Chapter Text
Within the walls of Centuria’s seventh and most revered district, in a top-secret laboratory deep below the frozen, snow-speckled ground, an eager scientist was refining his newest and greatest invention. An invention that could change the world and the many worlds Inphernalkind had yet to discover.
Subspace paced forwards and backwards, stopping every few steps to fix a miniscule error in the machinery’s form, then continuing pacing, his mind racing in the adrenaline. His hands were numb and cold under his gloves, and the scarred scientist would have done anything and everything possible for even a minute of time with some hand warmers and hot cocoa. He couldn’t stop now, though. Not when his invention was almost finished.
It was stressful. But it would be worth it in the end. After all these years, painstakingly racing against his rot to discover and prove multiversal travel, Subspace T. Mine had finally done it.
Oh, he could just imagine the faces of the higher-ups when he presented his newest invention! The shock, the surprise, the validation. That was what had driven Subspace to create this machine, to spend every hour of his and his coworkers’ time, every Chi Biograft and asset he had to assemble this masterpiece that would place the name of Subspace T. Mine into the history books.
No. Not just the Inpherno’s history books, but those of the whole Inphinity! It filled him with this immense glee that his already outstanding impact on Blackrock’s culture would begin to extend to not only the bounds of the Inpherno but the worlds he’d proved lied beyond.
Subspace took another breath and placed the wrench down after tightening that one pesky bolt that wouldn’t stay secure for the last time. Tomorrow, he would turn the machine on. The day he’d been waiting for, after all these years, was tomorrow. He was practically trembling in excitement. Not like he’d admit that publicly, albeit. Subspace looked upon his invention one last time, bathing in its glory, then sighed and took off his lab coat and goggles and prepared himself for his nighttime treatment (that he should have taken at least five hours ago, oh well), and went to sleep in a good manner that night, knowing he was going to change history for the second time in his life.
-
Player had seen a lot of things on their journey to collect the Swords. Player had defeated corrupt monarchs, witnessed an edgelord turn into a bubonic plant (and miraculously recover, but at what cost), purified their own soul, and even raided an ancient temple with a band of pirates.
All in the name of Shedletsky. The one that had saved them at their lowest, lost in a world long before their own. They owed everything to the admin; no questions asked.
Player looked back in the mirror, smoothing out their head-wing feathers (making sure not to look at the bright crimson scars across their face and arms) and quickly spraying their messy hair with some dry shampoo. It wasn’t like Player was going to the Innovation Awards or anything; they didn’t need (nor have the time for) a complex morning routine. The avian traveler slung their canvas bag around their shoulder, placed their Swords into their sheaths, grabbed their trusty hyperball, sword, rocket, and slingshot, tied their laces, waved goodbye to Terry and Jerry and left for ROBLOX HQ to meet Shedletsky.
After having acquired the Firebrand, the next stop would be the Windforce. Wherever the hell that was located. It was up to Shedletsky to tell Player where to go to find the Swords, anyways. Nobody else. Nothing else.
-
Five minutes into the (not-so) long journey to HQ, Player finally noticed that someone had joined them on their walk. None other than Griefer, to be exact. Odd. There was a long distance from Turitopolis and Bizville; Player couldn’t exactly deduce how or why Griefer had decided to go meet them in Bizville.
“Hey,” Player greeted him hesitantly. It was eight in the morning; the avian didn’t exactly want to have a full-blown conversation with Griefer of all Robloxians.
“H3Y,” Griefer replied. His hands were placed in his greenish jacket pockets, and his signature crowbar was slung across his back. Since the last time they saw him, Griefer had managed to tame and style the plants that had grown on him since being cured, and a vast majority of them had been trimmed back or straight up removed. It was hard to imagine someone like Griefer to actually care for himself at will, and Player could very much guess that his father had made him trim his plants. “’Y4 G0T TH3 F1R3BR4ND?” He pointed at the freshly acquired Firebrand in its sheath at Player’s side.
They nodded. “Yep. Gotta tell boss now.”
“S0 W3’R3 0FF T0 HQ?”
“I am,” Player said dryly. “Unless you wanna come.”
Griefer nodded. Either way, it was the only feasible reason for him to travel all the way to Bizville, especially with a weapon. “SUR3.”
They continued walking, occasionally exchanging words every now and then. Player wasn’t one to talk often, and them and Griefer were not close anyways. Allies, nothing more, nothing less. Player had never considered anyone here close enough to be friends. There was something about leaving your timeline behind that catalyzed this feeling of loneliness, of emptiness, of Isolation.
The Isolation that Player had sought to defeat.
-
Do you miss your FAMILY?
Do you miss your FRIENDS?
Do you miss your TEACHERS?
Do you miss your NEIGHBOURS?
Do you miss your GRANDPARENTS?
Do you miss your HOME?
DO YOU MISS THE FUTURE?
DO YOU MISS THE HAPPINESS OF A ROOM?
DO YOU MISS THE SOUND OF-
-
“Y0U G00D TH3R3?” Griefer interrupted the silence, looking a bit worried.
Player only nodded in response, stuffing their hands into their pockets to try and hide that they were shaking. They were almost at HQ, anyways. The city buildings began to dwindle in exchange for some temperate shrubbery. And, in the near distance, stood the great glass-paned construction of ROBLOX HQ.
That feeling of sublimity whenever near HQ would never get old to Player. Such a great building, home to the pioneers of Robloxia itself. They could tell Griefer could feel it too. No wonder of the world, no adrenaline nor dopamine nor any feeling ever could surmount to the beauty of ROBLOX HQ.
“Here it is.” They said. “Follow my lead.”
The two adventurers entered the building. HQ wasn’t as beautiful on the inside as on the outside, but it was still objectively one of Player’s favorite places in this timeline.
The automatic doors shuddered open in their wake, and the two Robloxians walked in, blissfully unaware.
“Ah, goodbye, Player! I see you’ve brought a... rather decorated friend with you.” Receptionist Ronnie spoke as the two entered, beaming a bright smile but narrowing his eyes at Griefer. Player was rather surprised that the gossip about the effects of the Venomshank hadn’t reached Ronnie. Usually, the debugging team had a lot to say after eavesdropping on the incredibly confidential conversations between them and Shedletsky. Maybe not this time.
“1’M W0RK1NG W1TH TH3M N0W.” Griefer replied condescendingly, crossing his arms.
Ronnie nodded, sleep-deprived-customer-service-worker-style. “I see. Shedletsky should be down in the basement past the debug team. Don’t mind them, I hear they have a rather... complicated relationship with quantum physics.” He pointed to the very conveniently placed downwards staircase. Griefer and Player waved goodbye to the receptionist before descending to the basement.
-
Player was pleasantly surprised that Griefer didn’t act surprised seeing people floating in any direction possible. Not only because Player was very much preparing themselves for the hot-headed Robloxian to freak out and embarrass the two of them, but Griefer had never been to HQ (let alone the debug department) before. To say the least, Player was proud of him. Being turned into a plant at least somewhat had a positive impact on Griefer’s demeanor.
But, before opening the door to the second room of the department, one of the employees had warned the two of them.
And, when a debugger warns you that they might have messed up a calculation or two, you know you’re fucked.
“Just... Just be careful in there, ‘Kay?” The debugger said from their perch on the ceiling. “Old Shed went in there a few hours ago and I haven’t heard anything in there since!”
“S0UNDS PR0M1S1NG,” Griefer mused sarcastically. “WH4T C0ULD G0 WR0NG?”
“A lot.” Player retorted.
Griefer shrugged, completely disregarding Player’s concern, and walked in with a comedic amount of blissful unawareness. Player followed suit, taking out their trusty Hyperball just in case something happened.
-
Player seriously had to question for a moment if the debuggers were okay.
You would too if there was a giant hole in the floor, whispering in a tongue not unlike the Swords Player had sought to wield. And if something had to do with the Swords, it meant danger. Player could confirm, having collected four of them.
“1S TH1S N0RMAL?” Griefer looked as astonished as Player felt (of whom had the most spectacular poker-face known to man), pointing at the giant hole in the floor.
“...No?”
“TH4T D3BUG GUY S41D TH4T SH3DL3TSKY W3NT 1N H3R3 4ND N3V3R R3TURNED,” The Robloxian closed his eyes for a moment, pondering. His foot drummed against the floor in a rhythmic motion. “L3MM3 GU3SS: H3 F3LL 1N TH3RE?”
Player nodded affirmatively, taking a step closer to inspect the hole. A perfect circle cut out of the floor, within it but a mere void. Where would it go? Who knows? That’s why science exists!
The edges around the hole had crumbled slightly into dust. Player picked up a tiny amount in their hands, then smudged the dust between their fingertips. It felt like iron filings, smooth but would be a pain to wash off. Not like the concrete that you’d expect a regular building to be made from. Odd.
“4R3 W3 G01NG 1N 0R WH4T?!” Griefer snapped after a minute or so, grabbing Player by the shoulder. “W3 D0N’T H4V3 4LL D4Y.”
They batted Griefer away with their wings and stood up. “Yes.”
“TH3N WH4T 4R3 Y0U W41T1NG F0R? W3 D0N’T H4V3 4LL D4Y!” Griefer then ran forwards, tripped on the edge of the pit, fell in, and yelled curse after curse on his way down. Idiot.
Player paused to chuckle to themselves at such a blunder, then spread their wings, took a deep breath, and dove in.