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dinoace2 · 4 months

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Enter: the Oracle

An introductory piece for my Carnival!Quetz in @sm-baby's incredible The Amazing Digital Carnival au. Much as I'd love to make this a comic, I find that my words tend to come out better (and faster!) than my drawings. This is purely self-indulgent, acting to quite literally write my oc into a narrative someone else made, but i had fun with it. I promise I'll make a post detailing her room design later!

~2k words

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Caine looked at the door in front of him, studying the portrait. The menu labeled this door simply as "the Oracle". The face was still a silhouette, yet to be seen or discovered, but horns were clearly outlined on the character's head.

Bubble chirped, grinning. "The Oracle: a character who- who-...." he paused, his smile fading slightly. "....i...dont know."

Caine's hand hovered over the doorknob, hesitating for a moment. This was a character that wasn't meant to exist. When he looked into the files, most of its code was deleted, and what little remained was well-hidden underneath everything else. Whatever he was about to see wasnt supposed to get past initial production stages, much less final design, and considering what kind of characters he's already seen, it was probably for good reason.

With a cautious sigh and a nod to Bubble, he turned the doorknob and pulled it open.

Sheer purple curtains covering the doorway wasn't necessarily what he expected.

He pushed them aside to reveal a floor of ebony-colored wooden boards, the walkway covered in tapestry and silk fabrics. The entire room looked soft, littered with pillows and cloth of all kind. Most of it was sheer, shiny, and purple. Shades anywhere from pastel lilac to deep wine lined the room wall to wall, all lit by floating candles with impossibly white flames.

Caine stepped into the room, tentative at first, the boards creaking beneath his feet.

The groan of the floorboards alerted whatever was occupying the room, and with an audible whoosh and a light gust of wind in his eyes, the candles went out all at once.

Looking around proved fruitless, as it seemed every source of light in the room had been smothered. The only thing visible to him was whatever the light from the menu hallway reached.

A gentle yet firm voice echoed in the emptiness. "You aren't meant to be here. Do not take another step into this room. Leave, now." Her voice was calm, confident, and laced with authority.

Caine tilted his head, squinting in the darkness to find the character. "Your door unlocked just a minute ago. Who are you?"

"Nobody. Please...get out," The voice responded, her tone never wavering. "For the sake of your own safety, human, I recommend you heed this warning."

"You- uh. You know that im...human?" He paused, chuckling nervously. "The others didn't exactly take it well when they found out...believe it or not you're already much more pleasant than most of the characters I've met so far."

"Call it intuition. I know as much as I need to know about you, and you know as much as you need to know about me. Now get out."

"Oh, but surely-" the Player was cut off when he took a step. The floor clipped out beneath his foot and he fell forward, screaming as he plummeted into the darkness below. He fell endlessly for what felt like forever, but in reality was probably little more than a few seconds.

A cool hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling him to an abrupt stop. He clamped his teeth shut, his entire body tensing. He took a few shaky breaths, his hand over his heart and eyes slowly opening. It was still dark, but he could feel himself moving.

His rescuer let go of his hand and he fell into something soft, with a lot of slack and give to the material.

With another whoosh, the room lit up again. He was hanging in a pink silk hammock, and while most of the room looked the same, the floor was just...gone, replaced with a seemingly endless void. Upon closer inspection, hammocks and netted flooring were all over the place, some hung from the walls and ceiling and others just suspended midair.

Something flew through the middle of it all and perched on a dark wooden beam near the ceiling. An angel? No...not quite. A serpentine beast with blue-green scales and piercing eyes. Raven black hair framed her face and ivory horns adorned her head. Massive silver-gray wings spanned nearly wall-to-wall, truly a sight to behold. An elegant purple gown glittered in the surrounding candlelight, and a velvet choker with a large black stone took its place around her neck.

She sneered, sharp eyes glaring down at Caine. "I told you not to come closer." She fell from the rafters, and Caine gasped, until she spread her wings, swooped around and settled on a netted floor near him.

He stared for a moment, then nodded. "Right...um. sorry, I didn't know...that...was going to happen...what was that about, anyway?"

The character frowned. "To put it simply, I was scrapped. No need to finish the room if the character's been abandoned. The room itself isn't exactly...tangible because of it. The design and textures exist, obviously, but it's all unfinished. that first step in the walkway was as far as they got. Tried to warn you."

He nodded. "...oh. so...why did they decide not to make you? You certainly seem exciting enough for a game like this....and very well-made, too. I like your design! What's your name?" He smiled, swinging a bit in his little hammock.

She paused, not quite anticipating that much enthusiasm. "...my title is the Oracle, but you already knew that. My name during production was Quetz, apparently for a creature that I supposedly share resemblance to."

Caine's hand shot in the air, like a child answering a teacher in a classroom. "Oh! Quetzalcoatl! The Feathered Serpent from Aztec Mythology! God of-" he paused, recognizing her expression of confusion and slight disinterest. "....sorry." he put his hand down.

Quetz nodded slowly. "...right. my intelligence doesn't extend past this game, so I've no choice but to trust you on that. It's not all that significant anyway." She sighed.

"I was intended to be a bit of a...checkpoint, if you will. A place to collect onesself and reflect on the progress players made so far. I would then read their 'fortunes', some sort of cryptic statement, and it would give a random status effect that would last until the end of the next level they played. From then on they'd be able to come back between levels if they wanted, but each time ran the risk of a bad status effect as well. It was meant to be a sort of roulette to offer a unique challenge or adjustment to the other levels. I think it was intended to keep it replayable and 'new' so they'd maintain interest and relevance for longer."

She shrugged. "They couldn't figure out the coding. It was too complicated of a concept, and even if it did work it would've been too easy for players to abuse and cheat with. So they did away with the idea entirely."

Caine nodded. "So...you were...just a minigame, then?"

"...'just'? 'Mini'...?" she paused. "...I suppose so. Seems...belittling to put it that way, though...as if im...less important..." she frowned. "...but considering I never made it past planning, it makes sense..."

"...oh. sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Its fine." She sighed. "You asked for answers, and I gave you what I had. But perhaps you'd indulge me, and allow me to ask a few questions." She waited for a confirming nod, then moved closer to him. "Why are you here, Mister Eden?"

Caine froze, almost stopping mid-swing. "...h-how did you-?"

"I was given the title of 'Oracle', what do you think that means?" She frowned. "I was programmed to know everything about this place, do you truly think I wouldn't notice when an unregistered entity entered the code?"

The Player nodded. "...I suppose that makes sense. Well...I..." he paused. "....dont remember, honestly. I know I came here for something, and I made Bubble to assist me, but once I entered the system I forgot it all."

"No, I understand that. I meant...why are you here? Or rather, how are you here? I never made it to beta testing. Playtesters never got the chance to interact with me. Sure, ive still been here, lingering in the background, but...my door has never unlocked. I've never been accessible to Players. You had to have done something."

Caine shrugged. "I dont know what to tell you. I'd just barely left the Host level, and two doors unlocked. This one happened to be closer to me, not to mention the extra cool and mysterious detail of your face being blocked out."

She nodded. "So...its likely more of an internal issue than your interference, then. Interesting."

She thought for a moment. "...you came here for something. Your intention is to retrieve a missing component, I assume." Caine nodded, following her logic, so she continued. "While I'm incapable of determining what it is you're seeking, nor whether you'll find it...i can at least try to assist."

Caine sat upright, suddenly quite eager to hear what she would say next.

"In everything that I've seen, with near unlimited access to all of the files...I can say with near certainty that you are not the only player avatar in the game right now."

Silence and shock overtook the coder. Was she saying what he thought she was? And if that was true, then...could that be what he's looking for?

"Theres another human here???"

Quetz opened her mouth, but everything stopped suddenly. All the candles went out, plunging them into darkness once more. A light appeared just below her eye level, a crystal ball of sorts that cast shadows over her face with a soft glow. She stared at it with wide eyes, and...was that fear that crept into her expression?

"Sh[$%?]!" She paused for a moment, slightly puzzled by the sprite that covered her mouth and dialogue, but shook her head, turning to Caine. "Eden! Close the hammock. Lay still. And for the love of whatever cruel god designed this place, do. Not. Move. Trust me."

Caine nodded, quickly sinking into the soft fabric.

Quetz took a deep breath, then waved her palm over the crystal ball in front of her, her claws barely grazing the glossy surface. Caine couldn't see what happened, but he could hear it well enough.

A voice echoed around them, bouncing off the walls of the endless void beneath.

"Good evening, my dear Moth."

"Hello, my King...you haven't reached out to me in quite some time...is everything alright?" There was no mistaking the slight tremor in the Oracle's voice.

"Oh, of course! All is well. Ragatha has just informed me that she had an interaction with our newest Player, and I was hoping you could tell me how he's doing?"

Quetz paused. "...from my observations, things are going quite well for him. He's found companionship with the little Jester and has gotten along well with every entity he has interacted with so far. Its likely he's currently making preparations to visit the Storyteller next."

"And where is he now, Quetzal?"

"He- well, I haven't checked in a little while. I'll be sure to let you know once I get a chance to look." She rambled the answer. "Anyway I'm sure you've got a lot to get back to! I'll talk to you again later-"

"Is something bothering you, Moth?"

The Serpent froze. "Eh- no! Not at all! I just. Uh. Oh dear, it...appears Zooble's gloinks have escaped again! I need to catch them before they clip into the Void again. Talk to you later!" She hurriedly crushed the crystal between her palms, scattering glowing particles across the room that relit the candles as they passed.

Caine yelped as the same cold hand from before grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up. Quetz set him down on that first wooden step and pushed the door wide open. "You need to leave."

He sputtered, turning around and grabbing her hands. "Wait! Who were you talking to? What about that other human? What else don't I know? I have more questions, please!"

She frowned. "The Storyteller is a fairly simple task. Follow her instructions to the letter and do your best not to make her upset. You have an advantage because she likes Pomni. Now get out. Please." Her tone was much more pleading on the last word, and she gave his shoulder a firm shove to return him to the hallway. She snapped her fingers, and the door slammed shut.

Caine stood up, dusting himself off. "Hm. That was....interesting. I suppose that...this 'Storyteller' is next. You ready, Bubble?"

~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading! :]

Note: okay there's more to this than the scene suggests. She's very afraid of Kinger, and there are reasons that I couldn't elaborate on in this bit. I really really do love this character and I cannot wait to learn more about the other characters so I can better portray her relationships with them!

#tadcarnival #carnival!quetz #carnival!caine #carnival!bubble #the amazing digital carnival #caine tadc #sm baby #quetz #carnival!kinger

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