrifices her father made to protect his influence. Due to his service as an influential captain of the Elarian guard, working with noteworthy scientists like their late mother from the G-12 labs to protective sensitive information and classified documents, she had a rare opportunity to learn from some of the best minds that Elaris had to offer, leading to her influence with some of the major gangs and cults of Virelow growing into the way it did. "If it wasn't for him, we could've been born here or born poor in Elaris. Sure, was he perfect? No. But did he give us opportunities to grow? Absolutely. If only mom were here to talk to you." She grew quiet near the end, understanding that Winter was different. His birth was the reason why his father was widowed in the first place. "She would know what to say."
"Well, she isn't here now is she?" Shoving his hands into his pockets, Winter walked towards the crack in the wall that led to the outside. "Make it quick, yeah? I'm not..." He paused, being careful with his words. If it were anyone else, the veteran wouldn't have minded tearing into them with his truth. However, Summer was his only family and she was the only one who he felt could truly understand his situation. "... I'm not going to pull you away, but we got better things to do than cry over someone who isn't here anymore." Leaving her to her lonesome to smoke outside, Summer placed the half empty bottle right beside her father's grave. "Don't be angry at him dad. He's trying his best, like I am. Here, I got you your favorite liquor too. Say hi to mom for me. I'll talk to you again when our job is done."
Making her words quick and concise given their time constraint, Summer muttered a quick prayer before returning outside back to Winter's side. "Finished? Heard that there was a bar that opened up near the Havenwall. A half decent one too. Should be open by the time we get there." Looking at his scrap watch, he adjusted the hands towards that of the neon lights of buildings in the distance. Depending on the time of day, different stores were open, giving him an approximation as to the right time using Summer's formulae.
"Hope he doesn't get somehow wasted before he pays us."
Sitting across each other at an open air bar that sat at the exterior of a strip club near the Havenwall built to capitalize on those who wished to lose their sorrows, Summer had offered a light for the cig sitting in Winter's mouth. Despite his attempts at feigning strength when surrounded by death, she was aware of the signs that his past was getting the better of him: One of the most obvious being that of forgetting that a cig was in his mouth to begin with. As he leaned towards the spark of fire in her hand, once he felt the warmth extend closely to his mouth, he inhaled the special concoction formulated by his sister to help him deal with the aftereffects of his trauma.
"When is this fuckface gonna be here already?" His knee shook anxiously as his foot continued to tap at the floor rapidly. The area around there was not owned by his gang or that of allies. In part, it was this combined with the generally gloomy surroundings that made his mind regretful and bitter. "If he died or got nabbed before reaching us in the first place, its not our responsibility." Sighing, Summer herself took a sip of the alcohol they ordered, finding a sense of calm in the same flavors her father and her shared back when he was alive.
"Relax Winter, just trust me. You think I would just work with anybody from Elaris?" Somewhat returning to her ordinary personality, the cockiness she had donned as a shield had returned to her once she had drink in her system. [The man coming from the surface is much more than any ordinary student. He has possession of a fragment.] Speaking in hushed tones, she whispered directly into the magical implant embedded in his ear, communicating at a frequency that only they could hear.
"Don't think I haven't done my research, Winter. Most who know of me up there aren't likely to want to get involved with me unless they have something important on the line." Swirling her glass, she eyed some of the memorials scattered nearby the ruins of the wall. "Give him a bit more credit and lets focus on our drinks. No point in wasting the opportunity after spending money already."
Lifting her glass, she clinked it against her brothers before getting a read on the locals nearby. Her brother was far from the only guard she had in her employ, though there were still many strangers about. "Who knows? Maybe after we get paid, with your cut, you might find yourself a nice Elarian girl to date... Or take home." She chuckled, teasing Winter to pass the time and change his mood.
"...You're a fucking dumbass, Sum. Which girl would be dumb enough in Elaris to get involved with someone like me?" Turning his eyes towards the barely dressed women and men that served drinks around, he pointed a finger towards the staff passing nearby. "My odds at romance are better here with some stripper, thief, or killer on this side of the border rather than some noble girl above. Besides... I tried that already. It didn't work out when they died." His hand gripped his drink. "... Let's move on from this and focus on the job, yeah?"
It didn't take long to locate the contact's doctor. Havenwall square had it's prying eyes, but that's what Tyrphanis was using, narrowing their focus to a pair, likely related, with striking white hair, the ones he was looking for. Approaching the table, he'd pull a empty chair over, placing it at their table, and casually taking a seat. He'd knock on the table twice, then raised a hand with a coin between his fingers. A server approached, a young man, doing likely his best to earn some semblance of a honest wage. Tyr then spoke, his voice was shallow, deep, and unnervingly calm. "Three." He'd say laconically. The waiter then nodded, took the coin and moved past, only for the raised hand to tug the server as he held the coin. Raising his left hand, Tyrphanis showed three more coins. "The bottle, block of ice, and an ice shaver." The server looked confused, but after a moment's hesitation, the sight of such a generous tip was too much to spare. He'd nod, take the coins, avd run off. Tryphanus reached over, unraveling his tied wraps of a scarf, grabbing the sides of his hood to lower it, allowing piercing gray eyes to look back at them. Initially, he appeared anything but intimidating, but it didn't take long for one to notice the cold, soul piercing, removed gaze subconsciously about him, as if he could see through them, at the things they held dearest and closest to their hearts.
The server arrived, setting a wooden board upon the table with a bottle of dark red port, three classes, and a block of ice perhaos just shy of sitting into one glass. The server then left, leaving the ice shaving knife for Tyrphanis. Tyr took the blade, then tilted the ice with his free hand, slowly moved, then suddenly shaved off an entire side of it, the blade chopping against the board suddenly. Then, again, another side. "It is said ice is hard like stone..."
chop
"And yet, with enough practice..."
chop
"It is sliced like butter."
Tyrphanis tilted the ice, chipping the bottom of it as he rotated the ice, then scooped it into a glass, collected the shaved parts on the flat end of the knife, and dropped them into the glass before taking the bottle of port, pouring some of the liquor strength, cherry and blackberry wine known as port, with hints of brandy from being aged in a barrel used for such prior, into the glass, pushing it into the center of the table, then slight towards Summer.
"I need someone who can, in a manner of speaking, take a small bit of the ice off the top, and amplify it's reactive.... flavor. I'd recommend no more then pebble size, shaven off the whole, done where nobody will see, and where you can keep your distance, should things get interesting. Findings written, of course." The empty glass near Winter had a package in it, that almost seemed to... shimmer under it's wrappings.
"Naturally, safety first. I can't pay corpses, and concidering you're each other's next of kin..." Tyrphanis paused, a light glance between them, a silent 'I know'.
His own glass was dull of cash, and slid over with the bottle. "When you get results, trice the reward. Bottle is on the house." He'd stand at that, pausing as rain began to fall, slowly, then all at once. His dark hair dangled in a wavy, curly mess as it got wet, but even through that, when he looked back, his dagger like eyes landed on Winter. "Oh, and I'm not the egghead. Just the hand playing my game of chess." Turning to leave, he'd lift his hood, then stop. "Soldier's fight for states. Warrior's fight for something greater. If you are no longer one, are you the other?" He'd ask, not looking back as he'd leave.
The walk back was uneventful, and with the sun setting, Tryphanis made his cross back to Elaris, donning student clothing for a evening course. "Hmm, Elarian's in Virelow, and a Virelowen in Elaris." He'd mutter to himself, lean against the hallway wall, a simple chuckle at the idea. "What's next, I wonder?"
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