Goonfire
I CAST GUN!!!
The end of your world arrived so suddenly.
Few could have predicted it, if any. One moment, all was normal. The next, a variegated swirling light appeared up high, painting the entire world in pastel pinks and oranges. Mass hysteria ensued and experts struggled to grasp the nature of this anomaly. Within twenty-four hours, other foreign scenes appeared as the sky became a mirror into other worlds. Finally, the very fabric of reality seemed to warp, twist, and tear. It was the end of the known world as one knew it.
However, a handful of individuals felt a pull as their vision blurred. They felt their bodies hurtling through the very fabric of reality. The sensation comprised of speeding, squeezing, stretching, and burning, all in one nightmarish package. Both sensory overload and sensory deprivation came, alternating faster than the brain could process. Every fiber of their being screamed, as though it was fraying rapidly. Their eyes were frozen open, and for a split second, they thought they could make out a flash of a luminous nebula cloud in the shape of a skull, staring at them with no eyes. Their consciousness started to fade.
Then, a flash of light appeared and these characters found themselves ejected from this fleeting hell. Their heads spun for a moment, the world coming into focus as they regained their senses as normal. Around them was a tall rotunda with a skylight and unusual runes carved into the floor. Tall, narrow windows with ornate black iron grids revealed a night sky outside. The portals from which the people came returned to their inert state as standard wall mirrors.
Blue light emanated from the hanging lanterns around the edges of the room, while the glow of myriad candles circling a reflective pool added contrasting warmth. An altar stood towards the back of the room, a set of scales resting atop it. Despite the vibrant colors of the flames, neither showed on the scales; the gleaming metal remained perfectly neutral shades of gray, keyed to nothing.
Four figures flanked the new arrivals, three of whom were seated upon pews pushed against the walls. One was a young woman with wax covering her eyes, dressed all in black and holding a staff longer than she was tall with a small flame. The next appeared to be a boy in his teen years, wearing armor adorned with faint white lights and silver accents. A pale woman in a blue uniform was the third; she held a thick book in her lap while watching with intelligent yellow eyes.
The fourth, a red-haired woman wearing vintage sunglasses, rose from her kneeling position beside the altar. "The wait has been long, brave souls," she greeted in a posh accent before gesturing to the strange scales. "Welcome to the Conflux, a haven nestled in the veil between worlds. You are here at this moment not because of chance, but because you have been chosen for a task most daunting. Get comfortable; this may be a jarring experience."
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Sophitia could perceive nothing; it was as though she had no substance. She could make no noise or touch anything. It was dark, silent, and empty; no light, noise, or even the ground to stand upon. An echoing male voice then pierced the profound quiet: "Sophitia Alexandra... Your work is not complete... yet. We, the gods, see disaster beyond comprehension. Go, exalted warrior, on a mission from Thanatos. Serve our universes as a great counterweight on the balance of the multiverse."
With that, Sophitia's vision returned. She was on the ground and could see herself in the reflection of a mirror. Other people were present--others similar to her, rising after a potential jarring experience and being comforted by a redhead woman. Despite arriving under different circumstances than the rest, she was able to hear the same briefing.
Few could have predicted it, if any. One moment, all was normal. The next, a variegated swirling light appeared up high, painting the entire world in pastel pinks and oranges. Mass hysteria ensued and experts struggled to grasp the nature of this anomaly. Within twenty-four hours, other foreign scenes appeared as the sky became a mirror into other worlds. Finally, the very fabric of reality seemed to warp, twist, and tear. It was the end of the known world as one knew it.
However, a handful of individuals felt a pull as their vision blurred. They felt their bodies hurtling through the very fabric of reality. The sensation comprised of speeding, squeezing, stretching, and burning, all in one nightmarish package. Both sensory overload and sensory deprivation came, alternating faster than the brain could process. Every fiber of their being screamed, as though it was fraying rapidly. Their eyes were frozen open, and for a split second, they thought they could make out a flash of a luminous nebula cloud in the shape of a skull, staring at them with no eyes. Their consciousness started to fade.
Then, a flash of light appeared and these characters found themselves ejected from this fleeting hell. Their heads spun for a moment, the world coming into focus as they regained their senses as normal. Around them was a tall rotunda with a skylight and unusual runes carved into the floor. Tall, narrow windows with ornate black iron grids revealed a night sky outside. The portals from which the people came returned to their inert state as standard wall mirrors.
Blue light emanated from the hanging lanterns around the edges of the room, while the glow of myriad candles circling a reflective pool added contrasting warmth. An altar stood towards the back of the room, a set of scales resting atop it. Despite the vibrant colors of the flames, neither showed on the scales; the gleaming metal remained perfectly neutral shades of gray, keyed to nothing.
Four figures flanked the new arrivals, three of whom were seated upon pews pushed against the walls. One was a young woman with wax covering her eyes, dressed all in black and holding a staff longer than she was tall with a small flame. The next appeared to be a boy in his teen years, wearing armor adorned with faint white lights and silver accents. A pale woman in a blue uniform was the third; she held a thick book in her lap while watching with intelligent yellow eyes.
The fourth, a red-haired woman wearing vintage sunglasses, rose from her kneeling position beside the altar. "The wait has been long, brave souls," she greeted in a posh accent before gesturing to the strange scales. "Welcome to the Conflux, a haven nestled in the veil between worlds. You are here at this moment not because of chance, but because you have been chosen for a task most daunting. Get comfortable; this may be a jarring experience."
--------------------
Sophitia could perceive nothing; it was as though she had no substance. She could make no noise or touch anything. It was dark, silent, and empty; no light, noise, or even the ground to stand upon. An echoing male voice then pierced the profound quiet: "Sophitia Alexandra... Your work is not complete... yet. We, the gods, see disaster beyond comprehension. Go, exalted warrior, on a mission from Thanatos. Serve our universes as a great counterweight on the balance of the multiverse."
With that, Sophitia's vision returned. She was on the ground and could see herself in the reflection of a mirror. Other people were present--others similar to her, rising after a potential jarring experience and being comforted by a redhead woman. Despite arriving under different circumstances than the rest, she was able to hear the same briefing.
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