Pan Post 95 takes place in the Imperia Amphitheater in the High Empire where Carian Myste, the current powerplayer performer, puts on a grand show for the audience. Initially dressed like a magician, he transforms the arena into the stage of a Western and summons the The Seven Sins of the Supreme Soulstice to battle. He uses prop guns to fire paint pellets at the Seven Sins which appear to do little but in a grand act the paint spreads and engulfs the Seven Sins until they explode in glitter, to the audience's rapturous applause. As a grand finale, Carian uses his pocketwatch to summon mirrors to alternate realities that display himself and the audience as they are in those other realities. Once done he joins Highemperor, he close friend, who commends Carian on the show and for taking down the Seven Sins who had prevented the High Empire from claiming the Supreme Soulstice for too long. They then walk off together to explore Forever.
Post[]
And Now, The Amazing Carian Myste![]
Clad in the disguise of a simple guard, Highemperor stands on the other side of a gateway into the "stage" of the Imperia Amphitheater, more commonly known as the Interdimensional Arena. There, he looks on as a relatively rare performance plays out for the hundred and forty-four thousand attendees -- the Aeonial Act.
Its star performer, Carian Myste, holds a position among five other powerplayer councilmen, known collectively known as the Pantheon of the High Throne. Donned in a traditional stage magician's suit and tophat, only his swirling iridescent scarf gives any immediate sign that he holds even the slightest physical power, and yet his presence clearly commands attention akin to the most flagrant of powerplayers. For those watching, though, they have already witnessed acts that make actual for-real magic appear as cheap parlor tricks in comparison, mockeries devoid of invoking wonderment -- no small feat with an audience of literal gods and goddesses.
After a twirl of his cane, Carian Myste plants it to the ground to indicate the end of a particular segment of his act, after which applause breaks out. He strokes his Van Dyke beard[Ext 1] in exaggerated thought.
Carian Myste: "Now what could I possibly show you all next that you haven't already seen? How about a little old-fashion fun to break things up? Many unforgettable duels play out on these grounds, after all, so why not get double your value in this show!"
The "stage" transforms, as if invisible curtains rise, and reveal a ghost town fitting of an American Western[Ext 2] tale, though instead of simple human bandits surrounding him, a gang of seven clearly evil beings appear, each an amalgams of beast, machine, and demon, and all larger than life. He tips his tophat off and, with a flick of the wrist, it turns into something more fitting for a cowboy. His scarf wraps to conceal the bottom half of his face, and a spin of his cape transforms his suit into an outfit fitting of the Man with No Name[Ext 3]. Myste reaches inside his jacket, but instead of pulling out pistols, he pulls only his own hands in the gesture of pistols. Again, in an exaggerated gesture, Myste displays confusion at his lack of weapons. Only a few in the audience seem to truly grasp the real danger present, with the rest either unaware of the identity of his opponents or believing this to be an illusion.
From the side, Highemperor's face grows with some concern.
Highemperor: "He actually summoned The Seven Sins of the Supreme Soulstice, here of all places. I should--"
He steps forward, then stops.
Highemperor: "No. He's not the vagabond I found him as. He's like a brother now, and he can do this on his own. I must believe that..."
Despite his words to himself, Highemperor still stands on edge as he watches on.
As the seven abominations of all Creation draw closer to Carian Myste, he taps his head with the bottom of one of his palms, as if he forgot something obvious. With another twirl of his hands, revolvers appear in his hands, and he starts firing upon the Seven Sins with far more concern for flashy form over function, the shots themselves leaving laser-like tracers through the air. While it's clear he's hitting them, it's also clear that he seems to be hitting them with what appear to be paint pellets, and his revolvers produce far more smoke than normal guns would. In fact, as the seven descend on his position, they dive into a pluming smoke cloud. Nasty shredding echoes throughout the ampitheatre, with bits of Myste's clothes spewing from the cloud. When the smoke dissipates, no sign of Myste remains, and the Seven Sins glance around in confusion.
Voice: "Are you looking for me?"
The seven turn to see Carian Myste, dressed once more in his traditional magician's suit, standing on top of the ghost town's single tower.
Carian Myste: "Say good-bye to our lovely audience, won't you?"
Before the seven could do otherwise, the paint splatters on each of them spreads across their bodies, glittering brighter and brighter, until each of the seven stands completely covered in glittering paint. Simultaneously, the Seven Sins of the Supreme Soulstice explode in a confetti of glitter. The crowd cheers, and Highemperor relaxes.
Highemperor: "He knew their sub-atomic weak spots after all, and he hit his marks."
Myste continues bowing as the Western backdrop disappears as it had appeared, lowering the powerplayer to the ground in the process. As the applause quiets down, he pulls out what appears to be a pocketwatch with a mirror in it from his breast pocket.
Carian Myste: "Oh my, look at the time. This show's just about over! Though I suppose I could perform one final act..."
He holds his pocketwatch mirror up high, and as he pirouettes, a trail of mirrors spread from his watch, growing and spreading as if throwing a stone in a lake to cast ripples in the water. For now, the mirrors simply cast reflections of himself and the audience, but soon, they notice that they can see different versions of themselves, from different realities, and while they can see different versions of Myste as well, it seems more like different outfits like his outlaw one, from something akin to Robin Hood[Ext 4] to something akin to the King of Thieves to countless alien attires. The realities themselves show one reason why the Interdimensional Arena may have been given such a name, each leaving the audience feeling smaller and smaller in the expanse of pure imagination. Just as the audience of gods and goddesses feel like powerless mortals, the "original" Carian Myste grabs hold of his cane.
Carian Myste: "Until next time."
He snaps his pocketwatch shut, and the whole of the ampitheater space suddenly snaps into darkness. A moment later, the lights return, and Myste is gone. The audience raises in a thunderous standing ovation.
Highemperor smirks, and turns to see Carian Myste standing next to him.
Highemperor: "A good show, as always, Cari."
Myste bows, far less showy but with far more sincerity.
Carian Myste: "Thank you."
Highemperor: "Did you have to steal the Tears of Purity to use on the Seven Sins though? It'll take me another three billion years to restock those things!"
Myste smiles somewhat sheepishly.
Carian Myste: "I'm better at asking for forgiveness than permission."
Highemperor: "Well, you did me a favor. Those seven kept the High Empire from fully claiming the Supreme Soulstice for far too long. I had planned to send Entity #5 with Aryst and Thorn to do the job next century -- speaking of, I could have sworn you were Entity #4."
Myste smile turns mischievously.
Carian Myste: "Why said I wasn't?"
Highemperor: "You do enjoy impersonating the others, don't you? Particularly my daughter, Chimaat..."
Carian Myste: "I keep telling you, at least half of those are her idea!"
The two laugh as close kin do with an inside joke.
Highemperor: "Walk with me, Cari. We still have much of Forever to explore."
Carian Myste: "And much good to still do!"
As the two walk, Myste seems oblivious to the emptiness that reveals itself in Highemperor's eyes.
Highemperor: "Yes, of course..."
References[]
External References[]
- ↑ Van Dyke beard article, Wikipedia.
- ↑ Western (genre) article, Wikipedia.
- ↑ Man with No Name article, Wikipedia.
- ↑ Robin Hood article, Wikipedia.