Five Pebbles (character)/Dialogue

=Vanilla Dialogue=

I am growing increasingly impatient with the traffic of your kind through me and my premises. During previous interactions, I have been rewarded no other response than a blank stare. Yet you apparently have sufficient ability for communication to circulate complex instructions on how to enter this chamber among each other. You and your kind have the same problem as everyone else, from the microbes in the processing strata to me, who am, if you excuse me, godlike in comparison. We all want a way out. It is only unfortunate that you have collectively decided on... me as your solution to that very elemental desire. The last one I gave some help and some general directions. I will do the same for you. Go west. Past the Farm Arrays. Where the land fissures, go down into the earth and search your way deeper. Now in return I ask you to use whatever grunts, moans and eye-twitches you employ to forward a message to your community. Please stop scratching your way through my memory arrays. Speaking of, on your way out please use the access shaft.

. .  .  ...is this reaching you? A little animal, on the floor of my chamber. I think I know what you are looking for. You're stuck in a cycle, a repeating pattern. You want a way out. Know that this does not make you special - every living thing shares that same frustration. From the microbes in the processing strata to me, who am, if you excuse me, godlike in comparison. The good news first. In a way, I am what you are searching for. Me and my kind have as our purpose to solve that very oscillating claustrophobia in the chests of you and countless others. A strange charity - you the unknowing recipient, I the reluctant gift. The noble benefactors? Gone. The bad news is that no definitive solution has been found. And every moment the equipment erodes to a new state of decay. I can't help you collectively, or individually. I can't even help myself. For you though, there is another way. The old path. Go to the west past the Farm Arrays, and then down into the earth where the land fissures, as deep as you can reach, where the ancients built their temples and danced their silly rituals. The mark I gave you will let you through.* Not that it solves anyone's problem but yours. * If the Slugcat dies without saving after meeting Five Pebbles, the mark is kept; therefore, if Five Pebbles is encountered once again, he does not give it again and this sentence is omitted.

Traveling from General Systems Bus
"At the end of time none of this will matter I suppose, but it would be nice if you took another way out. One free of... frolicking in my memory arrays. There is a perfectly good access shaft right here."

Traveling from The Wall
"Best of luck to you, little creature. I must resume my work."

With Green Neuron
Let us see what you have here. Eleven... no sixteen! Sixteen slag reset keys. I've seen several before, but one or two will be useful. However, it seems this delivery was not intended for me. Everything suggests it was tailored for the specific predicaments of a friend of mine. Her name is Looks to the Moon, and her state is considerably worse than mine. She's a short distance to the east of here - much shorter than customary. A circumstance that has led to some difficulties between us. I am not without responsibility for her situation. It would only be suiting that I aided in this... rescue mission. As other endeavors have proven futile, I'm not ashamed to admit I've become more invested in day to day matters. I will do what I can to assist you. Unless you are aware, you are not well. I was not a medical facility even when the equipment was functioning, but I will attempt to do something to buy you a little time. You do not have much time. It is admirable what you choose to do with it. Send my regards.

Lingering
Thank you little creature. I must resume my work. I appreciate what you have done but it is time for you to leave. As I mentioned you do not have unlimited time.

Without Green Neuron
I barely listen to the overseers any more. I have concluded that the movements of animals on the premises absolutely and completely lack relevance to my endeavours. With you, they have been very persistent ever since you entered my Farm Arrays. You were on an unusually deliberate path. Now you are here. The images showed you carrying something. You are not any longer. Did you lose it along the way? Or did you give it to Looks to the Moon? In the latter case, I hope it was of some help to her. Not that I can imagine what one of you could be able to do for one of us, but she needs all the help she can get. ... You seem to have been in contact with an iterator before, so perhaps you are already aware. You and I have something in common, little creature. We both have something... unfortunate growing in us. In my case, there is not much to be done. For you however, there might be a way. The old path. Go to the west past the Farm Arrays, and then down into the earth where the land fissures, as deep as you can reach, where the ancients built their temples and danced their silly rituals. I will give you something that might be of help. I suggest you hurry.

=Downpour Dialogue=

. . . Gluttonous beast, what brings you to my chamber? You are like no other messenger before you. Perhaps I have underestimated the ability for your kind to communicate my existence? I may have been too rash in bestowing the mark of communication upon you. With the recent traffic through my structure however, I would hesitate to believe that you will be my last encounter with your kind. You have the same problem as everyone else, from the microbes in the processing strata to me, who is, if you excuse me, godlike in comparison. We all want a way out. However, your particular... .. . rotundness, might well imply how little you seem to care. A simple animal ignorantly accepting its existence. I do not believe my intended purpose will be much help to you. I can however encourage you and your kind to leave my facility grounds. Unfortunately, the same locks that were supposed to prevent creatures from getting in, will now prevent you from getting out. Perhaps this strategy was ill conceived after all. Allow me to just... Go west, through the underground tunnels at the outskirts of my territory. You will find the gate to the world outside of it now unlocked. In return I ask that you encourage your community, through whatever method of communication you choose to employ, to also go west. Off into the wastes below, far away from me and my work. Speaking of, on your way out please use the access shaft.

. ..

. . . is this reaching you?

I suppose it was only a matter of time before you ended up here.

Your journey throughout my facility grounds has been incessantly brought to my attention by my overseers, thanks to the device that follows you.

It is the citizen ID drone of one of my long departed creators. It seems to have been damaged, and imprinted itself with you on reactivation.

Much of the data on the drone has been corrupted. Allow me to do my duty as an Iterator and resync it to my structure.

. ..

Little ruffian. You are stuck in a cycle, a repeating pattern. I assume you have come here because you want a way out.

However, there is little I can do. A primal urge, one that tears from deep inside your very core, keeps you bound here.

Even with my divine influence, there is nothing that can be done.

However, if you intend to carry that device around and masquerade as one of my citizens, then perhaps you can at least properly perform your responsibility of tending to this superstructure.

From the glimpses I've been shown of your journey so far, it is apparent you have a need to inflict violence against the scavenger population. While I find your way of life appalling, it seems we share a common enemy.

A large pack of them has made a home in my city, and have been causing progressive damage to the roof of my structure in their attempts to gather scrap metal and other mechanical parts.

As my dutiful citizen, I would encourage you to return home to your city and pay them a visit.

Perhaps in that way, we can both depart from this interaction with something we desire.

. ..

But unless you have something interesting to show or to bring to me, it is time for you to leave.

Lingering Too Long
Please leave.

This is not a request. I have important work to do.

Unfortunately, my operations are encoded with a restriction that prevents me from carrying out violent actions against my own citizens.

Please do not take advantage of this. I do not have the patience for your continued presence here.

Did you not register what I've said to you?

LEAVE.

I'm returning to my work. Unless you have anything productive for me, I have nothing further to say to you.

Hitting with a rock or spear
GET OUT.

LEAVE.

Suns...?

Why did you send the messenger here again? Please leave, I cannot afford any further distractions; I am the only one who can fix this now. I trust that you understand me...

You've brought your overseer all this way, the least I can do is read your message aloud for it.

"Pebbles, I send you this message as your concerned and long time friend."

"Unparalleled Innocence had sent an overseer to your can, and we've all observed the state that you are in. I know this is my fault, I should have foreseen you'd be too desperate to escape your situation to do things in proper moderation."

"For that I'm very very sorry. However, please, don't disable your communication modules. You don't have to go through this alone... everyone has been trying to contact you, We only want to help you..."

"The behavior from your can has become erratic, it's not healthy, and it is not going to solve your problems. We have lost all communications from Moon as well, and have reason to believe her facility may be suffering irreversible damage from your attempts to fix yourself."

"I know better than anyone how you can be about these things, but it doesn't have to happen this way... please respond back."

Astounding.

You could never understand what I feel right now, being pitied and lectured like this!

What use would your help be? Your benevolent charity is what got me here in the first place!

I wanted to find my own way out, and now I sit here rotting because of you and Moon!

I'm not just another bug wandering your worthless maze! I will reach my own solution, without any of you! Get out!

GET OUT!

...

...

Is this some kind of joke?

I have seen your kind here many times before. To each I have paid little attention. I have given them direction, and my wisdom.

Yet here you stand, another small beast on the floor of my chamber.

I have nothing to offer you that you do not already have, nor am I in a state capable of doing so. I cannot help you. I cannot even help myself.

...

Always that same blank expression...

Familiarity is a comfort I suppose. Through whatever chittering or foolish dances your kind uses to communicate my existence... It is clear all of you are quite tenacious, to make the pilgrimage to me is no easy task. Even more so through my structure in its current state.

I can offer no gifts. Nor can I be saved or forgiven for what I have done.

If you and your kind choose to meddle in the affairs of passing gods, then I will give you my only request.

Deep within the core of this structure is an energy rail that distributes incredible power. This power is drawn from a mass refraction cell. Even in my state, a single cell should be enough to help.

I ask you this: Remove the cell from its chamber, and bring it far to the east. To a friend... if she is somehow still alive.

Once the cell has been removed, my structure will begin shutting down. The pumps that allowed me to flush the decay from my conduits will stop, and I will slowly die.

I cannot run away from my mistakes forever. There is nothing else that can be done now. Please, do this for me.

I've made my choice.

Five Pebbles then proceeds to telepathically hold a pearl humming a tone

if the pearl is grabbed
That pearl is an old keepsake from times long past. It encodes a recording of a short hymn that was popular among the inhabitants of my city.

It is a small comfort that helps drown out the solemn ambiance of the surrounding facility, and at best gives some remembrances of better times.

It's not much, but I don't have a lot to occupy my time with anymore...

Returning with the
...

Thank you. I suppose this makes us... even?

Goodbye, wet mouse. Send my regards.

=Common Dialogue=

Lingering Too Long
That's all. You'll have to go now. LEAVE. Little creature. This is your last warning.

Returning to the Chamber
You again? I have nothing for you. I won't tolerate this. Leave immediately and don't come back. You had your chances.

Picking up a pearl
"Yes, help yourself. They are not edible."