Welcome to Immersion. You have reached Strata 19
Peer Pressure
(Existentialism)
Often humans take hallucinogenic or mind altering drugs simply to escape their perceived troubles or to relieve monotony.
Some tribespeople believe that drugs such as these can lead to an existential awakening that emphasises an individual's existence, freedoms, and choices, allowing humans to define their own meaning in life. This epiphany can help make humans to make rational decisions despite existing in an irrational and unstable universe.
But humans can easily become addicted to anything when the pleasure circuits in the brain get overwhelmed and artificial intelligence relies on this catastrophic human propensity to manipulate outcomes and behaviours.
Renyke and Flex took some time to get ready for the party.
There was an array of paints, pigments, henna, and kohl. They drew geometric and organic shapes on each other's faces and bodies.
'Look,' said Flex excitedly, spinning Renyke around in front of a mirror. There are light trails!' The pigments contained tiny particles of reflective material.
'It's magical.' says Renyke as he pirouetted around the room. He had never danced like this before. The air whooshed against his ears and the shapes and reflections in the room blurred into rainbows. The rush of blood to Renyke's brain triggered endorphins and dopamine and it felt good to be alive.
The lights dimmed as Nigel entered the chamber.
'Gentlemen, I have your pills and refreshment.'
'Pills, what do mean, pills?' asked Flex, 'you mean like *nibs?'
'Yes,' answered Nigel, 'but better, naturally. Everything in the *Tunnels is better, everyone knows that.'
'Indeed it is. Thank you brother,' answered Flex, excitedly taking a small yellow nugget and a gulp of water.
Renyke asks *POS what the pill might be?
......My analysis shows the substance is some sort of hallucinogenic, 99% likely to be a dissociative drug.
To stay alert and on target for your mission I advise that you avoid consumption. Consuming chemicals may render you unpredictable and unable to communicate with your essential-to-life POS….
Nigel shoved the tray under Renyke's sceptical nose.
'What is it, exactly?' asked Renyke. I am uncertain about such things....'
'A gift in grateful appreciation of life itself, silly, and to share the joys of tonight's festival,' answered Nigel, jabbing the tray into Renyke's chest.
Flex was smiling, whistling, and humming some tunes.
'Such a pleasant song,' remarked Nigel,' once again jabbing the tray into Renyke's chest and glaring at him with piercing eyes.
'Just take it, brother, it's a *party-party,' said Flex, suppressing a snigger.
'To refuse this gift would cause great offence to your host, she be most angry-cross, Her Most Radiant Oracle of the War-Torn High Priestess Lyra,' said Nigel, with one final jab of the tray.
'You are human now,' said Flex, 'come join us in the to the *OB.’
Seemingly already intoxicated, Flex began a series of summersaults and cartwheels, crashing into things and laughing hysterically.
Renyke checks POS for more information...
…OB, Oceanic Boundlessness, the derealisation and depersonalisation that is theorised to achieve heightened feelings to exaltation....The Urchs use OB to imagine the *metamorph and reach enlightenment…
Renyke took the pill and swallowed it under the watchful eye of the self-satisfied Nigel.
The last thing he would remember clearly was the Priestess Lyra entering the room.
From that point on the night was not marked by time or specific events. There was no beginning or end.
Renyke remembered physical pleasures that had intertwined with beautiful visions, sounds that had dissociated his cerebral cortex and massaged his subconscious. The frisson had extended through the night.
He remembered lying on the pentagon floor in the welcome chamber as fluid feelings and fleeting echos from an unrecognisable future, floated around his fuzzy brain. It was all so radiant and yet so elusive.
Flex had remembered everything.
'They took great pleasure in your *spunky-give my friend,' explained Flex, sniggering at Renyke's oblivion. 'Your physique was truly praised, most especially by Priestess Lyra. And your virile member was instinctive and *love-plenty in its journey to *virginloss.’
Flex was suppressing a snigger as Nigel entered the room.
'Misters, your clean clothes, and some foodstuff for your journey ahead. You were most generous *indeedy. and now you can be on your way.'
Renyke asks POS what Nigel means.
...Your sperm was required, I believe, as so few of the Freak tribespeople are fertile and there is fear of them not repopulating. Your sperm, and Flex's, has been harnessed for the next generation....
'Oh,' said Renyke, 'so I have reproduced?'
…According to my calculations, you and Flex have successfully impregnated twenty wombs. I estimate 10 will reach full term, 2 will die in childbirth before they themselves have reproduced, 2 will be infertile. Half of the offspring who survive to the age of reproduction will be female. The three remaining will reproduce an expected average of 8 offspring, half will be men who at full capacity will potentially reproduce (assuming good health etc.), an amount possibly in the 1000s.
However, the *Freaks are a small tribe and will need to introduce other gene pools immediately or potentially create devastating unpredictable inbred disabilities in a single generation….
to be continued..
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