In which Marcus enters

<yzabtech> A button appears on both Marcus and Lukas's screens
<Marcus_River> oh, we're starting
<Marcus_River> do we have a decent pastebinning IRC client?
<yzabtech> "Confirm entry order [SE->UE]?"
<yzabtech> ((i do))
<Marcus_River> got it
<Marcus_River> After receiving an answer from Zogg, Marcus sighs dejectedly.
<Marcus_River> "I guess I don't have a choice," he mutters as he clicks accept.
<Lukas_Miller> Lukas also selects accept and waits for the next screen.
<yzabtech> Lukas's screen temporarily goes black. When graphics re-appear, he sees a young boy in his cleared room.
<yzabtech> Marcus's screen grays out, with text saying "ENTRY IN PROGRESS" appearing.
<yzabtech> Marcus begins to feel like he's being watched.
<Marcus_River> (Ok, so, Marcus's room consists currently of a small room with a closed closet, a desk with nothing more than a laptop on it, a well made bed, and empty shelves. Marcus is currently wearing what appears to be a mech suit, and carrying a dark green dualchain.)
<Marcus_River> Marcus shrugs off the feeling, and hurriedly clicks on the screen again and again, hoping his computer hasn't frozen, considering this is his last chance at survival and everything.
<yzabtech> Lukas sees an interface similar to SBORK.
<Lukas_Miller> "nerd" Lukas says under his breath before starting to mess around with the menus to find where the meatballs are.
<yzabtech> A menu with three strange machines, one a white box with a tube at the top and a wheel on the side, one a large machine with two pedestals, one elevated and smaller, and a larger platform in the center, and finally, a narrow yet tall machine with what looks like a needle and a place to put a cylindrical object.
<yzabtech> There are no meatballs here, Lukas.
<Lukas_Miller> "aw no meatballs this time?"
<Lukas_Miller> "oh well"
<yzabtech> This guy would probably count them out and throw extras out of there were any more Swedish meatballs than exacctly 7.24.
<yzabtech> exactly*
<yzabtech> if*
<Marcus_River> (Hey, fractions with food is stupid, he would round it down to exactly 7.)
<Marcus_River> (He would throw away the remaining 0.24.)
<Lukas_Miller> Lukas looks over the machines, and decides to click on the one with the wheel on the side.
<yzabtech> He'd probably weigh them each out and if they weren't 120 grams each he'd shave off the extra and add it to the other ones.
<yzabtech> He'd probably measure them and if they weren't exactly 4 inches in diameter with a--
<yzabtech> yeah, you get it.
<Marcus_River> (He probably would, yeah)
<yzabtech> fuckin' nred lel
<yzabtech> nerd*
<Lukas_Miller> ( :P )
<yzabtech> A chip off the old block.
<yzabtech> You put down the machine with a wheel, as it lands on Marcus's floor with a jolt.
<Marcus_River> (As a professional nerd, Marcus can confirm this)
<Marcus_River> Marcus immediately raises his dualhooks in defense and backs away from the large machine taking up the vast majority of his room.
<Lukas_Miller> While doing that, Lukas also sends a message to UE with a screenshot of his current screen attached
<Lukas_Miller> SE: hey
<Lukas_Miller> SE: is this you
<Marcus_River> Marcus, thinking the notification is a reply from Zogg, approaches his laptop.
<Marcus_River> UE: Oh, hello SE.
<Marcus_River> UE: Um.
<Marcus_River> UE: Yes?
<yzabtech> ((i suddenly got a great idea for Marcus's land))
<Lukas_Miller> SE: oh cool
<Marcus_River> UE: May I ask how you have a picture of my room?
<yzabtech> ((i'm going to write it up))
<Lukas_Miller> SE: looks like youre the person I'm watching this time
<Marcus_River> (mike plz, there are like, 2 entries that could be happening right now)
<Marcus_River> (also, im still kinda hoping on switching to spencer)
<Lukas_Miller> SE: the file ZT sent lets me see your house
<yzabtech> ((but it's amazing and fits in with the plot))
<Marcus_River> UE: Could you please provide a bit more information?
<yzabtech> ((kind of like my old idea except less grimdark-y))
<Lukas_Miller> SE: what do you want to know?
<Marcus_River> UE: Oh.
<Marcus_River> UE: Well, not die is fairly high on my list of priorities right now, although this is a bit much to handle right now.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: yeah
<Marcus_River> Marcus anxiously adjusts his mech suit to better cover himself.
<Marcus_River> "Mother?"
<Marcus_River> "Do you have any idea what's going on?"
* yzabtech_ (~yzabtech@pool-96-246-198-188.nycmny.fios.verizon.net) has joined
<Lukas_Miller> SE: I've actually seen something like this before, but I didnt do much with it and it was a different dude
* yzabtech_ is now known as MsRiver
<MsRiver> "What do you want now, Marcus?"
<MsRiver> "I don't know what's going on at all!"
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<Lukas_Miller> (rip)
* Marcus_River (kiwiirc@d207-81-32-32.bchsia.telus.net) has joined
<Marcus_River> (bleh)
<Marcus_River> (did I miss anything after Duly noted?)
<yzabtech> <Lukas_Miller> SE: I've actually seen something like this before, but I didnt do much with it and it was a different dude
<yzabtech> * yzabtech_ is now known as MsRiver
<yzabtech> <MsRiver> "What do you want now, Marcus?"
<yzabtech> <MsRiver> "I don't know what's going on at all!"
<Marcus_River> (Oh, i saw those, I guess my messages didn't send)
<Marcus_River> UE: Duly noted.
<Marcus_River> "Then, could you please help me? I'm confused, and scared."
<MsRiver> "I thought you were hoping that we meet in the same afterlife."
<Marcus_River> "Mother, please."
<Marcus_River> "You don't understand."
<Marcus_River> "The apocalypse is arising, and I'm terrified."
<yzabtech> The machine stands imposingly before you.
<Marcus_River> "Mother, I'm sorry."
<Marcus_River> "Please, help me."
<MsRiver> "The apocalypse is coming. How do you expect me to help you?"
<Marcus_River> To go back to the duly noted thing, Marcus begins decaptchaloguing his sylladex one item at a time, as dictated by the Obsessive Compulsive Order modus.
<Marcus_River> "Just, be here with me for once."
<MsRiver> Marcus's mother walks into the room, wordlessly.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: so it looks like youre busy so you probably wont see this but I'm going to put another machine down
<Marcus_River> As it turns out, Marcus' "Friend Journal" is placed at the exact bottom of his sylladex, and he must decaptchalogue all of his memorobilia, placing them precisely on the shelves where he left them, and then notes the thing about SE being able to watch him, and one other person.
<Marcus_River> As Mother walks into the room, Marcus drops his pen on the table, and embraces his mother in a hug.
<Lukas_Miller> Lukas places the long, thinner machine near the one with a wheel, but makes sure UE can still access it.
<Marcus_River> "I'm sorry"
<Marcus_River> (I'm pretty sure the room is too small to fit more than one machine)
<yzabtech> Lukas witnesses this spectacle.
<Marcus_River> (lemme grab the map i made up)
<yzabtech> Nred.
<yzabtech> Nerd.*
<yzabtech> How do I make the same mistake twice.
<Marcus_River> http://imgur.com/a/TOf9T
<Marcus_River> (Nevermind, I made his room a lot bigger than i had made Kai's, continue.)
<Lukas_Miller> He also chucks the dresser into another part of the house if needed to make the thinner machine fit.
<Marcus_River> While the hug goes on, the guardian theme starts playing.
<Marcus_River> "Do I... Know You?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofuiLKmuheY
<Marcus_River> ( yzabtech are you still here? )
<yzabtech> ((yeah))
<Marcus_River> (just checking)
<yzabtech> ((i'll provide more snarky commentary))
<Marcus_River> (and we thank you for it)
<yzabtech> Are you going to hug for exactly 16.18 seconds, and if you don't you have a panic attack, Marcus?
<yzabtech> But when I look at it, it just makes me sad.
<Marcus_River> Marcus hugs for precisely 4 seconds and 84 milleseconds, as any longer would make him feel even more stressed than he already does.
<yzabtech> I almost feel like I can't go on, with this snarky commentary.
<Marcus_River> The mere concept of being in physical contact with another person, even his own mother, for 16.18 seconds is slightly nauseating.
<yzabtech> And the thought of where your father is....
<Marcus_River> Don't think about it, Marcus.
<yzabtech> Nobody deserves that fate.
<Marcus_River> Don't spend your last few seconds thinking about Dad.
<Marcus_River> You'll see him soon enough.
<yzabtech> Go forth.
<yzabtech> Rise up, young boy, and make yourself a legend!
<yzabtech> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJuexdl_c5s
<Marcus_River> (So, did the second machine end up getting placed?)
<Marcus_River> (and was the dresser required to be moved?)
<yzabtech> Yes, and yes.
<Marcus_River> (Well nuts.)
<Marcus_River> Marcus cuts the hug short by 1.39 seconds and turns around to face the distinct lack of dresser.
<Marcus_River> Ignoring his mother for now, he returns to his laptop.
<Marcus_River> UE: Was this your doing?)
<Marcus_River> (remove that bracket)
<Lukas_Miller> SE: yep
<Lukas_Miller> SE: its outside your window if youre wondering
<Marcus_River> UE: Why, and how?
<Lukas_Miller> SE: apparently I can more things while adjusting the camera
<Lukas_Miller> SE: and this is why
<Lukas_Miller> Lukas places the thin machine where the dresser once was
<Marcus_River> UE: Do you have any idea what these machines are for?
<Lukas_Miller> SE: nope
<Lukas_Miller> SE: never gave Simon any of these
<Marcus_River> UE: Wonderful.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: can you look at them?
<Marcus_River> UE: I would ask who Simon is, but I feel like this may not be the time.
<Marcus_River> UE: Alright.
<Marcus_River> I turn back to Mother.
<Marcus_River> "Will you help me find a purpose for these machines, Mother?"
<MsRiver> "There's a cap on the top of the one with the wheel."
<Marcus_River> "Thank you, Mother."
<yzabtech> ((brb))
<Marcus_River> Marcus bears Thresh's chain, and attempts to pry off the lid of the device.
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* Marcus_River (kiwiirc@d207-81-32-32.bchsia.telus.net) has joined
<Marcus_River> (bleh)
<Marcus_River> (Ok, did I miss anything after trying to pry the lid?)
<Lukas_Miller> ((nothing after that, but mike said brb if ya missed that))
<Marcus_River> (ok, yeah i did)
<Marcus_River> (thank ya)
<yzabtech> ((back))
<Marcus_River> (hiya)
<yzabtech> To most people, this wouldn't be possible, but you got your mech suit going on.
<yzabtech> Roll 1d20+STR with advantage.
<Marcus_River> (Should we bother getting dice in here, or just use online roller?)
* NOTTyche[Dice] (~NOTTycheD@pool-96-246-198-188.nycmny.fios.verizon.net) has joined
<yzabtech> ((you're welcome))
<Marcus_River> (Alrighty then)
<Marcus_River> !Roll 2#1d20+3
<NOTTyche[Dice]> (1d20+3) [7+3] : {10} (1d20+3) [19+3] : {22}
<Marcus_River> Well there we go.
<yzabtech> You knock the thing clean off, revealing a light blue orb with a spirograph in the center.
<yzabtech> A countdown appears on the cruxtruder.
<yzabtech> Three minutes, Marcus.
<Marcus_River> Marcus stumbles backwards slightly, raising Thresh's chain in self defense.
<Marcus_River> Time limits, he can do that.
<yzabtech> Another object to place appears on Lukas's screen: a captchalogue card, with various square holes in it.
<Lukas_Miller> Lukas notes the card, placing it down right next to UE.
<Marcus_River> "Mother? Do you have any idea what this is?"
<Lukas_Miller> He also places the final machine in the center of the living room.
<MsRiver> "No."
<Marcus_River> "Do you think it's dangerous?"
<MsRiver> "I wouldn't touch it, but by itself, no."
<Marcus_River> "Noted."
<Marcus_River> He doesn't actually note this, it should be pretty obvious.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: what is that thing
<Lukas_Miller> SE: its giving me a headache
<yzabtech> The orb seems to gravitate towards the Mario hat.
<Marcus_River> Marcus, in a hurry, steps between the... thing... and his belongings.
<yzabtech> The orb quickly jolts back when you go near it.
<Marcus_River> "It's... Afraid."
<Marcus_River> "Just like me."
<Lukas_Miller> Lukas attempts to move the flashing thing with his cursor.
<yzabtech> Lukas can't move the flashing thing, he just picks up an object behind it.
<yzabtech> Have you ever seen a Super Meat Boy plush float?
<yzabtech> 2 minutes and thirty seconds left, Marcus.
<Marcus_River> He knows.
<Marcus_River> He's been counting.
<Lukas_Miller> He tries to hit the thing with whatever he picked up, next.
<Lukas_Miller> Lukas does, that is.
<Marcus_River> Marcus quickly turns back to his computer.
<Marcus_River> UE: What are you doing?
<yzabtech> ((Marcus: Meatboysprite?))
<Lukas_Miller> SE: I have no idea
<Marcus_River> (I'll just let whatever happens, happen.)
<Marcus_River> (Although, it would be nice to have some say in it)
<yzabtech> ((then say something))
<yzabtech> ((c'mon talk to me))
<Marcus_River> (One sec, im finding a picture)
<Marcus_River> https://7thumbsup.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/supermeatboyign.jpg
<yzabtech> ((you say you want a say in what gets prototyped))
<yzabtech> ((what do you want to be prototyped))
<Marcus_River> (Well, I dont wanna retcon everything just so that something goes my way)
<Marcus_River> (im good with the meat prototyping, i guess)
<yzabtech> ((i didn't even say anything about it yet))
<yzabtech> ((for all you know it jolted out of the way))
<Lukas_Miller> Lukas drops the plush to answer Marcus, not actually hitting the flashy thing.
<Marcus_River> Marcus quickly grabs the plush from the floor, making sure not to touch the orb, and places it back on the shelve next to the two angel plushes, where it belongs.
<Marcus_River> How exactly is Mother reacting to all this?
<yzabtech> She's trying to keep her distance.
<Lukas_Miller> Instead of picking something else up to poke the orb with, Lukas picks of the card he deployed and starts poking Marcus with it.
<Marcus_River> Marcus bats it away.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: I can give you this so its probably important
<Marcus_River> UE: Once again, what are you doing?
<Lukas_Miller> SE: take it or something
<Lukas_Miller> SE: or not
<Marcus_River> UE: Alright, but what do I do with it?
<Marcus_River> UE: Haven't you done this before?
<Lukas_Miller> SE: the world is ending I'm sure that you can get away with just those machines neither of us know what to do with
<Lukas_Miller> SE: I didnt do anything like this
<Marcus_River> Marcus captchalogues the punched card, making it the only object in his sylladex at currnet.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: I just watched a dude and threw meatballs at him
<Marcus_River> UE: Uh... Huh.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: but I'm sure this is the exact same thing
<yzabtech> ((brb again, this time for a bit longer))
<Marcus_River> UE: I don't think I have time to ask about this.
<Marcus_River> UE: I have 2:14 minutes left.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: I'll tell you later but we dont have that kind of time right now
<Marcus_River> UE: Agreed, goodbye, SE, and good luck surviving.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: third machines in a room with two couches
<Lukas_Miller> SE: good luck
<Marcus_River> Marcus reads the message, but does not respond, instead he nods and closes his laptop.
<Marcus_River> He turns to the second machine in his room, and tries to find a purpose.
<yzabtech> ((back))
<yzabtech> ((surprisingly this brb was actually shorter than the last one))
<yzabtech> There's a slot on the side of the machine.
<Marcus_River> Marcus figures things out, and shoves the card in it.
<yzabtech> The card seems to click in.
<Marcus_River> Marcus tries to figure literally anything else out, he knows time is running out.
<yzabtech> The wheel was left unturned.
<Marcus_River> That counts as literally anything.
<Marcus_River> Marcus bounds over to the box-like machine and turns the wheel.
<yzabtech> A light blue cylindrical totem pops out.
<Marcus_River> Marcus grabs it, and examines it alongside both machines in his room for any purpose.
<yzabtech> That narrow machine seemed to have a place to put cylindrical objects in it.
<Marcus_River> It's worth a shot.
<Lukas_Miller> As this is happening, Lukas looks for anything else he can do to help right now.
<Marcus_River> Marcus attempts to fit the tube into the place.
<yzabtech> There's no helping Marcus, Lukas.
* yzabtech laughs at his own joke
<yzabtech> Marcus fits the tube into place.
<yzabtech> A laser sweeps over the tube, carving it over the course of ten seconds, as the tube rapidly rotates within its confinement.
<Marcus_River> Marcus tries to figure out what the purpose of this is.
<Marcus_River> "Mother?"
<Marcus_River> I turn around to try and find Mother, seeing if she's still alright.
<yzabtech> Your mother is still there.
<MsRiver> "Yes?"
<Marcus_River> "Can you help me find out the purpose of this object?"
<MsRiver> "Have you tried checking the machine in the living room?"
<yzabtech> Can Marcus think for himself at all?
<yzabtech> I would have thought that for a kid who built a damn mech suit, he could put two and two together fairly easily.
<Marcus_River> Well, with the IC description given, s'kinda hard.
<Marcus_River> Also, he hasn't actually looked in the living room yet.
<Marcus_River> "I have not, thank you, Mother."
<Marcus_River> He grabs the totem thing and runs to the living room, keeping an eye out for the orb thing.
<yzabtech> But Lukas just told you that there's a machine in the living room...nevermind....
<Marcus_River> He knows its there, he hasn't looked yet.
<yzabtech> ((if you don't prototype anything then i'll prototype something much worse for you))
<Marcus_River> (plz no)
<yzabtech> ((or much better depending on how much of a masochist you are))
<yzabtech> ((i'm solid on the fact you'll hate it))
<Marcus_River> (i just dont wanna metagame)
<yzabtech> ((you'll think it's quite edgy))
<Marcus_River> (i would happily prototype anything as long as i know i need to)
<yzabtech> ((you'll have to face your own defeat))
<Lukas_Miller> As UE is doing his thing with the machines, Lukas keeps staring at the orb in UE's room.
<Marcus_River> Oh, the orb never left.
<yzabtech> There's a smaller pedestal, a bit bigger than the carved cylinder, and a large pedestal.
<Marcus_River> In that case, before I leave, I ask Mother to keep an eye on it and make sure nothing bad happens.
<Marcus_River> Putting two and two together, Marcus places the totem on the smaller pedestal.
<Lukas_Miller> Lukas decides the orb needs a hat, and that UE probably doesn't need that hat right now anyway.
<Lukas_Miller> He tries to put the mario hat onto the flashing, floating thing.
<yzabtech> The totem appears to be scanned, before a bright flash appears. When the light fades away, a cube appears on the larger pedestal. It looks to be a Rubix cube, but instead of different colors, there's different shades of blue and gray.
<yzabtech> ((mariosprite it is then))
<Marcus_River> (I'm good with that, unless Mother's gonna stop it)
<yzabtech> A bright flash appears from the orb upstairs. When the light clears, the blue orb now has a Mario hat in the center.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: um
<Lukas_Miller> SE: I know youre not reading this right now
<Marcus_River> Marcus is distracted from the cube, and leaves it to return to his room and see what happened.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: but I did something with that orb
<Lukas_Miller> SE: sorry about your hate dude
<Lukas_Miller> SE: I dont think youre getting it bacl
<Marcus_River> "I..."
<yzabtech> I don't think Marcus is getting his hate bacl either.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: *back
<Lukas_Miller> SE: *hat
<Marcus_River> Marcus stares at the now hat-filled orb for a moment.
<MsRiver> "What happened to the hat?"
<Marcus_River> "I don't know."
<Marcus_River> "But I don't think I'm getting it bacl."
<Marcus_River> "Back*"
<MsRiver> "I don't think you're getting it bacl either."
<MsRiver> "Back*"
<Marcus_River> Marcus shakes his head, tries his best to just disregard it as more chaos, and returns to the cube in the living room.
<Marcus_River> He attempts to do with it what anyone would do with a Rubik's cube, and attempts to match the sides.
<yzabtech> Roll 1d20+int
<Marcus_River> !Roll 1d20+1
<NOTTyche[Dice]> (1d20+1) [10+1] : {11}
<yzabtech> You make some progress. You got a cross on a side.
<yzabtech> Keep going! 1d20+int
<Marcus_River> Not good enough.
<Marcus_River> !Roll 1d20+1
<NOTTyche[Dice]> (1d20+1) [7+1] : {8}
<yzabtech> You manage to screw up the cross you got.
<Marcus_River> Not. Good. Enough.
<yzabtech> 45 seconds, clock is ticking.
<yzabtech> Try again.
<Marcus_River> !Roll 1d20+1
<NOTTyche[Dice]> (1d20+1) [11+1] : {12}
<yzabtech> Alright, you got the cross back.
<Marcus_River> Still not good enough.
<Marcus_River> !Roll 1d20+1
<NOTTyche[Dice]> (1d20+1) [17+1] : {18}
<yzabtech> Nice, you got a side!
<Marcus_River> It's still not good enough!
<Marcus_River> !Roll 1d20+1
<NOTTyche[Dice]> (1d20+1) [11+1] : {12}
<yzabtech> You solve the cube, which starts to glow.
<yzabtech> It falls apart in your hands, as reality seems to collapse to dust around you.
<yzabtech> Lukas's screen flickers.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: what is going on down there?
<Lukas_Miller> SE: please tell me youre not dead
<yzabtech> The center of the cube reveals a bright light, which slowly floats away from you.
<yzabtech> It flashes once, revealing a new entity: a floating white cube with green electricity occasionally surrounding it.
* MsRiver is now known as Euclid
<Marcus_River> Marcus stares wordlessly.
<Marcus_River> Slightly in awe, slightly in surprise, slightly in fear.
<yzabtech> The cube seems to rotate, shining against the black background, one vertex facing directly towards you, the rest of the cube rotating clockwise around that vertex.
<Euclid> "Greetings, Marcus River."
<Marcus_River> "What are you?"
<Marcus_River> I count the seconds I have left.
<Euclid> "The timer is gone. There is no need to worry."
<Marcus_River> I keep counting.
<Marcus_River> "What. Are. You?"
<Euclid> "I am Euclid, First Guardian of your realm, and fifth member of the Almighty Council of the Overmind."
<Euclid> "I would like to personally congratulate you on being the first to escape your realm."
<Euclid> "I assume you'll find the land prepared for you in the next one quite nice...."
<Euclid> "Oh, who am I kidding, you'll freak out."
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<Lukas_Miller> ((bye marcus))
* Marcus_River (kiwiirc@d207-81-32-32.bchsia.telus.net) has joined
<Marcus_River> (bleh)
<Marcus_River> (did i miss anything after "How much time do I have left?"
<Marcus_River> )
<yzabtech> <Euclid> "The timer is gone. There is no need to worry."
<yzabtech> <Marcus_River> I keep counting.
<yzabtech> <Marcus_River> "What. Are. You?"
<yzabtech> <Euclid> "I am Euclid, First Guardian of your realm, and fifth member of the Almighty Council of the Overmind."
<yzabtech> <Euclid> "I would like to personally congratulate you on being the first to escape your realm."
<yzabtech> <Euclid> "I assume you'll find the land prepared for you in the next one quite nice...."
<yzabtech> <Euclid> "Oh, who am I kidding, you'll freak out."
<Marcus_River> (thanks)
<Marcus_River> How much time do I have left?
<Euclid> "Five...Four...Three...Two...One..."
<Marcus_River> I close my eyes, and prepare to see Dad again.
<Euclid> "That is, if we were still operating on a normal flow of time."
<Euclid> "Oh, you won't be seeing your father anytime soon."
<Marcus_River> Marcus keeps his eyes closed.
<Euclid> "Open your eyes. Look at my manifestation."
<Euclid> "This is extremely rude."
<Marcus_River> Marcus thinks that Euclid should stop reading his thoughts, what with him having a mental disorder and everything.
<Marcus_River> No one is supposed to understand what it's like in his brain.
<Euclid> "Good thing for me that mental illnesses can't spread."
<Euclid> "I understand everything."
<Marcus_River> That's what he's planned for.
<Marcus_River> That's why he doesn't tell anyone.
<Marcus_River> "Stop."
<Euclid> "Why should I?"
<Euclid> "It gives me a much better understanding of you."
<Marcus_River> Marcus thinks of dozens of different answers, but can't choose one to say.
<Marcus_River> Once again, dozens of reactions, all varying in emotion and intensity.
<Marcus_River> Even Marcus doesn't know how he wants to respond.
<Marcus_River> He thinks he almost wants to see Dad.
<Euclid> "Not that anything can possibly improve the excellent understanding I have constructed of the universe itself."
<Marcus_River> He thinks the voice sounds full of themself, and then briefly considers which gender pronoun he should use to describe them.
<Marcus_River> Does the voice sound specifically as if it comes from one gender or the other?
<yzabtech> The voice sounds like an echoey, deep, male voice.
<Marcus_River> Male, duly noted.
<yzabtech> Not that deep.
<yzabtech> Depper than yours, for sure!
<yzabtech> deeper*
<Marcus_River> cus makes a mental note to add Euclid to his journal of notes.
<Marcus_River> Marcus*
<Euclid> "Taking notes on me tends to be a futile endeavor."
<Marcus_River> Marcus doesn't particularly care.
<Euclid> "However, I openly welcome you to do so."
<Euclid> "You've been mostly speechless in your stay here."
<Euclid> "Talk to me, I love company."
<Marcus_River> "Because you've been reading my thoughts."
<Euclid> "Why don't you pick one of the simply hundreds of different things you wanted to say to me?"
<Marcus_River> "That's not how my brain works."
<Euclid> "Well then."
<Euclid> "Do you have anything else you want to say?"
<Marcus_River> There are so many things Marcus wants to say, but nothing that he feels he can.
<Marcus_River> Nothing, except one question.
<Marcus_River> "Why?"
<Marcus_River> "Why to all of this?"
<Euclid> "A simple explanation, and one that I can offer."
<Euclid> "Your universe is an anomaly. It goes against existence itself."
<Euclid> "Let's take a few steps back."
<Euclid> "An original universe was spawned. This universe created an S-B instance that has two main timelines, one where an entity of importance goes mad and goes in a rampage across timelines, and one where the entity was caught and brought to justice."
<Euclid> "Only one can happen."
<Euclid> "However, due to heavy interference because of said entity, both happened."
<Euclid> "One was supposed to disappear, fade into obscurity, and be reclaimed by the Furthest Ring, becoming a doomed timeline. Any and all entities originating from a doomed location are destined to be killed by the alpha timeline."
<Euclid> "However, both happened. Two alpha timelines."
<Euclid> "Both bearing fruit, both ending in the creation of a new universe."
<Euclid> "One new universe, from the timeline that was supposed to be doomed, was naturally chaotic."
<Euclid> "Both the S-B instance and the universe were inherently doomed from the start."
<Euclid> "And while all this was happening, a wild card in the game, Ufanir, made everything so much worse, probably due to the inherently cancerous nature of the universe."
<Euclid> "The other universe...proceeded as normally."
<Euclid> "Both sessions somehow managed to bear fruit once more, and in an attempt at self-correction by Paradox Space, the two universes became one."
<Euclid> "A new universe, half-alpha, half-doomed."
<Euclid> "Yours."
<Euclid> Euclid flashes with green electricity.
<Marcus_River> Marcus just stands, unsure of how to respond.
<Euclid> "A shocking twist to you, I'm aware."
<Marcus_River> "Just... Just a little."
<Euclid> "I'll let you believe yourself."
<Marcus_River> Marcus isn't sure what that means.
<Euclid> "You seem confused."
<Marcus_River> Marcus nods.
<Euclid> "I would post elaboration, but this might all be too much for you to handle at once."
<Euclid> ((shit i mixed up ic with ooc))
<Euclid> i would elaborate*
<Marcus_River> "I want the information, I just..."
<Marcus_River> "Don't know how to process it."
<Euclid> "I encourage you to ask questions."
<Marcus_River> "I..."
<Marcus_River> "What does this have to do with me?"
<Euclid> "Remember the doomed S-B instance mentioned earlier?"
<Euclid> "You're a players son."
<Marcus_River> "Yes."
<Euclid> "You're going to go through the trials he went through, and prove your universe is worthy to stay under the Overmind and his Council."
<Marcus_River> This sparks the memory of everything Zogg had said about Dad.
<Marcus_River> "And if we're not?"
<Euclid> "Your universe, along with its gods, it's inhabitants, your friends, and you, along with any universes birthed from your universe, shall be retroactively and metaphysically erased from existence."
<Euclid> "Nobody will remember it, or know it existed, because it never existed."
<Marcus_River> Marcus nods.
<Marcus_River> "Duly noted."
<Euclid> "Such is the punishment for betraying The Overmind."
<Marcus_River> Marcus waits a moment.
<Marcus_River> "Now what?"
<Euclid> "Play the game. Face your trials."
<Euclid> "May the odds be ever in your favor, Marcus River."
<Euclid> The cube vibrates, before blinking out of existence.
<Euclid> Lukas's screen turns back on.
* Euclid has quit (Quit: Leaving)
<yzabtech> Marcus can see his surroundings once more.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: what was that
<yzabtech> The view outside his house is vastly different, a dark sky with occasional flashes of lightning.
<Lukas_Miller> SE: my screen glitched out are you still alive
<yzabtech> The landscape surrounding your house is angular, and it stretches as far as the eye can see.
<yzabtech> Little villages dot the precise landscape, which seems to have an uneven "flow" to it.
<yzabtech> This bothers you greatly.