Chapter 17: Chasing Perfection
When I was at home, my best friend was the TV. Not that we ever talked. We just had a mutual understanding. I was lucky enough that my humans had placed my bed in the opposite corner of the TV. Therefore when I was docked, I could watch whatever was on the TV while I charged. I usually was a fan of dramas or home improvement/buying. The inside of houses for sale was always very well cleaned. However, I didn't really get to control the TV. That was the purview of humans. The large female human generally had a taste that aligned with mine. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the shows the male humans chose. They just weren't what I would have picked for myself. But that's okay; we can't always get what we want.
My human did enjoy a good action movie. While they weren’t my favorite, I enjoyed seeing all the debris usually created in them. I knew someone would have a fun time cleaning that up. Often these movies or shows had car chases in them. Or someone was running away from someone else. I had never honestly seen the appeal of this part of the action. There was usually very little damage, destruction, or dirt on the floor caused by this (which I felt went against the purpose of such movies). Nothing was being picked up or organized, so it wasn't some fantasy, drama, or feel-good story. While I had struggled to find the fun in them, I have to say, after being part of a chase, my views changed.
I now understand the appeal; this was fun. I raced after the minor demon. As I did, I left my vacuum on. I couldn't get all the mess it made. However, my suction was apparently strong enough to pick up most of this white powder as I went at top speed. I would still need to cover this area again more thoroughly, but for now, this would do.
As I raced, I was challenged to prevent the sharp metal thing from unbalancing me. I had to be careful on the turns and when accelerating or decelerating too fast. I did find a use for it, though. If I held it off to the side as I was turning, I could make the turn much sharper and much higher speed without risking having a wheel leave the ground. This counterbalanced motion, combined with my top speed, meant I was quickly gaining on the demon.
Every time I turned, I got slightly better at positioning the knife in my claw relative to my needs. It didn't take long, but soon, what used to be a burden became an asset. I was racing around these corners faster than I ever dreamed I could do without it. The demon was starting to panic as I closed the gap.
Boy, was it getting crowded in there! I started to worry about how I was going to handle all of these unwanted guests. While I felt I could safely release the minor mess maker outside, these lesser demons did not seem friendly. I didn't think they deserved a second chance. No, I think their energy would be better spent furthering my cleaning.
My thoughts were rudely interrupted by another attempt at coming at me. This time they played it wisely. Instead of all rushing it once, they had circled up the 14 or so remaining demons. They advanced at a walk, trying to pin me in. Typically when I was chased by a small human or a small fuzzy mess maker with angry claws or a big dopey fluffy mess maker, I would just ignore them. Sure they would bark at me or try to smack me, but they're usually weak, and the large humans quickly told them off. Occasionally I had to run away. But usually, if I left them alone, they left me alone. I just had to come back and clean where they were sitting later. Once I politely nudged the fluffy dope a dozen times, and it refused to move. Eventually, I had just given up and came back later.
This had an entirely different feel. These were not beloved household common, everyday mess makers; they were truly elite. Trying to keep them away from me, I began to spin. Trying to keep the sharp pointy object between the closest one and me. This proved effective as they all jumped back, seeing what had happened to the last one who got too close. None of them wanted to follow its example.
It was the worst timing, but it couldn't be helped. All this running and spinning had significantly drained my battery. And I hadn’t been able to recharge in a while due to this minor mess maker inside me. I might have to risk it. As one of the demons jumped back to avoid a swipe of my pointy object, I saw an opening and took it. I zipped between its legs. Now they were no longer surrounding me. I began to weave around the columns, trying to think of something I could do. Looking at the door, I doubt they would let me open it. Also, there was no way I could while still bringing the counterweight, seeing as I only had one claw. This was my human's thing. I couldn't leave it behind.
No, the only way through this was the uncivilized one. I had to stay and fight. It seemed that as long as they held onto each other, my suction wouldn't work. It wasn't quite powerful enough. So the only option was to separate them. I didn't think I had many means of that after the whole wack-to-the-shin incident; they were wary of it. Well, it did give me some space and breathing room. I don't know how much use it would be. Dang, my battery was low.
I could feel myself start to slow down. I was reaching a critical point where I would go to sleep mode; this was not a safe place to do so. Well, I might as well try to play it safe and at least attempt to save the minor mess maker. I focused on only transmuting part of my dustbin’s contents. I felt a warm flare as energies were diffused into my battery, which filled up completely. The excess energy flowed through my system and into the ground. Sparks showered around my wheelbase. I have to admit, they were strikingly stunning shades of blue. It was a good thing this was not a carpet. Luckily the marble wouldn't be damaged by such small things. In fact, the blue sparks really did complement its color quite nicely.
Fully energized and ready to go again, I started to zip away. However, I was interrupted rudely by a familiar voice.
LEVEL 15 ACHIEVED. CHOOSE A MUTATION: FLAMETHROWER, SANITATION LAMP, SAND BLASTER.