Dionysus The doors to the building sit open.

• Sue walks inside.

Dionysus Inside, it does, indeed, look like a void church.

Sue Athaks?

Sue Void Dragons?

Dionysus There's one athak within, wearing the void-laden robes of a priest, & two void-infused elves.

Dionysus No dragon could fit into this building

Dionysus But there is a void-infused egg on the altar.

Dionysus Veyr large one, at that. It /could/ be a dragon egg.

Sue An egg? Is that the source of the void?

Dionysus Everything in here is the source of the void.

Dionysus It's consecrated ground.

Dionysus The egg is a pretty potent source,though

Dionysus "May I help you?" the athak asks in the language of athaks.

• Sue moves slightly toward the egg, admiring it. In athak, "It's magnificent."

Dionysus He looks at you carefully, then gestures. The elves walk out of the room. He says, "That it is. It is the rarest of void creatures within, the great void mantis."

Sue Do I know what that is?

Dionysus It's a giant (6') bug that has void powers. Rumor has it they're extinct.

Dionysus They are known to eat magical creatures.

Sue "Amazing! I thought they were wiped out."

Dionysus "There's a few left here in the great expanse." The plains region you're in, "Though very few left. Touch the egg, Subiquim, & feel the life within. Pure, void-driven, magicless life."

• Sue starts to lift his hand, then realizes that he didn't give his name. He looks at the priest again, studiously.

Sue Do I recognize him?

Dionysus He does not look familiar, but he does look... intense. He is more colorful on the void scale than other athaks. He whispers, "Touch it, Subiquim. The void calls you!"

• Sue looks back to the egg without reassurance, and gently touches its skin.

Dionysus It cracks.

• Sue flinches back.

Dionysus It cracks again, then splits open on top, & an insectoid head pops out.

• Sue takes a slow step back, looking between the egg and the priest.

Dionysus The priest sighs, "Will you feed her your blood, Subiquim, that she might know the nourishment of the void?"

Dionysus "The power of the void is great & mysterious to the nonbeliever, but those with it in their veins understand, do they not?"

Dionysus "You have bent the void to your will."

Dionysus "You know its might. Would you know more?"

• Sue grips his wrist. Fearfully, "I ... would rather not be eaten."

Dionysus He smiles, "Just a drop of blood is all that is needed."

• Sue eyes the mantis for a heartbeat, then grabs a fragment of egg and scratches it across his wrist.

Dionysus Blood wellsup across the cut.

Dionysus The mantis breaks more egg shell & ambles weakly toward you.

Dionysus The priest intones, "Subiquim, you have bent the void to your will. Would you have more such power?"

• Sue drops the shell fragment and squeezes his wrist, catching his black blood in his hand. He ignores the priest for the moment, and offers the blood to the mantis.

Dionysus The mantis lowers its head toward your hand, then shoots out a strange, tubelike thing from its mouth & slurps up your blood.

Dionysus It hums as it does so, creating a strange, beautiful sound.

Dionysus It feels strange, but good. You feel an odd connection to the mantis, & you realize your athakian heart is pounding.

Dionysus The priest says, "Do you want to serve the void, Subiquim, & feel the power to null?"

Dionysus "You bend sound with the void. What of light? Gravity? Heat? Flavor? Time? Space? Would you seek out these powers, Subiquim?"

• Sue licks his wrist carefully while the mantis finishes its meal. When it is done, he finds a hankerchief in one of his pockets and awkwardly, he ties it around his cut wrist, saying "Inertia. I seek the moons."

Dionysus He laughs, lightly, "I am not limiting you to just one."

Dionysus "What you can achieve is limited only by what you are willing to dedicate to it."

Dionysus "You need merely dedicate yourself to the Void, Subiquim. You need merely call out its name & serve it without question, & it will give you what you seek."

• Sue fumbles with the cloth, dizzy from the intensity of the scene. "Help me reach the moons, then."

Dionysus "Say the name, Subiquim. Become the Void that Nulls the nobelievers, the One who will Bend the World."

• Sue finally figures out that he has to use his teeth to make a knot with just one hand, then says, "What name?"

Dionysus "The Name of the Father. If you speak it, you will bear his Weight, & you will gain the power to null the forces of life itself."

• Sue stares at the priest. "I ... I thought that the gods were unkind to those who named them."

Dionysus "Only those who name them without dedication in their hearts. Speak his Name, Subiquim, & know His love. Know His power. Serve Him, & become one with Him!"

• Sue looks at the mantis again, as if he wants to ask it what to do.

Dionysus The mantis quirks its head.

• Sue feels his curiosity rise again. "Forgive my impudence ... Quaigor."

Dionysus Wow.

Dionysus Your wrist heals instantly, & you feel power surge through you.

Dionysus Everything goes blank.

• Sue starts to sway, until that ceases to have meaning.

Dionysus One moment

Dionysus You awaken much later, with no memory of anything since you spoke the name. The building is gone. Most of the city is gone, except the nearby temple district, the Arena on the hill, & the Palace on the mountain, & a few other scattered buildings.

Sue Am I alone?

Dionysus You can see people in the temple district, & there's a void mantis nearby, but otherwise, you are alone.

• Sue looks around. "Where did they go?" He looks at his wrist, removing the cloth. Then he starts walking toward where he thinks the wealth church was.

Dionysus The temples are still there, & you see the party as you walk into the area.

Dionysus Back to the main channel

Sue Is the mantis following me?

Dionysus It is.