Archive of Our Own

Eldritch Transients, Shared Journey

The sounds of grinding gears and screeching metal woke up the tiny creature. It was annoying and harsh on the ears, but it was an effective means of waking up. With a yawn, the creature stretched before eyeing the opening that had revealed itself. Climbing through the opening, the creature cautiously crawled out of its den. Poking its head out, the creature was revealed to be a male rodent-like organism known as a “Slugcat.” However unlike his relatives, this particular Slugcat was alone and much more unique. Naturally curious and intelligent, he had learned from a nearby “Iterator” that he was likely a lost “purposed organism” or “experiment.”

What foolishness! While he was alone now that did not mean his parents and relatives were some kind of fake creatures built to be tools. Granted, other Slugcats from distant lands across the giant expanse of salty water were far less exotic. However, all others on the large island he had met were quite similar to him. Four curved horns ending in tips, piercing red eyes, rows of retractable spikes and plates forming a frightening suit of natural armor, and a distinct black, yellow, and orange coloration that convinced most predators to back off. And the distinct looks made perfect sense after all for what hungry beast would try to eat a being that was nothing but fierce looks and sharp spikes? No, the Slugcat was no “purposed organism” but just an ordinary creature who had his own interests.

Like finding food and exploring the upper reaches of this area. Satisfied that the coast was clear, the slugcat slinked his way out of his den entirely and headed off in the search of food. This was a new place he had never been to before and he was quite curious to see what secrets it held. Would it be the grand pillars of the “Factory?” The large and strong “Storm Barrier?” The strange and floaty air of the Iterator? He had no idea and he was quite eager to find out! It was curiosity and the hunger for adventure that caused him to leave his family to discover, to learn, to explore and he had quickly learned to thrive in this place.

But first, he needed food. Climbing up poles and jumping across large gaps was difficult enough when satiated and his stomach was growling for food. Passing through a room, he was instantly greeted by the sight of Batflies fluttering in the air. He gazed at the flying insect-like creatures before turning his gaze to an object on the floor. It was a piece of driftwood, ungainly and rough to hold but in the right shape to be used for an improvised spear...or maybe a hook if enough pieces were shaved away. Testing his newly acquired device, the Slugcat snorted in satisfaction before dragging it out of the room with him. After some more exploring which involved jumping over small gaps, climbing structures, and squeezing through pipes, the Slugcat found what he had been looking for. Adjusting his grip on the driftwood, he stabbed it straight down into a plant pod and gave a sharp twist. The driftwood splintered and shattered while the plant burst open like a flower, revealing a feast of berries inside. With a happy chirp, the Slugcat brushed the splinters away and began eating.

Partway through his feeding, the Slugcat heard a hiss. Ears springing upwards, he looked to the side to see an indigo colored lizard crawling towards him. Frightened, he stood up as tall as he could and growled, pulsing his muscles to cause his armor of plates and spines to stick up. He was no longer a thin, sleek Slugcat. He was instead a spiked menace, impervious to being bitten and having formidable weapons to attack with. The lizard hesitated, caught off guard by such a fearsome sight. The two stared at each other for several seconds until the lizard began to crawl away, hissing in defiant fear. The Slugcat continued to hold his ground until he was sure the lizard was gone before he calmed down. With the danger gone but pulse running high, he quickly returned to eating.

Sometime later, the Slugcat found himself dangling precariously high above the ground. He was quite glad he had eaten that strange flower that gave him visions on what not to do...such as go for the other pipe that was closer but apparently too weak to support his weight. The Slugcat knew he could survive from fairly large drops, but he also knew he would not survive this drop if he fell and was quite relieved he paid attention to the vision. Of course, this did leave him dangling from a pipe high up in the air and all it would take is a loose grip to meet a similar fate. Huffing, he pulled himself further up the pipe and climbed until he was certain any mistake could be corrected in time. Taking a few seconds to breathe, he calmed his racing heart and looked at the landscape around him. Poles and pipes were scattered about, offering a maze of means of ascending this strange place but requiring courage and careful deliberation less one fall to their doom.

Another vision flashed, the pipes providing the most direct route up were weak and would not support his weight. He would need to get across an expanse first and then make his way further up. It was slow and dangerous, requiring boldness and patience. The Slugcat had made similar journeys before and thus was well experienced in this manner of exploration but he did not let his hunger for discovery outweigh his common sense. He would reach the top eventual-

He felt a familiar twinge of energy. An Echo? Here? How exciting! Supposedly they had created the Iterator and the lands the Slugcat was exploring. Whatever they did before mattered little to the Slugcat, he wanted to meet as many of them as he could. They offered knowledge, insights to different times, and shared experiences with him. And even if it was a precarious journey to find them, the Slugcat always found it worthwhile to seek out the Echoes. And so with new urgency but maintaining his composure, the Slugcat continued climbing. He jumped across gaps, crossed through rooms, and squeezed through tunnels. He knew there was something in this place and he was not leaving until he either found the Echo or the rain came crashing down!

And then finally, after several minutes of climbing, he found the Echo. It was like the others he has seen before. Big, ethereal, golden scales falling off and fading into nothing, a ripple in the air that distorted the senses, otherworldly, terrifying...majestic, awe inspiring, wondrous, mysterious...everything that the Slugcat was seeking to discover and so, so much more. Approaching slowly, the Slugcat caught the attention of the Echo.

“How curious… A creature like yourself seeking for things you do not understand in an effort to learn. There is a hunger inside of you little one. A hunger that you can never satiate no matter how much you feed it. You climb up here, risking your life all just to find one more thing to feed that hunger. Should I feel glad to know that I am deemed worthy of such boldness? Of such curiosity?

“Or should I feel envious? You are free to come and go as you please. Even when you stubbornly bind yourself to this world you learn more than we ever could have dreamed of learning. Should I be honored or regretful by your presence here little one?

“You with an eternal hunger for knowledge, I can only hope that your next discovery will provide you satisfaction. Not all journeys are worth taking, not all knowledge is worth learning. Take heed of my words little creature. Explore too far, delve too deep, let your hunger control you for too long and you may end up just like me. You may find the price to pay to satisfy your hunger far too high.”

Suddenly, the Echo pulsed. The Slugcat shielded his eyes as the light became blinding. He knew he would wake up in a new den, unaware of how he exactly got there but having the feeling that he had wandered a great distance to do so. And so he embraced the light, the feeling of falling into a puddle of dreams, and began pondering the meaning of the words that were just spoken.

A door to a room sat innocently enough in an underground facility, long forgotten and abandoned. However, this stillness quickly changed as the door shifted slightly alongside a groan. After a few seconds, the door shifted again and the groan intensified before the sound of something falling over was heard. The door then rattled as something thumped against it, first lightly, then with intensity. The final thump caused a loud, pained groan to let out as the door barely budged with only some dust falling off of it.

“Ow… All right… That’s not working,” a voice said on the other side of the door.

A muffled snap and hum were heard before the door again shook. This repeated several times before the noise stopped and was followed by a sigh. The door had rattled a bit but remained stubbornly in place. Following yet another sigh, the door was left alone in silence for several seconds. The sound of something scraping on the ground was faintly heard as well as groans and pants.

Finally, after several more seconds, the door was blown from its frame in a fiery explosion. As the smoke cleared, a figure walked into the room. Big and hulkling, the figure looked nightmarish as it walked through the dissipating smoke. Spiked black armor, a horned helmet with ruby red eyes, rail rifle slung on the back next to a backpack, and a Zeliska hand cannon pistol in hand, the figure gave off a menacing aura. Scanning the room slowly and deliberately, the figure kept the Zeliska ready while their off hand rested on an unactivated hardlight sword hilt.

“Good! Door’s open and no one’s going to bother me,” the figure spoke, voice modulated to be intimidating yet coming off as cheerful and relieved.

Holstering the Zeliska, the individual began exploring the contents of the room, losing all pretenses of intimidation. After all, why would Andre need to keep up his act when the room was perfectly safe? The Blu “Transient” (as he insisted on his job title being called) was a relatively well known individual in his circles as a large curious explorer with a heart of gold. While other explorers were no nonsense, cold, jaded survivalists who attacked anything deemed threatening when in the field, Andre instead preferred to let intimidation play into his favor to avoid fights. Sheer size, intimidating armor, artificial aggressive voice, and powerful weapons often were enough to make most raiders and mutants think twice about attacking him and those that still did quickly learned he had more than enough bite to back up his bark.

“All right, let’s see what we’ve got here,” Andre spoke as he began rifling through the various items in the room.

Most of it was rusted junk. Some frayed wiring, what might have been a paperback book was now a rotten mess, a busted battery… Well this was disappointing. He had spent at least a minute fighting to get that blasted door open, bruised his shoulder, and had to push an unstable hyper light fuel canister before shooting said canister to blow the whole thing open. What an absolute waste of time!

“All right… Well at least there’s a table and a chair,” he sighed as he swept the junk aside and propped up the chair.

Setting his backpack on the floor, he began rummaging inside. After some digging, he pulled out a portable stove, pot, and a preserved food packet. Sitting down, he flicked the stove on and set aside his weapons before taking his helmet off. A blue, messy haired head was revealed as he set the helmet aside and began pouring water into the pot. After the water came to a boil, he opened the food packet and dumped it into the pot. Pulling a folding fork from his pouch, he began stirring the pot.

Really was hoping to find something, he thought sadly as the noodle soup recipe he created for excursions like this finished rehydrating, Nearly bankrupt myself cooking a month's worth of soup to pay off for those modifications.

The soup finished cooking and he turned the stove off. Blowing the steam off, he began to eat the noodles slowly. A noise distracted him, causing him to nearly choke on the noodles. Uncaring that he had noodles sticking out of his mouth, he dropped the fork and snapped his Zeliska out, safety off and aimed for the door. Seconds of painful silence passed before he flicked the safety back on and slurped the dangling noodles into his mouth.

“Can’t be too careful,” he murmured as he returned his focus on finishing his meal before whatever made the noise came looking for him.

Some time later Andre was exploring deeper into the facility. Outside of distant noises and his footsteps, silence had been his only companion. The venture was proving to be unlucky which was bad news for him. He needed to find something to cover his rent back home (especially after cramming a month’s worth of utilities in making noodle soup to cover other expenses) and he would rather not get kicked out onto the street. He also had his reputation to cover as a reliable Transient who could find good quality salvage. One bad haul would not tarnish his goodwill but to have a bad haul in an area that was reportedly rich in supplies and equipment? He would be a laughing stock for accepting a high risk, no reward expedition and be forced to make compromising trade deals for months just to stay afloat!

Come on… There’s got to be something, he thought with a sigh as he leaned against a wall.

Taking his helmet off to grab a sip of water, he suddenly heard a faint ringing. Putting the helmet back on, he no longer heard the noise. Taking it off again and sipping his water, he began to wander to see where the noise was coming from. To his dismay he had to backtrack to find it, heading for a section of wall that he overlooked due to its state of disrepair. Checking the wall, he determined that he would not need to resort to drastic measures as he had done earlier and instead just clear the rubble away.

“All right, let’s see what’s back here,” he muttered as he got to work.

Before long, the rest of the debris quickly gave way and Andre found himself exploring a new section of the facility. It was still in a terrible state of disrepair and abandonment, but it was notably more due to the fact that nothing has been down here in a very long time as opposed to other scavengers looting and/or fighting over whatever was down here. Regardless of the state of the hallway, the ringing was growing louder and clearer even with Andre wearing his helmet.

Just before he entered the room where the ringing was coming from, Andre grabbed his sword hilt and activated the blade. A dull blue beam of hardlight took the form of a sabre, perfect for dueling and dispatching threats. Taking a few deep breaths, he focused on being as large and intimidating as he could. Chest puffed out and standing tall he deliberately stomped his way towards the doorway, footsteps thundering with a slow, menacing rhythm that deliberately announced his presence. Pausing just long enough to check the door, he was pleased to see that he would not need to struggle to open it and hit a button. It slid open to reveal a large storage balcony with shelves full of equipment, spare parts, batteries, and other treasures.

“Finally,” he breathed out (voice modulator making him sound like a needlessly dramatic cartoon villain) as he relaxed his posture and began to take stock of his discovery.

Before he started with stuffing his bag with whatever caught his eye first, Andre instead searched for the source of the ringing. As expected it was an emergency power module, sending out its siren call for reactivation to restore power to the immediate area. Kneeling down, Andre unlocked the module and pulled it from the floor to reveal a pink crystal of solidified hyperlight. All around him lights flickered to life, a vast expanse below the balcony reactivating bridges, and the surprised voices of countless beings rang out. Even in the far distance, Andre could see one such group of beings surprised by the area being reactivated.

They noticed him and rushed to the edge of the chasm, jumping and hollering angrily. They were far away, distinguishable only due to the features in his helmet. Andre had no doubt they could only see the barest outline of his silhouette and were furious about his existence. They were far for now, but they might not be for long. Andre would need to move fast if he wanted to avoid a confrontation, intimidation did not always work and he did not want to risk his haul from getting damaged.

All right clock is ticking, he thought as he quickly but methodically began scanning the shelves for the best choices, Time to get to work.

And so he grabbed what he deemed the best value. Gearbits, rechargeable batteries, a box of quality wire, even a hard drive went into his bag. Occasionally looking across the chasm informed him that his unwanted attention was no longer there. The doorway was empty for now… Andre hoped it would stay that way long enough for him to leave without incident.

“That should do it,” he said as he packed in the last piece of equipment he could squeeze into his bag without damaging anything before turning to the power module, “You’re coming with me friend.”

Hitting the release catch, the facility went dark again as the crystal became encased in a carrying container. Grabbing it, he shoved it into the last open space in his bag. Satisfied, Andre closed the bag and slung it over his shoulder and briskly walked through the doorway, Zeliska ready and safety flicked off. He paused as he heard angry howling down the hallway he had come from earlier. Not taking a chance, he headed down another hallway. A teleporter was sitting on the floor just around a corner. Andre smiled at his good fortune.

Shame I have so much floating over my head, he thought as he stepped onto the teleporter and pulled the power module out, Could use this for a future trip. Oh well, part of the job.

Reactivating the teleporter, Andre inputted the coordinates for a nearby outpost. He could come back in the future for the rest of the supplies (assuming it was still there of course), but right now he needed to leave. With the coordinates locked, Andre disconnected the power module and activated the teleporter. In a pink flash, Andre was gone.

The Slugcat woke up in a mild state of delirium. His paws felt like he had walked an entire day over rock splinters, stomach was a gaping void, head pounded like two lizards fighting, and above all else he was thirsty. Grasping his head and shaking it to try to clear it, he stumbled his way to an opening in the room he was in, one that did not quite feel like a proper den to hide from the rain or even in the same area he had been exploring. Of course there were still plenty of the familiar signs of strange architecture, machines, and religious iconography. But one with a desire to explore and learn does not mistake one place for another and even in his confused state the Slugcat knew he was somewhere else entirely.

Was it because of the Echo? Usually whenever he meets one, he is sent to the nearest suitable den and wakes up with a strange feeling of having experienced a dream he could not recall. This time, he felt he had sprinted across an entire region, gone through a fight with one of his relatives, neglected to take care of himself, and got the worst sleep of his life all at once. If this is what the Echo meant by being too curious then the Slugcat would gladly accept one final trip to the Iterator and then rejoin his family and never leave them ever again.

Fortunately for the Slugcat, exiting the room did not include crawling through a pipe or tunnel. Instead, he walked through a large opening and was nearly blinded by the daylight. Groaning, he closed his eyes and winced as the headache grew worse. It was then that he heard the sound of water trickling. Following the noise, he walked face first into a wall in a half-blind state. Opening his eyes just enough to glare at the offending wall, he saw that there was water coming out of a wall higher up and pooling into the container he walked into. Grabbing the edge, he hoisted himself up and then promptly plunged his head into the pool of water.

After gulping down enough water to completely fill his stomach, the Slugcat gently lowered himself back down and sat down. The area he was in was...someplace entirely new. While under normal circumstances this would have been exciting, he was anything but. His head still hurt, he still wanted some actual food, his body ached, and he had absolutely no idea on how he got here. It somewhat reminded him of the “Overture City” on top of the Iterator but...different. Given it had taken him ages to figure out where he was within those twisting streets and mind bogglingly tall structures, he did not fancy repeating that experience in his current situation.

Especially considering the room he was in was just familiar enough to feel like the Overture City and different enough to not be at the same time. Right now, dealing with his current headache was more pressing than trying to figure that out…

The first thing Andre noticed upon completing the teleportation was that he had a migraine. No, worse than a migraine. A few rocket launcher wielding maniacs were blowing up unstable hyperlight canisters in his head. It was so bad that he cried out in pain, stumbled about, and somehow walked head and fingers first into a wall. Needless to say, having his fingers protest about being smashed on top of his head hurting did not feel good.

“Gah! What gives?!” he screamed, voice modulator for once doing an accurate job of pronouncing his mood.

Ripping his helmet off, he squeezed his temples with closed fists. The pain slowly subsided, gradually decreasing as he focused on keeping his thoughts quiet. By the time Andre was able to focus, he had managed to go from kneeling position to merely sitting on his knees. Blinking, he realized something was very wrong.

All right… Where am I? This isn’t where I set the coordinates to, he thought as he looked at his surroundings.

No longer debilitated, he put his helmet back on and drew out his rifle. He was in an outdoor environment, urban streets, overgrowth showing signs of overtaking the ruins. From experience, Andre knew ranged fights were the most common in places like this. Moving carefully, he eyed his surroundings carefully, studying the architecture and debris for any potential ambush. He was mildly surprised to see that a significant amount of the ruins were in styles he was familiar with. What was concerning was everything else.

Never saw architectural designs like that before, he glanced at one building that appeared to be bricks laid on top of one another before noticing an unusual statue, Nor that… Well...can’t hurt to look now can it Andre?

Curiosity outweighing his caution, he slowly made his way for one of the less dilapidated unknown buildings. Swapping his rifle for his Zeliska, he carefully walked through the halls. With near silent footsteps, he walked through each room with practiced ease.

However, his exploration was quite brief before he walked out into a courtyard that seemed to have the greatest mixture of familiar and unknown structures. Andre could not help but feel a sadness take over him at the scene as he stepped into the light. The place felt like it would have been a peaceful gathering spot to visit had it not fallen to ruin…

Both Slugcat and Transient noticed each other as they explored the courtyard. For the Slugcat, he was looking at a much taller version of himself. For Andre, he just stumbled on probably the most adorable little nightmare that stole his image. Both froze and sized each other up, not quite sure on what to think of the other.

This quickly broke when the Slugcat sneezed.

“How did you just get cuter by sneezing?” Andre asked in bewilderment, arm holding the Zeliska going limp.

The Slugcat cocked his head at the statement. The big version of him sounded angry but the words seemed to suggest otherwise. While his head still hurt, he was able to tell this strange...individual was probably the most interesting thing he would ever find in his life. Even more so than the Echos!

“What’s with the look, little guy? You better not be trying to eat my soul or something,” Andre huffed as he returned the intensive look right back at the creature.

Andre had no idea what to make of the creature. It was adorable in a semi-terrifying way. It also stole his entire schtick of looking like the scariest thing in the room which was just unfair. Andre had spent a significant amount of time gathering the resources and finances to get his armor the way it looked and an even longer time figuring out how to look even more intimidating. How was that supposed to be fair? Cheating little thing getting it easy…

Both were interrupted from their thoughts by the sound of something growling. The Slugcat hugged his stomach and let out a disappointed squeak. This was quickly followed up by another growl from the protesting stomach. Andre snickered as he knelt down, holstering his Zeliska and eying the creature at its own height. They stared into each other’s eyes, red lenses meeting red irises. This held until Andre’s stomach announced itself, causing the Slugcat to snort and lick his lips.

“I’m gonna regret this aren’t I?” Andre sighed, already knowing that one way or another he was going to share a meal with his unexpected companion.

Andre quickly found his new companion to be the most curious little thing he has ever met. Upon setting down his bag and getting a pot of soup going, the creature visually examined every inch of the stove and pot. This examination stopped once Andre opened the pot to stir the noodles, releasing steam. Andre may have prided himself on making a very good noodle soup, but he never would have expected anyone to drool just at the smell of it cooking!

“Uppp! Not yet. It’s still cooking and you’ll burn yourself,” he waved the creature away from the pot before closing it.

It pouted in response. It...pouted. Andre laughed at the reaction. That alone told him all he needed to know: The creature was just like him! Looking like a threat on the outside only to be the biggest softie on the inside.

“You and I, my little unexpected friend, are more similar than I would’ve ever imagined,” he chuckled.

The creature just narrowed its eyes at him and sat down on its haunches, letting out an agitated squeak as it did so. Even with the scales and spikes sticking up slightly, Andre could not take the display seriously. A part of him knew it was almost the same exact reaction he gave vendors when they charged him an outrageous price for something he needed, but to see it for himself was just plain old adorable and funny.

“All right, all right. You made your point,” Andre said as the squeaks continued and the glare intensified, “It’s almost done so you can calm your armor down.”

The Slugcat was not entirely sure what the statement was supposed to mean, but he was smart enough to know the big individual was not taking him seriously. He was covered in spikes and plates, scared off vicious predators, and travelled dangerous lands. Even the Iterator said he was brave and strong! Sure, the big individual was just as fierce looking and probably had to go to great lengths for all of those things that were in the other thing that had been carried. But the Slugcat traversed places much bigger than himself, outwitted stubborn predators, and outran the rain constantly. He doubted the big individual would even fit in a den should the rain come crashing down right this instant!

But these thoughts were interrupted when a metallic thing with the delicious smelling items were presented to him, “Food’s ready. Eat up!”

The Slugcat sniffed the “food” one more time to be sure. It smelled so good… And it was likely very hot given the steam. Grabbing one of the wet, limp, steaming vine things, the Slugcat took a hesitant bite. He felt his heart thump in his chest, every spike and plate stick up all at once, and his dilate as he looked at what he had been given for food. It tasted even better than it smelled and he wanted more.

“Well glad to see my noodle soup is as good as ever,” the big individual commented as the Slugcat immediately devoured the meal, completely ignoring the heat and licking up every droplet.

Andre also joined in on eating. While the action of removing the helmet briefly made the Slugcat pause at the sudden action, he quickly realized what occurred and returned to his enthusiastic eating. Andre ate his meal at a slower pace, quite pleased at what he was witnessing. The Slugcat finished first and walked up to Andre, curling up against his side and letting out a purr of approval for the food. Andre paused in eating, returning his fork to his bowl and giving the Slugcat a pat on the head to return the affection.

Both were happy and content. It had been a long time since they met a friend on their adventures.

Sometime later, both Slugcat and Transient were walking through the ruins. Andre had his rifle out while the Slugcat just looked around with a curious gaze. Despite the underlying tenseness, neither felt necessarily threatened. Both were well versed in different forms of silence and right now they were experiencing one of the rarest forms out there: Peaceful solitude. There always would be a need to be wary and ready as no place was completely safe, but it was clear these ruins were empty save for them.

Still, there were the two issues that they had no idea how they ended up here or how to get back to their respective homes.

“Eh? How’d that get up there?” Andre stopped walking as he looked up at a ledge.

The Slugcat paused and looked as well. Sitting up on the ledge were two boxes, strangely in good condition considering the state  of the ruins. Curiosity getting the better of him, the Slugcat walked up to a drainage pipe and started climbing.

“H-Hey! What are you doing? Those could be bombs for all we know!” Andre called out  as the Slugcat scurried up the pipe.

Undeterred, the Slugcat lifted himself onto the ledge and examined the boxes. Andre could only watch in exasperation and mild concern from the street below. One was entirely unfazed by the potential danger, the other thinking of all the possible ways something could go wrong. One box was carefully opened and the contents inside were…

A pearl? In shocked disappointment the Slugcat lifted the storage device out. It was the same exact one he had brought to the Iterator not that long ago, a series of religious hymns imprinted onto a copper plated sphere. He knew it was the same one because it had the same chips on one of its sides. Setting it down, the Slugcat turned to focus on the second box.

Andre blinked and shook his head in disbelief. The second box had a data stick, one he knew for certain was floating in a drawer in his apartment. It was the same ugly green, scuffed, and scratched thing he picked up from a store one day feeling particularly sour and then promptly putting his favorite music onto it. Andre had to check for himself if it was the same exact stick.

“Hey, mind bringing that down here? Because either someone is playing a joke or that belongs to me,” Andre called.

The Slugcat looked back down at his companion. After a second of thought, he picked the pearl up and began to climb down with both items. Upon being offered the stick, Andre grabbed it and pulled out a scanner. Sure enough, the same songs were on it. Looking at the Slugcat, Andre could tell that his companion was familiar with the other item.

And then a stray thought came to him, Well… Looks like I’m not the only one with a copy. Even if it’s the same thing somehow I can just get a new stick...hopefully in a better color also. “Hey… Want to trade?”

The Slugcat blinked in confusion. Realizing the offer, the Slugcat tentatively offered the pearl. Andre bent down and grabbed it, offering the data stick in return. With their trade completed with little fanfare, they stood staring briefly before carrying on with their new possessions.

After some more wandering, the weather began to turn. The Slugcat looked up at the gathering rain clouds uneasily. Andre noticed the behavior and quickened his pace. A sense of danger was in the air, the sudden storm and unfriendly eyes upon them. They were no longer alone. The air crackled with energy. They overstayed their welcome.

They needed to leave.

“There! That’s our way out of here!” Andre pointed at a teleporter pad in a courtyard just as the skies erupted with lightning and thunder.

The Slugcat gave a frantic look at the pad before dismissing it. It was completely exposed to the elements. He had to find a den, a place high enough to avoid flooding, something! Finally, his eyes spotted what he knew by instinct to be a safe spot. Bounding over to it, he suddenly realized his companion had gone for the pad. Reluctant but unwilling to take unnecessary risks, he dove into the tunnel and frantically crawled his way to safety. He waited, grasping the item he traded the pearl for as he hoped his companion followed the same common sense. But he was suddenly hit by a wave of fatigue and was lulled into the realms of slumber. The last thing he saw as the tunnel sealed itself shut and his vision faded was a strange creature with a glowing shape surrounding its head. Funny...must be related to the Itarator…

Andre was disappointed the creature left him but he could hardly blame it. It was an animal after all. A highly intelligent one, but still an animal that relied on instinct. He had bigger problems, namely the weather and the screeches. Placing his bag down, he pulled out the power module and plugged it in. The pad instantly activated and hummed to life, coordinates locked in. He had no clue where he was going but anywhere was better than here at the moment. Drawing his Zeliska, he readied himself for whatever was waiting for him on the other side. Just before the teleporter pad completed its task, he saw a massive serpentine entity staring down at him with golden eyes, silhouetted by the lightning and sudden downpour. It was the most incredible, awe inspiring thing Andre had ever seen. And just as quickly as he saw it, the massive entity vanished out of sight as the teleporter activated.

Andre woke up, sprawled out on a teleporter pad. With a groan, he picked himself up and realized he was back home.

Wha… What happened? How’d I get here?, he thought as he tried to orient himself.

“You all right?” a guard asked, “You’ve been lying there ever since you teleported back in.”

“How long?” Andre sat up, feeling as if he had just taken a nap.

“Few minutes. Some wiseguys wanted to take your stuff for themselves but I scared them off. Though I’ll admit if it weren’t for you breathing...well… Just glad to see another returning hero is all.”

Andre nodded and stood up. Somehow he had the weirdest, most lucid dream imaginable. It involved strange ruins, a plagiarizing animal, sharing some noodles, and… Wait… All of that did happen. He had the little copper ball from before…

“Bizarre,” he commented as he eyed the ball in his hand before stuffing it back into his pocket.

Still unsure about his most recent expedition, he headed for the market. Almost immediately, his large size and deliberately frightening appearance caused everyone to pause before relaxing when he entered. They were used to the resident “Transient” making an entrance and looking scarier than he was (as it should be).

“Well well well. You’re back early,” a shopkeeper replied.

“Good haul, one of my best,” Andre put his bag on the counter and pulled out the power module.

“How did you manage to find one of those?” the shopkeeper breathed, eyes full of surprise.

“Got lucky,” Andre shrugged, ignoring the jealous looks he was getting, “Though it was...an interesting journey to get it home.”

After trading his haul, the usual stories, and a meal, Andre headed back to his apartment. He would handle his rent later. Right now he just wanted to process everything in a safe location. Entering inside, he immediately stored his equipment and then went to go find the data stick he had “traded.” Amazingly, it was right where he had left it.

“How?” he asked the stick and pulled the ball out to glance between the two items.

Believing himself to still be in a dream, he put the ball in an analyzer. The results were nearly instantaneous in revealing that the ball was essentially a different form of data storage. Enthralled, he dug deeper and managed to get a handshake program to work. His efforts were rewarded with soft music.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” he laughed.

Still not quite believing everything, Andre sat down on his bed and began to recall the details. Maybe, just maybe, all of it would make sense. At the worst, he would just chalk it up to an unexplained event that resulted in a memento from his little doppelganger…

Andre hoped the little creature was all right. Short as the companionship was, the adorable little monster left an impression on him.

The Slugcat woke up in a den. Groggily, he stumbled his way out and instantly knew something was different. The air was clearer and colder, no longer thick with moisture and decaying metal. He was above the clouds, on top of the Iterator. The Slugcat has seen several things in his explorations, many of which were nearly incomprehensible to him. But he knew what was impossible and he knew that getting this high up so suddenly was one of such things.

Rubbing his eyes, he examined his immediate area. As expected, the Overture City was in the distance and other such structures sat on top of the large thunderous structures hovering above the clouds. It was quite a scene but one that did not align with his jumbled memories. He had been below the clouds and...exploring a different area. There was the bigger individual that looked just like him. Even before then, he had not been this high up. How did he get up here and what happened to the other individual?

Heading back inside the den, it was revealed that the Slugcat was disappointingly alone. The individual was not here. However, there was the odd object they had been given. Picking it up, the Slugcat brought it back out of the den and into the light to examine it. It honestly did not look like much, just a small piece of junk that lacked any use whatsoever. But the Slugcat has been surprised by seemingly mundane things before…

Seeing that he was nearby, the Slugcat decided to take the opportunity to visit the Iterator. Maybe in doing so he would get answers about the item and whatever happened. Walking, he casted glances at the Overture City and was reminded of his most recent exploration. So many similarities mixed with so many differences. As he tried to make sense of it all, he lost track of his thoughts and it was not until the Overture City was out of sight that he realized the subtle change in gravity. The murals on the walls were now in view as he got closer and closer to the tunnel to the Iterator. Each step caused him to bounce and the feeling of weightlessness increased. Upon reaching the tunnel, his movements were cautious and deliberate to avoid launching himself. Taking one last moment to steady himself, he crawled into the tunnel and made his way inside.

“Mmm? Ah, little friend! How nice to see you again,” the Iterator cried out as the Slugcat floated in the air.

Squirming in the air, the Slugcat managed to align himself to face the Iterator and waved. His eyes noticed the various pearls floating in the room, one of which being the copper pearl he had rediscovered and traded off.

“You caught me at an awkward time, my curious friend. My latest project is proving to be...troublesome,” the Iterator said as the gravity was adjusted slowly to avoid any sudden changes.

Reaching the floor, the Slugcat held up the stick. He was quite curious as to what it even was.

“What’s this? Not one of your usual discoveries. Let’s see… Oh! I What an incredibly lucky find. This my friend is an old storage device from before the Void Fluid Revolution. While its coloring leaves much to be desired, the fact you found it in such good condition considering the state of the world is nothing short of remarkable.”

So that is what it is.

“And… Incredible! There’s actually readable data on it! Judging by the files it appears to be music, similar to the pearl currently floating in my chamber,” the Iterator grabbed the copper pearl and held it up for emphasis, “I can’t say I recognize any of the songs on here but I would be more surprised if I did honestly.”

The Slugcat cocked his head and looked at the stick. He had liked the music on the copper pearl even if it was a bit strange. Maybe he would like what was on the stick?

“I know that look. Just as curious as ever. Very well, maybe some background noise will help me solve this problem and you’re welcome to stay so long as you don’t distract me from my work,” the Iterator stated.

The Slugcat blinked and sat down on his haunches. Music could be heard quietly as the Iterator began...doing something in the air. The Slugcat found himself once again remembering his brief travel companion. He hoped they escaped the rain and were all right.

Maybe it was time for the Slugcat to find some more permanent company. It had been nice to explore with someone.