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« on: March 20, 2017, 07:32:55 pm »
"Eh, where I come form's nothing special - reality's much more stable there than it is here, so there's basically just ordinary physics-bound beings doing things there, no magic or odd beasts or whatever, and the only warped geometry is in funny styles of illustration. Maybe in the far future I'll want to visit again, see where exactly the well intrudes upon the place."
Jack muses for a bit.
"The substrate is ... it's an odd thing, to say the least, as you surmised. I've been told its fundamentally indestructible, and it's only this form that's vulnerable to harmful forces. I only look like this and interact with physics like I do because I make a better research probe that way, evidently. I'm not sure why I in particular was chosen, or any of the others really. We didn't seem to have anything in common, even the ones that died. Personalities were as different as you could get, there didn't seem to be any real gender bias, not that the well knows what that is... seems like it was random."
Daniels briefly produces the rats he's been carrying around before setting his hand down and forgetting about them again. "Those used to be part of another guy, never met him. And I know there was at least one more, some guy who fulfilled some astronomical prophecy early on. I dunno if he's dead now or not. But I'm guessing that the substrate is more of an ... aspect of reality, or configuration of spacetime that only the well can call into being, given how it can apparently be constructed out of rats. I know it has some odd effects on my subconscious mind too, I've taken some inward trips and it gets weird if you look too close. Probably something to do with how I knew the names of the others, and they mine. Like recognizes like, I assume."
Daniels briefly pauses speaking to slowly click his neck over to one side, then the other.
"Whatever my connection to the others is, I don't really think it has any bearing on much beyond letting me recognize them easier. Funny you should mention my purpose, Two Shores - I don't really think I have one. From all my conversations with the well, it really only seems to want data about what entities independent of it do to each other and themselves. Can't say why it does, but unless I'm completely off the mark that's it's only motivation. I'm not even really beholden to it from what I can tell, it just incentivizes 'collection' with cool gifts. So I'm free to do pretty much whatever I want, which begs the question: what do I wanna do? I'm not dependent on pretty much any biological need save maybe breathing, I haven't tested that yet, I have no ties in this world, I know pretty much nobody, and I have no obligations. It's funny, I was chasing this sort of freedom back home for a long time but now that I have it I'm not revelling in my freedom or whatever, just sorta drifting along. It's why Rainbow's attempt to get me to pull a coup on you guys didn't go anywhere. What need have I to care about politics? I'm effectively immortal if not killed and material rewards don't really make a difference to me. Hell, I have 14,033 gold coins on me right now, they don't hold a conversation."
He sighs slightly.
"To tell you the truth, I think I'm starting to understand the whole 'bored vampire' trope they had going on back in earth's media. I have the capacity to do pretty much anything I want, but no compelling reason to pursue any particular course. That's actually what I wanted to sign on for - I figure getting invested in some part of the world, getting to know people, actually socializing without engaging in mindless violence or having some ulterior motive, that sort of deal, it'd give me a bit of a purpose. You realize they're alright to have when you don't have one."
Ramble like only an emotionally detached being from beyond the fourth dimension can.
