ƇLASH [Adam]

[FactionGuerrilla]

"Oh, jeez, I don't know if I can make it... But I can try," Haruhi responded to you before spinning around on her heel. Even though you were quite a distance away from the Core itself, she managed to chuck it high into the air and far enough to get very close- but when it started to fall you knew it wasn't going to make it on its own.

"It's not going to hit it!" Ui cried out.

"No duh, I can see that!" Haruhi snapped somewhat annoyedly, arbitrarily extending her hand out towards the Core. And that's when you realized what she was doing.

Without warning, the small icy bottle in the distance suddenly arced upwards and flung itself away from the ground, directly hitting the Core. When the white flash engulfing the giant target dissipated, it was completely enveloped in ice. Haruhi had managed to Force Push it and change its trajectory.

"Wha-? How did that happe-?" Ui was cut off by the other female, whom wrestled out of your grasp and rushed forwards.

"Hurry up, there's no time to sit there and gawk!" The girl firmly stated, quickly gaining ground on you two as though utilizing the Force was practically an easy topic for her to swallow.

 

[Venom Adhamm]

"Taught her the Force before we came to get you," I tell Ui. Surely she knows about the Force, right? Hard to believe that our parents wouldn't tell her anything about it. I wonder if she can use it too? Well, we'll find all that out later.
"Come on, we need to go, the core could unthaw any second" I say, running with Ui and hurrying behind Haruhi, with my eyes set on the teleporter that'll get us out of here.

 

[FactionGuerrilla]

"Wha- You have a lot of explaining to do later," Ui replied, her expression incredulous as she stared at you as you fled. She seemed to be a little suspicious, but quickly dismissed it as she sprinted a little faster than you, almost dragging you along.

"Hurry up, slowpokes!" You heard Taiga's shout as you quickly approached the teleporter. In the corner of your vision, the cannon finally swiveled around to fire a mortar shell towards the Power Core behind you. A few moments later you heard the rumble of an explosion behind you- the artillery hitting the giant target, most likely priming it for the massive explosion. You were only a few meters away from the teleporter, though- it was just the question of who would get to go into the teleporter and leave first. A piece inside of you just hoped it didn't have a cooldown state.

 

[Venom Adhamm]

"You all go first," I say to the girls with me as I glance back at the explosion, then again towards the teleporter and the others. It shouldn't have a cooldown, I'm pretty sure it didn't have one when we first went through it to get here.
"Just wait for me when you get through."

Once the girls have all gone through the teleporter, I hurriedly step on top of it and wait to be transported to the place we were before we ended up in this soon-to-be-apocalyptic place.

 

[FactionGuerrilla]

As you waited for everyone to leave, each girl made it out in rapid succession, leaving a puff of smoke behind them each time they teleported away. The two other females you had rescued, Sophitia and Zoey, both waited until your friends were gone until they stepped in, and their glance back of gratitude towards you was clearly visible.

Finally, it was your turn to step in. As the other boats with the troops from this world began to push themselves off the shore, you heard an audible "BOOM" just as you turned to see the Power Core explode into a fiery mass. Even the Freeze Spell couldn't do anything to stop the hot air from traveling towards you just before you felt yourself step into the teleporter and black out once more.

"...Well, I have to say after seeing that, I'm impressed with how you handled that situation earlier. Mind you, I don't think you intended to go through all that just to save my two newer... associates. But I still appreciate what you did," was the first thing you heard. This new voice was from someone older, seemingly more calm than the other Voice whom had woken you up. When you opened your eyes, all you could see was a light above you, and that was it. It was almost like another dream sequence, you predicted. But this time you had a feeling it wasn't a dream like when you met Ui.

"Oh, I should probably come out. Just so you know, I didn't confiscate your weapons. Not like I'd need to, of course, since I'm not going to try to kill you," The man spoke just before emerging from the darkness in front of you. He was a Caucasian who was about your height- more or less- but was seemingly much older with his white hair and deep blue eyes. He wore a red scarf around his neck and a dark trench coat, hands in his pockets.

"Hello. I suppose you've been wandering around multiple little places so far, yes?" He said, almost like he forgot to introduce himself.

 

[Venom Adhamm]

Doubt any troops survived that. I raise a hand above my eyes to block out the bright light of the Power Core exploding, before quickly turning around and heading through the teleporter before I can meet some kind of horrible fate, without even a body left behind.

Upon my blacking out and reawakening, I quickly spring to my feet the moment I recognize where I am and that the voice speaking to me isn't one I've heard before. Almost immediately upon getting up, I Force Pull my lightsaber to my hand, though not switching it on just yet. This isn't where I was before I stepped into that teleporter the first time, that's for sure, and this isn't a person I've met before. At least, if I did, I don't remember it. He says he's not going to kill me, but I know better than to trust people who feel the need to point out the possibility.

"Where am I?" I ask, neglecting his seemingly-rhetorical question, shortly before following up with "And where are the others?"

 

[FactionGuerrilla]

The man simply shook his head as though he lost interest within your response altogether.

"The two women you evacuated from that place- who, by the way, also come from their own worlds, and in fact have met each other and had experience with these... crossovers way before this mess happened- are safe now. You won't need to worry about them, I'll take them somewhere they can recover on their own. As for where you are, let's call this place the Aether, as it's known to me. Think of it as a dimension above the other dimensions, my own little world." He sighed before glancing away from you towards the light.

"I've personally brought your... soul here to have a little chat. Your body is still being teleported at this moment to that ruined base you had visited earlier, but after this I can guarantee that you'll find yourself back in your body safe and sound like nothing ever happened here, regardless of whether I chop you into pieces or put a bullet in your brain... Disgusting ways, by the way. I'm not a fan of that kind of messy jobs." The old man shook his head to meet your eyes once more.

"But I digress. I brought you here to talk to you about something. I think you know about that little voice in your head, yes? And you're probably wondering how all these worlds even came to be. Well, it's a rather complicated process involving many other splintered universes colliding and coexisting together, blah blah blah, and to be quite frank I'm going to have to fix it. I think we can both help each other with that." His eyes almost seemed to glow within the lighting- or rather, lack of lighting sans the rays cast downwards upon you- and his serious expression read that he truly meant business.

 

[Venom Adhamm]

I stare blankly at the man, showing no trace of understanding in my eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. This... Universe collision thing. Don't know anything about it. All I know is I ended up on this planet, I need to find a place to stay for awhile, and I need to get a ship back to my own planet. That's as far as I go," I tell the man. That's been my objective this whole time, right? Was just supposed to get a ship and screw off as fast as possible. Then... things got a bit complicated when I fell in love with Haruhi, and when I learned about my little sister being here. But... can I really leave this place? Haruhi doesn't seem to have any connections here, so I could just bring her and my sister with me when I get a ship. And... I guess Taiga could come too, if she wants. I'm not really sure if she likes us though.

"But... I suppose if you were to offer me a way back home, I might be willing to help you out with... well, whatever it is you need."

 

[FactionGuerrilla]

"Well, if you're actually gonna understand what's going on around you, I might as well tell you the full story." The old man took a deep breath, seemingly exasperated, before snapping his fingers. A wooden chair appeared behind him before he sat down, gesturing for you to do the same- he had also formed a chair behind you in the process if you wished to sit.

"Try to imagine the universe, to start. It's big. Just imagine the biggest thing you can think off, but a zillion times bigger. And it's almost like it's alive- shifting around and changing bit by bit. There's many of these universes, each with their own little galaxies, planets, people, stuff like that. Some of them might be really similar to others, or you could also have some universes with a completely different tone than one that might be parked right next to it.

"Now, these universes mostly don't interact with each other too much. It's like they're all parked right next to each other in a parking lot- you have that stuff in your world, right?- but shifting like I said earlier, usually not colliding with each other. That said, there have been disturbances here and there where universes can bump into each other temporarily, but then fix themselves after a while. It always does, without any question.

"But once upon a time, a certain someone within their own little universe- I believe he has already contacted you, no?- messed around with a bit of 'magic' before his meddling actions turned his own universe into a sort of magnet, attracting every single other universe and proceeding to smash them right into his, creating the biggest collision of universes in the history of ever. And thus, that's how you and I ended up here. As we speak, all the universes are practically shattering themselves into little pieces and imbedding themselves within this world, sometimes even replacing chunks of said 'someone's' world.

"I'm supposed to watch over these universes, but I don't think you understand how big it is. I can't be all over the place simultaneously, and I have to watch this shitshow from above while hoping this nightmare simply ends. I've been trying to reduce the impact of the mess, but there's only so much I can do. I need your help to put an end to the source of this chaos. Hence, why I came to talk to you here, and not just kill you outright." The man folded his arms, as though his lengthy explanation was such a waste of his own time.

"Any questions?"

 

[Venom Adhamm]

I look at the chair before sitting in it, then rest my chin on my fist as I listen to the man speak. If any of what he's saying is true, this seems like some kind of cataclysmic event. Never thought I'd be alive long enough for something like that. But, it still doesn't make sense to me. Well, one thing doesn't make sense to me.

"If this is such a big deal, then why bring me here?

 

[FactionGuerrilla]

"Because one, the damn joker's already contacted you. It's not like he lives in everyone's heads simultaneously- have you seen any of your companions even bat an eye as he tried to convince you to kill Zoey and Sophitia? Oh, and if you were wondering about why he wanted the girls dead, he has a bit of a personal vendetta against them, if you know what I mean. He met them in one of the rare little rifts in the universes, and kinda got a little pissed off at them for who-knows-what. Even went on to perform some nasty shit that I'd personally say is at least torture if not altogether rape.

"Again, I'm getting off topic here. The second reason why I want you on my side is because I know who you are. All you gotta do is your little thing- run around, try to figure out what your 'master' is planning for an end game, and just be yourself. There's not many people out there I can trust and is being contacted by that damned voice, so I'd rather have you on my side. If you help me, I'll try to help out wherever I can. Shift a few things here and there in your favor, but otherwise you'll need to rely on your skills.

"Of course, if you really don't want to cooperate, that's fine. I'll just send ya on your merry way. I just want to let you know that the person in your head definitely doesn't have your safety- or your friends' safety, for that matter- placed first. Especially not since you let his enemies get away alive. He might play a wolf in sheep's clothing, but I doubt he'd forget. Help me fix everything, and I'll help you get back to your home once this chaos is all over." The old man sighed, and shifted the red scarf around his neck a little bit, before leaning forwards a bit.

"Got any other questions you want answered? After all, in your perception of time I estimate that we have taken..." He paused to scratch his chin for a split-second.

"...About three seconds to talk to each other, give or take a split-second."

 

[Venom Adhamm]

"Fine, I'll help you, but don't expect too much out of me," I say as I think for a moment about if I have any questions.
"You mentioned the voice that contacted me. Any way to get him to shut up? I'd rather not deal with any voices in my head."

 

[FactionGuerrilla]

"Well, I don't exactly encourage that you do that, considering he's the one who's behind this entire mess..." The old man paused to think for a few moments, etching a frown upon his face as he did.

"...But of course, I could cook something up. I think I have something in stock that could do the trick- something I've been thinking of making for a while now." He snapped his fingers before a small leather pouch- similar to the pouch of money that the goblin had given you- materialized. He picked it up and untied the strings as he leaned forwards in his chair to look inside and dig something out- a bright green yet lightly spotted gumball. It wasn't generic, though- it had a picture illustrating a microphone, but the wire (which as far as you could tell was supposed to connect it to an ear) was severed off.

"Here we are. All you gotta do is pop it into your mouth and chew on it. It'll dissolve in your mouth and you won't need to worry about the voice for a while. At least, until the gum's effects wear out. And trust me, you'll know when it wears out because you'll gradually be able to hear the... let's call your little voice 'The Mastermind', shall we? Regardless, all you gotta do is pop another gumball in, and voilla. There oughta be enough for you to last- five of them, to be exact." Your new benefactor placed the gumball back inside and rewrapped the pouch before throwing it at you. Before you could react, the pouch suddenly arced downwards and magically ended up in your pockets, as though he had used The Force.

"But that also reminds me- you'll probably see a couple of gumball machines out in the real world. You'll know they're not normal since they'll have a little touch to them, so you might wanna keep an eye out for those. You'll be able to take another one of these magic gumballs from the machine per person- so long as they're allied to you. Thing is, they're not all the same- trust me, there'll be many other kinds of gumballs- or as I call the magical candies I make, 'Gobblegum'- that you'll be able to take. Each one has their own effect, but as soon as you eat one of them the gum you previously ate will lose its effects. There's only so much magic a human can withstand, after all- safety first.

"Most of them will work on their own. But you gotta watch out for the purple ones. If you don't know how to blow a bubble with bubblegum, I'm sure the girls with you can show ya. Those purple gums will need to be activated by you, and you need to look at the pictures first before you eat them. Because the pictures I draw on the gums aren't just for little kids to stare at- they'll usually show you what they'll do. Of course, for some you could just learn the hardish way, but better safe than sorry. You're no good to anyone dead, I'm sure you know that." He leaned back to show a more relaxed pose of his.

"Anything else you need from me? Otherwise, I can just send you off on your merry way. Just keep in mind that you have to find a way to stop The Mastermind- the more time we take, the more unstable all the universes get. Not something you want to stick around for if it gets too volatile."

 

[Venom Adhamm]

Magical gumballs? What an odd thing to create. Guess I'd better stay on the lookout for any "Gobblegum." Could be useful to me and the others as time goes on. Seems like we need all the advantages we can get. Part of me wants to ask why he bothered making them, but another part of me doesn't really want to know.

"Don't think I'll need anything else, so I'm ready to head back. I'll try my best to fix... Well, all this, as long as you hold up your end of the deal. Thanks for the gum."

 

[FactionGuerrilla]

"Your call, then. I won't be able to contact you for a while- at least, not until you're asleep, unconscious, or anything like that. I don't have full jurisdiction in the mess of a world that you'll be going back into, but I can assist you here and there with small touches. At least, I hope." Monty shrugged at this point, as though even he had no clue what could happen.

"The universe is unpredictable and unstable. Just keep that in mind when you go about, and remember to chew that gum as soon as you wake up." And with that, he suddenly vanished in thin air. Moments later, the chair he was sitting in dissolved, and soon after you found yourself falling downwards, your chair also having dissipated.

...And with that, you landed face-flat on the hard steel of the teleporter. Glancing up, you found your trio of girls- Haruhi, Taiga, and Ui- gathered around you, each with a different expression on their face. Well, at least Taiga did, whom had let a smirk creep up on her face- the other two seemed worried about you.

"Ouch. And I thought our first teleportation experience was terrible enough," the blonde swordswoman commented, earning herself a glare form Haruhi whilst Ui didn't seem to care too much. She knelt down and offered you a hand to get up.

"Are you all right? Where'd the other two girls go?" She asked, the latter question almost like an afterthought rather than being directed towards you. You remembered Monty's statement that he would take care of both Sophitia and Zoey, so you probably didn't have to worry about them being disintegrated by the teleporter or their well-being.

 

[Venom Adhamm]

"I'm fine," I say, taking Ui's hand and slowly standing up, then starting to lightly rub my face. Could've dropped me on my feet instead.
"The others are fine too, the teleporter just took them somewhere else, I think."

I look at the three girls for a moment, then pull them all into a hug.
"I'm glad we're all okay," I mutter, tightening the hug a bit. Still holding them, I speak up a bit louder.
"We'd better head back to the car and figure out where we're going to spend the night."

 

[FactionGuerrilla]

"Car? What car?" Ui frowned at you just before Taiga- always the more impatient one- broke the hug and rolled her eyes. The latter seemed just as brash as usual.

"You know, 'car'. The thing on wheels? You must come from Mars if you're seriously that ignorant," The blonde shook her head disdainfully, something that Haruhi visibly hated as she also took a couple steps back.

"You don't have to be so harsh, you know. She probably comes from the same place that Adam does," Your original follower replied, but that was about all. The trio began to walk back to the car, leaving you alone. Monty's voice echoed in your head:

[All you gotta do is pop it into your mouth and chew on it...] Speaking of which, The Mastermind hadn't talked to you yet. Maybe he's pouting over your decision to save the two other girls. Maybe he's just waiting. Regardless, it's best not to learn which of the two was right.

 

[Venom Adhamm]

"The car is a thing I found when I first got here. It's just a vehicle that can take us around to places and we can keep stuff in it. I don't really know how to drive it though, so Haruhi usually handles that," I tell Ui as I start to chew the Gobblegum I got.

"By the way, where are we headed next? We still need to get a place to live."