Ancient Trials, Ancient Sins

Dumb
As they advanced the mist thickened and their steps reached their ears dampened and the deep rents in the walls first increased in number, then lessened and eventually ceased entirely. Strangely enough they weren't... bleeding, though given it looked like a cultbeast, it was perhaps not that strange after all, given their regenerative capabilities.
Reaching the end of the corridor it opened up into a large chamber, almost perfectly circular the reddish flshy walls interpsersed with black, rib-like structures, seemingly holding up the ceiling in arches, thick veins covering the ground, headed towards the center of the room where a small pedestal stood. It felt like... a heartchamber maybe, or a brain. Though the view onto teh pedestals surface surface was blocked.

Her guide stopped in his tracks but remained silent.

Who stood there in the middle of the room, unsurprisingly was no one else than Halcyon. As of now, he seemed to be unaware of their presence, staring intently at what laid there on the pedestal.
The guide looked back at Mainframe and nodded silently towards Hal, raising his spear...

There was a murmur going through the small crowd of people, as their stand-in leader looked back at them. Then a couple moments later, there was silence.
She couldn't see beneath the hood but it was obvious he was squinting at her, judging by his posture.
"...and why, dare tell, should we trust you, if the other one you brought supposedly already brings disaster? All of you are Starpeople, outsiders but this, is our home and we will stay here. The Elders tell stories of times past and this world has always been the same since the days of the Untouchable and it always will. Lac'raen has gone down to deal with the issues and said we should prepare to leave and that we will do."
As they talked the rest of the group observed cautiously for a while, having stopped their preparations but then continued as the man mentioned the Elders and the 'Untouchable'.

Dumb
Though seemingly distracted just a moment ago, in one fluid movement Hal turned around whilst drawing his sword, swatting the container out of the air without effort. The vial shattered mid-air releasing its nanites in a thin almost invisible cloud, though as of now, it seemed Hal was not aware he had been hit anyways or at least didn't show it. The guide on the other hand was less aware, being hit straight in the back, reacting to the 'attack' by jumping to the side with surprising agility and then swaying his spear, pointing first at Mainframe, then Halcyon and then Mainframe again.
"What are...!? I know I couldn't tr...", he yelled, though was cut of by his body freezing mid sentence.

Hal looked her up and down for a couple moments, then the guide, as if judging their capability in battle, his sword was still in the open, though he didn't attack yet.
"Hm, playing with tricks now, are we? I suppose I should not be the one to be blaming you.", he mumbled, seemingly more to himself than mainframe, as evident as he turned his full attention back to Mainframe a moment later.

"What I have here, is the key, the very key, we have been looking for. I suppose you wouldn't know, what it is, or what it means, not, that it mattered anyways. It would've been easy to turn your back and go the other way, let me do what I came here for."
He paused.
"Though, I suppose if you did that, then there wouldn't have been a reason for you to be here anyways, now would there?"
In the meanwhile, though still paralysed, the guide looked in terror at what lay there on the altar, behind Hal. He seemed to be straining himself considerably, trying to talk or move at all, though at the current time he was incapable of it.
Hal sighed.
Now, I suppose since you didn't try to backstab me immediately, it would only be fair to make you an offer. It is rather simple. Stand with me now and I will share the key with you."
He paused again, this time his eys narrowing, his stance going a little lower, the tip of the sword just a little bit higher.
"...or don't, though I suppose you already know what will mean."

In the meanwhile on the surface there another moment of silence, before the tension seemed to slowly release.
The man shook his head as if he had just talked to a naive child that didn't know any better than what it had said.
"If that is indeed the case and you only 'offer' then you should have no issues with waiting until our and your friend both return, do you?"
As they had been talking, it seemed most of the preparations had been completed, though nobody seemed to show any intention of leaving yet.
"When... If, they both return, we will consider your offer, until then we will stay here."
He turned around yelling several words she couldn't understand though everyone could hear, in response people went to their respective sleds and sat down, some pulling what would likely be rations off their packages and start eating or drinking.

Dumb
There was a moment of confusion in Halcyons eyes, as if of all things he’d expected to happen this was the last one. For a moment, the tip of his sword slightly lowered, though his stance and expression remained wary.
“I have no business with your partners. I am here only here for the keystone.”
A singular pulse of the veins went through the floor, sounding like a heartbeat, breaking the following silence momentarily. In the meanwhile their guide seemed to be struggling, desperately, though seemed unable to do anything, so far.
…
Halcyon moved slightly sidewards as if trying to gain a different angle on Mainframe, each step taken with utmost care whilst remaining smooth, almost elegant, though the tip of his sword now once more pointed at her.
“What is your plan? We’re leaving now or I leave alone, we’re not going to get your partners.”
The mist in a room wafted almost as if in response to the pulse of the veins, the room was calm though the atmosphere remained tense.
“Even I don’t know what’s going to happen next, there may be no coming back.”
The veins pulsed another time as if underlining his point.

Dumb
“Fascinating.”, the voice simply remarked after a while of silence,
There was a dry chuckle.
“Indeed, why would I kill you? There is no point in disposing of something which is empty in the first place, is there? Nothing woul dbe gained, nothing would be lost, is that not so, Halcyon?”
The man visibly flinched at the remark but maintained his defiant grimace.
“Perhaps it would be more entertaining if I instead dragged someone more interesting into this place? Someone more important to your plans?”
Unwillingly, images of Dasha ran through Mainframes artificial mind.
“As for your calamity shard… Who knows, really? Many things lose significance over time, especially in a world like this, in a constant flow of change, between nations and people appearing out of nowhere at moments notice and fading into insignicance just as easily. Perhaps, I returned to its owner, perhaps it was the very one you destroyed?”
There was another pause and Halcyon seemed to become increasingly uncomfortable.
“What are we even doing here? Are we just here for your entertainment?!”
"No, no not quite, you do serve a purpose but beyond that, you have made a deal and I intend to uphold my deals, given my subjects have the will to see their tasks through…
As such, I guess the time for idle chitchat will soon be over."

Dumb
The silence lasted as Mainframes thoughts circulated, the only real sound was Halcyons silent breath and heartbeat just faintly louder than the eerie background hum permeating the impenetrable darkness around them. Once more, Halcyon was the first one to make a move, stepping further into the darkness, out of view though his voice still heard.
“Then what is what you want us to do?! What is this final trial, untouchable one?!”, strangely enough he was using the same term as the natives of the planet they just left.
“This place is a transitional area, a space between spaces, a Limbo of unfinished deeds, if you will.”
“What are you…?!”

Halcyon began his next question but was cut short by the disembodied voice.
"Both of you came seeking to fulfill their own wishes, each of you have their reasons, their history, niehter of you know each other particularly well.
…but I do.
So who am I to decide who is permitted to deink from the worlds desires? To claim the Chalice of Want?"

The voice was monotone and cold, as if the question was solely rhethorical, an afterthought to himself.

In the meanwhile the voice and the steps, now in the darkness had fallen silent.

Dumb
…though as mainframe waited the only answer that came was a rustling clothes from the darkness beyond then the whistling of air as if something was moving very fast.

The next thing she knew was that she saw Halcyon descending from up above, blade in hand rotating like a buzzsaw, the movement was fluid, precise one foot tapping the ground lightly as he landed, twisting and then transforming the accumulated momentum into a strike aimed straight at her neck. Had she not been who she was she likely wouldn’t have had the time to react. There was a certain hint of madness in Halcyons eyes, the man she had gotten to know over the past couple weeks, though that madness was completely overwhelmed by a grim determination that left no second guesses as to who he thought should have the grail and have their wish fulfilled.

It seems Halcyon had made his decision long ago.

Dumb
There was a moment where time seemed to slow as the jaws of Mainframes construct leaped towards Hals body then a flash of red light and Hal was flung away from the trap which closed empty mid-air and neither side had hit their first attack, though a tear in his clothes showing just how narrowly he escaped.
Flipping backwards mid-air and then landing on his feet, sliding backwards with a scraping sound, one of his hands released the grip on his blade to sway mid-air and release a volley of homing energy projectiles from an arc of red light following his motion, as his legs seemed to tense up ready to make the next charge, blade held point squarely at mainframes chest, making use of the distraction he thought the projectiles would provide him.

Hal had not spoken a word and his breathing seemed to be almost non existent, he had wasted no second to stop or reconsider after his first attack failed, whatever his goals were he seemed to have no intention of dropping them even if there was no easy way out.