Log date: Day XXX
It's been some time since our thieving friend WX-78 left our base along with Chester. I wish I could say things have been going okay here but… Well, it's not.
Willow certainly hasn't let anyone forget about how much our robotic friend was going to burn if she ever sees them again and Webber… Oh jeez. The poor boy is still broken hearted about the fact that WX stole Chester. Not that I would blame him.
Chester was like a faithful companion and trusted friend to Webber. He would spend hours on hours talking to that furry chest or run around with Chester following like regular walks or a substitute game of tag. Now a days, poor Webber just usually sits around moping or crying his little heart out. Doesn't skip out on his jobs thank goodness, but it's really depressing to seeing him like this.
Willow and I have tried to cheer him up on survival occasions, and results have been… variant. Sometimes we managed to succeed to make him smile, other times not so much. How I wish I hadn't fixed that robot, then we won't have to deal with this whole mess. (And Webber wouldn't have to be so sad…) But there's a lot of things I wished never happened.
A lot…
Anyway, perpetration for winter have been steady. Since nothing was stolen… aside from Chester, surviving winter should be simple enough. We have enough food to get us through till spoilage or until we run low enough to be forced to forage. Though that is not my main concern for this winter. No. If my studies are correct (and when are they not?), this winter promises to be very cold.
Colder than our other experienced winters. Maxwell must be stepping up his game a little. (HATE THAT GUY) And if that's true, then I'm very concerned for the well being of
"Willow are you reading my journal again?!" Willow blinked sluggishly as the journal was snatched out from her grip, looking up at perturbed Wilson.
"Oh hey Wil. When did… you get here?" Willow asked slowly, sniffing and rubbing her nose against the blanket.
"Willow that's unsanitary." Wilson groaned, clutching his journal close to his chest. "And what are you doing out of your tent? I told you to wait in there till I got back!"
"But it was boooorrrrring! It's no fun when you're not here!" Willow whined.
"Willow, you're risking your health if you continue to do stuff like this!" Wilson kneeled in front of her, feeling her forehead. He tsked, shaking his head in disapproval. "Your fever's gone up. Get back inside your tent Willow, I'll cook up something for you to help with the fever."
"Nooooo. Don't leave meeee!" Willow latched onto Wilson's leg as he stood up, clinging onto it.
"Willow this is really not necessary!" Wilson tried to pry her off as gently as he could, but the fire starter would simply not let go. "I'm not your bear Willow! I'll only be gone just a moment."
"NonononononononononononononononononononoNO!" Wilson sighed, turning his head to look over his shoulder.
"Webber? Webber?" The spider child, sitting next to the fire and poking it with a stick, looked up. "Could you throw in some monster meat, frog legs, and a couple of carrots in the crockpot? I'm a bit… occupied at the moment."
Webber didn't say anything for a moment before nodding and getting up. "Thank you!" Wilson smiled, turning his focus back on Willow. "Willow, please. Let go of my leg."
"No!"
)*(
Wilson wasn't sure who was more childish.
Willow or Webber.
While Webber was arguably younger and technically a child himself, Willow acted more like a child on temper tantrum than her real age when she was down with the flu.
Honestly, she was a grown woman yet she needed nearly twenty-four hours of care and treatment. Wilson was always scared to leave her alone because that woman would wander away or get herself into trouble. And all the while she would whine, moan, cry, and act like a young child than be reasonable and let Wilson help her. And clingy. Very, very clingy.
For reasons unknown, Willow got very clingy to every personal object she was deeply attached to. A.k.a. Bernie, her lighter, occasionally Wilson, Webber (if he ever got close enough to grabbing range), fire pits, anything fire related, and the Life Giving Amulet Wilson gave her back in fall. (He was surprised she still had that. He was certain that she had used it when she went into the marsh to gather blue mushrooms.)
And for someone down with the flu, Willow certainly wasn't frail. Her grip surely spoke for her. (And the small bruising on his legs.) Luckily, with persuasion (bribing) she relented her death grip.
"Feeling a bit better now?" Wilson asked, poking the fire with his stick. Willow sat across from him, snuggled deep in her cave of every blanket they had in the base. She so buried in deep that only the top portion of her face showed, along with a half-buried Bernie. She nodded, snuggling deeper into the pit of Beefalo skins and spider webbing.
"Good. At least that's some good news." Wilson hummed, throwing the stick in the fire. "… Willow. Stay on your side."
"Aaaaaawwwwwwww! But you look so cold!"
"Willow, I appreciate that you're concerned for me, but I must remind you that I have this." Wilson pointed to his beard. "Along with this jacket and added thermal stone to keep me warm. You on the other hand…" Wilson trailed off.
He didn't need to clarify anything. They both knew Willow was weak to the cold. It was her main big weakness (aside from the rain of course). Wilson had taken all precautions at winter in keeping Willow warm, less he would have to deal with her health and mental stability.
But of course it wasn't a solid 100% plan.
Deerclops and added Hound attack helped see to that plan in shambles.
Thankfully they had stopped at the spare base that day when the attack happened. (Though not so thankfully it meant that all the healing supplies were back at the main camp.) No one died, which was good (and rare on his part), but they all took a pretty hard beating that day. Physically and mentally. Wilson practically had to drag Willow to the main base when she started screaming out death threats to the shadow creatures that were slowly coming into form.
Still, they had acquired some valuable resources that day, so it wasn't total loss and disaster.
Until Willow came down with a cold.
It wasn't as bad of a cold like Wilson first feared. Just a simple fever and a few sniffles. Nothing overly dangerous or life threatening. Still, he needed to keep an eye on Willow, just in case she did anything that could result in making her fever worse. (Just like their second winter together. That was a nightmare.) This winter seemed alright though. Small fever, no crazy antics, a well-stocked food supply, maintained walls for added protection, and plenty of wood for the fire.
The only thing they needed to worry about was another hound attack. But that wouldn't be for a couple days now. So this should be a relatively easy winter this time.
Wilson should be able to relax and not worry about any—
"Gah!" Wilson jumped as he felt a poke on his shoulder, twisting around to find Webber standing behind him. "Webber! By science, how many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me like that? I could have had a weapon in my hands and attacked you."
"… 'm sorry…" Webber mumbled, not looking at Wilson and kicking the ground with his toe.
Wilson frowned. He wasn't used to seeing Webber like this. So unhappy and sad. He hadn't seen Webber be happy ever since WX-78 took Chester. "No no it's fine. I'm sorry I acted that way. Is there something you need?"
Webber was silent for a moment, kicking the snow covered ground. "… we're out of spider glands." He finally said after a moment's pause.
Wilson's eyes widened. "What? That can't be possible." Wilson got up, heading to his chest and looking inside. Sure enough, there were no spider glands in his chest. "How can this be? We had twenty of them! We shouldn't be out already!" He went over to Webber's chest, finding it empty of glands as well. "Why are we out of glands?"
"We're out of *achoo!* of glands?" Willow spoke up.
Wilson ran his hands through his hair, grabbing the strains and shook his head. "This can't be right! I made sure we were well stocked up just before we left the fall base!"
"But didn't you use some when we were attacked?"
"Well yes but—" Wilson stopped short, his eyes widening. The attack! Of course! They must have used up their glands when fighting Deerclops and the Hounds! How stupid was he?! Wilson slapped his forehead, running back to his chest.
"… what are you doing?"
"I'm going out for a bit." Wilson took out his spear.
"WHAT?! DON'T LEAVE MEEEEEE!"
"Willow we need those spider glands!" Wilson hooked his Tail o' Three Cats whip to his belt, grabbing some torches as well. "They're essential to our survival! Without them we won't be able to heal, make any hearts, or healing salve!" He went over to the fire, picking up a heated thermal stone.
"BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO GOOOO!" Willow whined, getting up from the ground.
"Willow, stay. You're in no condition to leave this base."
"BUT YOU'RE LEAVING MEEEE!"
"You're sick! I don't want you getting any worse!"
"Then don't leave!"
"I have to! We need those glands! Another Hound attack is coming soon and we need to be prepared." Wilson turned to leave. "Just stay here with Webber."
"NOOO!" Willow lunged at Wilson, but thanks to her sickness, she was incredibly sluggish and slow. Wilson jumped out of the way, dodging her attempts to grab him.
"Willow please! I need to gather those glands before night fall!" Wilson pleaded as he dodged another lunge.
"But then I'll be lonelllly!" Willow whined, making a grab at Wilson. Her hands managed to grab onto his spear, but Wilson still managed to escape her grasp.
Desperate for an escape, Wilson's eyes landed on Webber. Poor sweet depressed Webber. Silently promising to make up for what he was about to do later, Wilson grabbed the surprised boy, using him as a decoy when Willow lunged and tossed him into her open arms and ran out from the base as fast as he could.
"WILLLLSSSSOOOOOOOOON! COME BAAAAAAACK!" Willow whined pitifully.
"… Miss Willow? Can… you let go of me?"
"No. You're comfy."
)*(
"Really Wilson, that wasn't very nice of you to do that to poor Webber." Wilson muttered to himself once he was far enough away from the base. He felt sorry for doing that to poor Webber, but the circumstance couldn't be avoided. Though he would have to make up for it later to the poor boy.
"Okay, let's see where we are." Wilson took out his map, looking over the land marks before heading off.
Spider dens were far off from the base. Had to be since they posed a threat to develop a Spider Queen at level tier three. If their silk and glands weren't so useful (and Webber enjoyed hanging out with creatures that were somewhat of his own kind), Wilson would have let Willow burn them all down and be rid of it all.
Though to be honest, it was rather easy to farm these creatures. Added with some help from Webber, the spiders were located somewhere safe and manageable to farm these small dangerous insects for their uses and keep the danger level low. But what Wilson loathed about it was the long walk getting to the spiders.
Yes, the spider dens were a good safe distance away from the base. Something Wilson both sighed in relief and groaned with disappointment. While he felt safe having the spider dens far away from the base, he hated how far of a walk he had to take once he needed to restock in spider glands.
But that wasn't the worst part. Oh no! Spider gland collecting usually fell onto Webber since, well, being part spider he was the least likely to ever get hurt. So if he ever had a run in with Warrior Spiders or a Spider Queen, he would just be fine and dandy! Wilson on the other hand? He would be mauled to bits if he wasn't careful!
(Those experiences were never a fun way to die…)
"Okay, you can do this Wilson." Wilson took in a steady breath, unhooking his Tail o' Three Cats and tested the tension. "You've done this countless times before you met Willow and Webber." (And WX-78.) "It should be easy. Webber's bound to have set some traps down earlier, so you probably won't need to worry too much heh heh… ehh…" Wilson gulped nervously as the familiar sign depicting a spider. (Webber hadn't realized that he didn't need to hold his breath while Willow sketched his head on the board. Poor boy almost fainted from lack of oxygen.)
Hyping himself, Wilson stepped out from the tree line… and did a double, then a triple, then a quadruple take as he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks him.
But they were not.
To Wilson's greet horror, there was not one, not two, not three, but SEVERAL tier three spider dens.
"One, two, three, five, nine… oh dear science." Wilson murmured with horror as he counted up the numbers of dens. Last time he checked this place, there had only been five newly placed spider dens. But now it seemed to have not only gone up to tier three nests, but had multiplied as well! "Oh dear science. Oh dear science, oh dear scienceohdearscienceohdearscienceohdearscience!"
Wilson wasn't panicking! Panicking wasn't very gentleman-like or refine! (If only his mother saw him now, how disappointed she would be to see him fall.) He most certain wasn't wishing that Willow—no, wait, scratch that—that Webber was here right now with him!
"Pull yourself together Higgsbury!" Wilson hissed, pulling on his hair. "This is no time to panic!" He looked about the (oh dear science) tier three spider dens, clutching his whip to his chest tightly. He HATED spiders! (With the only exception of Webber.) And seeing this was a total nightmare for him!
"Look at this in a good way! At least none of them are out and roaming about!"
Maxwell decided to prove him wrong as the next two seconds dusk fell, and all the spiders left their dens. Even a (BLOODY SCIENCE) Spider Queen emerged and started walking about.
Wilson wanted to scream. So. SO. SO. SO BADLY right now! Scream to the sky high above. Scream at Maxwell's stupid face. Scream at anything to vent his frustration out. (Or probably burn something down to the ground like Willow would do when she had too much pent-up emotions.)
But then again he would only be giving Maxwell the satisfactory in seeing him suffer. And he did not want to give that jerk any pleasure.
"Okay, new plan." Wilson ducked behind a tree. "There's at least a good number of normal spiders around. Just need to lure some of them away from the dens." He checked his whip. "This whip won't last very long against a group of warrior spiders, so best to be careful." He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Okay. Okay. Lead away some normal spiders, don't attract any warrior ones, don't get spotted by the Queen Spider, and get back to base before Willow starts worrying and comes looking for you. Good plan Wilson. Good plan." Wilson nodded, peeking out from behind the tree.
Looking right into the eyes of the Spider Queen.
"… bloody science."
)*(
Wilson was an excellent runner.
Or, he rather believed himself to be a good runner since he kept finding himself running away from danger hot on his tail. Really, it was much too often that Wilson ran for his life from dangers, it was almost comedic!
At least he getting a fair amount of exercise from all this running Wilson thought as he rounded a tree, missing the Spider Queen's attempt to lunge at him. Still, he knew he was in trouble. For one, his whip was no good against a Spider Queen. He had done plenty to tests of every weapon that he managed to craft against every hostile creature he'd encountered so far. (And the many deaths that followed.) He knew the worn down whip wasn't going to last him against a Spider Queen at its peak. There was just no way.
He didn't have any other weapon on him (Willow took his only spear) and he didn't have the time or material to craft one. Looking back, Wilson nearly had a heart attack as he saw that the Spider Queen was gaining on him! And it didn't help that she was being followed by a small horde of spiders.
Great. Just. Great.
He was probably going to die and waste a Meat Effigy. And lose his beard! WHAT ELSE COULD GO WRONG?!
At that moment, while Wilson was too busy glancing behind himself, he stepped on an ice patch. His footing slipped sharply to the side, making the poor scientist cry out in alarm as he fell face first on the hard cold ground. His jaw took a hard impact, almost biting down on his tongue, and his beard did little to nothing to cushion his fall. Stars swirled in his eyes before he shook off his daze and tried to get up.
There was a hiss and Wilson cried out in pain as teeth sunk into his leg. His body acted before he could think, whipping out his Tail o' Three Cats and cracking the whip at the Warrior Spider, sending it flying off his leg. It bounced once or twice before rolling to a stop against a long thin leg. A leg that belonged to a very large spider.
Wilson tried in vain to scoot back as the Spider Queen advanced towards him, her army of spiders getting closer to him with dead set intentions to kill.
The Queen narrowed its eyes at him, poison dripping from its fangs.
Wilson knew he was going to die. He just knew it. His leg was throbbing with pain and he was too tired to run anymore. He kept cracking his whip as the spider kept advancing, backing away more and more as they kept getting closer and closer.
Seeing his doom and with no escape, Wilson closed his eyes and waited for the first spider to jump at him.
There was a hiss, then a growl, then the sound of snow being disturbed and—
And Wilson was yanked back by the collar of his vest.
Wilson didn't have time to open his eyes before he was suddenly tossed aside, but he was almost certain he heard a deep voice yell something that he didn't understand. The hissing of angry spiders didn't go unnoticed, with the accompany of angry yelling and the sickening sound of spiders being squished. The sound made Wilson's stomach turn, and the scientist curled up on himself, covering his ears to muffle the sounds.
It was a while before the sounds died away, leaving Wilson in silence. Before he could open his eyes, footsteps (heavy ones) reached his ears. Weak was never what Wilson thought of himself. He had taken on many monsters, giants, and other worldly beings and managed (barely or none at all) to survive against them. But right now, though he would never admit it, he was feeling rather small at this point for such a huge oversight of dangers this winter.
And his wounded leg felt too numb to move, so running away was still not an option.
"Крошечный человек в порядке?" A deep voice rumbled above Wilson, making the scientist flinch and curl up even more on himself. In no doubt of his mind that Wilson knew that this was a person, a survivor like him, Willow, and Webber. But was this survivor friendly? Or we're they another WX?
Wilson flinched again as (ohscienceohscienceohSCIENCE THOSE HANDS ARE HUGE!) he was lifted up off the ground. "Не хорошо спать в снегу. Снег хорош, но земля не удобна, чтобы спать на маленьком человеке." The deep voice rumbled in what Wilson could only assume was laughter. If Wilson hadn't felt tiny before, he certainly did now. "… Крошечный человек говорит по-русски?"
Wilson really wished to be back at the base where it was safe.
"… Is Tiny Man alright?" Wilson's head perked up. "Leg is bleeding lots. Does not look good to Wolfgang." Wilson blinked open his eyes, looking up at the… blurry person? Why was there a blurry person before him?
… And why did he feel so light… head… ed…
)*(
Yelling.
Wilson awoke to the sound of yelling. And a painful headache.
Groaning, he sat up, rubbing his temples. (It shouldn't be this early for Willow to be yelling.)
"Oh! Tiny Man is awake! Good morning!"
"Morn'." Wilson mumbled, yawning.
"Did Tiny Man sleep well last night? Wolfgang was worried for friend when Tiny Man didn't respond to Wolfgang's voice."
Wilson sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Slept as well as anyone could in this place." He turned to look at the owner of the voice… doing a double take. There was a very thin man sitting on a log next to Webber. A man only wearing a red and white striped jumpsuit that hung baggy on his body.
"Oh good! Wolfgang is happy new friend slept well! Now, could Tiny Man stop Fire Woman?" The thin frail looking man pointed to where a large smoke cloud was coming. "She has not stopped burning spiders for long time now."
)*(
The man's name was Wolfgang, and apparently he was the 'world's strongest man alive'…
Which was very doubtful in Webber's eyes.
"Wolfgang does not lie! Wolfgang is strongest man alive!"
"But you look so thin. You couldn't lift Mister Wilson up."
Wolfgang scoffed, flexing his thin arm. "Wolfgang is thin because Wolfgang has not eaten in some time. When Wolfgang's belly is full, he will be mighty again!"
"Where did you find this loon at?" Webber heard Miss Willow mumble to Mister Wilson as she helped him walk back to the base, which he just shook his head and shrugged.
)*(
It was hard to decide how to feel about their new 'friend'.
For one, he was a slight improvement of their last friend. He helped around the base as much as he could, though… help wasn't the right word as most of the help he tried to give required strength and… hoooh boy. Wilson kept patching the poor guy up more than she could count. At least he was trying. That, Willow could not deny. Not the best help, but still, he seemed okay enough for Wilson to vouch for him to stay.
And she was only letting stick man stay because one, he was super thin that bones could be seen against skin (yikes), two, he claimed to save Wilson's life (which was still very hard to believe given how puny the guy was), three, he was trying to make himself useful in his temporary stay (which was… was not very helpful), four, the guy hated Maxwell (which was a small plus since who didn't hate that guy?), and finally… he was at least friendly to Webber.
"And then what happened?"
"That's when the elephant charged to Wolfgang! Swinging trunk around like angry tree!" Wolfgang swung his frail arm around his head as he told his story, engrossing Webber with his tale.
Willow wasn't sure if it was alright to let the strange guy around Webber at first, but Wolfgang really didn't seemed to be all that bad with the kid. In fact he was rather nice (once he got over the shock at first sight of him) and openly friendly with the spider. And Webber seemed to lighten up around Wolfgang, even cracking a few giggles and smiles.
"Well, they're certainly getting along." Wilson sighed.
"He seems to be okay. Though, I'm still doubting the 'strongman' thing." Willow huffed, applying the salve against Wilson's wounded leg. "Sorry." She apologized as Wilson hissed with pain.
"It's fine, it's fine. The stinging means it's working." Wilson reassured her. "I'm just glad nothing vital was cut when that spider bit me. Still a nasty bite though."
"And I'm still not believing that that guy saved you." Willow pointed her thumb at Wolfgang.
Wilson frowned, looking at Wolfgang as he finished up his story. "Well, I… don't actually know if he really was the person who saved me. The guy who did save me had big hands." Wilson held up his own hands. "BIG hands. It made me feel so… so small in their grip."
"Really?" Willow looked at Wolfgang with a raised brow. "That guy? Huge hands? As if!"
)*(
The howl signaled the attack before they could see the bloody beasts.
The first rays of sunshine signaled the new day, but the howl signaled the sign of the attack that was coming towards them. Wilson had hopped they had a few days to heal more before the next attack, but when was luck ever on their side?
"Mister Wilson! Mister Wilson! I can see them coming!" Webber, sweet Webber, shouted at his lookout point on the wall (the wall they had managed to build and worked so hard to ensure their base's safety from attacks). Wilson cursed silently as he limped over to his chest and took out his Tentacle Spike.
"Friends have trouble with puppies too?" Wolfgang peeked out above the wall.
"They're not puppies. They're hounds! Mean doggies who like to bite us!" Webber explained as he got down from the wall. "And they're going to tear our base apart if we don't stop them!"
"Oh! Wolfgang will help defend friends!"
"No!" Willow stepped up, coughing into her fist. "No, you stay here and watch Webber. Wilson and I can deal with it."
"Willow, no. I'll handle it. You're still too sick." Wilson placed a hand on her shoulder, but she brushed him off, gripping her fire staff tightly.
"And you're still hurt! You can't expect to handle all those hounds on your own! You'll get killed!"
"You'll be killed too if you go out there!" Wilson countered.
"So?! At least both my legs can still get me out of danger instead of hobbling away!"
"There's no guarantee that you'll be able to out run them! And what if they bite you?! Do you know how many germs could be in a hound's mouth?! You'll be down with something much worse than a simple flu!"
"Uh guys?"
"So?! At least I won't be torn to shreds!"
"Guys?"
"Oh don't start on me with that!"
"Guuuyss?"
"And why not?! You get mauled to death nearly every month!"
"Not on purpose if that's what you're—"
"GUYS!"
"NOT NOW WEBBER! CAN'T YOU SEE WE'RE ARGUING?!" The adults yelled at Webber. Their anger vanished when a yelp sounded out and an Ice Hound's head smashed through the wall. They had no time to process what happened before an angry yell tore through the air.
Sprinting (and hobbling) towards the entrance, Wilson and Willow peeked out to see the biggest, beefiest, human man either of them had ever seen, punching Hounds left and right, laughing like he was having the time of his life as he tossed the beasts as if they were just rag-dolls.
Jaws hit the floor as both adults could only stare in shock as the man single handily took on the Hounds. Only Webber was the only one cheering the man on from his lookout spot on the wall, watching them punch an Ice Hound's face in.
"Go Wolfgang go! Hit 'em left and right! You're gonna win this fight! Stick 'em up to those mean doggies then go attack the froggies! Go go Wolfgang go! Yaaaaaay!"
)*(
When the last Hound was dealt with (and once their shock had worn off) and every Monster Meat, tooth, and any blue gems that were dropped were collected, there was only one thing on everyone's mind.
"HOW THE BLOODY HECK DID YOU GET SO HUGE?!" Willow screamed (with some minor coughing), poking the thick muscle of Wolfgang's chest. "You literally were nothing but bones in a skin suit minutes ago!"
Wolfgang smiled, flexing his massive arm. "Fire Woman impressed?"
"Very. Very impressed." Willow nodded her head, looking Wolfgang up and down. "But how did you get so big and beefy so quickly? And why are your hands so huge?!" She grabbed one of his hands, placing her own hand against it and awed at the sheer size comparison. "You're hands are like meaty hammers! Wilson! Look how huge his hands are!"
"I saw Willow." Wilson mumbled, eyes trained on Wolfgang's arm, examining it thoroughly. "… This doesn't make any sense. Just moments ago you looked to be on death's door, and now? Now you're in perfect health! How could this have happened?"
"Ha! Tiny Man funny!" Wolfgang laughed, lifting the arm Wilson was examining and by extension Wilson himself. "Wolfgang said it before! When Wolfgang's belly is fully, he becomes mighty!"
"But that doesn't make any sense!" Wilson dangled on Wolfgang's arm, kicking his legs (and suddenly missing being on solid ground) and trying to hoist himself up.
"Oh! Oh! Pick me up! Pick me up!" Webber came running up, holding his arms up and bounced in place. "Plllllease pick me up Mister Wolfgang! I want to be held too!"
Wolfgang chuckled, scooping Webber up with his free arm and set him on his shoulders. Webber's eyes sparkled as he viewed his new high point. "Does Spider Child like being tall?" Wolfgang asked.
"YES!"
"Uhh Wolfgang? Could you please be so kind to put me down? My feet can't touch the ground…"
"Hey! Why do you guys get to play with Wolfgang? I want to join in! Lift me up big guy!"
"Willow please! Don't encourage him!" Wilson's pleads fell on deaf ears as Wolfgang lifted Willow up, holding her high as she smiled at Wilson.
"What's the matter Will? Feeling tiny?"
"You're only taller by two inches Willow! I'm not short!"
"Tiny Man is tiny to Wolfgang."
"You don't count!"
"I'm so taaaaallll!"
"I think I'm going to like having this guy around! We could use the extra muscles!"
"Wolfgang is mighty!"
"Please Put Me Down!"
"TAAAAALLLLLLL!"
And at that moment, Wolfgang's stomach growled and shrunk. Everyone screamed out in alarm as the now wimpy Wolfgang struggled to hold them all up, only to fall backwards and land in a pile. Sitting up, each survivor glanced at each other before bursting out into fits of laughter.
)*(
"Disgusting. What a revolting sight."
Maxwell hissed as he watched the sickening display shown in the orb before him, frowning deeply as the frail strong man brought the group into a hug.
"You certainly are surrounding yourselves with sickening joy aren't you?" He summoned a lit cigar, biting down on it. "And got yourself a new member in your rag tag team." He waved his hand, summoning another orb. "Well, you're not the only ones I suppose. Few of the others are teaming up as well."
Taking a long drag, Maxwell let the smoke sit in his mouth for a moment before letting it out. "Frankly, I was hoping for bloodshed and backstabbing than team ups and tag-a-longs." He glared at the new orb. "Especially from you."
The new orb showed a small little figure sitting on top of a fallen pillar in one of the Chess Biomes, gazing intently at a small flower held protectively in their hands.
"Really, I wasn't expecting you of all people to want company from others. Since you've already have someone to watch your back." The small figure looked up from the flower to the distance, tilting their head a bit before carefully pocketing in their skirt and sliding off the marble. Maxwell's eyes narrowed, taking another drag of his cigar. "Then again. Maybe you need the extra protection. Can't always rely on your sister on can we?"
The small figure moved to a certain distance before another figure's image appeared, stopping before them and looking up. Their mouth was moving, but the orb couldn't produce a single sound. Or maybe the figure was speaking quietly and he just couldn't hear it over the (agonizing, horrible, torturous, never ending, hellish, unbearable, excruciating, accursed) Gramaphone's music. Whatever or whichever it was, he did not care.
What he did care about was the survivors suddenly mingling together. How and why they were able to suddenly find and mingle with each other was still a mystery to Maxwell. In normal circumstances, there should only be one survivor for each of his worlds. That was how it always started and began for each survivor that he took.
That all changed however when Higgsbury somehow landed in an already occupied world. (Or was it the fire woman that landed in Higgsbury's world? He couldn't recall which one occupied the world first.) He was sure the fire obsessed woman would certainly skewered the man through when she first laid eyes upon him. (He could certainly remember the times her spear almost getting him in the head.) But NO. No she spared him, letting him live and forming their small ridiculous group that faced his world with renewed energy and hope that made him want to vomit blood.
Although, he did rather enjoy watching the rather amusing misfortunes that fell upon Higgsbury thanks to the fire woman. He certainly didn't think a man could scream that high and fret over such little things stuck in their hair. What man obsessives over hair? And seeing all his work go up in flames was very satisfying.
But as amusing as it was for a while, the fun didn't stay long as more survivors somehow kept winding up in the particular world.
The spider child he could overlook as a small mishap. Dead was dead, yet he didn't think the child would be revived so easily like that. Then again, Higgsbury was quiet a sentimental man Maxwell had ever encountered. He still didn't understand how burying the skull in a grave brought the child back to life, but he had more things to focus on than figuring that one out.
The robot however was a completely different story. Somehow the automaton stumbled into that world, and still sustaining its injuries from the other world it crossed over from. Maxwell had searched every corner of both worlds, and still could not find out how the robot managed to cross over to that world and then to another world later on.
And now there was the strong man.
Maxwell had been unsure before, but now he was certain that there was something with this certain world that was allowing survivors to cross over. But what was it? A vial? A thin crack in the worlds? Or was it a force that was messing with him?
A force like… her.
His stomach dropped as the thought of her crossed his mind.
No. No, this was not her work. She wouldn't do something like this. Whatever it was. There was no clear pattern and there was no motive Maxwell could think of that would clear things up.
Still, he had to wonder. What was causing survivors to cross paths in different worlds?
He looked at the first orb again, watching the group sitting around the fire eating breakfast. The strong man was back to his muscle form again, letting the spider child sit on his head. Higgsbury seemed to be fretting over the child's safety as the fire woman was (literally) sitting in the fire.
How such a ragtag team managed to survive for so long was beyond him. (Higgsbury's track record of survival certainly didn't help very much.) He certainly didn't want this to keep going. Yet, it was intriguing to see how far they would go to surviving working together.
This group was managing by so far. Others were struggling to trust one another before back stabbing and traitors started popping up here and there.
Though, this world wasn't the only one with compatible team work.
There was a few other groups who were managing to survive together. Small, and don't tend to last long, but still managing to survive none the less. Though the last group got trampled by a Deerclops and all perished. Not a single ghost appeared though. Pity. He did like that group.
None the less, he would have to keep an eye on Higgsbury's group for a while. Who knows who else might pop up next?