Carry On My Wayward Son (Vasty Deep Void Gate Quest)

[Doomguy]

The barren hallway was right where I remembered it from the last time I had been there, that it was so out of the way from the main area made it stand out from the blinding aesthetics. A nice change of pace, really. What the purpose of the other doors along the wall was beyond me, I was focused on the one with the nameplate labeled "Oracle". I could only imagine how someone else might have felt in this situation, that question of fate and purpose weighted heavily in their mind. Would their destiny be revealed, and would it be glory or doom? I was just very tired and wanted to go home. I've already asked that question too much when I was younger. It felt a long journey at that point, and this was to be the last stop before the end. I walked in and nearly tripped over myself in the dark.

"Where's the fuck is the lightswitch?" I announced myself, not in the mood for the mystical, mysterious, misty bullshit. I could hear the clanks and whirl of unseen machinery in the background, the unearthly green light lit the room with the mood of theater lights going out on a murder. The humanoid body rose up from its mechanical throne with a cape of cables and wires, an almost zombie like rise as it took its place at its pedestal once more. The "head' of the soothsayer turned to me, a lipless smile its greating.

"You have finally returned, Fly-"

"Doomguy" I cut the Oracle off. Our relationship might have been warmer than most of the people I knew in this universe, but I had other reasons to keep the name down low "The only people who I know that know that name is you and Sheila, and let's keep it that way"

"Your paranoia is as encompassing as always, marine of Earth. All the same, you have proven yourself. I have seen your battle against the oppression of the Empire. It is..." He paused in thought, the magical machine thought what word to use. If he was trying to diplomatic, he was wasting it on the wrong person "Inspiring. Your actions will have unforeseen consequences throughout the Omniverse. But know that your mind is elsewhere" At least he understood that.

"Yeah, I have places to be. Nothing against you, but I'm not in a bullshitting mood" Maybe I felt a little bad to make this quick, the Oracle didn't have many visitors and he seemed ecstatic (in his own way) when he did have one, but the Omniverse was a place I wanted to see in the metaphorical rear view mirror. For the reason I've stated plenty of times before, and now because the Empire probably had a bounty on my head by now "But let me just ask: why the Impel Down mission. If what you're saying is true, you knew I would succeed. Hell was tougher. None in there compared to what I've fought at capital Dis. Doesn't the "price" seem a bit low?"

"It was not your capabilities as a soldier that needed to be proven, Doomguy. It was you capacity as a human being." I raised an eyebrow, but the Oracle didn't offer any explanation "Do you still wish to know of how to reach Omni?" I noded my head, and watched as the room itself started to shift. Arrays of crystals shunted out from shelves built into the walls, and the green electricity that the mechanical soothsayer had surge through was directed into these glass prisms, the light aligned until a disembodied orb hung neatly in the middle of the room. It had the other effect that it revealed the room some more, including the machine that the Oracle was hooked too. Gears and pulleys that seemed positioned ritually that meant for efficiency, runes etched into every inch with green light threw shadows into the deep recesses.

"At the edge of this world is where you will find the gate to the void" he started, the white circle changed to a crystal clear image of an island, barely big enough to play catch on. Little vegetation, a lonely palm tree close to the shore. Although a fog obscured any close detail, the obvious look of a Omniverse gate stood defiantly on its surface. "The lands of the Omniverse may follow your world's natural laws, it does not copy its form. They are not planets, but planes. If you go far enough, you will reach it."

"How far?" I asked. I figured I already needed a ship, but a good idea of distance would help determine how much supply and men I would need.

"Past the point when you no longer see any island on the horizon. Past the point when the depth of the ocean could never be reached by man or beast. Past the point when the sun no longer rises or sets, left imprisoned under the edge of the world. Where the storms rage and the wave seek to swallow you whole." That didn't help.

"Great." I couldn't stop myself from making a sarcastic barb. I wasn't expect an easy way out, but I still wasn't happy to hear the apocalyptic fortune "The only thing missing is the threat of explosive decompression. Anything else I need to know?"

"You know full well that the Vastly Deeps are full of dangers, and you will face most of them. But the Void itself is not to be taken lightly. It will test you, and you must steel yourself when the time comes. Only then will you find what you are looking for"

I gave a nod as the information soaked in. It worried me, this sounded to be a difficult mission I had faced. Not on par with the assault against the demons ran wild on Earth. After all I can't die so long as Omni didn't get bored with me. But this wasn't just clearing out some moon base with shotgun and BFG, this would be everything I've worked up towards, and I could not afford to fail. Who knows how long it would take to get back here?

But I had never backed down from a challenge. After all, my cause is just, my will is strong, and my gun is very, very large.

"Thank you, Oracle. For everything. Sorry to say I can't help you any more from now on"

"You have done more than enough, marine of Earth" I bowed my head and headed towards the door. The lights turned down and everything started to move back into place as I reached the door "Good bye, Doom Guy" I walked outside, and let the door swing close behind me "Until we meet again"

I spun to look as Oracle as he said that, but the door closed in that instant. I felt shaken, alone in that hallway, but I breezed it off as I walked back into the casino/