Wilson let out a long yawn. It was middle of the night and he was once again camping outside, cooking some asparagus which he found that day. He was starting from zero again. He along with a couple of more survivors have been living in this hell of a world for a long time, too long for his liking. The world itself seemed like a nightmare or a very bad dream with the logic of a toddler. Walking Bunnymen, forty centimeters big spiders, monsters made of solid shadows, raining frogs or giant cyclop deers? They all had to get used to this there. They had to learn how to kill an animal without feeling bad. They had to learn to eat things they never thought they would have to and they had to learn that when being exposed to darkness without any light source, they would instantly die. Their ultimate goal was to get home, of course. And Wilson tried. He did try to do that. When making a boat to see what was over the seas, he end up shipwrecked on an island, which turned out to be a part of a big archipelago. This experience made their group a little bigger by meeting more survivors. But there was still no exit. No way out. So after they have been in caves, over the seas, what way could he go anymore? The answer was in the skies. Wilson made an air balloon. An actual air balloon that worked. But just because he found a new way of travel, didn't mean he found a way home. While being on his way, a storm hit in and he end up crashing into a land. A land in the skies. There was ground, a grass, trees, even water and to be crazy enough, there was life too. It seemed to be populated mainly by pigs though. These pigmen weren't the same as on his original island. This kind of the suinaes was noticeably highly intelligent, or at least on a higher level than the wild ones. They had a whole kingdom, shops, money, banks, food, and a whole culture. But to be able to shop for items or food, mainly the food, he would have to get money to pay with first. He found a way to. The pig people seemed very friendly and were actually seeking exchanges. Berries for an oic, rope for two oincs, a gem for ten oincs. If he was lucky enough, he might even be able to get enough money to get materials for another air balloon to get back to his crew again. He had to try. But that meant he should not spend money on anything not important, including food when he could eat asparagus which he found on the field. Oh god, how he was sick of eating it every day.
The morning sun shined on the sky and Wilson knew he had to get up to get back to the town again. He walked over some watchtowers and pigmen royal guards who were keeping an eye on a farmer and some berry bushes. After some minutes he finally got to the place. It was early in the morning and the town was already wide awake. Shopkeepers were putting outside their shop's signs with discounts on products, normal citizens were talking together or were just simply walking around the town, admiring their own culture. 'Well,' Wilson thought, 'another day of work can begin.'
The whole noon and afternoon Wilson spent by trying to be productive. As a gentleman, he'd open a door into a shop for a pig lady, at the same time ask her if she needed anything. Petals? He'd run then all the way to the grass field next to the town to get some petals. A rope for a pigman worker? No problem! He had a lot of cut grass anyway. Shopkeeper needing clippings? Well, strange request, but he did eat a slug the other day, who is he to judge.
Hours and hours passed and the sun began to set. Wilson looked at his palm to count all of his hard made money. "eleven...twelve...thirteen...thirteen!" Wilson proudly put the oincs back into his backpack. "Thirteen hard made oincs." He was again a little bit richer. By checking the sky, he decided to slowly make his way to his camp. Or he would do that if strange noises wouldn't stop him. Barking? No, no. More like growling or something like that. No, that still wasn't the right word. How was the...Ah! Howling! That's it. But before he could actually start thinking about the cause of the howling, something suddenly bit him in the arm. He let out a growl in pain and with a quick swipe, he threw the attacker to the ground. No wonder it was so easy to throw away, it was a bat. A big, pig bat? Bat pig? A vampire bat! 'Now it's not the right time for this!' he told himself and took out his spear, killing the beast before it could attack him again. Wilson turned around to see if there was any more of these beasts, and there were, many. Wilson knew he didn't have a chance against fifteen of these at the same time, he didn't need his forbidden knowledge for this. What he needed though, was a help. Wilson fast as he could began to run. The knights were nowhere. 'Where are they when you need them?' Suddenly a loud gunshot deafened him. "What in the-" Wilson turned around to see that the beast's attention was taken by something or someone who just killed one of them, saving the scientist. "LET SLIP THE PIG OF WAR!" A young pig child jumped into Wilson's view, smacking down and killing two of the pig bats with something that seemed as a corck bat? "Huzzah! To arms!" Another person jumped in. Wilson could barely see them since the vampire bats were blocking his view, but it wasn't important right now. He finally had a chance to attack again. Taking his spear once again, he took on the flying monsters as well to help get rid of them. The bats were taken off quickly like that. It almost reminded him of getting rid of hounds with his friends. "T-thank you!" Wilson thanked between his breaths, it was quite exhausting, he didn't battle anything like that in days. One of the persons who saved him checked the pig child as if they were checking for any injuries, then they got up and with arms on their hips turned at Wilson like about to say something. Both of them froze. It was a human. Another human and it wasn't just a human. "Uncle...Warbucks?" It was visible that it took a second or two before the other person's eyes widen in shock and surprise. "Nephew Wilsie?" Without hesitating, Wilson quickly almost ran to him. One thing is seeing another human in this world, a whole different is seeing a family member who has been missing for several years here. The uncle took a pit hat off his head and examined the scientist carefully. "Black ridiculous hair, sharp nose and lack of chemise tugged in pants? Call me crazy if I am mistaken...but you're my brother's lass!" The man grinned and Wilson couldn't react anyhow else then brightly smile. "Look at you, you grew up into charming young lad." Wilson chuckle and spoken again. "Of all places, I did not expect to see you in a place like this, after all these years, uncle!" Still smiling he put his hand at his forehead, it was unbelievable. "'After all these years?'" The uncle with a grin repeated. "I mean, twenty-three years is a long time." That was when the uncle's smile dropped and his face became more serious. "Twenty-three...years?" He asked in disbelief. "Well, yes." Wilson not really noticing the change of his uncle's emotion, due to being turned away continued still amazed. "It's just so incredible! Everyone thought you were...dead or...something else happened. I'd never expect to find you here!" He turned at his uncle and stopped himself from more talking. The explorer's face was as if someone told him someone died, it was shocked but also much, much more cheerless, it was almost pale. Staring at his feet, the uncle looked back at his nephew almost like in despair that he just in a moment of happiness simply just made the number bigger. "It couldn't be twenty-three years, could it?" But before Wilson could answer, the night's darkness quickly began to cover the sky. The uncle petted the pig child's shoulder and with a wave of a hand, without words, invited the scientist to stay for a night at their place.
Wilson was brought up to a house, which wasn't that far away, it was a rich looking villa. That was something he thought he'd never see again since being thrown into the Constant. The scientist stared in surprise. An Alchemy engine, a stack of many chests, a Shadow manipulator and two crockpots with a fridge as well. Something what he'd call a well-kept base. "Wilba, could you take out of the refrigerator some sweet treat for us and the guest?" "WILBA CAN DOTH!" The pig girl saluted in a childish way, her ginger curled up pigtails swang as she quickly went to fulfill her task. Warbucks himself sat on an armchair, which they had placed on a small carpet with a tea table, and relaxed. Wilson kept looking around the place. Plants in pots, a bookshelf filled with jewels and weapons, even a hat holder and curtains on a window. This really was like a home. But why should he be surprised, if his uncle was living there for so long then- "Planning on standing there the whole night, eh?" The scientist heard his uncle laught and took his way to the seat on opposing way to the explorer's. He felt a little tap on his arm and as he turned at what it was, a plate with delicious looking waffles was pushed into his hands by the pig child with a smiled. Holding a plate with warm waffles, sweet holy waffles, Wilson did not wait and quickly began to eat. The pig child who had a plate of food on her own snorted at this, he must have looked really hungry if even a pig laught at him, he did not really care though. It didn't take too long and the second human joined them with a meal as well. Wilson finished his food first and if the plate was edible, he'd most likely eat it as well, he didn't eat an actual meal ever since he got to this place, and it felt so heavenly.
"So," Warbucks wiped his mouth into a napkin, "I say, it's a good time to talk." Wilson looked over at his uncle and straighten up in the armchair. "I have so many questions..." His uncle smiled, "Ask then." The young scientist had no idea where to start, how- when-. "How did you get here? I mean," Warbucks did expect this question, that didn't mean he did not felt ashamed from his past actions, "you made a deal, right?" with a sigh, the explorer began to talk.
"I was a young lad, strong-headed and adventure loving explorer." The man smiled and leaned his back against the armchair in nostalgia. " Even if I had a place to call home and a beautiful, lovely wife, what I loved the most was exploring. Traveling from country to country, going through snake and mosquitoes filled jungles where the sun shined so bright it tanned my skin red." Wilson smiled, he did recall some stories his uncle would tell him when he was little. "My wife, Amaryllis" this was a part where he paused for a minute and stared into a wall, but continued, "she wasn't happy about my traveling since it would mean I would be gone for months. She would ask me many times to stop, she hoped it was just a simple phase of middle age." Warbucks chuckled and closed his eyes. "I would always make fun of how her books were precious to her, she loved biology and it was fitting for her name." The pig child gave the explorer a little confused look, the man quickly noticed it and explained. "Amaryllis is an exotic looking flower with generally crimson petals." "OOH!" the pig youngling smiled and continued listening to the story. "Where was I- oh right, my wife. Amaryllis would ask me many times to stop, to stay home and settle down, but I couldn't. I couldn't live for the rest of my life knowing that there were undiscovered treasures which I could get my hands on. Oh, I had my eye on them and I knew I'll get them all. At one of my expeditions, I failed, I activated a trap, and end up without any gold or jewels, no old artifacts or statues, I was in a dead end of a catacomb and I couldn't handle it. I was outraged. I was angry at everyone in the world, at my wife, my family, but mainly, at myself. "Wilson looked down, almost everyone in the camp who chose to share their stories with him would have some connection, it happened when they were the most vulnerable. "That's when I heard the voices. Of course, at first I thought I was going insane, but when you are emotionally at the bottom, insane things began to look normal to you and you might even turn insane yourself without realizing it." It was visible that he was not planning on going into details of what he did or didn't do, neither Wilson or Wilba tried to push him into talking. "The deal granted my wish, I end up in a place full of things new to explore and discover."
Wilson stared into his empty plate and mused about his uncle's story, it wasn't that dissimilar from his own. "Well, I had my mouth opened for long enough, eh? I think it's your turn to tell the story, Wilsie." Wilson opened his mouth to correct the family member, but seeing the smile on his face, he knew his arguments wouldn't change a thing. "Well, I studied chemistry, after my graduation I basically locked myself away from the rest of the world so I would have enough time for my experiments. To achieve that, I moved far from the town into an old shack in the middle of nowhere. One day when one of my experiments blew up into my face, I was done, I was exhausted and I was about to just give up, until I heard a voice from my radio." "Ah," Warbucks nodded and rubbed his chin, "the shadows." "Actually, yes and no." This was a part of the story that caught his uncle's attention because of his choice of words. "It was a man by the name of Maxwell, long story short, he was the king of the world we are in, he was being held hostage by a shadow throne that always seeks for a host. It's a very nasty thing, I myself was stuck on that thing for some time after I saved Maxwell from there." Wilson explained the explorer nodded, remembering these informations. "So, you heard that Max lad from the radio, what happened after?" "W-well, well we made a deal, I got forbidden knowledge under one condition, I'll build a portal, which later on brought me to this world." the scientist finished talking but realized, he had still so much to talk about. He began to talk again. He explained how there are many islands in this world and even more survivors. He told him about his group, about Wolfgang, Woodie, Wendy and Abigail, the automaton Wx-78, the half human, half spider Webber, who made the pig child's eyes widen in horror, He told him about Winona, Wes, their new additions Walani and Warly... and he told him about Willow, for which he received a few mocking comments after slightly blushing when talking about.
"So, forbidden knowledge, eh? How does that wish work?" Warbucks smiled while tucking Wilba into her puffy sleeping bag, she couldn't help but fell asleep listening to the stories. "Well," Wilson scratched his head, "it's basically like having millions of books inside my head." "Millions of book?! I'd go crazy on your place." the uncle laugh, it felt great for both of them to talk to another family member. "So, I see you have a family here" Warbucks proudly patted his nephew's shoulder. "I guess, I guess I do." Wilson smiled and looked back at his uncle. His uncle let go off his shoulder and took a closer look at him from head to feet and back. It was almost impressive how the boy grew to be so similar how the explorer's brother. But even if so, by personality, they were so different. He remembered his brother to be all the time homesick lad who hated traveling out of the city, he had a house where he lived happily with his family. Warbucks wondered if he got any more children when Wilsie got older. If so, then that would mean he'll have to give them a lot of presents for all the years he was gone, but didn't he owe to Wilson as well with this logic? It did surprise him when he told him he studied chemistry. What a strange subject. But who is he to talk, he himself as a student was in geology, later on, biology school. That's where he met his future lovely wife, as well.
That night before they went to sleep, the conversation continued. Warbucks would ask more about Wilson, how is he doing and what were the strangest experiences to happen to him. It's not that he was dying to know, but it was nice seeing his nephew so happy talking about how he figured out how to kill a giant beaver. The lad was happy, he felt needed and there were people in his old base that were counting on him. Warbucks did promise him they will try to find a way how he could get back there, but in meanwhile, Wilson looked excited when his uncle mentioned old catacombs not too far away, why not showing him the interesting part of this world.
Wilson smiled before closing his eyes, laying on his sleeping bag, to go to sleep. 'Maybe this world isn't that bad afterall.