Morality & Mortality (Artificer x Reader)

The Artificer

(The advice from the last chapter applies to this one)

Perhaps its best if you examined the thing that is about to kill you.

The figure that was currently pinning you to the wall was a shade of stunning red, their eyes were as white as snow. Glaring though you like a hot spear through butter.

This certain animal was the fact that one of their eyes was clawed out, two stitches in the shape of an X was messily applied to the ripped eyelid. It was clearly crudely done, this thing was not a surgeon, that's for sure.

An infection was seeming to form around the missing eye. It looked like a massive burn wound, burying around the eye and creating a large circle of dark red. It wouldn't be long until it would spread towards the thing's facial area.

If untreated, the infection could lead to gangrene, a black rot that would spread across one's infected area.

But the most important thing was the fact that they were a slugcat. A living, breathing. Slugcat. 

Finally, some company that you could converse with.

A drone was at the stranger's side, its body was gilded in bronze and brass metals, with a red light shining from its that seemed to act like an eye, it reminded you of your. . . Stalker.

"I SAID, who are you!?!" The red slugcat yelled aggressively, their voice was feminine, which made it certain they were a female slugcat. (No s***)

(Author's Notice: I am aware that ALL slugcats go by they/them, for this story though, Artificer will go by she/her. If you have a problem with this, simply change Artificer's pronouns to the ones you want)

You cleared your throat and spoke for what seemed like the first time in days.

"I'm Y/N..." Your voice was shaky and nervous, which was quite reasonable when your neck was about to be split into two. 

The red slugcat looked at you weirdly. "Y/N... Weird name..." She dropped you on the floor dismissively. Your leg stung in response, you needed a splint soon, or you could risk more breakage. "Artificer, Arti for short." 'Artificer' seemed to be referring to her name.

"Well... thanks for saving me. . . Arti" You murmur sheepishly. The Artificer only shrugged.

"I was going to hibernate, but someone decided to start yelling and screaming, I was simply going to shut them up, but I managed to reel in you." The slugcat put her spear in the corner of the sanctuary. You could detect a drop of malice in her tone.

"Ah. . . Fair enough" You mumble. You looked around the sanctuary, nothing much was within those rusty walls, other than a spear that the slugcat just put down, some batflies, already prepped for eating, and a cyan lizard tail. Green blood was still leaking from the end of it.

"Hey. . . You're the one who killed that lizard!" You say angrily, the killer was right in front of you! You had little to no energy left but you were not one to let such actions go unpunished.

"I know, impressive, right?" The slugcat smirks. "Shame I only had time to harvest the tail before another one came around..."

"No! Not impressive! That lizard was just minding its own business, and you just killed them!" You shout angrily, it's a wonder how you still have a voice after all this screaming and yelling.

Artificer's smirk fades.

"Oh... you're a part of the Saints. . . Aren't you" She glares at you. "Never liked them that much, they were always a bunch of religious zealots talking gibberish. Speaking of which, what's stopping me from killing and eating you right now?"