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Update 5: Silver's Lament
Geothermal
We made it through the swamp and must be in a safe area since Niko took off her gas mask.
Whoa... that's a... big bot.
[What Are You Doing Here?]
Hm?
[A Living Person Such As Yourself Should Have Evacuated This Place Long Ago.]
Oh, but I just got here!
To this world, I mean!
See? I have the sun!
[Oh, The Messiah. I Do Not Know What To Say. Greeting You Was Not Part Of My Programming]
A pretty common thing to say to a Messiah. If you saw Jesus just walking down the street to head into 7/11 for some cheetos, you'd probably also be a bit speechless.
[Have You Spoken To Prophetbot?]
I think so, yeah!
Yes we talked to prophetbot... EXTENSIVELY.
[Prophetbot Was Built With The Sole Purpose Of Greeting You.]
Really?
[Yes. He Cannot Speak With Anyone Else. At Least, Not With Ease.]
Oh...
That's... kind of sad...
Ok jeez, I take it back. I'm sorry Prophetbot, no wonder you liked talking if your only purpose in life was to be exposition for someone else's journey.
[My Purpose Is To Guard This Settlement. Even Though The Residents Have Long Gone, I Must Remain.]
Ah...
Why, though?
[I Have Not Been Tamed.]
Tamed?
[It Was Not Worth The Effort.]
...
Damn... this bot is... kinda depressed. I guess outliving your literal reason to live does that to you.
[Do Not Be Alarmed. It Is Their Job To Keep People Safe]
Oh, uh ok! All the bots have been pretty friendly so far anyway.
Let's check out this town and see what's going on with it.
Oh boy... the notes have returned! This town has got a lot of notes for us to read! But first, what is that machine in the right side corner?
There's writing on this one too!
It says "Guardian of Residential Area".
Sounds like the residents put this up after the Barrens Generator went down however long ago. I wonder if the generator is enough power for big bots like this?
Alright, let's get into these notes. This one first.
quote:
Looks like they're evacuating the few tamed robots we have here. Makes sense... no point in keeping them in the Barrens if all the people are already gone. I wonder if the engineer is going too...
Why do the former residents keep calling Silver "The engineer"? She's got a name, people!
quote:
Apparently, phase 1 of the evacuation ended prematurely. The big ships started malfunctioning only after a few round trips. They said it was due to... something with squares? I'm not sure what they mean by that. Bummer, looks like they won't be able to transport most of these surplus bots to the city at this rate. And we worked so hard on those! But I suppose the rowbots are busy enough with transporting people as is. I think it's going to be our turn soon...
...Squares? What the hell could that mean? Why would a square prevent a boat from working? Also, even though it seems like this place evacuated safely, it still exhudes this creepy vibe. Like something bad happened here, when it seems like nothing went wrong outside of some delays in evacuations.
We can also check the whole room out to see there's no hidden easter eggs up here. This will be important for much later on.
While walking past the building, this bot comes marching over towards us as fast as they can.
[UNIT RM-2883417 REPORTING FOR DUTY. I SAW THAT YOU SPOKE WITH THE GUARDIAN OF THE SETTLEMENT. I WILL NOW ESCORT YOU UNTIL YOU REACH YOUR DORMITORY.]
Um... what?
So yeah uh this bot just follows us around now until we go in a building. They're probably just happy to have something to do after a long time in.. hibernation? What happens to robots that have their battery removed and then later turned back on? Is it like sleeping?
Err... moving on.
Oh I see you there in the corner, trying to hide from us.
quote:
I remember being taught in school about how the waters surrounding the forest stretched until the boundries of space. But at some point, the prehistoric oceans receded, forming what is now the Barrens. I wonder where all that water went...
Beats me buddy. I don't even know enough about my own world's climate science, much less yours.
Nothing here either.
Straight down from the last building we were in, is this train car!
...Which has another note and two bots in it.
[I AM NOT SURE WHAT TO DO NOW.]
I've been having some issues with my pc when I recently upgraded it to where my pc will have trouble booting from time to time. I'm pretty sure I've limited the problem down to the PSU, but prior to that it was a lot of tinkering and exhaustion as to what the issue was. So let me tell you - I truly feel this bot's pain.
[TERMINAL DOES NOT RESPOND. THIS IS A PROBLEM.]
I mean, is it? The train car won't function but it's not attached to a rail line anyway.
Finally, the elephant in the room - the note.
quote:
Fortunately, it does not seem to be happening to the robots. At least, not at a significant rate. Time will tell.
What a vague and ominious note! Who would leave this? Did some dude leave random vague nonsense notes everywhere before evacuating?
Is this another empty building with a note in it?
Oh! Hello!
[HELLO!]
Hi!
What are you doing up there?
[I AM STATIONED HERE.]
By yourself?
[YES.]
This robot is like those Japanese soldiers that fought on for years after the war, still obeying orders. Except instead of being a soldier, this bot just sits on a ledge.
Anyway, let's go check out that note.
...Y'know, I've never been around so many robots before, Goons!
Or... any robots at all...
I mean, I see them in cartoons and stuff, but I've never seen one in person!
They're pretty neat, don't you think?
Yeah! Robots are real cool. I mean, is there any media with robots in them in which the robots aren't the coolest part? But you know what makes robots fun? Their voice! So...
...
...What?
What's the point of being a deity if you can't enjoy it? 
um...
*ahem*
[BEEEP BOOP]
[I'M A ROBOT AND I... EAT BATTERIES... INSTEAD OF NORMAL PEOPLE FOOD!]
[ROBOTS DO NOT CONSUME BATTERIES IN THE SAME WAY PEOPLE CONSUME FOOD. IN FACT, ROBOTS DO NOT POSSESS DIGESTIVE SYSTEMS. SOME ROBOTS DO NOT EVEN HAVE MOUTHS.]
Goons...
You made me look silly...
Aww, sorry Niko. 
Turns out letting Goons be a deity is not the wisest of moves, all things considered 
Heading north of the building we were in and we can see this strange plus sign floating next to this building. My sources say this building is either an infirmary, or a math lab.
[THE INFIRMARY IS UP AHEAD.]
Where's it at? Is it past the math lab?
GAH! We were having a friendly conversation about math until you rudely interrupted us!
[IT SEEMS THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE AN ASSIGNED ESCROT, UNIT RM-2883417. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO LEAVE?]
You can follow me if you want...
[UNDERSTOOD. I WILL NOW ESCORT YOU UNTIL YOU REACH YOUR DORMITORY.]
We're gonna shake this dude by going into the math lab infirmary real quick
Hmm, well that looks like a reputable doc bot.
[HELLO, PERSON OF ORGANIC MAKEUP! WELCOME TO THE INFIRMARY! SCANNING FOR INJURIES...]
Um...
[SCAN COMPLETE. INJURIES DETECTED: NONE. TREATMENT REQUIRED: NONE. YOU ARE GOOD TO GO.]
Err, thanks?
Even in the scarred and broken post-apocalyptic world that we are exploring - in which the literal sun has stopped providing the world with life giving rays - it STILL has a better medical system than the United States of America.
Another docbot and a first aid kit! The first aid kit has the shiny glow of an item to collect too...
[ARE YOU SEEKING ADMISSION INTO THE INFIRMARY?]
No?
[OH. CARRY ON, THEN.]
I love Niko's somewhat incredulous tone. It's a very eight/nine year old kid tone of voice.
Most of them are broken or rusted beyond use, but...
This plastic syringe seems to be okay.
Uhhh Niko? Please think twice before taking random syringes. I'm just not comfortable with you doing that!
Ugh, anyway... that's it for the infirmary. Continuing on...
Another empty building with 2 notes. This is starting to become a pattern.
We'll check the note on the right first.
quote:
Hey sweetie, six more weeks until you can come home! 'bout time, huh? Gosh, I can't imagine living in that awful capsule wall... dorm... thing! But guess what? Soon you'll be able to sleep in a real bed and eat real food again! Write back soon! Love mom.
Aww.
Aww.
Now for the other note!
quote:
Looks like we're supposed to pack stuff for the evacuation starting today... I wish these books weren't so heavy... it's gonna be a pain to carry them onto the ship. But they're by the Author! I can't just throw them away!
What's so special about the Author? I mean, I guess they must be special considering that instead of referring to authors, you just call one person the Author and people know who it is.
Finally, we come to this building in the upper left corner of the town. This is... another empty building with 2 notes in it!! However, this empty building is special because it's the last building in the town! The notes are real short at least:
quote:
Evacuation? At such short notice? I can't believe this... First the sun dies, now I'm out of a job...
You know what they say, It's not a recession until the sun dies, but it's not a depression until you lose your job.
And that does it for this town! The broken robot marks the end. Now it's time to head back out into the swamps, but not through the way we came...
In case you've forgotten, which is quite easy at this point, we are searching for a way to derust the rowbot so we can leave the Barrens. The Chemical Plant had a recipe that required Gas & Blue Phosphor. We currently have neither right now, but that's going to change in the next few minutes.
All the others are taller than me.
As Niko mentions, this is the only vent accessible to her. That's going to be useful to us.
I guess you Goons want me to fill the bottle with this gas?
...
That oughta do it.
Perfect! One of the ingredients down, one more to go! Before heading off to get that last ingredient, let's check out that note which has a little interesting information.
quote:
Initially, the amount of noxious fumes emitted by the natural gas vents caught our team off-guard. Thank goodness the medical team reacted as quickly as they did. Despite its failure, that first expedition did bring up some interesting observations about the Barrens. We found that there's not one, but two such vent zones with fumes being pumped out at such high concentrations... it seems a miracle that the gas hasn't spread anywhere else. Our biologists concluded that the phosphor shrimp in the crater pools were actively consuming the gas. The shrimp in the ocean also prevent the gas from wafting off into the Glen. If that's the case, then we owe a lot to these little guys!
So the shrimp are what's preventing the gas from overwhelming not just the Barrens but the livable parts of the world too... and the robots are using them for lights. Uh oops!
Uhhhhhhh??? What is that?
This pond sure looks different... The water looks like... jelly? It's formed a bubble over the surface of the pond.
I guess this is what blue phosphor (rare) looks like? Grape Jelly?
Well uh, let's go ahead and harvest it! Trying to use the bottle will have Niko tell us that the jelly is too thick to go through and we need a funnel of some sort. That's where the syringe comes in!
I guess it's kind of like a funnel... But the liquid might be a bit too thick to fit in the needle...
Now that we have the syringe full of (rare) Phosphor, we can combine it with the bottle of acid.
It's like I'm a doctor!
Oh! I should probably shake this too.
...It changed color!
And now we have our rust-removing agent. Quite a bit of endaround work but we are ready to leave the Barrens now!
Right before leaving, this robot is just sitting up here all alone. What's going on with you bot?
[THE SKY IS DARK.]
That it is.
[DO YOU KNOW WHEN THE SUN WILL BE BACK UP?]
We're working on it!
Well, we can't let the robot down! Time to move on!
And here's why we need the sponge. We cannot just douse the rowbot with the bottle of acid. We need to be able to rub the rust off.
Good thing I have these gloves!
Safety first! 
I hope this works...
You and me both.
And now, to use the wet sponge on the bot.
Rowbot
Alright... hold still...
[I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE.]
There! How's that?
[...I... CAN MOVE AGAIN. THANK YOU!]
[I AM ABLE TO FULFILL MY PURPOSE AGAIN. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO?]
Can you take me to the Tower?
[CALCULATING...CLOSEST DESTINATION TO THE TOWER IS... THEN GLEN, PORT NUMBER -]
[MY BUILT-IN NAVIGATION CIRCUITS HAVE FRIED.]
Oh what fresh hell is this?? Why is this bot the most beatup bot in the whole Barrens?
I'm... gonna assume that's not good.
[IT IS NOT GOOD AT ALL. ONCE AGAIN I CANNOT FOLLOW MY PROGRAMMING.]
Aww.
Is there anything I can do to help?
[IN THE EVENT OF AN ERROR, YOU SHOULD SPEAK WITH THE HEAD ENGINEER. SHE WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO.]
Well, one more task to complete before we're out of here. This one doesn't seem too bad. Besides, we should at least tell Silver we're heading off.
Heya Silver, we're gonna head out. Also we need your help... again.
I found a robot who can take me towards the Tower!
...but it's having some trouble, so it told me to talk to you.
[Alright. What is the issue?]
It said something about its navigation circuits being fried.
[Just the navigation circuits?]
Apparently?
The Goons and I fixed everything else, I think...
[Hm... I have something that may help.]
[Rowbots have the ability to trace material from their source locations.]
[If you let the rowbot borrow this, then its backup tracking system should activate.]
That's a very pretty necklace!
What's it made of?
[Amber fround from the Glen.]
What's the thing inside the amber?
[The black clover?]
[That's a common plant in our world.]
[It's also...]
[...]
?
[Sigh... I'm not sure if I can bear to part with this. My programming says yes, but I still feel conflicted.]
...?
[Nevermind. You need to finish your mission more than I need a keepsake.]
[Here.]
Well, thanks Silver! I'm unsure why it means so much to you, but it sure is pretty! Let's wish her well before we leave.
Before I go... Is there anything I can do in return?
[Actually...]
[Do you... know how to play chess?]
Yeah!
Well, sort of...
I've played it with some older kids before!
[Then, will you play a game with me?]
I mean, I don't know the rules very well...
But I guess it's the least I can do!
Don't worry Niko, we can help out! Surely a bunch of Goons over your shoulder advising you of chess moves cannot go wrong.
Self Contained Universe - Reprise
[Thank you.]
[It was built into my code.]
Ah. So...
What's it like?
Being a robot and all... I've talked to other robots, and they all say something about programming and code and stuff.
Even you did, just now!
It's a little hard to understand sometimes.
[I know.]
[Most of the robots here are not tamed.]
Tamed?
[Watch out.]
[Taming... is complicated.]
Oh?
How complicated, exactly?
[...]
...there goes my other bishop...
[I can't really explain what tamed robots are.]
[But I'm one of them.]
[All the other tamed robots have been moved to other regions.]
[Exactly where, I don't know.]
Oh?
[...]
[Knight.]
Right...
Oh! Have you ever been to any other regions?
I heard that there's two more.
[In the past, yes.]
[I still have the data, the coordinates, the memories...I don't know how much of that still holds true.]
[The world may be a very different place now.]
Because the sun is gone?
[No.]
[I said this already, didn't I?]
[The sun probably won't save the world.]
[The decaying started back before the sun went out.]
[The sun's sudden death was just the tipping point, and things went south really fast after that.]
Oh...
Then... there's nothing I can do?
W-what?!
When did your queen get there...
[The only thing you can do is complete your pilgrimage.]
[In a way, you are only supposed to be a second chance for the people.]
[Just like how the Barrens was only supposed to be a second chance for me.]
[There's no guarantee that things will work out.]
But...
...
[Alright, guess I've kept you long enough...]
[...Thank you for listening. I hope you get home safely.]
Ah, thank you!
And thank you Silver for the chat. It was real nice, even if I feel real bad now.
We've said our goodbyes. It's time to head to leave the Barrens and head onward... to the Glen.