14 A Gem Has Appeared [part 2]

Instead of retracing their steps, Northern and Annette turned left, following a branching hallway that led them to a set of double doors opening into a chamber.

Upon entering, Northern's gaze fell upon two other workers - beautiful women dressed in crisp white tops and form-fitting black miniskirts that accentuated the curves of their hips.

Their raven tresses cascaded just above their shoulders, framing faces with eyes as razor-sharp as a dagger's edge.

One look told Northern all he needed to know - these were vipers, created to kill with uncomely grace and little else.

They offered polite smiles and shallow bows as he and Annette stepped into the grey-painted chamber, the drab color scheme lending an air of cold dullness that made their expressions seem all the more unsettling.

Ahead loomed another door, undoubtedly leading to the room housing the talent evaluation machine itself.

Striding up to their station, Annette unceremoniously dropped the roughshod sheet onto the table, prompting a slight frown from the hazel-eyed woman.

"What, got a problem with my sheet?"

Annette growled, her voice carrying an unmistakable thuggish edge.

The viper clearly did take issue, but wisely chose to swallow whatever retort danced on her lips.

With a smoothing of features, she straightened the paper, only for her eyes to widen fractionally upon noting the grade bestowed by Annette.

"Wow...A+? He must have really impressed you."

Her counterpart leaned over to inspect the anomaly, eyes going comically wide.

"Ehh?! Really? Annette gave someone an A+? Kid, you must be a seriously big deal!"

Northern wasn't sure if the remark boded well or ill, so he simply offered a slight nod and maintained his silence.

"Well? You gonna answer me and open that door before I smack the shit out of your heads?!" Annette barked impatiently.

"Coming right through!"

The hazel-eyed woman sprang to obey, an eerie smile stretching her lips as she approached the door.

Placing her hand upon it, some manner of biometric security was activated, prompting the barrier to slide open with a pneumatic hiss.

Following in Annette's wake, Northern stepped through the narrow entranceway, only to find himself in a far more expansive chamber dominated by a towering crystal pillar that pulsed with an inner radiance at its center.

As the viper led them further inside, he noted a array of panels and glowing conduits snaking across the pillar's base, carrying a luminescent fluid that seemed to be the source of the eerie illumination.

"It's amazing..." The awestruck whisper slipped unbidden from his lips.

"I know, right?" the woman replied with a sidelong look.

"This is just one of the many wonders to be found inside rifts. If you ever get the chance to enter one, be sure to explore thoroughly before sealing it."

While she busied herself operating the controls, Northern hung back, drinking in the incredible sight before him with unabashed fascination.

After a few minutes of meticulous preparation, the viper turned and beckoned him over with a warm - yet somehow still disconcertingly predatory - smile.

"All you need to do is place your hand upon the pillar and use your talent."

Northern's gaze met hers, and beneath the polished veneer of beauty, he saw the glint of a killer's feral cunning in those sharp eyes. Just what manner of people made up the ranks of this citadel?

Turning his scrutiny aside, he cautiously approached the humming crystal pillar and extended his hand to rest upon its diaphanous surface.

When the viper gave an encouraging nod, he closed his eyes and split his consciousness in two.

The moment he did, a strange system alert manifested in his mind's eye:

[System Notice]

[A large amount of soul essence has been detected...]

[Soul essence is being drawn into the void of your soul... ]

[Your soul is growing stronger...]

He could actually feel something pouring into his very being - an odd, indescribable sensation that furrowed his brow in consternation.

Raising his head to seek an explanation, Northern saw the hazel-eyed woman had gone bone-white, staring down at the control panel with hands trembling violently.

Annette hovered just behind her, wearing an expression of deep worry and confusion.

Both women were transfixed by whatever readings played out before them, their demeanors reflecting a state of utter shock.

Suddenly, a hairline fracture raced up the length of the pillar from the point where Northern's hand made contact, prompting the entire structure to shudder violently.

Northern snatched his hand back in alarm as the chamber itself seemed to quake from some incredible force, nearly sending Annette and the viper tumbling to the floor.

Just as abruptly as the tremors began, they ceased, leaving an eerie stillness in their wake.

The two women gaped at the control panel, utterly perplexed.

"I don't understand," the viper murmured, brow furrowing deeply.

"Just now, the numbers were spiking drastically...but now it says he has no talent at all?"

Annette shot a bewildered look between Northern's dual forms.

"And he clearly does have talent - a lot of it, by the look of things. Has this damn thing finally gone haywire?"

The other woman scowled, deeply affronted by the insult to her precious technology.

"It can't have just 'gone nuts'! This crystal was crafted by one of the continent's finest engineers. What other explanation could there be?"

"Hey, I'm just calling it like I see it," Annette shot back defensively.

"We both saw those numbers rocketing off the charts - that was the highest potential reading ever recorded in this citadel as far as I know. And now it's saying zero? Zero means talentless, in case you forgot. Does that kid look even remotely talentless to you?!"

For once, the viper had no snide retort, her conflicted gaze drifting to the ominous fractures spiderwebbing across the pillar's surface.

Such damage should have been impossible...nothing about this situation made any sense.

The chamber's doors hissed open once more, admitting a quartet of new arrivals - three men, including Gilbert and Danzo, accompanied by a strikingly beautiful woman who appeared to be the viper's twin sister.

At their head strode the wizened, childlike figure of Rughsbourgh himself, his rapid steps carrying him straight to Northern before faltering to an abrupt halt.

The ancient academic's eyes glittered with undisguised fascination as they raked over the perplexing scene laid out before him.

Northern arched an inquisitive brow, shooting a sidelong look at the other occupants - all of whom seemed rooted in place, their expressions a mixture of bewilderment and trepidation as they awaited the diminutive figure's judgment.

Without preamble, Rughsbourgh stepped forward, reaching out to press his tiny hand against Northern's midsection.

His eyes slid shut for a brief moment...then flew wide in an expression of rapturous awe unlike anything Northern had ever witnessed, his weathered features frozen in a rictus of overwhelming exhilaration and delight.

Slowly, reverently, Rughsbourgh turned to regard Gilbert, the room's tension reaching an unbearable crescendo.

When the ancient scholar finally spoke, his voice emerged as a harsh, trembling rasp:

"This...this is amazing..."

Rughsbourgh's eyes seemed to blaze with an incandescent fervor as the reedy words gave way to a vibrant cry of pure, unbridled jubilation.

"This is so incredible! Truly...a magnificent gem!!"