Dreamer's Odyssey: Executable Vol. 1

Come Rain, or Shine

Cold, a dark endless abyss. This must be what death is like. But it did not last long. Out from the black womb of nothingness, came a hand. Followed by a body. The body was weak, it stumbled around, coughing out blood. The body pointed its head to the sky. Dozens of green eyes surrounded by unimaginable silhouettes. The body backed away, whimpering, "no...no...." Tentacles, big enough to rip him in two, came shooting forward. They slithered around his twitching body. He attempted to break free, but was overwhelmed by them. They lifted him off the ground, holding him tight. He dangled above an endless canyon, gasping for air. Only it wasn't a canyon. It had a beak. The beak pulled open, a voice was heard, one somehow louder enough to pop eardrums, but still too quiet to comprehend. "Rise....my Executable."

Ex threw his head up. He wiped sweat off his skeletal face, as he breathed heavily. He shakily reached for the blanket over him, and pulled it off. He hopped off his bed, his room was wide and expensive looking. However, there were clothes, video game controllers, sex dolls, pizza boxes, and uneaten food all over the floor. Ex grabbed a bath robe off the ground and left the room. He slipped it over his arms. He walked into the kitchen of the mansion, and made coffee. His tired hollow eyes blinked, the sound of the coffee pot heating filled the quiet room. He cracked an egg over the kitchen table. The yellow yolk splatted into a pan. It sizzled as it became soft and fluffy. He scooped it onto a plate and grabbed a fork.

He drank out his coffee mug walking past a large window. Outside, was an endless void. Colorful stars exploded in every direction. Scaly creatures swam around the darkness. Ex didn't even look. Ex plopped down on his couch. He flipped the tv on and kicked his legs back. He jammed his fork into the eggs. Before he could even put it in his mouth, a green cloud of energy exploded in front of him. "Gah!" he yelped as he fell back, dropping his plate on the floor. The energy morphed into a diamond shaped structure. Silhouettes of animal hybrids floated on the other end. A tentacled creature, Alkulu, spoke in a booming voice, "Herald! Your services are needed!" Ex was still on the floor, hunched over his splattered eggs and shattered plate. He tilted his head up, "You ruined my eggs," he mumbled. A green, scaled, scorpion-like creature spoke through the wormhole, "A demon has escaped from its imprisonment in one of our strongholds," he lowered his stinger, attached to it was his sister's head. "Now it threatens our power," she hissed. A bear with the head of an alligator growled, "If it continues to run rampant, the fabric of reality will become weaker." A crab with the wings and fur a moth clicked his claws, "And we will be destroyed." A centipede with the lour of an angler fish slithered by, "You must kill or imprison the creature before it escapes us," it said in a gravelly voice. Ex shoveled handfuls of eggs back onto his plate, "Can you let me finish my eggs?" he said quietly. Ex was instantly transported through the gate. He levitated in a dark endless void. The creatures from the gate way were now surrounding him. While in their realm, they appeared much larger. Ex's body twitched, he was being held still by their power. Alkulu's voice boomed, "Do not mock us, boy! Don't forget who gave you life, I can take it away just as easily." Ex forced his head down, he struggled to speak, "You said you would find him, it's been a year!" Alkulu said back, "Therives is an illusive foe. He has evaded our detection for millennia. But as our herald, you are indebted to us. Are we clear?" Ex narrowed his eyes, "Crystal." Ex was instantly transported back to his mansion. Alkulu spoke through the gateway again, "The creature has escaped to a lowly backwater universe. The more souls it consumes, the more powerful it will become. Kill it before its hunger is satiated!" Ex mockingly saluted, "You got it, bossman." The right closed, the entities disappeared. Ex rolled his eyes. He grabbed the Synod's Orb off a pile of dirty laundry. He pointed it forward and focused, 'Take me where the creature is,' he thought in his head. Energy in the shape of a purple prism appeared. The area within morphed into an alien-like jungle. Ex hopped though, and the gate closed. He looked around, he was surrounded by trees and other plants. At first it seemed like an ordinary rain forest, but upon closer inspection unique colors and patterns can be seen. A small blue fly buzzed around. It had yellow horns and only one eye. It flew around Ex's head. He swatted at the fly, and it flew away. As Ex looked around, a plant lurched out at him. It wrapped its vines around his arm. He backed away and tugged on the vine. "GGRRAAA!" he called as the creature held on to him. It began pulling him forward, and a carnivorous mouth opened up. Ex planted his fist into the side of the plant's mouth. It squealed and tried to cower away. "No, you don't! Mother fucker!" Ex yelled as he shoved the Orb into its mouth. The Orb shot energy out in every direction, the plant creature exploded. Green burnt remains splattered everywhere. Ex wiped his face and arms, and continued on. He walked forward, then stopped at a crater. Across from the crater, was a tall tree. He looked up, hanging from one of the branches was a monkey-like creature. Its fur was green and it had three dark purple eyes. The animal tilted its head as it made clicking noises. Ex looked down at the base of the tree. He pointed the Orb forward. A bolt of pink lightning shot out, it slashed the base of the tree, causing it to fall forward. The monkey leaped off the branch and scurried away. The tree slammed against the cavern. Ex stepped on the tree, and walked across as though it were a bridge. Ex would follow a thin path for about half an hour. Eventually, Ex heard voices. He stopped and hid behind a bush. He listened closely, one of the voices sounded almost like a kid. Ex grabbed the bush, and pulled it backward. On the other side, he saw two people standing by a wheel barrel. They wore brown and gray robes, had green rubbery skin, and small tentacles protruding from their faces. One was far shorter than the other. The shorter one pointed up at a tree, "Father, may I pick the next fruit?" The taller being looked down, smiling he said, "Of course my son." The father lifted up the child, and placed him on his shoulders. "Do you remember how to tell which are safe?" He asked gently. "Yes, father, the horns," the child said, reaching for a colorful fruit. "That's my boy." When the boy grabbed it, he lost balance. He fell forward, dropping the fruit. It splattered all over his father's cloak. Chunks of the broken fruit littered the floor. The boy quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" The father looked down at him. He closed his eyes, then laughed. "Don't worry, it was not your fault." The boy twitched, "Are you sure....?" The father nodded. He then said, "Come, let's head back to the village." Ex still hid from behind the bushes. He tilted his head curiously, Why didn't he punish that little brat? He wondered silently. He then noticed a shape rising behind them. Its body was composed of dark blue tendrils, its eyes glowing bright green. It lifted several tentacles above the family, Ex yelled out, "No!" He shot forward and tackled the beast. He wrestled with it as its body morphed and twisted around him. "Go on! Get out of here!" Ex called to the two. The Izimsi wrapped several tentacles around his waist and arm, and slammed him into the ground. The father and son panicked, they grabbed as many of the fruits as they could and ran. The creature threw Ex at their wheelbarrow, he collided with it, smashing all the fruit inside. Ex held his Orb tightly, he jammed it into the side of the thing's head. It flopped back and squealed at him. He shoved his whole arm down the monster's throat, it bit into his body, injecting a green fluid into his veins. Ex shrieked with pain, he charged the Orb. then fired its lighting. The monster's stomach exploded open, and it dropped Ex to the ground. The father readied to run off, but he hesitated. "Father? What are you doing?" His son said, urgently. The father handed the remaining fruits to his son, and ran towards Ex. He grabbed his arm, and helped him to his feet. "Come on, don't worry. I've got you." As the father dragged Ex off, he noticed he had left behind the Orb. It rolled under a spiky bush. Ex tried to speak or move, but he was paralyzed. The steaming remains of the Izimsi flailed and curled. One of them dug into the plant beside it. The plant shriveled and turned gray. The remains of the Izimsi's body reconnected, its frame slowly regrew. Ex closed his eyes and passed out before he could witness the end of the transformation.