You are now a Prospitian in the desert. You spend your time either helping with the construction of the crazy Dersite's machines or looking for precious, precious water. The camp is a bit strange due to the fact that it's made of a collaboration of Dersites and Prospitians, and that weird guy who likes to be called Snoop. Because none of you had true names before you got to this endless desert, you have all taken names by your old roles. Everyone in the camp has taken to referring to each other by initials of your taken names. Everyone in the camp has a strange metal home that they either found or arrived in. I know, lots of info. Let's keep moving.
You walk up to the metal building given to your comrade in arms, another Prospitian soldier. His metal structure is made of two rooms, one that he uses as his bedroom, and the other which he uses as a main room. You enter into the main room and see the monitor on the wall. The monitor shows a short boy with glasses, must be whatever the weird Dersite calls a "patron kid". Whatever the fuck that means. You knock on the owner's bedroom door. As soon as you knock you begin to hear crashing from within the room. After a fair amount of crashing and banging the door is opened.
"What is it?" He asks as he looks you up and down as if surveying a possible threat.
"IV wants scrap metal." You respond, "Anything that is metallic and not currently being used."
"What is he planning now?"
"I don't know and I don't wanna know. All I know is if I get him parts he won't use it to kill me."
"Alright. I have some scrap lying around. Listen here, girl. That man's experiments are no good, if you keep helping him, you're gonna end up dead or seriously injured."
"I can handle myself and you know it."
"Whether of not you can defend yourself has nothing to do with th fact that something might explode. A hero shouldn't die by something as simple as a lab accident."
"I'm not a hero anymore. I can die how I so choose."
With that you walk away, hands full of useless metal. You come up on the home of Snoop. He is the only one in your group who is from neither Prospit nor Derse. He is also the only one who has a name of any kind.
"Hey Snoop."
"What's up homie?"
"I need any random scrap you have for IV's experiments."
"I don't think I have any random scrap. Does he need any burritos?"
"I don't think he's going to need burritos any time soon."
"Well, do you want one anyway? I have like 100 of these things."
"Sure. Why not?"
He hands you a burrito and you walk off. You never understood why these things are everywhere. You begin to head back to IV's home. You enter to the sight of walls covered in strange symbols and pictures you don't underatand. As usual you find him tinkering away at his workbench.
"Ah good," he say "You're back. Quickly hand me the metal!"
You hand him the metal and he turns to what he's working on.
"What are you building now?" You ask.
"This is something that will make gathering water much easier."
"How's that?"
"Well, this here is a condenser as I call it."
"What does it do?"
"This device here takes the water vapor in the air and then turns it into liquid water that we can drink."
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
"It will work, just watch!"
He takes the machine outside and turns it on. It makes sounds but nothing happens.
"I told you it wouldn't work."
"It takes time. Good things come to those who wait."
"So this is what we wasted that scrap metal on, lovely."
"If you doubt my genius, then why did you help me?"
"Because the other things you have made have been useful."
"This one is too!"
"Yes, if you define making unnecessary noise useful."
With that insult he stomps off to his metal home to pout. As he walks off some other members of the camp approach.
"What has he built now?" BN asks.
"It's supposed to collect water." You reply
"From where? We're in the desert." SG observes.
"More insane ramblings." You say, "Where are you two going?"
"SG's teaching me how to hunt." BN replies.
"You? Hunt?" You ask with a stunned look on your face. "Little miss 'how can you live without servants'?"
"Yeah." SG says, "I figured she's got to learn some way to be productive. Besides, hunting's simple!"
"Yeah for you and IS maybe, but she isn't going to know the first thing about how to use a bow."
"I know plenty!" BN interrupts angrily, "I was taught archery by some of the best warriors Prospit had to offer!"
"How much did you pay them?" You ask.
"Ha ha. You assume that they weren't begging to get the right to teach me!"
"So you payed a shitload?"
"Well...yes."
"I knew it!"
"So," you continue, "What are you out hunting today?"
"Desert hare." SG answers.
"Well good luck with that!" You say mockingly.
The two walk off and you head back to your home. You look on the monitor to see the young boy known as Mark talking to three of his friends. He is speaking to the one with the handgun, the large one with glasses, and the one dressed in dark green.
You begin to type, "Mark, hey, Mark!"
He looks around and says "What?" His friends look at him a bit puzzled. You always enjoy causing trouble.
"It's my exile." He says looking at his friends who turn back to what they were doing.
"Mark! What are you doing?" You type.
"We're working on something."
"What are you working on, moron?"
"We're making my weapon better."
"I want details! Please fully explain things!"
"We're working on trying to make my weapon able to control other's movements."
"We're ready." Says the one with the handgun.
The large one moves a fair distance away and the one with the handgun shoots at him. The gun doesn't make the standard loud bang as it fires. Instead it makes a more muffled noise.
The large one stands uninjured and yells down the hall "I don't feel anything!"
"Just a moment!" Mark yells back. He flips a little switch on his weapon and the large boy goes still. As Mark moves a small joystick on his weapon the boy follows.
"It works!" Says the one with the dark green clothes, "Let's turn it off."
Immediately after it turns off the boy walks back over to the group and explains that he was completely under Mark's control. After this Mark gives the boys who didn't get shot at clips of ammo. "Here are the mind-control rounds." He says, and the three other boys leave.
"That's what we were doing." Mark says, finally answering your question.
You decide that's enough watching them for now and decide to go get something to eat. Sadly you only have burritos, damn it Snoop!
END OF CHAPTER 21