Chapter One, The Dome, the Skull and The Dome.
Aronin Orino went through the gates of The Dome. How he survived the journey, he didn’t know, but what really matters was that the old man had said that there were people that could teach him about his power, both to make them stronger and to control them. He thought of some accidents his powers had caused, and found himself being angry at his powers. Realizing this, he quickly focused and went back to his usual emotionless trance.
The dome was a giant sphere with a big park in the middle, but Aronin suspected that this was not actually “The Dome”, but merely a relaxing area of a bigger installation. Above him, the sun was shining brightly, and he did not have to use his kinetic powers to heat his body, as he had to during his three day journey through the freezing wasteland of Canada. He thought back at the old man at the shady inn, somewhere in Canada, that gave him the subtle directions to a place where he could learn control. The directions, which sounded so clear and simple when he first got them, sounded now more like fantasy and something he made up at the spot. Aronin had first mistaken him for a drunkard, but he felt there was something about that old man that was so right, and was soon mesmerized by his tales. He did not remember why he went to search for such a stupid thing as a fantasy training ground, but he still did.
The sun shone bright, and Aronin sat down at a stone in the middle of the dome, closing his eyes, waiting. He had no intension about finding someone right now, as he was completely exhausted after the journey, and as a matter of fact, he didn’t like people. As far as he remember, the old man was the only person he had trusted, since the first accident, and he had learned to not getting to comfortable with people, knowing what he could do if he wasn’t careful enough. And then he heard the voice.
“Fear ME!”
Aronin looked around, seeing no creature, and feeling no ghost or spectral beings.
“Fear ME! I am a mighty force! Do not underestimate my powers! Muahaha!”
He looked down, and saw a skull talking… Aronin first thought at all the laws of physics that had to be broken for a skull to be able to talk, but realized his own powers would also be a real brain teaser for the greatest scientists in the world, and shrugged it off.
“Who are you?” Aronin asked, politely. He was not shy and retired as was the case when he was conversing with humans, as this was not exactly a human.
“I am ‘Murray’! I am a powerful demonic force! I am the harbinger of your doom! And the forces of darkness will applaud me as I stride through the Gates of Hell – carrying your head on a pike!” Murray said, as his forehead moved up and down as he spoke, causing his teeth to rattle.
“Stride?” Aronin asked, slightly amused by this abnormal view.
“All right then, roll! Roll through the Gates of Hell!” Murray shouted, and added in a lighter voice:
“Must you take the fun out of everything?”
“Ok, mister scary skull, but who are you?”
“I.. Oh, whatever.. I lost my body to this dog, running away with my body, burying them in various places! And now I can’t go on causing terror on the world! Wait! Hold… Stop!” Murray exclaimed as Aronin picked him up to take a close look.
“I’ll help you find your body”, Aronin lied to him. He felt where the dog had buried his bones, but thought that giving the demonic skull his body back would not be the best idea.
“Serious?” Murray asked. “Why, thanks. I guess I must repay my gratitude in some way, so I’ll guess I’ll make your death a easy and painless one, instead of a long and horrible one! Muahahaha!”
“Sure. Just stay put here, while I’ll check out this place some more”
“What else can I do? I’m a skull!” Murray sulked as Aronin sat him down again.
The dome was empty, or at least appeared empty, and Aronin got the feeling he was being watched, by someone, as he walked to an opening in the dome, back to where he came from. It was still snow there, but it was melting fast, revealing flowerbeds, patches of grass and a small path going to a forest, an area Aronin knew was empty when he first went through the dome. Also, the air was different, almost as if in another place. As in a dream, he thought about the buried bones belonging to Murray, and felt if he could still feel them. He felt one, which was buried inside the dome. The rest was gone. Or was it him that was gone? What was this place?
While Aronin had thought about this, the snow had melted completely, and he realized he was standing on top of a hill, which was only strange, as the landscape was flat when he entered the dome. But the forest was so thick and had suddenly encircled the dome, so Aronin had no idea what was beyond. Walking back to the stone, he picked up Murray and walked out through the woods.
“Hey, what happened? Where is the desert?” Murray exclaimed, as they walked down, entering the dark forest about halfway down the hill.
“Desert?” Aronin asked. “It was a frozen plain, no desert.”
“When I entered the dome, it was a desert. I was chased by this scary big dog! His teeth were like razors *wah wah* , and his claws were like samurai swords *tching tching*! But the worst thing is the tounge!”
“What kind of dog was it?” Aronin asked, almost knowing what answer he’d get.
“Chishoawa, or something. Fearsome creature, I’ll say. It’s eyes were glowing with fire!”
“Murray, Murray…” Aronin shaked his head, and continued down the hill, which was starting to straight out. Murray continued to describe the fearsome Chihuahua, and Aronin was nodding, saying occationally “yes, yes” and “absolutely” so Murray should think he was interested. But his head was aching. The dome was in a desert, a glacier or something and a forest? Was it a portal or something, was it still at the big plains of ice in Canada or was it only here now? And where was this path leading? The last answer was quickly answered by the forest ending. As he strode out, he knew immediately where he was. This was The Dome.
The Dome was a big dome, almost like the one at the top of the hill, with many houses and buildings spread out around it. Occationally, he saw people parrying, people performing all sorts of magic and spells. Here and there, strange animals were emerging from thin air and in many places, fireballs were summoned. This was students, and Aronin knew at once that this was what he was looking for.
With hope in his heart, he stood still for a while with his eyes closed to get back into his emotionless, and walked into the big city, looking for someone willing to train him, and most important, food.
OoC: Is it ok to bring in Murray? I thought that since Aronin is a shy and not a person that is likely to have long and deep conversations with other persons, a talking skull could help out. And I find him very amusing. (Yeah, it’s Murray from The Curse of Monkey Island)
Also, was it a 500 words post? It became 1100 instead.. Sorry ‘bout that.
Edit: I changed the story a bit, and added some details here and there.
How is it with describing the Dome? Is it defined how The Dome look like, or can I be creative?