A black hooded figure, all the furthest points of them seem to glow with a pale green glow that fades into white. It is said to be one of the Emissaries of the Veil, one of the Reapers of souls. A common sight among the O2-Starved drifting in the void before their passing. A gentle touch pours over them as the blackness begins to slowly fade to white.
Those who aren't saved by someone end up in the dreaming city.
This is a rare. But something calls to those who spend too long drifting
alone in the vac. Some say the reaper's learned new tricks. Some say
the old gods don't have any power out here. Some say its just a
boogeyman meant to keep people safe when they're doing EVAs. Some say this is where the void flowing forms of the Taken emerge from. Those stolen before the Ferryman can claim them.
Transcription from the popular TAKEN_VR Slick:
You're alone, drifting. Its been hours Your vac suit pressed against you as the last flash of the O2 monitor flashes before the gasping begins. Your body writhes as you struggle to breathe. The darkness opens up, fading across the spectrum until white swallows it totally.
The gasping stops.
The blackness returns.
And then-
Across the swirling void, it glimpses out like a pale moon on a cloudy night. Perched in an empty void, the city itself seems to be crumbling at the edges. The center glows with the intensity of a thousand thousand souls, all burning their brightest.
Ancient Roman buildings mix with contemporary station neo-habs mixed with shipping container tiny homes. Neon signs glow as you begin to wander down the street, making your way steadily through the city.
Towards the center.
In the middle of it all sits a black tower. Pillar? No definitely a tower. The Tower. It looks like it stretches from the void into the city. It stretches down too, you can see it as you look through the cobble pavement below. As you get closer you can see the blocks of stone, stained with red and purple streaks as if it were bleeding. Or crying. Obsidian black and just as glossy, it begins to pull on you. You feel everything slipping away. Worries. Stress. Self. Everything becomes one.
You notice that the hooded figure is standing beside you. Its been with you all this way. You see the face under the hood, gentle, obsidian, kind. Its tentacles undulate. It doesn't smile, but you can feel it smiling. It nods at you and gestures slowly to the Tower. You reach your hand out to touch the beating surface...
You wake up. Glaring med-bay lights and worried faces peer down at you. The dream begins to slip away. The face fades from your memory. You tell everyone what you've seen. Doc frowns at you and tells you to lie down and get some rest. They manage
Until you fall asleep. It all comes back to you. It calls to you. She calls to you. He calls to you. The Tower calls.
Everything feels like its a dream. You get out of your bunk. Trace your steps back through the ship's corridors. You begin the venting process on the airlock. You see the face again. So kind, gentle smile emanating from its face. It looks hungry. You step out of the airlock.
The void bends before you in an instant. You're on the pale cobbles once again. You touch the pillar.
Slick ends.
Strangely, no one has been able to recall the face after coming out of the slick. No one is sure where it came from.
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