Move, maggot, on the double!
Cover your retreat across the bridge. If anything hasn't been flown over yet, abandon it here for now.

Oh no! Shoot the thing!

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/09/16(Fri)12:15 No. 1043944 ID: a7b16c
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GYF >>829 addressing this one later
TGCh >>1043929 >>1043930
“Move!” She yelled as she swung up her shotgun; She had no need to aim at this range and Snaptooth was jumping from the awkward position, reaching down a hand to his gun, not knowing the threat's reach but trying to get out of it. With Snaptooth's shell pointed at Kicker she fired, and was already loading another shell by the time she confirmed two of the… claws? were bloody useless messes now, and there were several craters on the… chitin? Bone?

Lowtail fired his pistol quickly, hitting its claws and legs as it continued to crawl out of the sand, and she pushed him back to the bridge to make him retreat and stretched her claw to pull Snaptooth away from that thing.

She wasn't fast enough. Even with all the damage it had taken in the span of a few seconds, even with Lowtail firing twice again as he moved, it still hadn't made a sound or even responded to any beyond bucking a little when shot, and not caring any for it's wounded claws or legs it grabbed Snaptooth's tail and lifted him in the air, quickly wrapping several claws around his barrel and hips to secure its catch.

Snapthoot screamed an obscenity, unloading his gun on the creature as it ran away carrying him.

you've been sighted(?) by an enemy, go after it

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/09/16(Fri)14:32 No. 1043967 ID: a7b16c
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GyFl >>834
TGCh >>1043945
There wasn't any choice on the mater. Kicker and Lowtail dropped to four legs to keep up with the thing and gave chase, trying to think of anything they could do. The thing was fast and (however slowly) gaining distance, even though it was wounded and carrying Snaptooth who had dropped the empty gun and was trying to fight his way out of the hold with a knife.
“Go for the head!” Snapper yelled behind them.
How were they supposed to? The damn thing had no head!
“Boss, I've heard of these things.” Lowtail said. “Bug weapons! They take you to a pack if they can't get you on the spot!”
Were they so many claws around Snaptooth a moment ago? He was fighting just to keep a hold of the knife now, surrounded by more and more of them. Snapper's loud, penetrating whistling made them jump sideways on reflex, and the creature must've noticed them because it tried to jump as well. Snapper's bullet passed between Kicker and Lowtail with a sharp whine and a blast of hot air, clipping the side of the creature as it pounced.
The meat it touched exploded, tearing skin and muscle down to the bone. And even then it continued to run, without any blood and barely acknowledgment of the wounded leg. More claws emerged from wherever they did, reaching for Snaptooth's neck.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/09/17(Sat)23:10 No. 1044057 ID: a7b16c
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GyFl >>837
“The legs! Aim for the legs!” Kicker yelled at Snapper, pointing at them.
He whistled an affirmative, punching the rifle's lever. Kicker made a few quick claw gestures as she ran again, and Lowtail nodded his own affirmative following her lead.
They ran in an arc, willing to lose some ground against the creature. Would another one come out of the sand under their feet? Kicker didn't know, but had no time to care beyond a split second of consideration and mental preparation for such a thing happening. Now that they weren't between Snapper and the creature, he gave no warning before shooting and turning a chunk of the creature's already damaged hindleg into a red- no, magenta mist with his next shot, sending fragments of flesh and bone everywhere, everything under the hip falling twitching to the sand.
It almost lost its stride from the sheer force of the impact, but kept running on just three legs. It was slower and shakier now, and when Lowtail stood on its way and opened fire it tried to dodge him.
That was all Kicker needed. She reached it when it turned, grabbing onto the thorn flesh with a claw and burying the bayonet of her shotgun on its side to get a proper hold. Before it had the time to react she climbed to its back, her bayonet coated in something more like tar than blood, burying her knife on its chitin not-head to anchor herself, making it sway between the weight of two armored herreras and a missing leg.
“Snaptooth!”
He couldn't answer, too busy biting the emerging claws and tearing them to pieces with his eyes blodshot from the yellow claws choking him, his serrated knife swinging wildly.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/09/19(Mon)17:15 No. 1044234 ID: a7b16c
File 166363295102.png - (257.36KB , 706x679 , image (3).png )

GyFl >>841
Kicker buried her bayonet on the creature's back and fired, creating a crater. It still didn't bleed, just made a small splash of magenta tar.
But the creature, satisfyingly enough, shook from the hit, finally acknowledging something. Kicker loaded the shotgun again and buried it in the wound and shot again. Another crater and splash, this time not just flesh but bone as well, and the creature's one hindleg fell limp. It kept dragging itself on the sand, even as Kicker and Lowtail kept firing on it.
And then, just as suddenly as it had emerged form the sand, it fell dead, body sagging down and wheezing from somewhere Kicker could see and the hands growing limp and letting Scraptooth fall, panting and clutching his throat.
Lowtail was on him like a mother hen, pulling his claws away to properly look at it.
“What's his state?”
“He'll live.” Lowtail didn't look at her. “Nothing seems broken, but I need more time to tell and the inflammation won't let him breathe properly. I say we camp until tomorrow.”
“The Teeth won't like that.” Scraptooth wheezed.
“He can choke on a chode. Status?”
“Thing tastes horrible.” Scraptooth tried to smile but it was grim, with skin and bone stuck between his teeth. “Was about to pull grenades when you jumped on, boss.”
Lowtail nodded absent mindedly as they spoke, looking at the yellow creature. “They were bug weapons. Mines. They'd bury the eggs and they hatch to capture or kill you if you walk over.”
Kicker knew she'd heard about that, but needed a moment to remember clearly; The bugs just had so many weapons. “But the war was… over a hundred years ago. I thought the eggs had all died.”
“I thought so too. Maybe this one got lucky?”

That's the problem with land mines, they don't have timers set to expire. So, if that war is over, whose war are you fighting now?

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/09/19(Mon)20:05 No. 1044246 ID: a7b16c
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TgCh >>1044235
“That's the kicker, isn't it?” Snapper said, flying over them, and did a flip in the air to pass the large rifle from his feet to his claws before landing with a distraught look on his face. “Wars keep going after they end.”
Lowtail was visibly uncomfortable at a friend and feather saying this, but Kicker asked him, however softly: “You think they're planting fresh eggs?”
Snapper and Lowtail considered the possibility, but the former shook his head. “No. That'd be a lot of movement on the border and they've never cared about us.”
Still, there was a weight in their chests. Once they crossed this bridge they'd be in bug territory- and not just for a day or two or to take the easier path, which was common occurrence. They'd dash deep for a mission she wasn't authorized to give them the details of until after crossing. Saying they were about to violate maw-bug peace treaties was putting it mildly and bugs, peacefull neighbours as they were, had almost no concept of diplomacy or gradual escalation. They'd investigate, ask questions, and if the answer didn't satisfy them they might attack on full force.
“If we fuck up we're on our own, aren't we?” Asked Lowtail.
“If.” Kicker said drily. She might not be authorized to tell them anything just yet, but she could assure them they weren't burning a village or something. She offered Scraptooth a claw and more or less coerced him to climb to her back. “That's enough, people. We're burning the body, crossing the bridge, and camping.”
The whole time they spent moving and setting up the camp, a nagging thought kept coming back to Kicker, that the teeth would be quite happy, quite happy indeed, if fang were at war again. Types like him went into withdrawal without it.

------------------------------

Later in the evening, as the rimlight faded, they sat by a fire. The bridge had been on its last tether before they crossed and they'd spent the last half of crossing it with planks cracking and even collapsing under their feet, and a strong breeze would've been enough to send them all tumbling to the rapids below. The season had been hot and dry, though, and the rapids below were little more than a tickle and this had probably given the bridge a slightly longer last breath of life. She counted her team lucky for this, and didn't expect the bridge to still be there come morning.
“Can the teeth cross this?” Asked Lowtail. “I know they're big, but…”
“It's his problem if he can't jump it.” Kicker replied without giving the mater any mind, and asked Scraptooth. “How's the neck?”
“I'll be fine in the morning.” He wheezed. “Boss, the orders.”
She nodded and took a small scroll from a pocket under her plate. “We are to reach site one, secure the facility, and wait for the teeth. Once he's there we look for…” She read the scroll. “'A cylinder seventy centimeters in width and a hundred and twenty in height.'. He will then deem if it's a threat, and if we are to take it to the Mountain or destroy it on the spot through explosives. Site two, three, and four are possible settlements we'll have to go around.”
“I can blow things up.” Said Scraptooth. “But blowing up something that size discretely is difficult.”
“Where's site one?” Asked Snapper. The initial briefing hadn't had any specific coordinates.
She took out a map and pointed it to them. Deep in bug jungle. They couldn't write it down either- another security measure pushed by upper brass.
“Any other questions?” She asked.

What kind of opposition can be expected at site one? Is the place (supposedly) abandoned, or more of a military outpost?

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/09/20(Tue)01:37 No. 1044259 ID: a7b16c
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TgCh >>1044256
“Facility?” Asked Lowtail. “Well. That's new. Of what kind?”
“I don't know. I asked the same- neither brass nor the teeth would tell me.” Kicker poked at the fire to grab a piece of coal between her nails. “I'm unsure they know at all; Maybe we're not authorized to know, maybe we're acting as scouts in more ways than we realized before. But I don't believe we'd be tasked to secure it for the tooth if he had to help us do it. That puts two possible upper limits to how dangerous they expect it to be.”
Snapper nodded, grimacing again. At least he had a bird's view, but some bugs could fly too. Not a lot, not as high as him, but some could. He'd have to be careful as they went deeper.
“Not dangerous enough to overcome a teeth…” Lowtail mussed. “That's a very high 'upper limit', Kick. Not a lot of things that can threaten them one on one.”
“It's something.” She shrugged, still contemplating the coal distantly. “Little things that slip by if you don't catch. We'll just have to find a way.”
The rimlight was almost gone now, leaving just the dark night sky above her and the fire's red glow.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/09/20(Tue)14:57 No. 1044292 ID: a7b16c
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Later still, when the rimlight was all gone and the sky was empty blackness, Scraptooth woke up for his guard shift. Snapper could just barely be made out a few feet from the fire, his head almost covered by puffed up chest feathers.
Scraptooth stretched, took a steel cup from the fire's coals, and sat with Snapper. The soup didn't taste like anything in particular and the diced beef jerky in it was leathery, but it was leagues above the flavor of the claws creature's arms.
“What's the deal.” He asked after sitting for a few minutes.
“What deal?”
“What you said today about the war.”
“That?”
“If we're thinking about the same thing… that'd be the first time you bring it up to us.” Scraptooth took a sip of the soup. “I always found it odd you didn't. Pteryxe usually do.”
“I'm army too. It'd look bad. And you're friends and weren't there, I don't blame you.”
“What changed?”
Snapper took his sweet time to answer, so long Scraptooth thought he'd fallen asleep or didn't want to answer. After a few minutes, though, he did:
“Remember that pteryx a few weeks ago? During leave?”
“Chick at the park?”
“Yeah. Live eggs. Mine.” There was some disbelief in his voice, like he was telling it to himself as much as he was to Scraptooth. “I Received the news just a few hours before our orders.”

>>1044292
cam cam cam cam cam cam cam! I didn't know you posted here! hi hi hi hi hi!

>>1044307
Allo, who's this?

>>1044308
tier tier tier tier tier! Hoi!

“Dude! You're a dad!?”
Snapper glared at him, “I haven't told anyone else, don't wake them up.”
“Got it. But what's weighting on you?”
“The… Just, the weight of it. In general. She said she'd like to date, and see where it goes. And I can visit them one way or the other.”
“Will you?”
“I should. Would be an idiot not to give it a chance, wouldn't I? And there's so few pteryxe left, I should be there to raise them.”
“Hey, no kids involved but been there. Dating someone you don't like?” Scraptooth gestured cutting his throat. “Don't do that. Bad for the kids too.”
“Liked her well enough to roll around. Pretty laugh, nice face, good chemistry between us.” He smiled a little for the first time in a while. “But that's not it either. It's…” He trailed off into silence.
“Start small.” Scraptooth said gently.
“Well. I think about, my father used to talk about raising me right. Was mad about me joining the army… for a lot of reasons. But what stuck with me was the time he was drunk and told me not to dare die before he did. Too many pteryxe have buried their children as it is.”
Scraptooth winced. “He's not wrong.”
“And I think I really understand what he meant now. Or I'm starting to, at least. I never thought about starting a family, and how if you're lucky the kids are still there after you're gone. Helps you get why someone would die to end a war, or be willing to go through with one. A little bit of you is left.”
The night moved on. Snapper fell asleep where he was at some point and the sky, black as ink, slowly lit up with rimlights.

------------------------------

The day was boiling.
They were cold blooded- the heat was usually reason for mirth for claws, but today was too much and even them had to stop on the rare ocasions they ran into shadow. Only Snapper, who was flying too high for it, remained unaffected. Kicker found herself more than a little jealous of him and his wings as the day progressed.
At around midday, a small light blinked in the sky, making her spit out a curse under her breath as she took a mirror to blink a roger-roger to Snapper, wishing it wasn't bad news.
What followed was a series of blinked lights between them, the first advising Kicker to continue running to keep appearances. Then, in quick succession, the situation: Two bugs following them at a distance. No weapons or communication devices sighted. Skilled at tracking but not so much as to be reason for alarm, and experienced with the terrain. Not a particularly dangerous species, either. Most likely to be civilians.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/09/28(Wed)02:52 No. 1044921 ID: a7b16c
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/qst/ >>5417755
Kicker told Lowtail and Scrapthoot of the chasers and signaled Snapper to keep an eye on the chasers, but otherwise they kept marching through the desert. Sometimes they'd run across dead grass patches with a dried out pond in the center and gnarled trees either dead or waiting, leafless, for a drop of water to fall down and breathe life back into their trunks. On these spots they'd also see -and once, stepped on- the dried out carcass of some small critter, husked out into a pile of fur and bone by the elements. Whatever wildlife yet remained hid well, staying away from the herreras that trampled through their domains.

But they didn't run into any good spot to lay an ambush during the day, no stone crops large enough or even tall enough grass to properly hide. Kicker knew the tall grass fields at the foot of the mountain where she could easily vanish by no more than lowering her head, and to her this growth, barely reaching her hips, was meek in comparison. Climbing vines coated in something like velcro would sometimes stick to their scales, irritating them to no end and getting stuck on their claws when they tried to get off. After the second patch of grass, they just let them cling until the rocky sand outside the oases took them off over time.

They didn't run into any during the day, at least; As the rimlight faded they saw another mirror reflection and followed it, deviating slightly from their route, to a stone outcrop surrounded by grass. In the center, under the stone's shadow, was another dry pond. Ambush or not, they were tired, overheated, and needed the rest and cover of this place.

Snapper waited perched atop the outcrop, staring into the distance.

>>1044921
No matter what we need shelter so the sun does not kill us

/qst/ >>5418411 >>5418414 >>5418422 >>5418432 >>5418632 >>5418636
Kicker, Lowtail, and Scraptooth walked under the outcrop, looking for somewhere with a little shelter. It wasn't much, but there was a concave area on the stone where the pond had eroded it.

But none of them moved start the fire even though, being cold blooded, they'd soon grow slow and morose without a heat source. Part of it was they were tired and still overheated, but other part was simpler: They weren't sure they wouldn't be jumped. Or if they'd lay a trap for the bugs.

When Snapper landed, Kicker didn't waste any time. “What's the situation.”

“Lost them a few minutes before signaling you here. They broke off from you and headed spinwards. Maybe back home. I couldn't keep track of them and you at the same time.”

“Could you find where they went?”

“Probably. Civilian places stick out in places like this.”

“Think they'll follow us tomorrow too?”

Snapper was surprised at the question; The “Deal with anyone who sees you” part of the mission was very loaded in an assignment the upper brass had treated so seriously. Still, he didn't take long to answer. “We'll find out.” He said with a small shrug. “They somehow foraged while tracking you. It looked like roots. So they could keep it up for who knows how long if they want to.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes.” Snapper did take a second to think about this. “It wasn't always two tracking you. Some time after I first signaled you, they spent most of the day taking turns to track you. Every two hours or so one would go away spinwards, and the other come back to take the spot. They know the terrain very well to be able to keep up with you and you and track each other so easily. Looked like they kept you on the very edge of their sightline the whole time.”

“Could have another way to find each other.” Said Scraptooth. “Weird bug stuff. Smell or something.”

“Land workers.” Lowtail chimed in. “Civilians, in as good shape as army, and know the terrain and how to eat off of it. So they're land workers. So…” He trailed off briefly. “…Are they coming to us or are we going to them?”

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/09/29(Thu)17:53 No. 1045069 ID: a7b16c
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/qst/ >>5418940 >>5419730
“They can come.”

“I'll start the fire.” Said Snapper, opening his wings. “You cool off.”

They took off their armors and first sat, then laid, on the cool sand. The rimlights faded little by little, and they stuck to their water provisions for the night; The heat only meant they had to last. They ate lightly and Snapper, who was warm blooded, took the first watch. The night was uneventful.

------

Come morning they cleaned their camp, mixed the ash with sand until it couldn't be made out anymore, and stored all the coal left in small pouches; if it became necessary they could burn it, inside the pouches, between their chainmail and armor to warp themselves up. Once everything was done they stood still for longer than they needed to, Scraptooth and Snapper sharing nervous looks.

The bugs didn't come, and after some time Kicker walked then ran off without a word followed by the other herreras, and Snapper waited a bit longer before taking flight. Maybe he'd have to signal the tooth too if things didn't go smoothly, which was never pleasant.

An hour later, Kicker cursed under her breath -and immediately felt dejà vu- when Snapper signaled her again with a light. This time it was higher priority, and he rushed his message the moment she confirmed contact: He'd sighted the bugs again, but this time they weren't followed them yet. Instead, they'd taken something metallic from the sand under their camp Snapper couldn't make out through his scope.

I guess that place was recognizable indeed, so it would make sense to keep something buried there. In fact, it may be a frequent camping spot.

tgch >>1045103
“Something— did either of you see anything metallic under the outcrop?” Kicker asked without stopping running, feeling frustrated and still tired from the heat the day before. Something buried under their camp? Was it dangerous?

“No, like what?” Asked Scraptooth.

“Snapper couldn't tell.”

“Well, it was a pretty good spot.” Said Lowtail. “Maybe they've camped there before and left it there, and they took it before someone else came?”

For some reason, the idea of the bugs making metal things was difficult for Kicker to accept. She pictured them as just… bugs, which they were, even though she knew full well they had made some use of normal weaponry during the war. But she pushed the surprise to a side and tried to think of any other explanation. After a moment, she just gave up and shook her head. “We'll find out when and if it maters.”

That if and when happened a couple hours later. As twilight just began to tint the sky a light pink, Scraptooth stopped running suddenly. The others stopped just as quickly with their claws scrapping against the rocky sand for a few inches, and Kicker knew, with just a look at his face, he'd fucked up and he knew it.

“A can.” He said, and opened his bags to run a quick inventory, muttering to himself. Then, when he was done, he closed it. “Boss. They didn't bury anything, I left a food can at the camp.”

Army rations didn't have much writing, other than dates and -alleged- contents… but they were army rations, and that was enough. Everyone carried at least one day's worth, and it was a *trace* that'd tell the bugs almost nothing, but just enough.

She didn't say anything; Her expression was enough for Scraptooth and Lowtail. The later racked his brain intensely and spoke up, “I- I must've buried it. When we were taking care of the ash, or the coals.”

A moment passed.

“Boss?”

She turned away from them, took out her mirror, and signaled Snapper. The message was simple: To tell the tooth tailing them to delay his progress for one day. Whatever happened she didn't want him making a bigger mess out of things, and with his size he could easily retake the lost distance. Snapper noted his discontent in the answer, but roger-rogered on it. The second part of the message was what was more complicated, to find out where the bugs had gone.

He roger-rogered again, but added they'd save time by heading spinwards while he located the track. It'd save them time.

And now there was Scraptooth and Lowtail to take care of. Kicker rubbed her temples.

What is our goal?

>>1045346
Short term? Taking care of the can situation. That's proof of your presence.
Long term?See >>1043923 and >>1044246
>They'd been marching counterrootways for ten days and then ten more now, tailed by a tooth unit, under strict orders to avoid being sighted (Or, failing that, deal with anyone who saw them) and to signal the tooth of anyone who might see him
>“We are to reach site one, secure the facility, and wait for the teeth. Once he's there we look for…” She read the scroll. “'A cylinder seventy centimeters in width and a hundred and twenty in height.'. He will then deem if it's a threat, and if we are to take it to the Mountain or destroy it on the spot through explosives. Site two, three, and four are possible settlements we'll have to go around.”

>>1045144
Do we turnback? Where the can atleast unmarked?

On the third day after crossing the bridge, the squad took refuge from the sun under another stone outcrop. It was just too hot today, and Lowtail had ended up pulling rank as medical officer to tell them to take a break, which he others didn't argue with. Truth be told, while Kicker was too exhausted to talk and say it out loud, the only reason she hadn't done it earlier was she was in too much of a stupor to think clearly, and it took until a moment after they found refuge and caught their breath for the brain fog to diminish. It was a shorter but wider column coming out of the sand, surrounded by a dry lake and dead grass and trees like the last one had been.

Less than an hour later, they got a message through Snapper that the teeth had reached the same conclusion as them, and buried himself in the sand to sleep during the day and travel from noon to morning.

“So the big guy feels it too.” Snaptooth joked, leaning on the cool stone. “Not so though after all.”

“The size makes heat worse.” Replied Kicker without thinking, her eyes fixed on the horizon. If one could just survive this desert for as long as they wished and keep walking away from the root, one could reach almost halfway across the leaf before being stopped by the ocean. Beyond the bug lands lived glimmers, distant cousins of the herreras, and past that strange creatures wrapped in feather or fur, and animated marionettes who were said to live and remember forever. When was the last time she had even thought about any of this?

“Just joshing. He must've been pushing himself hard to keep with us in this weather, huh?”

“It'll be bad for him if we don't run into water soon.” Kicker said without concern in her voice. “Have you ever met a glimmer?”

“A tolsoy? Yeah. A family of them visited when I was a kid, we played while our parents caught up and they showed off how they could crawl on the ceiling, and were super squishy.”

“Do you think it's true they live so far so the teeth can't reach them?”

“One needs a lot of patience for tyrs sometimes.” Scraptooth chuckled a little. “But you really believe all that?”

“That the glimmer…”

“No, no.” Scraptooth interrupted her, “That the tyrs die if they go too far from the root.”

“Of course.”

Lowtail seemed to wake up from his stupor, and gestured at them to wait while he rubbed his face. “It's true, we examined a body at med school. The air thins out the further you go and adult tyrs are too big and suffocate.”

“I heard if you keep carrying them further they explode.” Said Scraptooth.

“Well that's bull-” Lowtail started, but stopped with a frown. “I… guess? Maybe? Kicker.”

“Yes?”

“We sleep through the heat too. Doctor's orders.”

They didn't argue with that either and started a small, perfunctory fire away with a pile of large branches near it. They laid away from it, and it was more like allowing themselves to pass out than falling asleep.

---


Kicker woke up to the thunderclap of a gunshot.

Her nerves were on end. Her pupils dilated, her muscles tensed to a near breaking point, ready to pounce and claw and bite before any coherent thought had formed. Before any of them was fully lucid Kicker, Lowtail, and Scraptooth were in a threeways back to back, reaching for guns that weren't there in holsters they weren't wearing. Their gear laid, in a pile, inches from there they'd slept.

A shell the size of their fingers fell to the ground nearby, still hot and smoking.

Kicker had the time to untangle the mix of reflex, trained instinct, and intuition she'd acted on. Snapper had fired from the air, which meant he'd take much longer to reload as he did the complicated air maneuvers required to operate a gun while flying. She didn't see anyone, though the rimlights were all gone and the world beyond their fireplace was inky blackness, and the others were still which meant they hadn't either.

The brain fog hadn't quite gone yet, and the verse of some poem forced its way to her thoughts, “Silence cracks open the halls of the dead”

She was still facing the horizon and counterrootwards, and Scraptooth and Lowtail facing her left and right. Behind them, covering their rootwards flank, was the stone outcrop.

>>1045346
>>1045357
>>1045461
Consider >>1045144 soft removed. I just didn't like it.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/10/07(Fri)08:11 No. 1045717 ID: a7b16c
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tgch >>5426020
They took their weapons and a handful of shells each and made themselves ready, but nothing jumped them immediately.
“Gear up on ones, go!”
Scraptooth readied his aim on her side and took his shell, which normally protected his explosives from gunfire, as a shield while Lowtail, being the medic, put on his chainmail. Another shot, and a couple seconds later another casing fell near them, this time outside the light cast by the fire. Why hadn't Snapper perched on the stone to shoot yet? Firing while flying didn't just slow him down, it impaired his aim.
Nothing ran into them screaming, no fire rang in the distance, nothing but the complete darkness outside the light cast by their fire under an empty sky.

Right now you're the only ones visible. Grab a branch, light it on fire and throw it, hoping to shed some light.

/qst/ >>5427523
tgch >>1045724

Kicker looked away from the fire into the dark to keep her night eyes and tried to figure out what it could be: If it wasn't shooting back it was likely an animal, something that gave Snapper some reason to shoot from the air rather than perch. Her gut told her something bigger was going on, a feeling she couldn't place her claw on because, she realized in that moment, she'd been carrying it for days now. This… skirmish, if it's what it was, had just made it more intense. Given it something to point itself towards.

A white fl- no, a reflection! It was gone in an instant but her gun was already trained on the spot, and Scraptooth aimed his own gun at the same spot. Lowtail tightened the buckles on his chainmail as quickly as he could behind them.

Scraptooth had the better throwing arm and she wanted her nighteye. “Light wood and throw it.”

He moved. Wood crackling. Another shot, another casing. Silence.

Clacking; Lowtail must've begun mounting his plate. Scraptooth took one of the branches, felt it's weight, and threw it with a gentle swing of his arm.

Finally, a slight sound: skittering as the torch flew. A pair of white reflections (Wide and curved things) and by the time the torch landed, nothing was lit by it but sand.

She looked away from it and waited for Scraptooth to throw another, training her ear. Skittering. Who knew how many tiny feet moving at once on the sand.

Lowtail, wearing just the most vital parts of his plate, tagged Scraptooth's shoulder, who tagged Kicker. “Boss. Your turn.”

“You first.”

Scraptooth gave her his shell for cover and slid back to put on his chainmail.

“Give me one.” Kicker stretched her claw. Lowtail put a lit branch in it, “We throw together in three.”

“Roger roger.”

One.

Silence. Scraptooth slipping into his mail behind them.

Two.

Skittering.

Three.

Lowtail threw and she waited a split second longer, eyeing the trajectory of his branch. Hoping her guess was right, she threw at a nearby spot.

More panicked skittering, his torch lit nothing but sand… then hers fell and lit… scarabs? Coating the ground, each the size of a child and with circular shells. It was like being lit by surprise turned off something in their brains, because they stood there, frozen in place, so many they were standing atop one another with their respectably sized mandibles waving slowly with their breathing. They were a layer on the ground more than a pile or a group, at spots three of four scarabs tall, their shells black and shinny. Were they aggressive? Were they people? She couldn't remember any speaking bug like this, and they acted like animals so far…

Another shot. Another case.

But it was so many of them! They woke up from their dazed status and, all together, opened their mandibles and screeched low pitched whines as they trashed away from the light. More screeching came from the dark all around them, and five seconds later it stopped as suddenly as it'd begun and the only proof they'd ever been there was marks in the sand.

Dust fell, sliding on the sharp incline of the stone outcrop.

Kicker glanced at the dust and back at the dark, dead still. “How many branches left in the fire?”

“Three.”

“Throw two. Spread them.”

“Roger.”

Silence. Lowtail threw a stick. Scraptooth hadn't put on his chainmail yet.

Another shot. Another casing softly clacking against chitin somewhere in the dark.

More silence. The seconds dragged. Was Snapper firing at these? She didn't think so. They weren't hostile, despite having them surrounded, they just… were drawn by the warmth, maybe?

Another shot, surprisingly early after the last. Then another, and another, was Snapper just firing and reloading while freefalling? A new sound, soft stomping, faded in.

The scarabs screeched again, but it was no use: yellow arms flashed into the light waving each a caught scarab, trashing and screeching. Another shot ran dangerously close, making a plume of purple goo splash into the sand as the shot creature ran away.

And the scarabs didn't stop screeching this time, running into the light in their panic and biting at the air, tripping and flipping each other upside down. More dust fell and before Kicker knew it, red hot pain flared in the arm she held her shells with, scarabs falling from the stone outcrop and biting on whatever they fell.

>>1045905
Perhaps this will start a brushfire

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/10/25(Tue)14:47 No. 1047489 ID: a7b16c
File 166673442831.png - (895.36KB , 1017x1725 , file.png )

>>1046517
>1/5

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/10/25(Tue)14:48 No. 1047490 ID: a7b16c
File 166673453135.png - (563.71KB , 947x1111 , file (1).png )

>2/5

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/10/25(Tue)14:49 No. 1047491 ID: a7b16c
File 166673455036.png - (10.51KB , 400x900 , tegaki.png )

>3/5

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/10/25(Tue)14:50 No. 1047492 ID: a7b16c
File 166673464224.png - (538.60KB , 969x1476 , file (2).png )

>4/5

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/10/25(Tue)14:51 No. 1047493 ID: a7b16c
File 166673469242.png - (520.54KB , 969x1476 , file (4).png )

>5/5

1) WTF happened to this horror? It looks cleaved by a giant axehead...
2) Examine your infected wound. Do you have anything that could help tend to it?

>>1047558
Check the first and second posts' pics

>>1047493
Contemplate all your life decisions. Shit is fucked. Investigate the corpse.

tgc >>1047558 >>1047644
qst >>5443561
Kicker stared at the claw creature. There were… an orange thing and something else before, weren't there? What happened? She didn't remember blacking out. Her memory just cut out as drily as the sand under her was. She looked up, hoping and knowing the hope to be vain that she'd seen the glitter of Snapper's mirror telling her he was on his way to her.

Shifting her position sent spikes of pain up her arm. It wasn't broken… not quite. But that bug had to have cracked the bone at least a little, and she worried the wound might be infected. She wouldn't be putting weight on it for, at minimum, a few days. Good thing when it came to firing she was ambidiextrous.

But Scraptooth's armor shell! He wouldn't like missing it (No demolitions expert ever did; Without it his explosives were exposed to gunfire and the elements) but it was the only thing she had. She flipped it around with her good claw to check under it.

The pockets inside the shell had a few bandage wraps, a half empty bottle of liquor, and scraptooth's water for the next two days. Under it she found a small candy which she ate thoughtlessly: The sweetness washed away a small but very needed bit of her worry. Her mouth felt parched, her whole body ached from the creature's rough handling and the scorching sun, her eyes stung, her arm was almost cracked, but even without being there Scraptooth found a way to ease her pain a little.

She kept checking the pockets. The only other thing she found on it was a small piece of flint and steel- too small for her claws, but she could make it work.

The wound on her arm hurt again, a pang like needles… and a bad omen for her. She wouldn't get away without more pain, wouldn't she?

"Fuck damn it." She said, grabbing the liquor. If it was Scraptooth's there wasn't a chance in hell it'd be soft, and she considered taking a sip to dull the pain but decided against the idea. The pain was the only thing keeping her sharp, and sharpness was the only thing she had.

Kicker didn't give herself any more time to dread it, and poured liquor on the wounds, and being alone as she was she allowed herself to cry out in pain. It was like molten metal washing into her body, the dulled pain of the inflamation rearing up into a full on scream up her arm, her teeth baring and jaw clenching so hard it hurt, but some part of her, kicked in by a combination of experience and training, noticed she was holding the liquor so hard the bottle was cracking, and she forced herself to relax the grip.

Blackness climbed at the eye of her vision, but she willed herself, somehow, to close the lid of the bottle and set it upright of the sand, and to wrap bandages around the wound before it got dirty again. And then she didn't go unconscious- not quite, but there was a slackening of her muscles, a darkening of her vision, and a couple seconds or minutes that just slid by unnoticed.

The pain began to fade, just a little bit, enough for her to stash the liquor and what bandages she had left back into Scraptooth's turtle shell. More time passed and the pain kept diminishing, even became bearable.

As time passed, and she was dangerously short of things to do (things she could do) so she examined the claw creature from a safe distance: It didn't have any noteworthy wounds (Just a few stray shots on the rear, all of them bloodless, probably Scaptooth's and Lowtail's) and she had the feeling, worrying on its own, it had just ran with her until it died of exhaustion. What possessed these things to be this way? School had taught her the bugs… made them, like a kid shapes putty, as weapons of war. Had they made them to just run to death? Shaped their… heads like an axe, or an open book? What kind of mind devised such a thing?

Time passed.

She was in the middle of the desert, with no way to find the rest of her team or any refuge from the scorching sun on sight. The mission required her to keep marching counterrootways and hope to encounter the others along the way, but marching on this desert with her scales uncovered was certain death. Even Scraptooth's shell wouldn't give enough protection.

The only other resource visible is the creature itself. Can it be cut with claws? Does it even have a hide?

tgc >>1047644 >>1047686
Kicker looked back at the creature, realizing what came next. She had nothing else she hadn't used but the dead creature.

She walked to it slowly and feeling in her gut the thing would, any time now, rise up and stomp her into a paste, crawling slowly and keeping her good claw ready to attack. When it didn't jump up, she poked at it's gut with it. Bullets had pierced the hide, after all, it just didn't bleed after. Hopefully that'd make this easier.

A second passed. Her nail was still prodding at the creature.

It did not jump up. Little miracles.

She buried her nail on its side to test the resilience. It was too hard for that. She buried her teeth instead. The flavor was bitter, disgusting sickening in the way all cold dead sun bleached meat is to a predator. But she kept digging her teeth in it, pressing until she poked a hole through…

…and had to pull her head away in disgust,retching on an empty stomach: Flatulent gas was leaking out of the hole she'd poked in the smooth, furless hide, smelling of rot and somehow bitter like the smell of grass. The gas kept escaping for several minutes, the creature slowly deflating before her eyes, until it went from plump looking to a sack of bones. Once she was sure all the rot-gas had leaked out, she poked her nails into the hole and worked on expanding it.

Most of her day went away on that, slowly tearing off the creature's gut skin. When she was done, she had a ragged patch that should work as a tunic. How long it'd last before rotting into nothingness, or if the desert heat would tan it, she had no way of knowing.

And under the skin the creature was, not, anytihng she could call natural. It was made of flesh, alright, but there were no intestines or stomach, instead green and yellow structures that almost looked made out of fiber. What she guessed was a heart was right in the center, encapsulated by a hollow bone chamber, held in place by tendon and muscle. Around it were four… lungs that against all sense still moved, slowly, making whistling and wheezing sounds as they forced rotten air to move.

And the oddest part was a chitinous skull embedded in the chest, in front of the heart chamber between two lungs, it's toothless snout elongated and with tubes running in and out of the mouth and neck, it's empty eyesockets letting her see what had to be a brain contained in a balloon made of transparent film.

She didn't want to look at this. The bug exoskeleton of a skull might at any moment turn her way and say something macabre she'd rather not hear. The legs might move and crush her. The lungs might wheeze out a voice and ask to be allowed to die like all the other flesh around them.

Night was falling and she was exhausted, but she wouldn't sleep. She wouldn't waste the cool air, and she wouldn't allow herself to lay again, vulnerable, near this pantomime of a living being.

She covered her head and barrel on the skin, held it in place by wearing Scrapooth's shell, and didn't run away from the creature.

------------------------------

Next noon, she woke up half buried by sand. Had wind picked up during the day? She forced herself up through the weight of the sand and her gear and exhaustion, and looked at the horizon. The rimlights were fading as the sky turned to a pink hue, but she could still see the root perfectly and orient herself with it.

She kept scanning the sky, hopefully. No glitter, no sign of Snapper.

Had the fire…

No.

A waste of thought. She'd find out if she found out.

Kicker took a deep breath, drank the day's water ration (A single sip out the canteen, and even that was too much considering how much she had), and started running again. Her stomach growled. She ignored it.

------------------------------

Another day passed. She woke up not buried this time, and looked at the last of her water miserably then up to the sky. No glitter. Back to the water. Her head felt about to burst, and her hurt claw screamed with her every motion.

Something passed above her head, quick and small and whistling. A bullet. Adrenaline filled her.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/07(Mon)13:53 No. 1048712 ID: a7b16c
File 166785803851.png - (2.95KB , 181x240 , file (3).png )

Alright so are there any issues with the quest or what.
I've been QMing for a longass while and hadn't ran into just not getting replies in at least six years now, I'm doing some stuff that's pretty uncharacteristic for me so I expected mixed results, but at this point the (lack of a) reaction just puzzling.

>>1048712
Have you heard that some people explore the beach out of curiosity and confusion when the sea recedes before a tsunami? When the hands monster appear at the beginning my only though was: "that's odd".
In this setting I don't understand what is threatening or reassuring, what is normal or abnormal. I have no confidence my suggestions would be helpful in any way.

>>1048712
My apologies.

Well I can't say much because I'm mostly lurker to start with... I like the quest, but I often have no idea what to suggest (and this, for quite a lot of quests).

As for potential problems... well, the update length may be a bit daunting. Text-only updates too (especially in an otherwise illustrated quest), as I tend to rely on the pic to notice there's an update as opposed to suggestions, and I don't think I'm alone in this.

Yeah the setting is really weird and we've been given almost no background information so it's hard to suggest. The very sudden events that drastically change the narrative make it disorienting and difficult to plan in the long term.
Then there's the switch to image only for one update, and then text only for the next two...

>>1048713 >>1048715 >>1048714
> Yeah the setting is really weird and we've been given almost no background information so it's hard to suggest
> I have no confidence my suggestions would be helpful in any way.
You shouldn't be afraid to suggest or investigate. I am as interested in how players react with limited information, piece it together, and choose to investigate (And how to stay safe long enough to investigate) as I am in how they tackle and solve issues. And it's not like I make an habit of punishing the players for investigating if danger wasn't explicitly foreshadowed. Or I don't try to, anyways. Did I do that without noticing?
> When the hands monster appear at the beginning my only though was: "that's odd".
Yeah that'd be the expected reaction tbh. The dinos didn't have experience with hand-crawly things popping out of the sand either. Took care to make it a tone setter rather than instakill, thou.
>very sudden events that drastically change the narrative make it disorienting
Bad habit! Very bad, and can't seem to kick it. Especially when I later realize I could've achieved about the same things more smoothly. Got to refocus on trying not to do that.
>and difficult to plan in the long term.
Will be solved shortly!
>Length
Might be an issue, yeah. I hadn't QMd in a few months and must've got verbose in the meanwhile. On top of the usual verbosity QMs gain over time.
>Images then text
Yyyeah art is a "when I can" thing, spent a while without nibs for my wacom and don't always have the energy for art.

Regardless, small image update coming today or tomorrow. And is there any way to make tgchan autoupdate posts? I'm using a browser extension to reload the page every minute.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/07(Mon)17:03 No. 1048725 ID: a7b16c
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>>1048721
Another shot.
Kicker's anger took her over for a moment, and she found herself turning to growl at the aggressor.
Another shot. Sand splashed her feet.
...to growl at an aggressor who wasn't there. Not right next to her, anyways. This was a sharpshooter.
Another shot. This one just buzzed by her crouched head. Five now?
...not much of a sharpshooter. The rimlights were fading into dusk, but she was still perfectly visible. The rate of fire was respectable, but Snapper would've got her in one. She held the irrational want to laugh. That was the thirst and hunger and heat and loneliness, it had to be. She'd never be so unprofessional otherwise.
Something slammed her on the back hard enough to make her stumble forward a coupld steps. Six shots, and the only hit was on her armor. The shots came from a rock outcrop a ways behind her.

Either dive for cover nearby if you can find some you think you can reach, or... well. The other option is running backwards towards the source. Which isn't a GOOD idea, but it might get you closer to the gunner which at least lets out another option.

The only other thing you could do if you don't want to get closer you could get down on the ground and cover yourself with your armor, just keep in mind that you're a sitting duck there but it might make them stop.

>>1048725
Optimally you move from cover to cover until you get close enough to kill the shooter with your own gun (if you still have one), but surely the enemy isn't alone? Well, you could at least try to make the enemy run out of ammo by provoking it from a good defensive position.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/08(Tue)13:11 No. 1048746 ID: a7b16c
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tgc >>1048734 >>1048731
qst >>5456468
With no cover or weapons, her only options were to charge or to cower under the armor shell, and cowering would get her killed. Who knew how much ammo they had?

Gunshots cratered the sand around her, and she turned around and began running in one swift motion, the sand slipping from under her feet from the sheer force the adrenaline conferred her legs. She bit her tongue and felt herself scream, forcing herself to move. Another shot flew by, gracing her neck. She lowered her head and shut off everything but running forward.

Thirty steps. Sand cratered in front of her, splashing her face. Inhale. Exhale. Her legs pumped. Her wounded arm screamed. The sand kept sliding from under her. She adjusted her feet, shifted the angle slightly to adjust. More shots flew. Two graced her face, and one hit the shell and almost made her legs buckle under her.

At some point she found herself at the rock outcrop. The shots had stopped a while ago, but she still twitched every time she expected one to happen. Like this, panting and forcing her breath to calm down, she walked all around the outcrop until she found a door. Ancient wood. Something engraved on it. She was still panting, but had almost calmed that down by now. Through the cracks in the door, she could peer ancient steps sculpted into the stone, going up a winding and twisting stairway.

Kicker pocked her wounded arm into the hallway, but it wasn't shot off and, having no other options, she climbed up the steps. Coolness hit her like a brick wall when she entered, giving her a brief dizzy fit. The climb was uneventful other than that, and at the top she peeked her arm, then her head into the room.

The bug inside wheezed as hard as she had after the charge, its legs shaking just with the effort of staying. Some kind of creature she vaguely recalled from photos of bug guns stuck to the side of its body, breathing more calmly, its long snout poking out the window almost a foot long.

Jump this bug, pin them. Try to keep them alive, for now at least.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/09(Wed)14:08 No. 1048820 ID: a7b16c
File 166803172150.png - (164.80KB , 755x456 , 1668031014.png )

tgc >>1048815
qst >>5457065

Kicker didn't waste time and jumped, arcing back her good claw during the motion and bending a knee to spring forward, allowing herself to freefall for less than a split second. For that brief instant, the dizziness and exhaustion and heartache stopped existing, replaced with the cold calculation of where and how to land the hit.

She reached the right spot and sprung up her bent knee, noticing the bug was moving its arms. Time didn't slow down for her: Once violence exploded it only burst by faster and faster. She readied to use her wounded claw. The bug grabbed something from the windowsill- a gun aimed at her face. She slapped it out of the way with her wounded claw, and was surprised at how strong the bug's hold on its gun was. Flame burned at the back of the claw as the gunshot went wild, scrapping against her scales.

The claw she'd swiped with connected: Without a thought she'd grabbed the by the shoulder with her good claw and was holding the gun at bay with the other, though she didn't have the strength to make him drop it. His strength continued to surprise her as she pinned it down, not quite managing to break out of her hold with his weak legs but able to match her arm strength equally.

And, jut like that, the violence was over. She panted. He wheezed more. What now? The adrenaline would fade. They'd grow exhausted.

“Here to finish the job?” He said, pronouncing it something like “'ere to fi'ish the yob”. She had noticed how rugged he looked, but by the mountain, his voice sounded ancient, and manic. It wasn't a wonder his legs were so weak and he'd missed so many shots.

“What?”

“Here to finish…” He wheezed again. “The others aren't answering. I knew the war never ended, I knew it…” War? The war had ended before her grandmother was born! She let him spin his wheels, catching her breath. “I keep asking the Whole for orders, and they say it ended, until they just stop answering… and now the others don't answer either. But you finished them off, didn't you? Your people was right patient, it was… I'm next, aren't I?” A small burst of strength came to the leg he held a pistol with, but she was able to keep him pinned. “Betrayers, sibling-killers…”

Tell him your only "job" is to get back to your friends safely.
You're not here to kill anyone if you can avoid it.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/10(Thu)19:05 No. 1048992 ID: a7b16c
File 166813590156.png - (96.30KB , 429x288 , 1668135662.png )

>qst >>5458245
>tgc >>1048822
“I have no quarrel with you.” She pressed his shoulder harder. “I am lost and looking…” Did she really want to mention her friends? The mission still required discretion. “…for safety and you shot me unprovoked.”
“Like shit,” He trashed and screamed, shooting his handgun- she couldn't tell if on purpose or on accident, but it made her ears whistle. “A saur whould never, you'd never be here for no reason-”

If you were here to kill, you'd probably not be cuddling him on the ground right now

>>1048992
well dont randomly shoot strangers first and i would have no reason to hurt you for trying to kill me

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/12(Sat)15:20 No. 1049115 ID: a7b16c
File 166829523906.png - (69.72KB , 382x218 , 1668295210.png )

tgc >>1049018 >>1049023
qst >>5459218
“You fought in the war?”
“Yes!”
“Then you know I could've killed you.” Kicker pressed his shoulder harder. “Do you think a herreras claw would stop at just cuddling if they wanted you dead?”
He mumbled something, but cut it out and stopped the trashing, his antennae relaxing.
“Good.” She continued, relaxing her grip just a bit. “I won't hurt you if you don't make me. Can I trust you?”
The bug was frozen for a moment, tensing again, so rigid for a moment Kicker considered he might've had a heart attack. But he relaxed again, and mumbled out something.
She let him go, still tense.
He slapped his bug-gun rifle out of the wall, where it was waving its snout in the air, “You're lucky. Nancy almost shot your brains off.”
“Nancy?”
“My farshooter.” He said as he huddled down, crossing his arms and seeming to wither into the corner under the window. “Don't mater if you got them or this freak heat did. They're gone.”
“Who is?”
“My friends. Not answering the radio. Too old to go check.”
Kicker turned around and scanned the room as he spoke: for being seemingly alone in the middle of nowhere, he was well stocked. He could probably last two more weeks if he ate as much as she did just on the jars here. And water! It felt like ages since she'd seen a whole glass of water, nevermind a bottle.

Ask him for some water, then ask his name.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/13(Sun)15:32 No. 1049169 ID: a7b16c
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tgc >>1049116
“You have a name?”
“Not for your kind.” The bug said, his voice surprisingly calm for how hostile the words were, and then gestured at the water. “What you looking at.”
“I need water. And food.”
“Stuff from the bottom shelf shouldn't make you sick.” He gestured at it with a leg, still huddling in the corner. “The others bring it.”
“Your friends?” What did that have to do with making her sick?
“Not them. The villagers. They bring me'n'my friends food and water. We kill beastlies that might attack them. Hunt for them when the heat's not killing us all. Chat and play poker sometimes. I tell the kids tales.”
Before the bug was done talking Kicker had already taken a jar and had to stop herself from gulping it down in a second.
“There's a village.” She said, trying to show some manners and not scarfing down the food. Little pieces of… it was meat, between her claws. Eat slowly. Lowtail would be mad if she made herself sick. “Where.”
“Beats me. Haven't left post since I was a lad and the war started. Me and my friends, we swore we'd only be back when the war ended. Couple saurians at the village, good boys, good cooks.” He was silent for a moment, and added more sadly. “They haven't come for a time. May be too hot for them too.”

Seems to be quite a coincidence that both this Nancy and that village have disappeared recently.

Also, oldbug here seems to shoot strangers pretty fast for somebody who has visitors from time to time. How does he know that there's a pair of saurian cooks in that village if he's never even visited it?

Might tell him that the war's been over for a long time, too.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/16(Wed)15:29 No. 1049497 ID: a7b16c
File 166864139094.png - (90.16KB , 507x304 , 1668641234.png )

tgc >>1049354
“Excuse me, I got lost. Nancy is one of your friends? And she's not been answering the radio?”
“Ay? Nay, saur. My friends are my lads, my troop, them's not been answering. We set up around here during the war, watched for incursions. Your kind was very insistent, lass. Almost respected it.” The bug made a gesture with his leg as if to say 'I was this close', and showed her his weird gun. “This is Nancy, see? Never seen a farshooter before?”
“Not a bug one.” She didn't dare try touching it: The 'gun' was waving it's snout/cannon in her direction aggressively. “Not outside books, anyways. How do you know there's saurians at the village if you've never been there? Are they herreras like me?”
“Because they visit me! And nah. They're… aqua, aquee…” He shrugged. “Something like that.” He said it like 'Sumetin'
“You don't just shoot them too, do you?”
“And why would I?”
“You just shot me.”
“Well look at yourself. Wearing some beastie's hide, and that on your back. Don't think I don't recognize saur army gear when I see it, aha.”

Well it's a good news that there's at least one village here peaceful enough for both saurian and bug... but highly disquieting that contact with it was lost.

Still, not our current mission. We still have a defined objective, and should depart when temperature becomes acceptable again.

We'd best take some water and food with us if we intend to keep on moving for an unknown period. Does the bug mind sharing a bit more supplies?

We should consider our wound, too. If it's not getting any better we might not get far.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/19(Sat)11:34 No. 1049623 ID: a7b16c
File 166888644781.png - (227.85KB , 665x725 , 1668886314.png )

tgc >>1049535 >>1049522
"It's complicated. When did this village drop contact?"
"Last visit was..." The old bug looked at the jars. "The week before this heat started. You heading there, lady?"
"No. I have things to do."
"Reckon it takes a good reason to keep marching on in this heat."
"It's complicated." She repeated. "Can I stay here until tomorrow?"
"You know how to play poker?"

--
The next day, Kicker woke up not overheated for the first time in weeks. At first sight she'd thought the bug's hideout was just crudely dug stone, but now she looked at the ceiling and wondered if all the little carved patterns on the ceiling somehow helped keep the place cool.
The bug was on the other side of the room; For all his acting like he was A-Okay with her he had never let her out of his sight nor the guns out of his reach. Nor had the guns themselves allowed her to be too close to them, or too far from their aim.
"Rest well?"
"Best I've had in a while." She tried stretching, but flinched when her wounded claw ached again. The inflammation was going down... but she was living rough, barely eating, and had used it to hold the bug in place. It'd take more than just a few days to heal a near-fracture.
"You're welcome. What happened?"
"Thanks. It was black scarabs." She massaged her wrist. The bug had given her wraps to bandage the gunshot wound on her hand, but it still hurt too. "They were in a panic at night."
"Saurs call them rousebugs. Frisky fuckers. Barely worth eating, too- cook them and they'll poison you."
"Ah. Can I..."
"You want more of my food and water to travel."
"I'm sorry."
"Do me a favor in return: If you run into the village tell them I can only go alone for so long."
"Sure."
And that was it. She departed with one jar each of food and water.
She trotted until the night ended, and buried herself in the sand as the rimlights relit and burned with scornful heat.

--

The next two days were uneventful: She woke up, crawled up from under the sand, and marched on. The root and mountain behind her gave her a reliable compass to guide herself, to march counterrootways deeper into bug territory. Every afternoon she drank and ate just enough to not pass out during the day, and every afternoon she woke up convinced her wounds would be infected and this'd be it.

--
On the third day, right as the rimlights lit, Kicker saw another stone outcrop. She took the detour, and it didn't take her long to find the door.
This one, like the sharpshooter's, had some symbol carved on it.
Well.
Nobody had shot her on the way here.
That was a good start, wasn't it?

Reassuring for now, but possibly ominous...
Well, gently knock for now. Hope someone friendly answers.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/21(Mon)12:19 No. 1049771 ID: a7b16c
File 166906196721.png - (70.11KB , 537x643 , 1669061927.png )

tgc >>1049692
"Hello?" She knocked the door and called. Nobody replied, so she shouted- the hideout proper was probably up a fairly long flight of stairs. "Hello! Anyone here!"
Nobody replied. A light breeze picked up, hitting her with hot air.

Guess we better enter and look around, then.

Open the door carefully, in case somebody decides to shoot at the doorway or something worse.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/22(Tue)14:52 No. 1049912 ID: a7b16c
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tgc >>1049899
“Hello!” She called again, pressing her palm to the wood. “I'm going in!”
Nobody replied as she climbed up, or when she called out again near the top. The entrance proper was covered by a small curtain, and she steeled herself for what she'd see when she swatted it aside.
It wasn't in vain. The sharpshooter had been right.
A cicada laid dead for days or weeks, on a mattress in the corner of the room.

Bug to your right. Be ready to defend yourself.
...might be worth checking the cicada to see what killed them, once the room is secure.

Seems to be some bug appliance to the right... Hopefully this one won't be spitting bullets at you. I suppose it's some sort of a bug radio?

Check the body and try to find out the cause of death. Then check this device.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/23(Wed)16:43 No. 1050062 ID: a7b16c
File 166925058092.png - (98.58KB , 603x402 , 1669250498.png )

tgc >>1049921 >>1050011
Kicker scanned the room just in case, and had a scare when she saw a small bug hanging from the wall. But nothing happened, and it wasn't like any bug-gun she'd ever seen.

Still, she kept it on the corner of her eye as she approached the corpse just in case. The check was quick and fruitless: It laid relaxed on the mattress, with no wound and barely any fluid around it, just some… spit? Bile? Around the mandibles. Maybe it had died on its sleep, at ease. There was a cold comfort.

Next she checked the radio. The box itself was an ancient imported model from the outer rims of the leaf, far away from bug or saur lands- she guessed it was bought during the war. But the controls were legible enough, and maybe it had a builtin speaker? She poked at the controls, noting the bug on the wall was wired to the radio.

The radio turned on. And the bug hung on the wall opened its mandibles, and began… buzzing static.

>>1050062
Bug may have died of poison or disease... worrying.
Scan through radio frequencies, see if you can get something.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/24(Thu)11:50 No. 1050113 ID: a7b16c
File 166931944523.png - (96.29KB , 578x474 , 1669319409.png )

tgc >>1050064
Kicker looked back at the corpse, had it been poisoned? She was no doctor. Everything was at question.

She sighed and turned back to the radio… alright, the bug on the wall was the speaker, was it the mic too? With that in mind she scanned through the frequencies, dronning out roger rogers to the bug.

There was another burst of static, and the sharpshooter's voice blared out of the speaker-bug deafeningly loud. “Lady! Lady. Is that you?”

Time for the hard, but necessary part: Tell the bug no one was answering and you found a corpse in the first house you checked.

>>1050113
Tell him the bad news. Describe the corpse, maybe he knows what happened. If that's not enough info to go on, you can make a full investigation of the village.

Worst case scenario I guess you can get some supplies, and leave some behind for him in case he wants to move here.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/25(Fri)13:42 No. 1050171 ID: a7b16c
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tgc >>1050119 >>1050142 >>1049354
“I think I found one of your friends.” She tried to keep a sensitive tone. “It's not good news.”
He was silent for a moment. “Guessed so. I know her radio's buzz. She dead?”
“Yes. I'm sorry.”
“She die well?”
“Looks like she was asleep. I can't tell if it was poison or the heat or age.”
“No signs of fighting?”
“No.”
He was silent again. “There's worse deaths than sleeping, for sure.”
Kicker didn't answer.
“Told that fool her lookout didn't cool too good a million times, that we'd swap with her. But she said she had the place right how she liked it…” He trailed off muttering to himself briefly. “But we always knew we'd die in this damn war. Just didn't expect it to be from age or a freak heat.”
Kicker spoke as delicately as she could. “Mister, the war's been over for over a hundred years. You beat us. We had to sign your treaties.”
“Now you may even believe that, miss, but I was there. I saw you herreras rain mortar and fight with three limbs missing, and felt your tyrs shake the earth…” He trailed off again. “Your kind's not quitters, for good or ill.”

...He's not really wrong, is he? With you running clandestine ops in bug territory and all.

Anyway, ask if we should do something about the corpse (if we're even going to spend time on it) and then look for some supplies we could borrow.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/26(Sat)20:27 No. 1050291 ID: a7b16c
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tgc >>1050180
Could she say he was wrong? She was infiltrating bug territory. Crazy or not, he'd been right about everything so far.
“Alright. Are you going to need her food?”
“I can kill myself trying to get it. Take all you can carry.”
“Thanks. Do you want me to do anything with the body?”
“The only thing one can do for the dead, miss.”

---

An hour later, Kicker stood over the grave. She'd found a shovel and, in doing so, the cicada's guns- another pistol and rifle, hiding behind the shovel. They'd looked up to her quietly, not aiming their snout-cannonsat her but not letting them quite relax while she towered above them.

She looked curiously, and backed off when they didn't do anything.

The sand made it easy to dig, and she wrapped the cicada in her mattress and carried her, carefully, down the stairs. Her wounds and exhaustion made digging take longer than it should have and now she stood over the grave, with her back to the root and Mountain. She'd have to rush back in to sleep off the day's heat.

“Why do I feel guilty?” She asked aloud. “I didn't do this.”

The corpse, obviously, didn't answer.

The guns stood on the hideout's stairway, looking at the grave. Their snout cannons were relaxed now. They'd starve, if she left them here.

>>1050291
If you take them with you, there's much less chance of bugs shooting at you without warning; it's not like you could have taken them by force after all. Plus, extra firepower in case you need to fight some hostile fauna!

Will you even be able to use these things properly? Like, how would you pull the trigger, what do they eat, do they have some sort of a friend or foe system for bugs?

Not sure if you can keep pretending to be just some traveller with a rifle on your back. Then again, an experienced bug can recognize your army gear anyways, as we've found out...

I guess you should grab both guns if you can use them and if the rifle is not too heavy.

(Also, are these the creatures you saw by that dead horror when you woke up? Are you having hallucinations?)

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/28(Mon)15:45 No. 1050442 ID: a7b16c
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tgc >>1050292 >>1050326 >>1050336
Was there something touching her leg? Kicker looked down with a start, reaching for a gun she wasn't wearing, but there was nothing.
“And now I'm imagining things.” She said.
The gun bugs were still on the doorway.
“Come here.” She crouched. “I can take care of you.”
They stepped back.
“You'll die if you stay.”
The rifle hopped forward, but instead of walking to her it skirted a wide circle around and dug a little on the grave, then curled and laid in the hole.

Tell them you won't force them. If they want to die with their owner, that is their choice... but you don't think she would have wanted that.

I agree. They seem to have some degree of free will, so offer them a choice.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/11/30(Wed)07:30 No. 1050580 ID: a7b16c
File 166982225099.png - (122.19KB , 515x581 , 1669822098.png )

tgc >>1050477 >>1050485 >>1050326
“You're more clever than I thought, aren't you?” Kicker asked. “More than just animals.”
The rifle didn't answer. The pistol, still on the doorway, watched them silently.
“You don't have to lay and die here.”
A small breeze. The rimlights, burning around them. The desert with its hollow silence continued to not-happen around them.
“Would she want you to do this?”
The rifle opened a single eye and kicked sand at her with its hindleg. It then closed its eye again, and that was that.
“Very well.” She stood back up and stretched her back, hoping the rifle would take that little moment to reconsider. But it didn't, and Kicker returned inside. It wasn't as cold as the sharpshooter's, but it was enough for her to sleep through the day's heat.

---

Kicker woke up exhausted, feeling like she'd trashed too much in her sleep. While she stretched, she noticed the pistol gun bug was watching her from the doorway. She kept up the eye contact, curious as to what it expected. It just looked at her, from a safe distance.

But it was easy enough to understand when it perked up at her opening a food jar, and she threw her a chunk of some vegetable she didn't recognize. It tore it to little bits with it's legs, then vacuumed the bits up it's canon snout.

How would she fire it, if things came to that? Kicker tried having a closer look but it backed off away from her, keeping an eye on her claws. She couldn't blame it; she kept them even sharper than army regulation required.

>>1050580
Is rifle bug dead now have gun bug?

>>1050580
>how to fire it?
I think that's something you'll have to figure out when it trusts you enough to let you handle it.
It might be time to go, if you've scavenged what you can. Say goodbye to the rifle bug on the way out.

Kicker could really use a little gun-buddy right now. An ear(?) to hear her laments on the trail.

I don't think Kicker'll find this place again for a while once we leave it. Try gaining the pistol-bug's trust before we leave.

Wait a minute... 1 week is exactly the length of time it's been since we got lost. It must be the one the trackers came from.

That village! It's our only clue. We should find it.

Check on the rifle and prepare to move on.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/12/01(Thu)16:01 No. 1050684 ID: a7b16c
File 166993926428.png - (72.06KB , 412x416 , 1669939186.png )

tgc >>1050581 >>1050599 >>1050655 >>1050667
“Alright, there's time.” Kicker took back her claw.

The next while was spent stashing as much food and water as she could in the turtle shell, as well as ammunition for the pistol- the magazines were neon green, made of something semihard that felt organic.

---

On the way out, she checked on the rifle. It was where she'd left it, it's breath labored after being spending so long under the rimlights.

>>1050684
Offer some food.

>>1050684
Offer it some food on the way out, but I don't expect it to change its mind. It wouldn't still be there if it wasn't sure. Seems it's been crying.

Maybe you have some experience with losing somebody close to you? Try to give some kind words, if so.

Offer it some food, too.

Son of Cammy 2022/12/03(Sat)16:01 No. 1050872 ID: 398700
File 167011208648.png - (208.18KB , 775x924 , surrogateupdater.png )

>>1050830
>>1050730
>>1050847
Kicker crouched and gave it a small morsel. It didn't move to eat, but the pistol bug ran up to it and tore the meat into small bits it fed to the rifle slowly.

“She must've been something for you to do this.” Kicker said softly. “I have to go. I can't stay here to take care of you.”

The rifle seemed to nod, slowly. Or maybe it was just chewing what the pistol fed it. She couldn't tell.

"I know what it's like. You just need to give yourself time to get better."

it kicked sand at her again, much more weakly than before.

The pistol bug nuzzled the rifle before they departed, and that was that.

The desert was like a crystal ball, silent and hollow, where nothingness relentlessly crushed everything. Kicker marched on, and the bug choose to stay in it.

---

At first the pistol had chosen to cling to the tip of her tail, but by the time she stopped before morning it had conceded so far as to climb up to hide from the sun under her rag tunics.

She prepared their rations, and the pistol bug sat on its haunches looking back in the direction they'd come from.

internet situation got complicated at home. may disappear for a bit. -cammy

sup lads, just forwarding update materials! -riot

>>1050872
Look back. Is the rifle following? If not, maybe the pistol is just thinking about them. Offer comfort. Things will get better.

>>1050872
Ah having no internet sucks sometimes. Don't worry about it.
There's no way the farshooter has kept up with us. Pistol-bug must be homesick and worried for the rifle. Thing must be as old as the Sharpshooter, thinking about it now.

Spend a moment with them. Ask if it remembers the last time it left the hideout.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/12/10(Sat)17:52 No. 1051472 ID: a7b16c
File 167072357395.png - (72.50KB , 305x292 , 1670723027.png )

tg >>1051002 >>1051010
“You think it'll chase after us?”

The pistol moved it's antennae in quick, complex motions, and when Kicker stared at it blankly it shook its head. Only, for it, shaking its head meant swinging it's whole body left and right.

“But you hope it does.” It didn't answer. She wanted to comfort it, but it still wasn't at ease near her claws. “You were with the cicada since the war, weren't you?” The pistol nodded. “Do bugs usually reach this age?”

The pistol shook its head again, and now she was out of pleasantries to say.

“Someone you knew for just a short while is already bad.” She bunched her claws together into a tight little knot. Should she mention her friends? Just being with a bug was stretching the leeway given by her orders. “And more time only makes it worse. But you… get used to it. The hurt doesn't go, but you wrap it in rituals so it's close at heart without tearing it apart.”

Just thinking about the mater brought memories back to surface, thoughts of her team and older things still, and for the first time in days (Weeks? She'd lost track of time.) the thought was too much: For a moment she could barely keep composure, worry and unknowing grief flooding her. Were they even alive? She had no way of knowing.

But she gathered herself, and put on a stiff upper lip.

“Come.” She turned around. “I need to know how much to ration you.”

---

The next several days were uneventful: They slept through the day and marched at night. The pistol bug didn't exactly become her buddy, but it grew to trust her enough that it climbed to her back and even her shoulder at times. Most days, the pistol would spend a while looking back to the way they'd come before eating.

On the eve of the second day, she saw another stone outcrop in the distance and headed to it. On the third the pistol bug saw something ahead that alerted it. It climbed up her head, keeping its eyes on the outcrop.

“What is it.” She asked, stopping and squinting her eyes. Figures the living gun would have better sight; The only thing she saw was the wispy, wavering image of the outcrop… even at night it was starting to be too hot. She didn't know what she'd do about that; she didn't know there was anything anyone could do. “I can't…”

The pistol jumped to her arm and made a series of gestures with its antennae, which she couldn't begin to grasp.

>>1051472
Time to play 20 questions.
First, is there immediate danger? Would it be dangerous to approach?
Is there a person at the outcrop? If yes, is it a Herras?
If no, then... is there a hostile ahead? Is it a hostile animal? A hostile person?

Or you could cut to the chase and let it make the decision on what to do. Ask if you should go around or go towards it. Stealthily, or openly and with some symbol of peace.

tgc >>1051481
“Alright.” She set it down on the floor and sat down; They were close enough to daybreak anyhow. “Is it dangerous? Or hostile?”
It didn't answer.
“You don't know.”
It nodded.
“But it's alive, isn't it? Not just rocks?” It nodded. “Is it a person? Or an animal?”
Curiously enough, it made to answer but ended up not doing so.

So it can't tell? Or doesn't want to?

In any case, you both could probably use a rest inside a shelter. And since trying to sneak closer to the tower might give us a bullet anyway, we'd best make ourselves known to who or whatever is inside.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/12/15(Thu)17:48 No. 1051921 ID: a7b16c
File 167115528419.png - (188.22KB , 697x704 , 1671155166.png )

tgc >>1051801
“You don't want to tell me?” She asked. The gun didn't reply. “You can't?”

It nodded.

“Fine. Keep an eye on it, and warn me if it comes our way.”

They were still much too far from the outcrop, so Kicker dug a hole in the sand as fast as she could. By the time she was done the rimlights were beginning to burn.

---

Horizons are a deceptive thing that may easily fool you. Why, the mountains looked like they were just a short ways away, yet they were several weeks behind her now even in ideal running conditions. The root, stretching up and down beyond her sight behind the mountains, looked like Kicker could just as easily grab it in her claw and twist it.

The day after the bug spotted whatever it was was uneventful, and the next day. The pistol was perched on her head the whole, obviously concerned but unable to communicate why with just yes and no.

The third day she saw it: A large black shape perched on the outcrop, so she waved her arms so anyone, black thing or not, could see her. It took her the rest of the night to reach the outcrop, and entered its shadow as day broke.

The black thing was back on top, sniffing the air and ignoring her. The pistol was shaking now, standing on her shoulder with its cannon aimed straight at the creature, a mix of clicks and slurping noises coming out of it.

What a weird looking dog!
It's ignoring you, so... it's probably fine to be near it. Just give it a respectful distance if you're going to hang around near the rock. I'm not sure there's any reason to stick around though? Maybe to stand in the shade?

Well that beast looks huge. I think it must track by scent, since it's not noticed us and it's sniffing the air a lot. Maybe it's a night-hunter.

I wouldn't get near this thing until we know more. My question is why would it be on a rock and not in the grass?

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/12/22(Thu)16:48 No. 1052424 ID: a7b16c
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tgc >>1052215 >>1052222

Kicker found herself falling back to instinct, crouching down in the grass to a quadruped pose, positioned to pounce at or away from an attacker at a moment's notice. On her shoulder, the gun bug continued to make odd noises until it finalized with a deep click. She recognized the noises from hearsay, and knew the pistol was now fully loaded and ready to fire a stream of bullets.

She inhaled once. Twice. Thrice. The air was still and boiling and hard to breathe, and on top of the rock the… centipede? Worm? Continued the sniff the air. After -she counted- fifteen more breaths it crawled away, and Kicker could hear the click-click-click of its front claws as they struck the stone on its way down.

Kicker waited, but thankfully it didn't go her way, and after a moment longer even the rustling of the creature in the grass was gone. Had it not smelled them? Or had it just not cared? She listed the facts in the back of her mind as she crawled closer to the stone outcrop: No eyes and the smelling meant it probably was nocturnal. But why stay on top of the stone? She thought about it while looking for the lookout's door.

The pistol bug helped her, and the moment she opened the door it sprinted up the stairs jumping from step to step. She followed more slowly, and had to stop when she reached the top. A cicada laid on the floor, wounded and struggling to breathe.

Was it some sort of scavenger, waiting for the bug to die? Check the cicada's injuries, try to give first aid if possible.

Damn, they're still alive after all this time of radio silence! What a tough bug.

Can they talk? What happened to 'em? I don't think we have bandages on us anymore, nor much liquor to blur out the pain.

tgc >>1052450 >>1052514
5ch >>5506512
Kicker crouched by the cicada to have a closer look at the wounds, acting automatically while she thought. The bite marks were… a saurian would've bled out in a few minutes, but if dropping contact happened due to being attacked the bug had to have been there for a terrifying time.

“Get me bandages.”

The pistol bug ran off somewhere and Kicker, delicately, moved the bug to check the broken hindleg, could that even be healed?

“Are you awake.” She asked thoughtlessly, not expecting a response, but there was a choked rasp. “You are?”

“You're… real?” The cicada wheezed.

“Yes. I have liquor-”

“Blood too… low. Starving…”

She opened a jar as fast as she could and the pistol, who'd brought her strips of cloth from another room, egged her to lower it, then tore bits of food as small as it could to feed to the cicada.

The strips of cloth were oiled with something that smelled spicy, but if the pistol trusted them she'd have to, and she started the slow process of turning the cicada without hurting it more to bandage it. “Did the worm outside do this?”

“Yes, the… the kid…” The cicada made a rasp in its language “Tried… talk but she… asleep, I got careless…”

That was... a kid? Like, a bug child? Isn't it a bit too big for that?

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2022/12/28(Wed)22:28 No. 1052816 ID: a7b16c
File 167229530925.png - (62.66KB , 387x311 , 1672295174.png )

tgc >>1052677
4ch >>5506512
Kicker pressed the bandage hard but not too hard, wondering if the spicy smell was some antiseptic. How long had this bug laid on the floor like this? She wished -selfish though it was- that the rifle had come with her… it would've helped her feel safer from the big worm outside.

But it had made its choice.

“Yes, the… the kid… Tried… talk but she… asleep, I got careless…”

Something tugged at her and she stopped bandaging, her brow furrowed.

The gun stared at the cicada.

“Don't… care, we stuck for… the kids… remember?”

The gun kept staring.

“Shut it, git… been bleeding for… so long and you… chastise…” He was silent for a moment. “Won't shoot a kid.”

“A kid? That thing outside is a kid?” Kicker only realized she'd asked it out loud once the words were out of her mouth.

“Young, she's… her upper mind's asleep… only got hunger for a mind still…”

>>1052816
Hmm. I guess it only eats bugs. Ask how long until the wormkid develops a mind.
You can stay here a little while to nurse the cicada back to health, I suppose, if that's possible. You can defend them from the wormkid. Maybe they won't shoot it, but you can if pressed.

ask specifically what you need to do to keep them alive; it's not gonna be easy dealing with this if it's only you who knows nothing about it.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2023/01/01(Sun)12:25 No. 1053055 ID: a7b16c
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tgc >>1052899 >>1052936

“It ignored me.”

“Don't think so… smelled easier prey.” The cicada said as Kicker bandaged it. “The Whole must've taught her to… to resent saurs while in the egg…” The cicada paused for longer this time.

What could she say to that? Kicker wasn't even fully sure what he was talking about, so she went back to bandaging and said, “I don't know how to help you.”

“Already… helping…”

“I don't intend to bandage you and leave you to die. Your friend helped me. What if the… the girl enters?”

“Too big… not a doctor…”

We might be in a real dilemma here; I don't think we can haul this cicada back alone. It's very interesting trying to piece together what's happened in the week or so we've been gone.

They did say that it can't fit inside, so I'd say we're safe for now. Can we try calling up Sharpshooter to see if they've got any advice about this kid? As long as the radio isn't broken, since this cicada didn't speak with Sharpshooter.

Whatever this The Whole is, I don't think it likes saurs. Sounds like a spiritual thing to me. But why did they say it resents saurs; did something happen to the saurs from the village?

Alright. We stay here for a while, to see if the cicada gets any better with the bandages and nourishment. Hopefully the wormkid goes away eventually, but if not we can shoot it when we have to leave.

I doubt the cicada will appreciate us shooting this 'kid'. Still, let's try to nurse the bug back to health.

tgc >>1053408 >>1053413 >>1053482

What could she do? Kicker tightened the bandages and wrapped the cicada's broken leg before going to the radio. It was a huge, hungry, dangerous thing and she had a wounded person and was barely armed. It was a kid who just didn't know what she was doing.

She fiddled with the machine and waited with a claw pressed against her brow, churning out a barely coherent stream of conciousness under her breath. Had she heard about the bugs having anything like this? Something… something, a story to warn new recruits that bugs always were more dangerous than they seemed.

A regiment takes a city. The citizens tell them not to enter a building, so of course a young cadet (It's always cadets making mistakes in the official reports; surely a commander or general would never be cocky) goes in anyhow. Giant bugs burst out of it, rampaging and killing many of the regiment and bug citizens.

A loud burst of static and the sharpshooter's voice cut her train of thought, “Miss?”

“It's me.” She took the mic. “I found your friend. He's hurt, there's a… he says it's a girl, but-”

“Calm now. First things first, how is he hurt.”

She sighed and pressed the claw harder against her face. “The girl bit him. Tore out a chunk of his side and a few legs. I bandaged him, but I'm no doctor.”

No answer.

“The girl is like a snake, and bigger than the two of us put together. Covered in black fur.”

“Shit. Fuck. Miss, does she have eyes.”

“Not that I could see. She was sniffing the air.”

A short pause, then. “That's stingers, not fur, and you ran into a lonomia, she should be with her mother.” He was quiet again for a moment. “Is he with you?”

Kicker gave the cicada a quick look and muttered something to him. He didn't answer and kept breathing slowly, but the gun didn't seem anymore worried than a moment ago. “He's asleep. The gun was feeding him.”

“Losing a few legs won't kill him if he didn't bleed out- that part of us is nothing but muscle, but we don't know that he's not hurt inside or poisoned. And wouldn't know what to do if he were, either.”

“I can stay with him for a day or two.”

“Your stuff's that important, huh?”

Kicker didn't answer to that. Was there even an answer? The pit in her stomach was devoid of one.

“I appreciate you helping him. Does the heart good to see some decency.”

“I can carry him.” She said. She was used to wear a full set of plate, which as flexible as it was still was a hunk of metal, and the turtle shell was just part of a set. She'd tire faster… but it was the only thing she could think of. “But the heat may be too much. What do you think?”

“Leaving him won't help anyone. But I recon it's his call, isn't it?”

“I'll ask him when he wakes up. What's the whole?” She asked suddenly, the word flaring in his memory all of a sudden. “I've heard it before. He said it resents saurs?”

“Has your people forgotten so much?” He said, almost chocked “Oh… it's been… very many seasons, has it not? The Whole is a bad name for it. You- your kind, herreras, had a name for it when I was young. Each of your peoples -Feathers and claws and whatnot- had their own words, and each had a name for the Whole. It's such a bad name for it. But it's what we got, isn't it?”

“I don't understand.”

“Sorry. The Whole is… Picture if you could remember someone else's memory, or let someone share in parts of yours, even just a little bit of your thoughts. When you die, the people nearby can hold on to the bits and ends of your memories that you let them keep, and when you're young enough you get a little bit of other people's experience- Not too much, or it'd overwhelm a babe. That's a part of the Whole. The part that's easy enough to explain.”

Wars keep going after they end, huh... sounds like this lonomia soaked up some war memories. Or found its own.

Is there an answer? Kicker said we couldn't safely march counterrootway to find our squad >>1047669 , but since we have the hide now... we could just get the hell out of here. If Kicker wanted to. It makes sense to me to find our squad after this - we're a captain and we can't just abandon our friends and troop.

All we know is we had 3 objectives: Secure site one which was in a jungle, then go around sites two, three, and four whilst marching away from the root.

Whilst we've got Sharpshooter on the line, we need three pieces of information. Do they know how to avoid those grabbing mine-bugs? - they're dangerous. Do they know how many of their friends are left to check in on? And do they know if the village had a doctor we could direct to this hideout?

tgc >>1053646
“Wars keep going after they end…” She muttered to herself.

“That they do, miss.”

She frowned, realizing what she'd said and staring nowhere in particular; Where had she heard that phrase? It felt like a dream, but was too concise to be; Her dreams were always sordid affairs, rarely coherent. Maybe it was a figment of a memory, something she'd heard long ago? No, it felt too fresh. She brushed it aside. “Did you have any more friends I need to check on?”

“No, miss. Everyone's accounted for.”

“Well. I need… there were these things from back in the war, back home we call them bug mines. You know what I'm talking about?”

“Could be a few things.” He replied in a strange tone she hadn't heard from him before. “Mines are what you call them ground bursters, is it? We had several kinds.”

Between that phrase and the bug's tone of voice, and just the heat and exhaustion, she felt a sudden sense of unreality cloak her, but she brushed it aside as well. “I'm talking about one that has a head like an open book, and a lot of claws sticking out. And no mater how many you cut off more keep growing out.”

Silence.

“And it runs-” She kept talking.

“I wasn't crazy.”

“What?”

“I- I thought I was seeing things. But you've seen them too, haven't you?”

“They attacked me.”

“And you're alive?”

“I know I don't look it, but it manhandled-”

“Girl, what you are is alive. It makes it hard to believe.” She didn't answer. “Their proper name is Sumena Vatia. They- We made them towards the end of the war, when the Whole at the center was thinking we might have to wipe you out for good. But they shouldn't be alive, the seeds were made to dry out after long enough.”

“But you saw one too.”

“Yes! And I have no idea how they… undried? Especially in this drought.”

“How do I deal with them?”

“There's no trick to it, you kill them dead. They feel your steps, find out if you're a local, and if you're not grow up right quick and burst out.”

Shit. “Where did you say that village was? Do they have doctors?”

“Told you I haven't been there since I was a lad! But it's somewhere counterrootways. Might run into it if you're still heading the same ways.”

“And the doctor?”

“For sure, it's not *that* small.”

Would she carry him to the village or hope and send the doctor in? There wasn't any answer, at least now in words. She'd only know when she felt the weight on her back or not.

---

Later, that night, she woke up from frenetic dreams. She was fully awake and had a dry, skull splitting headache in an instant, but was just couldn't; she was taken by a powerful weariness, even a finger was too much effort. Her muscles didn't respond. Years of training and honing her body to a razor edge weren't enough to overcome this moment.

A panic rose up her throat: someone was watching her. In the dark, somewhere, some thing was watching her. In the frenzy she hadn't the presence of mind to question how she knew this, and instead attempted to trash, to swipe her claws, to stand. Not even a meek sound escaped her throat. It watched her.

---

Later, that night, she woke up from frantic dreams hearing something. She was fully awake and reaching for a gun that wasn't on her hip, then for a knife that wasn't in its sheat inside of an armor she wasn't wearing.

That noise.

Brushing. Scraping. She honed her night eyes but the rimlights were all extinguished, and without them the sky was but a black void.

Breathing. The wounded bug. Clicking; The pistol was somewhere nearby, and lock-and-loaded. Outside, the brushing continued.

“…crouch…” The wounded bug.

Kicker did so slowly and silently as the brushing and scraping continued outside, and then all of a sudden there was a snap. Another. Another.

The lonomia might've been too big to enter, but it still could poke enough through the window to try biting someone's head of. It bit the air several more times before giving up and crawling down.

Soon, there was a known screeching; what the sharpshooter had called rousebugs were in a fritz down in the sand, and among their screeching she heard it, crackling followed by chewing.

>>1053669
Good chance to shoot at the lonomia. You know where she is, vaguely, and you have cover. You don't have time to wait for her to grow up, and she WILL catch you if you try to carry the cicada out.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2023/01/12(Thu)16:18 No. 1053682 ID: a7b16c
File 167356911208.png - (33.31KB , 288x315 , 1673569041.png )

tgc >>1053670
She crawled on four legs, sliding a claw along the ground where she'd heard the pistol, and felt it crawl up her arm as she approached the window. Maybe she could line up a shot and rid herself of this before it became a bigger trouble; Who knew how long it'd take to grow up?

Easy. Just shoot a kid in the back.

More screeching. Another crack and more chewing.

Just kill a kid, this one without even an empty cradle to leave behind. Kill it -her- because she might delay her. What is a kid but a bother, after all? Weight and warmth in one's arms, heavy as the world and light as a feather and so heavy it comforts you and so light it might flutter away at any time? What is a kid but grief? But the shaking in her claws, no, her whole body? Her little bundle of-

“Enough.”

She stopped the trembling but couldn't bring herself to move. Had the girl been attacking her it might've been easier, might've given her a chance to let herself drown in a mix of training and thoughtless instinct that can only end with someone dead. But, try as she may, she couldn't convince herself that was the case either. The sight before might've been a thing bearing down on her that was too big and dangerous to pacify harmlessly, but the truth of her eye, she reflected, was a lost babe trying to survive in this crushing hollowness of a desert.

But then what would she do? The lonomia would hunt her, and she needed at least some advantage. It was true that she couldn't wait- if she did she might miss her unit, were they still alive. And the mater of the wounded bug remained.

She crawled back and sat, her back against the wall. After a while the lonomia stopped eating and she heard it run into the distance, though the scarabs bellow were still screeching and stumbling over themselves. What to do?

>>1053669 It seems a sleep demon visited us in the night. And if those grabbers sense footsteps then I sure hope those aqua saurians walk like locals.

>>1053670 I think we'd have missed most of our shots anyway. And we don't know if a pistol's even lethal, besides the cicada hating us.

>>1053682 I have only a few ideas for Kicker here. If we ran out alone I suspect we could escape, and then who knows if help exists. If we ran out with the cicada we could maybe... scare the girl with the gun? And... scare the scarabs with fire... no, wait! - she's just starving. We could throw her some food and then just run for help!

It's not just the cicada that needs help; that little kid does too. And as the sharpshooter said, it's the cicada's call too.

Distracting or even taming the lonomia with food might work, but where are we going to get enough food to do that? It's very big. I guess if the cicada died, we could use the body, but that's uncertain, and we're trying to prevent it even. Maybe shooting at her when she inevitably tries chasing us at night might work to drive her off?

Finding out more about the lonomia as a creature might help. Does her kind hate certain things? Like certain things?

tgc >>1053727 >>1053749
Kicker sat for a moment longer, wondering if her claws would tremble again, and decided to move. She didn't move because she had any idea where she was going, rather, she'd rather run into a wall in the dark rather than linger still and afraid.

Halfway through standing up, a loose idea fluttered in her head, then another, then more. By the time she was on her feet she had the inklings of a plan- not much, but enough to know what she wanted to know, and to adapt as the situation developed. She crawled her way to the radio, and hesitated only for a moment before turning it on. He was army. He was used to being awakened for reports.

The switch made a clear click against the background of rousebugs, still agitated, clamoring, screeching, falling over one another far below them, and then the radio came to life with a burst of static.

“We go out tonight.” She said aloud, and the voice she heard was solid, stoic, dependable; she didn't think of herself as the model of a commander, but sometimes you just need a way to comfort yourself. Scraptooth wasn't here to do it for her.

“Missy? Couldn’t sleep either?”

“I have to go out soon. You think I can distract the lano… her with food?”

Root and mountain, the rousebugs were getting on her nerves. When would they shut up?

Silence for a second, then “Name's Lonomia. The jars of food won't be enough. She's an animal for now, but animals ain't stupid. She'll priorize moving prey and go back to unmoving stuff. Should love the smell of that broth something dear, though.”

“Then I need everything you can tell me about them. Lonomias.”

“Want to know everything about handling kids, dontcha.” He was absentminded despite his words, and she could jut picture him scratching his chin. “Giving her a good scratch or spook should help too— remember, animals ain't stupid. She won't die to grab a bite.”

“Would the pistol work? The bug gun?”

“Miss… that's a weapon of war. You'll tear a hole through her.”

“Not if it's a scraping shot.”

“Awful aim under duress for a civilian, that.”

She didn't answer.

“How big is she?”

“Just taller than me.”

“Then her bristles will be well developed, and hide her shape, like a fuzzy dog-”

“What's a dog?”

“Furred buggers from far, near the tip of the leaf. But you understand yea? Her bristles are poisonous, it's not too strong but she has a lot of it. If she can't get you fast enough she'll try to poison you, just enough to make you an easy catch without poisoning herself when she eats you. The poison'll make sores on your skin that mark you so other predators don't try anything funny, and lull you to sleep… better not find out the details. Clover should counteract the poison some, but it'll be all dead in this heat.”

>>1053955
Moving out tonight? Shouldn't you wait until the cicada's bleeding stops at least?

Hmm. Take stock of the supplies here. Might be some clover somewhere? Biggest priority is to find some kind of weapon that will hurt the lonomia without killing her. Or maybe something that makes a loud bang to spook her? Perhaps a simple warning shot from the pistol would suffice, but then you might get poisoned. Ask how far away the spines can launch, or if they're a contact only thing.
Might be able to use the broth to lure her somewhere... in which case you could try making a trap. Something that will last long enough for you to get away, but something that she'll be able to escape from eventually.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2023/01/20(Fri)17:44 No. 1054270 ID: a7b16c
File 167426544477.png - (136.84KB , 608x461 , 1674265296.png )

>>1053988
“Is this… I've heard some bugs have bristles they can throw, can she?”
“She can't, it's not a scytode.”
She didn't reply.
“Miss?” He asked after a moment.
“Sorry, I was thinking. Would a deadfall trap work?”
“Hard to knock something out without hurting them… but it might be enough to give her a good scare. Could get her to lick her wounds, yeah?”
“Or restraining her and getting away.” Kicker was speaking more to herself than to him at that point; as a herreras, even burdened, she could put up a good pace and more importantly keep it up. She'd just feel like shit come morning. “I'll go. Need to get an idea of what I have to work with.”
“I'll leave the radio on. And miss? Call us strudiella. It's what your kind called us before your king cried war.”
“Stru… Estrudeele?”
“Asth works too, I recall.”
“Asth. *Asthudeila*?”
“Close enough. Thank'ee, miss.”

The gun bug helped her find a passage on the corner of the room that led her to the storage, then a torch.

### Kicker's Inventory:
- Scraptooth's shell (Worn)
- grabber's leather (Worn)
- Bandages (Worn)
- Flint and steel
- Bandages
- Food and water, to last several days
- Liquor (Mostly spent)
- Ammunition for the pistol bug
### Hideout:
- Food and water, to last several weeks
- Radio (Too heavy to carry for long)
- A small assortment of winter clothing and gear to protect himself from the sun, old but well made.
- As well as tools, not all of which Kicker can recognize or quite understand the purpose of, including:
- Rope
- Torches
- Shovels
- A saw?

>>1054270
Hmm, good, we can definitely set a pit trap with this stuff. You've got a shovel, a cutting implement, reeds outside presumably sturdy enough to make a covering for the pit, and food for bait. Do you have the opportunity to set the trap though? Going outside is dangerous. The rope might be usable to make a different kind of trap... but rope snares usually require trees around and I didn't see any.

Are those bolas? Could be useful too. Heck, that shovel could be a melee weapon in a pinch; maybe that's all you need, no trap required. Attacking it in melee means you're at risk for getting spines though... Describe anything you can't figure out, see if your radio friend can tell you what it's for.

I don't suppose you could take apart the radio's housing to make it lighter so that it could be carried? Then again maybe it should stay here for whoever's sent as a replacement lookout.

Cammy !jCVxW.91N. 2023/01/23(Mon)20:34 No. 1054579 ID: a7b16c
File 167453486930.png - (10.81KB , 691x641 , 2023-01-24_01-32.png )

>>1054355
Kicker took the balls on string and gave them a closer look. Had she seen these before? Somewhere... a toy from lower slopes of the mountain a cousin showed her once when she was little. If you spun it on your claw, you could tangle creatures' legs. The stone in these felt heavy and she spun it a little in what little room she had, and found it to pick up speed easy enough. If she could pick up on using it as quickly, it'd be useful. The next thing was... an odd curved metal shaft, with a ball petruding out of a curve. She couldn't tell what was the handle and what was the tip, if it had either. A box with something colorful drawn on a side was tucked behind one of the storage boxes, and besides that there were two... stone things with handles. And a stick that looked like a disfunctional rake. Whatever they were, they lacked something in sophistication.

On the radio, the sharpshooter told her the curved shaft was a club the wounded bug had taken a fancy to as a youngster, after the peace treaty was signed. The box he didn't recall seeing, and the boulders and stick were some old joke.

She also asked if she should leave the radio or try lightening it up and carrying it, and he said he didn't much care either way; they were on the edge of each other's reception, but the whole wouldn't exactly send a replacement as she'd suggested; as far as the sharpshooter cared the Whole was pretending the war ended just as much as saurs and the mountain were. The only reason they had supplies was the village was kind enough to help them and they were kind enough to keep an eye on dangerous animals in the zone, or the rare bandit that members of the Whole didn't take care of.

>>1054579
Let's see what's in the box.

tgc >>1054631
Kicker tried to open the box, but only felt a lock inside it when she tried. She could force it open, but who knew what'd happen if she broke it?

I guess we're bringing it with us, if the wounded strudiella doesn't wake up before then (to tell us what's in it and/or how to open it).

Hmm, why don't we use ALL approaches here? Dig a pit trap, using the saw to take apart the wooden objects here and tie them together with rope to make the support for a camouflaged covering, and use some of the extra food to set bait, then keep the shovel and bolas to defend ourselves if the kid gives chase?
Resupply food and water, obviously, and then see how much extra weight you could potentially carry, for the box and maybe the radio (since every watchtower might have a radio, we can contact them before getting too close, so that we can tell them we're peaceful and avoid getting shot at again).

>>1054645
Kicker thought about her options, and after a while returned to the living room and woke up the b… Strudiella.

“Wh…” He mumbled out, but he sounded much more there now. The food had done him a world of good, from the sounds of it. “You stayed.”

“Yes. And I'll need your help. I found a locked box in your storage, is it important?”

“Just a memento.” He sounded confused.

“Right. I have a plan to get out of here, but I'll need a lookout for the lonomia while I dig, can you do that? See in this dark?”

“Just a little bit, lass.”

“Good. I'll carry you down.”

---

The rousebugs were easy enough to startle away from the light of the torch, and as the hours passed the soil slowly gave away. It wasn't too easy digging it, as it crumbled back in, but at least the dry lakebed had a little more solidity than dry sand would've been, somewhere between sand and the most annoying, irritating dirt she had ever dealt with.

“You doing this to not hurt her.” The wounded bug said after a while.

“Yes.” She replied, taking a small break to recover her breath. “I'd think you'd have the most reason to want her dead.”

“I s'pse…” He was quiet for a moment. “When you're a kid, making friends is so easy, every other boy and girl you meet is like a brother… aren't they, saur? I never had any of my own, so I did that a bit more easily still.”

Kicker returned to digging.

“And when the war started… we were so young, so young, but every able hand and claw and wing was needed… your kind was fast, and scared, and sad and angry after your civil wars… that made them brutal, and we couldn't let you pass our border. So much more pain, after having watched you do such things to each other…”

Kicker didn't answer.

“And I was so young… everyone was needed, and this was what was needed of me. And it's easy to see everything as numbers, isn't it? It's so tempting. I knew many who did, but I never could. I was always protecting so many brothers from the monsters that came out the mountain. I've never known the touch of a woman, or seen a newborn again in so long, or heard people work and laugh on the street… I suppose I stay the way I was, after so long, after having to do so many ugly things.”

The soil was so coarse, and Kicker felt her fatigue in not just in body but in spirit, in the weight of her own skin.

“And I can't hurt a brother or sister, can I? Hurts too much, and all I can think of is I'm so old as it is, and she has the whole world ahead of her.”

Nothing. An empty glass ball and a quiet room.

“The war ended, didn't it.” Asked the wounded bug. “We stayed here for nothing. Nothing at all.”

>>1054645
Kicker thought about her options, and after a while returned to the living room and woke up the b… Strudiella.

“Wh…” He mumbled out, but he sounded much more there now. The food had done him a world of good, from the sounds of it. “You stayed.”

“Yes. And I'll need your help. I found a locked box in your storage, is it important?”

“Just a memento.” He sounded confused.

“Right. I have a plan to get out of here, but I'll need a lookout for the lonomia while I dig, can you do that? See in this dark?”

“Just a little bit, lass.”

“Good. I'll carry you down.”

---

The rousebugs were easy enough to startle away from the light of the torch, and as the hours passed the soil slowly gave away. It wasn't too easy digging it, as it crumbled back in, but at least the dry lakebed had a little more solidity than dry sand would've been, somewhere between sand and the most annoying, irritating dirt she had ever dealt with.

“You doing this to not hurt her.” The wounded bug said after a while.

“Yes.” She replied, taking a small break to recover her breath. “I'd think you'd have the most reason to want her dead.”

“I s'pse…” He was quiet for a moment. “When you're a kid, making friends is so easy, every other boy and girl you meet is like a brother… aren't they, saur? I never had any of my own, so I did that a bit more easily still.”

Kicker returned to digging.

“And when the war started… we were so young, so young, but every able hand and claw and wing was needed… your kind was fast, and scared, and sad and angry after your civil wars… that made them brutal, and we couldn't let you pass our border. So much more pain, after having watched you do such things to each other…”

Kicker didn't answer.

“And I was so young… everyone was needed, and this was what was needed of me. And it's easy to see everything as numbers, isn't it? It's so tempting. I knew many who did, but I never could. I was always protecting so many brothers from the monsters that came out the mountain. I've never known the touch of a woman, or seen a newborn again in so long, or heard people work and laugh on the street… I suppose I stay the way I was, after so long, after having to do so many ugly things.”

The soil was so coarse, and Kicker felt her fatigue in not just in body but in spirit, in the weight of her own skin.

“And I can't hurt a brother or sister, can I? Hurts too much, and all I can think of is I'm so old as it is, and she has the whole world ahead of her.”

Nothing. An empty glass ball and a quiet room.

“The war ended, didn't it.” Asked the wounded bug. “We stayed here for nothing. Nothing at all.”

Deep down, are wars ever for something? Nothing worth it, at least. Such is the cruelty of war.

Suggestion 2023/01/31(Tue)16:06 No. 1055061 ID: a7b16c
File 167520999829.png - (229.10KB , 1029x588 , 1675209661.png )

Haven't had the time to update yet, have spinosaurus someone asked me to draw.

Suggestion 2023/01/31(Tue)16:07 No. 1055062 ID: a7b16c
File 167521002552.png - (229.10KB , 1029x588 , 1675209661.png )

Haven't had the time to update yet, have spinosaurus someone asked me to draw.

tgc >>1054977

"None of it was for anything, none at all." Where had this bitterness come from? Or, was it really new, this poison in her chest? "But at least you have something to protect."

The strudiella didn't reply. Kicker stabbed her shovel into the ground with more anger than she would've expected, starting to feel like she was simply a spectator of her own actions, when the strudiella cried out a call.

Kicker didn't need to hear it twice, left the shovel where it was and ran in, feeling the sand slip under her feet as she crawled out of the hole, wondering in the back of her mind if this was it, but clawing with all four legs won out just an instant later. The gun bug pounced and grabbed on to her tail on the entrance, and Kicker grabbed the wounded b- strudiella and climbed the steps as far from the entrance as she could.

The exhaustion, lack of balance, steepness of the stairs and how worn out they were won out a few meters later- she'd been on a slow, vertigo inducing collapse she couldn't counter, and after a point her weight tipped over past the point of no return. She could only kick out to gain a few more steps before hitting the ground, cradling the strudiella to save it the worst of the impact.

All of it happened without a sound from any of them save a soft grunt that she wasn't even sure was hers, and she turned around to at least look death in the eye, curling her tail closer, the strudiella holding on to her shoulder and laying on her chest.

The lonomia had not been silent- as she climbed up her steps could be heard approaching, but Kicker had elected not to pay them any heed. Now her head was poking into the tunnel. She didn't make much noise, though, no demonic screeching or snarling or roaring as, in a way, part of Kicker would've wanted; instead it let out a breathy whine that might not even be intentional, struggling to get her oversized body into the tunnel, bitting the air with dry clacks as her many legs tried to push her over the smooth stone inside and the sand outside, her bristles hitting the entrance.

And she couldn't reach them. Try as it may, she had grown too large, and the bristles were too plentiful. Her head was at least half a meter behind Kicker who, despite all this, still on some level expected to lose a leg.

She breathed, slow and measured, attempting to keep it quiet as if the monster under the bed hadn't already found her and weren't trying to grab a bite out of her tail. Slowly, she climbed up without giving her back to the lonomia. The fear didn't make her tremble; it steeled her every move and heightened her senses. It didn't make her impatient, it made her wary of her own mistakes. Like that, she reached the top of the stairs and made sure to stay a safe distance from the open window.

It was too late to dig more- the borders of the leaf were sparkling and about to burn with the rimlights in fact, which meant it was about to become too early. The strudiella said she'd pushed herself too hard, and as much as she agreed there were things to do. First she organized the inventory- come night she wanted to finish the trap and be out the moment it was tripped. Second she forced herself to eat, sick as she felt from exhaustion and the aftermath of the adrenaline.

She then let herself collapse with her back against the stone, and if she had anything to thank for, it was being too exhausted to dwell in the fate of her team.

---

The strudiella woke her up just before nightfall, as she'd asked. The gun bug hung from the ceiling keeping watch on the window.

"Stan says the girl's out hunting." Said the strudiella. "Shouldn't waste this."

Kicker nodded and drank, but didn't eat before climbing down, so digestion wouldn't slow her down. The next several hours she spent in the heat of dusk digging the rest of the hole and, as instructed by the strudiella and her own training, making a sand trap using wood for the boxes. When the lonomia tried to get the food below, she'd make the wood collapse and make all the sand from the hole fall down on her.

Kicker dressed up, and helped the strudiella protect himself from the sun with an airy robe. That done, she returned to the inventory.

Once she carried as much food and water as was reasonable and the strudiella, she tried with the weapons. The bolas were light enough to be a non issue, and she supposed she could put up with the weird lockbox. The shovel on the other claw, though it had had good reach, was heavier than the (shorter) weird curved club.

>>1055311
I'd say to keep the shovel as it's multipurpose. You could even sharpen the edge to use it as a cutting tool.
Ask if the case is a treasured enough keepsake to bring.

!CammyIzMqA 2023/02/06(Mon)18:57 No. 1055386 ID: a7b16c
File 167573865546.png - (63.60KB , 373x261 , 1675738607.png )

>>1055328
Kicker looked down to the shovel and decided to take it- heavier it might be, but it had more uses. For one, without any wind burying herself and the strudiella one the sand was the best way to avoid the heat.

With everything ready the afternoon became a waiting game; calling the lonomia would ensure she'd chase them once it broke free of the trap, so they could only sit nervously on the stairway, making light, sporadic conversation to make things less unbearable. Kicker learned a few things; The gun bug was named Stan, and the strudiella South. He said the lock box was "just an old flight of fancy", and she didn't further pursue the mater or whether he'd carry it with the one good leg he could spare from holding on to her.Twice the lonomia came. Twice the lonomia sniffed the air interested on the trap. Twice something distracted her before she could quite track the source of the smell and made her run off.

But now she wanted to find it, and the third time she came with a rousebug in her mouth, crunched it in her mouth, and began sniffing loudly as she walked slowly around the stone outcrop, tracking the scent. She moved with the confidence of q beast that knows nothing will beat it to it's price, and anything that tries will be just a meal.

It was too tense to measure time reliably, and it could've been anywhere between five seconds and five years before the Lonomia passed in front of the entrance. Was it unaware of them or more interested on the food? Who knew. Kicker prepared herself to dash out the door. One chance. Just the one. The lonomia might grow wise to their tricks after the first try. Just step on the wood...

And then, as if reading her mind, the lonomia snorted and crawled to the wall, smelling the wood but avoiding touching it. Kicker felt her whole body tense and South move on her back in a way that somehow communicated impotent anger, and Stan shift above her head. What...?

The lonomia sniffed the wood, almost nuzzling it but staying just a hair's breadth away from it.

Stan jumped to the stone, and walked slowly to the entrance. Scuth moved again.

What?

Stan took aim.

No, no! She wanted to stop it, but she just barely had time to notice what was happening before the shot rang. Kicker felt herself move and heard the Lonomia...

...the sand was moving, the wood crunching, Stan's shot hadn't hit the lonomia but the wood, tripping the trap and burying the front half of the lonomia in a split second. Kicker didn't waste her motions, and pawed at Stan to shoot out the door while the lonomia shook her rear body madly attempting to regain freedom. Time lost meaning; she focused her every thought and muscle to running, running, running, sand splashing with her every step, run, breathe, shift your weight as efficiently as possible. Where was she? Headed rootwards. To her team. Away from death and hell and the mountains and a lost child too dangerous to help.

---

She ran.

---

Scuth was talking to her.

She didn't feel his weight on her back. She didn't feel her own on her own legs. She'd ran and ran and ran, and now she realized she'd collapsed.

"Miss, calm down. We must be out of her territory now. You did well; any mistake would've killed us all."

"Come on. Let him take care of you." Said Scraptooth. She felt his claw on the skin of her back. "What's it going to do, kill you?"

She did feel like death. Something burned on her tail, like a fever so bad it makes you want to die, and there was a tight pressure. A tourniquet? It felt like that.

But why would you tourniquet fever?

"Calm down. The effects aren't physical, not the way your kind understands such a thing." Scuth insisted. She hadn't moved. "You have to listen to my voice."

>>1055386
Oh. Did you get hit by a spine? Ugh, figures. Well, try to calm down and get your head on straight. Stop hallucinating Scraptooth for starters.

!CammyIzMqA 2023/02/09(Thu)22:19 No. 1055684 ID: a7b16c
File 167600994959.png - (126.38KB , 740x505 , 1676009587.png )

>>1055389
Cordelia was a Limerencer, which were winged travelers with a thinner frame, and longer legs and wings than feathers. Cordelia's grandmother had helped Kicker's long before she was born, and though the old woman alluded to it Kicker (Who back then went by Nasico, as she had not yet joined the army) had the wordless, intuitive understanding of a kid that none of the adults had any better idea than her of what had happened.

Whatever it was, it had been enough of a deed her grandmother had invited Cordelia to stay in the family home and rest from traveling for however long she wanted. Why Limerencers (Which until this week were just something from fairy tales to Kicker) traveled she didn't understand either, and likewise adults didn't seem to. But, unlike the adults, she asked, and noticed her mother on the other side of the room paid them more attention without looking up from her knitting.

"Hmm, big question…" Cordelia made an odd gesture with her beak, toying with a glass ball in her wings. "I need to think."

Kicker waited, impatiently. Cordelia kept playing with that ball.

"Traveling is… Look at this." She showed her the ball. This up close, she saw it wasn't just a glass ball; It was hollow, and had tiny cracks that glittered in the light. "I've only ever met a Log who knew what it is. It comes from another leaf."

Kicker could only look at it in awe; People from other leaves was, too, a fairy tale thing.

"The lonomia doesn't poison the body, not as your kind understands it. It causes the spirit to surge and flood. You have to follow my voice, miss." Cordelia pointed to the sky through the window, where a leaf could be just made out as lighter tones on the sky, its rimlights on full burn. "It comes from that one, like my family."

Kicker nodded slowly.

"There's a lot of answers to why we travel, but that feeling in your chest is one of them. I've spent ten years walking and flying from the tip of the leaf to here and it never goes away."

"What's that leaf like?"

"I only have stories. Your gran mentioned you're… It's a spiritism. Argens and what's owed, right? Refresh my memory."

Kicker was shocked by this; they did in fact believe in that, but since well before memory she'd been taught that religion was strictly family business. The army didn't like people straying from official cult doctrine. Kicker looked back to her mother, who was a little less surprised and after a moment of indecision gestured to Kicker that she was allowed to answer.

"When we die we go to the rim lands and the spirits give us all that we're owed, and then we're given a chance to see our own wrongdoings and try making up for them. If we don't, we have to wait until the day the argens come back and give us a second chance." Kicker recited.

"Do you want a spooky story?"

Her mother slowed down the knitting and paid more attention. Kicker nodded, her eyes open wide; she was brave and never backed out of dares and most importantly always had the best spooky stories, and a limerencer spooky story would give her playground prestige.

"Well, there's a small country in that leaf where make these balls," Cordelia showed her the ball again, "They represent somewhere else they call hell, I think it's another root."

"Another root? Does it have leaves and saurs too?"

"Hell has nothing at all. They say when you die you go to hell and stay alone forever, and repeat all of your mistakes over and over for the rest of time."

"Why?" Kicker asked, with a tremble in her voice; despite her feelings this wasn't a story yet and she wanted more.

"Kicker." Her mother said, and she knew her mother wanted her out of the room to have an Adult Talk with just that word. "Would you go fetch firewood, please."

>>1055684
Do not move. You have to stay still and recover from the spine. Focus on Scuth's voice.

Focus on outer sounds, like Scuth's voice.
You need to stay awake.
But beware of actually moving: Hallucinations could cause you to do something regrettable.

>>1055685
>>1055686
She didn't move.

"Kicker. Nasico. Go for the firewood."

She didn't move. The fever was too strong; Her body screamed. The desert, her body, one hollow crystal ball. Both ablaze and ill with old curses and bitter memory. A red furry thing licking her face.

"Nasico, heed me."

Kicker, still Nasico, blinked quickly to clear her eyes. She didn't go away; things were too brittle. The moment was too delicate.

"Kicker." Insisted Scraptooth, then Alaire. "I know it's an ugly thing to say; at first I thought the barb was too small to poison you, but I didn't think about how weary you heart must be, miss, how great a thing you must be running from or towards to drive you so."

The music was blaring. The club was dark. Multicolored torches hung on the walls, above the heads of the crowd that filled the place.

"Are you jealous?" She asked at last, the words willing themselves out of her mouth. They had to yell to make themselves heard above the crowd.

The music was bad. Loud. Angry. Hurt like the desert and the grit of the sand, an aqualos singing about loving a glimmer just for her to run away. Maybe bad, loud, and angry was what everyone here felt. Maybe they needed that moment for themselves, nobody else, just themselves and each other. Vomit pooled under her muzzle.

"Jealous?" Alaire repeated, surprised. "I- why? Kicks, I just think it's a bad idea. He's a good guy and you're good friends, but... It causes your spirit to surge, lulling you to a deep sleep. And as it surges, your heart sinks.”

"Maybe you should've said that before I asked him out."

"I know. I just... This came out wrong." Alaire shrunk, sliding away from her to get a drink.

>>1055707
Can you try to wake up? Don't try too hard.
Try to relax, think of a pleasant or even boring memory.

Sorry for the lack of updates, been sick

Hmm, then again... maybe you can interact with the stressful memories to calm down, too? Say things you wished you said. Do things you wished you'd done. Try not to move TOO much, but... you should be able to move a little, right?

!CammyIzMqA 2023/03/24(Fri)22:46 No. 1059470 ID: cbbf90
File 167972319205.png - (42.09KB , 1186x803 , image (21).png )

Hey, just pinging the radar to let everyone know I'm alive, life just continus to be one long screwdriver (Within the same month I'm single, job situation is at risk, I had to spend basically all of my savings on dental work and may have to pay a fine at best or lose my home at worst if I can't deal with a situation) so I've barely had the headspace to do art

Okay, wishing you luck.