Oct 19 • Royal Road Updates
SwornSlayers: Volta — Micro‑Reactor Heartbeat
POV (Volta)
Dear SwornSlayer Diary,
Scene 1: Reactor Prayer [Exterior, Crack in the Ring Road, Twilight]
Volta: (Dragging a portable induction coil across broken asphalt toward a glowing crater, her armor's golden circuits flickering with each labored step). She grits her teeth against the weight, sparks cascading from where metal scrapes concrete. Three kilotons of shielding, and I'm still sweating like meat, she thinks, tasting copper in her mouth. The crater pulses orange beneath her, a dying star buried in the city's chest.
Volta: (Dropping to one knee at the crater's edge, pressing her palm against the scorched earth to feel the micro-reactor's rhythm beneath). Heat travels up her arm in waves, each pulse stronger than the last. She counts seventeen seconds between surges; too fast for stable decay, too slow for immediate detonation. "Perfect window for idiots," she mutters, already unhooking power cables from her chest plate.
Volta: (Jamming the coil's grounding spikes through rubble, angling them toward the reactor's magnetic signature while her left eye twitches from radiation feedback). Static builds in her teeth as she works, the kind that makes fillings sing. Her armor's warning systems shriek about exposure limits, but she mutes them with a thought. Can't save anyone if I'm listening to safety protocols, she reasons, blood already beading at her nose.
Volta: (Threading her own power conduits into the coil's intake, effectively making herself part of the circuit while whispering half-remembered physics prayers). The connection burns cold, electricity preferring her augmented pathways to the corroded coil wiring. She becomes a living fuse, regulating flow with breath control and muscular tension. "Mother always said I'd make a terrible electrician," she gasps, vision strobing between infrared and normal.
Volta: (Cranking the coil's frequency dial with her teeth while both hands maintain cable tension, hunting for the reactor's resonance point). Each adjustment sends feedback through her skeleton, a xylophone of pain playing up her spine. At 7.3 kilohertz, something deep in the crater responds with a metallic shriek. She bites harder, tasting her own blood mixed with ozone.
Volta: (Triggering the stabilization sequence by channeling her entire battery reserve through the coil in one massive pulse). Light erupts from her body in ribbons, painting her shadow on three different walls simultaneously. The reactor's scream cuts to silence, then settles into a low, steady hum. She collapses forward, armor systems rebooting in emergency mode.
Volta: (Crawling to the crater's edge to confirm the reactor's status, leaving a trail of sparks from her damaged knee servos). Through the haze of thermal distortion, she spots it: a sphere no bigger than a child's skull, glowing soft blue now instead of angry orange. Stable for now, but not safe; never safe. "Forty-eight hours," she calculates aloud, "maybe seventy if the rain holds off."
Volta: (Wedging a signal beacon between two chunks of rebar, its red light pulsing in time with her slowing heartbeat). The beacon will draw scavengers before rescue teams, she knows this. But someone has to know where the reactor sleeps, even if that someone has teeth filed sharp and desperation for eyes. She tags it with her serial number, a signature on borrowed time.
Volta: (Standing unsteadily, systems operating at thirty percent, when movement catches her peripheral sensors). Three figures emerge from the smoke: raiders, judging by the ritual scars and jury-rigged weapons. Her power reserves flicker at seven percent, barely enough for baseline functions. Of course, she thinks, because one crisis wasn't enough for today.
Progression Status After Scene 1
Volta has successfully stabilized the micro-reactor beneath the Ring Road, converting it from critical meltdown to temporary dormancy. The achievement cost her most of her power reserves and attracted unwanted attention from local raiders. Her technical prowess proved sufficient, but the human element now threatens to undo her work.
Reactor Status: [PROGRESS] — Stabilized from critical to moderate threat level; 48-72 hour window established
Power Reserves: [REGRESSION] — Depleted to 7% from stabilization procedure
Physical Condition: [REGRESSION] — Radiation exposure, damaged servos, emergency systems only
Threat Assessment: [STALLED] — Raiders discovered; confrontation imminent with minimal combat capability
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SwornSlayers: Volta — Micro‑Reactor Heartbeat
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