Kiyo's Wish - 2

Verox led Kiyo through the city as the sky grew dark before stopping in front of a docked spacecraft. The spacecraft's build was different from that of the reserve, alien to onlookers. 

"Here we are!" Verox chirped excitedly, seemingly familiar with the ship. 

"Are you sure this is it?" Kiyo asked, slightly tilting his head in curiosity. A feeling of anxiety loomed over him, looking at the structure. He trusted Verox with his life, so why would he take him here? Kiyo swallowed before knocking on the spacecraft's door. 

A six-limbed being answered, peaking out of the door. 

"Hello? Oh! Verox, dear friend! Whom have you brought with you?" The creature smiled. 

 Kiyo stepped back, almost hiding behind Verox. This alien was well… Not as alien as Kiyo would have thought. They were much more mechanical. Still, Kiyo's heart was full of hope----Verox said that this friendly creature could help. Kiyo greeted the kind stranger and followed Verox inside. 

 "This is The Curator! They travel a lot and visit the reserve sometimes, especially during the Twilight Carnival." The six-limbed creature waved as Verox spoke. "They've well... Curated that machine over there that allows Xeros to obtain traits from any subspecies that you wish! It's fascinating; I have no idea how they did it." Verox explained. The Curator smiled, placing one of his larger hands on Verox's shoulder. 

 "Your friend Verox is correct!" The Curator paused, disappearing behind various machinery, wires, and pipes before reappearing with a vial rack. On the vial rack were five vials, each vibrantly glowing in a variety of colors.

"These vials are where the magic happens. Over there, I call it the 'Glitch Machine,' is a Xero-sized device that allows your genetics to be edited, or altered, in such a way that allows for new mutations that would not be typical to your subspecies." 

Kiyo looked at the Glitch Machine with wonder. 

The Curator continued. "However, your subspecies will not change. That is currently something I cannot do. While I can guarantee 100% safety, I must also mention that I cannot predict the exact outcome of your mutations. Testing is, more or less, limited." They let out a small laugh.

 Kiyo looked down at the tray of vials the creature held. 

"Oh goodness! I nearly forgot to mention, each vial you see here allows the machine to add one trait from one subspecies. After extensive research, I've been able to curate a formula for each known subspecies of your kind, including those less-researched." The Curator points to an odd green vial, glimmering in the dim light of the spacecraft.

"This one is a bit less predictable than the others." They picked up the vial and sloshed the continents inside around before placing it back on the tray. "Your friend, Bee, was kind enough to lend me some of their fur for genetic testing. As you know, they appear to have extra limbs and other various mutations their subspecies do not typically allow. This is because of their origin! Because Bee is a prototype or a 'glitched' Xero, their genetic makeup is a bit more unusual than, say… Your friend Verox." 

 Kiyo nodded, taking in all of this information. His eyes were full of wonder and curiosity. 

"Admittedly, I have yet to try out the glitched vial, so I am unsure of the results it yields. However, I can assure you that all traits given from the Glitch Machine are stable and will not disappear with time." 

 All of this talk about adding traits sounded great to Kiyo. Ideas already formed in Kiyo's mind about what he'd like to add. But at what cost? The green Xero looked up at the six-limbed creature, a million questions running through his head. 

 "What's the catch here? There's got to be a cost, right? How is the machine powered? Your research is very impressive, but I'm still unsure." Kiyo asked. He was excited, very excited, but a slight fear sat over him. What if something went wrong? 

"No catch here, friend! I have no need for ducat, so I accept Astatine as payment since it is vital for the process." The Curator holds up another vial in one of their smaller hands, showing off the dark, iridescent goop inside. "Astatine is incredibly rare, especially here on Owai-6, which is why I require such a small amount for the process. However, it is costly." They grabbed an object off of a shelf sitting behind Verox and placed the vial of Astatine in the object's place. 

"This is a glitch card. It is small in size but very mighty in its work. This device has all of the desired traits loaded onto it, acting as a genetic bank of sorts. To begin the process, this little card is inserted into the machine. I must mention that this card also requires Astatine, which the Glitch Machine consumes in the process. The Astatine is used to safely control neutron fluxes within your genetics as new traits are added." 

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Kiyo." Verox chimed in, noticing Kiyo's somewhat worried look. The Curator nodded.

"Yes, you don't have to do anything you don't want to; I assume you're looking to get something new added since you came, but-" 

"No, no. I know what I want. I appreciate your studies very much, Curator. You're going to be a big help." Kiyo smiled. Obtaining the needed Astatine was not going to be easy, but Kiyo was determined. Verox, slightly taken back by the green Xero's response, pulled Kiyo to the side. 

"You do know just how rare Astatine is, right? It's not a substance that's easy to obtain. I just brought you here as an option, and I didn't think-" 

"Verox, I know what my heart desires, and I'll do whatever it takes to fulfill that longing, even if it means giving up a few vials of extremely rare black goop." Kiyo laughed a little. "Besides, The Curator knows what they're talking about. I trust them, and I trust you." Kiyo held both of Verox's paws in his. "You've got to trust me, ok?" 

Verox nodded slowly, thinking of a response. He understood the longing Kiyo had felt and truly wanted to help his friend. 

"I trust you, Kiyo. But.. you're not giving up those vials tonight, right? I don't think we finished carving our Lantern Fruits." Verox chuckled a little. He did trust his friend, and he was glad to have brought him here. 

"That's on you! You decided to drag me here! Besides, I still need six more vials." Kiyo joked. 

"And I'm glad I did! Now, let's go finish carving our pumpkins… I heard there's an opportunity to get more of that goop tonight anyway." Verox winked. 

"Thank you both for stopping by, I hope to see you soon!" The Curator waved as the two Xeros exited the ship. Kiyo was filled with a new, curious excitment for what was to come.