System Agnostic/Episode Four: Master Plans

X Add worldbuilding credits now!

The fourth chapter of the arc opens where the last episode left off: with Xentalia standing over a heavily injured Syd, blood on the earth genasi’s hands.

The group approaches Xentalia cautiously, Eyelean casually keeping her gun handy and Ronny calling out “Hey, are you evil?” which confuses Xentalia further. Ronny touches her and casts Detect Good and Evil, only for the spell to glitch. He realizes Xen isn’t good *or* evil—she’s “The One Who Solidifies”, and transcends such labels.

Ronny manages to patch Syd up a bit with a Healing Touch, and Xentalia wonders why she forgot how to do that. Samantha asks Syd what happened, and he says he was pulled through the void and landed in this area, feeling something in his body break—only for the broken part to vanish. Xentalia sheepishly admits she tried to heal Syd but ended up accidentally erasing part of his rib cage.

Samantha heals Syd a little more; both she and Ronny notice the remaining two shards of the D4 embedded in Syd’s rib cage (or what remains of it) and Xentalia’s forehead respectively. Dom recommends prying the shards out of the two of them along with Arnold and Meghan, but Ronny and Samantha shoot that idea down quickly.

The group tries to determine their next steps. They acknowledge that the simulation of Puud Een pointed out if they all want to leave the metal sphere, the “thing trying to kill them” also has to vote to leave. They discuss killing the Akrellix Dyalla’s avatar that keeps showing up, but the understanding that Xentalia might bring about the end of Quelmar if she goes back lingers in the backs of their minds.

Dom recommends leaving the earth genasi behind and Eyelean immediately agrees, but Xentalia (obviously) does not. Samantha hesitantly asks if the name “Lillix” means anything to Xen, but the genasi answers it doesn’t. Samantha goes on to explain the deal she made with Lillix: use the dagger given to her to stab Xentalia in exchange for resurrecting Arnold. She adds that she’s sorry she didn’t know Arnold’s sight wasn’t also returned, but Arnold is still smoking a joint and doesn’t seem to mind at the moment.

Xentalia is obviously not thrilled with the idea of being stabbed, and tells Samantha as much. Eyelean decides this means the group should kill the genasi, but Samantha disagrees—the order was to stab, not kill Xentalia.

Samantha and Xentalia continue arguing, causing the genasi to back up against the wall. Ronny suggests stabbing Xentalia “in the butt cheek”, while Dom tries to figure out a way to get Karavox and lure the Akrellix Dyalla to them, using the axe as leverage to force the simulation to let everyone (except Xentalia) go home.

Eyelean finally lets Xentalia know they’ve been told she might destroy the world, to which Dom adds it must be true because it was seen “in a vision in a bucket”. Xentalia questions their sanity for taking advice from a bucket, and asks what a “Quelmar” is.

As the others question her further, they realize she’s forgotten some of what’s transpired in the simulation, especially any knowledge of Karavox. She only knows they’re trapped and need to get out. Samantha points out the first simulation had Xentalia technically destroying Quelmar, to which the genasi counters she only “cataclysm-ed” it.

As Xentalia begins to piece things together, she insists she has to go home, but can’t explain any further about her situation because it might explode the heads of the other party members. Samantha also takes this moment to remind the others that, according to Puud Een, the opposite may also be true: that Xentalia may destroy Quelmar from *within* the Akrellix Dyalla as well.

Dom moves away from the party to think about their options. Ronny asks Syd if anything makes sense, and Sad asks what happened to Arnold’s eyes. Ronny says nothing’s wrong with them because Arnold doesn’t have eyes anymore, and Arnold says he might not “be able to run the thing [the Screen Nest projector] anymore.” Syd say it’s a problem for a future time, after they all get out.

As Dom reaches the exit of the temple, he hears a voice next to him say, “Makes you wonder why you do what you do, doesn’t it?” Dom turns to see the Akrellix Dyalla’s avatar, now more human-like than before. The AD mentions he knows where Karavox is, even if he can’t reach it right now. He acknowledges the party’s resourcefulness, and claims Xentalia was never meant to reach Quelmar. The sphere was damaged when she hit the earth, so it took everything around her—including the Screen Nest survivors.

He tells Dom that Xentalia is a threat, and Dom proposes a solution: they help the AD merge back with its “old self” and bring it to full capacity again, and in turn it lets them all return to Ravendean save for Xentalia. The AD tells Dom there’s a brick in the back of the temple that, when moved, will open the trapdoor they found in the prehistory simulation. If they enter, they’ll invoke “The Fair”, where Dom is to ask them if the AD returning to its former self is “a thing that happens.” If the answer is affirmative, the idea is on. And if it isn’t, the group will find Karavox, and “then we’ll have fun.” Dom agrees.

Samantha insists Xentalia must know Lillix, if the latter wants her stabbed with the dagger, but Xentalia is equally insistent she doesn’t. Samantha weighs her options as her head begins to hurt. She asks Ronny what his thoughts are, and he agrees that the path where no one dies seems to be the best course. Samantha tries to convince Xentalia to agree to be stabbed non-lethally to save Arnold, but the genasi counters she doesn’t even know Arnold. Samantha’s head hurts more. Ronny decides to move towards the door of the temple and tells Samantha to “do what she needs to do.”

Samantha makes her move and tries to stab Xentalia’s calf even as she apologizes for doing so, but can’t penetrate the earth genasi’s skin. She retaliates by slamming part of the wall behind her into Samantha. Eyelean covers Meghan and Arnold protectively. Ronny pulls out his longbow and tells Xentalia that stabbing her is the condition of letting her leave with them. Dom steps forward and says he has a plan, asking both sides to stop fighting.

Samantha backs up and silently asks Lillix for more information on *how* to stab an earth genasi, but only hears the other woman’s voice in her head say “It’s not my problem, dear.” Xentalia backs off as well, but the stone fist is still hovering in the air.

Dom explains the deal he made with the Akrellix Dyalla. Xentalia responds that being stabbed is almost a preferable solution, but quickly retracts her statement when Ronny encourages Samantha to try again. Dom tells everyone to head into the basement to talk to “The Fair”.

The pain in Samantha’s head increases even more. She tells Lillix she’s making stabbing Xentalia impossible, to which Lilli quips, “Oh, you mean like resurrection?” Samantha is at a loss and tries one more time to ask the genasi to go with their plan, but Xentalia refuses. Eyelean declares she’s “over this”, takes out her gun and shoots Xentalia in the thigh as she calls out to Samantha to stab her. Samantha takes the opportunity, successfully stabbing the genasi.

Xentalia screams and pulls away, the dagger still embedded in her leg. The room begins to shake, and portions of the room begin to vanish. Eyelean grabs Meghan and Arnold and head towards the temple basement, followed by the others. On the way into the basement, Samantha drags Syd with her and tells Xentalia she didn’t lie—she wants everyone to get out alive. She tells the genasi to follow them.

The basement is freezing, blue ice crystals twinkling in the walls. Two crystals merge to form a portal of sorts, shadow beyond it. Etched above the doorway it says “My gift to you. —AD”.

Samantha goes back to find Xentalia, but the hole they all came through has caved in. She rejoins the others. Ronny jumps through the shadowy doorway, a skittish but loyal Ronin still on his shoulder. Dom asks his Hype Spear what it thinks, to which the spear instructs him to breathe in and “GET HYPE!” Dom walks through the doorway, followed by Eyelean who leads Meghan, Arnold and Syd. Samantha brings up the rear, making sure everyone got through okay.

Ronny is swallowed by darkness briefly, before two entities appear before him. They’re identical to each other, each bearing wings on their back and a diamond of light in their forehead. They only differ in color: one is pink, the other blue. They introduce themselves in unison as The Fair, and tell him to answer their test in exchange for them answering a question he might possess.

The Fair acknowledges that Ronny cares for Ronin, and informs him he can choose to let Ronin leave Die if one of the party members stays within it. Ronny uses his question to ask if Die is where they are now, to which The Fair responds it’s the world they watch. Ronny chooses to stay within the simulation himself to free Ronin, and the deal is struck.

Dom finds himself in shadow as well, with The Fair approaching him with the same offer. The Fair tells Dom he can choose to keep the Hype Spear, or keep the pen with which he uses to write stories. Dom debates aloud the difference between being happy and being successful, before ultimately choosing the pen, thinking he can use the lessons he’s learned from the spear in his writing efforts.

The spear turns back into a pen. Dom realizes there’s an empty feeling within him now, and while he may still write successful novels, he’ll never be happy again. The Fair asks what his question is, to which he asks if it’s possible to put the simulation back together. They inform him it isn’t, and they leave.

Eyelean is met by the Fair, to which her Fair Field announces “Fair detected.” She recognizes the correlation between The Fair and the technology she’s been given and drops to one knee before them in a sign of respect. They tell the Neo to identify herself, which she obliges, and they offer her a gift.

For the first time, they speak individually, warning Eyelean if she accepts their gift and returns to her world, there would be consequences. She accepts regardless, thinking of her twin sister. For her question she asks what the other members of her party gave up, to which The Fair reveal the choices Ronny and Dom had to make—but not their answers. She amends the question to include Samantha, Meghan, Arnold and Syd, but The Fair inform her the choices have not yet been made and leave.

The Fair come to Samantha, giving her the same offer. They give her the choice of staying within the simulation and releasing Xentalia, “She Who Solidifies”, possibly letting her wreak havoc and destroy the world, or return home herself and condemn Xentalia to a life within the simulation.

Samantha is surprised to learn Xentalia is still alive, but ultimately decides she can’t willingly condemn another person to a life sentence based on something they might or might not do in the future. She chooses to stay, but her question is whether or not she’ll ever make a difference to anyone; her life in Ravendean was disappointing and mediocre, and she’s worried of that not changing even if she stays. They seem to respond in the affirmative, saying “This is among the things that happen,” before disappearing.

The party feels more presences approaching in the darkness, followed by the presence of the Akrellix Dyalla itself. It acknowledges The Fair said it won’t be repaired, making it flawed. But to be flawed is to be a creature—which also brings the capacity to help or to harm.

The AD goes on to point out everyone can only end the game and leave if all parties vote to do so, but two among the party—Ronny and Samantha—can no longer leave, meaning no one can leave. It reiterates “the dead don’t get a vote”, and a pulse of light fills the room. Everyone can see each other again, as well as the sharply dressed avatar of the Akrellix Dyalla. It declares that choices must be made—who lives, and who dies.