Transmission LOE.2.3
THE SANDWICH
After a long and grueling trek through the Crackletown Mountains, Hero and I finally arrived at our destination. Nestled near the summit of a towering crystal peak was a small village, alive with Doomlings that looked like they were machines. My hopes were high. These Doomlings were said to be ancient and knew these mountains intimately. If anyone could point us to the Reflecting Glass, it would be them.
It didn’t take long, however, for us to run into a problem. As I’ve mentioned before, many Doomlings talk. These Doomlings, however, did not. Instead, they emitted sharp, guttural sounds that were more or less indiscernible.
“Excuse me, sir, we’re looking for directions to something known as the Reflecting Glass. Would you happen to know anything about that?”
“BZORG—Bzorg...zorg...BZORG zorg zorg.”
And that was the extent of most conversations. Hero tried breaking the ice by sharing bites of a sandwich, which they seemed to enjoy, but beyond a few enthusiastic bzorgs, there wasn’t much progress. It was disheartening, to say the least.
As day faded into night, a thick fog rolled over the village, shrouding everything in an eerie glow. Hero and I set up camp on the outskirts, away from the bzorging villagers. Sitting by the fire, we watched as the nearby crystals refracted the flames into shimmering hues of blue, pink, purple, and green.
Hero seemed unusually restless. He wanted to leave the next day. But I didn’t. I wasn’t ready to give up. This place felt like the closest we’d been to a real lead, and I was determined to stay a few more days—maybe even explore a few nearby caves. I told him he could leave if he wanted. I wasn’t keeping him here. But the suggestion seemed to unsettle him, and he insisted on staying.
He wasn’t usually like this—so quick to call it quits. I didn’t know what his deal was.
We went to bed shortly after the conversation. But just before I was about to fall asleep, I heard something... Voices.
“Bzorg... Bzorg... Bzorg... Bzorg...”
I rushed out of my tent to find Doomlings from the village had encircled our camp -- at least ten of them. The antennas on their heads were blinking red, casting ghostly shadows through the thick fog of night. Hero and I were surrounded.
“We’ll leave,” I said warily, raising my hands to show I meant no harm. “We don’t mean to cause any trouble.”
But the Doomlings didn’t stop.
“Bzorg... Bzorg... Bzorg... Bzorg...”
They marched toward us in unison, their rhythmic chanting reverberating through the stillness. It was clear they had no intention of letting us go. They rounded Hero and me up and began herding us down a winding mountain path that led us far away from the village.
We were led along narrow mountain ridges until we reached the summit of a large crystalline mountain. At the very peak, carved into the shimmering crystal rock, was a red metal door. Two metallic pylons flanked the entrance, humming with energy, their cores pulsing with a deep blue glow.
One of the Doomlings stepped forward and firmly knocked three times on the metal door. For a moment, there was only silence. Then, with a low, mechanical hum, the door slowly slid open and we were ushered inside.
Within, we found ourselves in an ornately decorated chamber. At its center, a grand fireplace crackled and burned, casting flickering shadows across the walls. In front of the fire stood a large, imposing chair, its back turned to us.
“You wish to see the Reflecting Glass?” a grating voice asked, emanating from behind the chair.
I froze, caught off guard by the voice of another Doomling.
“Uh — yes, we do...” I managed to get out.
“I do not give up the location of the Reflecting Glass. Because those who seek it are not ready for what is to be found... However, you gave my people a generous gift, and they insisted that I grant you what you came searching for.”
The large chair slowly turned around, revealing an old, rusted Doomling holding... a half-eaten sandwich.
“The sandwich?” I said in disbelief.
“Bzorg.” One of the Doomlings who fetched us warmly affirmed.
“I must warn you, though—” the old Doomling said, taking a bite of the sandwich, “You are not the first to come looking for the Reflecting Glass, and those who went looking before you never returned... But if this is what you most desire, I will tell you its location.”
I couldn’t believe it. Because of an old sandwich Hero gave some of the Doomlings in town, we were told where the cave containing the Reflecting Glass was located—at the base of one of the largest mountains in the Crackletown Range. The rusted Doomling said once we arrived at its entrance, the cave would “greet us.” His instructions weren’t without warning, though. He was very explicit about the cave's dangerous nature and that those searching for the Reflecting Glass consistently got lost and never returned.
I wasn’t worried, though. I was a human with advanced technology capable of mapping an entire cave system before stepping inside. Those who came before us were just Doomlings. We were not going to get lost.
When we got back to camp, I was ecstatic—practically dancing around the fire. We’d done it. We’d found the location of the Reflecting Glass. This was going to be a groundbreaking discovery—not just for humans, but for Doomlings too. We were going to be legends.
But Hero didn’t share my enthusiasm. He looked troubled—anxious. He barely spoke during the walk back, and while I celebrated, he sat quietly, staring into the fire. Finally, I couldn’t ignore it any longer and asked him what was wrong.
He hesitated, his voice barely a whisper. “I don’t think we should go.”
He was worried about what the old Doomling had said—that the cave was too dangerous. I assured him that with my tech, we’d be fine. But he didn’t back down.
“Marin… we shouldn’t go. We should go home, back to your ship.”
I began to get frustrated. Why couldn’t he see how important this was? He knew this was my dream—to make discoveries like this. He knew this was why I was here. This was what I was meant to do.
“Hero, I’m not going back.”
“Marin, please…”
“I thought you were supposed to help me?” I snapped.
Hero froze.
“That’s the whole reason you’re here, right? To help me? Then help me... Otherwise, I don’t need you around.”
A piece of Hero seemed to break at that. He grew quiet, his gaze falling to the ground. After a long pause, he sighed and nodded.
“Okay... If this is what you need to do. I’ll help you.”
I felt bad. I knew the words would hurt him the moment they left my lips. But I needed him to understand—I’m doing this, with or without him. I know he’s just worried about what the old Doomling said, but I can’t let that stop me. I have to go into this cave and find the Reflecting Glass.
I need to.
- Captain Marin
END TRANSMISSION
Written by Raymond Boland
Would love to see this as a cartoon or comic.
~Gizmo Spaz (on YouTube)
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