<Snipped quote by Audacious>

*Breaks your gaze and looks down and to my right*
I'm scared too. But we can't just stay stuck being scared.

<Snipped quote by Host>

I don’t know if I can help it.
*Looks back at the recording again for just a moment, then turns my back on all of them, walking back the way we came in while staring at the ground, avoiding watching any more*

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

*Walks back behind you in solemn contemplation*
...

<Snipped quote by Host>

*Looks for Zinnia on my way back down to see if she’s made any progress*
We just have to win the race.

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

*Zinnia flashes a thumbs up while typing away at her own interface*
Don't worry, we will. I know for certain that we will.

<Snipped quote by Host>

Any other tricks with the magic staff or do we need to dig up another tool?

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

Maybe, if I knew how to use it.
*Suddenly the scenery around us glitches and instead leaves us in a massive production plant, full of clear sealed reservoirs of a luminescent white plasma, and curved transparent tubes leading from the vats into central parallel pipelines directed vertically down into lower chambers of the lab*

<Snipped quote by Host>

*Stops moving and looks around, crossing my arms at the new scenery*

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

*Places my hand against one of the tanks*
This is for energy production. We must be close.

<Snipped quote by Host>

We’ve been progressing?

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

Since you picked me up?

<Snipped quote by Host>

Since we got in this digital room.

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

I don't know. This part seems like reality to me.
*Drags my fingers*
The menu doesn't work anymore, at least.

<Snipped quote by Host>

When did we leave? Was that what all that-
*Waves my hands spastically in front of me and makes a static sound with my mouth*
-was?

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

*Raps my knuckles against one of the tubes leading into the tank*
That's my best guess, at least. Let me know if you've got a better one.

<Snipped quote by Host>

All my guesses would probably be awful.
*Peers really closely into one of the vats*
How does this make power?

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

It doesn't. This is power, stored in some kind of form. Maybe they're the backup reserves.

<Snipped quote by Host>

*Looks at you like you just said something nonsensical*
Power as matter? That’s insane.
*Returns to looking at it for a bit longer*

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

As is Dynamo.
*In a distant set of tanks behind these, different luminescent colors bubble up and down like enormous lava lamps*

<Snipped quote by Host>

I’m scared to touch anything, but I want to try and take some.