Planet of the Evil Ones

Chapter 1: Derleth

As Areex's eyes adjusted to the dim light of wherever they were, their mind thought back to the last thing it could remember. Fire - covering their entire body. Of course, their pink carapace was somewhat fireproof. But every neuron in their body felt like it was on fire. Areex then looked around where they were. Initially, Areex could feel sand on their face and thought they were in the Crystalline Plane - the heaven of Areex's people. But it definitely wasn't heaven.

A blood-red sky surrounded the area. No sun hung in it - just a massive blood red moon. Black sand stretched on for miles. The only sign of habitation were the pyramids - made of a dark red stone, they dotted the landscape. Areex's compound eyes were extremely powerful. Even still, the landscape looked dim. Almost as though it was in the shadow of something immense.

Areex looked up to try to find what was casting this shadow. They could see nothing. They stopped after a few seconds after they could see a bright light in the corner of their eyes.

Shimmering right next to Areex was a brilliant light. It had - quite impossibly - the melancholy look of being purely gray. It was still extremely bright but had an unnaturally gray pallor. Perched in its center was a being dressed in pure-gray robes. Their hair - which was brown instead of gray - poofed off of their head in what looked to be an explosion. Bulging, crazed-looking eyes were set in a slightly-lined face. Areex had the impression that this being's mouth was filled with large, sharp teeth. The figure definitely had a carnivorous gaze. But there was something else about the figure - something genial. Something of a friendly uncle. Something human.

The figure then coughed. "To many beings in the universes across all of existence, I am known as a god. Duroc, Laphra-Ketep, Ph'onn, not Odin. He is a despicable man. Angry. All the time."

Areex cocked their head at this. The figure - this "Duroc" figure - noticed this.

"But - to those who know what I am- and very few do - I am known simply as the Creator. A fitting name."

"So... you are God?". Areex was not a religious being. Their race had a small religion and, as a young larval-form, Areex had visited an old teacher of this god - Rehm-Duht. The teacher (Areex vaguely remembered their name was Dhrepp) had lectured Areex on the specifics of worship of Rehm-Duht. Areex only really vaguely remembered it. Their atheism was compounded by the fact that Areex had encountered several beings claiming to be God - the psychotic Reach, the cruel Dorcha Aon, two Worldbuilder children, and the extremely mysterious being known only as "Unity" were a few. They had also heard stories about the extremely disturbing being that Lobotius had called Eyea - thankfully lost to the depths of a mysterious dimension that Lobotius had called the "Plank Maze". All in all, Areex didn't really believe in a god. But this Creator came pretty close. Areex also vaguely remembered Poseidon saying something about this Creator before their madcap chase throughout the universe for some pieces of a device with a really hard to remember name. Neach something.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. I was the very first being to form. Second if you count the darkness that came before me since it became a living thing itself. That being and I are frequently fighting. Currently, he's banished to Hell - which this isn't. He runs it."

Areex wondered what this place was. They didn't have to say this - for the Creator seemingly just ripped the thought from their mind.

"Ah. Well, before your universe there was another. A nasty place this pre-universe was - lorded over by my enemy. Eventually, it just... died. It was quite violent to outsiders but to the people within it it was just..."

The Creator clapped his hands to make his point. It was that sudden.

"A piece of that universe managed to survive due to the violence of this death. This is where you are. It's called Derleth's World by some of the people who live here."

"And... who are those people?" asked Areex as they looked at one of the pyramids.

A somewhat disturbed look came over the Creator's face. "Well, do you know of the Time Lords?"

Areex had to share company with one that at times exasperated, shocked, and disturbed them with her tendencies. Overall, she wasn't so bad though.

"Ah, you do. Good. The pre-universe had its own version of them - carnal, violent creatures. At the end of their universe, they shunted themselves into the next one and found themselves to be gods. It only took a few days for the ones that weren't using their new powers on the few life that existed in the primordial era of your universe to find this place. They are called by various names - the Vhkchron'vaak, the Qhrikkkik, the Xvighilik. Their most common name is the Great Old Ones. Benighted creatures. I'm completely immortal myself but... They aren't very pleasant company."

Areex was silent at this news.

"And before you ask, no I cannot get you out of here. I already tried. Something is making sure of that. I'm not entirely sure of what it is though. There are quite a few other dimensions close to this one though. My bet is that this thing is one of the other dimensions. You came here - to the Starlanna Belt - to hunt some Jessaulax right?"

Areex nodded. They had had a Jessaulax linked to them - feeding on them - for nearly five months while they were on Ardonia with the rest of the Resistance chasing off the forces of the Alliance from the planet. At the end of the battle, the Jessaulax had revealed itself and gotten immediately killed.

"Well I doubt it's them. Unless they have some being of extreme power on their side. Comparatively, they aren't that powerful. Just parasites in your universe's massive temporal highway."

The Creator then frowned and tutted his lips. "Well, I suppose you will need some form of company while here. I can't follow you around all the time but I can supply something."

A tall figure - an almost duplicate of the Creator wearing a blue jacket and dark blue slacks - appeared before Areex. His face broke into a lurid grin. "Hello!", this figure said while waving.

"An android. The android makers of Ahjeq are quite good at their craft. He goes by Tom. I'm not sure how you will get off of Derleth's World but do it fast. Before the Great Old Ones notice you. Best of luck!"

With this, the Creator vanished. Areex was shocked into silence by what had happened and stood staring at the landscape of Derleth's World as Tom waved his hand across their eyes trying to get a reaction - any reaction - out of Areex.

Areex stood stock still like a colossus in the desert.