To court a prince (closed)

[Warhaven]

"The Aquamarinians strive to keep The Network as amazing as friendly as possible." Arina said.

"Hey, I just heard, you have the badge, you, you defeated Bruno?" Several nearby onlookers said.

"Oh, oh dear. Now you've done it, you've gained celebrity status by defeating a legend." Arina said, grabbing Carol's hand and holding on tightly.

[The Floor Kippers]

"Yes, I was Warned about doing that, By several People Back home" Carol Laughed, She turned to face the onlookers "Yes, Its true, I killed Bruno"

[Warhaven]

"How?" Was the general question.

Followed by an assortment of:

"What are you going to do next?"

"Do you want to be a Model?"

"Will you do an interview for my news company?

"How did the prince take this?"

[The Floor Kippers]

"Basically, I tricked him into killing himself when he tried to kill me" Carol Replied to the first question
"Next I plan to continue with my training"

"No thanks, Modeling is not my thing really"

"Which News company is that?"

"That's really not for me to say"

[Warhaven]

The crowd was pressing in closer.

"Critical Mass reached, Server shutting down, all users re-routed!" Came a blaring voice over everything


Suddenly Carol was re-routed as the site shut down.

She found herself on a rooftop with only seven other people.

"Good evening, and welcome to our humble little spot on The Network. The Roofs aren't very popular, but we're delighted someone of such high personage saw fit to join us in looking down on the populace.

You must be the Carol Miller we've been hearing about in snippits on The Network. We can't speak for everyone, but the seven of us are delighted to have you in The Bureaucracy."

[The Floor Kippers]

"Hi" Carol said Nervously, looking around "Just out of interest, who are you?"

[Warhaven]

"Just seven random people. No more, no less. We hardly ever get on The Network, it wouldn't be worth anyone's time or trouble, to introduce ourselves. You however, are very well known. Such, delightful Chaos, upsetting the delicate balance of The Bureaucracy. We are fans of your work, and wish we could cause such openly accepted Chaos.

He thinks we don't know, but we do. We are just seven random people, who are very observant, about certain things. A keeper, and an upsetter, as it was before, so it shall be again." a young man closest to Carol said.

"Our connection is thinning." said one near the back.

"Alas, it seems we must go. But we will meet again, Carol Miller, oh yes, we will meet again, but next time, you won't be on The Network." The one closest to her said. They disappeared, leaving Carol alone.

Arina popped up next to her.

"Well, that was a quick sudden change. No time lost at all, good thing I was holding on." Arina said.

[The Floor Kippers]

Carol Looked at Arina
"Oh Thank goodness, Arina, Its You" She said with relief "A Weird Thing has just happened to me"

[Warhaven]

Carol Looked at Arina
"Oh Thank goodness, Arina, Its You" She said with relief "A Weird Thing has just happened to me"

"How? Our switchover to these backup locations was instant. No time at all passed between when the townsquare collapsed, and we appeared here. You couldn't have experienced anything weird, because absolutely zero time passed between those two instants.

Unless one of us has had her perception of time distorted.

What happened according to your perception?" Arina asked.

[The Floor Kippers]

"Well, I was on the rooftop and there were these seven people" Carol Began "When I asked them Their names they wouldn't tell me, they said They were delighted that I was here in the Bureaucracy and they wished they could cause such openly accepted Chaos as I did and that "He thinks we don't know" and then they vanished, then You showed up"

[Warhaven]

"Anonymity on The Network ISN'T possible though. They should've revealed themselves when you asked."

Arina said.

She flipped open a newspaper.

"THE MINISTRY OF SHADOW INVADES THE NETWORK!"

The headline was all across the paper, written dozens of times over.

Arina had gone pale.

[The Floor Kippers]

Carol didn't go pale, she just looked extremely worried
"Perhaps It would be safer If I returned to the real world" She said

[Warhaven]

"Maybe." Arina said.

She disconnected, and was gone.

"Update: Ministry of Shadow repelled by Royal Aquamarinians."

[The Floor Kippers]

Carol Disconnected from The Network, worried about recent events

[Warhaven]

When she disconnected, she was surrounded by The Red Death, her original bodyguard Lara, a different Magekiller, Sir Prize, Sir Endipity, Garthox, and Rahegalhoff.

"It seems to be her now. The Ministry has been repelled from her body. It's over." The Aquamarinian said.

"You've been reported as having direct contact with The Ministry. What did they say to you, leave nothing out." Rahegalhoff said.

[The Floor Kippers]

"The Server reached Critical Mass and I was rerouted to a rooftop and there were these seven people" Carol Began "When I asked them Their names they wouldn't tell me, they said They were delighted that I was here in the Bureaucracy and they wished they could cause such openly accepted Chaos as I did and that "He thinks we don't know" and then they vanished, Before they did one of them said "we will meet again, but next time, you won't be on The Network."

[Warhaven]

"Combined with what we heard. The Ministry used your connection to The Network to say things through your body. You'd better just go to bed, and let us handle things. Please." Rahegalhoff said.

They moved off, to make plans.

"Carol! Are you ok?" Ickson asked running in.

"Just come on. I made a recording." she whispered.

[The Floor Kippers]

Carol Followed Ickson
"I'm Fine, Thanks. I hope." She replied "By the way, I met Arina before things went Pear shaped. A Recording?"

[Warhaven]

Ickson was silent all the way to their room.

"I've learned simple magic. When everyone started hurrying to the tower, I knew something was up. So I hurried, since the top dogs never gather just to say hi.

This is what I recorded." Ickson said.

A little image of the room appeared.

There was carol, sitting in the chair.

"Good evening, my dear friends."

The voice was carols, but not carols. It was different, strained.

"Who are you?" Rahegalhoff asked.

"You know who we are. We are the shadows who minister the words of darkness."

"What do you want?" he asked sharply.

"That's why we like you, old friend. You've always been straight to the point. You've even brought guards to prevent us from using her summons. How touching."

"That didn't answer the question." The Red Death snarled.

"You know what we want. We've come to deliver another cryptic warning.

We've found the key."

"Key? What key?" Rahegalhoff asked.

"Oh, someone will figure it out in due time, we're certain." The Ministry said.

"What are you planning on doing?" Rahegalhoff asked.

"We just want to visit an old, dear friend of ours. Surely you wouldn't begrudge us that?" The Ministry asked.

"The Demon God." Rahegalhoff whispered.

"Oh, so you've met him before? Yes, We've found the key, at long last, we've found the key. Now we'll put that silly prophecy of Omni's to the test. We'll win of course, and then we'll free our brothers and sisters from their living prisons, and once more shall The Fiends rule The Multi-verse with an iron grip." The Ministry said.

Rahegalhoff stayed Red's hand when it went to punch Carol's head.

"You may not like the occupying mind, but the body is still Carol's, I'll thank you to not kill my pupil out of hand to injure The Ministry." Rahegalhoff said.

"Hehehehehe. You're helpless.

No matter, those six novices who call themselves Royal Aquamarinians have us, so rather than be imprisoned, we'll just crash the town square and slip away. Goodbye." The Ministry said.

Carol went silent, and a minute later, she blinked as the real carol returned. The recording ended.

[The Floor Kippers]

Carol Shuddered Violently, as if someone had passed over her grave
"That's Horrific" She said, quite harrowed "But Why Me?"

[Warhaven]

"How should I know? Go to sleep and ask Aridle. Maybe Mr. Philosophy had an answer." Ickson said.

[The Floor Kippers]

"Yeah, I'll ask him" Carol said, Climbing into bed "Thanks Ickson"

[Warhaven]

Once Carol had fallen asleep...

"Welcome back.

It would seem we both have questions." Aridle said.

This time, the place they were in defied all mortal perceptions of reality, and all attempts to explain it.

"You have by the way, entered The Infinite, that which is beyond Reality, beyond The Multi-verse. Of course, The Infinite itself, is a Multi-verse. A Multi-verse of Multi-verses. Where does it all truly end? Where does it begin? But these are not questions for you.

I have answers to your questions, but you must ask them, clearly, and concisely, first." Aridle said.

[The Floor Kippers]

"Very well then, Why Did the Ministry Speak through me and To Me while I was in The Network?" Carol asked

[Warhaven]

"Haven't you put two and two together yet? You are the key. Any member of your species has the keys to The Demon God's tomb flowing through their veins and artieries." Aridle said.