It’s before the dawn of the start of the Cup. Raidah throws a sack over her shoulder, eyes scanning her surroundings. She slips into the cover of darkness. She arrives at the racetrack, cautious as she weaves around security, entering the Veil. Raidah finds a pocket of forgotten digital space and ducks into it, throwing down her sack. It’s time for a stakeout.
It’s a long stakeout. Dragons start to line up for general admission, and soon enough, the line snakes halfway around the block. With wide eyes, she tries to peer around, seeing some of the racers arrive and enter the garage. Unfortunately, that area is quite heavily protected both in and out of the Veil; she would have loved to see one of those Cloudgrazers.
Enough time passes that Raidah starts to doubt Carnivale is even coming this way at all.
Why are we doing this? Why am I here? She’s clearly not coming-
"Shut it."
But finally, 30 minutes before the race starts, she appears. She saunters right past Raidah's hiding spot and joins the general admission line, handing her probably illegally gained ticket to the attendant.
"See? There she is. Now move."
But… fine. Raidah shuts herself down, standing to her paws as she continues to track Carnivale.
Carnivale walks through the doorway and disappears into the greater Veil.
Raidah comes out of hiding, careful not to be spotted, and creeps closer to the doorway. She weaves in and out of the crowd, apologetic as she pushes past them. She goes around, plucking a loose ticket from a distracted dragon as she moves through to the other side. She keeps her ears trained for chatter, good or bad, and overhears the attendant talking about the “sky islands” that constitute general seating.
Raidah’s face twitches into a scowl.
Ugh… There’s no way to tell which island Carnivale has chosen, and with the race about to start, there’s no time to waste guessing. Raidah wipes the scowl from her face, putting up an excited front as she lines up and hands her ticket to the attendant. If it wasn’t for the blasted entity that haunts her, and the crimes that are happening, she might’ve actually enjoyed herself here. But fun is not a luxury life has dealt her.
How much longer can she keep going?
When she enters the doorway, a selection screen appears before her. Raidah lifts a claw to the screen and pauses.
She’s trembling.
Her vision grows hazy, the sky darkening with chilling contrast. Scarlet hues paint across her scales, trailing along her arm. It fills her mouth with vile warmth, suffocating her in its iron splendor. Her claws grip flesh, slaying the pleas that rise from the maw.
Raidah doubles over, coughing and covering her mouth in horror. Noise slams into her ears, bringing her back to reality. She blinks, slowly peering up at the concerned staff, blood dribbling from her nose once more.
The vision is gone.
But the hunger isn’t.
She selects ‘Sky Island 1’, desperate to escape her reality.
If I just do what he wants…
…maybe I can be free from it all…
After all, who would want to save a sinner like me?
There’s a slight prickling crackling against her scales as Raidah loads in, wiping away any trace of her blood. A pink and orange-streaked sky greets her with a light sea-scented breeze. Taking a glance around, she takes note of the places where the crowd is. There are bleachers with scores of dragons already sitting on them, ecstatic for the race to begin. The
whomp whomp whomp of propellers can be heard from below, the mechanism keeping the island afloat. Supposedly, these islands will be invisible to racers to prevent them from being distractions while still being able to provide a good view, kind of like a ‘spectator mode’ of sorts.
She begins making her way through the bleachers. Five minutes. That’s all that she’ll give to search the islands. Racers line up below, being introduced by the announcer one by one.
This island is a bust. Raidah sighs, slightly tilting her head back and forth to dull the throbbing headache of her sickly body.
She manages to search two more islands before the race begins. For a brief moment, Raidah pauses to glance over the railing at the track below. A vibrant digital landscape of hills and trees, and a sky streaked with bright, glowing colors glares back at her. She watches as the 20-second grace period ends and racers start to use their kits: throwing flames, deploying long weapons, and even starting to charge magic spells. It is intriguing to the entity, but Raidah shudders at the horrible thoughts that creep into her mind. She shoves off with a sigh, torn with the desire to watch and the mission at hand.
When Raidah enters the fourth sky island, she’s nearly bowled over by a very familiar Undertide. Carnivale looks panicked for a moment before she hisses your name.
“Raidah?! What are you doing here?! Quick, we have to get out of here.” She tugs Raidah back through the portal, and they both appear back by the admission line.
“Let’s go.” Raidah follows without a word, even as she feels the familiar sensation of blood dripping down her nose. She may have no idea what he’s done, but she can tell Carnivale seems proud of herself.
Raidah follows Carnivale as she slips into the Veil, loading them both into one of the secret Vesper tunnels.
“These are pretty convenient, huh. I found out just recently that the Boss actually makes these, isn’t that crazy?”
“Really now?” Raidah’s eyes glow with ominous curiosity.
“Wonder how she got such high-level permissions…” Carnivale shrugs, shrinking back from Raidah’s encroachment into her personal space. “Anyway, we’re heading this way. Let’s go.”
Notably, they’re not heading toward the Vesper Headquarters. Instead, Carnivale leads her out of the Veil right in front of a familiar building. It’s Half Heart.
The Boss slinks out of the alleyway, looking rather pleased with herself. Raidah watches with recognition as she realizes she’s wearing the outfit of that one racer with the glittery black Cloudgrazer, Faradis.
The Boss narrows her eyes at Raidah, who in turn stares coldly at her, then turns to Carnivale.
“What. Are they. Doing here.” Before Carnivale can explain, she holds up a claw. “Sh. Never mind. The plan was successful, and that’s all that matters. You—” She points at Carnivale “—keep a low profile, don’t get caught. And you—” she addresses Raidah “—keep your mouth shut, and everyone will go home happy.”
Raidah gives a curt nod, not recoiling at her sharp tone.
The Boss pauses, pulls out her holopad and reads a message that she was just sent. “Looks like Kardia Co. is hosting a meeting tomorrow to discuss what happened. Looks like you just got a new job,” she tells Raidah. “Plant some false seeds. Make sure they’re on the wrong trail. Do this, and you’ll be rewarded. Fail, and…” She doesn’t need to finish the sentence.
Raidah nods quietly, her eyes lit with a hungry glow. She turns to Carnivale. "Keep out of sight, or I'll kill you myself." Her eyes narrow as she growls her warning and threat.
"Or... you can be my perfect little bait..."
Then she stalks into the shadows to carry out her orders.
Raidah awakens the next day to the sound of her holopad pinging. It’s the meeting the Boss was talking about. Security is pretty tight.
Raidah pulls out a throwaway set of clothing, dressing herself in a generic outfit. She steps out of her lodging, slipping through the Veil to shake any watchful eyes before finding the first victim to steal their identity.
The dragon enters a quiet alleyway, humming as she stares down at her holopad. Making sure the coast is clear, Raidah closes in.
She can feel him in the dredges of her mind. He wants to kill.
Raidah shakes her head, trying to shake him. She stumbles into the dragon, a cough battering her.
“What the- watch it!” The dragon hisses with ire. Raidah grabs the dragon by the throat, eyes locking onto hers. “What-” Raidah squeezes her throat, choking her. The dragon squirms beneath her claws.
“Please don’t…” The words fumble out of Raidah’s mouth.
A snarl erupts from her throat and digs her claws deeper into the suffocating dragon.
DON’T!
Raidah flinches and releases the dragon to sputter for breath, backing up several feet. She feels as much fear as the dragon she just thrashed.
“You fool. You can’t allow her to leave now that she’s seen you.”
Please… you can have more of me… just don’t… don’t kill her…
Laughter echoes in her mind,
“Oh my little vessel, I already have you, it’s just a waiting game. And I have all the time in the world.”
Raidah’s eyes flicker. She dashes forward towards the recovering dragon.
“But… I’ll throw you a bone and accept your offer.”
Raidah clasps the dragon’s snout shut and drags her into the Veil, kicking, muffled screaming, and scratching at her.
It’s easy enough to just go in as a regular civilian. Outside of the Kardia Co. headquarters, reporters and drones are swarming to the scene. One stops Raidah, shoving a mic underneath her nose, and asks a question.
“Miss, over here! Were you on the island when it went down? Can you give us some details?”
Raidah looks sheepish, rubbing the back of her head. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t on the island when it crashed.” The reports look dejected, and before she can even say anything else, they find their next victim to interrogate.
The meeting room itself is within the HQ building, inside a room with a high domed ceiling and artificial sunlight streaming in from skylights. The stage is slightly raised and has enough seating to hold at least a hundred dragons, if not more.
The security is a lot tighter this time around: all dragons must leave their belongings at a bag check and be patted down before entering. Racers and other special guests seem to be seated in a different area than the general crowd, but Raidah is told there will be a time for mixed discussion after the main briefing.
“That would be a good time to spread some lies.”
Raidah wills her body not to show any pleasure in this. The entity would not relent if she were snuffed out here.
When she arrived, the place was mostly empty, but after around half an hour, the seats are filled with anxious and curious dragons. A tired-looking Coatl comes onstage and looks around.
“Thank you for your time. I am Virus, vice-president of Kardia Co. Welcome to our headquarters.” He sighs. “Yesterday's incident was an unprecedented disaster, the likes of which ideally will never happen again. I would like to disclose to you what we do know, and open the room up to discussion to see if we can gather any more clues as a group.”
He clicks a remote and a holoscreen opens with a picture of a brightly colored Undertide. Raidah’s face scrunches slightly with irritation, calculation, and a twinge of panic. “This is our current suspect. Seen exiting the engine room, Carnivale is her name. She has a criminal record tied to the Vespers, although most of her past crimes have been rather small in comparison, such as shoplifting.”
“Our theory is that Carnivale somehow gained access to administrative permissions and used them to disable the engines on Sky Island 4, causing the island to fall. The motive and whether she was working with someone else or not is currently unclear. Although… it may be related to the fact that as of yesterday, Faradis and her crew remain missing.”
Someone asks where the Creator is, and Virus winces. “The Creator is personally overseeing security improvements to the Veil today and was unable to make it.” Grumbling fills the crowd. “In any case. You are all released for discussion. Security is in place, so please keep all talks calm and on-topic.”
Raidah looks around, putting on a frightened front, making a mental note of who is here, their reactions, and dispositions. Surprisingly, Virg0 is not here, though his pit crew is. Raidah slips into several discussions, sowing seeds of doubt. She is careful not to deviate far from her story.
After hearing all the evidence, especially regarding Faradis' appearance under the helmet, the last wisp of his sanity disappears into the void. "Right... I should have known it had something to do with her." He gathers everyone who contributed valuable information and asks them to come with him into a different, soundproof room. He locks it and turns to face everyone.
"What I'm about to tell you... well, I'm not supposed to talk about it. But I cannot in good conscience hold my tongue if there are dragons in danger. I didn't realize she was still involved... Please, let me tell you a story. I ask of you not to spread this information more than it needs to, but I can't force you to do anything. I just hope you won't judge me too harshly for what I am about to tell you."
“You see, Kardia used to have
two co-founders.”
“Ahhh, I see. Now it makes sense.”
“The Creator was the face of the company, but she didn’t work alone. The Veil was a project created by both her and her girlfriend at the time; however, her girlfriend did not wish for the attention that came with fame, and chose to remain in the shadows. So when they had a big falling out, no one except the employees at the time knew that her girlfriend— the dragon named Lovelace— was completely cut off from the company entirely.”
“I was… fairly new at the time, and the company itself was only a handful of years old. Apparently, rumor had it their argument was about some big project they had worked on and finished together; they couldn’t agree on how it was meant to be used. Afterward, the Creator started to withdraw from company affairs, assigning larger tasks to the dragons in charge and, later, to me. We were told not to discuss the breakup with anyone. But everyone who remembers what happened surely was shocked when the Vespers started gaining power in the city… all under Lovelace’s management.”
Virus closes his eyes, feeling the weight of everyone’s eyes on him. “We tried combating them. I thought we’d succeeded; all of our reports indicated that Vesper activity in the Veil was low, if not non-existent. And when I brought the few instances up to the Creator, she told me that she’d deal with it herself. But to find out Lovelace still has her admin status… she must have changed the files. Which explains exactly how that Undertide, Carnivale, was able to disable the engines. She must have upgraded her permissions temporarily.”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Alright. So what are our next steps? I think there are a couple of pressing matters. We should probably find the Creator and figure out what side she is on. Based on what has been shared here, she might be compromised. There’s also a matter of figuring out where Faradis and her crew were taken. Finally, it’s risky, but we could also try to find Lovelace by tracking the Cloudgrazer she was using. There’s… a way we can do that, but it will require some… persuasion. Of course, if you do not want to get involved, you may do so as well. This is our mess to deal with, not anyone else’s.”
He glances around the group with exhausted eyes.
It hurts her as she holds up her paws timidly, claiming not to want to get involved. She can’t tell these good people here what's going on and the evil that's in her head. Raidah sidles out of the room, then slips back into the Vesper tunnels, intending to hightail it back to the base to report to the Boss.
As the Veil envelops her, spots of digital blood appear on the floor.
Intriguing… Raidah treads cautiously, as the trail of blood continues in the same direction she’s going.
Approaching the hideout, she’s met with a bunch of high-level Vespers, all loitering in the tunnels surrounding it. They look her up and down, verifying that she’s supposed to be there before nodding and letting her through. “The Boss is in the server room,” one tells her. “She asked not to be disturbed, but you’ve got clearance.”
For some reason, they don’t add, but she can see it on their face.
Raidah enters the hideout. It’s dark and abandoned, the absence of any sound putting her on edge. The blood continues here on the digital floor, drips getting more and more frequent until she finally sees what is causing it. Lying pixelated on the floor, half-in and half-out of the Veil, is Virg0. Raidah’s nose curls with disgusted pleasure.
The Boss and the Creator— Radia, Raidah remembers someone mentioning— are engaged in an intense conversation, with the latter tied up in the real world against a pillar. She seems extremely upset about Virg0’s condition. The Boss grins and traces a single sharp claw along Virg0’s cheek. Pixel blood drips to the floor from the cut.
“So what’ll it be? You’ll do
anything to save this precious creation of yours, won’t you?”
Radia glares. “He’s
your creation too.”
The Boss rolls her eyes dismissively. “And that’s all. A
creation. When will you get that through your skull? He is a tool to be used. You let yourself grow attached to something that
isn’t real. Look to the future, dear. We could be on the same side again. We could take care of a real dragon. You don’t need this.” She gestures to Virg0. “All you need to do is give me—”
She suddenly sees Raidah lurking in the shadows and cuts herself off. “Well, well. Did you do your job properly? I’ve heard the news, all talking about Kardia Co.’s imminent downfall. I suppose a reward is due… perhaps you’d like a promotion to the inner circle? Or maybe a monetary bonus?” She holds up a claw. “Well, I’m getting ahead of myself. I do have one more thing for you to do before I grant your wish.” She steps away for a brief moment to rummage through a duffel bag sitting against the wall.
Radia looks heartbroken where she’s bound. “You don’t know what she’ll do,” she whispers to Raidah. “You care about your rank in the Vespers? There won’t even be a city anymore. Please, I know I’m not a perfect dragon, but if you have any doubts in your mind, now is your chance to save yourself. To save everyone.”
Raidah gives Radia an apologetic look, clearly at her wits' end. “I’m sorry,” she whispers, her voice almost nonexistent as a tear rolls down her cheek. “I… can’t…” Raidah breaks out into a fit of coughs, slumping against the pole, sounding far worse than she has ever sounded. A wet gurgle hangs in her breathing.
Death is knocking.
“You think I care about rank?” Raidah throws her head back and laughs and laughs. “Dear me, I think you’ve mistaken me for someone who has a heart. No, no, no,” She clicks her tongue, leaning in close to Radia. Radia’s nose crinkles as she smells an eerie sickness on Raidah’s breath. “This vessel no longer has a heart.”
“Alright.” Lovelace returns with a holo-pad and what looks like a genuine stun gun. “The Creator and I are going on a little, hm, vacation. Isn’t that right, dear?” Radia grimaces and glances at Virg0, who seems barely conscious, then gives a small nod. “That means we need someone to cover our backs as we leave this place. You will join your friend Carnivale in the tunnels, ready to protect us when the time comes. Do this, and your position in the Vespers will be secure.”
Raidah grins wickedly and gives Lovelace a nod. She gnashes her teeth with anticipation as she turns and phases into the gash in the wall behind them.
“Your friend Carnivale is somewhere around here. Stay here and keep an eye out for anyone pursuing us. Stop them from going any further, fight like your life depends on it if you have to. When I return, you will be granted a wish of your choosing.”
Raidah nods. A wish… The only thing she wishes for is the ecstasy of the hunt. To paint a beautiful hue of red, drowning the city in the warm sticky liquid. To sit on a crown of bones, to see
his face collapse as she destroys everything he’s created.
save me…
“It’s my turn to play god.”
please…
Raidah steps into the shadows, placing herself under the cover of rafters, her eyes fixed on the entrance, ears trained behind her.
She hears the familiar slithering, tilting her head in his direction to acknowledge his approach.
“Well, well! Now who’s getting all the big jobs, huh?” Carnivale grins toothily up at her. “Knew you had what it took. Glad we can work together now. How about, when those goody-goodies show up, I’ll take the left side and you take the right? Or do you want the left side instead?”
“
I’ll take the right.” Is all she gives, her eyes glowing with a dark hunger.
Zorn growls as Carnivale pops out onto the path, readying himself for a fight.
“Hold up! You’re not getting any farther!” With a flash of her scales, a wave of glimmering shadow magic is sent in his direction.
Raidah uses Carnivale's boldness to her advantage, angling herself above a familiar, flashy Aberration. She lunges for one of his necks, jaws stretched for the kill, but Zorn moves just in time for her teeth to graze past, taking a chunk of his skin.
Blood splatters against the digital plane. Not digital blood, but the real liquid life. Zorn is taken aback, the pain almost not registering until Raidah’s claws sink into his back as she grapples him. She can sense it: the change in this plane of existence. Zorn roars, pain erupting in his back as claws grip him and teeth snap at his hide.
She can taste the iron, the utter thrill coursing through her as she tears into Zorn.
Zorn throws himself into the wall, drawing a hiss from Raidah. He bites into her neck with both heads and, with all of his strength, throws her off of him.
Raidah crashes into the wall with a demented laugh, blood dripping from her claws, her mouth stained with his blood. She bounces back scarily fast, eyes wild.
“
You,” Zorn snarls, his eyes in narrow slits in utter rage.
“
Oh, I’m sorry, are you upset that you were deceived by poor little me?” Raidah sneers, stance ready to lunge.
Then, out of the blue, from behind Zorn, a beam of bright blue light shoots out and sears a hole in Carnivale’s wing. Carnivale reels from the blow. Raidah’s eyes narrow with a snort as she locks onto a bigger and more fun threat.
Virg0 and Virus.
Raidah snarls, her mouth wide with fangs. She rushes them, zipping between their bolts. She slaps Virg0 away with her tail, sending him flying into the wall.
“Virg0!” Virus roars as Virg0 slumps down the wall with a groan. Raidah blocks another bolt unleashed by Virus as he hastily begins to fire off everything he’s got at her. She ducks and weaves, slashing through his magic piece by piece. She looms over him as he pants and pants. Raidah bites down on his head and Virus is forced to respawn.
“Now then,” Raidah turns to the struggling Wildclaw. “What happens to you… if you perish here… hm?” Virg0 spits out digital blood, glaring as Raidah approaches. Raidah chuckles. “I just love that look.” She lifts her paw, her claws gleaming with a mix of digital and real blood.
Raidah pauses, seeing a flicker out of the corner of her eye. Something is wrong.
“Hmm, it looks like luck is on your side this time.” Raidah turns to Carnivale, who is sauntering over with digital blood staining across her features. “We’re leaving.” Raidah unfurls her wings and leaps into flight, speeding down the corridors as the Veil begins to shatter.
Raidah slips through the portal of the Vesper HQ with Carnivale on her heels, licking her lips, savoring the iron taste.
When she exits, she’s taken aback.
“This isn’t HQ…” She and two other individuals, one familiar, the other unknown, have been spit out in the same area. A warm, dusty cave. Scattered about are faded paintings of clans that have come and gone, tattered remains of fabric, bones of long-dead creatures, dragon and all.
Zorn's eyes are glossed over, his expression pained and at a loss. His brow furrows as bitter tears splash against his scales. Zorn stares at his bloodstained claws with disgust.
Raidah continues to look around, and when she looks at the only exit, her heart drops.
“No!” Raidah screeches, ears pinned to the back of her skull. Her back arches as she sinks low, skittering into the corner.
All three cast their gaze upon the lion—he who sits with tender authority.
Azalea’s eyes well up with tears, and she begins to cry.
Qengji approaches her with a gentle smile, resting a paw on her head. “Be at peace, little one.”
“NO, NO, NO!” The entity screams in Raidah’s head. “
Anyone but him!”
“Qengji…!” Azalea hiccups.
He takes back his paw as he sits in front of her. “It’s been a while since I last saw you, Azalea. You’ve grown and done mighty well.”
Her smile is bright at his praise, despite the overflow of tears and snot.
“I cannot thank you enough for all you’ve done for me, Qengji.”
“It is nothing I have done, but the Father who lives through me,” Qengji dips his head. He turns to Zorn, ignoring the trembling Raidah. “Zorn,” Qengji speaks softly, but it sucks the breath away from Zorn as his eyes widen at his name. “The things of the realms are like the flowers in the field. They spring to life in the morning, and by night they wither away. But truly I say to you, the humble will be everlasting, sheltered from the sweltering sun that scorches midday. If you want to see a change, follow me and love with your life.”
please…
“NO! I will not allow you to!”
Just this once…
A trembling claw reaches out towards Qengji. Zorn and Azalea’s eyes widen in alarm. “Please…” A small voice croaks, spitting up blood. “Save me…”
“NO!” The voice changes with a sharp roar. “You cannot…! I was supposed…! I will not allow-”
“Enough.” The single word from the lion's maw is enough to silence them all. “Demon, your time in her is done.” Raidah’s body shudders, buckling to the floor with a thud and scattering of dust. Smoke dissipates from her scales. “Little one, your faith has made you well. Rise and be hindered no more.”
Raidah stands to her paws, and her jaw goes slack with surprise. “M-My body…!” She pats herself, twirling around. “I’m me!” She shouts with a laugh. “A-And it doesn’t hurt!” Raidah zips around the room, bouncing from one wall to another with exhilarating laughter.
“If Qengji’s cool with her, then we’re okay.” Azalea beams at Zorn. “That’s just who he is.”
“I…” Zorn swallows, shuffling his paws. “I want to follow him.”
“Then you’re in good company.” Azalea trills, patting his paws. “A long time ago, I made the same decision. I’ve never regretted it.” She chuckles, looking on. “Though my world has been turned upside down quite a few times.” Zorn tilts his head. Azalea jumps up with a hum. “You’ll get used to it. I look forward to growing with you, Zorn!” She bounces over to Qengji.
Raidah comes to a stop, out of breath beside Qengj.
I’m finally free!
“Thank you.” She breathes. He nods with a smile. “A-And you…” She turns to Zorn. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for all of the damage I’ve caused you. I couldn’t control him… he…” Raidah bites her tongue and shakes her head.
Zorn leans back slightly, not expecting anything from her, “No sweat…”
Raidah sighs, her posture relaxing immensely. She turns to Qengji, curious as to what comes next.
Anomalous Office
Anomalous Office
