So one of these nights, a while ago, I went to sleep just to wake up in a strange place, or maybe rather a state. Suspended, floating in the ocean. Felt like I'm floating in the water-like substance, but it wasn't uniform. In some places it was light like air, in other places very thick, almost like jelly. I realized I can move around merely by focusing on where I want to go and I began moving around a bit, trying to avoid thick/heavy regions, because moving through those was much harder. Breathing wasn't an issue, not that I actually concerned my self with something like that at any moment anyway.
Then I noticed that all around me there were little specks of light, here and there, some of them almost clustered together in groups, while some a bit further from everything else. Almost like little stars in the sky. I focused on one of those specks of light and start moving towards it. To my surprise as I approached it, that little speck began expanding, growing until it filled most of my field of view and what saw inside it was fascinating. It wasn't just a speck of light, it was entire realm. Realm filled with life, mountain ranges, green forests and blue seas, things happening. It was hard to make details of it, images were overlapping and a bit fuzzy, and I felt if I wanted clearer picture I'd have enter it, but I didn't want that just yet. I start thinking what about other specks, are those realms too? So I went to check another and another, and every single one would just expand in to an entire world whenever I got close enough. Awesome. I though "Alrighty, I got it figured, now lets do some deeper exploring.." But there seemed to be other plans in place for me..
Just when I got familiar with the environment and the physics of it, "rules of the game" so to speak, one of my familiars (let's call him that, for the lack of better word) showed up. He gave me something, a coordinates of a place, a realm. "You must go there" he just said before disappearing. I couldn't actually read any of it, but holding that nor a thing, nor a map, I knew where it is. It was somewhere deep, hidden far away in some outer reaches of that space.
I embarked towards it, passing many other worlds on the way, eventually reaching part of space that seemed empty, void of any light or life. Just emptiness. Yet my inner compass was telling me there is something out there, just a notch further. A few moments later
I saw a spark of light ahead, all alone in that void, isolated. Good, full steam ahead. But then I noticed something else moving on the side, a shadow of something. It was moving towards me. I slowed down to get better look.. A sentry! My presence awakened some dormant sentry guarding that realm. It was not a beast or a being I ever seen. It was machine. No, part machine, part living. I sensed something living inside it, something fragile, but on the outside it was heavily armed with a thick layer of shielding. Dammit..
The damn thing began chasing me. We were dancing and swirling in the void, he was trying get close to me, not to sure if to catch me alive or to get within firing range. I didn't feel like finding out which of those was on his mind. But few pirouettes later I've learned he was heavy and slow, at least much slower than me. And surely, there is no reason to fight enemy you can outrun. So I left him in the dust and went full speed towards that realm. When I got close, I didn't stop, went straight in. I dropped at the gates. Maybe just half mile away from the main gates. The place was surrounded by a thick walls so high, seemed like those were reaching the sky.
There was another sentry at the gates. After landing I only had a second or two to look around before that second sentry guarding gates woke up and, without asking any question, he just opened fire at me. That was rather rude, not even "Hi, your travel papers please", instead I was greeted with bolts of fire flying at me left and right. So I responded with fire, since that's the language they speak, and prefer, it seems.
He was running towards me showering me with bolts and I was sprinting towards him raining fire on him.. He didn't even managed to cross the bridge before hitting the ground. "Not bad, but not overly challenging, why am I here anyway?" I thought to my self. But that was merely a greeting card, because withing seconds gates opened and more of them start poring out.. A whole sh*tload more. Like a flood of heavily armed mech-infantry..
I'm like "ok, that might be a bit above my paygrade" and start moving back, trying fight them off. But I got my self surrounded, cornered, outnumbered, out-gunned. This trip was going south really fast, I found my self having nothing left to fight, with them closing in on me from all directions and no clear escape path. Seemed like done deal, time has finally come to meet my creator..
But just as I was about say my last prayers, the sky opened up, and with few bolts of lightning my support squad landed right behind me. They came bearing supplies. I got rearmed, restocked and refitted with more suitable tools of destruction on the spot. After upgrade my squad took cover behind me, while I went ahead shredding through the enemy lines until none was left standing. It was close call, but we managed to clear the field. When all threats were eliminated, we just quickly packed our toys and left that inhospitable place. I just didn't feel like spending even a second more in there, I thought I had enough excitement for one day.
((artwork credits TheTyro@DeviantArt))
