swim with the current or against it 🐟

[TRANSCRIPT]

Her child is alive. Her child… is alive. Arti’s mind shatters, but something inside of her heals in an instant. A will to live, rekindled, stronger than before. But, at the same time…

Artificer looks up, still holding her child as if her life depended on it. The scavengers have gathered around the two of them. Hundreds? Thousands? They are all watching.

Arti tenses up, and Marbles notices.

Marbles: (quietly) “We need… we need to run” Artificer: “No” Artificer: “On my mark, hide under the throne structure. Do not come out until told” Marbles: “W-why? I don’t want to fight” Artificer: “You won’t. I’ll do it”

Arti gently lets go of Marbles, and focuses her gaze on the swarm of scavengers.

Artificer: “I’m not letting them touch you… I’m not letting them harm you ever again” Artificer: (leans in, whispering) “Make bombs and spears for me while I dispatch them”

Marbles stares at her mom in disbelief. Fighting all those scavengers is a death sentence.

Marbles: “No, please… why kill them? There’s so many, let’s just run”

Arti stands up, her mouth fuming with rage. She breathes in sharply and lets out a deep growl.

Artificer: “They’ll regret they ever reincarnated as scavengers”

Her tail crackles with fire powder – she lifts it, ready to strike.

Artificer: “Get ready” Marbles: (in a shaky voice) “Mom, no…”

Arti slams her tail against the ground, triggering a smoke screen explosion.

Artificer: (at Marbles) “GO!!!”

There is smoke everywhere, and with it – chaos. One and Three are startled, but everything happens so fast, the scavengers have no time to react. Suddenly, an explosive spear appears out of the dust cloud. It lodges itself in One’s head, ignites, and explodes violently. Three, who stood right next to them, is dazed by the blast and thrown to the ground.

While the red elite tries to come to senses, a salvo of spears is thrown their way. Three tries to dodge them, but they can’t keep up in their injured state. One of the sharpened rebars finally strikes them, piercing their side. Three screams out, collapses, and passes out from pain soon after.

Two biggest threats have been neutralized.

Thus begins Artificer’s rampage.

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Artificer and Marbles communicate in Yongasabi, a fan-made conlang for the slugcats of Rain World, created by @opashoo. Because of this, the scavengers around them can’t understand what the two are saying to each other.