Ink Run Dry is a danger to A Piercing Cry. Ink is a danger to everyone they are in contact with. Yet, APC finds reason to idolize them.
They stand, in the center of a city. APC knows this iterator had been dealing with communications issues for some time, and he knows that those problems were not typical decay issues. Unfortunately, he is a bit lost, having run so far as to no longer know any of the cities he comes across.
Ink stares out, and a helpful overseer flags APC. "Quit hovering and come out."
Reluctantly, APC does as instructed, and to his surprise, Ink holds out a screen for him to read. "Now tell me. What is wrong with this diagnostic?" they ask. It's some kind of test.
He scans quickly. The power grid of this iterator is overheating, and there's power mixup warnings as well. Ink forced the structure to draw too much power. "You tricked their systems into overheating... connectors must be- um. melting down there."
Ink smiles with their eyes, looking down at APC. "And you're just in time for the best part."
The floor caves in, crumbling. The place is devoid of life, its clear the iterator already abandoned the city, and Ink is walking in as if it was left for them alone. APC is horrified yet intrigued, initially following just as gracefully, but as Ink leaps into the pit, the smaller iterator fails to neatly follow suit.
“You never told me why you're here.” they state, staring at the spectacle that is APC's descent. Ink steps through the rubble towards the area less affected by the collapse, away from the beam of sunlight and now haloed by dim status lights. The final attempts of the superstructure to recover from the loop APC now knows Ink put it in.
Having made it to the bottom in one piece, APC watches with shocked curiosity as Ink effortlessly pulls out a handful of components. “I- um-“ he stutters, “the communications over here looked strange.”
Ink rolled their eyes, continuing to walk deeper into the structure. “I'm not stupid. You're all alone. Why come and greet my lovely wanted face?”
APC followed quietly, climbing over bent metal and sharp corners that Ink seemed to almost dance around. He tried to think of a good reason to give them. Ink's name is known by many. It was in this time of quiet that, going around a pipe, Ink turned and threw a sharp piece of metal through APC's cloak, right between his arm and chest, pinning him to the nearby wall. He yelped in shock as the next moment Ink was in his face, staring into his eyes.
“Now, tell me,” they say flatly, the show gone from their voice. “What are you doing here. You understand what I am capable of, yes?” All of APC's systems screamed at him. This is dangerous. He asked for this. He knew what he was getting into, and shouldn't be surprised, and yet his voice fails him, producing static instead of answers. He gives up, resorting to nodding at the taller iterator.
Ink squints. “Good,” they say, removing the frighteningly close piece of metal.
He breathes, dusting off his cloak and finally finding words. “Ran away from my-“ static causes his voice to clip momentarily, and Ink sighs. “-my group.” The sigh gives APC a sinking dread, and he fidgets as Ink turns to continue walking.