Chapter 23: Dark Future and Preparation
This is a gorilla’s vision of a dark future.
Reality was shattering under the influence of one being.
Across all space and time, a rift opened wherever there was civilization. Mortals shuddered underneath the oppressive aura of this alien, tentacled creature, while constellations didn’t know what to make of the situation, which was unprecedented in all of history.
The tentacled creature seemed to eclipse worlds with its very size, staring down at planets like a child watching ants through a magnifying glass.
[[Tell me. Where is the silver one?]]
A voice in twisted, unspeakable tongues, somehow understandable to everyone, assaulted billions upon billions with this alien language as it ravaged their minds. Some lost consciousness from the first word. The more unlucky ones died immediately, while some were rendered incontinent, shitting and pissing themselves on the spot as they felt their bodies ache in indescribable pain.
One lucky man found relief from his severe constipation and thanked the grotesque creature.
Entire worlds from different dimensions found their attention pinned on one being—somehow everywhere at once, searching for something. Or perhaps, someone.
“S-Sir Gorilla. W-What is that thing?”
“O-Oog.”
Ramube, standing beside Esphera in her world as they watched the gigantic creature, wasn’t sure either. Though he was among the youngest of constellations, Ramube was also among the wisest and most intelligent, having adapted to modernity more than any constellation before him. Yet even this… thing… eluded him. Whatever it was, it was certainly not good.
Animals aren’t idiots. No, really, they’re not.
They’re challengers in a planet-scale competition of natural selection, doing their best to survive. Many of them have honed instincts that keep them alive, allowing the species to persist for generations. Except, maybe hamsters. For some reason, they’ll die to practically anything.
Many animals can feel when they’re outclassed and know when to back out from a fight—and in this very moment, Ramube felt it. This creature… it was most certainly immensely powerful, perhaps even more so than any constellation he had ever seen before.
A pink-haired woman standing alongside the two opened her mouth, her usually emotionless voice now filled with dread.
“... The Father of Ages Past has told me that the Age of Constellations will come to an end this day.”
Vrrrt. Ding.
Vrrrt. Vrrrt. Ding. Ding.
Vrrrt. Vrrrt. Vrrrt. Vrrrt. Vrrrt. Vrrrt. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
Ramube felt the pocket in his custom-made gorilla ahegao jacket vibrate furiously, growing warmer by the second. It was his phone, which was working overtime, despite being locked.
Notifications arrived in droves, all coming from Chaos as the Constellation Community Server descended into complete… chaos. Though he was still in complete and utter shock, in his absentmindedness, he took out his phone.
The general chat was a complete mess as constellations scrambled in panic.
Boulder_Masochist:
By the gods… What is that thing?
NoNewGame+:
Do not ask us, Sissy. We do not know either.
PantheonST0RMDaddy:
Thanatos, did you just call him Sissy?
GuessI’mAWorldTravelerNow#2:
KRAKEN! THE KRAKEN IS REAL! OH GODS!
TurtleBoatGoesBinted:
I shall unleash the full might of my Turtle Fleet upon the Sea of Stars! Not a single tentacle shall sully the shores of my people!
BOW8MAN:
Hm. My warriors and I shall join you. This creature shall taste death by my arrow.
2-BalledAngelos:
My directive is the continued existence of mankind, at any means necessary. Issuing a request for cooperation with all constellations in the protection of mankind.
Potheadthotslayer:
I alone will suffice. Let me solo it.
Constellations were gearing up to fight this planet-sized threat. But by a beat ahead, the mortals of their respective worlds took action to combat the beast. Before long, a war had started across all dimensions.
“For the preservation of mankind, I order that all the nukes be fired at that monster at once!”
“Faceless Stalker Redlight! (Star! Cannon! Are you sexy? ♫♫♫ Nice ass!) Transform! (The Gigabeam Lancer!)”
“FPS settings at max frames. Neuron activation, iodine levels normal. Windoors update, denied. Nuclear reactor, online. Power flow is unstable, but this is fine. Systems are green. This is Sparkle Yamano. Eternity Zunnam, Unit NTR-X10E. Launching!”
“A giant monster? Let’s have a fair fight! I’ll go first! See if you can take this! O…ra…o…ra…HAAAAAAA!”
A countless number of mortals across dimensions attacked the giant creature all at once.
The invader’s sudden appearance damaged reality, causing dimensions to overlap like a strange video game glitch, allowing those in one dimension to see the combat efforts of people desperately fighting in another dimension.
Some commanded spaceship fleets, leading armies into space. Some flew up to space themselves and attacked directly. Others sent their attacks forward from the surface of their planet. And there was one young man mad with power who could read the names of others just by looking at them and cursed people to death by inscribing their names on an ancient stone tablet. Unfortunately, he was dyslexic, so his attempt at slaying the creature went nowhere.
It was a battle of unparalleled scale. After the initial attack, the constellations followed, joined by their contractors.
[This is Two-Balls Archangel. I have gathered all my mass-produced armored sub-units and will lead the charge. Requesting support fire for the engagement.]
[Two-Balls… I hear that you are an “AI,” yes? And these “sub-units” of yours are… “mechs?” I trust that they will last on the frontlines. My ships will provide you with support fire. As will War God of Eight Banners and his bow-wielding samurai.]
[Two-Balls. I request that I lead the charge first. Let me solo it.]
[Request denied. Your loincloth-wearing self, equipped with your two katanas, is insufficient. Commencing attack.]
Two-Balls sent forth an army of mass-produced bipedal machines armed to the teeth from a space station it summoned. The pot-wearing constellation followed shortly after, joined by an absurdly tall crimson-haired goddess with a long blade, prompting Indomitable Admiral of the Thirteen and War God of Eight Banners to begin providing their support fire. This marked the start of the second wave of attacks, led by constellations and their contractors.
A hail of attacks coming from innumerable sources rained down upon the tentacled creature and yet…
“I-It’s not working! Our attacks aren’t hurting it!”
[Punch it harder! Give it all you’ve got!]
[Ammunition has been exhausted. Returning unit to base.]
“Not even a scratch? Impossible!”
All their efforts were for naught.
[[I will ask this of you all once again. Where is that thieving silver one?]]
The voice penetrated everyone’s minds once again, causing chaos on the frontlines. Spaceships exploded. Mechs crashed into one another. Even constellations at the scene were forced onto their knees, unable to bear the voice at closer proximity.
[[Enough of your games.]]
Then, suddenly, one of the tentacles moved, swiping across space and… erasing everything in its path. It was as if space itself was carved open by a light swing of its limb, erasing both mortal and immortal alike. Both material and immaterial things returned to the void at the creature’s touch.
[Error. Error. Sustained heavy damage.]
[T-Two-Balls… You’re still alive?]
[Sustained heavy damage. Continued operational status limited.]
[I see… I suppose I couldn’t have soloed it after all. This being is much too strong to solo.]
[Inquiry: Your crimson-haired rival is missing. Did she survive the attack?]
[... No. She’s gone. Like the rest of them.]
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEE!
An indescribable sound suddenly assaulted everyone all at once. Ramube, who was observing the battle from the surface of Esphera’s world, suddenly fell limp on the ground, unable to move. Esphera too was paralyzed from the head down, lying on a bed of grass in the open. The pink-haired woman fell completely unconscious.
Ramube forced his eyes to look up at the creature far above.
A giant eye was starting to emerge from its flesh—staring down right at them.
[[There you are.]]
“Sir Gorilla!”
“OOG!”
The reality-bending entity launched one of its tentacles down onto Esphera’s world, clearly aiming for the platinum-haired goddess. Ramube, desperate, forced out all the strength he could muster and threw his body on top of Esphera in a last-ditch effort to protect her.
And just like that… everything went dark.
Ramube recounted his dark vision to me. Or at least, he tried to.
“Oog.”
… One lucky man found relief from his severe constipation and thanked the grotesque creature. (Character limit reached!)
“Sir Gorilla, I think your Gorilla Speech-to-Text thing reached its character limit at a strange place. You will probably need to explain the whole story piece by piece.”
“Oog.”
Ramube gave me a thumbs-up.
After giving us a rundown of the vision he witnessed, Ramube proceeded to explain that it was vital for constellations to find a means to grow stronger than they are now to survive the dark future to come. He also added that he saw potential in my mentoring Esphera, seeing it as an opportunity to do exactly that with other newborn constellations, as their growth could still be vastly improved.
Ramube also remarked that, while this current plan was one specifically for newborn constellations, he hopes to find a way to also strengthen the older constellations.
“Strengthening older constellations? That would be difficult, wouldn’t it? Considering that many of the gods and goddesses have their faith and growth already stagnated with the changing times, they… No, perhaps we can figure something out after all?”
While I’m not certain about how we can manage to strengthen constellations ascended from mortality, for gods and goddesses in general, perhaps there is something we can do about that. After all, the development of their religions and myths has only stalled in their own respective worlds.
In that case, what if we bring their divine presence to other worlds?...
“I might need to discuss this with the Ringed Star Mother later. And…”
My gaze floated towards the beautiful chest-blessed beauty sitting beside the gorilla on a couch, who was savoring the taste of a matcha shake. Cute girls enjoying themselves is always a pleasure to see. Maybe I could bring Esphera here one day.
Pinch.
“AH!”
“Oog?”
“Hm?”
I glared at Ori, who was sitting beside me, giving me the stink eye.
“I-It’s nothing, sir Gorilla. Perhaps we’ll discuss that second matter another time. Let us discuss the matter of mentorship first.”
“Oog.”
Ramube gave me another thumbs-up.
With that discussion over, it was time for me to get better acquainted with this green goddess enjoying her matcha shake. I try to put on my friendliest, gentlest smile and raise myself from my seat to perform an exaggerated bow.
“I believe I have yet to properly introduce myself to you, Green Earth Mother. You may already know this, but I am Utopic World Builder—the Ringed Star Mother’s mentor. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Yes! I find it a pleasure to meet you, too, Utopic World Builder, sir!”
The first order of action now was to learn as much as I could about my student-to-be. As her mentor, I’ll have to guide her through her journey as a newborn constellation, but not every constellation’s journey is the same.
I was only able to guide Esphera because the process wasn’t as difficult as I had feared. After all, Esphera’s followers were human, even if they were originally furries polymorphed by a goddess who seemed eager to mimic me.
What happens then if the goddess I have to teach has followers who are not human? That’d be a different problem entirely that would require different solutions.
“So, Green Earth Mother. Tell me about yourself. Seeing as we will be working together for a long time, I would like to learn all about you, as your mentor.”
“Oh, of course, sir Utopic World Builder. I will tell you as much about myself as you would like!”
YVELL’S USEFUL DATA SHEET
Constellation Name: Green Earth Mother (True Name: Unknown)
Constellation Classification: Primal Creation Goddess of Nature
Appearance: Pale-skinned, big booba erofu wearing a druidic-themed dress.
True Body: Giant ass tree on a hill. Possibly a World-Tree-like figure?
Followers: Tree Ents (Magically-mutated, barely sentient trees)
Likes: Matcha Shake, Animal Shit (Fertilizer)
Dislikes: Woodpeckers
Fuck. We’re already off to a rough start.
Seriously? Trees? Are you really telling me that your followers are fucking trees? Not elves, or something?
At least, if your followers were elves, then we could figure out a way to push their civilization forward. They’re a lot more similar to humans, after all, so developing elven civilizations would have had many similar processes too. But trees? Fucking trees? Where am I supposed to go with that? Even Ori’s fucking stunned.
“E-Excuse me, miss goddess…”
“Yes, human? Might you have a question for me?”
“That is correct. Um. How did… How did you get trees to become your followers?”
“Ah. That would be putting the cart before the horse, human. I did not convert those trees into my followers. I simply became their goddess by their own conception. I owe my existence to their creative minds.”
Creative minds. Right.
You said that they couldn’t even figure out how you made them, didn’t you? That they just figured that you did, and didn’t think much past that? God, this is a mess already.
I don’t think there is much you could do with trees at all. They’re just fucking trees, after all. What are they gonna do? They can’t build shit with branches. They can’t even move out of the soil they grew out of. Even if you try to manipulate their perception of things to gain more faith somehow, their numbers aren’t going to grow rapidly because they’re fucking trees.
Growing faith points out of these things is like connecting to a WcDonnie’s WiFi on Earth from Mars. The process is likely unimaginably slow and immeasurably inefficient. Just how am I going to salvage this?... Wait.
“Green Earth Mother, you said that to obtain this… elven form, you had a wooden doll emerge from your main body to deceive the tree ents into thinking this was another shape you could take on?”
“That would be correct.”
“Hm…”
Maybe we don’t have to work with dumbass trees after all. How about we make a new demographic of followers instead?
It’s been a while since I’ve worked with elves. The last time was with Ysdrafell, in Dark Worlds.
Guess I’ll be creating elves yet again. Though this time, it’s for real.
