Goob

"We better hurry as well, before Jasnah sends a small army after me. Unfortunately, we have to walk all the way back up."

"Do we have to start with people? I feel like we still have a ways to go. I mean, look up- there's no sky, no sun, no stars. Look down- there's no ground. I don't know what I'm standing on, but it certainly isn't dirt. And, who says we can't get a little creative?"

"WAIT!" I yell before the Meditator can finish his countdown. "When you say humans, do you mean like actual homo sapiens or like humanoids or just intelligent life?" Why was I getting stressed? I was a god now, I didn't have anything to stress about!

"I know what you meant by that," I saw as I grab a gyoza off the first table. "But I'm just a person. I'm not really informed on what I'm supposed to do as a god now."

"That sounds good. Though I'm not sure on the... 'cosmic stuff.'" "Here, I can make the food." I close my eyes, focus... and once I open my eyes, there's three tables worth of food, including pizza, chicken, turkey, soup- it looks like a generic feast like you would see in a movie or tv show, though the last table is entirely filled with deserts like pastries, candies, cakes and pies.

"Usually just put a bunch of people together and some food and it's a party."

"They probably aren't, thankfully. I'm more fearful with what they plan to do with them. Anyways, we still need to get you to the Dustbringers."

"Even so, you're still eavesdropping. Ears off, okay? And no, can we not party right now? I feel like we have some more pressing matters to attend to."

"What a cremlicker." Kyt says once Nak is far out of earshot. He turns to Idir. "Here's an important lesson, Idir. People like that? People who claim to seek balance and harmony between good and evil forces? They're all liars. Every single one of them. They claim to seek compromise, but they'll keep demanding concessions to their side until the only 'compromise' they'll accept is one where they sit above all others. Understand?"

"Hey! No reading minds."

What is the connection between all these people? Is there any connection? I wonder. There was a monk, eldritch beings, and now this reveler?

*Sighs dreamily* "People, can we party later? I mean, it sounds fun, but could we maybe, uh, don't know at least make a house first or something? So we aren't just in nothing?"

"We could just agree where it starts and ends. Or we could make a fence or something."

"Fine. You can have your paradise over that way," I say, gesturing in one direction, "and I can have my paradise over that way." Gesturing in the opposite direction. "Welcome to the party."

"We could make a paradise." The more I think about the actual situation I'm in, the more I like about it. A permanent lucid dream? Where you could do anything you want?

Why was I debating this with a disembodied ghost-voice from another universe. How had my life gone downhill so quickly. "But it does exist. There just isn't anything here except us. Here, try to catch this." I pull out the spoon from my pocket and underhand throw it in the general direction of the Inventor's voice.

"Er, okay... But a body could still be useful. I don't know if your world had objects but this one does, and a body is helpful when manipulating stuff. You don't even have to place your consciousness in it, if you don't want to. You can just use it as a puppet, Inventor." I decide to ignore the Philosopher for now. This entire experience already gave me a headache.

Oh another person! This one seemed normal from their voice, though it was coming from behind me. I turn to greet the newcomer and at the sight of the thing I sharply inhale. "Ah, hello. It's nice to meet you. Though I think I'll let someone else give you a new name." I turn back, and then there's another new person. Where were they coming from? "Do you see the universe at the moment? It's empty. You can't balance anything if there's nothing on the scales."

"Yeah. Also you being a disembodied voice is... a little weird? Like I would like to know where to look when I'm speaking with you."

"Thanks, I guess. This might be a bit much to ask of you, but could you maybe not melt next time? It was rather unnerving."

I peak my head out the door. The Inventor is... speaking? But not really. It felt like language of some kind, but... not. I couldn't understand it, that's for sure. Remember, me. I think. I can... wait. Me? That felt weird. Something's... missing. I try and remember what I've forgotten, but it's no use. I shrug, thinking it's probably not important and continue my previous train of thought. Even if this isn't a dream, you can still create things, like that spoon. I'll just... make a translator! So I concentrate, and in a moment there's a small electronic device attached to my head, sort of like a headset, but somehow attached to my cheek. I continue to listen to the Inventor and realize that I can now understand them!

"Well, I initially thought this was a lucid dream where I had infinite power- after all, it was all in my mind. Maybe that isn't very far off?" This was like a strange collaborative project, except the project was... everything? And we had to live in it? That could be... fun. Yeah, that's what I would call it. Fun.

"W-what?" I was getting more confused at the moment. Maybe this wasn't a dream... For now I decided to assume the worst. If I woke up suddenly, all was well. But if this wasn't a dream... well, I'd despair over that later. "Can I stay here, for now? The Inventor melted, and I think he wanted me to melt as well." I decided to call this one the Meditator, as he seemed rather... monklike.