Goob

@Mage I yelp at the sight of the Inventor's melting body. "No thanks!" I say, beginning to blink rapidly, desperately trying to wake. Nothing. I start to scramble backwards, away from the thing- If ai couldn't wake up, I would just have to run until I do! But where would I run? There was nowhere to hide and I don't think my stamina would outlast whatever this Lovecraftian being is. Then I remember. The meadow guy! I run over to the fold and begin to bang on the metaphysical 'door'.

"Fine. But first you must return the stolen goods and make an oath you won't work towards your plan until we can come to an agreement. Oh and an apology to the scholars would be in order as well."

Kyt sighs, but behind that sigh was a sea of anger. Odium was a deity of hate and destruction and had caused nothing but that since he arrived to Roshar. "I feel like we should discuss this in a more appropriate setting. Maybe not standing at the heart of the Tower holding stolen scholarly instruments, yes? And maybe with someone more qualified than me and Idir here."

"Wait wait wait wait. I apologize for my sudden outburst. I am just... curious why you are so steadfast on the freeing of the Unmade. They have just caused... a lot of pain for some people, is what I'm trying to say."

"The Unmade," Kyt says, anger creeping back into his voice, "Are ancient forces of chaos and destruction. I struggle to see how their freeing will improve anything."

Alright, enough was enough. I reach out using my dream powers to... I don't know make this guy less creepy and existential? I mean, this still was just a figment, right? But nothing happened. I tried again, closing my eyes and concentrating. But still, nothing. I open my eyes and step back, looking back around at the land of Nothing. Was this some sort of nightmare, luring me in with promises of lucidity before descending into fear in a couple moments? Was this some sort of fever dream? The first question that appeared in my mind when I first arrived showed up in my head again. Was I dead? No, no no no. I wasn't coming to that conclusion, especially when there were other explainations. I turned back to... the person. I wasn't quite comfortable calling him God so I decided to keep calling him the name I made up for them. "Inventor! If this isn't a dream, where is it?!"

Okay, this was getting creepy. "I... Uh... I mean... this might not be a dream? I sure hope it is because it would destroy my worldview if it wasn't. Uh... who knows, this might be YOUR dream, ha ha." Desperate to change the subject, I ask, "So... what's your name?"

Was my semester long philosophy class from my junior year coming back to haunt me or something? "Well, it's not my subconscious. It's my conscious- me- recognizing that this is ridiculous and therefore not real."

"Well, uh..." I pause to consider telling this person this was a dream. Eh, why not. "Well this place is a dream, and you're a part of my subconscious. I mean, what else could it be? Look around."

"What?" I try and think through the phrase but it just doesn't make sense in my head. "Could you clarify? Do you mean like... Opinion-wise? Why we see the world how we do?" Something felt off. People in dreams never talked like this.

"Uh, are you okay?" I say, grabbing and biting into a perfectly normal tasting cookie.

Kyt raise an eyebrow. "Oh? And how does releasing the Thrill keep things in balance?"

@Mage The Inventor looked mildly displeased so I decide change the subject. "So, anyways, so you know what that guy that went into that meadow-place was doing? I mean, he just-" I turn and there's suddenly a fourth person there. "Oh, ah, hello!"

"If you say so. If you feel up to it, could you 'invent' some sugar cookies? They're my favorite." I think I'll call this strange person the Inventor. Seems fitting.

"I know what a cookie is!" I laugh. "But you can't invent something that already exists."

This was already getting rather weird, but I decided to humor the dream. "What do you mean you 'invented' cookies?"

I awaken. Well, that's what it feels like. It takes me a couple moments to realize I'm not in my bed at home, and a couple more to realize I'm standing up. What? I think. My head darts around, trying to figure out where I was. There was just... nothing. Well that wasn't entirely true, as there was a ground to stand on and gravity to pull me down. But the sky... I couldn't tell if it was the sky or just the ceiling. Either choice just felt wrong, somehow. A streak of panic shot through my chest. Where was I? Was I dead? I didn't want to be dead! I glanced down. I was wearing a plain shirt and shorts but was barefoot. Strangely, the ground below me felt like... Tiles? Kitchen tiles? Why was the afterlife tiled? Additionally, the tiles were pulsating and a faint purple. Nearly immediately I relaxed. This was just a dream! Even better, it was a lucid one. I had had a couple lucid dreams before, though this one felt rather more lucid-y than my previous ones. I closed my eyes and focused on my hand, doing the exercise I did the other few times I had managed to lucid dream. It seemed a little harder but then, without a sound, a spoon appeared in my hand. I admired it for a moment, smacking the back of the round side against my other palm before pocketing it. (had that pocket been there before?) Anyways, at the moment this dream was rather bland. I decided to get some people to talk to, and when I turn around, there they are- a trio of assumedly people, though I couldn't describe them. They were fuzzy, like how dreams felt when you begin to wake up. "Hello!"

Welcome to LIMBO. Where everyone, collectively, is God. Welcome! Welcome! Here we are, in LIMBO. As you can see at the moment, there is quite literally nothing here. Nothing at all. This "place" lacks the inherent properties of the world you know- both space and time are completely lacking. For all intents and purposes, this place does not exist. Here, let me explain. You likely know of the multiverse- the never ending prism of a thousand different stories, possibilities, peoples, and existences that make up Everything. It's quite beautiful, reality. You should go see it some time. But that's a story for another day- what you need to know is that this place, LIMBO, is where every universe- every single one of the infinite possibilities that makes up the Everything- intersects. Each touch and mingle here- you can think of it as point 0,0 of the multiverse, each universe spreading outward as one of the infinite spokes of the Wheel of All. You might guess that a intersection such as that would be a chaotic combination of them all- an massive mess of ideas, matter, and just... stuff, strewn about everywhere. You would be wrong, however, as in an infinite multiverse where everything that can happen, will happen, everything just... cancels out. Every universe that would've added something to this nothing destructively interferes with another, perfectly opposite universe. It's strange- all of everything combined is just... nothing. Until you, of course! Now, you might be wondering how we are speaking in a non-place, but the nice thing about non-places is that they have no rules, including rules about partially existing in non-existence. There's also no rules forbidding self-contradicting logic! You see, when there's true, absolute Nothing, there's only one stray variable remaining. You! And any other consciousnesses currently in LIMBO, of course. I'm not entirely sure how you're here (Or heck, how I'M here, or even know all of this,) but YOU- your wants, needs, expectations, emotions, personality, hopes, dreams, and everything else that makes up you is the one and only thing that effects the land around you. For example, once you enter into LIMBO, firstly you'll begin to exist. Well, obviously, but that's more special than you think- you cannot imagine not existing, so LIMBO makes you. (Actually, maybe that's how you ended up here?) Then, you become you. Your past materializes in your brain. After all, without your past, You would be nothing. You believe you came from somewhere- assumedly from one of the universes, and whether or not that's true doesn't matter. Thirdly, assuming you had one in your maybe-real maybe-fabricated past, you would probably make a body, as you cannot picture yourself without your physical form Anyways, you get the picture. It's all rather... existential, isn't it? Well, at least you won't be alone! Lots and lots of other people will be there too, all of their consciousnesses effecting LIMBO as well. Eventually, perhaps, it'll end up making a modicum of sense! Also you won't remember this conversation and you'll be immortal. Have a nice existence!

"Very well. If that is what is required for peace- I will aid you in whatever way I can to convince them. However, this will be under one condition. Just two simple questions. One, why bondsmiths specifically? Are they simply too powerful for your tastes? And secondly," Kyt says, eyes darkening, "What does Odium have to do with this? You mentioned him earlier, and I cannot help but wonder why he is relevant to your cause."

"I'll help," I offer, and I begin to look around the library as well for books on worldhopping. 20 minutes later, I exasperatedly sigh. "We should just ask the librarian. This place is WAY too large."

Grace just sighs and looks mildly embarrassed as she watches the scene unfold. @Knight of Iron

"You are generalizing the actions of individuals on the actions of entirely seperate people. I am absolutely, 100% confident that our bondsmiths will be able to restrain themselves until death. And I promise that when they die, we will not permit the creation of more bondsmiths."