02-06-2018, 10:02 PM
The water glugged and trickled into the smooth concrete dish of the Fountain of Infinity, spurting out of the spouts in muddy, sewage-green jettisons. Glass-like images swam over the waters in storm clouds of oily gray, speckles of dew turning into great, swollen streams of water, all of this churning motion transforming the stone edge into a veritable waterfall as flickers of water toppled over the edge and onto the Nexus floor in distinct plop, plop, plops. And from this deluge of rain, a menagerie of vibrant color began to bloom— not with sunshine and warmth as flowers do, but slowly and insidiously, frothing and fluttering outward like a fungus that thrives on the damp.
This fungus shook and gave a kind of perverse shiver, a bright jingling of bells ringing in the air. There was no mistaking this creature for human, no hiding the distinctly unsettling wideness of the painted-on smile the thing wore. The entire frame of the thing shuddered, loose-fitting clown regalia and all, for the fabric and skin appeared almost bodily indistinguishable.
The Nexus unfolded all around, and at the center was the fountain and a clown. A being, an entity, an It.
Blinded by the sudden change in Its surroundings, It merely sniffed, chin tilting up in an approximation of a bloodhound on the scent. The stench of rotting vegetation, human detritus, and flesh already sapped of life commingled in the interminably bright space surrounding It. Overpowering decay met Its nostrils, drenched in maggot slime and fly eggs. Judging by the acrid smell staining the air in a bilious fog, sharp and acidic like stomach fluids, it seemed that someone or something nearby had quite literally busted a gut. But, as wonderful as this tapestry of sweet scents was, they all were surprisingly unappetizing to It.
The coppery brightness of Its eyes blinked and flickered, throat garbling out a toad-like croaking sound as Its pupils swam around from the back of Its eye sockets, cat-like slivers slicing across the glittering yellow sclera and iris. They seemed unnaturally large, round, and black as they finally adjusted to the incredible brightness of the Nexus, devouring light at an alarming rate.
Chancing a look around, It regarded the pile of oozing, stinking bodies It was lounging across with the same satisfied, chop-licking look a leopard gives a gazelle it has mangled and dragged into a tree, albeit tempered a little by confusion. The hunger was there, of course, pangs of it ricocheting about inside Its belly, but the dead flung in a pile on the once-pristine ground just weren’t doing it for the cosmic devourer. It was almost as if they weren’t even there, the scent strong but still hollow and insubstantial to Its senses… as if the plump meat was little more than bones and dried-up skins.
Thoughts of bright, eddying color rushed in, quartzy reflections and spherical glamors prickling at the forefront of Its brain. A thin line of drool slid down Its chin, plopping onto the ruffles of Its costume and soaking clean through the fabric.
Omnilium, the alien surmised with some frustration, was what Its stomach truly craved.
A growling, wet-sounding hyena-chuckle rent the air as Its limbs began to rearrange themselves, bones snapping and chalky skin stretching to accommodate the elastic twisting of joints and soft cartilage. Gradually, the massive entity shifted from a quadrupedal position to one where It was more or less reared upright, mimicking the stance of the slightly-evolved apes that were Its most favored of prey. Its teeth bared, dozens of shiny-sharp pieces of bone erupting from Its gums in a ghastly grimace.
Omni had said there were other out there, in this Omniverse, in a way that was possibly meant to be reassuring. It was not, in fact, reassured at all. Others, especially others whose intentions might be similar to Its own, could prove to be a problem for Pennywise. Competition, even! Too many sharks in the water, chasing after the same scant traces of blood…!
As a creature of habit, not to mention one already long accustomed to being the sole apex predator within a hundred-bazillion-million miles of the planet Earth, the mere idea of being in possession of anything but complete dominance set Its teeth on edge, claws digging into the cushiony corpses until pus and rancid fluids leeched out. The silvery clown costume split at the seams, the fabric pierced by a black exoskeleton as Its rage bubbled over. It would not, could not stand opposition, and yet…
With a quick stir and a noise like rippling silk, the clown costume knitted itself back together with warp-like speed as Its false skin became stable once more. It settled back on Its haunches, legs bent in a casual demonstration of Its elasticity. The clownish makeup curled into a candy red, grinning snarl.
And yet… It sensed an opportunity, here, or at least a decent meal. Surely— surely all of Omni’s chosen had the ability to gain Omnilium and hoard it for themselves, just as It now did. And surely, surely-surely-Shirley Temple, they would surrender that Omnilium when It devoured them. The pursuit would likely be difficult, yes, very difficult, but ultimately worth it. Besides, It wasn’t too worried. Food always turned up sooner or later…
“What in the name of the Emperor is that?” an incredulous, electronically-filtered voice asked.
It turned, pupils bouncing around like ping-pong balls in a supremely comical fashion. They shifted in color from a fiendish yellow to a bright, newborn baby blue in the blink of an eye, claws and teeth receding from sight, tucked behind a friendly smile and large white gloves. It winked at the bipedal creatures dressed in sleek white armor, only a pair of them, from where It sat atop a pile of fastidiously decaying bodies.
“Hi there!” It greeted, a goofy grin appearing on Its face, buck-toothed and cheerful. “Would either of you boys like a balloon?”
This fungus shook and gave a kind of perverse shiver, a bright jingling of bells ringing in the air. There was no mistaking this creature for human, no hiding the distinctly unsettling wideness of the painted-on smile the thing wore. The entire frame of the thing shuddered, loose-fitting clown regalia and all, for the fabric and skin appeared almost bodily indistinguishable.
The Nexus unfolded all around, and at the center was the fountain and a clown. A being, an entity, an It.
Blinded by the sudden change in Its surroundings, It merely sniffed, chin tilting up in an approximation of a bloodhound on the scent. The stench of rotting vegetation, human detritus, and flesh already sapped of life commingled in the interminably bright space surrounding It. Overpowering decay met Its nostrils, drenched in maggot slime and fly eggs. Judging by the acrid smell staining the air in a bilious fog, sharp and acidic like stomach fluids, it seemed that someone or something nearby had quite literally busted a gut. But, as wonderful as this tapestry of sweet scents was, they all were surprisingly unappetizing to It.
The coppery brightness of Its eyes blinked and flickered, throat garbling out a toad-like croaking sound as Its pupils swam around from the back of Its eye sockets, cat-like slivers slicing across the glittering yellow sclera and iris. They seemed unnaturally large, round, and black as they finally adjusted to the incredible brightness of the Nexus, devouring light at an alarming rate.
Chancing a look around, It regarded the pile of oozing, stinking bodies It was lounging across with the same satisfied, chop-licking look a leopard gives a gazelle it has mangled and dragged into a tree, albeit tempered a little by confusion. The hunger was there, of course, pangs of it ricocheting about inside Its belly, but the dead flung in a pile on the once-pristine ground just weren’t doing it for the cosmic devourer. It was almost as if they weren’t even there, the scent strong but still hollow and insubstantial to Its senses… as if the plump meat was little more than bones and dried-up skins.
Thoughts of bright, eddying color rushed in, quartzy reflections and spherical glamors prickling at the forefront of Its brain. A thin line of drool slid down Its chin, plopping onto the ruffles of Its costume and soaking clean through the fabric.
Omnilium, the alien surmised with some frustration, was what Its stomach truly craved.
A growling, wet-sounding hyena-chuckle rent the air as Its limbs began to rearrange themselves, bones snapping and chalky skin stretching to accommodate the elastic twisting of joints and soft cartilage. Gradually, the massive entity shifted from a quadrupedal position to one where It was more or less reared upright, mimicking the stance of the slightly-evolved apes that were Its most favored of prey. Its teeth bared, dozens of shiny-sharp pieces of bone erupting from Its gums in a ghastly grimace.
Omni had said there were other out there, in this Omniverse, in a way that was possibly meant to be reassuring. It was not, in fact, reassured at all. Others, especially others whose intentions might be similar to Its own, could prove to be a problem for Pennywise. Competition, even! Too many sharks in the water, chasing after the same scant traces of blood…!
As a creature of habit, not to mention one already long accustomed to being the sole apex predator within a hundred-bazillion-million miles of the planet Earth, the mere idea of being in possession of anything but complete dominance set Its teeth on edge, claws digging into the cushiony corpses until pus and rancid fluids leeched out. The silvery clown costume split at the seams, the fabric pierced by a black exoskeleton as Its rage bubbled over. It would not, could not stand opposition, and yet…
With a quick stir and a noise like rippling silk, the clown costume knitted itself back together with warp-like speed as Its false skin became stable once more. It settled back on Its haunches, legs bent in a casual demonstration of Its elasticity. The clownish makeup curled into a candy red, grinning snarl.
And yet… It sensed an opportunity, here, or at least a decent meal. Surely— surely all of Omni’s chosen had the ability to gain Omnilium and hoard it for themselves, just as It now did. And surely, surely-surely-Shirley Temple, they would surrender that Omnilium when It devoured them. The pursuit would likely be difficult, yes, very difficult, but ultimately worth it. Besides, It wasn’t too worried. Food always turned up sooner or later…
“What in the name of the Emperor is that?” an incredulous, electronically-filtered voice asked.
It turned, pupils bouncing around like ping-pong balls in a supremely comical fashion. They shifted in color from a fiendish yellow to a bright, newborn baby blue in the blink of an eye, claws and teeth receding from sight, tucked behind a friendly smile and large white gloves. It winked at the bipedal creatures dressed in sleek white armor, only a pair of them, from where It sat atop a pile of fastidiously decaying bodies.
“Hi there!” It greeted, a goofy grin appearing on Its face, buck-toothed and cheerful. “Would either of you boys like a balloon?”
![[Image: tumblr_inline_ox9oq2UNpf1v9qbbn_540.gif]](https://68.media.tumblr.com/0f940b744e47adff247fbd62ee924a4c/tumblr_inline_ox9oq2UNpf1v9qbbn_540.gif)