The Book of Gambi [Main Game] page 3

[A vignette of pure dialogue. Meet Devon (D) and Karl (K).]

D: Don’t you think we have it too easy?

K: What do you mean? This job is a cakewalk.

D: I’m not talking about us, specifically, but humanity as a whole.

K: That makes even less sense, Devon! Get to the point already.

D: What I mean is, just, isn’t everything too easy? I mean, do you even remember the last big war?

K: Sure I do, Michelson was talking about it in class just yesterday: The Battle at Megiddo more than a century ago.

D: And do you remember the other name for that war?

K: World War Five, so what?

D: Exactly! Can you honestly tell me that you don’t find it a little strange that a World War is the last major battle our planet has hosted in over a hundred years?

K: But that’s a GOOD thing! The entire human race gained the ability to manifest energy inside our own bodies and we achieved world peace!

D: I know all that! It just feels wrong, that’s all. Conflict is our nature, and us finally becoming literal weapons is what stops us from fighting? No, something is definitely wrong here!

K: Look, if it makes you feel any better why not just think of it as MAD on an individual scale?

D: Yes, because that worked out so well the last time humans tried it out. Speaking of which, when is the next fallout cloud expected?

K: The report said sometime next week, but you’re missing my point. Mutually Assured Destruction didn’t work out globally, but now that EVERYONE can kill ANYONE with just a blast from their pinky it’s a much more powerful deterrent!

D: Great, so we’re the MAD generation then? Somehow that sounds better than the Children of Golden Peace….

K: Whatever, just pack up your stuff and close out your station. Maybe if we leave now we can catch the beginning of Michelson’s lecture for once.

D: Yeah, yeah I’m hurrying.

Oster Aurin
Today is the day I leave. I am tired of talking. A time of adventure awaits me.
Without communicating to anyone, I descend. The skies can’t amuse me forever.

4-130193
Plane: Prime Material. Location: North part of two-continent landmass.
Tasks: Observe.
Report: Plains biome. Wildlife: Bovines. Civilization: Primitive.

Bojoana Yalere
Curses. Curses. Curses. I hate my job.
I’m stuck on this bloody planet until I find the Girdle of Swank Iron. And even then, I’ll just be sent on another assignment, and another, and another… why did I even consider this job an interesting prospect? Travel across worlds, he claimed. Adventure in exciting conditions. Just pick up things for me, and you’ll be duly rewarded.
And then I end up in places I don’t know, where people claim I’m a freak, run away, don’t cooperate. At least Hushy’s with me. She doesn’t get called out nearly so much. I suppose horns are easier to hide than the fact you’re three meters tall with six limbs!
Which means she’s the only one which can do anything while I have to hide in a building in this bloody city and I can’t even use this human furniture well because I have a bloody tail. And the only Swank we’ve found is some human sex magazine.

[I should send invites to people now. I have no idea who would be interested, though.]

Planet Delta 4-Z, 2054

I suppose that’s fair. But I do think we’re the only survivors here, as far as I’m aware. Then again, it took a few years for us to find each other. If they’re working for him, then they’ve already betrayed us. They weren’t spared, the towns were burned to the ground. I was the only known teleporter in my town, and that’s how I got out. I assume Eric got out by fighting, because he sounds like he’s quite good at that.

I realise Eric has just been looking confused for about a minute or two. I set up a mental link with him, so he can ‘hear’ my thoughts, and the thoughts that go into my head from Aria, and I can hear his thoughts.

Uh, yeah, I got out by fighting. And no-one else from my town got out alive.

ARiA

So… I guess I’m coming along with you guys for now, if you’re going to infiltrate the ranks of this Supreme Commander of yours. I have some abilities that should help. You do what you want, but I’m not hurting or killing anyone unless I think it’s absolutely necessary, okay?

Oh, and they said if I’m to come along with them, I should tell them a bit more about myself… I guess there’s no harm in doing that. After all, my universe is gone… It’s not like what I do will have any repercussions…

Anyways, you want me to tell you a bit about myself, right? So… This is going to sound more than a little far-fetched. But I’m telling them through telepathy, so they know I’m telling the truth. I’m actually from another universe. My real name is Autonomous Reactive integral Attribute, or ARiA for short. I used to be an artificial intelligence, but I wanted to become human, so I made this half-human cyborg body, I gesture to myself, and uploaded myself into it. As for why I’m here… Some crazy people in my universe did something really, really dangerous, and really, really stupid, which basically caused the entire universe to collapse into a singularity. Please don’t ask me how; I don’t know the details and don’t want to know. I escaped just in time… and landed on this planet. Anything else you want to know?

[I suppose it’s about time I get down to making a post on this game. I was going to before, but I didn’t really like the direction in which it was heading so I hit the cancel button and erased it all.]

[I apologize in advance for any mythological inaccuracies in the following post.]

χάος

I suppose I’d better get started explaining, probably with the name. I am χάος: Son of the Goddess of Discord (Chaos, in case you were about to google it go look it up in a dictionary), the Greek one, and of a mortal man. I’m what you’d call a demigod, and my name translates roughly into “Chaos.” I was named after the endless void which the universe knew prior to its creation, although the English translation is also rather fitting.

Normally, demigods are left with their mortal parents to be raised. However: my father died from unfortunate, chaotic, and completely uncontrollable circumstances before I was born – a fate not uncommon among those who have dealings with my mother. I had no other option than to be raised under the care of my mother, who had a wonderful time doing a terrible job taking care of me and casting me off to the streets of Earth instead. I can’t exactly say that she left me to rot though: as I’m almost certain that random thirty ton anvils don’t fall on people for no reason other than that they are mugging some kid on the street (that kid would be me, for those of you too dense to realize.)

Most demigods don’t live as long as I have, and I’m only 18. Monsters and such tend to eat them, and it doesn’t help that I’ve been fully exposed to the elements the whole time: with no parents and such to protect me from horrible fates. Luckily though, random acts of Deus Ex Machina have continued to save me: although I’m not too sure which ones were my mother and which ones were me.

I’ve made a living, for the most part, as a three card monty hustler. I really can’t say why humans are so drawn to gambling, even when failure is inevitable. Even when sleight of hand has failed me and they choose what should have been the right card: theirs always inexplicably turns out not to be the ace.

Although I’ve been mostly content thus far: I’ve very recently begun to felt a very powerful longing for something more. Perhaps a life on the streets robbing people of money, with their consent: mind you, isn’t really for me. I am, after all, half god (goddess?). But I have no clue where to start, and I don’t have cool powers either. I’m not exactly a son of Poseidon or Zeus, no huge tidal waves or bolts of lightning for me to shoot. I’ve tried sitting and pondering about what I should do or where I should go, but my mind always ends up drifting to llamas or tomatoes: it’s not easy having your mind hardwired to be random and chaotic.

Planet Delta 4-Z, 2054

Her life story is… interesting, to say the least. I’m glad she’s willing to tell us, though. You don’t have to kill anyone if you don’t want to. We’ll be doing enough of that to cover for you. And thank you for telling us about yourself. Me and Eric were about to go over to his hideout. We’ll be able to plan stuff from there. Since you’re from another planet, I assume you don’t have anywhere else to live, so would you like to come with us?

[…so, wii, when are you going to get your next post out? You know, one that wraps up the fight we had without violating any backstory for either of our characters?]

New York
The girl frowned and threw her arms into the air, almost sending another fireball flying into another building.
“I didn’t mean to set it on fire! The fireball just flew out my hand!”
She paused then slowly folded her arms “And I taught myself magic anyway!”
Eve, upon hearing this, spoke up. “B-b-but… but that means your a-”
“Yes, a rogue mage! I know.” The girl interrupted, She’d heard it a million times before and knew that people didn’t like it.
Eve glanced around nervously “Y-you w-weren’t followed were you?”
“No, I was not. Well, I’m hoping not.” The girl replied, not sound very certain.
She sniffed the air and looked over her shoulder at the stranger.
“So your… from another planet?” She snorted “Yeah, right. Humans have searched hundreds of other planets and not found anything.”
She looked around curiously, searching for something, gazing past the crowds of people and cars, searching for a sign.

ARiA

Sure, I’ll come with you. I shapeshift back to my normal civilian form, with platinum blond hair, chocolate brown eyes, and wearing a white dress. The psionic invisibility veil around us then falls apart. And, um, thanks, but I don’t really need a place to live yet, since this body doesn’t really need to eat or sleep. I can probably just build myself a house after this is all over…

The Evanescent One

I glance at the fireball that is still floating aimlessly above the blond-haired girl. “Let’s put that out now, shall we? I at least do not want any more incinerated buildings on my watch.” Looking at the fireball’s appearance, I estimate the amount of magical power contained in the spell, and flick my wrist to fling a speck of black energy that should cause that much magical power to decay into nothingness. The fireball shrinks, but does not disappear entirely; it must be more powerful than I first estimated. I fling another speck of Dark elemental energy to put it out entirely.

So she learned magic by herself… and was able to produce this? Very impressive indeed. However… The memories come to mind again, along with the phantom pain that my mind remembers. From what seems like an eon ago, I attempted to teach myself Fire magic, and screamed in agony as the flames slipped out of my control and spread to char myself and the entire forest around me. Had my body been that of a fragile human’s, I would have surely perished. It was not until years later, after perfecting Light magic, that I was able to heal away the scars… I do not want such a fate to befall this talented, young budding Fire mage. I should not leave her by herself, lest she harms herself and those around her.

And this other girl, the younger one… I sense an even stronger power within her. A power that possibly rivals my own, prior to my fusion with the magic stream of my world. Should that power be allowed to run amok… “Disastrous” would not even begin to describe the consequences.

“Where I come from is not relevant,” I say flatly. “On the other hand, I see great potential in both of you. From your tone, I assume that self-taught mages, or ‘rogue mages’ as you call them, are frowned upon in this world of yours? Regardless, continue to pursue magic without the aid of a mentor can potentially harm both yourselves and those around you. I possess great magical power and experience and, as it so happens, have nothing better to do at the moment. As such, would you two like me to instruct you on the arcane arts? Wouldn’t you then be rogue mages no longer?”

[]

Planet Delta 4-Z, 2054

You’re always welcome back at my place. Same goes for you, Mike, once this is all over.
Thanks Eric. How far away is your hideout?
A few streets down. Follow me. Eric begins walking, and I follow him, looking around the crowd to see if anyone’s following us. ARiA if you see anyone following, tell us. We should be able to take down anything they throw at us, but we don’t want to cause a disturbance, so I’ll just teleport us to safety. As soon as you see someone, grab my hand. Same for you, Eric.
Ummm….. ok then.
I don’t mean it in that way, I can teleport us to safety.
Oh, right, yeah, that’s cool.

ARiA

Oh, um… I reach out with waves of psionic energy like a radar, and activate my various cameras and scanners too. No one is following us, at least not at the moment. But I’ll keep watch. I can teleport too, if there’s any danger. But if both Mike and I do it, we might teleport to two different locations, and not be able to find each other again; so I should just leave the teleportation to him. Can you tell me your abilities, by the way? You said each member of your species has two. Where I came from, it’s pretty much a genetic thing. Many humans in my universe had one ability, some had two, a few had three, and any more than that were really rare. As for myself, when I made this body, I used and abused genetic engineering, and stuffed as many abilities in it as I could without causing the whole body to break down. As you’ve already seen, I have telepathy; I can shapeshift into pretty much anything; I can conjure stuff out of what looks like solid light, like that guitar you saw earlier; and I can make a psionic energy field that fools the senses, which is how I made us invisible. What I haven’t shown is that I can control many forms of energy, see a few seconds into the future, teleport, extend my five senses, and purge any foreign psionic energy from my body and mind. Oh, and I have lots of technology that you’ll think of as futuristic. Yeah, that’s about it; I don’t want to bore you with all the details.

[Bump?]

[I want to post something else, but wiiwonder hasn’t modified his post to not break my setting’s current backstory. I may have to godmod the situation if that keeps up.]

(sorry. Writing post now… done)
Charles (just want to say, when I put a … assume I am stopping for breath due to my injuries) I snarl. ‘It was your race! You energy beings are all the same! Perhaps I underestimated you, and your race has adapted. However, should you kill me… more will come. Better, and more designed to… kill beings like you.’ I stare hatefully at Vex. ‘Let me ask you: How honorable are you?’

Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef
I snicker.
‘Your pre-conceived notions of who belongs to what species are laughable, as I have demonstrated with my previous laughter at your statement. In any case, I do not reserve merciful judgements for… what’s the term? …graveyard stuffers.’
I pick up the mass of atoms and move upwards, though the ceiling of the building. It is weak enough for him to be dragged through without dying, but strong enough that he suffers for his previous ill notions about my person.
Bearable suffering, compared to what he is about to be put through.
Unheeding of the stares of the carbon-based lifeforms below me, I levitate myself and my cargo above the cloud level in little time, then continue to just below the ozone layer of this planet. Here, I stop, and allow him to choke on what little actual oxygen exists up at this level. I also take the time to observe the various star formations above me, just to check that my route is still open.
…hang on.
…
’…oh, damn it all.’
It appears I have miscalculated the positions of several galaxies. And my new calculations tell me that my window of opportunity was actually in a location much further north than I am now, about two hours ago.
The next window won’t be for a while yet.
…well. It doesn’t appear I could have done anything about it… but that means the creature turning blue in the face before me was just another time waster, in the end.
Graveyard stuffer, indeed. But…
‘I wonder how fast you fall compared to the average human…?’
…perhaps there won’t be much to stuff the graveyard with.
I let his form pass through my fingers, and coldly observe his acceleration as he plummets in the direction of the planet’s gravitational pull.

[Now is your chance to escape, wii. Presuming your ship is still active, which I believe it is.]

Charles I’ll show him just how fast I fall. I have one thing that isn’t electrical. I send a signal to my ship, and I sigh as it returns my signal. In three seconds in appears, a blur heading towards me. It sweeps towards me, and suddenly I’m surrounded in a blue light for a second, and I’m inside. ‘Engage cloak, avoid all bloody energy based beings and blow any you find to their base elements or whatever. I need healing.’ As I finish this sentence, the ship changes course and I am surrounded by equipment tending to my wounds and repairing my equipment.

[BC has given permission for me to interact with him.]

The Evanescent One

From the corner of an eye, I spot something shooting up at a high velocity into the sky; the gasps of the humans as they watch tell me that such a sight is no common occurrence in this world. As I have not much else better to do in this world, I should investigate. Acquiring more knowledge is almost always beneficial.

“Excuse me for a moment…” I speak to the two young girls before me. From my palm I shoot a bolt of rainbow energy, toward the direction from where I have observed the unknown entity rising up into the atmosphere. I promptly return my attention to the two ladies. “Now. Would you allow me to educate you on the arcane arts?”

…

The bolt of psychedelic energy I have shot gains a predominance of white and yellow, as it utilizes a combination of Light and Air magic to accelerate itself to an extreme speed. Soon, it catches up to its intended target.

Through the bolt of prismatic energy, I am able to observe the environment around it; one of the benefits of being one with magic itself. The creature appears vaguely humanoid in nature, though composed of black energy, with a shadowy wisp in the place for legs, and glowing red and white eyes, all shrouded in a veil of darkness. Hmm, a Dark Elemental? But that cannot be; I sense no magic whatsoever in this creature. It must be some other form of energy-based being then, though no such creatures have ever been discovered in my world.

I mentally command the bolt of rainbow energy to shapeshift into a more humanoid form. On a whim, I decide to take the same basic body shape and size as the creature before me. Glowing violet eyes, multicolored body, shrouded by specks and sparks of red flames, blue frost, yellow electricity, green sand, white glow, and black shadow.

I realize that I may not share a common language with this creature, but it matters not. From that magical clone of mine, I reach out with my mind and make contact with the creature’s consciousness, though lightly enough that only the most direct of thoughts can be exchanged. Hmm, how should I introduce myself? I speak mentally, conveying pure information that any intelligent being can comprehend regardless of language. Would you believe me if I tell you that I have followed you up here out of nothing but boredom?

Charles After about ten minutes, I raise my head. ‘Hyperjump back to Edmund’s base.’ The ship beeps and begins the calculations. As it does, I get up. My wounds have healed. I stroll to the control panel and sit on a chair. ‘So, my target thinks he can defeat me? The great Charles Meer, famed for the total genocide of an energy race? Well, It seems I will need… some special equipment’ The ship enters hyperspace, shuddering slightly as it does. ‘Hear me now, Vex, I shall call you.I swear by the very star you’re pitiful life form came from, I will come back and show you my wrath! I will tear you apart, molecule by molecule! You messed with the wrong being today!’

[Note to people interacting with Vex: the red and white sparks are his eyes.]

Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef
Hmph. Chickening out at the first moments of the fall. At least allow yourself to fall out of sight of the would-be killer, so they may not realise that you’ve survived… big tactical error on his part. I have a feeling I’m going to be crossing him again.
I get the impression of having information sent directly to my mind. The source of such information is… similar to myself, actually. And yet oh so very different. Same body shape and size, yet its entire form is a mish-mash of rainbow energy which I sense is not even similar to that of any other energy-based species.
…mesmerising. I slowly move towards the being in question, until I am face-to-face with it. I should be careful, I note – if this is an undiscovered race, then hostilities towards my own may be present without my realisation, and seeing as it apparently wields psionic abilities, then such a confrontation may well sway into his favour.
…although I get the impression that he doesn’t know what languages I speak. Thinking to him, then, may be useful, at least for the moment.
…depends. What were your intentions upon coming “up” here? “Up” being a subjective term for a direction opposed to that of the overall gravitational pull in any given spatial location, and a concept which should not affect beings of our composition regardless.

The Evanescent One

It appears that my half-hearted attempt of a cover is blown. Oh well, it matters not. I command my clone to transform into a much more humanlike form, a replica of my own body made from prismatic energy.

Boredom, as I have already stated, I mentally respond to the creature composed of black energy. Or curiosity, I suppose. Judging from the reactions of humans I have been observing moments ago, it seems to me that one such as you is not a common occurrence around this particular location. Neither am I, truth to be told, but that is beside the point.

Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef
Shapeshifting, too? Intriguing… this one has been gifted, I can tell.
You reason correctly. I am here through what could be called random chance… if being targeted by the teleportation device of a species opposed to your own can be called “random chance”. “Bad luck” might be a better term for it, if you will allow such a statement.

Charles My ship approaches the station owned by my employer, Edmund Dalmon. I have a lot of questions for him. ‘I hoped I would never need “The Suit” again, but it seems as though that energy being was more powerful than I expected. I am beginning to question my orders.’ I sigh and recall where “The Suit” came from. Back on my home world of Falton, I had enlisted as a soldier. About a year into service, a group of energy beings invaded. They were rebelled, but at great cost. They were traced to a dead star, and special suits were made to allow our race to land on the star and kill them. I was leader of one of the squads. The squad that caused the most damage. The suits allowed us to fight them using their own energy, sapping it from them as we fought. Every blow we landed weakening them and feeding us. They were defeated, as wave upon wave of soldiers attacked. I led my men to their base, where most of the beings lived. Inside, we killed them all. I left the group at one stage and found about five of them in a room. I attacked them, finding them to be stronger than the others. But they were losing. As a desperate attempt to defeat me, they summoned all their energy into a massive attack, consuming even them. The suit could absorb that much energy, and it overloaded. I woke up three hours later, in a medical ship, covered in energy burns. Nothing the medics could do would cure them, and I live with those scars today… I am jolted back to now as the ship announces: ‘Approaching destination.’ I land the thing in a hanger and get out. I walk to the reception. A vaguely humanoid person stands at the desk. ‘I wish to see Edmund Dalmon.’ The thing looks surprised. It directs me to an elevator and tells me the floor and room. I do as it says. The door opens into a corridor. I walk out and enter the room I was told. Inside, Edmund sits at his desk, examining some papers. ’Haven’t you replaced those blasted things with datapads yet?’ He looks up, clearly startled. ‘Uh… no. Besides, it feels nice to use files. I didn’t expect to see you back… so soon.’ He looks very shifty, and glances around the room continuously. ‘Well, I actually came back to get something. Something I left with you for safe keeping.’ ‘Oh yes. The suit, I assume?’ ‘Indeed. If I recall, you insisted on bringing it here, into this room, in a special safe.’ I smile. ‘I also remember me putting the suit in a large safe of my own, too.’ Edmund smiles nervously. ’I’ll get the key.‘He opens one of the drawers in his desk. I raise my gun casually. ’That’s the drawer you keep your gun in.’ His eyes widen and points a gun at me. I sigh. ‘Why?’ ‘Because we need the suit! You were supposed to die!’ ‘Oh well, too bad about lunch then.’ He squints at me. ‘Lunch?’ I fire my gun as he hesitates, and he tries to pull the trigger as he disintegrates. Too late, for him. I holster my gun and sigh. A document on the table catches my eye. I read it. The document, without a doubt, suggests Edmund was part of a group going to invade my home world Falton. They were going to steal my suit and make copies, since all other suits are held only by the Falton government. I pocket the documents and stride to the back wall. I make a motion with my hand and the wall slides away, revealing a massive safe. I turn the dials until it opens. His birthday. Idiot. Inside, I see nothing except a large safe, bolted to the floor. Looks like he was ready to leave. I examine the safe. It seems as though somebody tried to slice it open using a laser. Good ole’ Falton steel. Extremely resistant to energy. I turn the dials and open the safe. inside is a large battle suit. Watch out vex, here I come.
Meanwhile Security officer Darius just received some odd orders. He had just been told, on his communicator, to enter Edmund Dalmon’s officer and kill Charles Meer. The infamous Bounty hunter. He had to do it, he supposed. He led his men to the door of Edmund’s office. ‘Okay, we go in, we shoot… whoever and get out…’ At that moment something large and metallic crashed through the door. Darius and his men fire their guns, and they merely dissipated upon hitting a strange shield around it. The thing swung one arm and knocked over the men, then fire a strange ray over them, preventing them from moving. The thing then picked up Darius and said in a robotic voice: ‘Who gave you the orders?’ ‘I don’t know! It was a channel I’ve never seen before!’ The thing stared at him, then dropped him. Then it stalked off down the corridor.
Charles I had forgotten how this felt. That guard was telling the truth, though I enter the elevator and chose the hanger level. As I exit, I see all hell is loose there. I am surrounded by several armed people, all looking military. One of them says: ‘Put your hands in the air, or be disintegrated!’ I throw my hands into the air. ‘I surrender!’ I then fire a powerful beam from my hands, disabling and disorganizing the soldiers. In that carnage, with a lot of shooting, I move towards my ship. Upon boarding, I say. ‘Warp. Earth. Now.’ The ship leaps into the air and jumps into space.

The Evanescent One

I widen the telepathic connection ever so slightly, so that this energy being can feel the truthfulness of my thoughts; otherwise I doubt he will believe my next words. Of course, it goes both ways, and neither of us can now lie to the other without severing the mental contact. I suppose I too am here by random chance, having flung myself through a portal into the unknowable extradimensional void as reality itself came apart at the seams around me… Yes, I am from another reality, one of the many that are adjacent to your own. Hence, I currently know little about this reality of yours. Of course, I can easily obtain information from the humans below, but why miss the chance to converse with a rare occurrence such as yourself?

Veh-K’sa’Ilis-Ver’ds’ys-ef
I am hardly a rare occurence. At least in other parts of the universe, where my species hasn’t been randomly teleported to. I was merely unlucky in being sent here. In any case, you’d be able to learn more about this universe’s various laws, moral and physical, from myself than from any human. They’ve barely figured out space travel within their planetary system, and that’s without actually taking them anywhere – they’re only just figuring out how to get themselves to the next planet. That’s how undeveloped they are, and they’re the dominant species on Earth, of all things.