The First Gothic. Origin Story.
MacLaren's Pub New York City.
One moment I was standing in my garage working with a hammer and chisel in order to open a locked decorative box that I had felt compelled to open. Then the next thing I know I am sitting in a bar half way across the world with a pint of beer in my hand and some sort of god-like being explaining how I am to be rewarded for freeing it from its prison.
"I took a look inside your mind" said the entity that currently appeared as a mirror image of myself "I saw some interesting things in there, such possibilities".
Thinking on that I realized that right now I should be so panicked that I would want to run away or at least be so terrified to the extent were I was hiding under the table but I felt oddly calm considering what was going on.
The thing that had taken my face left for a moment and went to the bar in order to some more drinks. So I took the chance to look around and realized that I knew this bar despite the fact that I had never set been inside it before. But what really surprised me was that this bar didn't exist it was fictional place that only existed inside a TV show. Yet this clearly wasn't a set because there were no cameras and all four walls were intact.
The being that had decided to look like me sat down across from me took off the sunglasses he'd been wearing and said.
"I ordered some food. I don't need to eat but I haven't had the chance for well let's say a very, very long time".
I studied the creature whom could pass for my identical twin brother (if I'd had one) and wondered what he really looked like. The last thing I could remember when opening the box was some sort of black oily tentacle thing that grabbed hold of my head before I passed out and then when next I had opened my eyes I had been here.
"As I said before" carried on the mirror image of me "I took a look inside your mind and saw very interesting things. Your species has certainly grown since I last peeled back the layers of a Human soul and examined what passed for a brain with your lot".
Now that he mentioned it my head did ache a little and there was a strange sense of incompleteness in my chest sort of like when your heart gets broken only this was different somehow. It more like my heart had been torn and then stitched back together rather than simply broken.
"You will recover" assured the thing that had been trapped in the box "souls and minds are easier to take apart than to put back together. And I may have had some pieces left over after fixing you up but that's always the case when you do DIY. You'll feel better after something to eat".
I'd have to take his (or perhaps it's) word on that. I had no idea what was wrong with me never mind yet at least I felt physically well. In fact if anything I felt a level of energy that I hadn't felt since childhood. My body seemed lighter as well I'd lost weight it seemed and as I touched my face I noticed that. Checking my arms I realized that a few scars I'd acquired over the years had vanished and I seemed to have a bit of muscle.
"I made some modifications to your meat-suit" explained the creature I'd freed "just a few minor improvements as part of your reward. It should makes up for the spiritual damage. Hopefully you won't end up like Gabriel YuLaw and end up feeling the need to fill the emptiness by killing all the other versions of yourself ".
Searching my memory (which was an easier task than ever right now) I remembered that film were a superhuman criminal runs around the multi-verse killing the alternate versions of himself in order to become some sort of god-like being. Given the emptiness I felt I wondered if it could be filled by taking the life force of other copies of myself.
Feeling a little dry in the mouth I drank down the beer and grimaced. American beer was more water than booze and so cold it made my teeth ache. I'd take Dutch larger over this any day.
"Reward?" I asked after some silence between us "I'm getting a reward?"
"Yes I want to pay you back for freeing me" replied the being looking like me "I saw some fun possibilities while rummaging around your head and just improving your body is poor payment for what you have done for me even if you didn't mean to do it".
A deck of playing cards appeared and were spread out before me only they didn't show the normal suits they were instead each labeled with a picture of a figure from fantasy genre. I recognized many of them. The Overlord from the Overlord games, a Dungeon Keeper's Heart, a Daemon Prince from the Warhammer Fantasy and a few wizards of different kinds were just a few of the images shown on the playing cards.
"I'd offer you a selection from the Science Fiction franchises that you love so much but I need to keep a low profile unless I want to end up back in that box".
My puzzled look at this statement made it clear that I wanted the thing wearing my face to explain further so the being before me clarified what it meant.
"A long time ago in another reality I had the misfortune to met an entity called, among other things, 'The One Between', this 'The One Between' likes to play games as when your all powerful its far more interesting to do things using pawns than it is to anything yourself because there's no challenge in the game if you can't lose".
The whole thing sounded like something Q from Star Trek would get up to. This entity before me must be powerful on that level to have transported me to what should just be a fictional setting.
"'The One Between' and I decided to play a game. I cheated and ended up in that box you freed me from. How my prison ended up being sold in a charity shop I have no idea but it's lucky for us both that it did".
"If this 'The One Between' is so powerful then why are we lucky?" I asked.
I was rather worried now I didn't want to end up trapped in a box for all time because I helped this creature escape.
"'The Measurer of Balance' tends to direct this attentions towards matters that effect entire universes so it's doubtful that 'The Scale' will concern itself with us if we stick to more primitive worlds such as this".
I wasn't very reassured by this. This entity was mysterious and judging by its titles it wasn't something I could of think of as good or evil. It might be something totally beyond my understanding and in my experience things you can't understand tend to be very dangerous. I could only hope that the thing I'd freed was right and that anything I did would be beneath its notice That didn't however mean I would be safe as the ants I crushed beneath my feet when walking were far beneath my notice but that didn't stop me from crushing them. I might end up being squashed if this 'The Scale' decided to re-trap the thing I'd freed.
The food then arrived and I felt a great amount of hunger so I tucked into something that was I guessed fried meat.
As we ate I decided to change the subject as I got the feeling I didn't want to know more about this 'The Scale' thing so I asked my not-twin something.
"What's your name?"
"Remember that names have power" replied the thing that looked like me "so just call me The Traveller".
The Traveller clearly didn't want me knowing any more than that so he/she or it switched topics.
"Regarding your reward I chose these fantasy figures because as I said earlier 'The Beholder of All' of all doesn't tend to bother with the affairs of singular worlds you'd have to try and conquer whole galaxies to be worthy of 'The Scales' attentions".
Again I'd have to take its word on that but for some reason I was inclined to trust the Traveller.
"So as long as you stick to worlds small worlds like this one and those you read about in Fantasy novels you'll be fine" assured the Traveller "and there's lots of magical items out there you claim if you want a power boost. As for me I'm going to go and have fun of my own. I might try out some of the ideas I got from your head. There are lots of versions of Earth out there that could do with livening up. Maybe I'll even find some other versions of you and let them join in the fun I can arrange it with the help of a few friends".
I should have felt sorry for those worlds and the other me's out there but for some reason I just didn't care although I knew I should. The parts of me that felt things like mercy and pity for others seemed to be absent. I should be feeling guilt as well as anything that happened to those alternative versions of me, would be at least partly my fault.
"But since this is your reward I'll let you pick your knew life. I'd like to see you pick the Deadric Prince card as I can foresee a lot of fun with that but let's leave it to chance shall we".
I pushed my plate of food and pint of beer aside while The Traveller shuffled the pack. Then the god -like being spread the cards before but with the pictures hidden. I'd of rather of picked something or just backed out but I got the feeling that my only option here was to pick a card and hope for the best.
So I picked a card up and turned it over but before I could find out what it showed I blacked out again and woke up somewhere else.
Author Notes.
So that was a short story to explain how all those different Gothics got dumped into their new lives (aside from Emperor Gothic which is in a whole other layer of universes and Dark God Gothic which is going to be taken down for rewriting so it fits in) which you read about in my other stories.
However for The First Gothic I am going to do something different. I am going to let my reviewers (or dare I even call you fans) decide the power set for this Gothic and what he will do with the power he gets as well the world/setting he starts on.
There are limits it can't be an animé franchise as I know nothing of animé and it must involve Gothic getting a set of powers that already exist like Dungeon Keeper Gothic and Overlord Gothic although the power set doesn't have to come from the same setting as he starts in nor does this Gothic have to remain limited to that power set.
He also can't go around conquering entire galaxies like Emperor Gothic but he doesn't have to be just a magic using person worlds like DK Gothic. For example DC Earth is a science fiction setting but I can limit the scale of a story set there so stuff going on only effects Earth and maybe some other realities like Hell Dimensions and different after lives.
So throw your ideas at me either by reviewing this story and the one I like the most will become the plot for The First Gothic.