The slug organisms guided me through a doorway hiding in the shadows underneath the second story balcony inside of the grand building in Cerebras. Never thought I'd find myself here again. To see it free of the Rot that had infected nearly every square inch of it's floors and walls was mesmerizing. Beautiful even. The statue of the winged god stood ever so tall and glorious. We headed up two flights of stairs and outside onto a balcony. There in front of us was the airship in all of it's glory. Here I was able to get a clear view of the gargantuan mechanical marvel. A long, cylindrical hull made of metal covering up tattered, pulsating crimson flesh seen underneath glass windows. Three cruciform tail fins made of tissue were tapered at the rear end. The gondola underneath stretched far, about halfway in length as the ship itself. It's rectangular windows must've made for grand views while in the sky. Towards the front end there were thin metal tanks with dirty tubes pumping red fluid through them on the side. Upon closer inspection from where we stood, at the tip of the front end of the airship I could see what appeared to be a giant eye just barely open. A massive dark gray tube coming from the center of the nosecone went underneath the hull and into the front of the gondola. This airship... Was an organism?

The tall slug stuck it's fingers into the device nearby and turned it's wrist. A bridge with guardrails began to erect from underneath the platform we stood on and extended out towards the metal door at the center of the gondola sector. We slowly made our way over to the airship. I glanced over the railing. We were very high up. The sands of the natural ground were stretching on for miles. The barren pale sands of the wasteland I traveled upon my awakening stretched on for miles. After opening the door, we stepped inside and turned around. The two other slugs waved at us before retracting the bridge now that we were within the gondola. I and the tall slug, whom I've decided to call 'Captain' as it was going to be piloting the airship by my guess, waved back to the slugs as they returned into the building. Here we now stood inside of the gondola.

The interior was spacious. Captain led me through the narrow hallways past rooms with tables and chairs. These looked like rooms for comfort. Socializing. Empty glasses, steel trays and devices containing red liquids for dispensing were inside each of these rooms. We came up to a room that had a giant red light up above. I looked at it for a moment until the slug grabbed my shoulder. It shook it's head and directed me to follow it. Huh... Wonder why this room was sealed off. Now we arrived in what I think was the control room. In the center of the helm was a big machine with wires and cords splayed about the sides, gauges and dials dotted all over and a glass chamber containing an all-too-familiar sanguine fluid. On either side of the machine were windows for viewing the outside in front of us that stretched out to the sides. A row of buttons and switches lined the consoles. The slug approached the left side and started messing with the console. I looked at the machine next to us while it fiddled with the controls. I could hear the liquid inside bubbling. The slug came up to me and directed me to complete a specific sequence on the machine. A few lever pulls, dial turns and button presses later, the dull yellow lights on the machine glowed and the gears kicked on. The inside of the tank glowed, illuminating the red liquid within as it started to flow out through the front. A low grumble belted out from above us. The consoles were lit up as well.

The slug then approached that same console once more. Seems like it was starting to pilot the vessel. Creaks and groans echoed all around the gondola. Peering outside I could see that we had started moving. While the slug was at the helm I decided to walk around some now that I did not need to assist further. Those rooms we passed were identical in layout right down to where the empty glasses were set. I was trying to figure out just what the purpose of this airship was for. Did it need a crew to maintain? After all we're the only ones aboard. Skipping past the rooms I arrived at the back end of the gondola. There was a room back here. Stepping through the steel doors I spotted a ladder leading upwards along with two mechanical panels connected to the walls. I probably shouldn't mess with those. What was up this ladder though? It led to a hatch. Of course I was curious so I climbed up the ladder and opened the hatch.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

I was inside a large chamber reminiscent of the womb mother housing the Rot. The walls were made of flesh. Steel beams and girders made up the skeletal framework of sorts. Platforms were placed to easily access various mechanisms and traverse throughout the airship. I found another ladder and climbed a bit further high up. Now I could see a bit clearer now. Up ahead there were deep red organs attached to the walls and foundation with veins being pumped with blood. A constant breathing echoed throughout the hull. This entire airship... Was one whole living organism.

I had seen enough. I retreated back to the room I came from and made my way back to the helm. Glancing out the windows I could see Carnis Machina growing ever-so-distant from us. To see the entire city from up in the sky was quite a sight to behold. Everything from the Spire to the mass of factories to the Rot-infested districts of Salus and Oris. Everything was in plain sight. I traversed so much of the city yet I felt I had only experienced but a small portion of the city.

Entering the helm, the slug was still there controlling our trajectory. I stood behind it to look outside. We were encroaching upon a massive structure built into the walls of the valley. I even noticed off to my left one of the buildings from which I was housed in when I emerged from that pod. It seems not even the airship could reach high enough to fly over the walls with how tall they stood. This entire valley where Carnis Machina resided was it's own place within what I assumed was a sprawling wasteland.

The structure had a gap big enough for the airship to fly through. It was unclear what purpose it served other than an open gate. A single staircase led up to a small building on the left side of the structure. Just a gigantic security system someone or something had built into the walls, keeping this valley sanctioned off. The slug maneuvered the airship carefully so it aligned with the gateway. We slowly passed through and were now traversing a canyon surrounded by walls on our sides. Two bright yellow lights flashed on to illuminate the way forward.

This was really happening. We were really doing this. So much time passed since I woke up. Who knows how many days I had spent in that damned city. I experienced so much. Discovered many new things. Throughout my journey, it's felt like I've been growing. Uncovering knowledge and talents I didn't even know I possessed. I was growing accustomed to any situation I found myself in, whether it was utilizing a weapon or figuring out how this device on my wrist worked. Am I... Really a newborn in this world? If so then why did I naturally evolve to understand the various mechanisms and instruments I came across? It's as if this is all prior knowledge that was stored away within my mind. What if... I was someone? Do I really not have memories prior to my awakening? Perhaps I was previously a resident and was stored away in those pods for reasons unknown to me. The Mastermind spoke about me as if I was some messiah fated to cleanse the Rot and restore the heart of Carnis Machina. So many questions still left unanswered. Even questions the Mastermind couldn't answer. It said it would talk to me more once I returned from this expedition so... Maybe I would learn even more then I was already given.

One goal. Find the true source of the Rot. Uncover it's origin and purge it from this world if possible. On my own though? I have made it this far mostly on my own so perhaps. The Doctor even exchanged my old fleshy organs for new mechanical organs capable of resisting the plague of the Rot. I... Don't think I have anything to fear. I explored. Killed. Discovered. Killed. Progressed. Killed. Killed. Killed. With my instrument at my side and the firearm slung around my back the Doctor was so kind enough to adjust and tweak so I wouldn't need worry about it malfunctioning on me. I was stocked with extra ammunition and a set of instant stimulation injections provided by the Doctor for treating any wounds too severe for my flesh's natural regeneration factor to suture. Let's see where this ominous path ahead takes us...