Unwilling Eldritch Horror of Fortune

The next few days went by in a flash of activity… well, for the various media networks at least. I had to pretend to be wounded and on the verge of death while the various surgeons and doctors worked on the bullet wound. Noe kept the perception of my biology as mostly human so that no one would literally lose their minds from seeing Xollon bits, and I probably would have lost my mind in boredom if I hadn’t sleep through most of it. All in all, I was very grateful to finally get out of the ICU and into a normal hospital room. They even got me one of those private VIP rooms with a nice window and everything.

The first thing I did when I was out was to check social media and the news, and I couldn’t help but smile when I saw that all the work that I’ve done in the last few days did not go to waste. Local, State, and Federal news channels were still replaying the events on repeat, while my social media accounts garnered millions of followers overnight. Although the main focus of the media attention was on the young Olympic athlete selflessly rescuing the hostages at the risk of his own personal safety, and the news that I was in critical condition after being shot, but another piece of news was also developing: would the injury mean the death of a promising career?

I was trending on every platform, which meant that I needed to keep this momentum up while I was still fresh on everyone’s minds. After all, everyone knew that even an enormous event would quickly fall out of topic after a few weeks and something else just as wild took its place. Thus, I spent the next two days accepting Zoom interviews from literally everyone that I thought was relevant, and let me tell you that there was no shortage of people who wanted to hear from me.

I strategically downplayed my own actions while praising the brave individuals that were affected, while making promises to help financially support anyone who was directly impacted by my press conference. However, what I emphasized above all else was that I was going to make a public appearance after leaving the hospital in three days to formally address the situation and the future of my athletic career. Of course, I extended an invitation to everyone that I’ve interviewed to attend because I needed the world to see what I had planned next.

With a few more carefully managed social media campaigns underway, by the time I was out of the hospital, practically the entire nation was at least familiar with my name. Of course, crazy conspiracy theorists were out and about trying to downplay what had happened, saying that everything that I had done was staged and just a big setup for me to become even more popular, and although these lunatics would normally be woefully wrong, I bet that even their wildest theories couldn’t beat what I had in store for the world.

So there I was, sitting in my now familiar bedroom on the eve of the grand speech. I double-checked to ensure that everything would go as planned and looked at my Soul Title one last time.

Primary Soul Title: Level 21 Renowned Xollon Idol [Devourer of Truth]

Progress to next level: 8,788,382/10,000,000

Progression requirements: Have 10,000,000 individuals idolize you

The amount of new followers I gained exceeded what I had initially planned, but was less than what I thought would happen given all of the coverage I was receiving. Then again, I wasn’t privy to how the Multiverse judged who was idolizing me, but my best guess was that it had to do with the strange fake dimension I was trapped in. Since these humans, if you could even call them that, were hastily made by the Trash Matrix, they probably wouldn’t count fully toward being a fully realized “individual”. It was like the current world was just a simulation of what Earth would have been had it not been the target of Central, it was just a memory of something that could have been.

Either way, I still garnered enough followers for what I needed, so I wasn’t too upset with not getting something like a hundred million fans. All that mattered was that the milestone was reached after getting my title to 20, and I couldn’t help but feel giddy when I saw the new ability that I had. Yeah, tomorrow’s news conference was going to be one hell of an event, and it’s going to be something this faux-Earth program would not be able to handle.

“Please take all necessary precautions for tomorrow’s conference, my Host,” Noe said, “We will not have any room for error after that, as there will be no hiding your abilities from the Trash Matrix. Are you sure it isn’t wise to consolidate your abilities and followers further before attempting something so drastic?”

“No, I’ve thought about it, but there’s just risks I can’t afford to take,” I answered, “We can’t be sure how desynched the timeline here is, and I don’t think I’ll be able to live with myself if things went to shit outside this dimension because I spent too long playing around here; plus who knows how living as Ashwin for months or years would affect me.”

“I understand your concerns, my Host,” she relented, “But keep in mind that we will have to act quickly once your plan is enacted. I will do my best to delay the Trash Matrix’s response, but I can only do so much given our current situation.”

I shook my head and gave her a light-hearted smile. “I know. We’re going in blind, but hey, at least we have luck on our side. Just save enough of your strength for our escape.”

“Noted. And…” I noticed slight trepidation followed by irritation, “I hope that you cause as much chaos in this dimension as possible, Walter. It is using a considerable amount of its resources keeping us trapped here, and while I am unsure if disrupting this plane of existence will harm the Trash Matrix, my best estimates indicate that it will.” Another pause, but this time I could hear the malice dripping from Noe’s voice. “I want it to suffer.”

It was times like this that I pitied the Trash Matrix. It chose the wrong System to fuck with, and it was about to learn just how foolish that decision would be.

“If there’s one thing that I am supremely confident in, Noe,” I said with a growing grin, “It’s making an absolute mess of things. I mean, have you seen what I did to the last dimension I stepped in? And I wasn’t even trying back there! Let’s show this fake Earth what it really means to be the prophesied End Bringer.”

To my surprise, Noe laughed back. “Then I am confident in your success.”

Wait a second… was that a compliment for an insult? Eh, never mind, let’s not think too hard about that.

“But enough talk, dear Walter, it is best to get some sleep,” Noe continued, “This might be the last night that you get to rest in a world devoid of conflict. Cherish it.”

I thought about that for a moment and realized that she was right. I looked at the stuff around me and understood, at least in part, that I might never have the chance to experience something like a normal human life again. I sighed, but it wasn’t like I would just accept defeat, and although I’d miss the small conveniences in life like my phone and the internet, I wouldn’t give up all of the real connections I’ve made for this kind of carefree life, sleeping Walter or not.

“I will, Noe,” I whispered before huddling into the covers one last time, “I will, but I think it’s about time for this fake Truth to end.”

“Good night, my Host.”

* * *

I didn’t spend long dwelling over the task the next day, I had only one last thing to do before the conference, and nothing I did now could prepare me for the event further. Instead, I just watched some cat videos on YouTube until the designated time; who knew when I’d be able to just shut off my brain and watch kittens for hours at a time next? But time was short, and while it was nice to have no worries or imminent threats to look out for, I needed to move on from this false reality.

“Alright, Noe,” I muttered, “Let’s end this sham.”

I put on a comfortable set of clothes, ate some leftover pizza, and said goodbye to the nice penthouse I’d been living in for the past month and a half. I took the elevator down the huge tower, took my ride over to the venue - a small sporting stadium thanks to all the effort of my staff - and waited for the minutes to count down before I addressed the still-growing crowd. Once it was finally time, the staff gestured for me to take the stage and I took to the podium. The last thing I did was open my phone up to one of the larger streaming platforms to monitor the remote viewers.

How long do you think I’ll have before the Trash Matrix notices?

“It is unknown, but with 1500 Luck Charges, excluding the amount needed to escape, We will remain obfuscated for 91 minutes. It will almost certainly take longer than that for the Trash Matrix to notice us, but I can only guarantee 91 minutes from now.”

An hour and a half? I can work with that, thanks Noe, keep me updated if things change. Alright, let’s get the show on the road then. Amp up Charisma to the max, I want all eyes on me.

“Acknowledged.”

Luck Charges: 1531/1557

The second I saw my Luck Charges go down, I noticed the immediate effect on the crowd. The shuffling of bodies, the constant chatter of interviews, gossip, and ambient noise that several thousand people produced disappeared in an instant. Absolute silence filled the stadium as if each individual present was unable to even control their own body, and worse yet, the people present weren’t even aware of the change. The message section of the streaming site was filled with people questioning what was going on, with some people attributing the sudden silence to network issues and the like. Good, their unease should spread and ensure that more people tune in to my little show.

“Your 91 minutes start now, my Host.”

I nodded quickly and focused on the deathly quiet crowd. This time, however, I used a few more charges to infuse dread and fear into the arena. I could see the people’s unease as they finally realized that their own bodies did not obey their wills any longer.

“Ladies and gentleman, both those who are here in person and those at home,” I said without my usual flair, “I am glad to see you here today, because I have an important announcement to share to the world.”

This would have been the time for the crowd to cheer or clap, but the sheer silence of the stage made the normally cheerful mood anything but. I stared into the cameras and continued.

“Some of you may be interested to hear about the nature of my injuries, about the wound that I suffered.” I took off my shirt to show them the world my flawless skin. Not a single scar could be seen. “I am fine, no, I am better than fine, my fellow people. See that I am uninjured, now, and forever.”

Man, here comes the hard part. You sure that my Xollon Anatomy’ll fix things if I do this, Noe? I mean, I do need to shock them first, get more people tuning in before I go all out, but…

“I am 100% certain, my Host, please trust me.”

I forced a sign down and trusted in my system. She never did me wrong so far, and I was willing to bet a limb on it, quite literally, because I grabbed my left arm and yanked it off. Noe was able to ensure that I didn’t feel a thing, but seeing such casual self-mutilation done was something else.

The crowd audibly gasped and a few others even cried softly when they saw what I did, even through Noe’s Emotional Redux skill. However, this was just the first part of the performance, the opening act, a prelude. Before they could get over the shock, something impossible happened in front of their eyes: the detached limb sprouted small tendrils of wiggling darkness that slowly, agonizingly so, those tentacles of muscle and tissue inched its way toward my injured body.

A horrible fleshy sound was audible before the tendrils burrowed into my shoulders, reattaching the lost limb back to its rightful spot, all the while the horrible sounds of cracking bones and flowing blood assaulted the senses. But I wasn’t done just yet. All those levels in my Soul Title allowed me greater control of the Xollon form, and I allowed my alien Anatomy to crawl out of my human form. Gooey black tentacles erupted from my mouth and eyes, my body contorted and expanded in impossible ways, and I made sure that I had my feelers slowly crawling toward the people closest to me.

I took a quick glance at the streaming site and saw the number of viewers surge exponentially. By now, I allowed the people to regain some control of their bodies, and the second I did, absolute pandemonium erupted from the stadium. People ran to the exits in a futile attempt to get away from the literal Eldritch Horror transforming before their eyes. Of course, I made sure that a few cameras were still pointed toward me so that the whole world would see what was to transpire.

I waited a few moments longer for the numbers to peak before addressing the people once more. I amped up my volume to insane levels using my Boor Membrane and shouted. “See the message that I bring to the world. See the Truth that I bring. See the end of everything!”

Alright, Noe, I think they’ve had enough of a preview. Activate my Soul Title. Use the Primary Form.