And just when I'd said that delays like this wouldn't be a regular thing too. Anyway, sorry for the wait. With the final couple weeks of the school semester coming up, final projects being assigned, tests studied for, and work hours added, things are getting kind of hectic around here. If I suddenly disappear again, that's why. Still, I shouldn't miss more than a week in a row.
Disclaimer: I don't own Don't Starve or any of the characters
The scene taking place at the wormhole was a sight to behold. Pigs frantically dug away at the dirt surrounding the giant maw while one young woman stood above them, giving orders like a true overseer.
"Dig faster! Come on; put your backs into it! We're not stopping until that stupid thing gives Wilson back!"
Willow had rallied the pigs like a miniature army, all to wage war on the hole in the ground that had eaten her friend. It was slow work. Even though they'd been digging through the night around a large fire, very little progress had been made. It probably would have been easier if they had more than one shovel aside from the one Wilson had taken. Unfortunately they didn't, and pig-man hooves were not very good at digging thanks to their posture. It was hard to dig a hole when you couldn't even touch your toes while sitting down.
Through it all, the wormhole resisted them with the power of total apathy. It mocked their puny efforts by simply not reacting in the slightest as they churned the earth around it.
Willow kicked a clod of dirt in frustration. She knew how dangerous this place was, that they might all die at one point or another, but to fall into a giant worm? Really? That wasn't tragic, that was just annoying! Honestly. If that scientist thought he could go and die in such a ridiculous manner, she'd have to come up with a fitting punishment. She'd think of what later, but right now she had something else to check on. After all, he had help when he fell.
The fire starter made her way over to Wendy, who was carefully examining the ground where the shadowy hand had taken shape.
"See anything?"
The girl's frown of concentration left her face for a brief moment as she considered the question.
"Nothing physical." She said after a pause. "But I can feel something distinctly other about the area."
"Could you say that again in English?" Willow asked, raising an eyebrow. Wendy's sensitivity to the supernatural made her an excellent warning against possible dangers, but her unique vocabulary made getting any kind of information out of her a real pain.
The child seemed unperturbed by her lack of understanding.
"There is a presence here that is not based in our world." She said, somehow managing to make the explanation even more cryptic than the original. "It is like someone willed the shadow into existence for the sole purpose of pushing Wilson into the hole."
That she could understand. This hadn't been some random accident. It was an active attempt to harm them, and she was willing to bet she knew exactly who was behind it.
Before the two of them could continue the conversation, Wolfgang ran up to them.
"Fire lady! Come quickly! Giant mouth man is shaking!" One look at his face was enough to assure Willow that he wasn't simply being dramatic. Gripping her lighter and preparing for a confrontation, she followed the strongman back to where the wormhole lay mostly buried. Wendy and Abigail came up behind her as she made her way to the opening.
Sure enough, it was shaking badly. The pigs had retreated to a safe distance, eyeing with a general air of uncertainty. It was vibrating so strongly that the loosened dirt around it was being thrown up in a miniature dust storm.
"Get ready!" Willow ordered, not entirely sure what she wanted them to be ready for. Regardless, the assorted humans, pigs, and the single ghost formed a circle around their target. It was then that she noticed a peculiar sound coming from inside the wormhole.
"Is that… screaming…?
With a mighty heave, the giant mouth spat out the object that had caused the disturbance. Every pair of eyes watched transfixed as the yelling bundle launched into the air only to come crashing down to the ground with a wet splat. A second, smaller, package quickly followed the first, hitting the earth right next to the first.
For a moment, nobody moved. They all stared intently at the saliva-covered pile of tangled limbs lying in a heap. Two fists shot up into the air, prompting the onlookers to jump back in surprise.
"Woah! That is so much more intense when you're awake!" Wilson shouted, jumping to his feet. His hair and cloths were all but ruined by the slime from the worm, but a giant, almost demented, smile was plastered on his face.
"Wilson?" Willow ventured, not sure what to make of his sudden reappearance. "What happened to you?"
He turned at the sound of her voice. Upon seeing her, as impossible as it may have seemed, his smile grew even larger.
"Willow!" He cried, quickly making his way over to her. "Oh, it's so good to see you! How long has it been huh? Six, maybe seven hours? I missed you! Come here!" Sensing what was about to happen, the young woman quickly raised her hands up in a vain attempt to ward him off.
"No! No! Don't you dare! Wilson! I'm warning you! Don't even think about- GAH!"
Her protests were cut off as he threw his arms around her in a tight, and very slimy, hug. She was unable to do more than twitch as the trauma from suddenly being smothered in worm ooze shattered any amount of conscious thought she might have had.
Either not noticing or just ignoring the horrorstruck expression on her face, the scientist quickly turned to his other companions.
"Wendy! How's my favorite little demon child? You know, I just found this lovely little graveyard! I'll have to take you there sometime." The words poured out of his mouth in a rush as he landed a hearty pat on her head. He gave her blonde locks a quick one handed rustling before turning to Wolfgang. The girl slowly reached up to touch the mess of goo in her hair, her mouth forming a thin line as she glared daggers into the back of Wilson's head.
"Wolfy!" He exclaimed exuberantly. "My man! I've been feeling pretty antsy recently. What's say you and me go for a few rounds in the ring, huh?" At this he dropped his stance, throwing a few mock boxing punches towards the other man.
"Science man wants to fight me?" Wolfgang asked, thoroughly lost. This caused the scientist to convulse in a fit of laughter. He doubled over, holding his knees to prevent himself from falling on his face.
"That's a good one Wolfy." He chuckled, eventually getting himself under control. "I didn't know you were such a comedian!" He gave Wolfgang a friendly jab in the chest, leaving a wet splotch on the very confused man's shirt.
"WILSON!" The enraged scream tore itself out of Willow's throat the moment she'd recovered enough to speak. Any relief at seeing him alive was drowned out by his total lack of respect for the well-being of her clothes. His face lit up once more as his attention returned to her.
"Willo-"
"Don't you dare!" She warned, the venom in her tone cutting him off mid-sentence. And midstride for that matter. His right foot remained in midair as he balanced precariously on the other. "If you cover me in sludge again I'll force-feed you to that filthy worm in pieces!"
His head cocked curiously to one side, and for an instant it looked like he was seriously considering following through on the gesture anyway. Before he could act on the impulse however, he suddenly snapped his gaze to the second object that had been thrown out of the wormhole.
"Oh! I almost forgot about that." Wilson scooped up the object which turned out to be Wolfgang's pack. Or what was left of it. The grass-woven object looked to be on its last legs, though it sagged under the weight of its contents.
"Minions! Assemble!" He shouted, his voice going from jovial to authoritative in the blink of an eye. It took several confused seconds before the pigs realized he was talking to them. "I said ASSEMBLE!"
The pig-men nearly ran each other over as they hastily sprinted to obey his order. They formed a disorganized mob in front of him while he marched forwards like some kind of military drill instructor. At his iron gaze they did a hasty salute, some moving so quickly that they managed to brain themselves by accident.
"Listen up!" Wilson's voice echoed through the now-silent masses. "The construction of my lair must be recommenced at once! I have a big project I'm going to be working on, and it is vital to the completion of my plans. Understand? Good. Forward march!"
Willow watched in disbelief as he proceeded to parade the gaggle of pig-men back towards their camp. It wasn't until they had disappeared from sight that Wendy got her attention.
"I still have my ax stashed back home." She commented, her voice holding a tinge of carefully restrained anger while slime dripped from her hair. "Say the word and he'll be dead by morning."
It was a very tempting offer.
"Not yet." Willow said, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Let's go see just what the heck he's doing before we take action."
"Fire lady?" Wolfgang ventured. "Is science man broken?"
She sighed heavily and recomposed herself to face him again.
"Not yet." She assured, heading after the newly deranged man. "But he will be if he doesn't have a very good explanation for what just happened."
Wilson's new persona apparently doubled as a slave driver. The moment they'd all returned to camp, he'd set the pigs to work on finishing his laboratory. His relentless commands could be heard for miles around as he ran to and fro, urging them onwards with half thought out remarks that often left them more confused than motivated. Still, he got results. Not even four hours later, the structure which they had expected to spend several days on was complete.
As the last part of the ceiling had been finished, the hoard of unfortunate pigs collapsed in a panting and snorting heap on the ground. Their plight went unnoticed by their new master.
No sooner had the final touches been put into place than he disappeared inside, shutting the doors and demanding that nobody bothered him while he was working. He took Wolfgang's pack, several crafting materials, and even an armful of bunnies with him giving no explanation as to why he needed them.
For Willow, this was the last straw.
Struggling to resist the urge to start pulling out her lighter, the young woman started towards the workshop. She'd been more than a little annoyed by the way he was acting, but she'd been willing to give him a chance to explain. His sudden obsession with finishing his work area instead of their living quarters had been less forgivable. Still, she'd waited patiently to give him a chance to justify his actions. But did he do that? No. She was going to get some answers even if she had to break both his legs and tie him to a tree.
As she got closer, the sound of Wilson's voice could be heard from inside the building.
"Yes, yes. Red goes there. Hmmm… now how do those two fit together? Red won't work… neither will blue… purple maybe? How do I make purple again?"
She made her way to the door until she was standing level with it. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she started hammering on the barrier.
"Wilson!" She called, her tone firm and uncompromising. "Open this door right now! You and I need to have a talk."
The sound of something heavy being dropped answered her. It was quickly followed by a yelp of pain and quite a few very colorful curses, only a couple of which were in English. Several crashes later, the door slowly inched open. It progressed until the scientist had just enough room to peek his head out.
"What is it?" He demanded, looking thoroughly cross. "Can't you see I'm busy scienceing in here?"
"Scienceing?" Willow questioned, raising an eyebrow. "That's not even a word."
"It is now!" He shot back. "And it will forever be used as a word to describe my greatness. From this day forth it shall forever be engraved into all dictionaries everywhere."
She snapped her fingers in front of his face in order to keep his attention. He'd been starting to get that far off look in his eyes that meant he wasn't paying attention anymore. It had the desired effect. Blinking several times at the gesture, he turned to face her again.
"Wilson, we need to talk." She stated. When he opened his mouth to respond she cut him off, already knowing what he was about to say. "I know we're talking right now! I mean talk talk. Your little psycho act is trying everyone's patience."
He leaned out slightly more, just enough to fit an arm through so that he could raise it to his chin in a ponderous expression.
"Losing patience you say?" He questioned, tapping a finger against his cheek. "Well I suppose you lot do deserve some form of compensation. Tell you what, come back tomorrow and I'll have something real special waiting just for you. See you then!"
"Wilson, wait! Don't-"
Not giving her a chance to get a word in edgewise, he quickly shut the door in her face. Her scream of frustration was only partially drowned out by the sound of her beating on the wooden obstacle.
"Wilson! You open that door right now! I swear you'll be sorry if you don't! I'll burn it down if I have to!"
Infuriatingly enough, he gave no sign that he heard her. The only sound that she could hear from inside the workshop was a few clangs of objects being moved around and some very off-tune humming.
Her first instinct was to whip out the lighter and burn the whole thing to the ground with him inside. This was only held back by the fact that they'd gone through so much trouble to get the logs in the first place that just wasting them like that would be a real shame.
The second option was to take Wendy up on her offer, but Willow doubted that she had been serious in making it. Or at least, that's what she hoped. It was hard to tell with that girl sometimes.
The only alternative, other than destroying the door altogether, was to wait him out. She knew full well that he didn't have any food in there so he'd have to come out sooner or later. Fine. That would be how they played it. She'd just stay right here until he had no choice by to open the door again.
Determined not to let the mad scientist get the better of her, she sat down against the wall of the workshop. All she had to do was wait.
The warmth of the morning sunlight was what woke Willow from her fitful sleep. She'd stayed the night outside the doorway, refusing to budge in case he tried to sneak a midnight snack. Her lighter remained firmly gripped in her hand, its light having formed a tiny barrier against the darkness that had been encroaching.
With a groan, she pulled herself into a standing position. He'd been in there all day and all night. Just what could be so important as to make him act this way? She didn't know, but she was done waiting.
A quick glance around the campsite told her that the others were all still asleep. Wendy lay curled up beneath Abigail's hovering form. The ghost wasn't really asleep, but the way she hovered gently in place gave the impression that she was either resting or just zoned out for the night.
Wolfgang was using one of the pig-men as a pillow. He seemed to fit right in with the sprawling mass of best men, their combined snoring making a dreadful racket that she'd have had a hard time ignoring if she hadn't been used to it by now.
That just left Wilson. The fire starter carefully placed her ear to the doorway, straining to detect even the slightest hints of life coming from inside.
Silence.
Frowning, she started reaching for the wooden doorknob. Was he still sleeping also? For some reason she doubted this. The crazed energy he'd displayed the day before didn't seem like the kind that would just vanish all of a sudden.
As her hand turned the handle she was surprised to find that it turned without the slightest resistance. At some point during the night, it had been unlocked.
Pushing the door open, she took a slow step inside.
"Wilson?" She ventured, squinting into the darkened room. "Are you awake in here?"
A groan sounded from the middle of the space, and a prone figure began to rise up. The scientist looked dreadful. His hair was even messier than before, and the expression on his face made it look like he was suffering a hangover despite the distinct lack of alcohol.
"Wilson!" Her earlier annoyance was somewhat abated at seeing him like this. "Are you all right? How did you… what the…"
Her question drifted off as she noticed the other objects inside the workshop. Seeing the look on her face, he followed her eyes until he spotted them as well. For the span of several breaths, neither of them made a sound.
"Willow?" He asked at last, the confusion clear in his voice. "Where did I go last night?"