Garden of Conquest Chapter 1 (Patreon)

The planet was uncertain on what to do next. He… was he still a he? Though given his variable and malleable biology he could be anything but that's besides the point. Still, he knows he has to do something especially when the person that landed on his surface looked awfully familiar. 

Considering the things he experienced earlier, maybe this was all just a fever dream? Maybe nothing was real but that line of thinking was destructive and self defeating in a way. Why continue on that line of thought when he was stuck with indecision. He needs action and he needs to do it now.

He couldn't quite affect her like all the creatures on his surface as he could only peer into her biology rather than tweak it given the resistance he was feeling so he needed something more solid to prod her. Shaping his very flesh, tentacles soon sprouted out the ground around the unconscious girl. While he might have omnipresent “vision”, it wasn’t quite acute enough to discern every single detail. He needed something better to see, something like the Mark 1 Eyeball. 


It didn't take long for him to remake the organ, as he copied the eyes of some of the more complex organisms in his surface, and found himself looking at the girl on top of him. There, sprawled on her back, lay a woman who he thought could have only existed in fiction. Either that, or the person he was seeing was a very convincing cosplay of Raven from Teen Titans.

He didn't quite know what to think of this… and the sudden implication that it brings. At least he had a companion for now. He didn’t realize earlier that he was alone but given his circumstances, that could be easily forgiven. Slowly reaching out, he gently prodded her cheeks. He didn’t expect the rather cute groan she made as she swat at the offending tentacle before she curled up on herself.

With that touch, he realized a few things. One, is that her gray skin was definitely not a make up. Two, her gray coloring was not due to an unhealthy pallor as she felt healthy with her smooth skin and warmth. Three, she might definitely be Raven or at least he’s 99% sure she is. While he wasn’t one to wake up someone during their sleep normally, he needed someone right now to talk to.

Reforming a mouth was definitely hard with the complex articulator needed for the tongue, throat and other organs for speech. Copying was definitely the only option he had right now and he opted to copy Raven’s mouth, though he had to modify the voice such mouth would produce.

“tEstING, TESTING, Testing”. He now had a mouth and finally got to speak. Prodding her once more, he then whispered in her ears “Hey, wake up! Hey!”

While the planet was trying to prod her awake, Raven was having none of it. She felt at peace right now and her perfectly curated dreams no longer needed her attention. Without the presence of a certain demon disturbing her sleep, she could finally relax. She didn’t know what caused it but she wasn’t in danger. She couldn’t feel any malice around her. She decidedly ignored the emotions she felt at her periphery that kept niggling at sensed and just decided to have her peace and quiet for once but nothing lasted forever as the constant prodding sent her dreamscape tumbling to pieces.

Her dreams frayed at the edges as she was pulled back into reality after a certain something prodded her ears. It felt slimy and uncomfortable enough that she could no longer ignore it. Suppressing the annoyance she felt bubbling up her chest, she finally came back to her senses. 

She felt the uncomfortable and unyielding ground beneath her with its thick coating of dead leaves and twigs. The scent of decaying plant matter and the fragrant tropical flowers soon assaulted her senses. It was then followed by the muggy feeling of the intense humidity and heat from her surroundings. This was not the bed she slept on just earlier. She had arrived on earth just hours ago and had just gotten a rest after finding a seedy motel but now she was in someplace else, someplace unknown and it immediately set her senses on edge.

She cracked an eye open and found herself face to face with dozens, if not hundreds of tentacles and the single biggest eye she ever saw. She froze for a few seconds as the eye blinked at her. She couldn’t feel any negative emotion right now as all she felt was an overwhelming amount of curiosity and worry. The emotions she felt were more akin to a crowd who all felt the same thing and it was drowning everything else.

Taking a risk, she decided to talk things out. “Umm… hi?” She greeted as she slowly got up while the tentacles backed away from her to give her some space.

“You really sound like her” The wave of amazement and awe was almost painful. The emotions washed over her like a flood, drowning out her very thoughts. It took a lot out of her just to center herself once more.

“W-why are you so loud?”  She couldn’t help but wince as she was soon overcome with a wave of embarrassment. She was feeling all weird right now, it was unpleasant

“Ahh, sorry.” He replied, sounding truly apologetic.

“No, I didn’t mean that. It’s your emotions. It feels like I’m talking to a crowd or something” Raven replied as she centered herself once, doing her best to drown out the emotions she was feeling.

“Ehh? Ohhh right, empath. Almost forgot about that.” Curiosity wasn’t the most unpleasant of feelings, at least for Raven as it was what she was feeling as well. They almost forgot? That was a curious turn of phrase.

“What did you mean by that?” She asked, suspicion clear in her voice.

“By what?” He asked innocently, feigning innocence. 

“You almost forgot?” She asked. For a brief second, she thought she might be captured by one of her fathers thralls but the singular eye she was seeing right now lacked the narcissistic quality of said father. It was four eyes on everything, everything.

It was only now that she noticed where they were. The gigantic trees surrounding them aligned with all the exotic plants explained why it was so humid. They were in the middle of a forest with the tentacles surrounding her. They sprouted from the ground which probably meant that whomever she was talking to was underground.

“Would you really like to know or can we just ignore that existential question for now?” They asked as the tentacle with a mouth caught her attention.

She wasn’t having any of it right now. She was woken up by a… tentacle monster and she was in azarath knows where. She will have answers. “Tell me everything.” She replied as she called upon her magic, feeling it respond to her call all too easily.

The planet gulped but relented. While he’d rather not discuss it, she had the right to know especially that they might be on the same boat right now. Feeling for a nearby rock, he pulled a suitably big enough boulder for her to sit on and placed it in front of her

“You might want to sit down because this will take a while. Also, mind telling me how you got here as well?” He replied to which Raven raised an eyebrow to his request but she acquiesced to with a simple nod. 

“Ok, so… how do we start this?” He asked, the tentacle unconsciously adopting the human mannerism of biting its own lip.

“The beginning, please.” Raven requested easily.

“Your story’s beginning or my story's beginning?”  He asked.

“Let’s start with my story then.” Raven replied

“Ever felt like your life’s just one big convoluted story? Well… let me tell you that your life might just be the story…” What followed might be the longest hour for both people. There were just as many questions answered as there were questions brought.

In the end, all that was asked was “So that’s it? My life was merely a story. Nothing ever mattered? Everything was predestined and life has no meaning?” She asked as she slid off her rock to lay down. She laid there in silence as she mulled over what had just happened. 

“Well does it matter if your life’s a story?” The planet then asked. Raven turned to the eye as he continued, “Does it really matter when you can easily change it? Why accept it when you can refuse.”

“Destiny is… not something you can easily get away from” Raven whispered.

“Well, I say you got away from one easily enough so what’s stopping you from changing your story? If life is merely a story, why not be the one to write it? Do you think Trigon-”

“DON’T you dare use that name lightly.” Raven cut him off but the planet was not one to relent.

“Trigon smigon, I don’t care. You did say that you couldn’t feel him from here, wherever we are so why bother with all the he-who-cannot-be-named. Well, my point is, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is what happens now.”

For a few seconds they stared at each other before Raven started laughing. The tentacle merely shrugged as he joined in as well. 

“You’re awfully naive.” Raven replied as she wiped a tear from her eye

“And you’re awfully negative.” The tentacle fired back

“But… I like that about you. You know… maybe nothing does matter but I’m ok with that.” She replied as she felt at ease. “For a tentacle monster, you’re awfully nice.”

“I’m actually a planet actually… I think?” He replied to which Raven blink in surprise.

“Your… serious aren’t you?” She asked.

“I mean, you could check.” He replied, sounding amused.

“You know… that explains a lot.” Raven replied as she stretched out before closing her eyes.

“What are you doing?” 

“Going back to sleep. Wake me up later” Raven decided that if she was going to be the one writing her story, might as well sleep before dealing with her life.