Gunner WIP

Prologue: Reunion
	Once, I was told a lie by those I trusted most.
	Once, I was given a gift by a man that I have never known.
	Once, I watched an entire planet turn against me.
	Once, I was granted the chance to reclaim my life.
Once, I was forced to make sacrifices.
Once, I was reminded of my own mortality.
But most of all, once, I was both free and blind. Which was all I could have asked for, I cursed myself in a pitiful attempt to gain something that no man was meant to recover. Maybe I should have seen it back then, or… at least attempted to look for it. Maybe my ambitions were invalid. Maybe I was mistaken to have looked for such an item.
Fortunately, I was given something to look forward to, but my attempts were always replaced with a friendly reminder of my difficulty. No one else was reminded of my vain attempts to liberate my species. I may have matured beyond my age due to the actions I have taken, but I am still gifted the powerlessness I was subject to in my childhood. For my mistakes have always been subject to corrections.
So I am now located in the epitome of Limbo, waiting for the end of my life, for I have done all that I could. Yet my actions are of little consequence, maybe I should have finished my job.
Of course, I set out goals for myself, yet I lacked the strength to complete them. I set my goals high, but I was denied the chance to follow them. The impossibility of my existence was countered by the will and minds of those who seek after their own agenda. But they all joined under themselves to fight against me, and me alone.
Now to wait for my freedom, my will shall become ever more unbreakable, I shalt do the impossible.
Motivation is always self applied. Yet, I seem to have gained something that no one else would expect. Salvation has come from the least likely of places. My destiny is self given, yet it is also subject to the actions taken by a man obsessed with oppression.

Not that any of this matters, my job is already complete.

Whether or not you wish to know how I completed it is up to you, for I have written my story over the years of my adventures. I shalt leave it here for those who take interest to look over, perhaps you have something to gain, perhaps not.
In any case, I finally lost my mullet.
That is all that matters after all, is it not?
Whatever the case, I shall begin my story.
“This brick was one of the most worthy opponents I have ever faced”
Gunner’s inner monologue after tripping over a misplaced collection of hardened mortar
Chapter 1 : The Unaccustomed Businessman
I know that my superiors do not appreciate me and that I appear to be nothing more than just another worker to them. But I feel as if I am certain to be more than I currently am. Though there is much of me that is not known. To begin, no one seems to know my name, not that it is important. Secondly, no one knows of my true nature, for I have hidden it well. Of course, no one ever ends a list at its second phase so I am required to give at least a third option.
	Thirdly, I am uncertain.
	Of course these combinations between the cliff-face of my mentality and the inquisitiveness of my employers do not blend well. But none of this matters in the corporation from which I was hired, for all I care about is the slight obsessions that I have developed for myself back at home.
	To begin on my journey through this nightmare known only as “The City” ( Which was obviously named by one of low intellect or of complete unoriginality ) was disorienting and disheartening at the very sight. Ranging from the concrete gods which grew to such vast height that even the mountains fell before their glory, to the slums and balconies of the lower levels, looking outwards towards the watery chasms below.
	Buildings grew as a fungus here, spreading over the sides of walls as their inhabitants became more and more distorted to adapt to the strange living conditions, the shrines of the past were a dead weight to the corporations. Sparking art and self-worth were of no importance in these worlds! For the men who looked out towards the horizons saw nothing but a single living being, one who had been formed by the madness of the whole.
	Of  course, I had a dorm outside of this, located roughly 5 miles south where the rivers of spilt blood and human sweat ( and presumably chairs ) flowed into a humble lake. I was left behind in the toxic residue of industrialization, as the glorious whole grew outwards year by year. For every living being needed food, and the planet’s surface was the only one to quench its desire. So it grew and grew into the future, seeking for nothing but a world in which we humans have an impact, whether it be beneficial… or atrocious.

	So here I stand, on the wooden balcony of my handmade cottage, flipping through my endless supply of 25 ppi photographs and gluesticks, looking for the plans which would liberate me from the cruel hands of my superiors.
	Finally, revelation came to me as a spark of glorious notepaper, I held up my head in triumph as I looked towards the dawn. For this was the day in which I would finally construct the most sought after device on the planet.
	The Heckbringer.

	Of course, I was the only one who knew about it, and considering that I found only a crappy rendition of it sketched out with broken colored pencils, I knew I was at loss. Did the ancients lie to me? Was there presumably no path for me to take? Would I forever have to feel the shame of a mullet upon my scalp as a substitution for self-mutilation?
	The thought was too difficult to bear, for it thrusted me unto the edge of tears to even think that through all my effort, I would never see the light outside of my town. But eventually, the thought of a nice company supplied sandwich ruled out my fear as the cruel reality of betrayal, and I quickly abandoned the thought. Also, I was hungry for pepperoni.
	Realizing that my lunch break was now forfeit, I inflated my sneakers and sprinted towards the door in a half frenzy before tripping on my red tailcoat. For I came to injury in this moment and I broke a promise I had made for myself as I tried to cover my mouth to avoid the mad utterings of an eldritch abstraction formed by the tongue of man.
	My vow of silence was then broken, for many profane and unspeakable words flowed out of my mouth for my mullet had taken the advantage of my loss of footing to sway itself towards the east. I was then reminded of the warp engine that I had constructed several months ago out of a pocket calculator. Out of spite and curiousity I walked over to the controls and blew the dust off its anterior surface area via lowering my Diaphragm and sending electrical current thru (“Thru” is not a spelling error, for it is an old English substitution for “through”.. Though it should be noted that no one has used that vocabulary in several quintillion decades. The vocabulary is still somewhat correct, though it is certainly deviant.) my intercostal muscles in a struggled attempt to exhale.
	Needless to say, the verbosity of my inner monologue caused a vast gust which completely cleared the entirety of the device of motes of dirt and human flesh. I then imputed into the number-pad a simple algorithm.
	I raised my hand to my mouth to prepare myself for the clarification of my command.
	“Calculator, input the following algorithm… for thy art placed in this world to serveth me and me alone.”
	It then responded in my voice for a recorded response, and I was reminded of why I took to a vow of silence when I was in private. The results were unintelligible slurs, truly of no native language, but in the tune of a song which I have forgotten. Obviously, I was not truly fluent in as many languages as I had hoped. This continued for a while until the device sputtered out a simple phrase.
	“No”
	“Calc WX-9567 warp engine, please input the following algorithm”
	“Sure, why not...”
	“Thirteen-thirty seven divided by zero, this may be an incorrect algorithm which ends in an inescapable error, but please, continue anyways.”
	“Warning, inputting this algorithm may cause many adverse effects, do not do this unless you enjoy the sensation of having your face melded into the fabric of the universe for all eternity.”
	“Please?”
	“Oh, ok”
	I heard a whir as an input-panel opened up, with one trivia question in which only I could answer.
	“If I own 2 apples and my brother owns 3 apples and the value of both units were put through the algorithm for FTL travel via the transmission of sound waves through a salad dish, would the resulting equation be compatible if it were translated into the universal system of measurement or would there be no system nor unit for displaying such a measure? Would it be necessary to revamp all particle sciences just to inject this obscure statement into everyday life?”
	“Oranges are better”
	“Correct”
	.
	The machine then woke, for the seal had been broken, the days of old have finally come to an end. The quakes from the metal cabinet scattered throughout the land being felt far and wide as the inhabitants of a nearby insurance company felt their stocks fall with the force of an entire planet. Damages were felt by the entire world as the machine grew ever brighter.
	Then, it stopped as soon as it had begun. The machine finally rested after 20 seconds of global catastrophe as the nameless individual stretched his hand towards the light grabbing the handle which protruded from the office surrounded by runtime clocks. A gateway opened but another one closed, as he stepped through the stardust rim formed by his own maniacal obsessions.
	It was at this precise moment that he knew things were not going as originally planned as he saw every timeline converge into his own. His eyes were opened and the truth of the multiverse spiraled around him.
 Eventually, he felt nothing but the fall.
Falling down into the abyss, through the poorly built countryside into the center of an office complex powered by the remains of the past and an intricately carved floorboard. Through a forest stretching between the realms all the way back to his home. Buildings stretched out towards him, attempting to make them his own, but he was too quick for them. For he had already reached the office complex and felt the impact of the steel against his spine.
It was at this moment that a middle-aged woman was resting against the back of an old pinewood chair. Though, it was fortunate that gleaming paint reminiscent of their elitist society covered the shame of age.
What was unfortunate was that fact that this peace was soon broken by the shards of metal flying at high speeds towards the wall. Before she even blinked, she threw herself and her comrade into the nearby wall to avoid severe lacerations. This was most unfortunate due to the entire lobby being trashed by this one swift action.
The secretary brushed off the metal shavings and incinerated furniture off her skirt with a quick swipe of her hand. Then she looked upwards towards the perpetrator. Then she let off a calm remark in response.
“I… don’t recall meeting you before.”
“You don’t truly have any reason to, after all, I’m just one of the so called “office workers”
“You surely fall far from the norm”
“Truly your observations are just to assume as such.”
She fell into silence for a while, then proceeded to grant me my upper-level access, I could hear her chuckle in amusement briefly. Then she fell back into the boredom that she was subject to before.
I, ignoring this, proceeded to the top level, making my way around the wind chimes scattered along the hallways. Across an extravagant selection of tables and up a narrow stretch of stairs. There was a long distance to cover, this I knew for certain, for this building changed every week. Considering it was the Headquarters for a relatively powerful organization, I found it strange that the hallways were strangely devoid of life. Eventually, I came to the first office.
The people here were built on a delicate frame similar to that of a mannequin, with dry, flat skin, while the hair itself was similar to straw in nature. Skin paled with the accommodation of internal living. Their mouths gaped open with the terror of the ancients, decades of immoral fear reigned in their eyes, while their bloodstained tapestries cried out to some unholy essence which laid itself to rest beyond the heavens.
 It was at this moment that I began to notice that this was no normal office department, this observation was made due to the obvious inclusion of three deviant substances.
Etchings and scrawlings were forcefully scrawled into the walls, presumably with the fingernails of those who have seen too much.
Everyone was off-schedule today, and the coffee table was in disrepair. The very life-blood of us office workers had gone dry. For the pot was empty.
My partners tie was offset, though this was likely due to his spinal-cord stretching 45 degrees northward as he stumbled across the office floor in a frenzy.
	As I was recording these observations via the loose-leaf paper I had stretched throughout my three ringed binder, I took the liberty of glancing out the nearby window. I saw nothing but an endless plane of destruction and flames. Buildings littered the ground and the oceans were mixed with a muddy substance, turning the liquid reservoirs into a vastly flowing stream of multi-colored sludge. The moon was already starting to ascend past the visible horizon, but the sky was the wrong color.
	Needless to say, I felt my right ear pop due to utter shock. Then my balance was thrown off, followed by a dark vignette that surrounded my vision. This essentially rendered my peripherals useless. I mostly ignored the suggestions from my environment. The brick that decided to throw itself under me lending to an inescapable tasselfoot, disagreed.

	This brick was one of the most worthy opponents I have ever faced, for it rendered me unconscious in a single sweep. Truly the actions of this inanimate object were aided by the gods themselves, for such power was inconceivable. Every counteraction I could possibly provide would pose no threat to the power of mere coincidence.

	I fell into darkness at the bottom of the stairwell. Until I was awoken by the secretary I met on the first floor. She looked me over, propped me upright, and left at once. She went back to her post and blocked out all stimulus provided by the surroundings.
	I did the exact opposite and ran outside, expecting to see the ever-expanding hellscape that I saw before me just a mere hour ago. Though, the doors reminded me of my general lack of strength. I struggled to push them outwards from their hinges, but I eventually prevailed. I then set one of my feet aside in front of me and gripped the knife I kept hidden in my coat at all times. But I was greeted by the expected site, the “normal” city I grew accustomed to over the years.
	The final sensory confirmation I had to remind me of my apparent delusions was the company of my acquaintance, though I had forgotten his name. Which he incessantly reminded me of due to my aging mind and low observational standards.
	“Hello, Daniel.”
	“Greetings, Gunner, I see you are in a deep state of confusion as usual”
	“Actually, I was about to talk to you about that.”
	“Oh…?”
	“You see, I believe I am under the influence of frequent hallucinations. Which would be a problem for me, if not for the constant standards I have kept for myself.”
	“These so called visions shouldn’t be a consistent problem in your daily life, but I believe there might be a cause for the images I see in thy eyes.”
	“It isn’t the norm, I’m seeing things that I believe might be real.”
	He paused, then reluctantly stated.
	“You always see the truth, remember that. In the years I’ve known you, you have never stated anything that I have deemed to be false, and your mind always noticed the smaller details.”
	I responded with an uncomfortably long pause, which caused a visible tension to become apparent in his facial features.
	Now would be as good a time to tell you as any other, this man has made himself known as a renowned philosopher. His facial features barely aged, but his mentality matured at three-times that of a normal human. His chin was pointed forward, and his mouth was in a slight pucker. He wasn’t truly handsome, but his presence was unusually pleasant. Which is a strange thing for me to proclaim, for I am not one to enjoy the company of others in the slightest.
	“I am going to do more research in the matter, you can join me if you wish.”
	“I don’t believe I have much choice in the matter.”
	“Wise observation”
	He turned and started striding towards the east, I followed close behind.
	I nodded, and we came to a subtle agreement to regroup at his dorm. I was skeptical of the situation at first, but I knew he was trustworthy. Though his actions and methods were questionable at best, let alone his unusually clean record.

Subtle changes made themselves known to me as we traveled, the environment was boring and I noticed the same familiarities I have seen many times before cross my path, but something was different. For the path seemed to take me down roads which I have never noticed before.
*Afterward*
For confirmation, the road map I had with me contained a wide variety of roads and streets, all of which I memorized. This road went straight in the past, but the pavement changed itself in the hour I had been away. Unusually long turns and branches led to an ever changing environment. I saw the same patterns and textures appear consistently throughout my trek.
*Afterward*
I then took it along in my mind to establish clarifications of my environment in the notebook I was carrying along with me. Personal experiences and sights that I have seen would prove useful in the established concept of my scenarios.

	“You know, I can see that you are clearly troubled. Do you see something that I don’t?”
	“I believe so, can you tell me the exact name of this road we are travelling on?”
	“I’m… not walking on any road. Do you honestly think this stretch of dirt beneath my feet could clarify as something that could even vaguely represent a road?”

	I looked down once again, there was no pavement beneath my feet and the city itself was already a mile behind us. I ignored this for now, but it would be advantageous to note this experience for the future.
	I continued walking.
	The, now obvious, plane that laid before us was in actuality the roof to an industrialized coal plant that stretched for miles underground, it almost looked natural enough to live on. His dorm was located several kilometers south of the largest complex in the area. But it provided a natural shade all the while, probably signifying as to why this location was known as the great sundial, which was provided by those who  enjoyed providing fantastical names to generic locations.
	It was then that I noticed Daniel’s true area of expertise, for the devices that lined the exterior of his home stretched from the extremities to the very center of the household. This was evident due to the placement of an exceptionally large metal pole, which made transferring oneself around the radius a difficult task. For a yard of space laid amongst the edges and one had to press against the wall to fit themselves into a single file line. That was until we reached an obvious concave segment of wall, which caused me to trip into a tube. I made no effort to notice this until I realized this tube had no similarity to the expected architectural style of the surrounding areas, meaning it was here long before, or that he was the one who built it.
	None of this mattered, for the structural style had nothing against the function. I do not truly know what occured in the seconds that I entered that tube, but I did realize that I was not anywhere near the location I was at just a microsecond before.
	I was thrown out of the tube into a decently sized rectangle, complete with stone furniture and ornate carvings, through the windows were reflecting a vastly different landscape then the one I was used to.
	“Tell me, what exactly is this place, Daniel?”
	He calmly informed me that this was his home, and swiftly reminded me that he told me this but a moment before.
	“To what is this home reflecting?”
	“Do you mean, what environment is my home related to?”
	“What I mean is, where is your home located?”
	“Ah, you see, I created a simplistic method of teleportation. This involves accelerating one to exceptionally high speeds over a time-frame of half a second, then deleting any sensory experiences related to the action. This creates an illusion for an action that is physically impossible. Though, due to the speed, it requires a base capable of handling the force applied. All of this allowed me to convince our government to supply me with a decent supply of money for handling my research.”
	“So, you’re a conman who took advantage of a corporation in need of new methods of transportation ?”
	An uncomfortable amount of silence followed.
	“In a way, but sometimes, the heart of man seeks after that which is impossible.”
	He turned towards me and left me one final note, this would be the last time that I would see him for a while.
	“Just remember, if your mortal heart seeks after things impossible. Feel free to, but if you harm others and turn maniacal towards your obsession, I will give you one chance. If you ignore me, if you betray me and if you do not listen to my messages. I will let you know of your mistake, and I will do anything to stop you.”
	“What do you mean?”
	“I know of the actions you are taking, and the blueprints you have stumbled across.”
	“What could you possibly have to fear from a notebook?”
	“I would most likely pass it off as a simple mistake, or as some fantasy you’ve kept from your childhood. Maybe you have nothing to show me, maybe you have an entire plan set up already. But I know of your actions, and I hope they do not fall down this apparent path.”
	“You know, I believe you’re forcing a conflict without any just cause. To what end do you hope to steer towards with this conversation?”
	“Apparently, I have little credibility, but I assure you that I am justified to make such claims. After all, you are the only one who knows the functionality of this weapon. You are also the only one to know of its output. For the sake of this conversation, you are the only one who could turn it on.”
	“I do not truly know of what you are referring to. After all, am I not just an acquaintance? Do my actions really cause you to fear me? What could you possibly have to fear?”
	It was in this moment that he finally allowed closure of his suspicion, for he had somehow hidden one of the prototypes I had made of the new Heckbringer model. It was not completely recognizable, but the circuitry was just and it was evidently too complicated for my hands to have created.
	I felt a light sweat envelop my upper face as his facial expressions took on evidence of a growing concern. If anything was left of my friend, it was gone, I saw nothing but pure anger towards the potential I had. I was almost afraid that I would face my end in his very home, but a much friendlier action was taken.
	He gave it to me with a light smile. His eyes took on the same appearance that they did an hour ago and his body lost any observable tension. He was going to play nice, for now.
	“Fortunately, whoever decided to pass this off gave it to the worst possible candidate, I have nothing to fear from you. I am certain that you are wise enough to keep this under wraps and that you could fall into no plausible action. Even if you were in a completely different place and enveloped with rage, you would never fall to such a level. I trust you as much as I trust myself, use this under no circumstances.”
	He paused for a while, then resumed.
	“But, we all have something to learn from this, do we not? Do whatever you wish, I am but a guardian.”

	I nodded, then proceeded towards the tube. But I kept my wary attitude, he was never the one to go back on a promise.

	Within an hour, I was back at my home, I had fed myself and begun preparations for the rest I deserved. It was then that I noticed he lied to me, he invited me for his own agenda. For he sought after nothing but his own ambition. That was, unless he was hiding something beneficial, I had heard of such actions being performed in the past. Though, I presumed it would be prejudice to assume he follows the normal reactions to situations similar to the one we were currently in.
	I respected his efforts to hide this fact, so I must appreciate him still. Yet his actions are becoming more and more questionable by the day. For one to make such proclamations and threats to someone they were in close ties with was unthinkable. I would consider approaching him directly, but he is too much of a logical mind for me to establish an argument with. So I shalt question his ethics instead. Some actions are always unforgivable, and his threats were on the verge of being violent, murderous even.

	It was several minutes after this that I eventually collapsed into subconsciousness. My sleep was always uneventful, no matter how  much I see in the day, my mind never finds it necessary to bombard my senses during my rests. This was fortunate, for I had only been accustomed to nightmares, and the environment I was subject to was not in direct support of being kind on the senses.

	I awoke that night, several hours before I planned, the illumination of my home was subject to the stretching tentacles of darkness. With my door fading into the metalic frame in which I had hung it years ago. Though, it was different this time, with the shadows taking on a viscosity similar to sludge. I attempted to stretch my hand towards the newly formed wall, but found nothing but a cold air. This would be evident enough, if not for the collection of fractured skin that began to stretch up my arms.
	“Icy”
	It then fell down to the floor as if it felt my rude pawing, then it began to cover the sides of the bed in a way that I could only describe as living water. It slowly circled until it stopped at the place in which my hand used to be located. This took but a time-frame of two seconds. I then realized that if I were to apply a normal sensation to the “arm” of the substance, it would go to that exact location and apply a snap freeze within the same frame of time shown before.
	I knew I couldn’t let this substance be present in my household, but my arm reminded me of the foolish action I had made before with a subtle crack, followed by a light pinprint of a more well known liquid. One of which takes on a dark crimson-shade.
	I looked upwards to see that the lifeform I saw before my eyes had knocked a glass of cranberry juice from yesterday morning onto my hand. Causing a sharp pain similar to the sensation of having salt poured onto ones injury. But my past fear had been debunked, it definitely wasn’t my life blood, nor was it my skin evaporating due to the substance.

	A slight suspicion took ahold of my mind. I waved my, now empty, glass in front of me with impressive form. It was soon filled with some of the substance, and the whole was then alerted to my presence. I swiftly followed the steps of the scientific method in order to determine if this shadow was flammable or not. After discovering that it was not, I attempted several types of acid. Though, I only had the lemon left over in my back pocket.
	The shadow feared the lemon, instantaneously pulling away in immediate reaction. But it was too late for this lifeform, it had already died the nanosecond it touched the acidic produce. The delicious fluid took over the less-delicious flash freezing non newtonian solid with a violent spread. Screams overtook my household, mostly from me, as the creature self combusted into a rapidly spreading flame. Then all was silent.
	I took my victory with caution, and stared down the newly formed pile. I waited a minute, then chuckled to myself triumphantly. Unfortunately, the substance was more reactive than previously thought, as a sudden chemical reaction took place.
	The newly formed lemon-nitroxide took commensalism in my eye sockets, though, it was obvious that I was suffering much harm. Which makes me question has to why I was writing commensalism in place of parasitism. Though, the substance was obviously dead, all of this represented a slight desperation of words that I had memorized the structure of. Of course, I was blind and was giving my best effort to scribe my experiences in real time.
Of course, I heard my door cave in due to the newly found contact with an object with considerable weight. I then heard some ( exceptionally ) generic voice pitch into my auditory channel.
“Hey, I heard some screaming coming from this direction, is everything alright?”
“Not exactly.”
Of course, this genderless humanoid stood before me in their sightless form. Eventually I felt a hand run over my eye. Followed by the touch of a paper napkin.
I allowed my retinas to receive the gift of sight. I looked at the, now obvious, twenty-three year old man that stood before me. My eyes cleared a tiny bit more and I eventually stared directly towards his abdomen.
	I wasn’t one to question ethics, nor was I one to notice oddities in other people. But this case was different, for the shirt this man was wearing was composed of watery scales. Covered with a piece of fabric and tied into a knot on his left shoulder. Providing the appearance of a shredded piece of chainmail that was thrown over his back. Similar in style to an infinity scarf. He was also wearing a boot that was apparently two and a half feet high, while his other leg was cut off at the lower knee. With a oil-soaked rope coiled around a single pneumatic piston. It was odd due to the apparent shape, an electrical circuit poked out of the mail and his teeth were replaced with a closed circuit conduit.
	Every time he walked on his left foot, he bit down on air. Applying a circuit through the mail and into his foot, bite, release, bite, release.
	I looked upwards at his unusually outlined face, it wasn’t common in any way shape or form. But it bulged slightly at the bottom, applying a similar appearance as to that of plastic wrap pulled over a skull.
	“Of course” said he, “Seemingly you have gone through on a battle with a beast”
	“I would presume as such?” I said in immediate response.
	“Appropriately stated, though I am not one for awkward conversation. Tell me what you know”
	“I think the situation is quite obvious, really. My hands have been frozen into blocks, my eyes are filled with lemon-nitroxide and my entire house is dyed black. What else could have possibly happened?”
	“I don’t follow.”
	It then became quite obvious that this situation was unplanned. That this man had no correlation.
	“I came into this area looking for the remnants o-”
	“Could I please have some clarification as to why a man wearing a suit made out of fish scales and a mechanical leg is walking around my house after i’ve been assaulted by a living sludge?
	“Oh, yes, that.”
	He paused.
	“I understand why that might cause confusion, considering the recent inactivity in your life.”
	I was then subject to his lectures, a long storyline detailing the trails and violent skirmishes he was forced to travel through on his long trek. Apparently the hundred mile stretch behind him was occupied with godlike creatures that reached hundreds of meters in height and rivaled the mountains themselves. His body fared terribly, and he lost most of the control in his left le-
	I held my hand up to signify my obvious disinterest, which was received with an understanding nod.
	He stood in silence for a moment before turning towards the door. He glanced back and me and stated his disappointment.
	“Tell me, I see nothing of interest here, why is it that I have heard stories of a fallen civilization? By what means do you sit here and wade through the corpses of your colleagues? How do you carry on through all that pain? Why do you stand here and ignore my inquires?”
	I raised my hand to my side, causing my blood-red tailcoat to glide onwards toward my left. Then I pointed towards the window just opposite of my armchair, he took a single glance towards the standing highrises, the singular mountainscape faded into the monumental triumph of our race. This caused vertigo to oversweep the man and, eventually, he was flung backwards towards the wall. Then he stuttered half a dozen words, the signs of one who could not take notice of the truth before him.
	“These truths are not my own”
	I took a single glance towards him.
	“Come again?”
	He shook his head once.
	“Sorry, I was confused, this environment is not quite the one i’m used to.”
	“Understandably.”
	I stood up, then gracefully pulled my arm up towards my chin. I followed this with a single grasp of my clean-shaven pride. My coat mirrored the action I had made, following up with a gust of wind from the nearby window. It struck a gleam of sunlight that peered down from the clouds, causing a light sparkle to become apparent in my left eye.
	“...Sir?”
	I quickly stopped my usual extravagant stance, then stared him down.
“Did you honestly expect that I know this city ground? I barely recognize the lake outside my house.”
“You have been living in a horrific environment for years, I’ve heard of men who have been struck dead at the sight of this place.”
I glanced outside, then back at him.
“It is an acquired taste I presume.”
“Indeed, the architecture is quite interesting.”
“I met the person who made the structural building preparations for the main highrise. Though, he did enjoy locking himself in his room. After which, I found that he took a tendency to etching impossible geometries on the outside of street corners.”
“Why?”
“He enjoyed the sight of civilians tripping over non existent protrusions.”
“Strange.”
“Indeed.”
I glanced outside and saw just that sort of protrusion on the outside of the aforementioned constructs. It was an exceptionally large appendage that took on the shape of a clam’s tongue.
“Hey, look, there’s one now. I think I remember one that was very similar to that. He was quite the good artist, I almost thought it was heading at me for a second. Truly the weather here must be nice to keep the art in such pristine condition. Speaking of which, has it gotten larger recently?”
It was in this moment that this “artwork” forcefully thrust its unique architecture into the side of my inferior architecture. My guest had found the actuality of the situation long before I did and was clutching to the wall. His forehead was covered in more liquid than the norm, which convinced me that his circulatory system was going through much more than  60 BPM. I then took notice of the more obvious concern, my entire waist had been gripped by an unusually patterned brick.
“Oh, this isn’t good.”
I was then subject to an extensively rapid increase in elevation, while I felt due to the evident air friction, leading to the unique observation of my skin temperature increasing by several degrees.
“Let’s see, going faster than terminal velocity usually leads to a rapid increase in temperature. Hopefully my recent observations made in the field of orbital sciences can allow me to decrease my speed in a predictable manner”
I then realized that I could not use my notebook in this environment, for the properties and surface velocities of my environment ( Namely, myself and the large amount of water vapor around me ) caused me to believe that I would rely on my memorized mathematic equations to determine the quickest way to get back to the surface in two pieces or less.
I took off my tailcoat, revealing my slim build and rapidly deteriorating clothing, hopefully my shirt would still be wearable afterwards. I tied the coat around my waist in a fisherman slip-knot and unhooked my rifle. It was small, but the blast would be sufficient.
“Let’s see. According to my current state, I am now in microgravity, also my reflectional dialogue will be rendered useless via the lack of oxygen in this layer of the atmosphere.”
I ceased communication immediately and sent off a blast from the rifle I had concealed under my, increasingly iconic, tailcoat.
My rifle quickly grew in size, almost unnaturally, as if it was organic rather than mechanical. It stretched forward with at breakneck speed and released an exceptionally bright stream of plasma towards the opposing structure, a satellite launched five years ago by Daniel for a research project.
I took it as a momentary thought, to think of his reaction towards receiving details of a fifteen-hundred-megaton blast in lower orbit. But this was eventually stopped by the blast, as my situation became worse.
I had failed to realize that my gun would send me towards the ground at mach 13 which would signify an impact in less than thirty seconds. I quickly turned course towards the ground in attempt to take off some of the speed, but the blast would halt immediately upon my rotation. It was evident that another blast would quickly overload the gun and cause my immediate departure from this realm due to a quick nuclear-reaction. I then decided that it would be better to slow my impact to terminal velocity by extending my tailcoat into a makeshift heat shield and immediately throw it off my back while aiming towards the nearing sea.
I immediately activated this plan, but my clothing caught aflame. Then my clothes evaporated into a reddish dust that took on the appearance of steam in seconds.
It was too late for me to counteract, so I merely closed my eyes and hoped for the best. Which would be a quick death, hopefully my spine or cranium would be ruptured within a 200 milliseconds, before the signal representing pain could be registered by my central cortex.
	Fortunately, the less desirable outcome occurred, and I lived. I knew that if I lived, it would be due to either mere coincidence or I would be saved through a miracle.
	I knew miracles were too expensive for my budget.

	I assumed survival would be impossible in this situation, even if I were to change trajectory and end up in lower orbit, I would eventually fall back into the atmosphere and suffer the burns caused by solar radioactivity.
	It happened in a way that is difficult to describe, but I shall attempt to recreate the scenario of my near-death experience in this manner.
	This model of my flailing corpse was approximately half a second from impact, with the ground but five-hundred feet away. Of course, if my velocity would change in the manner I expected, someone would stumble across a smear of fabric, metal and otaku in the middle of a field somewhere. Apparently, the sea was further away than I believed, not that it mattered.
	What did matter was the solid airflow coming towards me. Though it was barely visible, I swear I saw a cloud of dust being flung upwards by a vaguely humanoid lifeform. It was wielding what I believed to be a sickle of a sort and was located but a yard away from me.
	I was then rendered unconscious due to my head being flung forward at high speeds. But I didn’t remain that way for long.
	Before I knew it, I was awaken by the reassuring impact of the ground. I clutched the back of my head and remained motionless on the ground for several minutes.

	Eventually, I arose in a dusty mountain range, with the behemoths of rock towering around me in all directions. It would be several hours before I would be able to use my firearm again, and my coat was a lost cause.
	I then realized the severity of my situation, for the nearest establishment was likely located in a deeply fortified clifface.
	I knew inner monologue would not help my situation in the slightest, so I presumed my wandering position and continued onwards towards the end of the valley, which was located several miles away. I saw subtle lights and what appeared to be a domed roof, with a large silo located in the hill beside it. It was obvious that I was in a completely different continent, let alone town.
	I took quick notice of a jacket trampled on the ground beneath my feet, it was a black waistcoat that was torn at the bottom. Though, it was stylistically different from the ones that I have normally seen. A slash of leather was tied around the top, leading down to a hood. A piece of metal was bound to the right arm.
	I saw the owner of this jacket up ahead, but his body was still.
	Then it wasn’t.
	He grappled at his feet and I heard him mumble unintelligible statements to himself.
*Gunner’s translations, VOL 1*
	“I believe, if the desert heat hasn’t rendered me mindless, that I heard footsteps”
	“Who on earth are you? I have been wandering towards this town for days and the second it appears within my eyes, I’m approached by a fool in a waistcoat.”
	“Wait one minute, are you wearing my waistcoat?”
	“Speak!”
*End of Translations*
	He turned towards me and ranted about something that I could not make out. Then he took on an annoyed tone and pointed towards the outfit I was wearing. Then he shook his head and turned towards the town.
	In any case, I had yet to look at the patch on the leftmost side of this jacket.
	I took it off and examined the symbols closely, before realizing that they were of a completely different language. Surely not one in which I was fluent. They were formed through visually compact symbols, similar to the ruins in similar areas, but much more controlled and compiled with an apparent grammatical system. I took it upon myself to keep this message in mind in the future, and scribed it on my notebook. Somehow, it had survived a rather painful re-entry.
	But then I realized that there was a more important situation at hand, for I was slowly dehydrating and the town was still miles away. With it having grown a smithering larger in the hours that I had been walking towards it.
	“My word, I do believe I have located myself in quite a pickle. Hopefully my endeavours shalt end soon due to the kindness of my neighbors.”
	I had grown chivalrous and polite, surely the desert heat had begun to take its toll. The true nature of my problems had begun to take form.
	“Hopefully there is someone in this desert that speaks my native language and/or owns a recreational vehicle. If not, then I must be doomed to fall prey to the painful heat.”
	I continued my trek, ignoring the pains that began to stretch up my legs. Surely they were fractured by the past collision.
	This went on for several hours, until I found that the town was still too far away for me to make progress towards, I attempted to stand upright, but I quickly succumbed to the bitter heat. The man from earlier was far behind me, causing him to stumble across my body whilst in a scrapped vehicle he had apparently formed out of two wheels and an ancient engine somewhere amidst the great stretch of land.
	He looked down at me and I back at him. He shook his head in disappointment and strapped me to the back of the motorcycle using a sub-bleached piece of rope.
	Within an hour, I found myself at the town’s edge, then I was thrown forward with a sudden jerk. The crafty individual untied me from the back of his… something, and motioned towards the town. Then he took his presence to the eastmost construct, a loosely constructed building fashioned towards a cultureless society. I raised my eyebrow at the architecture, noticing how it was similar in design to the  town that I was present in, then I attempted to reconstruct the history of my planet in detail.
	I needlessly failed, but I knew that I was not in relation to any previous civilization, was I the only one who thought of these things? Did anyone else take notice of how disoriented towards our surroundings we have grown?  If there was any other culture, they must have died out years ago, though our species survived.

	These questions that newly presented themselves to me caused a slight disturbance in my attitude, I felt nervous. This was quite the rarity for me, something disgusting must have happened. A disaster so large it erased history itself, wiping out all those with the knowledge of what happened from the face of the world, but their society grew so far out that we regained their knowledge somehow.

	My train of thought was then brutally opposed by the newly present skyline that stretched further than I would care to believe, rivaling the size of my hometown in a way. Of course, up to that moment I had expected nothing but another stretch of scattered sand particles, forming a rough blanket over the horizon. Instead, I was greeted with three objects, all of which had an impressive size.
One of which was a singular construct, one that was not made by the ones currently inhabiting it. Everything else in the city lost its meaning quickly, for this construct that I saw before me was obviously a marvel to everyone, no matter how high up you were in the world. You fell before this, thing.
Its form was difficult to describe, but it was similar in shape to a triangular prism, with the topmost section cut off. Out of this base, an artificial tree formed out of a material that I assumed was compressed iron, was pointing towards the sky. The bases were illuminated with the evidence of human habitation, advertisements ranging from hat tailors employment to smithees were flowing outwards from the base. I was also confronted with a the buildings themselves, which were built off of modular bases, then they grew in a way similar to the titanium god in the center. Crushed metal and strips of illuminated glass fell from the sides of the base, and connected all the apartments together into the infusion of fate. The great identity of the whole, it was unusually consumeristic for my standards, considering the fact that I have never purchased an item in my life. In fact, I don’t believe I was ever paid for my work, I believe that my “superiors” never even supplied me with the necessary items and ideals.
This would cause me to assume that they were replicating past ideologies, such as food provided through labor and the abolition of currency. But then I was reminded that, where I lived, there was no culture at all. To think that this section of land somehow formed a society on its own, that there were those still alive, without my knowledge. How could I ignore the construction of an entire nation? Wouldn’t they send anyone, or would I be too foolish to not notice.
I then remembered the amputated vagabond who walked into my home, he had a similar facial shape to the people located in this general area, did he not? How could I possibly not notice the evidence of different societies forming?
I then wondered how long I had been waiting, surely I was only 20 years old. Maybe I never stepped outside of the nightmare in which I was located ever before, and if I did, I never went far out enough to notice anything significant. This entire planet was an apparent mystery to me. How unfortunate that I never thought to look around at my environment, truly it was my fault and my fault alone, the mistakes I had made would never be forgotten, for I had wasted all those years waiting for my en-
“⍂⍍⍉⌿⏂⏄⎍!” Stated one of the civilians who had noticed my lengthy idling.
This was followed by messages which were spurted out at an amazing pace. I was finding it rather exceptional how fast he was able to release syllables from his lips, and it was obvious that if I didn’t get out of his way he was going to harm me in one way or another, so I stepped aside.
Into yet another group of high speed vehicles, all of which seemed to be congregating to my current position.
*Gunner’s Translations: volume 1*
	“Get out of my way, you have no right to stand in front of the me like that!”
	“Listen here, if you don’t get out of my way, i’m going to ( removed due to view discretion )!”
	“I swear on my life, someone is going to die if my route gets blocked one more time.”
*End of Translations*
	They were starting to become more and more annoyed with my relatively fantastic appearance and I turned towards the only empty side of the road and broke into a frantic sprint, which was gladly, yet reluctantly received by the group of pilots.
	As I was sprinting out of the road, a bigger problem decided to present itself before me, I was completely foreign to everyone in this country, and I had begun to believe that many things had grown to be different in my permanent absence from these areas. This was also evident due to the man who was heading towards me in an irritated huff.
	He looked me up and down and his facial expression suddenly changed it was then evident that he wasn’t used to foreigners. He shook his head once and blinked twice, which was followed by a rather understandable statement.
	“I thought you had all left years ago”
	I decided to correct him and raised my hand.
	“In actuality, I just got here, though i’m sure you didn’t notice”
	“Actually, I did, your arrival had caused quite the disturbance.”
	“I wouldn’t think that my arrival would cause a disturbance of any sort. Unless you’re referring to the half dozen people I just turned livid.”
	“I’m not referring to the general public, i’m referring to myself.”
	“That statement doesn’t make any technical sense, why would you refer to yourself a-”
	“Actually, I meant a disturbance for me, I was the man you met in the desert about half a day ago. You seem to harness considerable strength. You survived an impact of such force, I had never expected anyone to arrive in such an unusual manner.”
	I took a brief recalling of the nature of my departure, then was reminded of the unimaginable pain I was feeling in the lower half of my body. Which caused the entire top half of my body to clench.
	“I wasn’t exactly expecting it either, but here I am.”
	“You appear to be here, but what relevance does that have to do with the situation?”
	“I thought you were asking where I came from.”
	“I was noticing your, and I was going to tell you to stay here, because you probably aren’t returning to where you came from for quite a while.”
	I blinked.
	“Why would you say that?”
	I already knew the answer, and the man left within a minute of him establishing the conversation. Of course a man falling from lower orbit into the middle of a desert within viewing range of another person wasn’t normal, that should have been clear to me from the start.
	Nevertheless, the man was gone, I was likely going to be unable to return to my hometown for at least a few days, if at all. My actions were of relatively low consequence and I was in more danger than I had ever been before. For there was an entire civilization ahead of me, and if I made any wrong moves, I could face some rather unpleasant circumstances. Though, I do not seem to be in any precise danger at the moment, my actions shall be carried out discreetly and with caution.
	I continued my trek down this open road, it was rather strange to be following nothing, to hope for no relief nor to fear the potential dangers that lie ahead. Maybe it would be rational to walk through these streets, to forget about the constant stress of being an example, maybe I would finally go unnoticed.

	Unfortunately, I was unnoticing towards my environment. I failed to recognize the painfully constructed buildings and the streets that grew evermore cramped. Eventually, the sky failed to shine and night finally reached me. The streets themselves seemed to grimace at the pure darkness as the nightlife set in. Traffic was still fully visible and every source of illumination glew with the intensity of the population. Nevertheless I continued walking as a sense of inescapable fear set in, for I had never been to this city before in the entirety of my existence. This terrifying ground and the dark abyss which swallowed all that entered, until we were cursed to stay here forever. Glory to the whole, for the individual identity faded into the darkness along with the value of life and the meaning of exis-
	“I’ve been walking for a while, I sorta feel bad for the person that had to press all this steel. I would guess that the benefits were terrible.”
	My recent statement took its impact on my mind, causing the stream of inner thought to be blocked off by a 12 million ton concrete dam known as the “Obligatory statement”. I then looked towards my environment and realized that I had been walking for several hours, I was also reminded of my leg. I immediately fell over to my side and saw that my ankles were inflamed due to the constant stress of walking across pavement for hours without rest on a broken leg, which caused me to notice the strange decorations on the pavement.
	I wouldn’t have noticed these markings if not for my high-speed impact with the curb, I began to notice the unique patterns formed through an advanced steel folding process, and the unique obsession this city seemed to have with strange architecture. Though it paled in comparison with the buildings which have apparently been granted sentience from my hometown, they were interesting nonetheless.
	Though, one would expect this to be in correspondence with the methods evident in ancient times. That would not be the case, for the methods have been lost entirely, and no one knows of the true art behind the establishment of such materials. No, this was done in a primitive manner. Though, I should note that I say “primitive” due to the lack of effort given, the ones who were chosen to determine the material used to construct this city are not respectable in any way shape or form. To think that one would be mad enough to create a city made out of flowing steel, impossible. How could one potentially construct something so large out of such a material, whether it is primitive or not.
	I then considered scavenging this material from the city streets, was it not useless to them anyways? Surely they saw it as nothing but a road. I would need only a little to protect myself in the future. Fortunately, I came to my senses before I took it upon myself to blast a large crater in the side of the street. Mostly due to the sudden fluctuation of cars that found themselves in close proximity to this very area. I greeted them with a slight wave of my hand, though it was to be noticed that the entire rightmost portion of my body was pressed against the ground. This was greeted with several strange expressions made by those passing by.
	Eventually, one of them stopped, then they approached me. I mirrored the past action I made, a slight wave of my hand. This time it led to a cruel reminder of my current vulnerability, a rush of electrical impulses down the rightmost side of my body, the same side that was pressed against the road. The man then dragged me to my feet, I refused to fall again.
	I was dragged into a nearby building, though I was too weak to respond. Inflammation was now becoming noticeable, much to my dismay. I was then stopped in a room, one which would become a major point of change in my life. Though I was oblivious to this in my current state.
	The man then took off the rag covering the lower half of his face, I believe there was a sandstorm just outside the cities boundaries, for his entire outfit was covered in impurified glass. I was beginning to question the nature of this room, but the man immediately noticed my concern.
	He spoke
“I’m more trustworthy than you might think, but I do not believe that we have met before. I also am led to believe that you are foreign, you would certainly be foreign if you understand this message.”
	I quickly responded
	“I am certainly foreign, I noticed that when I first arrived at this place. I am still questioning its nature. I would never expect to see so many people in such a small place. Especially since it goes on further than I would care to believe. But I am also forced to inquire as to the nature of this room you have relocated me to.”
	He nodded and after a brief recollection of the statements I had uttered, he responded.
	“I’m sure you have been cut off from the general populous for some time. I can also tell via your facial shape and ethnicity that your home country is now considered.”
	“What is it considered?”
	He paused, then took on a grim undertone.
	“I’m sorry to tell you, but the colony from you have originated is gone, destroyed. It was abandoned years ago and few remember how it looked at first. Everyone fled from those condemned lands years ago and established a community here. I apologize.”
	I looked towards him in disbelief.
	“I don’t know who told you that, but it is wrong by all accounts. Do you honestly believe that an entire city could be destroyed without any chance of it being rebuilt? I’m sorry, but I can not believe what you have told me. Not that I would in any case, for I have been living in those ,quote on qoute, condemned lands for years.”
	I faced silence, as the man took out a collection of images, incredibly dated but of decent quality. Each one had a frame taken of the lands over each passing years. With the one on the leftmost side being a crowded city similar to the one I lived in, but for the one on the rightmost side…
	Well, I could only hope that I looked at the image incorrectly, could he have damaged the film in a way? The image was similar to the visions I had seen but days before, maybe, I know what I see.
	But this was something that I could not believe, but I was reminded of my pain yet again, and my leg was permanently put to rest. This caused the man to lay me down on the platform I had noticed when I first entered the room. I was also taking in the presence of a large medical relay which stretched above me, I knew that this machine was going to do something to my leg. Not that it was a cause for concern, since my leg had recently fallen to the darkness of unresponse.
	“Now, I would recommend taking a large amount of pain-killing medicine before we continue, not that you are one to be sensitive to pain. But I believe this operation will put pain into a new light for you, which you shouldn’t have to witness. Therefore, I must be forced to take the liberty of choice from you. Since you fell outside my doorstep, and because this operation is experimental, you shalt walk away from this without spending a dime.”
	“I don’t really want to be subject to such operations, considering i’ve never had metal implants planted into my legs before. Will this have any unseen effects?”
	“Potentially, i’m not one to be certain.”

	Of course, I wasn’t exactly subject to opinions, considering I wasn’t walking again if I didn’t go through with this. So I corresponded and the metallic limbs fell down onto my ankle and began adjustments, an incision was made along my leg which was followed by constant actions. These actions could only be described as a constant whirring motion that travelled up and down the proximity of my legs, fortunately, the anesthetic quickly achieved its purpose and caused the entire bottom portion of my body to go completely numb, my vision was also affected and I quickly felt my will exit through my legs.
 I knew nothing of what happened afterwards, but I knew that I felt nothing like I did before.
My frame was the first thing to dissipate.
Before the operation I weighed around 120 pounds, but now I weighed around 80 and I was weakened for some time. My muscle mass left me, and most of the fat stored in my muscles was burned within minutes of my awakening. It was also unfortunate that this man also left, for now I had nothing to base my observations on.
A note was jammed into the door forcefully and several locks were hewn into place, with the keys scattered on the floor. I heard a crowd quickly form outside and the man who had operated on me was visible from the slits in the now fortified window. Everything was tossed together in a frenzied hurry judging by the shape of the room which I was located in before. I had begun to question the man's intentions, though I should have noticed the nanosecond he injected metal plates into my leg, if I still had a leg that is.
I focused my attention on the scene that was folding in the distant streets. The day had turned it into a polar opposite of what I had seen before, there was evidence of a struggle and a crime scene, though it was much less evident than one would expect. I saw a man walking towards the recent scenario and his eyes met mine. He stuttered for a moment, then shouted, the door I was standing behind quickly fell open as I heard the collision of a metallic rod.
We stared at each other for a second, and my new apparel caused him to go pale. I noticed he was quite short for his age, being at least a foot shorter than I.
I looked down further.
I was several feet taller than him, and the dull sensation of numbness quickly took ahold of me. My muscles were stretched and a light, unknown material was stretching underneath. My nerves were disconnected and replaced with a collection of wires which formed around my thighs. I was shirtless as well, for I had not yet taken it upon myself to get dressed. Except for the newfound paleness of my skin.
Indeed, every single aspect of my physical being was changed, from my newfound height to the sharpness of my hands. I had not yet viewed my new guise, yet I feared what I appeared as now.
Nevertheless, this man was terrified of the humanoid creature he saw in front of him. He nearly screamed, then fled towards the far end of the street, away from me.
I attempted to call after him, but I knew it was pointless, so I remarked with a slight comeback. In hopes that I would forget about this experience in the future.
“That was rather rude, though, I am not the one to judge others.”
To my relief, my voice only changed slightly, now it took on a lighter volume. To my surprise, I now spoke in a tone similar to that of a whisper. With light rasps making up the majority of my breaths, I found this unusually elegant. What is it that I had become?
I ran towards the window facing towards me, the sun provided a decent reflection and my features came into sight. It was unusual viewing the same face I had known for years with a completely different guise. The paleness was not the only noticeable change, for my features have grown sharp. My face could be described as dull before this incident, but now the skin stretched as if it were being pulled over a foreign object. An object that I already knew the identity of, you grow wise of such things when they are embedded within your lower legs.
My eyes remained normal, this was to be expected, I usually wore contacts to cover my brown eyes. I had worn these contacts for a while, fortunately, no one recognized their presence. But I felt the sheer weight of curiosity back up into my right brain. This was combined with a sudden rush of irrationalism from the carelessness of my left. I blinked and let both contacts loose.
The left contact fell out, followed by the right, I saw nothing but two black rimmed circles. Some white was seen around the edges, this was quickly swept away. After several seconds, light entered my eyes for the last time. For my eyes became two glowing spheres soon afterwards, as if they possessed the very substance that they were exposed to.
Aye, my eyes were glowing, to my disbelief of course. I knew that these changes would never leave, for the legs were artificial.
But my body was one to embrace change, was it not? How else would it take on such strange modifications and survive? I knew I would have to hide this somehow, especially since I was shirtless. I suspected that the golden rule of attire ( this rule, of course, being “No shirt-no shoes-no service” ) would still apply to one of unusual stature.
Fortunately, the terrain was torn up in the struggle, allowing for the reveal of a single strip of fabric. One large enough to cover my being. I quickly adopted this, it became obvious that it was a tarp, but one that was rinsed down with a slight rainfall and dried by the midday sun. Hopefully this would suffice for the journey I was about to embark on.

Of course, I must find something to do with myself. After all, what is there to fret over? I may have been changed, but I survived.

What did cause fret was the utter loss of information that I was soon subjected to. I quickly realized that I could not recall the way from which I entered. This caused me to settle on the unusual construct which stretched far above the skyline set forth by the apartments.
I turned from the, now silent, street corner in which I was located and I began to walk towards the skyline. I would hide my current appearance with the tarp I had recently gained and would proceed to the center.
It was time, was it not?



Time for something new.

Chapter 2 : Bloodied Eyes and Forgotten Streets

	Walking was  more annoying than I cared to remember, especially when you had shards of metal puncturing your kneecaps with every step you took. Though my past pains were long-gone and I had newfound strength. One would believe that increasing their size would lead to inescapable exhaustion, but this was different. Almost as if I had been changed from within.
	I shaked my head, realizing that questioning the obvious won’t lead to any benefits, I figured I would benefit from speaking to whoever apprehended the eccentric which had access to my humanoid flesh. I would also care to find out if his speeches had any merit, or why most of the people in this region were fluent in at least two languages. It seemed strange to me, after all, I was an entire continent away from my home.

	I eventually came to the foot of a toll, where a large collection of cars were slipped into a single file line that stretched for several miles. It was progressing at decent speed, leading me to believe that the screening was automated. In any case, this would prove difficulty, especially when ones form has been changed so drastically. Through my rough clothing would be self-explanatory of my situation, thankfully, I was not currently wearing my cloak.
	The situation would not change, regardless of whether or not I was wearing anything at all. Everyone took notice of me once I stepped within a hundred yards of the gate. I mainly gained the attention of a man in fine clothing, a light trench that tied in flawlessly with a business top. Everyone else gained notice soon afterwards, which resulted in terrified expressions and looks of intrigue up and down the line.
	I figured that I would be taken for questioning on the spot, but instead, I soon faced a plethora of policemen which took subtle nods to my current case. The line itself was broken apart automatically once the signal was given, much to the delight of the ones passing through. As for those in charge, they had realized the large amount of labor in front of them.

Regardless, I was respected by these men, they treated me as if I were a child at a funeral. They smiled at me, but with expressions of relation . I raised a single eyebrow at these individuals and their expressions suddenly changed. Almost as if they believed that I was in pain up until that very moment. I flinched, causing a shiver to move down my right arm. This was followed by the raising of a hand to my pallid face, my own of course. I ran my fingers up and down my neck and kneeled on a single knee. This caused me to be at about head height with the majority of the men.
The first one addressed me, with both formality and fear. Nevertheless, his voice remained stable throughout the majority of his greetings. Though it was the pure concept provided that shocked me.

“Hello,” he paused for a brief second, then continued “spirit”

“Spirit? I’m guessing you're not very good at addressing those with pallid tones. I’m very much alive, though, I would presume that you would have reason to place such a foolish statement.”

His original gladness turned into his generic stoicness, the gleam in his eyes fell beneath the skin and he approached me.

“Tell me, who did this to you? I am one to believe, along with the rest of my colleagues, that there is one amidst us who has taken to inhuman operations.”
A segment of writing was materialized from his unique trench, then he read the file silently to himself, after a minute had passed, he addressed me again.
	He detailed a man, roughly six feet tall, with short blonde hair and a enigmatic attitude. He claimed that this man was responsible for healing incurable ailments using questionable methods. Most of these so called “methods” involved a unique strip of machinery which grinded against fat and muscle deposits and transferred them into a salve. This salve was created from the nutrients absorbed through said deposits, once applied to a wound, it provided rapid regeneration.
	Of course, regeneration came at a hefty price. In most scenarios, the victim died of malnutrition and was stripped of flesh for the next passerby. Recycling in his eyes, heartless murder in the eyes of others. Regardless of this, those who were taken were often living with an incurable symptom, one that would inabilitate them for the rest of their existence or lead to their eventual death.
	However, if regeneration did succeed, the area healed would often be so formless that it would require being molded by a metallic slip. One that would cover the ailed limb or organ, by the time it was removed, visible scars and morphs could be evident in the skin.
	Some were terrified by what they became, others fell into a deep loathing for normality. Their height always increased, whether it would be increased by a foot or by a yard would make no difference, the end scenario was always the same. Strength was increased, almost as if they were improved beyond the psyquie they would have achieved before.
	None of this mattered to me. I did not care for such trivial properties, what mattered to me was what made me different. Why don’t I feel that striving for normality, why do my eyes reflect the bloody red that i’ve come to know?

	None of these questions would become clear to me, though, I would ask one with a more direct consequence. I would inquire as to why most of the civilians here speak two languages and why, recently, I have seen so many changes in my daily life. I would also inquire as to whether the man’s statements had any form of merit.

	He nodded and detailed the history leading up to today. It was a tale that took origins in a long-forgotten planet, I found it difficult to keep awake during the vast majority of his tale. I did not heed most of the warnings and backstory provided, nor did I take notice of their governments manifesto. Any laws stated, any official documents, all internal-documentation and the purpose of the city’s unique choice of materials fell on deaf ears. It shall be noted, however, that I did take a recording of his statements for later note.
	He didn’t read the entirety of the documents verbally, instead, he took on the guise of a narrator. A “virtual” narrator which was, in reality, a woman providing a detailed reading of the documents. This girl had unusually deep vocals, all the vowels were pronounced with a definitive clarification, reading the events as if she herself caused them. I focused on the nature of the voice itself, it bore some resemblance to a character i’ve met just weeks ago. Though it was impossible to place when.

	Eventually, it came to a halt, then the man turned away. Leading me towards the aforementioned construct, the largest one in the entirety of the vast Damascus city.

	It should be kept, for future note, the nature of the documents. Very well, I have provided a retelling of the messages underneath this note. It goes under the title All Known Forms of Documented History and the Ideal Governmental Style for a Perfect Living Environment and was written roughly six years ago by an unnamed historian (It should be noted that this historian also had a heavy obsession with change and perfection)  Though, few attempts have been made to reconstruct the story from the original language. This has lead to some concepts being mistranslated, usually leading most to believe that the six-page booklet is not nearly detailed enough for the selected audience.
	Now that I read over it, it’s much too emotional for a scientific document. To be honest, it sounds like some random guy arguing against the futility of existence. The exact opposite of what I enjoy. Anywho, it provides some valuable insight for me and hopefully for others as well.
	The document goes as follows;

All Known Forms of Documented History and the Ideal Governmental Style for a Perfect Living Environment
By: L. B. Maxwell

	It has been said, that there are several ways to discover the true nature of a human being, I had been lead to the belief that humans are flawed to the point of uselessness. Though, this has been widely accepted by those of a lower social ladder, I find it difficult to believe that we are unable to change. I have since taken the liberty of releasing information regarding changes made by humans which have taken effect on a much larger scale. In order to prove to those with doubt that us humanoids are not only capable of changing ourselves, but that we are capable of changing others with mere influence. This book itself could prove to be a proof of concept, influencing others about their beliefs regarding influence.
	To begin, I shall bring up the first documented slice of history. According to this piece, it was claimed that we have been existence for many years, but have been too struggling for too long to reclaim the fallen empires of the past.
	Now, this empire that they are referring to may have stretched across the entirety of the planet, or it could have had control over the majority of our star system, if not further. In any case, it would take us decades to get within a small percentage of its size.
We have taken notice of this civilization due to the recent discovery of several pieces of overly advanced technology several miles south of where I am currently writing this. These discoveries include, blueprints with undocumented materials, including a highly reactive substance known as “uranium”. This material provides several properties which have relation to early classes of transportation in their technological revolutions. All of which were pulled from the early uses of irradiating explosives to the applied sciences of fission generated electricity. After fission was perfected, it was visibly evident that all forms of technology accelerated at an unusually quick pace. This if followed by photo-realistic illustrations of  scientific breakthroughs and a god-like society that arose from this planet. Showing the dense planets with an undocumented population of impossible size. However, the last piece of information available at the site showed an uprising that arose from seemingly nothing that was quickly liquidated by the superiors. Then, the documents stop, any length of time could have passed from one event to the other. It should be noted, however, that some illustrations have a slight difference, some show some imagery suspected of signifying immortality. The visible protrusions hidden in ingenious ways to make them appear as nothing but natural scratches. However, it is slightly disturbing, to think that there might be some among us who have lived through the unthinkable horrors. Some who have witnessed the deaths of billions, while they watched helplessly from the sidelines, taking it upon themselves. Surely, the ones who uncovered these pieces knew better than to jump to such conclusions. Their society was capable of misleading future historians, were they not?
It seems I have wandered off the general purpose of this document, nameless legends have no place in the history of a civilization, why should one man be known more than an entire society? Of course they shouldn’t be given such attention, even if they have lived to view an entire society rise and fall. But the idea still nags at my mind, such a curse shouldn’t exist. Some things are still impossible, are they not?
Regardless of this notation, the society fell nonetheless. No deity, legend, man nor ancient save them from this fate. This society would fall, shouldn’t it also be noted that it grew too large to sustain itself? If it was not felled by any outside force, it would fall nonetheless, to live on as nothing more than a warning to us. A warning signifying the dangers of being overconfident, we could also fall at any moment, could we not? The first step to believing that we are worth more than we believe is to believe that we are also worth less than we would wish to believe.

But all that has passed, the shadow societies, the impossible nation which stretched its arms across the universe, the planets which drove those who dared to look towards it into an inescapable frenzy, no, none of that mattered. For we cannot change the past, but we cannot change the future either. We must live in the presence, for we could fall into the darkness once more, leading to us being replaced yet again. Therefore, we must stay where we currently are, view everyone as your equal. Is Death not the true enemy after all?
Death has been ravenging every society for the entirety of the time this universe has existed, this unknown monstrosity much exist, how else could its effects be so visible to us? Surely there must be one out there who had taken on the form of such a being.

Regardless of whether or not he exists, we are still going to be doomed to the same fate as our countless ancestors, for it would be greed to claim we are deserving of the life we live. For to live forever would rob the universe of its true power, the power to determine if we should live up to our full potential. The power of coincidence, of death, of passing and portrayal.



Of course, i’m going to refrain from reading the entire document to you over a short novella of my recent experiences. Though I can confirm that he does not provide a positive outlook on the universe, which should be obvious due to his degradation of the value of life and other subjects. I myself am rather annoyed by his outlandish statements, though I do find merit in his claims of “Death being the only enemy”.
Nevertheless, my thoughts were cut short by the leading hand of the officials who were failing miserably at gaining my attention. I was also viewing a rather, unpleasant, expression growing onto the faces of several members. My stance was changing slightly, carrying a more formal message, yet my expression was unmistakable. I was growing tired of this town, of these men.

“I’m sorry, but I must decline, I am growing tired of your idle banter.”
I was confused by my newfound attitude and approached the men, taking advantage of my height to shadow their expressions with an air of violence. They quickly responded, showing that they were also adapting to the scenario.
“Well, go down your own road, we won’t stop you. Just keep in mind, no matter what decisions you make, you will find yourself in the ground similar to all those who were inflicted with your condition. You also bid farewell to the only chance you had at salvation, it saddens me, truly.”

I paused, then corrected the man, much to the dismay of those watching.

“Death itself will die at my hand before I surrender my life. Do you understand who it is that you speak to? Do you have any idea what manner of tribulation I have faced in the past day alone?”

“Sir, the only tribulation I believe you have been subject to is being forced to shave your bangs to keep the sanctity of your mullet intact. Now, I would advise against threatening a team of medical scientists, regardless of the boundaries we have crossed, surely you can understand. Though I am rather annoyed by your tendencies towards violent actions, as well as your fleeting natu-”

Of course, I was currently fleeting, though with a different definition. Instead of being impulsive and short-lived as he was suggesting, I was currently turning and accelerating down the road at high velocities.
This flee was not well received, for the men who had been interrogating me in public whispered to each other in a soft tone, then agreed silently to let me leave. Though, their general expressions showed an aggressive attitude, almost as if they had left me for dead the second I disagreed with their opinions.

Nevertheless, I found myself lost in the streets with no form of comfort at my disposal, yet I remained relatively calm in this environment. As calm as one who was essentially on a nutrition based death’s row could be. I figured that I would have to keep some form of closure on hand for a future case. For I was never one to go back on a promise, especially not one so ridiculous, for I was claiming that a common man such as myself could put an end to an abstract concept permanently.

Of course the word “average” could not be reasonably applied to my current state, this state maintaining a general lack of averagiability. Which is the general algorithm applied to normality, this being Norm = Nifty Obtuse Region-based Mandatories, though most would view this as pure gibberish. It is, in fact, an overly complicated social norm developed by my one and only friend.
The algorithm itself is nifty, but it also requires the averaged body weight of those of a certain region, combining the heritage of certain countries to find their presumed body weight and visible body weight. This, combined with the facial shape of those in their youth versus those in their later years. The latter years leading towards the more “obtuse” shape.
Nifty is a given, obtuse has been explained, it is also obviously region based and this is presumed “mandatory” because only a few have deviated outside near the extremes. Not in disfigurement, nor natural weight loss, but purposeful experiments made on those who are still living.

While the two hemispheres of my mind were locked in a scientific argument, the stem itself was growing disheartened, and decided to bring an important announcement to the upper mind. That being the presence of the huge construct which materialized before us, but was growing ever more prominent over the rest of these constructs.
My unusually bony fingers quickly wrapped themselves around the gently patterned handles, and my arm drew back, allowing the culmination of humanity to make itself visible to me. This was the establishment which has been drawing my attention since the femtosecond I stepped into this poorly-formed raw hunk of damascus. Would my ambitions and hopes be satisfied and fade away into satisfaction once again?

The answer was, indubitably, “no”.

For I was greeted with a singular hallway, no different than that of an apartment complex, though with a singular irregularity. It was unusually large, being several dozen meters wider than one would expect, taking on the appearance of the highways outside. I also noticed how the doors winded into themselves. The floor was also stretching in a similar way to the pavement outside.


Of course, the obvious answer was growing out of a single inconsistency, I was standing in the middle of the road. It was now making itself obvious that the construct was much larger than I anticipated, and that the walls themselves were perfectly sloped at a forty-five degree angle.

I took a quick glance to the left and noticed that I was standing at the corner of the construct, the tunnel itself was too large to make a protrusion without appearing natural. A quick measurement gave me a sense of scale. This tunnel was several dozen times taller than I was, leading me to believe that it was at least one-hundred-twenty feet which could reach up to two-hundred-forty feet. Now the construct itself stretched for several dozen times that. It was two-hundred-forty feet to the top of the tunnel, the tunnel was so small that it was dwarfed by the corner in comparison. Everything was perfectly spaced. Allowing me to believe that the other tunnel was properly spaced on the opposite end. Given the spacing of the tunnels, there would be roughly twelve more tunnels required in order to reach the center. It would be the exact same scenario for the other tunnel as well. Two-thousand-eight-hundred-eighty feet to the other side, plus another rough twelve hundred feet. One half mile to the other end, or  ¾ of a kilometer. The tree itself was ludicrously tall, but following a generic scheme that I found unsettling. All measurements were made in multiples of twelve. The tree of human affinities was also reminiscent, the main trunk twisted high into the sky, with twelve branches a twelfth of the length of the trunk. The trunk was twelve times higher than the square base was long. This tree reached nine kilometers in height, or 5.6 miles.

Not even the tallest conceivable mountain could reach such measurements, one would also find it disturbing that they keep near perfect multiples of twelve in the design, as if they were seeking closure in such a construct. A statement to human perseverance in times of struggle, a monument to the impossible manpower of a society so large.

Of course, according to sound logic, the symbolism of such a construct would reference a door being located to my right, a good jogging distance away. Much to my annoyance, I was forced to trot down the length of an impossible construct. Taking notice of the countless signs of humanoid presence was also rather disheartening. I could prefer living tentacled masonwork over these massive proportions, though, I do have a personal hatred for such anomalies. Though, this is to be expected when one punts you into the upper atmosphere.

I was eventually brought to a halt, where I was greeted with the abnormal sight of the true entrance, reminiscent of an ancient architectural style which has existed since the very dawn of our society, if not countless others. The tree finally rooted itself in the deep city, with the day slowly slipping under the passage of time and the cover of clouds, with a moon hanging low over the tip of the tree. It aligned, to my shock, perfectly from almost every angle. The clouds themselves parted from the branches, as if they were entwined in this horrific embodiment of human efforts.
	I materialized my extravagant machine from my cloak and stretched it to full length yet again. With my hand slowly running over the spiked exhaust pipes. I felt the warmth of potential energy wrap around my arm, I flinched, then felt my bewilderment leave my being.
I had years, did I not, why must I waste them waiting for my being to dispatch itself from this plane of existence? Death should come for me eventually, but I shall face him personally before then.
	I fell unconscious under the thickening sky, wrapped in the embrace of a dull cloak made out of my very essence.
	Wait.
	Of course, one does not fall unconscious unwillingly at random intervals, I was also lacking a cloak just moments before. It soon became obvious that there was one manipulating small amounts of plasma from a small cut below my ear into the shape I saw around me. A world-splicing pistol would not wrap a beam of highly energized gas around a humanoid without a purpose, causing me to believe that this was not the case. The cloak was the main cause for suspicion, the lighting proved too inadequate to make me render color properly, my cloak could be any dark color, even clear watery plasma mixed with soil could cause that illusion.
	Cloaks were never naturally warm like this, it would also be noted that a thin layer of dirtied water was drying to my skin. A most unpleasant feeling indeed, to be wrapped in a cloak of your own plasma.
	I stood and shoved a good handful of the liquid back into the small cut, causing it to be absorbed in an unnatural fashion. The rest of the “cloak” soon followed, the feeling of shock that nearly led to my forced unconsciousness soon fell back into my mind for a later date. I felt a slight pain jab the space below my ear as I jerked my head in order to face the one responsible.
	The one responsible was evidently a girl with unusually straight hair,  it darkened near the tips fading into the shadowed nook in which she was occupying. A light jacket adorned with silver lace and knitted with white fur near the edges was hanging off her shoulders. She was shorter than me for certain, but taller than an average girl. She was malnourished from the sight, but a certain air hinted at her bearing a more sinister title than that she was bringing on, a title I would assume to be along the lines of a general name. Nevertheless, I was quick to raise both my eyebrows towards her, though I was fully justified to lead such suspicions, considering the scenario in which I was thrust into.

	“Of course,” Said I, in a tone reminiscent of slight annoyance and impatience, “many would mistake your nature, I assume?”
	A thin ankle was stretched forward abruptly, causing the loose fabric that was falling from her thighs to swish lightly in the wind. She was not special in any particular way, but the way the air stretched around her caused my unfortunate suspicions to be answered. I could also see horrific images unfold in her eyes, was this the form of one who deviated from society for centuries? If so, why did it remind me of myself in a way?
	Regardless of what I saw in her physical being, I was aggravated that she took a violent stance disguised by taking advantage of a biological function. Though, none of this could possibly compare to my  disgust towards what she represented, she made note of this and acted accordingly. Her voice flowed with an accent that was hard to place, it was one with gracious cruelty, a strange impossibility that disturbed me truly.

	“What is it that you fear, an unseen future that you chase after, a fleeting sense of purpose that you gazed upon? Why is it that you refuse the closure which I could have provided?”

	All sense of intrigue and hatred fell from my mind, soon to be replaced by an emotionless state, one that I welcomed with oblivious relief. My past expression, though I did not know of its nature, left me. I discarded my rifle,  watching the living energy fall back into their metal prisons. I showed a property that I was not known for, a property known as “tolerance” to some.
	I was growing impatient, causing my inner monologue to thrust itself outwards.

	“Who is this that appears before me, one who is the culmination of life’s end, one of the winged monstrosities that exist only to spite countless others. The very harbinger of misfortune, the horrid amalgamation of lost hopes. I have no personal hatred against you, I only feel that it is you who has brought misery upon this universe. I am disturbed by your actions, the statements that you make. Why must you address me as if I had background knowledge towards the perverted sense of gratification you were referring to? Closure means nothing to me, surely you must know this.”

	None of these statements were answered, she took no reaction to my insulting statements, carrying a more stoic expression. She blinked twice, followed with a hint of satisfaction. She rose a hand to her face, resting her chin in between her pale fingertips. She drew them towards her mouth before cupping her hands around her neck, I noticed her eyes darting up and down my figure. I would not react to this if it was a normal human that stood before me, but her eyes dug underneath my skin, into the very depths of my being. She knew me too well, though I would not expect her to know any less. I could also see that she was everything I thought she was, taking the lives of others and holding them inside herself, living longer and longer until she outlasted this entire planet. Such actions were unforgivable, her very existence was inexcusable, I would offer her no comfort or gratifaction. I would only allow her to explain herself, to offer me a decent explanation for her existence and why she was confronting me.
	She knew what my intentions were, regardless of whether I told her or not. This led to her raising a single knee and lifting herself off the ground. She kept her eyes fixated on mine for the entirety of this action. I felt the repercussions of such an action, my blood warmed by a fraction of a degree, almost as if she had willingly increased my temperature. She turned and began retreating, but before she did so, I heard her leave a warning

	“I feel as if you are hostile towards me and for good reason, so be it, I shall take the same attitude towards you. But I am one to forgive, and because of that, I shall always be weaker than you. You will chase me relentlessly for as long as you live, I will not defend myself, I will only avoid you. But every hour you seek my destruction, you risk everything, I can only guarantee my kindness for so long. So please, cease, lest you yourself fade away.”

	As she was walking, I noticed a faintly gleaming limb protrude from her back, ordained with a single red metal plate that extended around her shoulder blade before clinging to her waist. A collection of unusually dim feathers hid themselves under her cloak.
	She vanished, not in the sense one might believe, but in a different sense. I saw her body fold into itself, tearing upwards before coming to a stop and creating a triangular infusion in the space she was inhabiting. A deep cut was made into the air, with a tangent connecting all three ends. It opened what appeared to be a crevice, though I saw nothing inside.
	I decided to look behind said crevice, noticing a tunnel that inched itself slowly towards the ground, threading lines which took on material form. It refracted light in such a way that I could not see the inside, as if I was looking into a mirror which led to an entirely different location. As if I was looking through a tunnel of immense length made out of solid glass. But what did I see at the end?

	Still, I saw nothing, except for a singular braid of black hair slowly making its way downwards into the depths of our planet. Before an immensely bright flash caught my eye, then all was silent, except for the burned incision made in the earth below me. A singular crystal was returning to the crevice, pushing aside the ground, making way for the surrounding air to be pulled in.
	I then recalled the things she murmured as she fell, for they were rising out of the ground where I stood. Out of the painted incisions she had left behind.

	“The tunnels of the world have since collapsed, but I remember them all, the many roads of our universe intertwine into an amassed web of conglomerated works. All our achievements are done to make a way, whether it is for yourself or others. I have done nothing outside of what I am permitted, I walk down the paths made for me, will you not walk down the paths made for you?”

	I took a moment to respect her message, thinking of the meanings behind her statements. After compiling myself from that encounter, I made myself a silent promise and slowly the words drifted out of my mouth into the air. Performed by embracing a nearby tree and holding my hands to my eyes, accompanied with the actual whisper of course.

	“Be that as it may, I am unlike the rest of humanity, though you claim that you are but a simplistic harbinger, I am one to argue such an outlandish statement. Whatever form you choose, whatever path you stride, I am following your every action. I will never cease my pursuit, you have taken more than what you have restored. By my hand, those whom are still alive shall reclaim that which has been lost and you will fade into nothingness once again.” I paused, briefly. “This is my final warning, if I am even suspicious of your presence again, I will surrender my own will for the greater good. If this happens, not a single scrap of your being, physical or otherwise, shall remain.”
	I felt myself grow weaker as I stood by the tree in this unusually serene hill, a dull pain slowly rose upwards from my stomach leading to my throat. I felt the need to provide an adequate explanation for my statement, but I was had already collapsed by then. Then a sharp pain arose from my throat.
	I had already forgotten of how she took some strange form of joy in caressing the warm biological fluid which she drained via a small laceration on the leftmost side of my neck. It was truly disgusting, to see such a being handle my physical form, and surely one that I take displeasure in the very thought of. To have such an action result in future repercussions would be too horrible to think of.
	Regardless of my opinions, the newly-formed orifice was now extending a tentacle formed out of yellowish sludge intermingled with crimson dots, It was frightening to behold, but nonetheless, a large amount of bloodied plasma was stretching from my neck. The effects were evident, of course, but I still couldn’t help but wonder why it had solidified into a tangible object moving separately from me.
	I repeated the steps I took last time, guiding the sludge back inside of me with my hand, then I allowed myself a few seconds of rest underneath the tree.
	I knew this would become problematic in the future, but I felt some comfort through knowing that I had enough time on my hands to rest, for rest would become a great rarity in the future. Knowing that my body could only take so much strain before I became incapacitated due to overstress. Of course, it would be better to focus on the present for the time being.
	So, seeing the current freedom that I possessed, I decided to inspect the injury, noting the unusual marking making itself visible on my skin. It took on a luminosity similar to the thin coating that covered the frontward facing section of my eyes. However, I soon noticed that the cut had opened, with blood slowly seeping from the wound, but the coloring was off. While it remained a dark crimson while it exited the wound, it soon shifted into the individual components. A red and yellowish white film clung to the surface, while the inside was formed out of a mustardy substance which appeared to be formed out of tainted water.
	Many people would be confused in the sight of such a substance, but to those with a keen eye, it would become obvious to them that their blood was not mixing correctly. Through this would not be problematic for a while, it would still be a cause of concern for one reason, infections would be harder to avoid and oxygen would be transferred in clusters.

	However, there would be one aspect to this that could comfort me, the constant movement caused by circulation would help me avoid this for a while, that is, if it stops acting with some sense of parasitic sentience. I do find it rather strange, however, that it falls back inside of me whenever I show evidence of displeasure or annoyance, maybe it wasn’t parasitic as I had originally assumed.
	It was my blood, after all, was it not? Who is it to say that change is always meant for the worst, is my motivation not centered around this very thought?

	I was starting to become greatly annoyed with myself, mainly for my constant stream of consciousness plaguing my every action and providing me with the awareness required for survival for the upcoming struggles.
	I was also questioning the nature of said struggles, wondering if there were any who truly despised me, the one who hates me most has a rather decent opinion of me. Strangers have been chivalrous to me, to unusual lengths as well, considering there were some who stood at my side in conflict. I have been guided and accompanied for the majority of my venture and to be completely honest, I have found it exceptionally annoying.
	It was at this moment of self reflection that I was discovered by some passerby, mainly due to my contacts failing to mask the luminosity of my eyes. They were visible from quite a distance and disturbed this unnamed individual.
	This man was progressing upwards on the cement sidewalk in which I was resting, until he arose over the hill and saw an unusually tall figure with two illuminated facial orifices. This immediately triggered a flight response causing him to release a hearty scream and duck into a nearby bush. In response I simply turned my head towards him and brushed off my lower legs, which were covered by a pair of pants I had scavenged outside of the household that I emerged from. My cloak was gone for obvious reason outlining the unusual shape of my figure, much to the dismay of the man.

	It didn’t help that I was currently locked in thought, quietly observing the man and thinking of a way to advance towards him without causing him to report being assaulted by a cryptid in a neighborhood commons. My mindless ( or rather, mindful ) stare lead to a moment of shock as I slowly corrected my posture. I began a stride downwards towards the wall of conglomerated steel communes, making a slight nod towards the man as he cowered in the bush that he took temporary residence in. I gave him the most natural expression possible, a look of visible confusion that finally gained a response from the man.
	The man uttered off a formal apology and showed some sign of appreciation to my gesture.
	“Pardon me, i’m not one to possess a strong stomach, nor am I the bravest man around. To be frank, i’m not the one to wander through a commons in the night. I hope you will forgive my unusually rude attitude, it was exceptionally impolite of me to display fear towards a gentleman almost as fine mannered as myself. You don’t have to say anything in response, but thank you for supplying me with at least some form of confirmation towards your nature, even if it was just a head motion”
	I nodded again, then followed with a similar inquiry. Though, I still kept a similar level of verbosity in order to openly express myself to this young gent’.
“Your response was understandable, my appearance often causes confusion in those surrounding me, i’m a self-trained marksman from the western continent. I’m not particularly named, due to me being forgetful of trivial information such as self-identity, though you can call me Gunner if you wish. Tell me, what brings you to this area of land at such an unusual hour?”
	He responded immediately, showing a sense of gratification and some evidence of repercussions from his recent shock.
	“You see, I was recently evicted from my home, so I was forced to search for another temporary residence. Of course, it was done at an exceptionally inconvenient hour and I was thrown into a situation that did not look favorably upon me. I have also lost the majority of my possessions through the recent scenario. So I am currently rendered homeless due to this, along with lacking a thickly lined layer of wearable fabric-based insulation.”
	I rose my arm at a sixty degree angle and bent my elbow to rest my hand behind my head. My other hand was currently placed on a loose strand of dark hair, I slowly wrapped the hair around  my finger and observed the newly revealed loose ends. I quickly returned my attention to the man, showing my interest in his needs.
	“Why, exactly,