You never forget your first encounter with Rover.
From a distance, the monstrous orb looming before him looked vaguely threatening, but no more so than the Village guards he had just taken out. He'd seen it engulf a person in the public square, but perhaps that had been Number Two putting on a show, intending to unnerve him. Either way, the orb was all that stood between him and freedom. Surely fighting against it couldn't hurt.
He had no idea how wrong he was.
As soon as he slammed his fists into the orb, he was struck with searing pain, a heat so strong that it was cold at the center. The orb yielded to his blows as if he were punching water. In an instant it overpowered him, smothering him beneath its elastic flesh.
A pungent, bitter flavor coated his throat as he inhaled, recalling a nasty brand of medicine he'd detested as a child. Clamminess settled across his skin. Instead of blacking out immediately, his mind retreating into unconsciousness to spare his body from the pain, he experienced what he would later think of as a whiteout. All information was erased from his brain, leaving him a blank slate. Nothing remained but raw feeling. Every nerve was overstimulated to the point of numbness. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't form a single thought.
He had never felt such bliss as when his senses finally shut down.
Now that he knows what Rover is, he's more careful around it. He makes himself scarce along with the Villagers whenever it appears. At first he'd assumed their actions were out of reverence, but if he looks closely he can see their hands shaking.
As Rover passes by, the air seems to hum with the distinctive pop of static electricity. A faint, shrill note drills into his eardrums, like the ringing in one's ear, externalized. The sound makes his skin crawl. Nails on a chalkboard.
In order to make his escape, he's going to have to defeat Rover. And if he can gain control of it, that means he's gained control of the Village. He'll be able to free each and every prisoner.
As long as he never has to touch it again.