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Chapter: It's You...?
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I slowly made my way in the direction of the canteen. "The food inside the canteen? Can humans eat it?" I wondered, looking at the rusty condition of this place, completely forgetting that I'm not totally a human.
I followed the path according to the map. As I ambled along, I found the elevator's area with many elevators on both sides of the passage. "Oh...! Let's find out if I can climb up inside it," I peeked into one doorless elevator.
I found a ladder attached to the wall which can be used to climb up, "Hmm! It looks sturdy. I will climb after reaching the canteen," I decided then continued towards the canteen. After I went away from the elevator, a figure slid down the elevator rope and landed on the place I just stood then scanned the area with red eyes.
I soon reached the canteen and was dumbfounded, looking at the only two tables installed in it. "It seems humans rarely stayed on this level," I sighed and entered it in hope of some food available in there.
I searched around the canteen for any food, only to be disappointed. I discovered a door marked 'Food storage' and entered it.
"Does this look anything like a kitchen?" I groaned, glaring at the number of cabinets along the walls.
'Why does the canteen have this instead of Kitchen?' I wondered.
"This is where they get their food?" I muttered, searching the cabinets. Most of the cabinets had their doors snapped open or bent, and due to my hard work, I found something in an intact top cabinet. "I wish I could grow up quickly?" I grumbled, jumping from the top.
I patted the dust on the thing I found and studied it; it is a vacuum-sealed package with an unknown language printed on it. "What is this thing?" I turned it over and checked it properly. The mark on it is faded, so I can't identify it properly.
I impatiently tore the package to find it containing something similar to an energy bar and a squeeze tube, two of them each. It also contains five round pills in a box. "What are these things? Can these be eaten?" I examined trying to smell it through the tightly sealed plastic.
While examining it, I suddenly got alerted by a wheel-rolling sound. I put away the things in my hand into my bag and held the rod vigilantly. I returned to the canteen and heard the rolling sound along with the sound of a gear shifting clearly.
'Is it a robot?' I wondered, reaching the entrance silently and peeking out to see a robot nearly at 3ft in height. Its eyes are red due to darkness. It is moving using two wheels on its side, searching all the rooms on its way here.
I quickly retracted my head in case it had night vision. 'If I'm an adult, I can break it easily,' I sighed in frustration.
I held the rod, readying to strike first. As I stood hiding near the entrance, my body instinctively took a stance of spear thrusting, which 'Past me' practiced countless times and ingraining it in my body.
I'm aware of my injuries, so I must make the first strike count. I concentrated on hearing the approaching robot.
I held my breath, tensing my muscles as the robot neared me, then suddenly its sound stopped and a cold sweat broke out when I saw a shadow stopped at the entrance. 'Did it find me?' I tightened the grip on the rod wondering 'Why didn't it enter directly like other doors?".
When I noticed the shadow nearing, I jumped from the hiding spot and "ARGH!" I thrust the rod with all my might. *clang* *crash* *thud* I felt the rod hit something with a loud sound; I saw the robot crash into the opposite wall.
"Take that." I am satisfied with the damage I made in that strike. There is a huge dented crack near its left shoulder and it is sparkling electricity *crackle*.
The robot had a triangle head with a wrench and screwdriver connected to the arm acting as hands, an odd design, overall it looked rusty and not dangerous. As I'm observing it, the robot stood up and rushed towards me aggressively as if knowing that I'm mocking it.
"Shit! It won't feel pain," I cursed at the obvious and hightailed out of there with a robot right on my heels.
"I thought it will stay down for a while," I ran, ignoring the pain in my body.
"I'm not going to be near it when it's going to blow," I decided, noticing the sparks and smoke from the robot. I ran wildly to get away from the robot, which is surprisingly keeping up with me.
I can easily destroy it if I use Eisen Dial, but I decided not to rely on it for combat. Since I don't know if I can use it down in the blue sea so I decided to rely on it less.
'I need to rely on myself to defeat it,' I resolved to find any solution, but a shadow emerged from the door I passed by piercing the robot chasing me '…or someone can defeat it,' I stopped and pointed the rod at this new figure.
I watched the figure through the smoke, holding the torn wrench hand of the robot chasing me and examining it before discarding it. I watched in disbelief as the figure that emerged from the smoke looked exactly like a Wall-E except for his missing right arm and broken eye lens.
"What the… Wall_E?" I blurted out, looking at it. It stared at me eerily in silence.
"Waalllliiii?" a crackled electronic voice sounded from it.
'The robots can talk?' I looked surprised before getting a chill on my back.
"Oi! Don't stare at my arm. I'm human. It won't fit you," I yelled after seeing the robot eyeing my hand.
"Huuummaann?" it replied, scanning me in disbelief.
"Dead? Mummy?" it replied after a while.
"Fuck! I'm not a mummy, I'm just injured," I answered, pointing the rod angrily at it. It silently glanced with its one eye behind my back.
I sighed in defeat, "Ok! I'm not entirely human and don't look like one," I explained, "but I'm still human if you remove the wings and tail" I explained to it.
"Affirmative!" it replied, moving towards me.
"Oi! Oi! Hold it! Hold it right there," I ordered in panic. "I didn't ask you to remove them for real, it's figurative! okay," I explained, flustered.
"Why the hell am I explaining to you?" I reacted, pointing the rod angrily at it.
"Who the hell are you? What is this place?" I asked it in annoyance.
"23011212-05" It stated blandly. I further got annoyed by this useless answer. I took a breath to calm down.
"What the hell do you do?" I snapped as a little bit of sanity I have is preventing me from hitting it.
"Gar-bage… Dispo-sal" it replied blandly with a broken mechanical voice.
"I knew it," I nodded and waited for further explanation.
As I'm waiting for it to continue, there was a sudden static sound in this silent corridor. We quickly turned to see it emerging from the smoking robot. I saw it jerking crazily due to electricity leaking from it but I can feel a gaze through its camera.
"…zzt…*crackle*…zzt…man…tizz…die…" a voice spoke from its speaker. I narrowed my eyes and then walked towards the robot, pulling the rod sticking from it before piercing it right in its eye.
"Want to kill me in your dream?" I muttered, examining the rod... Er-... spear in my hand; it has a completely different feeling when hitting the robot now than before.
I made some experimental thrust and was satisfied with it, then looked at the 'Gar-bage' who was already rolling away in the distance.
"Fuck! why are you running?" I chased it dumbfound.
"Don't worry, I won't hit you," I reassured it as it increased the speed.
"Run" it toned without stopping. Now I speculated whatever spoke through that robot was dangerous, so I began running earnestly.
"Hey, stop for a second," I yelled, so it stopped for a second before running.
"You… idiot…" I cursed at its action.
"Shit! Wait for me," I yelled, a clear instruction this time. It slowed down, to my relief.
I soon caught up with it "Oi! Stop for a second," I grinned at it. It stopped for a second so I shamelessly climb on its back and found footing on its square shape body. 'At least it is bigger than Wall-E,' I thought, settling comfortably on its back.
Its eye turned to look at me. "What? *ha* I'm injured and hungry," I replied, gripping it tightly. Its square shape is very stable to hold, and then the 3-foot robot began to roll fast carrying me.
We soon arrived at a place that looks like a service elevator; I looked around curiously, ignoring the camera eye that seems to indicate for me to get down. I watched as it neared the elevator drop and extended its only arm, then its claw got detached and *pew* flew up with a silk-like rope connecting it.
"A Grappling hook, huh!" I muttered as the claw got hold of something *krrrm* *psssh* then I felt the robot below revving its thread wheel. I suddenly got a bad feeling before I could react; it jumped into the elevator shaft.
"AAaaahhhaaa!" I shouted in panic, then in excitement after the robot placed its wheels on the wall opposite the elevator door and stood horizontally miraculously with the support of that tiny rope.
"Hahaha!" I laughed as I was dangling from the robot's neck using only my arms as my body was hanging dangerously from it.
"GOgogogo!" I urged it despite being in danger, and then the robot started its wheels and began climbing the wall.
I laughed excitedly as we climbed. "Silence!" the robot droned with its emotionless voice, dousing my excitement. I quickly shut my mouth as we climbed.
The robot stopped after reaching the place. I quickly regained my place on its back and peeked through the doorway along with the robot.
This place is slightly better than below. At least there are some lights here. I noticed there are traces of robot wheels on the dusty floor. We waited for a while, after confirming that the area was clear, the robot climbed out from the elevator shaft and proceeded stealthily.
I watched from its back as it stealthily avoided all the weird robots. The robots here are of different shapes and sizes; square, triangular, oval, rectangular, etc.
'Why the hell it is avoiding these robots? It is also a robot,' I wondered, deciding to get to the bottom of it after getting to a safe place.
There are also robots with one eye to multiple eyes and some have many wheels to no wheels and jump with pogo stick-like lower bodies.
They also have robots with many claws and hands, some arms connected with some tools instead of claws, like the robot I destroyed below.
The robot finally stopped in front of the inconspicuous door carrying the speechless me from witnessing these weird robots in this place. We entered the door cautiously, not noticing a spider Bot in a distance surveying us entering the door.
I was surprised by how large the room was. That door we entered must be some back or side door to this room. This place looks like an influential person's room with a huge table and a huge triangle window.
The robot went to the window and pressed a button nearby, revealing the outside and allowing dim light to pour in. Then it went to the cabinet, taking a spare arm stored in it, and started fixing itself.
I watched it fixing the arm expertly then stepped towards the window to look outside; the light entering through the window is not that bright, so I thought it is night. I was excited as it's been a long time since I saw the sky.
I only got disappointed since this place is still underground, supported by many pillars. There was a small triangular screen in the window when I touched it; it acted as a telescope, displaying the things outside with a zoom function.
I saw an altar-like structure on the other end using this function. And at some distance away from it, I saw many arrows sticking to the ground.
"Anyone getting caught in that rain of arrows must be dead," I exclaimed, feeling sorry for the one who got caught in it.
"You!" a mechanical voice is heard from behind. I turned to see 'Gar-bage' standing behind me with both its arms intact.
I pointed to myself, "Me? What about me?" I asked, confused.
The robot moved towards the window, pressing something on the screen. Suddenly, a video started playing.
It showed a white car-like vehicle flying here before the pillars around started shooting arrows at it, making it crash behind a mound.
I watched dumbly as I easily identified it because that was me using the Eisen cloud to create that vehicle. "I wonder how I'm still alive," I muttered as cold sweat formed as I look numbly at the screen.
I quickly reacted and pointed 'my' spear at the robot. "You asshole! It's you? Who attacked me?" I growled, as its eyes moved around in confusion.
"Don't deny, you are watching me from this huge office," I explained my reason to doubt.
It processed what I said, "No" it replied and moved towards the table. "Don't! do anything funny," I warned it, pointing the spear at it.
It stopped moving. I became nervous, thinking it was about to make a move. "Fun?" It asked, tilting its eyes as if asking, 'What is it?'.
I look dumbfounded by this. "Forget it?" I waved, sighing in defeat.
The robot moved its eyes for a while. "Word: Fun: Deleted!" it replied seriously. I held my forehead in frustration when I heard it.
"Good Job!" I complimented speechlessly.
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