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Tree branch: check. Assorted lightweight seed-bearing fruits and nuts: check. Other seeds: check. Water bottle, for when she has to veer away from the river: check.
Better not linger in her starting place too much longer. Yellow's faster than her and may have already come home to a wreck. Thorn might have a habit of checking up on the place, even, just in case. She's invisible, inaudible, unsmellable - that won't help if he sends someone thorough. Or comes in person.
She sets out.
She's been flying for about thirty minutes after her shopping trip when she falls through a tear and squeaks inaudibly and lands in the middle of -
imeanforever
wormcan
Eventually he'll have to start carrying her, and will continue doing that until she signals that they're high enough to avoid risk of other fairies stumbling across it.
As a side effect, "high enough" also means the single best view any human being has ever experienced. Aegis manages to snap a photo.
As a side effect, "high enough" also means the single best view any human being has ever experienced. Aegis manages to snap a photo.
imeanforever
She goes high enough to have noticeable trouble breathing. This shouldn't take long enough for the trouble to add up to a fainting spell.
I have a blog for fairyland photos, Promise writes in the air.
Flattener: hover. Flatten.
Gate:
... gate?
Gate, dammit.
I don't seem to be able to make a gate to the spot above the black hole. I'm not sure why.
I have a blog for fairyland photos, Promise writes in the air.
Flattener: hover. Flatten.
Gate:
... gate?
Gate, dammit.
I don't seem to be able to make a gate to the spot above the black hole. I'm not sure why.
wormcan
Aegis has around one lungful of air left over from when he breathed, and this doesn't seem especially worth spending it on.
He takes out his phone again and types one-handed until it says "higher above?"
He takes out his phone again and types one-handed until it says "higher above?"
imeanforever
I'll try that, but if it doesn't work I want to go consult with Armsmaster again.
Gaaaaaaaate?
Gaaaaaaaate?
wormcan
Well, it doesn't fail in any immediately detectable way. Doesn't settle right away either, though.
imeanforever
So that's the floor gate. It occurs to Promise that she can use larger, fewer gates, in a sort of pyramid shape - she makes the other three.
That worked, or if it didn't it's at least less obviously failing. We can go back to check on them again later to be sure.
That worked, or if it didn't it's at least less obviously failing. We can go back to check on them again later to be sure.
wormcan
Aegis nods, and starts descending. But not before leaving the flattener to hover right below the floor gate.
imeanforever
Promise is not super thrilled about being carried. I'm going to just fall until I have enough air to catch myself, she writes. And then she hops off his arm and drops.
wormcan
Aegis flies down at the same speed. Any faster than her and he might miss the gate, there aren't a lot of landmarks up here.
imeanforever
When the air thickens, she stops falling, and instead flies down in a controlled manner.
And here is the gate. "That way," she points.
And here is the gate. "That way," she points.
wormcan
Aegis grins. "We made it. And now you've got a chute to dispose of anything you really need gone. Like Endbringers."
imeanforever
"I should probably make a new one for new Endbringers. Gates go both ways and I don't want them climbing out again. But yes. Thanks for the ride."
imeanforever
Back through the gate chain, and Promise emails Armsmaster (she made a tetrahedral gate box, it's twice as far away from the black hole as intended and there were no instant settles so she'll have to go check to see if these are just failing slower).
wormcan
"As long as they're up in time for the next attack. If it's the black hole interfering somehow, maybe a box to an empty point billions of light-years away would be a useful backup."
wormcan
He has one ready. Getting a map of the area was more complicated since it had to be limited to stars that are probably still there, but space is big enough that there's no shortage of usable empty points.
imeanforever
Promise examines the maps, then confirms that she should be able to make a backup gatebox there.
imeanforever
"The black hole gates will probably have settled in the next few days - at least one or two of them - which will be useful information. Whenever's convenient for Aegis around then."
imeanforever
So, blogging and forumgoing time. (And emailing Aegis to ask if he has any plans for his shot of the salt sea incompatible with her blogging it.)
wormcan
He was mostly just going to use it for the occasional showing off. Which is perfectly compatible.
imeanforever
Here, world, lookit this ocean of liquid salt, mountains of solid salt just barely visible way the fuck over there in the distance.
Promise does not get anyone's hopes up about the Endbringers thing.
Promise does not get anyone's hopes up about the Endbringers thing.