#GFEHSGHEESHGFE

[innocence-wont-save-you]

>Let's go to the left now you genderfluid purple fuck.

"I—excuse me? What did you just call me?"

Your overseer promptly vanishes. You splutter out a few more half-words, then give up, throwing your hands into the air. Unbelievable. They don't have to be like this about you, even if they're right in some aspects.

The left path takes you up higher, forcing you to climb up a little ways with the jutting metal around you. You keep your lance clamped underneath your arm as you climb, which makes using that arm awkward, but you make it up to the top without too much struggle. Above you is yet another piece of rope, this time neatly braided to keep the ends of the string from flapping in the slight breeze blowing your way.

You pause at the top. You're... on top of what used to be a harvester, you think. Part of the machinery used to harvest nectar anyways. This part of the infrastructure fell in one big chunk, with other, smaller pieces of metal collapsed around it. It's at least twice as tall as you are, even on its side. You never really stopped to think about how this all worked back when you still had citizens to contend with; the nectar sector collected nectar, and that was that. Now, though, the weight of all this machinery surely contributed to the demise of the nectar lilies. You wouldn't be surprised if you were standing on top of the remains of one of them right now.

Ahead of you, there are more collapsed beams, all of them jutting this way and that in a dizzying jigsaw of destruction. The rest of the harvesting machinery didn't seem to fare as well as the one you're on right now, as you see a few sheets of torn metal lying around the beams. You imagine the pipes down below are similarly ruined, since with the harvesters destroyed, water and other substances would get into the pipes. You shut off the pipe delivery to your can the moment all of your citizens ascended, so it's never been a problem for you, but again, it's still jarring to see it all so destroyed. You wonder if Five Pebbles let these pipes deliver gunk to him.

Another rustle, and then a familiar yip of pain. You glance back down where you came and see the same brown eartler from earlier duck out of view. They must have been what the rustling earlier was. Why are they still following you?

Scene 13

As like last cycle, a quiet hum of activity filters through your consciousness as you come to. Your umbilical cord is still clamped firmly between your arms, and your neurons are undisturbed. For that, you are thankful.

You clear your vision and find several scavengers staring at you—or, well, your neurons. You pull them closer, glancing between all of them. The brown scavenger from last night is in the group, blinking at your neurons. Their gazes are still more curious than afraid, though there's a definite air of uncertainty among them now.

It would be good to explain your... biology, or at least attempt to. You point at your neurons, then at yourself. "This me."

You get a crowd of rapid, confused blinking. The brown scavenger from last night creeps a little closer, hesitantly reaching a hand out towards your neurons. You tighten your grip on your umbilical cord, bracing yourself for having to snatch it away. "This you?" it repeats, gently poking your neurons. "Glow is you?"

"Yes." How do you convey these ideas with your so very limited vocabulary... You mime plucking off one of the neurons. "Dangerous me." Close enough?

A gradual understanding, though still laced with confusion and curiosity, comes into the scavenger's eyes as it glances between you and your neurons. Then, it shakes its head violently at you. You stare at it in confusion. It stares back; there's a moment of awkward silence before the scavenger scuttles away, tail tucked between its legs. You decide not to go after it.

You should follow their lead though. You clamber to your feet, retrieving your lance, and you stare down at it for a few moments. Honestly, it's a lot easier to carry it in your hands than put it into your harness. The harness might still be useful for some other weapon you may get further along your journey, but you're better off just holding your lance for now you think. You heft it over one shoulder as you make your way out of the scavengers' settlement.

You saw part of it last cycle, but you're still taken aback by the sight of the ruins of the nectar sector as you emerge from the dim depths of the scavengers' abode. Piles and piles and piles of metal as far as you can see, without any semblance of the delicate nectar flowers that were supposed to grow here... You should have expected—were expecting—this, but it still settles inside of you uncomfortably like a stray spark of electricity.

A lot of this metal was here to prevent the nectar flowers from being crushed by the rains. That clearly backfired; you gingerly step around some of the wreckage, straining to lift a particularly large sheet of metal momentarily before giving up and letting it go. Maybe there was a chain reaction. One part collapsed, causing neighboring parts to collapse, which eventually spread to the whole nectar sector, ruining it all in one fell swoop.

... you could stand here theorizing all day, but you really shouldn't. You need to get some more food, and to be on your way.