1/2 --- 2021/08/27(Fri)18:00 No. 1008880 ID: 736b7e
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It’s been months since our exodus from Dunra. We have heard from no other criai for nearly as long. We’ve been making blind jump after blind jump, desperate to ensure the Kiter could not follow us. We have run ourselves dry and have to stop. This world is far from ideal, but it’ll have to make do.

2/2 --- 2021/08/27(Fri)18:01 No. 1008881 ID: 736b7e
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We were the last ship to leave our city. I am the only one on board who is not a civilian. As such, I am the only one to be the pointman. Luckily, this planet is empty. No artificial electrical signals were detected. Nothing is here but animals. Still, I’ll have to make sure the area is clear.

The airlock hisses and a ramp drops down with railings for me. It is hot as hell.

Do a tactical roll down the ramp and shoot anything that moves.

Scan everything for flesh-eating bacteria or what-have-you.

Take inventory before you disembark. What do you have and what do you need?

Poke your head out before getting on the ramp. Are there any creatures nearby, aggressive or otherwise?

>>1008892
Do this

The heat might be an issue. How likely can we relocate to one the poles on the planet? It'd be more comfortable there, for sure. Would there be any resources available, is the question.

What kind of tools do you have for exploration? Even if there's nobody here but animals, do you have anything to keep your group safe from potential predatory creatures, or scout them out ahead of time?

If it's hot in this spot then it's unsuitable for colonization unless you have some climate control solution. Do you?

1/2 --- 2021/08/31(Tue)15:27 No. 1009168 ID: 736b7e
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I have not much equipment left. Any explosives were used in the process of trying to leave. I just have a laser rifle and a survival knife. The laser rifle will probably overheat in this weather very easily, so I’ll have to be careful with it.

Rolling down this ramp would probably break my neck. I’m not concerned with the wildlife but I should probably at least appear like I’m doing my job. I shoulder my rifle and carefully move down the ramp. Nothing is out here except for trees and bushes. Any wildlife seems to have fled from the ship as it landed. It looks like there are maybe birds out in the distance, but nothing is really nearby or threatening. I signal to the group leader that the coast is clear.

2/2 --- 2021/08/31(Tue)15:28 No. 1009169 ID: 736b7e
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Jui was a civilian working at a pharmaceutical lab. She has some knowledge and experience leading a team of people but it doesn’t perfectly transfer to a small group of starving criai on an alien planet. Scanning for dangerous microbes would be a smart thing but there’s not really any way for us to avoid them even if we wanted to.

The landing site was chosen because this area was the coolest we could find that also seemed like it might have the resources we need to hopefully keep the lights on and feed us. We have almost nothing left to power ship thrusters, so we are stuck with our choice now. Normal machinery and climate control inside the ship should be fine for a while. The poles were barren blocks of ice.

Right now, my job is just to watch her while she explores. The ship shuts the door behind us so nothing can get to the rest of the civilians. Jui nods to me, pulls out a small mobile computer, and seems to pick a direction at random. She starts walking and I’m expected to follow.

Follow her!

Pay special attention to her butt. This is important.

>>1009169
I would try and be by her side if not directly ahead of her with her guiding. Need to keep the weapons up front

>>1009177
I agree with this. Get next to her or a little bit ahead of her.

Ask her if she's heading somewhere in particular.

Follow her, but keep your eyes on the trees. No telling what could be hiding behind them

1/2 --- 2021/09/03(Fri)18:01 No. 1009381 ID: 736b7e
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Jui heads off into the jungle. There’s really no ideal position for me to cover her alone. I decided to trail slightly behind. I don’t want to lose track of her.

“Are you looking for anything specific?”

“There was a river in this direction. We should see if it’s a reasonable source of water for us. We’ll look for possible food sources on the way there and back.”

Sounds good enough to me. Something draws me to her rear. It’s probably just the motion of her tails that cover her lower body. They’re pleasantly fluffy. She must take very good care of them.

She stops.

“That’s… strange. Is there an oil field around here..? It shouldn’t be sitting on the surface like this.”

2/2 --- 2021/09/03(Fri)18:01 No. 1009382 ID: 736b7e
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I look where she’s looking. There’s a… splash of a black substance. It looks like someone pressed a huge water-- … I guess an oil balloon in this case, against this tree until it burst. There’s droplets of this oil splashed everywhere. Jui seems to be examining the oil while we walk closer to it. I scan the area while she approaches…

This… oil seems to be all over this area. Little droplets spread out as if dropped by something walking along. It continues on along the game trail before creating a deep pool that seems like it exploded outward.

I turn back towards Jui.

She is reaching towards the splotch of oil on the tree.

What do you make of this stuff, Dr. Science? Looks like the food chain around here is active.

>>1009382
>oil
Are you sure that’s what that is? It could be something else.

>Jui is gonna touch it.
Grab her hand and pull it away! The first thing she wants to do is touch a strange substance with her bare hands?! Are you absolutely sure she’s the best person to be the leader if she’s gonna do something so stupid?!

At least get a stick to poke it first!

Stop her. That is almost guaranteed to be some sort of predator's trap.

Poke it with a stick, obviously. Then shoot it if it does something weird.

Offer her a stick to touch it first. Do you think it might be blood from a large creature?

Does her mobile computer have any kind of scanner built in? Might be a better way to examine the substance without risking her hand; it could be very toxic for all you know!

1/2 --- 2021/09/06(Mon)12:03 No. 1009611 ID: 736b7e
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“What the hell are you doing!?” I quickly reach out and grab her by the arm. A bit harder than I intended.

She reacts about as well as you’d expect someone to who had unexpectedly been grabbed hard. She lets out a short scream in surprise. Surprise quickly turns into anger. “Let me go! I’m just trying to see what it is!” I release her and she grips her arm and rubs it. “Oil wouldn’t be that bad to get on my fur.”

She’s definitely shaken up and slightly pained by my grab. I feel a little bad. “Well… at least use a stick or something.” I look around and find a palm frond lying on the ground. I cut off, strip away part of it, and bring it back.

2/2 --- 2021/09/06(Mon)12:04 No. 1009612 ID: 736b7e
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She rips the stick from me and gives me an annoyed look. She dips it into the liquid and scoops off a bit of it.

“It seems… weirdly viscous. It’s clumping together more than oil should. It’s almost like it’s some kind of jelly.”

She shakes her head. “I wasn’t expecting to find anything like this but it’s clearly not what we’re looking for. We should move on to the river. I don’t have tools to examine anything like this with me.”

She backs away, drops the stick, and starts following the trail again. She’s looking at the “oil” trail and the pool I noticed earlier. Getting closer, it seems shallow, like a small puddle. The patterning is very odd if it were blood. It doesn’t look like a fight of some kind. It just starts and ends at the tree and this puddle. There’s no remains or anything if something bled out here and it doesn’t look like anything leads away from the puddle.

Following the “oil” trail, however, I can now see something that looks like tracks. Very pointed-looking… footprints maybe? They seem quite large and spread apart, as if what left them behind had a large gait but small points of contact on the ground. They start near the tree and end near the puddle.

Perhaps it was injured at the tree, staggered over and collapsed into the puddle, and then an airborne predator took away the body. Watch the skies.
Now lick the oil. Lick it!

Let's keep moving. Remember this location. We can go investigate this area again later with the proper tools.

>>1009612
Large gait implies a tall creature. The tracks start at the tree? There aren't any tracks leading up to the tree? That would imply the creature lives in the trees or the skies.

I think this trail would make sense if the tree was an impact point of a creature breaking open something very juicy then setting it down to eat. Maybe the goop isn't edible but the solid matter is? Maybe the object was heavy, which would explain why there are no tracks elsewhere?

Anyway, I think this site should be revisited with the correct tools. We're looking for resources right now, and it really doesn't seem like a good idea to taste test the goop.

>>1009615
Oh, don't forget to apologize for grabbing her arm a little too roughly. You are understandably a little on edge in an alien world.

Continue with her towards the river, but keep your eyes on the trees. Whatever left those tracks might still be around here.

1/2 --- 2021/09/11(Sat)10:07 No. 1010219 ID: 736b7e
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Jui steps around the puddle and continues onwards. Things settle down as we move, though we continue to find little bits of... whatever this oil is all over the place. While scanning the treeline, I notice Jui massaging her arm. I speak up. “Sorry... but you just shouldn’t be touching weird things you just found.”

“I know, I wasn’t thinking clearly.” There’s a pause as we walk. “I’ve been feeling… numb on board the ship. This was the first time we’ve been out in what feels like ages. I guess I was just too eager to see something new."

I’ve been feeling it too. The heat isn’t helping either.

Things are quiet and peaceful. Only the sound of birds and other animals. The buzzing of insects somewhere.

2/2 --- 2021/09/11(Sat)10:07 No. 1010220 ID: 736b7e
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A slight breeze blows. The trail seems to be opening up. A river can be seen at the trailhead. Jui clearly sees it and perks up. She hurries towards the river. I pick up the pace to match.

"Careful in the clearing; animals sometimes gather at the water's edge." Or at least I think I’ve heard that somewhere before.

She enters the open and freezes. I catch up and follow her line of sight. It takes a moment to register what I’m even looking at. It’s some kind of aquatic-looking creature, but it’s huge. It’s barely shorter than the treeline. It seems to be sleeping but I stand between it and Jui, just to be safe.

>>1010220
And it's got that oil on it. So... this is some kind of infection? Or... pus?
Maybe the big pool was this thing vomiting.

Well, you found water at least. Stay put for a while and observe its behavior. Can you see if it's breathing? If it's not visibly breathing you could approach carefully and confirm if it's dead or not.

Is there any way to tell if it’s a predator, prey, or a scavenger?

Approach carefully from the treeline and check out them big ol black balls

>>1010220
Circle around some more. You want to put as much distance as you can between this and you. As for that oil, do you think it's some sort of infection? Mold maybe?

Say hello to the local wildlife with laser fire.

Is this thing big enough that it'd be dangerous to the ship if an aggressive one showed up? You might need to worry more than you have been.

1/2 --- 2021/09/15(Wed)13:55 No. 1010682 ID: 736b7e
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I take aim at the creature and Jui pushes herself in front of me with teeth bared. She hisses to me in a low voice. “Don’t shoot it! Who’s acting like an idiot now? What if you don’t kill it? What if you do kill it? We don’t even know if it’s hostile. We don’t know if we can eat it. It’d be a huge risk with practically no reward.” She looks over her shoulder at it. “Let’s just get the water sample and go. We can deal with it another time if we have to.”

She makes a convincing argument, though I mostly just wanted my rifle on it in case it decided to get up and attack us.

“... I want to get a better look at it. Just stay here and get your sample.”

2/2 --- 2021/09/15(Wed)13:56 No. 1010683 ID: 736b7e
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Jui seems frustrated but she really can’t stop me. I inch my way over towards it while keeping track of the treeline. It definitely seems to be sleeping. It is lying quite still and seems to be breathing with a regular, relaxed cadence. It almost seems cute as I get closer to it. I am no biologist but it does seem to be a predator of some sort. I don’t think I can tell if it is a scavenger or not. I think you’d have to watch its behavior to figure out something like that. I don’t think it would be a threat to the ship; it would take a lot to damage ship hull. It also can’t be the only one. If it is a threat, we’ll probably have to live with them. On the plus side, aquatic means it probably stays near bodies of water.

I approach on a side close to one of the blobs so I can get a good look at it. It’s large, round, and sticks out quite a bit from the body of the creature. It seems to gently quiver and bounce with the breathing of the creature. Even so, it seems to hold a solid form; always settling back to a blobby, spherical shape. Something seems off and I’m not sure what it is.

… I feel like I am being watched.

Get the water sample and leave. Investigation of the infected creatures can come later, with a full team outfitted for hazmat and weapons.

Sentient, parasitic blobs, you should content yourself with the inert sample from the trees and head back to report this sighting.

Eyes up, we just need to get the water sample and exfiltrate.

Keep your eyes on the trees, but ask Jui if she thinks the blobs came from the sleeping creature or if something else might’ve put them there

They don't have eyes, but they might be able to sense you somehow. Keep an eye out and keep your distance to make sure you don't get jumped by one.

1/2 --- 2021/09/23(Thu)16:10 No. 1011452 ID: 736b7e
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I look back over towards Jui. She is waving her hands wildly with a vial outstretched in one, continuing to be annoyed and wanting me to come right back. I take one last look at the creature from where I am. I don’t think the oil is coming out of it. The creature looks like it's been rolling around in it or something. There’s little traces of the oil all over it and there doesn’t seem to be anything emitting it. I back up and walk over to Jui.

She whispers at me in a rushed tone. “Let’s just get out of here!”

There’s a snorting noise behind me and Jui seems to go pale. I turn back and the creature stretches and stands up. It looks at the two of us warily for a bit while we freeze up. It must be unimpressed because it yawns, then wanders off into the water and leaves.

2/2 --- 2021/09/23(Thu)16:11 No. 1011453 ID: 736b7e
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With that heart attack out of the way, Jui and I head back and decide that maybe we should just go back to the ship. It’s another quiet walk back. We pass by the oil and confirm that it hasn’t gotten up and walked away. We don’t really have a better way to deal with it at the moment and Jui seems like she just wants to be back with the others, so we ignore it.

We arrive at the ship. Not much must have happened since we left. The others on board must have seen us and started opening the ramp as we approached. Several of them start hauling what little equipment we have out. Jui starts trying to set up some sort of test with the water vial and nervously talking about what she’d seen. She thinks it would be better to form a larger group for searching for food next. I feel like I disagree but I get the feeling she’s just shaken after the encounter with the creature.

Now it’s back to guard duty while the others set up camp. Things still seem quiet, though I feel like that insect buzzing is starting to get to me. It seems louder than it used to be.

>>1011453
Check the exterior cameras. Is there a giant bug nearby?

>>1011454
This

Have a medic examine you, make sure you didn't bring back any contagions.

If you're outside already, scan the skies.

Let's keep things relatively small. If there's going to be teams it's going to be no larger than four. Preferably three. Two hands, one scientist and one guard.

Are there more insects flying around the landing area than when you first got off the ship? That could explain the louder buzzing.

1/2 --- 2021/11/01(Mon)16:23 No. 1014036 ID: 736b7e
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I am still the only guard as it stands, so as much as I’d like to go inside and check cameras for threats it would be kind of foolish to not be outside in the event we were attacked by something. Any group we send out I’ll have to go with until we can fashion some other weapons. We might be stuck with sharpened sticks or something until we can get materials for making better things.

A medic can wait until we actually are set up and ready to rest. There’s not really anything we can do about a contagion immediately. Being outside should assist at preventing spread anyways.

A small tent is set up outside and a couple boxes have been brought out. Both to get the equipment out and to act as a working space for Jui. She’s inspecting the vial and seems to be viewing it with a… satisfied expression. Hopefully that’s a good thing.

As for the bugs, I’ve seen a few around but the buzzing I’ve been hearing I haven’t really found a source for. It always seems like it’s nearby but out of vie--

2/2 --- 2021/11/01(Mon)16:25 No. 1014038 ID: 736b7e
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*buzzZZZZZZ--THUMP*

GET IN THE SHIP
NOW NOWNOW

Open fire! The noncombatants need to get inside, then you can follow.

Fire at will! And the bugs!

They better scramble like an egg before they get folded like an omelet.

Shoot that one on top of the ship first, to teach the natives that "touching our stuff without permission gets you killed."

Get everyone you can into the ship and close the door. Surely they can't break through the hull, right?

Everyone back in the ship, NOW. Focus your fire on the insects trying to get into the ship. Maybe start with some warning shots near them to scare them off before firing directly at them; who knows what properties their blood has?

1/2 --- 2021/12/09(Thu)16:19 No. 1016990 ID: 736b7e
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T-there’s bugs..! Giant bugs! Everywhere! The one in the center seems to have turned its attention to Jui and the criai unloading has scrambled over to one of the landing struts. More are coming out of the woods around us but the two on the ramp are blocking us from getting in! I don’t have time, I have to keep them from getting inside!

I take aim at one of the two on top of the ship. The laser hits one in the neck and oil scatters everywhere! The one I shot is writhing in pain but still up and the second is turning its attention towards me. I– SHIT.

2/2 --- 2021/12/09(Thu)16:20 No. 1016991 ID: 736b7e
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No no no no NO. It’s too hot, I can’t hold it anymore! I don’t even know if it will work again with it smoking like that! It drops out of my hands and I try to shake the burning off.

I can hear Jui screaming. Is she... being eaten!? It’s hard to tell when it’s all black and oily, but it seems to have opened its chest and grabbed Jui! She's embedded in it and struggling to free herself.

The second bug on the roof is coming towards me slowly and yet more of these things seem to be wandering in the woods around the clearing. Most of them seem focused on me.

Draw them away from the ship by grabbing their attention and running.

Hostiles have overwhelmed the camp. Laser based firearm has failed, which halts your effective ability to resist. Due to this, all outside the ship is lost.

Either yell at somebody to seal the door while you flee to draw away hostiles, or get up there to seal it yourself before they overwhelm the ship.

>>1016991
Your minus one gun but you have a smoking hot club. Grab any hold you can, hit the thing that grabbed Jui. Use your knife if you have to.

I know the laser rifle was at risk of overheating, but a single shot??
What about your survival knife? Can you get to the monster that's attacking Jui and force it to let her go before the other bug on the ship reaches you?

Do what you can to keep their attention on you; the people on the ship might be able to close the ramp door now. Surely they can't easily break through a metal hull, right?

It sounds like you can't afford to lose Jui, so you need to find a way to rescue her. What do you think, could you take the bug that's grabbed her if you can draw it out on its own? If not, you might need to follow it (or get it to follow you) and look for a safer opportunity to attack.

1/2 --- 2022/05/29(Sun)04:39 No. 1033919 ID: 736b7e
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No way I can make it to the top of the ramp in time! “Close the door!”

I grab the smoking remains of the rifle and take off at a sprint towards Jui. She is all but absorbed into an oily mass. The exoskeleton of this creature appears twisted and jagged like some horrid maw. I bring the rifle to bear and bring the hot barrel down on it.

The creature retreats a bit; its exoskeleton jitters and creaks.

2/2 --- 2022/05/29(Sun)04:40 No. 1033920 ID: 736b7e
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Another mass attempts to grip my arm. I pull away but it grabs me from the other side. I am tugged around to face the centipede-like creature that pursued me. It rears up and creaks as its shell hinges open.

I pull my survival knife from my suit and plunge it into the mass inside. It quivers and a less viscous oil leaks out. More oily tendrils reach for me. My arm is pulled from its grip on the knife. Its body ejects the knife and the mass knits itself back together. It pulls me into itself.

Before I am fully submerged I can hear screaming from the ship.

Do not go gently into that good night.
KICK ITS LACK-OF-TEETH IN

Don't you dare stop fighting. Claw, bite, rip and tear. You will not be easy prey.

If the gun's already damaged beyond repair from heating, do you think trying to fire again would make it fail catastrophically? An explosion might be just what you need right about now, and you're running out of options.

1/3 --- 2022/06/05(Sun)16:56 No. 1034423 ID: 736b7e
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My thoughts are racing. I am trapped within the black void of the creature and I am smothered in it. Breathing will let in whatever its body is made of in. I will choke on it. I dropped the rifle when it tore me away from the other creature. The knife was popped out like a small splinter. I have nothing left but my own claws… If I can do anything, it’ll have to be fast before I run out of breath!

I start to thrash and rend with my claws. I feel liquid flow against me. It shifts and reacts to my efforts. It starts to feel harder to move. I bring up every ounce of strength I have remaining and struggle against this creature. In response, the creature tightens itself on me. The flesh of the creature gets tighter and tighter. The thrashing leaves me out of breath and unable to resist.

I don’t want to give up but I just can’t go on anymore.

2/3 --- 2022/06/05(Sun)16:57 No. 1034424 ID: 736b7e
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Locked in place, I can only think about everything leading up to this point. Every strained action to defend my people wasted. I was the only one who could defend them and I failed. Jui’s face stuck in that look of terror as she sunk into the oil.

I can feel a greater darkness closing in as the lack of air takes its toll.

I could have done better. It was my sole responsibility to do better. The fate of my people is entirely my fault. I should have been stronger. I should have fought harder.

My mind screams my worst regrets to me while my body screams to breathe. There is a maelstrom of panicked thought racing through an incoherent mind. Eventually I can’t hold back anymore and I reflexively draw in a large breath. This is surely to be my end.

3/3 --- 2022/06/05(Sun)16:57 No. 1034425 ID: 736b7e
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gggGAAAAASP

I cough and sputter. I… can breathe..? There’s a small light. It shines in from outside the creature. I pull at my arms. They’re still held tight. Confusion brushes my concerns away for the moment. I can feel the creature moving, but the gap is maintained. I am being held within, but also being allowed to breathe?

I take a moment to just take stock of myself. I’m not exactly sure what I thought being digested would feel like but… there is a distinct lack of burning that I feel I should expect. In fact, it feels… comfortably warm. Cooler than outside but not entirely cold. Just weirdly comfortable…

GO TOWARDS THE LIGHT

Reach out, grab something important... and crush it.

>>1034425
Have you... interfaced with it? Focus on the light, try to see. Don't try to move very much, in fact try to be as still as possible until you can see clearly, at which point you should try moving a little.

Pull yourself further to the surface.

1/2 --- 2022/06/28(Tue)18:47 No. 1036435 ID: 736b7e
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After confused inaction for a few moments, I try to move again. There is a moment of slow movement through thick ooze before it tightens up again suddenly. The thought crosses my mind that the comfort I feel is some aspect of the digestion process or some kind of weird link between me and the creature. I still feel like me, though. Nothing feels like I am a “part” of this thing and I am still very much trapped in goop.

The panic I was feeling before was derailed by near-suffocation and this odd serenity. It feels useless to ruminate when this could be the end of me. I feel the creature move around me. I can feel it walk forward. It… seems to be staggering occasionally and it periodically stops. I guess all that flailing managed to do something. The thought doesn’t really bring comfort, however.

As the travel continues, the liquid softens up slightly. It fights me when I move but with each time it takes longer to tighten. I take some time to feel around carefully. It doesn’t seem to react so much if I move gently. However, I feel nothing that seems of note in this ocean of oil surrounding me. At this point, I don’t know if there’s really any fight left in me at all anyways.

We stop. The creature coils and adjusts. I hear a cracking sound as I assume its carapace opens. I consider if I should try to leave but as I do the light widens and I feel myself being gently released. It is bright, there are noises around me, and I wipe the residue from my eyes and ears…

2/2 --- 2022/06/28(Tue)18:48 No. 1036437 ID: 736b7e
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I am initially not sure what I am looking at. It is… huts. Giant huts. Surrounded by bugs wandering around. A fenced-in area houses one of the monsters we saw at the water’s edge, also with blobs of ooze on it. It seems to be lazily wandering. There is a pit with a fire slowly burning. I notice the bugs around me hunched down. Next to each of them is… a criai! It’s hard to make out under all the oil but it even looks like the one directly across from me is Jui. She is holding a hand out in a defensive manner. The bug over her is… nuzzling it with a mandible? Nearby I also notice the older criai that was being escorted off the ship at the start of the… attack. There are several bugs there taking an interest in them.

My captor enters my field of view. It leans down, oil leaking out of it everywhere. Its antennae fall on me and gently rub across me. It makes a long chirping noise at me. I am not sure what to think, but it sounds… worried, possibly sad. I touch its carapace and it weakly nuzzles my hand back.

I look back out across the village. The criai are all being treated much the same way. Insects without criai are busy moving back and forth, carrying things to my people. They are bringing us… food. Some are providing water. The criai are… befuddled but not harmed.

The peace gives me room to think. We’ve been running for so long with no hope for a future. We moved ever forward while the pressure and trauma ground us down. I was ready to fight and kill for any hope that we would keep living but every attempt failed me. These terrifying oily bugs came and brought us to their home despite my efforts to stop them. Maybe I should stop fighting. This seems like a good place to do just that.

[Quest End]

Enjoy the quiet moment. Maybe see about getting a bath. Welcome home.