I Somehow Got Tasked With Managing A Realm

Author's Note in comments like usual :D

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What felt like several heated impacts barraged my body. I heard that getting shot feels like a burning sensation, but the bright green beams delivered no pain- rather the heat was a welcome addition to my frozen limbs. The energy from these unexpectedly comforting spots soon began to spread, enveloping the cold numbness and masking it with toasty warmth. The exhaustion I faced from the relentless dodging moments prior was gradually eased away.

This is what it feels like to die, huh? It's a lot more peaceful than I thought.

But that tranquility lasted only a moment.

In a rush, my senses returned. The floating feeling I had grown accustomed to had been replaced by a different kind of weightlessness, one of exhilaration and freefall. Light found its way into my presumed dead eyes, taking advantage of the opening caused by the sheer force of the wind. There was no sign of the endless ocean that had previously engulfed me and what seemed like a fancy audience hall of the highest caliber filled my view instead. Even my small glimpse at the heavily detailed architecture deduced the room was at a level of beauty even a fairy tale couldn't dream to claim. I spent a second processing the gorgeous sight before a loud squawk in my arms brought me back to attention.

Oh right...

I was in free fall with a floor of colors rapidly approaching me.

With only seconds until impact, I quickly twisted my body midair to protect the cute creature still within my grasp, immediately landing on a giant purple blob with an obnoxious and somewhat squishy thud.

Despite the loud noise, I felt no pain from the landing- the purple goo did an amazing job absorbing the impact, but that was not my main concern when my small friend's safety was on the line.

"Are you alright!? How are you still here?" I asked the tiny penguin in my arms, only for a quiet squawk to be given in return.

With a sigh of relief, I sat up and finally looked around, only to notice hundreds of odd creatures surrounding me in every direction.

They varied wildly in color, shape, and size; some even resembling weird hybrids of animals I was already familiar with. Despite the startling situation, I strangely felt no fear- the creatures around me seemed equally as confused regarding my appearance. A moment of awkward silence passed before being interrupted by a jiggling noise beneath me. 

"Oh shoot, sorry about that!" I reflexively apologized while rolling off of the purple jelly-like creature that I unintentionally splattered upon my entrance.

It made a few gurgling noises as it reformed itself into the blob shape it must have originated in, while I stood there awkwardly looking around. Most of the surrounding creatures seemed to be bipedal or at least standing upright, though they varied massively in appearance with some having scales and claws and others with fangs or spiked tails. Even the amount of clothes each creature had was different- I was wearing by far the most with my soaked winter gear and bag, but there were some creatures with heavy clothes too.

My time of examination was short-lived, however.

A familiar tingling sensation interrupted my observations and I immediately adjusted my body to the left just as a fast red light flashed by my side, hitting the wall far behind me.

I turned my attention past the crowd in the direction of its origin, bringing a large stage at the front of the room with massive violet curtains hanging gorgeously on its sides into my line of sight. At first glance, nothing seemed to be a threat; the only thing present on the stage was a red-petaled flower in a brown pot, which sat on a stool at the stage's center.

"You can't fool me, laser-flower thing! I'm not-"

With what seemed like a bullet's pace, another red light flashed toward me. Despite rapidly twisting my body, I was not fully able to avoid to beam, which ended up striking the flipper of my precious companion. He immediately began thrashing around in my arms in a panic and splashing the unfortunate creatures in the area with the cold Antarctic water that remained on his tiny body.

"Calm down Mr. Flippers," I pleaded to my newly named friend, "You're fine, see? There's not a scratch on you!"

My struggle to calm him down, however, rendered me utterly vulnerable and the flower did not hesitate to take that opening.

Unlike my earlier encounter with a beam of light, I was neither teleported nor given a warm sensation upon collision. It actually felt odd in the fact that nothing seemed different in the slightest on the shoulder which it struck. My curiosity regarding its effect was soon answered when a nearby creature resembling a humanoid salamander angrily approached me.

"Hey, you wet coward! You just got me soaked!" He shouted while reaching towards the penguin from my arms, who with a fearful squawk squirmed free from my grasp and waddled away rapidly into the crowd.

"No, come back Mr. Flippers! Don't leave me!" I called out to no avail, before turning to the furious creature to my side. The bipedal salamander-looking thing was roughly my height (5'9) with dull red scales covering its lizardy body. It was pretty clear without a weapon he could easily beat me in a fight with his claws, but I pushed aside those thoughts to stand up for my feathered friend.

"Look at what you did! You scared the heck out of Mr. Flippers; how am I going to find him in this weird place!?" I snapped.

"What do you mean 'look at what I did'? Your thing covered me in freezing water!"

"The heck is your problem? He barely even splashed you; are you so weak that a few drops of cold water are enough to drive you insane!? Scratch that, it was a stupid question- anyone willing the hurt such an adorable penguin must be crazy to begin with!"

"You dare call me crazy, you scaleless bas-"

"Settle down, you two. Though your quarrel is appreciated, we must get back to the task at hand," interrupted a voice on the stage.

The flower that I suspected of shooting the beams was now glowing with a faint golden hue. Despite having no eyes or even a face to speak of, I could without a doubt feel its gaze directly on me.

"I have never witnessed a candidate arriving so late... and to think I had just ended my introduction," the flower paused before continuing, "Unfortunately, I must attend to other matters, but I am sure your fellow Seedlings will enlighten you on the situation. You all have unique minds and bodies- every one of you has the potential to reach the top, so I look forward to seeing your progress and any surprises you may experience along the way. The universe's surprises are always welcome, after all."

With those words, the golden glow around the flower glowed brighter, engulfing it in light and leaving behind an empty stool on stage.