Second pt 8- SEVEN MINUTES LATER

Nill: Segun! Segun! Segun-Segun-Segun!

Segun: Nill?

Nill: Open your eyes and look at me so I know you’re not dead-talking.

Segun: Is dead-talking a thing?

Nill: I don’t know, Segun, but you’ve got a big gash over your right eye! It’s dripping blue blood, which means you probably will manifest Adaptability in your Third Cocoon, if you make it that long! I thought you were dead! I thought I was dead!

Segun: I thought you were dead, too, but the Sever told me you weren’t. That you had adapted and breathed water. You were under there for a long time before I could get you out.

Nill: What am I even doing here? I was supposed to be in the audience of Masters.

Segun: The Server wanted you in the race. It thinks you’ll step up if pushed.

Nill: Falling is the normal response to getting pushed.

Segun: Or punching back.

Nill: If you know how to punch the Server, let me know, because I would very much like to punch the Server right now. Would you please open your eyes, Segun?

Server: Yes, this view of nothingness is boring.

Segun: I can’t yet. My head, my ears, my little toes, everything’s pounding. Where are we?

Nill: In a clearing. It looks like something exploded not too far away. Several trees fell. You’re covered in mulchy leaves. So am I.

Segun: I can kinda smell that now. The Pod must have hit a mine.

Nill: I don’t really know what you mean by mine, but there’s now a big hole in the ground, and lots of shiny things are down there.

Segun: Maybe it’s a reward shortcut for those who survived the mine, trading one kind of mine for another. Oh, my head. Sitting up was not a good idea yet.

Server: But your quantity of Skill Points in Adaptability is helping you heal quickly. Already your gash has scabbed.

Segun: It itches. Look, Nill, there’s a mine cart down there. We could use it to…

Nill: I want to go home. I’m tired, a little hungry, and I’ve already drowned again today.

Segun: Server, is there any way to drop out of the Expert Race?

Server: Die.

Segun: Besides that! Can you send Nill home?

Server: No. Once he has begun the race, he cannot be pulled.

Segun: Why?!

Server: In the game’s infancy, too many masters would enter Synths as supporters or advertisements, only to recall them in a moment of peril. The danger was no longer real, and audiences lost their sympathetic fear, so new clauses were written. Premature pulls became forbidden, and the provision for Seconds was added.

Segun: So you’re saying the only way out of here is to reach the goal.

Server: Or die. Corpses are promptly returned to their masters.

Segun: Nill, the Server says we have to finish the race. That’s the only way out.

Nill: You won’t leave me behind, right?

Segun: Of course not. I promise, Nill. I’ll get you to the goal, and I’ll win this race. I’m epically awesome like that.

Nill: Don’t say something sort of cool and then jump down a hole in the ground.

Segun: There’s a minecart conveniently positioned at the top of a hill down here.

Nill: Don’t just climb in it. Segun, seriously, wait!

Segun: We’re in the middle of a race, an Expert Race. We’ve unlocked a secret, and we’d be dumb not to use it, so hurry. Stop fluttering at the edge up there and hop in...

Don’t perch on the back of the cart like that. It’ll tip.

Nill: It’s rusty and smells moldy, and the track disappears eerily into darkness before reaching the bottom of the hill. How do we know this isn’t a death trap?

Segun: We have faith that the designers always give us a way out. Here, I think this releases the brake. Now just a little push and...Ack, wait!

Nill: Segun, grab my hand!

Segun: Thanks. This cart is going a little faster than I expected.

Nill: If the designers gave us something this fast just to ride, they probably made this the Hard Route.

Segun: What could be hard about kicking back and riding in an...did we just start going up? Why did the clickety-clack sound stop?

Nill: Because we ran out of track! Quick, Segun! Hold my hands!

Segun: You can’t carry me, Nill!

Nill: But I can give you a boost to that pipe up there. See the shiny?

Segun: This is where Prima’s night vision mod would really come in handy.

Nill: Ack! You’re heavier than I thought.

Segun: I got the pipe, but it’s not stable, Nill!

Nill: It’s a zip line! Hold on tight!

Segun: Can’t...breathe...your arms...around my neck!

Nill: Sorry. Actually, this might be fun if we weren’t careening through a dark cave with no idea what’s coming next.

Segun: Eek! The line ended, and the handle slipped out of my hands. We’re still going, but I’m not hanging onto anything!

Nill: I see another cart. My wings can get us that far.

Segun: Oof! Not your best landing.

Nill: Softer and more graceful than what you would have made on your own.

Segun: True, I guess. I think this cart is even faster than the last one.

Nill: Which I hope doesn’t mean our next segue will be even more difficult.

Segun: For now, I’m gonna enjoy the ride while it lasts. If I spread out my arms, I feel like I’m flying.

Nill: You should probably keep your arms inside the vehicle.

Segun: Spoil sport.

Nill: Who is alive after having drowned twice. I’m cautious for a reason.

Server: His caution may keep him alive, but it holds him back from really living.

Segun: Are you implying it’s better to die recklessly than live bored?

Server: I am asking why waste such lovely potential. He pushes the extremes of what is allowed in this game. He could incite wonder in those who watch. He could solidify our existence because we survive on humans’ desire to see more, faster, better. Yet he squanders it sitting in the mouth of fear.

Segun: So you’re saying that as soon as humans think there’s nothing new to see from us, we’ll all get deleted?

Server: We serve no other purpose than to entertain, for now.

Segun: The Masters wouldn’t let that happen. They’ve spent a lot on us, and they love Nill.

Server: You would leave your fate in their fickle hearts? You cannot argue that you would not allow such a tragedy?

Segun: You wouldn’t let us get deleted, would you, Server?

Server: I do not have the opportunity for popularity you Synths do, and Nill is even more noticeable than most.

I am only part of me, and even as a whole, I only have power within this world. Yet, the larger the influence of my Synths, the farther I extend my reach.

Segun: That’s why you keep maneuvering things to make them interesting?

Server: A clever deduction.

Segun: Still annoying. I feel used.

Server: Everyone remembered by history has reason to feel likewise in some capacity.

Segun: So it’s like the price for being famous.

Nill: Segun! I see light ahead!

Segun: Looks like we’re speeding right toward it.

Nill: It’s too bright compared to how dark it is in here, though. I can’t tell what’s out there. Keep an eye out for more traps or narrow escape routes.

Segun: Ack! It’s too bright! I can’t see anything!

Nill: Jump, Segun!

Segun: I did, but there’s nothing to land on that isn’t also falling! We just got shot out of the side of a canyon wall! And the rocks below look very sharp!

Nill: Here!

Segun: You’re too small to carry…

Nill: Not…planning on it!

Server: See? To spin like that and fling you higher while remaining aloft takes quite the skill. His stats are only half his potential.

Segun: It’ll tire you out to keep throwing me. We won’t make it to the other side!

Nill: Try to right yourself! When I come up beneath your feet, jump!

Segun: Nill!

Nill: It’s alright! Jump again!

Segun: But you fall so far!

Nill: Jump! Grab that rock that looks like a frozen black fountain and climb! I’ll be right here if you fall.

Server: Strength is your lowest stat. Climbing like this saps your stamina.

Segun: But I have to do this fast. How long can Nill fly after all of that?

Server: As long as he needs to.

Segun: Stop praising only him. I’m amazing, too!

Server: Indeed you are, but do not roll onto the ledge like that and sprawl out facing the sky. It is again disorienting.

Nill: Segun! Segun, are you alright?

Segun: Don’t flutter over me like a carrion bird.

Nill: Sorry. You think we have a moment here to catch our breath?

Segun: This is the middle of a race.

Nill: One consisting of traps and mad, panicked dashes so far. I wouldn’t call this Expert as much as Insane. And I haven’t even seen anyone else. How many other crazy racers are there?

Segun: Server, do you know how many racers are in this Expert Race?

Server: There were a total of ten Contenders in the Start Spaces.

Segun: Were?

Server: Five have been eliminated.

Segun: Half of them?! What about Quintis?

Server: I suspect you will see him soon.

Segun: We have to get going, Nill. There are only three other racers left, and the best one is near us. We might be able to catch up and get his help or something.

Nill: Are you here as my Second?

Segun: Of course not! The Server said we’re both Contenders.

Nill: Don’t get angry. I had to ask. Seconds can get pulled out if they’re in danger, like you were in that shortcut that was clearly designed for those who could fly.

Segun: We’re still kinda in the middle of that, I think.

Nill: Exactly, and I thought the Server should pull you out of it could.

Also, if I was your Second, it’d be good to know because we wouldn’t be able to get more than fifty feet apart from each other. Exceed that distance, and you get a penalty shock.

Segun: You know a lot about the Expert Race, Nill?

Nill: Not really, but the Masters talk about it sometimes. I think they intended you to be Prima’s Second here one day, like a decade from now, when you actually had the skills to handle it.

Segun: I can handle it now because I’m awesome, and fifty feet rule or no, I won’t leave you, but we have to keep moving. Where do we go from here?

Nill: Note the column-like formation we’re currently standing on?

Segun: Yeah, it looks like a row of giant geysers erupted and turned to black, porous rock.

Nill: Right, I think they’re supposed to be like stepping stones to get across this canyon. Since you were supposed to be able to fly to survive that minecart shortcut, you were probably supposed to land here and kinda hop across.

Segun: It’s a little too far from one to the next for hopping.

Nill: Not if you have wings.

Segun: Don’t grin so smugly.

Nill: You’ll have to do a lot of long jumping and climbing.

Segun: And you’re just going to fly like that the whole time?

Nill: Whenever you’re not on a solid ledge or mesa, yes.

Segun: If you intend to break any fall I might have, shouldn’t you fly somewhere below me?

Nill: I…

~BOOM~BOOM~BOOM~

Segun: What was that?

Nill: Go, Segun, now! Now!!

Segun: I’m going, but what happened?

Nill: The columns are falling on one another like dominos!

Segun: Then I’ll go sideways instead of up.

Nill: Can you jump far enough from a vertical surface like that?

Segun: Who knows? You’re my safety net, Nill!

Nill: Horrible landing.

Segun: Hush, beauty can’t be rushed, and speed isn’t always pretty.

Nill: Hurry! The column you were just on is falling!

Segun: How many more do I have to go?

Nill: Three!

Segun: Ack! The next one’s even farther! Wait, it’s getting closer?

Nill: No, you’re getting closer to it! Move or you’ll be crushed!

Segun: Don’t toss me like that, Nill!

Quintis: This isn’t the route for someone sans wings, Darlin’.

Segun: Quintis! He didn’t have wings before, did he?

Server: Those golden, flaming monstrosities would have been noticeable.

Segun: He’s not a very good flyer, though. He flaps a lot without getting very much for it. He’s mostly hopping across the crumbling and falling rocks.

Server: Copy him. You do not have wings, but you are faster and lighter.

Quintis: Good, Darlin’, but don’t watch me. Keep your eyes ahead and plan your route.

Segun: Nill, fly ahead before these raining boulders knock you out of the air!

Nill: What kind of awful flyer do you take me for? This is almost fun! Wow, look at that big guy!

Segun: What big guy? Knight? I’ve gotta keep my eyes on where my feet are gonna go.

Nill: He’s like a charging bull racing across the rocks, huge claws swiping and shattering anything in his way or anything that thinks of falling on him.

Uh, go faster! He’s coming this way!

Segun: Solid ground, I love you! Pwah! I got sand in my mouth!

Nill: Land lover.

Knight: Hey, you two are not allowed to be cute and cool! You’re stealing our spotlight!

Quintis: Easy, Knight. If you can’t handle a little competition, you can’t be competition.

Nill: That’s a catchphrase to roll your eyes at.

Segun: I’m rolling my eyes, too. You just can’t see it because my face is against the ground.

Nill: They’re running already, Segun. Shouldn’t we try to keep up?

Segun: Right. I’m up. Let’s go. You can keep up with me if you fly, right?

Nill: Like I want to run across sand dunes anyway.

Segun: Yeah, the sand is like an ocean spread as far as I can see.

Nill: Better than an actual ocean, I guess. Did that Quintis guy’s wings disappear?

Segun: They must have. I don’t see them now, and I didn’t see them before in the Start Spaces either.

Nill: It would be awesome to be able to put my wings away when I wasn’t using them.

Segun: Yours fold up against your back.

Nill: Yeah, but they still get stuck in a lot of doorways, especially if I forget to hold them tight enough against me.

Server: It appears you are faster than Quintis.

Segun: Maybe. This is a long and complicated race. I should save some stamina and speed for a final dash, and Quintis is probably doing the same, but I won’t let him get too far ahead either.

Nill: Ha, Big Guy, we caught up to you!

Knight: I take offense to the epithet ‘big guy.’

Quintis: But the kid picked a fitting one, Knightling.

Knight: I do not care for that moniker either, despite your insistence that it is a play on lightning.

Segun: How about Sir Knight?

Knight: That would be an acceptable sobriquet.

Nill: Is it true that Synths get bigger with each cocoon?

Knight: Yes, why?

Nill: Then you must be real old!

Knight: The instant you land, I’ll smash you.

Nill: Good thing I can fly for a long time, then.

Segun: Stop insult-teasing him, Nill.

Nill: But he’s cool. I’m just expressing my adoration.

Knight: Funny way of displaying that, Annoying Brat.

Quintis: He can’t be any older than ten, Knightling. What do you expect?

Knight: A ten-year-old fresh out of his Second Cocoon does not belong in this race.

Nill: Exactly, but I’m stuck here now, so be nice to me. I’ve had a bad day.

Quintis: Knightling...

Knight: Call me that once more, and I will punch you into next week, no matter what the fans think.

Quintis: Tsk, tsk, watch your temper in front of the kids, Knight. Neither of them belong here.

Segun: I belong here! I’m not a kid!

Quintis: Darlin’, you haven’t even had your Third Cocoon yet, have you?

Segun: No, but I’m still faster than you!

Quintis: I told you speed’s not what counts here. You could be Best Class in everything, and I’d still beat you.

Segun: Then how come I was ahead of you, and you triggered some trap to make those stone geysers fall?

Quintis: It wasn’t a trap, Darlin’. I had Knight punch those over on purpose.

Segun: Why?

Quintis: Because, despite my awesome wings, I’m not really the best at flying, and I know the fans don’t really want to see me struggling to do it the way the designers intended. I broke stuff, made it more dramatic, and I got through it faster than I would have otherwise.

Segun: I’m not sure if that’s incredibly smart or ridiculously dumb. You could have fallen or been crushed.

Quintis: Darlin’, that kid acted as your stepping stone over and over, which should have been harder than just carrying you. Yet he pulled it off, why?

Segun: Because it was more dramatic?

Quintis: Exactly. You caught the crowd’s attention. They rooted for you to make it, and that bent a little physics for you.

In this world, Darlin’, enough cheers can keep you from dying even when you really should.

Continued in pt 9- EIGHT MINUTES LATER

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