Taken Horizon Origin, volume 2, Descension

Episode 23 : a glimpse of heresy

"No no no! You need to readjust the flow of the liquid argon or else it will evaporate into a gas, Medea! We can't just remove the nitrogen coolant or else we'll have no way into accessing Strife's mindscape!" Durvin yelled loudly into Medea's face. "Step aside I'll do it myself."

Moving out of the way Medea made way for Durvin to properly fix the triangular shaped device beneath the table Strife's corpse was spread out on.

Several metal zirconium rods were placed around Strife's black helmet with one inside the open crack, just gently digging into Strife's forehead.

It's been four days since Pettel and Thorn returned with the supplies and Durvin wasted little time on the production of the 'dead-mind invader' as he called it.

It only works because Strife is stuck in a suspended state of death being alive but not enough so that he could be called as such. A 'sort of limbo' as Durvin called it in his explanation when i asked the other day.

"There! The first ever dead-mind invader! It's finished now!" The man wearing mechanical goggles and oil covered brown hair declared triumphantly whilst throwing his arms in the air in celebration. "Haha! I am amazing as always." Turning around he met the many tired and blank faces of the unamused kralscell's and myself who he had been summoned in the tender hours of sleep. "Why aren't you all celebrating?" Durvin asked unknowingly

"It might have something to do with the dead body behind you." Raptor stated with a raised finger before yawning widely.

Durvin's face fell then Yun opened his mouth. "Was there really such a rush to find out what a corpse thinks?"

Durvin scoffed and nearly revealed something he shouldn't have but Pettel's cold gaze warned him to refrain. "O-of course there is... uhm..." Changing what he was going to say mid sentence Durvin stuttered under Pettel's intent. "A-as you -we know, sorry. Strife is the uh... the current progenitor of sentience, correct?" A few tired nods affirmed this. "Well uh... perhaps we can find traces of the previous kralscell's memories within him while he is dead to figure out a way to escape <archon hold>?"

Pettel looked away allowing Durvin to relax but none of the people crowding my lab showed proper satisfaction with this. With Neveah just needing to remember the code to unlock the hidden escape path that's guarded by the <quest line's> main body, it was almost useless to know how Quetzal vanished now.

"...wake me never." Passing out on the spot Yun fell onto Sofia's side who pushed him off her person without a word, letting Yun fall flat onto the floor of the lab.

I thought i spotted a tear running down Yun's face from the rejection but it must have been my imagination since he can forcefully make himself sleep on the spot with ease.

"Alright, back to your provided quarters everyone." Herding the kralscell's back to the elevator Pettel shot a look back to Durvin who dared not meet his eyes.

"I think I'll stay. Strife cared for me briefly and i want to be there when he wakes up." Neveah evaded Pettel being wary of him, but the white haired man did little to care when he sought to sleep just as much as the others.

"I'll hang around for a bit as well." Raptor stretched his arms out trying to keep himself awake. "Not like it'll harm me other than some minor mental fatigue."

"That's not how a lack of sleep works, Raptor." Medea stated with a gesture to inform the kralscell of adventure otherwise.

"Uh huh..." not caring enough for Medea's own interest, Raptor paid more attention to Yun getting dragged away to the elevator by Pettel than to the small bodied kralscell near him