We traveled for a few days, the robot rhythmically moving up and down as it moved. I attempted to guide us in the direction I felt that weird connection to, but stopped to rest for about five hours every night, and occasionally took breaks to inspect the interior of the robot, in order to make sure that it wasn't on the verge of breaking down or anything like that.
The Cool Bot was essentially shaped like a giant Refrigerator, with massive robot arms and legs. There was a little metal stairway leading from the topmost room,(Where I'd pilot it) to the lounge, then the engine room, and finally down to the.. boarding room, where we'd enter and exit the robot. Yes, the "butt" of the robot was basically where we entered and exited from. No, I wasn't a fan of this arrangement in the slightest.
The three of us took turns "driving". Deborah drove when the Old Man would take me around the bot, to help point out any areas that needed further repair. And the Old Man would drive when I'd take breaks, usually to sleep. Deborah actually trained me a little before and after bed, as she wanted to see how good my unarmed combat was and apparently she was extremely adept at fighting. I don't know if she could have beat Angler, but I'm willing to bet if anyone had a shot, she probably did.
One day, the robot came to a complete stop- without explanation, the whole thing just shuddered and ceased to move entirely. I was confused, because I'd just barely done my daily inspection, and actually reconstructed part of the engine just in case something like this happened during the final stretch; we were probably about 5 hours away from our destination, and I didn't want to risk anything derailing our progress.
The monitors across from me didn't really display anything out of the ordinary. However, Deborah facepalmed and groaned, as if just barely realizing something. "Oh... I forgot about this place. Buckle up boys, we're in for a treat."
The Old Man came up from a room somewhere below us, and his brows were furrowed. He was visibly annoyed. "Gary's Friend, what have you done? I was watching Food Network, and right when the chef tossed the chicken in breadcrumbs, my TV shut off! I told you to check the generator last night!" He whipped out his new Ray Gun, which he'd been working on over the past day or so, and aimed it at me.
I wasn't the least bit threatened, but Deborah answered before I could. "Calm down, man. It's not the generator, it's... oh, why don't I just show you?" She headed downstairs, and we followed. We went down to the boarding room, which really wasn't much- just a bare room, with what was essentially a garage door and a big red button on the wall to the right of the door. She pushed the button and simultaneously the door opened, retracting upward as a ramp extended from the floor we were on, down to the ground below.
She led us out of the Cool Bot, into the underbrush. We were in the middle of a massive, sprawling forest.. and as far as I could tell, there was nothing but trees, bushes and squirrels for miles.
But my new recruit had stopped in front of an odd pair of trees, and clapped her hands together. The trees were connected via a single branch, that led to a hole in each one.
"We come in peace. Let us through the trees." She murmured, and all at once the tree-line directly in front of us began to shimmer and grow distorted. Suddenly, where the trees once were... now was a bustling town. There were dozens of little log houses, and many booths set up all over the place with people selling things. Where the couple trees used to be, was now a massive archway.
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"-What is this place?" I asked, understandably taken aback. Deborah just looked down at me and smiled. "Welcome to Mythwood. There are hundreds of these little towns all over the planet, home to people that are able to interact with the more.. fantastical elements of our world. Usually, when people get lost in this forest, they end up here with no memory of their past lives.. and most technology ceases to function. We'll need to get permission from the Elder in order to have our robot up an running again."
I was definitely intrigued by this quaint little town. But at the same time, I couldn't help feeling like this was just the sort of detour I'd be forced to take... a distraction, right when I'd become determined to save this little girl that was waiting for me, and not mess anything up this time.
"Alright.. sounds straightforward enough."
I had no idea how wrong I was.
We trotted down the busy streets, houses made of wood and clay to the left and right of us- all over the place, really. Many vendors shouted at us, trying to get our attention. Some rude people even tried catcalling at Deborah, which she mostly ignored.
Eventually, we reached a building that looked quite old and beat up- the wood was rotting away, and various trinkets(Dolls, birdhouses, even something that kind of looked like a mage's staff) adorned the windows. and Deborah stopped and regarded it for a moment. The sign out front said "PAWN SHOP" and there was a wooden railing, with a table and two chairs behind it. The door to the establishment was just behind the railing.
"Hey... I'm going to pop in here for a sec. Should only be a couple minutes. Don't wander too far, it's... extremely easy to get lost here." With that, she was already through the door.
I turned to the Old Man. "What do you think of this pla-"
"SILENCE. You do not have permission to talk to me, Gary's Friend. As far as I'm concerned, we are simply business associates. No more than that. Do not make 'idle conversation' with me. In fact, I'm going to stand over there." He made a point to walk about 10 feet away, and stand near a group of people.
I just rolled my eyes, and attempted to wait patient for Deborah. That's when I heard a voice from behind me. An enthusiastic, female voice.
"Yoohoo! You look lost. Are you lost? I happen to be the best at helping people who are lost around here. Ask anyone." All this was said before I could even turn around. When I did I saw a woman with red hair, and a magician's hat. She had a belt that was somewhat similar to Deborah's, but had only a few small leather compartments. She wore a sequined robe that had a bright purple sheen, and looked extremely pleased to see me.
"Um.. no, I'm not lost. I'm waiting here for my-"
"Yikes, you talk slow. I'm already bored. Well, it doesn't really matter- the fact is, I don't really care if you're lost. But, I bet you care about what I can show you."
This ought to be good. I thought.
She reached into her robe, and somehow withdrew a large wine bottle from within it. I have no idea how she fit it in there, but she was dressed like a magician so I guess I was supposed to assume it was some "sleight-of-hand" nonsense.
She shook the bottle, and pushed the cork in, so it created a small gap. The liquid came shooting out, and she blew on it. All at once, the liquid caught fire, and it looked as if she herself was spitting fire. Then the flames began to change color- blue, to red, to green; before finally dissipating, as a result of the pressure in the bottle being released.
It was pretty cool, although it was obviously a pretty simple parlor trick.
"Cool, huh? Well, good news- if you want to see stuff like that every day, I'm offering up my services as a traveling performer! The fee is 900 gold coins per day, and if you can't pay up then-"
Her sentence was interrupted by a man shouting behind her. "Cassandra! Get back here. Who told you to go gallivanting off? You have a show today!" She winced when she heard his voice, and said in a lower voice, "Sorry. But.. seriously consider my offer, okay? I'll be behind the big red tent set up near the Elder's Hut. Once it's dark out, come find me." She somberly trotted off, and I couldn't help feeling sorry for her.
I also couldn't get over what she had asked for as payment. Gold coins? How was I supposed to get those?... maybe she meant pennies? I spent the next few minutes mulling over what she'd said. She winced when that man yelled at her... maybe she was in trouble, or something?
And I decided, that maybe I should help her.