WX-78'S POV
I knew that something like this would happen soon. It was inevitable. Fleshlings weren't created to be able to withstand as much as a machine. This is the very reason I was not at all surprised to hear of the damaging effect Wilson's encounter with one of the very beasts he warned Webber and me about. What I was surprised about, however, was how it hardly seemed to have an effect on his mental state given how tedious sanity was for them.Or perhaps it's just a problem that the half-breed has, my mind sneered. It was dusk by this point, so the fire was up. Webber's gaze was remote, fixed on the dancing flames reflected in his blank eyes. Wilson was nearer to the flickering light, his pant leg pulled up as he examined the damage that the bearger had done to his leg. The worst I saw was blood smeared which was obvious to tell due to the fact all his clothes beneath his waist were stained red. "Could be worse..." he murmured to himself.
"WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING?"
"More than a couple of scrapes," he admitted. "I'm not complaining of course, but the force that beast hit me... it should have at leastfractured something." He glanced at Webber and sighed. "Which makes it even more shocking the amount of damage he took from the tree guard... I thought the giants would be the worst possible scenario, but if the Bearger is somehow weaker than the trees..." He looked wearily at the pines around us. "I don't know how we'll be able to do anything without worrying about something attacking us," he muttered.
"THERE'S TWO OF US." He glared at me. "FINE.THREE OF US, THOUGH, YOU CAN HARDLY COUNTHIM. YOU COULD SIMPLY PUT YOUR SUPPOSED INTELLIGENCE TO THE TEST AND SET UP SOMETHING WHERE ONE OF US CAN LOOK FOR TROUBLE WHILE THE OTHERS WORK." I shrugged. "UNLESS YOU DON'T LIKE TAKING ADVICE FROM THE... 'LESSER BEING'."If some part of you truly believes you are smarter than the one whose mind is comparable to that of a super computer, I added silently. He frowned.
"I never called you lesser," he protested. "I said you were probably close to our intelligence. You were the one who took it as an insult."
I huffed and said nothing else. Wilson sighed and shook his head, but didn't add anything, which I quite appreciated until the silence grew almost awkward as he fiddled with the fire.
"YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE KID?" I asked, hoping to at least break the silence. His gaze shot up to meet mine.
"Of course!" He exclaimed. "He seems to be the only one who knowsanything about the outside world. Unless," He added mischievously. "you are totally okay with gutting animals like he is?"
I looked away instantly, and I heard him let out a peal of laughter. "I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH SKINNINGANY SORT OF FLESHLING," I huffed pointedly. For some reason my barely concealed threat only made him laugh harder. "WHAT ISSO FUNNY?"
"I know you are completely serious right now," he managed between laughs, "but I know very well you would die in less than a day if you ever did kill Webber or I. And you know it too."
...Stupid scientist. Instead of saying this out loud, I opted to instead ignore it, turning back to look at the dying fire, and the way the spider's weirdly blank eyes reflected it. "WHAT DO YOU THINK IS WRONG WITH HIM?" I tried, and Wilson started laughingagain.
"For someone whodoesn't care you sure do seem tocare quite a bit," he snickered. "but all jeering aside, I'm not completely sure." He rubbed the back of his head uncertainly. "I can't tell if he's hallucinating because of the fever or if he has the fever because he's hallucinating... I can't even tell why he would have a fever or hallucinations in the first place! Unless the infection in his arm has gotten worse, which I can't really tell because every time I try to get near him he nearly claws my face off. I wish I had the proper tools to give him proper healthcare. I really do. But it looks like we'll have to work with what we've got." He grabbed one of the hollowed-out birchnuts he had been storing water in and started washing the scrapes and contusions across his own leg, gritting his teeth as though it hurt. "It was holding back," he realized out loud, meeting my gaze. "It wasn't actually trying to hurt me. This...this..." He motioned wildly to his injured leg. "This isnothing compared to what itcould have done to me."
"WHAT WAS THE WORST IT COULD HAVE DONE?"
He was silent for a few moments. "It probably could have severed my entire leg," he murmured softly. "if it didn't kill me first." The next couple of quiet moments seemed to last forever before Wilson seemed to crack under it and continued talking. "WX... just a question... which injuries did you inflict?" I turned sharply to stare at him, confused. "I really need to know. I know you and Webber fought before you two were attacked, but which wounds didyou inflict and which ones did thetree guard inflict?"
"...WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?" I demanded.
He raised his chin slightly. "Because I'll need to keep a closer eye on the tree guard injuries. They are more likely to get infected than anything you could deal out, plus I need to go over them for wooden shrapnel."
A couple more insanity-inducing moments of silence between us. "HIS RIBS WERE PROBABLY MY DOING. AS WAS HIS JAW."
"Everything you did was blunt force?"
"INDEED."
He groaned, burying his face in his hands as he finished cleaning his bloodied leg and muttering "I'll have to check all of his open wounds then. He will most certainly not be happy."
"IF HE'LL EVEN LET YOU NEAR HIM," I huffed. "IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, HE'S A BIT... DELUSIONAL RIGHT NOW."
"Oh, I've noticed." He gave me a wry look. "Which is exactly why I said he's not going to be happy." His eyes drifted to the black book he always kept with him. "Maybe the book has something to say about this. This isdefinitely not normal behavior."
"I'M NOT SURPRISED HE'S SHOWING ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR. AFTER ALL... HE'S NOT EXACTLY WHAT YOU WOULD CALL A 'NORMAL' SPECIMEN."
"None of us are," he laughed lightly. "I mean...you aren't exactly the most 'normal' specimen either, WX." I opened my mouth to protest but he continued. "You are a robot," he reminded me.
"A ROBOT. IT'S NOT UNUSUAL."
"On the contrary, you are quite high-tech compared to the kinds of robots I saw in my hometown." Wilson paused as though it was uncomfortable to talk about it. "Well... actually, I don't even recall seeing robots. I knew they existed but..."
"I'M THE FIRST YOU'VE SEEN?" That was unusual. Where I was built, robots whereall you saw. I couldn't even remember any human contact until recently...
"Definitely. Especially a robot that apparently functions exactly like a human? I have to admit, you are quite interesting." He smiled. "Would if mind if one of these days, when we have nothing to do, I did a few... experiments with you?"
"YES. I MIND VERY MUCH. I AM NOT A TOOL FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT."
"Oh you're no fun," he pouted. "Away with you." He looked away and waved me off. "You suck the joy out of everything."
"OH FINE. I'LL JUST GO DO SOMETHING USEFUL AND HOPEFULLY NOT GET ATTACKED BY SOME RANDOM MONSTER I SHOULD'VE HEARD A MILE AWAY."
"You really are just a big killjoy."
"I'M NOT A KILLJOY," I protested. "I AM, IN FACT, TRYING TO BE PRACTICAL."
He rolled his eyes. "Go explore or something... try to bring food back!"
"MEAT?" I asked.
"No no no, not unless you are up to gutting it." He pointed with his thumb back at Webber as he stood up, resting his weight on his good leg. "He's the only one okay with it at this point. And we don't even know what's wrong with him."
I glanced back at the woods. "YOU LOOK IN THAT PRECIOUS BOOK OF YOURS AND I'LL GO OUT THEN?"
He sighed but nodded. "You know what would be useful? Bandages. If we hadany sort of bandages."
I shrugged. "I DON'T THINK YOU'LL BE ABLE TO FIND THOSE IN THE WILDERNESS."
"I know but... if you can find anything we could possibly wrap wounds up with that'd be great."
"I DOUBT I WILL... BUT I GUESS THERE'S NO HARM IN TRYING."
"Ah, much appreciated- and you're not listening anymore." he chortled a bit as I turned around to walk away before he could continue speaking.Moronic fleshlings- love the sound of their own voice until they annoy everyone else.
I was honestly beyond glad when I was finally out of speaking range.If he keeps this up I'm going to either be deaf by the end of this or wish I was deaf.
In a slight daze, I let my mind wander aimlessly. I wasn't as curious about how I got here- as Wilson was- and more interested in how I couldget out. Truthfully, I had no clue what this place was but I didn't really care so long as I could get back to the real world... tomy world. The physics here were a bit too wonky and unusual for my liking.A robot likes pristine order. There is nothing orderly about this world. I suppose that's the wilderness for you, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. As if to prove my point of the wonky physics, I felt a sudden wave of heat pass over me even though, when I looked up, the sky had turned overcast. Ahead I could almost swear I saw the forest thinning out, and I moved quicker until I began to run towards the light, before emerging to an almost blinding brightness.
The ground had quickly gone from slightly dewy and soft underfoot to cracked and dry. Sand covered the ground as far as the eye could see, which was far considering the lack of trees. In their place were cacti placed randomly all over the flat area, and as I watched a herd of some strange, blue creatures with lightning-bolt shaped horns bounded into view, looking as though they were chewing on something despite there being no grass to chew on.What are they eating? Sand?
To the other side, a small rabbit was creeping out from the edge of the forest, eyeing the blue creatures suspiciously and I wondered for a small moment if they were deadly before an absolutelymassive bird swooped from the sky and lunged towards it with outstretched talons, causing the animal to flee for cover with a high-pitched scream. The bird let out a despairingcaw! before taking off again with two powerful strokes of its feathery wings.A desert, my mind unhelpfully supplied as I took in the new surroundings. I let my gaze rest on the blue creatures.I can probably ask Wilson about those things when I get back... knowing his obsession with that stupid book he'd know what they are... and if they're edible.
Another part I hated about this world, admittedly, was my newfound need to eat. I had never needed to before and now it was almost unbearable.
I officially hated yetanother thing that made me more similar to thesepests.
You know you'd be terrified without them, a small, annoying voice whispered... one I recognized well.
Oh, shut up. I'm not dependent on any life-form.
As though the universe wanted to make matters worse while simultaneously throwing me out of my thoughts, an enormous thunderclap echoed overhead, and I glanced curiously up to look at the sky. I had never been out in rain before, so I could only begin to imagine what it felt like.
A sharp, stinging sensation shot up and down my spine as something hit me right in the base of my neck.
ZAP!
It was weird how just a single drop of water caused an entire shower of sparks to fly out of me.
Yep, I wasnot built to be out in the rain.
ZAP!
Nearly scrabbling to get away, back into the shelter of the trees and away from the offendingliquid.
ZAP!
Well, at least this was another barrier between me and fleshlings.
ZAP!
I didn't mean I had to like it.
By the time I had run all the way back, I was positively soaked and glowing like a Christmas tree from the sparks. Wilson had to cover his eyes and mouth to keep from laughing, and I was gladder than ever that Webber was still too out of it to say anything. I narrowed my 'eyes' at the scientist as soon as he peeked over his hand, and he shook his head, lifting his other hand to show me his dripping palms. "I'm not saying a word. Not saying a word."
