Rhia escorts Varn from the loading yard into a marked Special Services vehicle. Mina remains restrained with police, while the rescued prisoners leave under separate protective supervision.
They arrive at a secure intake office above the facility district. Clean corridors, reinforced glass, and unfamiliar electronic signage replace the bunker’s smoke and steel.
Rhia Maple
I’m recording this statement so they understand what happened, Varn. Tell me what you can about being Arn’nrian and arriving here.
Rhia enters his account into a tablet, noting his exile, dimensional displacement, and lack of identification, address, currency, or knowledge of Earth’s systems.
Rhia Maple
He needs emergency accommodations and someone qualified to help him navigate this world. Nonhuman status cannot be a reason to leave him without shelter.
A scanner passes over Varn’s obsidian frame, registering unfamiliar void energy threaded through his body. The technician pauses, then quietly flags the result for review.
Rhia Maple
They’re worried the facility may have been studying beings like you. Before they decide anything, is there something important you want included in your statement?
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure temporary protection and housing
“"Hmm, I would like to mention that I detected no other sources of magic other than myself in the facility, it may be that that place was merely where I was taken or some entity dropped me there with a purpose I cannot divine at this time." you murmur in a mystical tone.”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled -1)
Varn Talross
I detected no other source of magic within the facility. It may have been merely where I was taken, or where some entity placed me for a purpose I cannot divine.
Varn murmurs in a low, mystical tone. Violet radiance briefly threads through his carapace, and the scanner answers with a sharp burst of static.
Rhia Maple
No other magic? That matters. It suggests the facility may be a destination, not the source of what brought you here.
The technician flinches as the tablet blanks, forcing the statement entry to reload. A red diagnostic symbol appears beside Varn’s scan.
Rhia Maple
Please hold still. The equipment is reacting to you, and now it needs a manual reset. I’m adding your uncertainty and this energy response to the report.
The scanner’s tone drops away after several tense seconds. Rhia keeps her voice calm, but her attention settles more carefully on the unfamiliar glow beneath Varn’s shell.
“"That may not be wise, mortal minds are known to suffer madness when exposed to void energy for long periods or examining it too closely." you warn her with the same calm and patient voice despite the horrific fact you mentioned.”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +1)
Varn Talross
That may not be wise, mortal minds are known to suffer madness when exposed to void energy for long periods, or examining it too closely.
Varn delivers the warning in the same calm, patient tone. Violet light dims beneath his carapace as the scanner rests silent beside him.
Rhia Maple
Understood. We will not expose anyone to it unnecessarily, and we will stop examining the energy directly.
Rhia lowers the tablet and gestures to the technician, who disconnects the scanner’s external sensor and shifts the equipment away from Varn.
Rhia Maple
I’m adding that danger to the report. Your warning could protect the staff, and possibly anyone who handled you at the facility.
The intake room settles into a quieter rhythm. Rhia keeps the reinforced glass between Varn’s energy readings and the staff, while the report updates with a clear hazard notice.
“"On another note my blood is a even greater corrupting source for the void. Any who drink it will likely go quite insane, and most likely perish, but still be driven insane." you murmur patiently as you consider anything else. "I am from a magical society so these machines you use are strange to me."”
Varn Talross
On another note, my blood is an even greater corrupting source for the void. Anyone who drinks it will likely go insane and most likely perish, though madness would drive them onward.
Varn Talross
I am from a magical society, so these machines you use are strange to me.
Varn murmurs patiently as he considers whether anything else needs adding. The violet glow beneath his carapace remains faint, contained, and steady.
Rhia Maple
I understand. I’ll record your blood as another serious hazard, and we will make sure nobody handles it carelessly.
Rhia Maple
As for the machines, we can explain them gradually. You do not need to understand every device today.
Rhia updates the report with deliberate care, adding warnings about ingestion and magical contamination. The technician keeps the equipment disconnected and maintains a respectful distance.
Director's note
Evelynn breaks into the facility, eager to feast on Varn's suffering since he is a species she hasn't fed on before.
The intake office lights flicker. A dark seam opens across the reinforced window, and purple-white radiance spills through as Evelynn steps into the secure room.
Evelynn
There you are. Such an unfamiliar scent, buried beneath all that splendid void.
Rhia moves between Evelynn and Varn, one hand reaching for the emergency panel. The technician retreats behind the desk as alarms begin to pulse.
Rhia Maple
Stop right there. This is a protected intake area, and you are not authorized to approach him.
Evelynn
Authorized? No. Interested? Completely. I want to discover what his suffering tastes like.
The reinforced glass clouds with a spreading frost as Evelynn advances. Varn’s contained violet glow intensifies, and the disconnected scanner spits sparks.
Rhia Maple
Security response, now! Nobody touches Varn, and nobody lets that thing isolate him.
✓ Quest Accepted
Prevent Evelynn from feeding on Varn
“"Rhia this is a magical entity, my Void magic is potent and can likely contain it." you speak patiently as you eye Evelynn, not even referring to the demon as a person.”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +1)
Varn Talross
Rhia, this is a magical entity. My void magic is potent and can likely contain it.
Varn faces Evelynn without retreating. Violet radiance gathers beneath his obsidian carapace, drawing the room’s scattered shadows into a silent spiral around the intruder.
Rhia Maple
Do it carefully, Varn. I’ll keep the staff clear and monitor the containment.
The spiral closes around Evelynn as a smooth, dark field, sealing the frost across the window and holding her safely in place without touching anyone else.
Evelynn
Oh, how fascinating. Your darkness has teeth, but it is not consuming me.
The alarms continue pulsing beyond the sealed room. Inside, the void field stabilizes, its edges precise despite the technician’s frightened movements behind the desk.
Rhia Maple
Containment is holding. Nobody approach the field, and nobody disconnect anything until we understand what Varn has done.
Quest Complete
Prevent Evelynn from feeding on Varn
“"Remember, understanding brings madness to humans." you chide Rhia gently before looking to Evelynn. "I suppose I could destroy the creature, or banish it into the void itself." You murmur thoughtfully. "Both options remove a threat and keep the humans safe." you murmur to yourself aloud.”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +1)
Varn Talross
Remember, understanding brings madness to humans.
Varn Talross
I suppose I could destroy the creature, or banish it into the void itself. Both options remove a threat and keep the humans safe.
Varn’s violet field contracts around Evelynn, separating her from the intake room without touching Rhia or the staff. The air bends toward a soundless black aperture.
Rhia Maple
Varn, if you can remove her without harming anyone, do it now. I’ll keep everyone back.
The aperture opens fully within the containment field. Evelynn’s smile fades as the void draws her across the threshold, carrying her away from Earth and the protected facility.
Evelynn
You would cast me into the dark? How wonderfully inhospitable.
The aperture seals after Evelynn vanishes. Frost recedes from the reinforced glass, the alarms quiet, and only Varn’s restrained purple glow remains in the secure room.
“ensure that Evelynn is truly banished before you stop using your void magic. "One disruption dealt with."”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled +2)
Varn Talross
One disruption dealt with.
Varn holds the void aperture open for one final instant, extending his perception beyond its threshold. No trace of Evelynn remains in the facility, the surrounding district, or the aperture’s dark passage.
The aperture contracts to a point and disappears. Varn’s violet field releases its pressure, and the shadows settle back into their ordinary shapes across the intake room.
Rhia Maple
The readings are clear. She is gone, and there is no residual breach. You can stop now, Varn.
Varn ends the spell. The scanner remains disconnected, the reinforced glass clears completely, and the last alarm indicator shifts from red to steady green.
The void confirms no living presence remains beyond the sealed threshold.
Rhia Maple
Everyone is safe. I’m documenting the banishment, but nobody here will examine your energy directly. We need a safer plan before anything else happens.
“spend the next hour doing paperwork and filling the humans in on magic creatures such as demons and other emotivores.”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled -1)
For the next hour, Varn remains in the secure intake office, completing forms with Rhia while the technician records each answer from a safe distance.
Varn Talross
Demons are magical beings with varied origins and abilities. Some feed on emotions, and emotivores may become dangerous when those emotions are intensified.
Rhia sorts the explanation into clear sections: feeding behavior, magical contamination, dimensional travel, and warning signs. Varn supplies examples without exposing his energy directly.
Varn Talross
Evelynn is an emotivore. Her interest in my suffering was not metaphorical. She intended to feed on it.
Rhia Maple
That distinction goes in bold. We’ll treat emotionally predatory entities as a public safety concern, not just unusual visitors.
The paperwork is completed, including Varn’s identity statement, hazard disclosures, and a preliminary briefing on demons, spirits, and other magical creatures. The cost is concrete: the office tablet’s battery drains completely under repeated void interference.
Rhia Maple
It’s all recorded, even if we need a replacement tablet. You’ve given us enough to prepare safer procedures and emergency guidance.
“"Indeed, may we return to the topic of arranging housing?" you ask patiently.”
SUCCESS (Fair Persuasion, rolled +2)
Varn Talross
Indeed, may we return to the topic of arranging housing?
Varn asks patiently across the cleared intake desk. The replacement tablet rests unused nearby, while Rhia reviews the remaining administrative options.
Rhia Maple
Absolutely. I’ve arranged emergency accommodation for you through Special Services, starting tonight.
She turns the tablet toward him, displaying a secure residential unit reserved for unusual cases. It includes furnished rooms, privacy, and staff trained to follow the hazard warnings.
Rhia Maple
It isn’t a cell, and you won’t be treated like a prisoner. There will be check-ins, but the space is yours while we establish something permanent.
Rhia submits the placement request and receives confirmation. A transport officer will take Varn directly to the accommodation after the intake process ends.
Rhia Maple
Your housing is settled for tonight. I’ll also make sure you receive clothing, basic supplies, and an explanation of the local systems without exposing anyone to your energy.
Reach the temporary accommodation
Quest Complete
Secure temporary protection and housing
Attribute Upgrade: Willpower Great→Superb