Interlude - Hell Cometh

Eyeless Watcher 937J642L506D

Interplanar Apeiron Barrier Matrix . . . Imminent Failure

Action Required . . . Initiate Emergency Containment Protocols 

Emergency Containment Protocols . . . Failed

Contact to Delphic Administrator . . . Failed

Escalating Trouble Ticket . . . Failed

Initiating Emergency Failsafe . . . Error! User Input Required!

Reinitializing . . .

Interplanar Apeiron Barrier Matrix . . . Imminent Failure

Diagnosis . . . Initiate Emergency Containment Protocols . . .

Verina dismissed the strange text which scrolled across her vision against a freely floating blue screen. She placed her hands on her scaly hips and let loose a deep, hearty laugh.

A humanoid female with reptilian features, she had dull, rough-looking skin which resembled scales and yellow eyes with vertically-slit pupils. Shimmering, metallic hair grew down her back to her waist in tight braids and she wore a deceptively simple tunic with plain-looking rope as a sash.

The Gorgon was surrounded by chaos . . . or, more accurately, fractured Order.

Reality buckled under the residual energies which lingered after the cataclysmic battle. Jagged fractals spiderwebbed across the fabric of space itself and Verina marveled at the marvelous destruction she had wrought.

Nearby . . . In the distance . . . At the other end of the chamber. . . Behind her . . . Verina frowned and triggered a command via her neural augment. Space became more stabilized, albeit temporarily, and the fractals spreading through the fundamentals of reality halted, then began to reverse course.

Verina used the brief window of opportunity to reassess her surroundings.

The chamber was of fairly standard Delphic design: lots of boring, sourceless white light and floating, gently humming crystals. Normally the humming from the individual crystals would merge into a single, harmonious whole. However, many of them were currently fractured, dark or outright destroyed, resulting in a dissonance that sounded - to Verina at least - like the sweet call of victory.

"I've extracted the Delphi's core. What are your orders, Verina?"

Verina turned her attention to her android Protector, who crouched nearby. To any but another Gorgon, the Protector would have been indistinguishable from Verina. Which was, of course, another layer of protection. Why provide enemies with only one powerful, nigh-indestructible target when you could force them to fight two?

The android clutched an object in her scaled hand. Another crystal of course, Verina chuckled internally. But unlike the rest of the junk surrounding her, this crystal was a true Delphi's core and shone with the brilliance of a newborn star. Sure, the Delphi had been weak (and possibly a little insane, if Verina were to judge) but its core was still a nearly priceless prize on the right . . . morally flexible markets.

"Secure the core in dimensional storage and try to find anything else of value, Verina Stheno," Verina commanded. "Once you're done, prepare to depart."

The crystal vanished from view as if it had never existed. The Protector rose to her feet and began to move about the chamber in a deliberate search pattern.

Satisfied, Verina turned her attention to the chamber's third and final living occupant. Another Protector, there was again no obvious difference between her and Verina, except for the overt disapproval etched across this android's reptilian face.

"You risk complications between the Protectorate and the Tribunal, young Verina." The disapproval writ large across the Protector's face was just as evident in the android's voice.

Verina scoffed dismissively. "You're even younger than I am, Verina Euryale," she replied.

The android's yellow eyes narrowed. "Don't avoid the point. Murdering a Delphic Administrator carrying out its duties is a serious offense almost anywhere across the Planes."

"Not within the Gorgon Protectorate," Verina responded disinterestedly. "And not within the Hells either, it would appear. We've been over this. The deed is already done."

"The deed is already done," Verina Euryale admitted.

"The deed is already done," Verina Stheno echoed as she returned to stand near her sisters in a triangular formation. All three of them - the Gorgon and her two android Protectors - gazed at each other with unblinking, yellow eyes. Then Verina Stheno continued. "There are no objects of significant value remaining in this chamber."

"What a cheap Delphi," Verina Euryale snorted and the Gorgon sisters smiled.

"Worry not, Verina Euryale," Verina eventually said. It wouldn't hurt to compromise a little, she decided. These were her sisters after all. "You may proceed with your plan."

Verina Euryale titled her head in gracious acknowledgement. Verina summoned back the Delphi Administrator's strange blue screen. It still showed the scrolling text on an infinite loop. 

The Gorgons had jammed all outgoing communications of course. No sense letting their bounty call for help and summon a true challenge after all.

But then the scrolling text abruptly stopped and new words appeared across Verina's vision.

Interplanar Apeiron Barrier Matrix . . . Imminent Failure

Action Required . . . Initiate Emergency Containment Protocols 

Contact to Delphic Administrator . . . Failed

Escalating Trouble Ticket . . . Failed

Initiating Emergency Failsafe . . . User Input Received!

Failsafe System . . . Initializing.

The Gorgon trio's gazes met once more and Verina nodded.

"Let's collect our pay and find out if the Hells have anyone worthy of our attention."

A command via her neural augment deactivated the spatial stabilization field. The fractals - which had until then been slowly shrinking - seemed to halt. Then they began to expand once more.

A different neural command summoned a Planar rift before the Gorgons. The tunic-clad Verina Stheno was the first to walk through. Verina was next and lastly Verina Euryale went through.

Then the Planar rift collapsed, leaving nothing behind but a devastated chamber and fractals slowly spreading throughout reality itself.