Art loaded his space-glock with a grin. Excited to beat the ass of not just one Reuben, but multiple of them. To Art, it was a moment to illustrate to them why they are forever in his shadow. Because they could never be as cool or as handsome as he is.

Both sides readied their weapons, the ninjas unsheathed their blades, Drunk Beard loaded his cannon, while the Reuben brigade cracked their knuckles. Ready for the battle that will soon come.

Art took a step towards his opponents, his legs about to spring into action so he can unleash his gun-fu on those foolish to be his enemy. “Alright eviller, dumber, alternate versions of my lame brother. Who wants to be the first to have my boot print embedded into their face?”

“None of them,” a voice whispered to Art. But before Art could turn around to face whoever spoke to him, a thousand hands breached the veils of reality and ripped Art into a portal. Art kicked and struggled as the arms dragged him through time and space. He screamed and shouted for the arms to let him go, but they seemed to not care. Quickly, Art fired at the arms with his space-glock, tearing the flesh and muscle from them. But alas, it did nothing.

With a crash, Art was thrown to the ground of a dark cave. He groaned while he picked himself up. Annoyed beyond sin to whoever, or whatever interrupted his battle. He looked around, to see nothing besides being surrounded by rocks, the smell of stale moisture, and the sound of droplets in the distance. Darkness surrounded him, which further irritated Art. For what he cannot see, he cannot tell whose ass he is kicking.

He pulled out a miniature flashlight from his secret compartment in his own underwear. With a flick of a switch, the beam of the light barely illuminated the vastness of the cave. Art raised a brow when he noticed the rocks are, strange. They are covered in a thick mucous and a mixture of blood. A splash of sweat caught his eye, making him point his torch upwards. Revealing to him an ungodly sight. A large worm-like creature latched itself to the caves walls, its human-like skin looked wet and oily with patches of human hair of various colours, protruding from its body is what could be thousands of arms. Either gripping onto the wall to support the creature’s weight or rubbing and squeezing its body with cracks and slushes emanating from it. Art tried to follow the length of the creature, though it seemed to have no end. Art suspected this is one of his brother’s abominations that teleported him there to finish him off. He couldn’t help but smile that Reuben and other alternate versions of Reubens see Art as such a threat that they had to transport him out of the fight.

“Okay bucko, show yourself so we can get this over and done with. I got a Super Mcguffing I need to collect and become the hero of the day, yadda yadda. You get the picture.” After Art spoke, the worm-like creature slivered along the wall. Unphased with what he said, or at least apathetic towards him. Art loaded mercury tip rounds and fired out as each bullet hit its target. Yet that didn’t stop the creature, it doesn’t seem to his eyes while he unloaded his glock onto the moving worm of meat. Skin blasted off from its body, bone fragmented, it didn’t notice Art at all even when it bled violently along the cave surface. “Come on! Is this what I have to deal with?” Art shouted, bored for the lack of engagement from the creature before him. “I knew it, my rivals found my only weakness. Boring boss battles with all edge but zero point.” He mumbled to himself.

“That is far from the truth.’ A voice spoke behind him. Art turned around to see the face of the creature. Its lips are made of fingers, its tongue a split-open stomach, and its teeth of jagged and broken ribs. It has no eyes or nose, yet it can clearly tell where Art is. On what could be identified as its head is the head of a young human woman, moaning in agony every time the creature makes any subtle movements. She seems to not notice Art. Art grinned at the creature as he shot at it numerous times, only stopping as the creature just smiled at him in amusement. “Are you finished?” It bellowed, its tone harsh and unwelcoming.

Art complained like a teen, “yes, I suppose I am. But I’m not finished with this!” Art pulled out his hypersonic driver and pointed it towards the roof of the cave. He eyed the creature in arrogance, waiting for the hypersonic driver to get the plot moving. Though nothing happened, the creature chuckled just after snatching the driver from his hands.

“Don’t think it didn’t work, it demands the cave collapse and fall on top of me. Little do you know that I am the one holding it all together. I’ll let you in on a little secret, a plot doesn’t determine what a story is, and while the plot will demand you to leave, the story of your tale will say otherwise.” The creature crushed the hypersonic driver with a single clench of its fist. Plastic and twisted metal lacerating the hand, yet it seemed uncaring.

Art folded his arms while he tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for the creature to make a point so he could leave this place. Taking the dire situation as some sort of joke, believing it is a ploy by either his brother or cousin. “Alright, spit it out before I die of boredom. I’m already sick of this place as it is. So who sent you? Herbert? Rueben? Or is it that crazy bitch I accidentally dated three years ago?”

The creature laughed an uncomfortable growl, its teeth rattled and buckled at Art’s thoughtless accusations. “I am not summoned by anyone, and even if I was, it would not be anyone you know.” The creature snaked around Art, studying him while it drooled like a hungry animal. “I brought you here, for a deal, one that I believe you will find most beneficial.”

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

“Oh wow, an ugly ass monster wants to make a deal, how original! Let me guess, you are going to give me something so powerful for my soul. Been there, done that, I’m not interested in giving that thing up another time.”

The fingers on the monster’s lips rattled and flickered, as if it was finding Art an interesting specimen. “Expected, but no. I have no interest in your soul, I can easily forge my own. What I desire is a promise. A promise to destroy Herbert’s work and their abominations, that his legacy will be forever forgotten for a mockery that it is.”

“Mockery!?” Art laughed, seeing the irony in the creature’s statement. “You are no different to what Herbert makes. Truth be told, I am sure you are one of his creations.”

The monster frowned while it showed its fangs. “Hebert is but an imitator of my artistry, a charlatan without a clue on what he is doing. He creates creatures and beasts only a child can dream up, a man lacking in imagination and doomed only to fail because of it. Don’t compare me to a fool! Not when you lack the understanding of what I am.”

Art grinned, believing it was a challenge. “Prove it.” He muttered, wanting to agitate the creature into a fight. One that Art believed he could win.

The monster gestured to Art to follow it with a wide smile. As if it was waiting for Art to give them the opportunity to show him its collection. Its laboratory of madness and art of depravity. “Come, I will show you true mastery.” The creature replied with a hint of excitement in its voice. Without anything to do, Art followed the beast. Saying to himself that he might as well tag along and get this over and done with. Already, he felt tired and bored with their interaction. Even if he desired a fight.

Once they arrived at the other side of the cave system, Art stands there stunned at the sight before him. Hanging from the roof of the cave are millions of fetuses of different creatures, monsters and human-like entities, their umbilical cords attached to the roof of the cave above. However, when Art looked up, he didn’t see a rocky surface. Instead, the cords reach out to the endless cosmos of the universe. Infinitely reaching out to whatever end of the galaxy they are attached too, consuming the life-force of what holds space together. Illuminating the room with the light of newly born stars and flames of hot plasma from passing comets and the eruption of gasses. Art touched one of the fetuses which caused it to shake. He tried to make a joke, to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Yet he couldn’t! He couldn’t find something that struck him to his core. What he faced is no scientist of any regular kind, but a force of nature, a creator of all things horrific.

Like an apple from a tree, the creature plucked one of the fetuses and ate it whole. It licked its lips in joy, delightful at the consumption of its own creation. “This is true artistry. This is what beauty looks like, not tubes of bacterium and cells clumping together to create a single basic organism. No! What I show is the creation of entire species, one that can adapt to its environment or die trying. All of them are species living, out there in every universe.”

“Why did you eat one?” Art replied.

“I allowed its existence to be, and I can also demand its eradication! Not all should live forever, sooner or later I will pluck it from life and conclude its story. Putting a sudden end to their kind. At times they kill themselves off naturally, their primordial fetus shrivel when the last of their kind is extinguished. A kinder end to what I offer.” The creature rubbed one cord with its tongue, sensing if it too should end or continue living on.

Art loaded his gun again and aimed it at the creature in fury. He saw it as a threat to all life, a monster playing God to the creatures below. One that must be killed at all costs. “Who are you?” Art demanded.

The creature smirked back, “I am the mother of predators and the father of prey, I am the creator of monsters and the bringer of monster slayers. My purpose is to seed every world with life and under every sun a shadow of horror, I am the concept you cannot defeat for my existence is tied to yours. With your tools and toys, you may believe you can bring me down. Yet I will forever be the one capable of erasing you from time and space with a single thought. Even if you destroy this possessed body, I still live on beyond the confines of reality. I bring you here on the verge of defeat because I allow it, and because I desire a bit of entertainment as a reward for my lifetime of service.”

Art frowned, “what do you want?”

“As I said, destroy Hebert’s work. His creations mock me, and I find it insulting. I want you to do it for me, and I’ll watch. In turn, I’ll give you a weapon. One I find amusing, but you might enjoy using. Now! Art, do we have a deal?” Art thought to himself, he nodded in agreement as he saw no way out of this situation besides agreeing to the creature's terms. With a toothy grin, thousands of the monster’s arms dug into its chest and ripped it apart, tossing bone and flesh to the floor before it pulled out a double-barrel shotgun. A weapon Art noticed was made in the 19th hundreds, on Earth itself.

After Art took the gun and a handful of shells, the creature spoke with venom in its voice. “Now that we have met, I believe you have a few rivals to find.” With a click of a thousand fingers, Art fell through a portal that formed under him.