Morality & Mortality (Artificer x Reader)

Solitary Lights in a Blinking City

(Credit to Alistair Lindsay)

_________________

SCENE 1

YOUR P.O.V

_________________

"Ugh... damn that stings..." 

Every breath felt like your organs were being shredded by multiple jagged spear-tips. Seems like the pain from your previous wounds still lingered from last Cycle... 

Although that stinging feeling did wake you up quickly and it swiftly removed that awful groggy sensation you often had after hibernation.

"Silver linings never fail to disappoint!" The sentence slipped out of your lips in a particularly annoyed tone, "Hahh... I feel like a bloody pincushion."

Artificer's sass and language really has rubbed off on you, you didn't know whether that was for better or for worse. 

The crusty, crimson-stained bandages that wrapped around the midsection of your torso rubbed against your skin. Flakes of dried blood scattered into the air with every movement you made. The coarse fabric dug into your flesh, making a terrible itchy feeling that irritated you to no end.

You were in the middle of removing those pesky scraps of fabric when you noticed Arti's slumbering figure.

She was hugging herself in her sleep, singular eye shut tight. It would probably be best not to interrupt her, she needed all the energy should could get in order to tackle the next area head on. 

You always wondered how she lost that eye of hers. From what you've witnessed, decapitations and chopped off limbs could be healed and cured in an instant at the end of each Cycle. A gouged-out eye seemed like a minor scratch compared to the things you've witnessed Artificer both inflict and obtain. 

Perhaps you should ask her about it, surely that wouldn't backfire on you horribly. 

You remembered when her scarred, gangrene infested eye was your largest concern for a time. Now you knew that infections in this place didn't really matter. In most cases, you would die from blood loss or brain-death before the infection could claim you. 

All that medicinal training, for nothing...

You quickly looked away from the sleeping form of Arti, staring at your friend while she slept was a habit that should probably be broken immediately. 

Perhaps thinking about what lay ahead would be a better use of your time.

While most of you felt anxious and a little bit uneasy at the prospect of entering Scav hell, a section of you felt a strange rush of excitement. Seeing the preserved remnants of such wondrous Ancient technology was an incredible opportunity that could not be squandered. 

All while acting and working for an Iterator! 

An Iterator!

A living, breathing God! 

While yes, this one in particular was a little bit of a 'jackass', just being recognized by something you've studied and been educated on for as long as you could remember made you feel unnaturally giddy.

And to be entrusted with such a crucial task by one was simply something you had only dreamt about before. 

If things turned out your way, Artificer would hopefully allow you to study your surroundings if there's any time to spare. Investigating the world and satisfying your many curiosities meant less time ruminating on your past, although there was definitely a slice of your psyche that simply just wanted to know more about the past.