>go left
> Go say hello to nice tasty birdy thing.
z Z z Z z...
THE NEXT AFTERNOON: I need wood to build a fire, so I can cook all the meat I got yesterday... but I don't have any good tools! All the Talking House gave me was... lets see...
...some rope, a blue club, and a yellow horseshoe. I could climb up the tree with a rope and get some branches, maybe. I don't know what the blue club is, or this yellow horseshoe... though I think it has shiny little green and red jewels on it? Maybe I can trade the jewels for some wood, if I can find a village. Just.... gotta.... pry this green one out, and...
*CHIME* Hello there, friend-o!
Eeep! Talking horseshoe! Talking horseshoe!
I'm not a horseshoe, chum. I'm the Matter Manipulator v1.7, and I'm all booted up and ready to get to work!
M-matter manipulator? But what's a "matter"?
I don't know, what's a'matter with you? Zing! But seriously, I can break down all kinds of material, reconstruct it somewhere else, and even recombine it in new ways. It's real swell!
So, you can break things? How about this tree?
Oh yeah! Cellulose can be tough, but I can crack it if you've got the time. Why not give it a shot?
Okay, if you're sure...
Haha
*bzzt* yeah! This is fun! And also probably voiding my warranty! I can
*bzzt* tell you're going to...
*bzzt* ABORT *bzzt* ...you're going to need some background info before...
*bzzt* GRANULATED MULE BRIGADE *bzzt* ...you're going to...
*bzzt* GOING GOING *bzzt* Haha, please stop!
You're a very strange horseshoe, Matter Manipulator. I will call you Matt for short.
Thank you! In all my years of work, I have never -once- been given a nickname. I will treasure it, you little grey luddite. Now, if you'd like, I can walk you through how to use me to chop down that tree. It's easy! Just point me at the base, pull the trigger, and voila!
Oh, like this?
Excellent work! And remember, I work for all kinds of things! Dirt, stone, metal, you name it! If you're all done for now, though, I should probably update all my drivers. Still feeling a bit fragmented after that tutorial, haha! To wake me up again, just press that green button. TTFN!
Okay, thanks Matt! Now to go make a campfire before it gets dark again.
That was really good food, Matt! Are you sure you don't want any?
No need! I've got spiffy little microfusion battery that will keep me running for at -least- a few thousand years, give or take a hundred or so.
Wow, a thousand years is a lot of years! Kobolds like me only live for... what's more than 10 but less than a hundred?
Does 57.0127 work?
Maybe... I dunno! But I wonder if the Talking House will live as long as you can?
Talking House? What's that?
It's that big metal box. It flew me here from my home, the day before I met you. It was really smart too, but it wasn't very nice.
Oh, that? That's not a house, that's an Apex Scout Shuttle! The AI was never very friendly to me either, but she steers a mean autopilot. Really fuel-efficient too! A real professional gal, that one.
Okay, those words are probably true. It... she hasn't talked to me in a while, though. Do you think think she maybe fell asleep after we landed on the ground? Or maybe she died!
I'll bet the Shuttle just went into Sleep Mode. Probably just waiting for orders before it'll fly anywhere else.
Huh! Maybe tomorrow I can wake it up, and ask it to fly me back home.
I'm not feeling very sleepy yet, though. Maybe we can take a walk to see what's on the other side of the Shuttle Lady?
Sure thing! But make sure to turn on that blue flashlight of yours. The night life may be fun, but it's also pretty wild! And in this case it might kill you, haha!
Flashlight? Oh, this thing...
A torch with cold fire? It's bright too, like a little moon. I will call it my Moon Stick!
Wow, the Moon Stick is getting even brighter! And everything's turning orange! Maybe it is actually a Sun Stick!
You sure do like giving things humorously inaccurate names, chum! I have to agree that it is getting awfully bright, though. Wonder if someone put the microfusion battery in the wrong way... that would explain that hissing sound that keeps getting louder!
Oh... no, that's coming from above us?
Sky rocks! Falling sky rocks!
Oh boy, up close and personal with a real live meteor shower. And big ones too! What are the odds!
It sure would be bad news if any of these hit you. Good thing you're small and quick, right? I'm in good hands, haha!
But... but... but...
Oh.
Aww, nuts, that's too bad. But cheer up, I think that's the last of the meteors!
Cheer up? How can I cheer up? The Flying Metal House... the Shuttle Lady... she got exploded!
She sure did!
Then how come you're happy right now?! She EXPLODED!
Aww, I'm incapable of expressing any emotion but cheerfulness, silly. I'm functionally sociopathic, haha!
D: D: D:
Well, that's enough excitement for one evening. I think it's time to hit the sack!
But Matt, we don't got a sack... don't have a house anymore! Just a box with holes, and a bunch of metal bits...
If it's any consolation, shuttles like those really are a dime a dozen. We can find another one. I'm sure of it!
...really?
Yeah! So lets get you to bed. We've got a long day ahead of us!
Okay...
Now you're thinking! The ground's already broken in, so I'll make short work of this dirt heap!
There we go. Hang a little painting on the wall, and call it home sweet home!
Actually, if it's okay, I think I am going to just fall asleep forever now. Or maybe I'll wake up, and I'll be back home, and it will all have just been a dream...
Aww, keep your chin up, there, sport. Just think about all the wonderful things we can do in the morning!
I guess so...
Everything will be right as rain tomorrow, you'll see. Good night, little grey whatsit.
G'night, Matt.