Death, Taxes, and Cookies: to Rule an Underworld - INTERMISSION 2 END

[X] Ask it something

Um...

Hell... hello.

...

My name is Colin. What is - what is yours?

...

For a moment, I thought that that was going to be the end of its' response - that it would just not reply to any attempt at a normal...ish... conversation. Or perhaps it simply doesn't understand what I'm saying...? I open my mouth to try again, before it makes me snap it shut.

... I HAVE NO NAME.

!

IF YOU WISH IT, YOU MAY GRANT A NAME TO ME.

Wait... what?

You mean... I can name you?

YES.

This is... exceedingly strange. I didn't even name the family dog, let alone - whatever this thing is. That should probably be my next question, actually. I shift gears.

Well... what are you, then?

...

I AM THE MANIFESTATION OF LIFE'S CESSATION.

THE IDEA AND CONCEPT OF THE ETERNAL DISREPAIR WHICH WAITS FOR EVERY BEING.

I AM THE ASPECT OF DEATH; DEATH INCARNATE.

...

...

... Yeah, you're going to take a minute to process that one.

Hoo, okay.

I'm... I'm guessing this is the afterlife, then?

YES.

I probably could have guessed that, actually, but confirmation's nice. Explains a lot. Though...

This doesn't... really, look like how I imagined it.

...

...

I'm dead. That fact... starts to sink in.

I... really am dead. All my hopes, all my wishes, all my ambitions... my time playing in the flower garden with my brother... gone.

My brother...

If... this is the afterlife...

Where are the other souls?

NOT HERE.

What do you mean?

...

... ALL DEAD SOULS ARE CURRENTLY IN THE MORTAL WORLD, UNCOLLECTED.

NOT A SINGLE ONE ADORNS THE UNDERWORLD.

Uncollected?

YES.

NONE ARE AT WORK ADMINISTERING THE PROCESS BY WHICH SOULS ARE ESCORTED HERE.

That doesn't sound like a good thing.

NO.

As- as in, shouldn't - shouldn't someone be doing that? Shouldn't you be doing that?!

WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO?

My train of thought crashes into itself. There it is again - it - Death, apparently - is asking me to command it. Asking me to name it. I stand up, pursing my lips together in bemusement.

I don't understand. You're talking to me as if I'm in charge of you. But - shouldn't you just - like - do these things yourself?

...

... I AM THE MANIFESTATION OF DEATH. I AM THE REPRESENTATION OF CESSATION.

I AM NOT ITS' ARBITER, ITS' COMMANDER, ITS' LORD. I AM NOT ITS' GOD.

I still don't see how I'm capable of telling you to do these things. If you need to be commanded, shouldn't someone else do it?

IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO?

Well, if you're not them, then... probably... the God of Death?

YES.

Okay... If that's the case, why are you taking orders from me?

...

YOU ARE THE GOD OF DEATH.

I lean forward, just a little bit.

What the fuck.

I barely even register that I said a bad word.

---

I spend a few minutes simply curled up, gently processing the words that were just said to me. The Aspect (that's what I'm calling it for now) merely stood by my form, not moving, not speaking, still frozen in the position it had when it made its' claim. I tried to deny it when I recovered a little bit - telling it that it had it all wrong, that there was no way I was a god, much less one of death. I've got a list of aspirations, sure - but being the arbiter of hell is not on there!The Aspect wouldn't budge, however - telling me over and over that, no, I was, indeed, its' rightful lord.

For whatever reason, I now have a strange skull-faced shadowy giant who believes I am the Lord of the Underworld under my "command". Perhaps I should give it a name?

- [ ] Write-in a name for the Aspect.
- [ ] Or just keep calling it the Aspect.

More importantly, I should probably do something with my new... "servant". If only so that it doesn't loom over me while I contemplate some more. It feels uncomfortable to be in charge of something like the Aspect... but it'd be weirder to just sit around in this tiny cave and do nothing.

[ ] Ask it about...
- [ ] What being a God of Death entails, responsibility-wise. You've no idea what you're supposed to do next, so you should probably get on knowing that.
- [ ] What happens to souls when they die. If they actually have to be escorted here, souls must be a tangible thing, right? What are they?
- [ ] Why it came out of your wand, and if anything else is going to come out of there. You want to know if you'll be next summoning the Aspect of Candy Corn who'll hail you as the Confectionery Monarch. Actually, that doesn't sound too bad...
- [ ] What's the deal with your outfit - you didn't die in these, after all. At least, you're pretty sure. And why does every single piece of it involve a skull?
[ ] Command it to...
- [ ] Start ferrying dead souls. Hey, it asked you if it should, so you should give an answer.
- [ ] Make this place look prettier. You don't actually know it if it has the ability to do this, but maybe it can at least do away with those stalactites. Stalagmites. Rocks.
- [ ] Just... leave you alone for a bit. You need more time to adjust.