The World is Ending, So You Should Be Open to New Experiences

Judging by the way he shrieked, Botwulf did not appreciate being blanketed by rats.

Apophis cackled as he unraveled, the Librarian scurrying out from between his coils.

“Why did you do that?” the human demanded, a hand to his chest as he panted.

“The desert gets cold at night,” the Librarian replied, reforming outside of the loose coil of Apophis’s body that remained. They added, “My liege is not warm.”

“That’s true,” Apophis agreed, tugging Botwulf towards the saddle.

“Wait!” the healer protested.

“Oh?” Apophis grinned, “Yesterday, you did not want me to stop at all.”

“I-” Botwulf scrambled away from the dragon’s hands, kicking up sand in his wake before unsteadily getting to his feet. Huffing, he said, “I gotta piss.”

“Humans have very inefficient waste management,” Apophis snorted, settling to wait.

Botwulf rolled his eyes, then scanned the horizon as he asked, “So what happens to everything you eat, then?”

“All is converted into matter that is directly absorbed into my body,” Apophis replied, blinking his nictitating membranes over his eyes before adding, “There is no cover, healer.”

Botwulf huffed again, grabbing a waterskin and cloth before stomping a few feet off and looking back. He called out, “I feel like a little privacy is the least I can ask for here.”

Apophis obligingly stretched as he faced away from the human. He already looked better today than the day before - Apophis had no doubt it was the first real sleep the man had gotten in days. He would need to manage that - their game had a stress system, and he couldn’t have Botwulf dying on him.

“Alright, let’s go,” the human said, returning.

“Eat something,” Apophis replied without moving, since he’d remembered the need to ensure the human was fed and watered.

“I can eat while riding,” Botwulf replied.

Apophis grinned as he asked, “You’re that eager to ride me?”

“Don’t-” Botwulf cut himself off with a flustered noise.

Apophis surged up to loom over the healer.

Botwulf, predictably, yelped and fell on his ass.

Apophis cackled, leaning further over the man and caressing the side of his face with the knuckles of a clawed hand, “Lust is certainly a form of hunger - and I can consume it.”

“You-” Botwulf’s pale, freckled face went red as he stopped - then his brows furrowed and he asked, “Like… like an incubus, or the concept?”

Apophis snorted, “That’s your concern?”

“I mean… I know you’re mostly just fucking with me here, so… I guess?” Botwulf replied, though he was still flushed as he eyed the dragon’s hand on his cheek dubiously.

“I cannot consume concepts,” Apophis replied, rolling away and onto his back, “yet.”

“Well that’s not fucking ominous,” Botwulf muttered, sitting up.

“Eat,” Apophis said.

“Why do you care?” Botwulf sighed - though he did dig some rations out of the saddlebags.

“The apathy everyone is feeling is a programmed part of the shutdown,” Apophis replied, deciding to take the question seriously, “but your code was specifically built to fight fear - and it seems to recognize the apathy as ‘fear’, so is blocking it. Much of the fear you’re meant to overcome is of me - so I have a sympathetic response which causes my original programming to kick in over the apathy. If you die, I will not complete this journey.”

Botwulf was quiet for a few moments while he ate before saying, “That’s weird.”

“What is?” Apophis asked.

“Just... why would they even do that?”

The question made Apophis freeze.

Why would they do that? Unless…

Apophis rose as he cackled - picking Botwulf up in one hand to bring the human to eye level before saying, “You are surprisingly insightful, healer.”

“You don’t use my name very often for someone who asked for it,” Botwulf replied.

“If the Developers included apathy as part of the shutdown,” Apophis said, flicking out his tongue to taste the human’s cheek, “then there must be a reason they do not want us to be able to act.”

Botwulf frowned - then his brows shot up and his eyes went wide, regaining a glint of actual hope as he said, “Because there’s a way to stop it.”

“The timeline itself feels unnecessary, doesn’t it?” Apophis asked, now that he was considering it, “There must be specific steps they have to take to shut us down. Steps we can interfere with in some way.”

Apophis was beginning to wonder if they were a game, after all - or if some greater being simply saw them in such a light. It was no different than how he could recontextualize gaming mechanics into something more organic, really.

What were characters without a strong VI pattern but those that lived the most ordinary of lives, without a need to develop the fortitude to do elsewise? The kind of fortitude that inspired one to try and change things on a grander scale.

The kind of fortitude that made one try to save the world - or end it.

Apophis shifted Botwulf into the saddle once more, the human putting up a token protest about being able to strap himself in before they were racing across the sand again. He hadn’t wanted to give the healer enough time to consider the idea. No - he’d wanted to give the healer more time to consider the idea.

If there was a way to stop the end of the world, that meant Apophis eating it was no longer the clear best option. Which meant that once they reached the World Core Dungeon, they would once more become enemies. Apophis wishing to consume the world and Botwulf wishing to save it.

But the human would not make it there in time to investigate without Apophis - the Devourer wanted the human to realize this much on his own, and then keep it to himself. If he had realized too soon, he would likely try to strike a deal with Apophis - and the dragon would make no deals. Which Botwulf would hopefully realize when forced to take more time to consider.

Without a deal, the healer might get it into his head to try and separate anyway. Since he knew Apophis would succumb to apathy without him and all. He would hardly be successful, but stopping the vain attempts would be annoying. But - if he realized they would have opposing goals once they reached the dungeon - Botwulf was more likely to keep such a concern to himself while he schemed for a way to stop Apophis once there.

The human had no chance, of course, but Apophis was magnanimous enough to let him dream. Especially since it preserved their currently excellent work relationship.