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Legs dangled off the side of the large construct, the thin wispy clouds carried by rolling winds. An orange hue shone throughout the area, the sun shining directly overhead so that one would get that pleasant warmth cast along their back. This was the case for the creature who sat at the edge of the platform which hung unimaginably high above the ground. So high that nothing could be seen below. A slugcat, blue in color with large navy eyes with blue pupils. His face was marked with red paint with various small designs which seemed to flow from one symbol to another, a design that was obviously carefully constructed. Their fur flowed with every slight breeze, a light shade of cerulean. Their legs kicked idly as they watched the world go by. The occasional shadow passing overhead, or some other creature that merely passed by. One of their hands clutched a mask, long in shape and with strings of pearls dangling from the various horns that jut out of it.
“The Witness” was his title, it was quite fitting he felt. One of the joys he’d encounter is just sitting idly and taking in whatever the world had to offer, and no matter how chaotic everything got, an order still remained. He’d been traveling for quite some time, leaving whatever he had behind in order to experience what inside the walls had to offer for him. It was a cornucopia of sights, smells, tastes, and so much more.
He sighed quietly, taking one last look around the area before using the spear which sat by his side to hoist himself up to his feet. Witness fastened the mask to his face before turning and walking away from the ledge. He hopped down from his small platform, sliding down some poles and dancing through the various ledges. He passed by creatures of all sorts, lizards who awaited unsuspecting prey, and large green centipedes with vibrant red wings which buzzed in the cool humid air.
Witness passed through a pipeway that led to a larger area, one with brought him to a long area with raised walls which were dotted by plants. He hopped down from a slightly raised area, stepping past some writhing poles– strange carnivorous plants which disguised themselves as poles, which were as common as the water that fell every cycle. It was something he looked forward– surprisingly enough. With the heavy rains, it brought a clean slate. It was a reset button that brought things to where they were before, the stains of yesteryear being washed away leading to new opportunities. He let out a gentle sigh as he made his way through another entrance. One that led down and into a sheltered area, with a shelter symbol painted on the floor in a white chalky substance. He’d ignore it for now– delving even deeper until he passed through a large drop and some pipeway to make his way to a large room. He sat on the edge of the platform he popped out of.
Dangling his feet down once more as he watched the fauna pass by. Large yellow lizards crept around, their large antenna flowing with their movements as they seemed to communicate with each other. One lizard had the biggest of all of them, and the others crowded around them like they were taking demands from a sergeant. It was an interesting sight to behold, the lizards would group up like they were communicating vocally, yet they looked like just the sight of the other lizard would tell them everything that was needed. He placed a paw on his chin, quietly thinking about the logistics of it all. The sense of community was strange, especially viewing from the outside. He watched them wander and communicate before standing back up. He’d recorded all he needed to do for the cycle. The rumble of rain was near nevertheless.
Witness stretched, yawning before disappearing back through that same entrance, back up the long drop, and into the shelter he had seen before. He’d usually eat before going on expeditions, so he curled up as the shelter closed behind him, locking safely and keeping the dangers of the outside out. He sprawled out in the shelter– laying flat on his back with his legs and arms like he was making a snow angel. His chest slowly rose and fell as he cataloged the thoughts of the day as he waned off to sleep.
The night passed as it always did– the rain would get heavier and heavier, crashing against anything above causing what sounded like the end of times. Eventually one would get used to it, happening over and over. It’d just be a way of life.
He woke to the rumbling of the shelter’s entrance, it sliding open and Witness crawling out– mask in hand. He climbed through various pipes, coming back to that large area. Witness lept up, clambering over pole after pole. He hopped onto the top of the island, glancing around that the fresh new world– water still dripping from the leaves of plants. He took his spear, aiming it at a nearby plant, it harmlessly knocked off of its exterior and fell to the ground next to him. After a moment, loud popping noises emanated from it before it split open. Small morsels spilled out which Witness quickly scooped up. He stuffed it in his mouth, crunching on the popped seeds as he quickly got back on his way. They melted in his mouth and had a buttery taste to them. A perfect snack, or in Witness’ case, a meal.
Witness kept walking as he ate, jumping from platform to platform, having to do some precarious leaps to get where he needed to go. The wind felt clean, and moisture still clung to every breath. It was refreshing, at times Witness would pause and take a deep breath– allowing that fresh air to cleanse his thoughts. A pleasant grin plastered across his face as he finally reached a particular entrance. He crawled through a pipe, that entered out into a small room separated in the center by a gate. A large glowing symbol emanated from one of the walls– its origin was unseen, but Witness simply stepped onto one side of the Gate, calmly waiting as the water fell from above, and steam rose from below– powering the gate to let the slugcat through.
After passing through the gate, and entering into the area on the other side– he was met with a scene much similar to the islands of before. Except for the vibrant orange he was used to, the color of the sky was dulled– and the clouds which would normally blow wispy and thin grew thick and heavy with moisture. The air stung with the scent of machinery, rust, and smog clouding the usual smell of fresh air. It was enough to sour Witness’ mood slightly. A small sigh escaped his mouth as he pushed onward, having to jump over a few more gaps, the ground was more akin to infrastructural beams instead of the remnants of what was once a high-risen structure. As he stepped to a ledge, he could see large beasts flying through the sky, their wingspans were immense and their movements janky and unpredictable. Small boosters would launch them every which way, leaving a streak of colored smoke behind. They’d occasionally swoop down and snag up any unsuspecting prey. Witness could spot one carrying away a blue lizard, although it was unknown where it actually brought its meals to. An additional mystery to ponder.
He passed through a few more pipes, every area he passed through was industrial in nature. As if wherever he was acted as the very top of an industrial district. Although whatever machinery lay below had been inactive for a long time. Long enough to rust and be buried in sediment. The secrets of whoever inherited this land were lost to the ages, one thing that Witness, nor anyone, would ever know. It was a solemn fact to think over. Witness’ mouth twisted into a grimace, another small breath escaping his mouth as he continued his trek, using his spear as a cane– less to stabilize himself and moreso to give himself a grand image. Although none were watching. He wished he had some sort of journal to record his findings. Although most paper-made objects would quickly become useless with the added moisture on land and air. He quickly dashed his dreams aside, having more important things to get to.
He descended through more pipes and small platforms, observing a white lizard, one with a strange ability to camouflage with their surroundings perched and waiting for food. Such a lazy way to find food, but it was ingenious in a way. The lizards were by far some of the most diverse beasts he’d seen, some were large and lumbering, so heavy that they couldn’t even climb, and others were small and fragile, cute even. If Witness ever decided to get a pet lizard, the blue ones would be an easy choice. Of course, there were many more besides them, aquatic, terrestrial, arboreal, and whatever niche between they had the chance to feel. How long would it have taken to get those traits? The thoughts and ideas rattled around his head as he slipped into another entryway– coming to a smaller platformed area with multiple entrances. He would’ve done his usual gazing, but he wanted to scout ahead to look for any shelter. He dropped down to the middle pole and scooted through to the other side.
Witness was met with a long hallway, one he paced down carefully– glancing back and forth to check and see if anything had followed him. But upon looking back in front of him– he was met with a strange sight. A figure leaning back a small wall– clutching their side. His breath was low and struggled as a familiar crimson liquid pooled from their side and down around them– soaking into their dark purple body– which easily hid the stains. Witness locked eyes with the figure, who, with their free hand, scrambled to grab a spear and pointed it at them.
“Back off!” They snarled, quickly coughing right after– their grip visibly shaking. They pushed back, leaving their back flat against the wall, “N– Not another step!” He coughed again, wiping his mouth with the hand which was holding the spear.
Witness pitied this creature, it was a slugcat– the same as him. He reached back and unhooked the mask, which gently fell into his hand. The furred slug’s face was now free to the world.
The change in appearance caused the other cat’s eyes to widen, gently shaking their head as to clear their blurry vision. Even if they wanted to say anything, they were getting woozy.
Witness paced up to the injured slugcat, pulling out some fibrous material he had saved from the plant earlier. He pulled the dark slugcat away from the wall, quickly wrapping the fiber around its torso– acting like a bandage to stop the bleeding. The being slumped into his grip, their spear clattering to the side as they held onto the witness tightly. He had a thing to take care of now. He sighed as he hefted the slugcat up– struggling and wobbling as he reattached his mask as he pushed onwards. Witness was able to get the slugcat up on his back, the next room being tall and requiring some more scaling. Climbing poles with the extra weight on one’s back was a struggle, but nothing Witness couldn’t handle. At least that’s what he told himself. A strange thought crossed his mind, he’d seen a variety of creatures, but never another slugcat. This one would make for an interesting subject of study. He’ll keep them around for a while longer, at least to let them recover.
After a while of climbing, he came to a tower that stretched into the clouds, and through accessing a few pipes he was able to clamber to the top. He fell silent as he gazed around– food in his hands as he’d collected on his way up. Witness found a small alcove which he set the other slugcat down after some prying. He’d only noticed just now that one of their eyes had a scar over it, a circle with an “X” through it. It almost seemed luminous as he reached out to inspect it. He grazed a paw over it, it seemed like any old scar, one that’d seen cycles of healing but a strange presence drew him to it. After a moment of analyzing, he finally sat down and began to feed the poor slugcat, who seemed too weak to do anything at the moment. It was pathetic, really. He rolled his eyes, considering why one would even come here if they were to just lay down and accept fate. He fed him just enough that it would hopefully satiate any hunger they had.
“Hello? You up yet?” Witness grumbled as he patted the slugcat’s cheek, a weak grumble came from them. He stood up and walked over to the ledge, gazing out into the wilds, letting out a long sigh as he watched the world go by. The puffy clouds grew on him, admittedly. Seeing those round condensation-filled puffballs drift by on the wind was somewhat calming to him. Not much else was visible though, not even the bird-like creatures that he’d see flying around and preying on the wildlife. It was an isolated pillar in a sea of chaos. Chaos that Witness had grown fond of. He was broken out of his line of thought by a groan coming from behind him. Turning to glance at the source of the noise, the slugcat seemed to properly wake up– or at least be out of that strange catatonic state.
Witness paced over, helping him up and into the shelter whose entrance sat below them, finally letting him down once they were safely inside. He pulled his mask off once more, sitting it safely beside him as he watched the other slugcat’s movements with a strange spark of interest. A faint voice finally came from them.
“Who are you?” They rubbed their temples carefully.
“I should be the one asking questions, you having almost killed yourself.” Witness seemed surprisingly cheery with the current circumstance, “I am but a meer watcher, an observer who analyzes and catalogs. Not much else is worth telling you, fortunately.” He sat cross-legged as he waited for a response.
“I am known by my people as a prophet. A chosen one, per se.” His hand grazed over his scar, which still faintly glowed.
“Which people?” Witness inquired.
“They–” He looked off to the side, “Aren’t with me. Not anymore.” The thought seemingly upset him.
“Not much of a prophet then, huh?”
The Prophet glanced back at Witness, the words stung as their face scrunched up in a funny way, “My journey is for them. Whether they are with me physically, or spiritually.” He upturned his nose in a strange gesture before sighing and laying down on his side.
“Well, my friend. I agree to join you, and may both of our sides be mutually profitable.” Witness spoke again, saying down in a similar way as to look right at Prophet.
Prophet gave an uneasy look at the strange words, but attempted a gingerly smile, “Well, I suppose I need the company. It’s a deal, whatever you may have in store.”
With those final words, a silence fell over the two, and they drifted off in unison.