I didn't write any new stuff for the ongoing story, so here's something completely different.
The hellish fires raging on every side of him making escape an obvious impossibility would have concerned ordinary men. They probably would have concerned most extraordinary men as well, but this man was insane. Once, he was an extraordinary man. He still considered himself extraordinary. After all, insanity wasn't ordinary, was it? And he knew, without a doubt, that he was insane. The world knew it too. The smell of sulphur wafted through the room, which struck him as odd, because he couldn't remember any sulfur in the building. Once upon a time, not so long ago, the world had looked towards Ben as a savior from the coming darkness. The heat was incredible, and he could feel the sweat pouring down his body. Sweat, he reflected wryly, was supposed to help cool the body when the situation was too hot. He knew it wouldn't help him here, though. Ben Whitecap, born to the most prominent member of the Adaldian parliament, was supposed to have led an army into war. The smoke was quickly filling the room. He was supposed to have delivered an easy victory against overwhelming odds with naught but a trusting populace and tactical brilliance that had never been tested. It was becoming hard to breathe, hard to see, as the fire raged on. Instead, Ben lost his mind at the first battle he witnessed. Now, finally, he was going to die.
Ben Whitecap finally knew no miracle would save him. He was finally, finally, going to die. Even as the flames burned him beyond all recognition, Ben Whitecap felt no pain. There was the laughter, the damning laughter that followed him everywhere, but no pain. Ben finally gave in to the laughter. He'd fought the laughter tooth and nail to this point in his life. Now, doomed to die, he finally allowed the laughter, laughter that had followed him from his first failed battle, to win. Ben Whitecap grinned wildly and cackled as the flames raged on. He was still laughing when the roof came down.
The story continues.
Vegetables are common here. Meat is rare, but highly valued. We eat whole grains. They are bland, but nutritious. We know we’re not like the rest of the city. We are not afraid to be different. Rather than try to hide our differences, we hide ourselves, and flaunt our differences. While the rest of the world lives on specially formulated pills, designed to be nutritious enough to provide an entire meal, we live through our own effort. We live without depending on those who have what would once be considered a super power. By our own hands, or we shall die. We once depended on others to save our lives, but now we know better. Worth is not depending on others, and instead depending on oneself. We have worth, in a world where so few others do. Tonight, this will change.
Tonight, the world changes. Tonight, witness the rise of the unpowered. Not the fall of the powered, for we shall not be leaving this place until after the world has ended. The world as we know it ends, tonight, you see. Tonight, the night that will change, will end the world, is underway now, even as we speak. It bears repeating. The world ends tonight. Tonight, the last night of the world as we know it, and the beginning of the rise of the new order. A new order, where worth matters, rather than power. Worth, you are surely aware, is not power. Worth is achieved through effort. Achievement without toil carries no worth. Giving away that which takes you no effort to create is not worth. Worth is working, creating something useful, adding to the world. While power is not worth, worth is power. Tonight, the world will learn the power of worth.
Tonight, the world changes. Tonight, witness the rise of the unpowered. Not the fall of the powered, for we shall not be leaving this place until after the world has ended. The world as we know it ends, tonight, you see. Tonight, the night that will change, will end the world, is underway now, even as we speak. It bears repeating. The world ends tonight. Tonight, the last night of the world as we know it, and the beginning of the rise of the new order. A new order, where worth matters, rather than power. Worth, you are surely aware, is not power. Worth is achieved through effort. Achievement without toil carries no worth. Giving away that which takes you no effort to create is not worth. Worth is working, creating something useful, adding to the world. While power is not worth, worth is power. Tonight, the world will learn the power of worth.
The story continued.
Yes, this is a training room. Yes, the dummies do give it away. They train for nothing less than full fledged combat. Now, why would the powerless be training for combat, when all there is to fight are those who have powers? No, don't answer that. Think about it. After tonight, I shall give you a chance to answer. For now, we must move on, or this tour shall run over its expiration date. Yes, the tour does have an expiration date. Now, we shall move on. The great hall of the powerless awaits you.
There is no greatness is this great hall. No stained glass, no bright lights. This is the great hall of the powerless, not some cathedral to a superhuman being. This is the hall designed to reflect us. It is powerful, yet overlooked. An entire hall created from solid concrete cannot be said to lack in power. Note the lighting. Not electric lights, but candles. Candles, which remain dangerous even while illuminating the world around them. Concrete is everywhere, as you well know. The entire world these days seems to be concrete, since nothing else has survived the constant stress these superhuman wars are putting upon this planet. Candles, on the other hand, cannot be found outside of this room, in the entire city. Common, yet rare. Dangerous, yet protecting. We are a massive array of self contradictions, you must understand. I see you’re coming to realize how we think of ourselves. This is good, because without understanding, you are going to have a most difficult time as the night progresses. Now, off to the kitchens.
There is no greatness is this great hall. No stained glass, no bright lights. This is the great hall of the powerless, not some cathedral to a superhuman being. This is the hall designed to reflect us. It is powerful, yet overlooked. An entire hall created from solid concrete cannot be said to lack in power. Note the lighting. Not electric lights, but candles. Candles, which remain dangerous even while illuminating the world around them. Concrete is everywhere, as you well know. The entire world these days seems to be concrete, since nothing else has survived the constant stress these superhuman wars are putting upon this planet. Candles, on the other hand, cannot be found outside of this room, in the entire city. Common, yet rare. Dangerous, yet protecting. We are a massive array of self contradictions, you must understand. I see you’re coming to realize how we think of ourselves. This is good, because without understanding, you are going to have a most difficult time as the night progresses. Now, off to the kitchens.
The Intro
Well, it's not great, but it's something. It's the intro to a little piece of work I play with in my free time.
Welcome to my world. A world where the powerless are few and far between, and are so inconsequential to everyday events that we're largely left alone, to do what we please. In a world where nearly everyone has a power of some sort, what would be major problems before the mutations are inconsequentrial now. There's no hunger, no disease, and no countries. Despite this, the world certainly hasn't improved. Instead of countries, there's now Lords and Ladies. Rulers. The Lord of this once lush land you now look down upon is called Black. The land, as you can plainly see, is no longer lush. It doesn't need to be, as Lord Black can have food produced by manipulating the atoms of the world without any trouble. Lord Black would control the entire world by now, were his power any more spectacular than those of the other Lords and Ladies. Instead, the entire world is now at war, with no respite in sight. Those with powers that have any use in combat are quickly sent off to fight. We, the powerless, are the lowest of the low. Unable to fight, we've been relegated to simply begging for food. This, however, is our strength. We have no jobs. We have no duty. We have nothing. Nothing, that is, except for our desires. Desires, though, we have absolutely no shortage of. Come, now, and we will see exactly what I mean, as mere words no longer will suffice.
See, now, the few. The few who were born, through some accident of fate, genetics, or the very act of God, with no powers. Not one of these nearly two dozen people before us has a power. There’s not even fifty of us, and you will probably get a chance to see each and everyone one tonight. Yet, in these few, there is more power than in the combined armies of all the Rulers on this planet. Weak, yet immensely powerful. After we've taken the entire tour, there will be no doubt left. These are the strongest people in this kingdom and among the strongest in the world. There is a secret, of course, to their power. I see you desire to know the secret. This is unfortunate, for I shall not tell you it. Later today, tonight, you will see firsthand what their power is. They're tired of being subjugated, you see. Tonight is the night that subjugation will end. Now, about that tour you were promised. Shall we get started?
If you like it, I'll post more sometime later. I do have more written, and wouldn't mind posting it, I guess.
Welcome to my world. A world where the powerless are few and far between, and are so inconsequential to everyday events that we're largely left alone, to do what we please. In a world where nearly everyone has a power of some sort, what would be major problems before the mutations are inconsequentrial now. There's no hunger, no disease, and no countries. Despite this, the world certainly hasn't improved. Instead of countries, there's now Lords and Ladies. Rulers. The Lord of this once lush land you now look down upon is called Black. The land, as you can plainly see, is no longer lush. It doesn't need to be, as Lord Black can have food produced by manipulating the atoms of the world without any trouble. Lord Black would control the entire world by now, were his power any more spectacular than those of the other Lords and Ladies. Instead, the entire world is now at war, with no respite in sight. Those with powers that have any use in combat are quickly sent off to fight. We, the powerless, are the lowest of the low. Unable to fight, we've been relegated to simply begging for food. This, however, is our strength. We have no jobs. We have no duty. We have nothing. Nothing, that is, except for our desires. Desires, though, we have absolutely no shortage of. Come, now, and we will see exactly what I mean, as mere words no longer will suffice.
See, now, the few. The few who were born, through some accident of fate, genetics, or the very act of God, with no powers. Not one of these nearly two dozen people before us has a power. There’s not even fifty of us, and you will probably get a chance to see each and everyone one tonight. Yet, in these few, there is more power than in the combined armies of all the Rulers on this planet. Weak, yet immensely powerful. After we've taken the entire tour, there will be no doubt left. These are the strongest people in this kingdom and among the strongest in the world. There is a secret, of course, to their power. I see you desire to know the secret. This is unfortunate, for I shall not tell you it. Later today, tonight, you will see firsthand what their power is. They're tired of being subjugated, you see. Tonight is the night that subjugation will end. Now, about that tour you were promised. Shall we get started?
If you like it, I'll post more sometime later. I do have more written, and wouldn't mind posting it, I guess.
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