Metal and Bone | A Rainbow Quest AU

Chapter 21 - The Orange Crystal

[Sabre's POV]

It's been a while since we left the village, the Leader taking us wherever the Crystal is.

I got tired a while ago, and Orange had picked me up and is now carrying me. It's easier for him to push away all the sharp, metal plants that get too close, so it's working better in more ways than one. However, since it was early morning when we left, it's getting hotter as the sun rises further in the sky. Being surrounded by metal doesn't help...

"Are we gonna be there soon?" I ask, taking off my hoodie so I won't overheat.

"Yes, it shouldn't be much longer." The Orange Leader says. "We're almost there."

I notice that the Leader and Orange Steve are still looking around as they go through the forest. What are they keeping watch for? Is there something out there? Does this world have monsters, like my old world? I hope not... I don't want to deal with those things again.

I try not to think about them. All the different monsters of my world, that caused so much harm... that killed so many people... including the really nice people in that shelter I started out in. I'm pretty sure that the people there were the only ones that kept their heads and humanity once the apocalypse happened.

Everyone else... they were either crazy, supplies hoarders, adrenaline junkies that only cared about themselves and their group, or just flat-out mean. Y'know, now that I think about it, all the people I left behind back there would be so jealous of me if they saw how I'm living now.

All of a sudden, Orange Steve and the Leader freeze in place. I'm about to ask what's wrong, but then Orange quickly yet gently puts his hand over my mouth. The two robots hurriedly back up and hide behind a large bush, staring at something in the way of the path ahead.

"Sabre." Orange whispers. "Don't make any sudden movements. And don't raise your voice higher than a whisper."

"Why? What's happening?" I ask, keeping my voice down like Orange told me.

"There's a Mutilator in the way of the path." The Leader whispers. "Those things are dangerous to us, so they're likely extremely dangerous to you. They're a strange combination of mechanical parts and some kind of mutated animal."

The Leader points to something ahead, and I look. In the middle of the forest road is an animal that very slightly resembles a giant wolf, although it only has one eye in the center of its face. Its ears are long, kind of like a rabbit's actually. Its claws are each the size of a large knife, and seemingly just as sharp too. While it's front half seems mostly normal-ish, it's back half is entirely robotic. Instead of a tail, it has something that looks like a scorpion's stinger, but shaped more like a diamond.

I see that it's hunched over a Darkness creature. Looking closer I see... oh my gosh, it's eating the Darkness skeleton-robot thing. How in the heck is it eating it?! It's a robot!

Orange, the Leader, and I watch in silence as the Mutilator rips apart the Darkness. Eventually, all that's left is a few scraps of bent pipe-looking parts, and it walks off. Orange and the Leader wait for a bit before coming out from behind the bush. They silently walk past the remains of the Darkness, continuing on the path through the forest. A while after we passed... that, I start asking about what the heck that thing was.

"So, how exactly is that thing able to eat robots?" I ask. "I'm pretty sure that normally when animals eat something metal, it just cuts up their insides and kills them..."

"We don't really know, and we don't really want to find out." Orange says. "I mean, do you want to go near one of those things?"

"Nope." I answer, remembering the sharp claws the Mutilator had. "Did... Did one ever attack the village?"