We ventured through the Jagged Savannah, steering clear of any noises or growling from afar. Large fish and birds tried to take chomp at us from the sky, but Diana was quick to wave her sword to shoo them away. Leo led the way at front, he might be an ass, but dude knows what he's doing.
"What is that?" I asked, pointing at a large black spire jutting out of the ground beside me. It's similar to the one I found near where Diana and Sally found me.
"That is called a Blight Mark, we should set up camp near it," Leo replied, walking closer towards it. "When a fae die, this will grow from their ashes," he folded his arms. "The more blight mark an area has, the more battle has happen in that place,"
"Oooh..." I tried to touch the blight mark. It's like sturdy rock, but also crystalized. "But these things are harmless, right?"
"Yes," Leo replied. "Plant life can't grow around it, animals also avoid it. It is the second best thing after Reality Anchor,"
I looked around and true to his word, a large patch of area around the spire is devoid of grass or weed. There is only blackened dry ground, with strange wisps of smoke rolling out of it. Not only are there no animal nearby, there's also no... bugs or insect anywhere. Even the birds and the fish avoids this blackened spire.
Usually, this sort of thing would be marked as scary back in the Old World. But here, judging by how Diana sat near the Spire with a relieved smile and Leo calmly setting up a large mat. I can only imagine that this is a very comforting sight to a version of humanity that are in active war against nature.
"So, why don't we just go back again? Now that I think about it, it's not that far, right?" I asked Leo. "Wouldn't staying outside be riskier,"
Leo nodded. "Indeed, you are free to go back," he looked up at the skies. "But I wish to camp,"
"What?"
"I wish to camp, if you and Diana would like to go back to Ingenuity now, go ahead,"
"So you'd rather camp alone than going back? What are you doing here?"
"I have no obligation to tell you,"
"Look, is it safer to camp or go back?"
Leo paused and looked at the direction of the city. "It is safer to go back, if you hurry," he folded his arms. "But I don't want to," he then tapped his foot. "And since you're all weak, it'll be safer if you were to stay with me," he looked at us. "But of course, I don't wish to force you to do anything, that decision is yours to make,"
"Okay, so, you're staying up here for your own personal reason? It's not some strategic decision???"
Leo folded his arms and looked away. "Indeed,"
"Look, we should really go back,"
"Go ahead, I will not stop you,"
I clenched my fist. "You..." god I want to punch him in the face so bad...
"Fine..." I went closer to the blight mark and sat there.
God, what the fuck is his problem?
"Let them die, let them die, let them shrivel up and die..." I hummed to myself, looking at all the dead trees surrounding the perimeter of the 'Blight Mark'. I'm never into nature or care much about climate change (in my training data at least), but like... since in this world we're already at war with nature, may as well.
I couldn't help but notice that Leo is already busy. Near a large boulder, he set up some thin metal bars of sort, creating a makeshift shelter. I mean, it's gonna be another reason for him to act high and mighty, but fuck it. He can rub it in if he's willing to put all the work.
"Leo? Do you need help?" Diana asked.
"Your swordplay is more useful than your brain, save your strength when an inevitable encounter with local fauna happens,"
"Oh, okay..."
Ahh... damn he's insufferable. I pat Diana's back and simply sat in front of the Blight Mark, watching the man setup camp, fire, and everything else alone. He even setup something cylindrical at the top of one of the boulder. Some kind of a... telescope? A bit overkill don't you think? Maybe it's to spot an incoming dragons?
Beside me, Diana shivered. "Ahh... it's so hot during the day now it's so cold during the night," Diana covered herself up with thick cloth that Leo gave her. "This is gonna be the worst 7 days of my life..." she muttered. "Thank you so much Leo! If you need anything, please let me know!"
"Save your strength!" Leo exclaimed.
Diana nodded, curling up deeper into the cloth. "Mhmm! I will!!"
I gazed at the sky above us, the blue and the white danced slowly, turning into shades of yellow, orange, red... It was honestly a beautiful sight, is this a world without air pollution looks like? Is this the so called 'ideal' world as nature intended?
Is this better than the old world?
I mean, Ingenuity is a nice place to live, but... Humanity, driven into comfortable cages. It's ironic, isn't it? It's like a cruel joke by the universe, we used to put animal in cages and now... there are no animal that's caged. Just humans, inside a comfortable box called 'Ingenuity'.
"Hey Viel," Diana said suddenly. "Can I have some food?"
I blinked and opened my stomach compartment. "Sure," I told her, taking out a flask. "Leo, you want some too?"
"Hand me the food bar," Leo shouted from the top of the boulder, while tinkering with his telescope.
I took out something that resembles a block of edible wood and tossed it to him. He caught it with one hand without looking away from his telescope. "Not a thanks?"
"I didn't hear you thanking me for the shelter,"
"Fair's fair,"
Well then, look at me, getting used to this asshole. I'm more surprised by how amiable Diana is though, she just smile along regardless what happened. Are the people from Love this laidback? I mean, it's in the name 'love', so love thy neighbors is probably the most important thing for her.
"I'm so lucky to get partnered up with you," Diana said, munching on the food. "Everyone else are probably forced to hunt because everything just melts from the sun," she sighed softly. "Can you believe that? Eating animals?"
"Aren't these made out of animals?" I asked her.
"Well it's already properly sterilized!" Diana replied. "I wouldn't touch anything that resembles a beast or animals,"
Okay so 'love thy neighbors' does not extend to other creatures. Girl hates nature just like everyone else in this world. Hmm... How even is the process of making this like? And how does farms work? I imagine a gigantic machine that process all these into some sort of... blocks that will be used by the 3D Printer.
"It's getting late," Leo jumped down the boulder and walked towards us. "I will take the night shift, do you require sleep Viel?"
I nodded. "Strangely enough, yes," I told him. "I can get sleepy... I'm not even sure why, or what even is going on when I'm sleeping but..." I shrugged. "I'll have to sleep at some point,"
Leo nodded, it's hard to tell if he's disappointed or not. "Understood, I will wake the both of you at sunrise, rest well," he climbed back on to the boulder to tinker with his telescope thing.
Dude's reliable as hell, I have to admit. Credit where credit is due, he's practically carrying us right now..
I lay on the boulder and looked up into the starry night. I don't know much about astrology, but I do wonder if the stars here are the same as the one in the old world. How long ago was the Old World anyway? A hundred years? A thousand? A million? Are there anything left of the old world?
...
I should visit the place where Inata and Sally found me.
"Haaa... I don't like thinking too hard..." I groaned as the existential crisis came crashing down on me. I sat up on near the Blight Mark and looked around, Diana is already huddled up in a sleeping bed while Leo is looking at the sky through the telescope.
The man glanced at me. "I was under the impression that it would take a longer time for you to sleep," Leo said.
"Can't sleep, just bothered about a few things..." I yawned a little. "Wanna switch? You go to sleep, I'll keep watch,"
Leo shook his head. "No, I am busy," he peeked into the telescope and draw something inside his notebook.
"Are you stargazing?"
Leo paused and turned to me. "Is gazing at the stars a common thing to do in the Old World?"
It was strange, but at this moment... he doesn't sound arrogant nor pompous. He was genuinely asking me something. Has he ever genuinely asked me anything before? Is this the first time he asked me something? All this time all he ever done is telling me what to do...
I narrowed my eyes. "I mean, yeah? It's not weird if that's what you're worried about," I climbed the boulder, looking at the telescope in curiosity. It's unlike the commercial telescope from the Old World. It has... very personal touch in it. I can see an inscription carved in metal that says 'Leo'. Did he made this telescope himself?
"So you're observing the stars then? Are you an Astronomer?"
Leo didn't immediately answer. He avoided my gaze, twiddling with a tiny knob near his telescope.
"What is an Astronomer?" he asked again.
"People who learn about stars, planets, galaxies, and such," I tilted my head. "Is that not something people study nowadays?"
Again, it took a long time for him to answer, as if looking for the right words. Am I talking about something deeply personal with him? I mean, this is the first time he sounds human.
"Why do your people study the stars? They are incomprehensibly far away from us," despite saying this, he finally looked up to the sky with his naked eye. "No matter how far we go, we'll never reach one, not in our lifetime... why bother?"
I looked up at the stars above, pondering his question. Why bother indeed? Why bother dreaming about surfing the galaxies, colonizing the stars, meeting alien life. Why bother creating space craft only to watch them blow up in the atmosphere?
Why bother sending people to the moon?
Why bother trying to colonize mars?
Why bother taking pictures of black hole?
"Why bother..." I looked at Leo. "Because it's bigger than all of us? There's a pride in working on something beyond our lifetime, beyond our comprehension... To answer the call of the unknown and take on the challenge of the Final Frontier..."
Look at me being all philosophical. What do I know about outer space? My training data consist of being an Amazon Warehouse Worker and Wendy's Server. I was not made for this kind of thing.
"I envy you, Viel," Leo spoke suddenly.
"What?"
"You're a robot, there's a chance you can witness it all," Leo sighed and lay flat on the boulder, gazing at the sky. "When humanity steps out of this cradle, when we conquer not just this planet but also the world beyond..." his eyes began to glaze, reflecting the stars above him. "I envy you, truly,"
Damn it... You're supposed to be just a jerk, why do you suddenly have so much depth?
...
"Is that why you're a jerk, because you have an unconquerable dream?"
The man blinked and for the first time, he was smiling. "Words can't express just how stupid you have to be to make that conclusion," he chuckled softly. "I was under the impression that you have an advanced system to mimic human behavior, apparently it's just a fluke, you truly are an outdated relic,"
"Thanks, you almost made me feel sorry for you," I deadpanned.
Man didn't look all that bothered, he simply looked back at the sky, smiling gently. "You do not have to feel sorry for me. I am better than you or that girl over there, I am content with who I am. All the shortcomings and my mortality, is simply a small price to pay for all my ability and intelligence. I am grateful for who I am."
Well then... This is... Wow... God I hate this guy, but at the same time. Kudos for him. Dude's arrogant, a jerk, but goddamn he got the wisdom, intelligence, and skill to back it up. I don't think I can genuinely say 'I am grateful for who I am' to myself like that.
"Ugh... why do you always act so high and mighty though? Are you so arrogant to believe that you're better than everyone?"
"I don't act high and mighty, if that's how you perceive it, that's on you," he replied calmly. "Frankly, I don't think about you at all,"
"..."
I sighed and rolled off the boulder. "I'm going to sleep, have fun stargazing,"
"You too, rest well,"
I curled up next to Diana and cuddled up to her.
God he's the worst...