Erudite Robot

"Eng-lish?" Fred blinked. "I'm speaking Allarian."

"Fascinating. Allarian... I've never heard of it. Is it some kind of regional dialect?"

"In any case," Fred said. "This is what happened..."

Quickly he related the fashion in which he and Melissa had run afoul of the Hispanic tome of power, and the ensuing destruction of the shack that contained it. Borgatron listened carefully, the red light in his eyesockets alternately dimming and brightening, until Fred had finished his tale.

"Yes, I can see your body temperature is well above normal." said Borgatron. "I assume it is no picnic. Well, while I know nothing of magic, or of any surviving Spaniards in these territories..."

"Are there survivors?" Melissa interrupted suddenly.

"Not above ground, which is what makes your experience so strange. You see, it's currently summer up there. But there are indeed survivors here underground. In fact, I even know of one - an old lady who has existed far longer than I have. Living underground all alone has driven her quite mad, I'm afraid, but she is also quite knowledgeable. It is from her that I learned the history of this world, and of it's people's pursuit of 'psychonuclear' power which brought them to ruin. She also has visions of the future, I believe, though I can't attest as to their accuracy. For some reason she has grown to hate me, but she may be willing to speak with you two."

"I have to see her!" Melissa said urgently. "Mr. Borgatron, will you guide us?"

"Very well. But there is one more thing you should know. Many parts of these caves are filled with mutated, predatory creatures, not as large as the ones aboveground but still quite vicious. Most of them don't recognize me as food, but they might jump at the chance to make a meal of you and Fred."

"I don't care!" Melissa said. "I have to see this woman - and Fred, maybe she could help you too..."

"There are two ways to reach her from here." continued Borgatron. "One is much faster than the other, and would take mere hours -but it would take us through the worst of the creatures' territory. The other is the opposite - much safer, but the trip would take well over a day."

Fred says:

1. "Let's take the faster route. I can't stand much more of this heat!"
2. "Let's take the longer route. I don't want to put Melissa in any serious danger."
3. "I object to this idea for several reasons. First of all..."

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