Chapter Text
There will come a poet
Whose weapon is His word
He will slay you with His tongue, oh lei oh lai oh lord
[LIVE BROADCAST] - PRIVATE Seven Red Suns, No Significant Harassment
SRS: Have you gathered any information on Pebbles’ condition?
NSH: Um, about that.
NSH: Moon seems… hesitant. She hasn’t said anything about her return to power yet.
SRS: Have you tried contacting Pebbles again-?
NSH: I told you, I can’t. He’s not responding to any messages. He might not even be
able
to respond. Why don’t you pester him yourself?
SRS: I’ll talk to Moon.
NSH: What will talking to Moon achieve? How will you even reach her? According to her power levels, she can only communicate within reach of me, and even then it’s spotty.
SRS: I’ll send a messenger to gather information, Moon might be able to inform me of the situation.
NSH: Again? Last time you did that, it didn’t work out too well… plus she won’t even talk to me, much less you.
SRS: It’s the only thing I can do.
Spearmaster opened their fluttering eyelids, wincing at the faint ringing echoing in their ears. They watched as the black, arm-like structure folded closer to the ground, relaxing after the broadcast. The purple slugcat rubbed a paw over their muzzle quickly, gaining alertness of the ever-moving ecosystem around them. A lizard hissed in the distance, the far-away sound of crunching jaws closing on prey grabbing Spearmaster’s attention. They produced a spear from their tail, white and bone-like, rough to the touch and leaving a gentle powder on their paw.
Leaping off of the earthy ledge they found a small blue reptilian straining to clamp a squidcada between its jaws. It gnawed on the insect, pushing a claw over the body to hold it still as its teeth tore at the flesh. The slugcat ran straight towards it, startling the lizard as it dropped the squidcada in its surprise. A white spear was sliced through the poor lizard’s maw as it bled out onto the dark ground.
Once they had gotten their fill, Spearmaster scurried to the nearest shelter, slipping their lanky body into the small room and curling up as the churning of gears slowed and steamed.
Due to their artificial making, their body was unable to hibernate. They stayed up as the rains pounded the outside of the shelter, beating like a steady heart. Thoughts often flitted back and forth, running over old conversations, old memories, old faces. Rubbing them smooth, like the ocean against stones. They thought of their iterator, the harsh bright lights against unnaturally smooth, clean surfaces, the hard face and cold body of the puppet. They were just as unnatural as their slugcat. Just as unwilling to conform to nature’s hand.
At last, the rains stuttered to a reluctant stop and Spearmaster prodded the shelter gate open. The world outside was startlingly bright. Here, the clouds rolled away quickly after rain, leaving the sun to dry what was flooded just a few moments ago. Heatwaves buzzed off of the dusty earth and everything felt like an exhausted daze. The slugcat pulled a spear from their tail, detaching from its pore with a snap. They clutched it as they began to scale the lazily sloping hills.
They had only left Seven Red Suns’ superstructure a few cycles ago, heading eastwards to the coast. Another mission.
On a familiar path, Spearmaster thought. They weren’t quite sure why they were going back. Last time, things had been tense, dire. They felt that they were on the edge of something, on the top of a mountain, and the only way left was down.
The slugcat clutched a dark pole, rough with dried lichen clinging onto its surface. They pushed themself up, slowly crawling along the length.
The view from the top was enlightening. The world laid flat, superstructure clearly set against the dusty sky behind them. In front, the land sloped upwards to a steady hill, littered with metallic structures and shimmering remains of a people long gone.
Spearmaster felt a gentle breeze get caught against their skin. It was weak, but cool enough for them to appreciate. They closed their eyes for a moment, resting their pupils from the harsh sun.
The gale blew out and heat settled back onto the earth. The messenger opened their eyes and sighed. They leaped down from their perch, rolling to catch the shock. Always moving, moving, moving.