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>>3068908
"This is my laboratory and a safe haven for those seeking to escape the encroachment. I'd love to meet you as I have met several like us and I am attempting to postulate a hypothesis on our kind. If you are reluctant to meet, I will be happy offer you compensation for your time. Information and augmentation are my specialty, and I would love to grant you both for but for some on your time and a chance to run a few tests."

You finish reading and turn your swarmling's eye to study Doctor West's eager face, quickly relaying her request to your companion, whose brow immediately furrows.

"I don't trust this. Like I said, she doesn't know about me." Bunny says, luminous green eyes filled with concern. "I can run around back and try to find another way in, or we could just keep moving. I don't like this, Shu."

You're not quite as uncertain about this situation, since answers have been in short supply since your awakening and nervousness seems to be Bunny's default setting. Though maybe she has a point. Regardless, you generate a few more swarmlings that take up residence on your shoulders.

(BIO: 66%, 4 Swarmlings active)

>>Go to see the Doctor and bring Bunny along with you. Having someone else to draw fire may be invaluable in this turns into an ambush, and the chance to have someone else a little more talkative asking questions may be beneficial.

>>Leave a Swarmling with Bunny and go to meet the Doctor alone. You want answers, but you're not so desperate for them that you'd abandon common sense.

>>Cut connection with your captured swarmling and keep moving. You don't have the time or the patience for possible traps.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3068912
>"What tests?"
>Leave a Swarmling with Bunny and go to meet the Doctor alone. You want answers, but you're not so desperate for them that you'd abandon common sense.
It is the ability to share knowledge that makes mankind stronger than simple beasts. True, we have no reason to trust this Doctor West; but we have no reason to distrust her either. If she can speak, she can be reasoned with. And the chance to gain an ally here is an opportunity that should not be missed.

>>3068912
>>3068932
Ill support this. We need answers and that involves risk, but calculated risk.

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>>3068912
>>3068932
>>3069026

"Wht kind of test?"

She claps her hands together and scribbles her reply as fast as she can.

"If you would be so kind, I would love to examine two or three of your swarmlings with you there to keep them active. Daughters with your abilities usually need to be close by to keep your brood active so it will give us a wonderful opportunity to chat, love."

Mulling this over momentarily, one of your swarmlings obeys your silent command, buzzing over to Bunny's side. You lock your eyes with hers as you send you reply to the doctor.

"As long as they rnt strapped dwn, fine."

Then, to Bunny;

"Stay here, stay hidden, wait for word from me. I'll have my swarmling make a notch on its shell every five minutes or so. If you don't see another notch after a couple of minutes, then just..."

"I'll reach you and we'll get out together, okay?" Bunny cuts you off, her voice filled with a determination and stability you hadn't heard before. You nod wordlessly, and move towards the entrance of Dr. West's compound. The guards you saw before stiffen at your approach but are quickly assuaged by the appearance of the good doctor herself, who beckons you inside. She's taller than you expected, having about four inches on you, and her dirty blonde hair and weathered lab coat seem brighter in the sunlight than in her dim laboratory
.
The inside of the compound is rusty and mismatched, but otherwise clean. You find yourself following West up a series of stairs to her laboratory with her faceless guards left far behind, after which she frees your swarmling. Replacing your eye back to its rightful socket, you send the swarmling back, along with another one from your shoulder for her examination.

(4/6 Swarmlings Active, 3 in short range, 1 with Bunny)

Doctor West sits on a stool and crosses her legs, giving you a once over and a smile before breaking the silence.

"Alright Darling, a test for an answer...what would you like to know?"

CHOOSE ONE:

>>Tell me how the world got like this, what do you remember?"

>>You mentioned others like me, like you. Do you know how or why we became like this?"

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3069061
>Write-in
"Please, start with your tests first. I'd hate to rack up a debt I can't keep."

>>3069073
Also, for our first question when it becomes relevant, I would suggest:
>"Tell me about yourself, Doctor. As much or as little as you feel you should."
Displaying an interest in her as a person, and not just a source of information, may go some way towards establishing her as a personal ally.

Beyond that, we learn about her not just from what shares with us, but how she presents it. And perhaps almost as much again from what she withholds.

>>3069061
>>Tell me how the world got like this, what do you remember?"
Is the more important question i feel, however i do agree with
>>3069073
That seeing what the test is first is a good idea, that way if its bad we can back out with moral superiority.

>>3069061
>>3069105
>>3069131

"Please, start with your tests first. I'd hate to rack up a debt I can't keep."

A smile creeps across the doctor's face, her blue-grey eyes sparkling in the limited light.

"Oh, I thought your would like to be satisfied first, but I see you're very considerate. You're certainly the first Daughter I've met that thinks of others first...I like that. Now, your particular brood, do they respond on their own to cuts or injury? Is there any sort of feedback to you?"

You shake your head in the negative, keeping quiet about your swarmlings' connection to you. You feel a dull pain behind your eyes and in the small of your back, as she flips the wasp over and begins to use a pair of needle nose pliers and a scalpel to pick into the inner workings of your creation, but it's nothing you can't handle.You're quiet as she murmurs to herself, jotting down notes with one of her skinless hands as the other works the scalpel with a master's precision. She places the scalpel to the side and, with a curious look at you, places her bare hand in the open gore-strewn carapace.

The surge that goes up your back and into the back of your eyes nearly makes you fall to the floor. Your hand shoots out to catch yourself on the table, but it's Doctor West's arms that steady you.

"Fascinating!" she exclaims, pulling you to your feet, "It's rudimentary, but the synaptic connection between you and your wasps is unusually refined...but it's nothing I can't impro..."

You grab her by the collar, forcing her face to your level.

"One, don't do that again. Ever. Two, tell me how the world got like this. Tell me what you remember. Now"

(Continued)

>>3069248
Her gaze flits between your eyes as she begins speaking slowly and succinctly,

"I woke up seven months ago, in the hospital not far from here. The last thing I remember before I went into surgery was...there was an eclipse, no-one had said anything about an eclipse. I had just made the first incision when the power went out and the ground started shaking...when I woke up, the skin on my arms was gone and I'd...fundamentally changed. Through the survivors' notes I found, I deduced that I had been in a hibernative state for three years before the changes to my form reached a sort of homeostasis and I regained consciousness. I believe that is what happened to you, to everyone that lived through the event. I built this place to study the flesh, to study the skies...and then I saw it."

She studies your face for a moment before continuing.

"Something...something's enveloped our planet in a sort of semi-permeable membrane, capable to generating its own light, either through bio-luminescence or...I'm still trying to figure that part out, but what's more is that it has a defined point of contact with the Earth's surface, and given what some Daughters have told me, I believe it to be the only one."

She's silent as she gently frees herself from your grasp and settles back in her chair, studying you eyes intently.

You...don't know what to say. You open your mouth before closing it again. Doctor West begins to reach over to your swarmling, but hesitates and merely folds her hands in your lap, awaiting your reply.

"Take your time, Darling. It took me a while to wrap my head around it too...I'm sure you have questions, but I do believe that I have held up my end of the bargain."

She smirks again.

"Though I am certain that we could strike another bargain, if you'd like. I believe that I can augment the connection between you and your brood, which should certainly improve your connection...I would also eagerly answer more questions, for a pittance of biomass. It's up to you."

>>Accept her offer of an upgrade (Optional LEVEL UP, Chance of random side effect.)

>>You have more questions for her (- 30% Biomass, ask one more question)

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3069333
>Accept her offer of an upgrade (Optional LEVEL UP, Chance of random side effect.)
Considering giving her the biomass for free in hopes of getting an ally. I don't have any particular further questions.

>>3069333
>>Write-In
Just leave. Being experimented on when we hardly know her has been iffy enough, letting her tinker on you even to your benefit might not be wise, at least til we know more about her and jist how much we can trust her.

Lets go see this connection to the earth, we have little else to do.

>>3069353
Fair point. I'm not sure how much chance we'll find out about her if we depart now without leaving much of an impression on her, though. Are you averse to leaving her with some spare biomass?

>>3069377
Hrm, were a bit low right? 60%~ right? She wanted like 30% that is no small amount.

>>3069353
support dont even let her keep our swarmlings i dont trust her one bit and if she can improve us she can cripple us or do something to us like leaving a backdoor in the control of our swarm

>>3069415
If we're giving it to her for free, she can't demand anything of us. We could probably give her 10% if we wanted.

>>3069430
>>3069415
(Am I correct in assuming you wish to give her biomass to ask her about herself and passing on the optional level up, or do you wish to simply leave and rejoin Bunny?)

>>3069451
No, I'm considering a write-in of giving her a lesser amount of biomass as a gift or a favor, without asking any questions.

>>3069451
Get power up, don't ask question. Also, has the power up we chose the last time been activated yet?

(Writing now.)

>>3069417
Yeah this is my concern too. She outright hurt us on purpose just for science. My votes simply gonna be my original post for now..

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>>3069333
>>3069461
>>3069353

You stare at Doctor West for a long moment. Then, with a nod, one of your swarmlings is reduced to an amorphous mass of bone shards and formless flesh, the others flying over to land on your shoulders.

"Take it. Do whatever you want with it. We're done here."

She cocks a smile and waves to the exit.

"By all means, darling. I appreciate the gift, and a bit of friendly advice for the road..."

You stop by the door frame, giving her one last look before you depart.

"...the Daughters are not to be trusted, love. They will all work towards their desires...and you will, too."

~~~

"So...hold on a sec, s-something are the world?"

Bunny looks at you incredulously as the two of you put some distance between yourselves and Doctor.

"Basically, yeah. I'm not sure how much stock to put in what she says, but she said that there was a place where it has a point of contact with Earth's surface, so..."

"Should we go there, right?"

Bunny fixes you with an inscrutable expression as the two of you stop, the fleshscape gently thrumming as heavy, humid air settles around you. Suddenly, her determination and focus crumbles once again as she continues to speak.

"I-I mean it's completely up to you," she stutters, "but t-that's the only lead we have so I j-just thought..."

"I think we should, yeah."

She smiles at you for a moment...just before you both hear it.

Immediately turning towards where you both were traveling, you are faced with a screeching, raging herd of canid Amalgams encroaching on your position. It's a wide field of them, and it doesn't look like conflict is avoidable.

HP: 100%
BIO:66% (4 Swarmlings Active)
ACT: 2/2
THREAT: Distant, approaching rapidly.

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3069802
(Note that Bunny is awaiting orders. Lacking true combat capability at this time, you may consider directing her to assist you a bonus action once per round. She is capable of moving two distance zones per movement as opposed to your single one on each movement action.)

>>3069802
Apart from Reassemble and Repurpose, we didn't have any special actions, did we? Can we even Disassemble or Unpurpose?

>>3069868
(Yes, you can. Once those actions are taken, the opposite ones supplement them.)

>>3069802
Take count of total enemy numbers.

Have our swarm aim for headshots at alpha looking ones, and we can consume more biomass from surrounding gunk, right? Do that too.

Bunny should find rocks to throw and/or be our head counter, if that counts as an individual action of ours.

>>3069802
How many actions' worth of movement would it take for our swarm to cover the intervening distance? If just one, have them do that and then attack with our second action.

Meanwhile, Bunny helps us both fall back to a more defensible position.

>>3069925
(They move only one zone's worth of movement from your location currently, so the Amalgam Horde will still get first strike if the choose to attack.)

>>3069802
>>3069925
>>3070002

Your swarm surges forth to strike at the crowd as you shout a command to Bunny.

"It's a pack, so there have to be leaders. Find them, Isabelle!"

With a single salute she's off in a flash, speeding along at an incredible pace to flank the Horde. The moment she kicks off, you kneel to let your palms integrate with the motile earth, drawing a portion of biomass back into yourself.

Your swarmlings ravage what numbers of the horde the spear into as you see six members collapse and get summarily trampled by their fellows, only a moment before snatches of Bunny's yells barely reach you over the din of the rampaging crowd.

"Ther.. arou...hree doze...bu..there's ano...gir....asing them! Sh...eati...m..whol...!"

You're replenished

HP: 100%
BIO:78% (4 Swarmlings Active)
ACT: 2/2
THREAT: Medium Range, Conflict Imminent.

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3070071
Have two swamlings take up positions to simply quickly slow down the horde. Kill, maim, blind,annoy, whatever is fastest to simply get those in lead to slow their pace.

Send two to help bunny, she sounds like she is in trouble.

>>3070071
So they're being chased by something even more terrifying? Alright then. Hopefully that means they won't bother attacking us as long as we avoid getting trampled by them from being in their direct path.

>Move laterally out of the path of the stampede and regroup with Bunny.
and afterwards
>Run the fuck away in that same direction.

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>>3070071

You're not quite certain what's going on with Bunny, but you're not taking any chances. You command two of your four swarmlings to her aid, and start running as fast as you can to her side, flanking the Horde in the process. You realize they are paying neither you nor Bunny any attention. Their reactions aren't those of predators...but prey.

It's when you realize this that you see her, bounding after the horde.

She moves like a wild animal, lanky arms and legs scrambling across the ground, her long strawberry blonde ponytail flailing behind her as she pulls her shirt up, exposing a pair of baby blue jean shorts and a toned midriff...

...that promptly opens diagonally, revealing a torso-wide, ravenous maw, rib-length teeth splayed out to make room for the meaty, prehensile tongue that reaches out and snatches a canid by the throat. She cackles as it reels in so fat you can barely process it, her rib-teeth forming a guillotine that severs the canid at the neck. Blood sprays her manic face, just as bloodshot emerald eyes lock with yours. A smile crosses her lips.

Both of them.

SHU

vs.

RAVENOUS GRIN

HP: 100%
BIO:78% (4 Swarmlings Active)
ACT: 2/2
THREAT: Medium Range, SiBliNG COnFlict

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3070201
Confirm bunnies condition, then form up with her, the four swamlings taking up reactionary positions against the midriff girl to defend you from her. Be careful, ive got a hunch shes not against eating our swarmlings.

>>3070201
Ah, shit. She's got a tongue like a toad's, and all we have to attack her with are a bunch of flies. Wonder if it's possible to talk our way out of this or escape somehow, because I don't feel like this is a fight we'll be winning.

Still, on the assumption that our flies are going to be ineffectual as they are,
>Regroup with Bunny
>Repurpose (Subcutaneous Swarmling)

>>3070201
>>3070223
>>3070259

"Bun, you okay?!"

You yell out to Bunny as she bounds towards you with a thumb's up. She seems fine as she flanks the canids that are scrambling past you as fast as their mismatched limbs will carry them. With your priorities shifted, you realize you'll need more firepower. Your stomach churns and your back aches as a specialized swarmling spawns from you hive, distended belly sloshing with the stomach acid infused within it as it clutches your left forearm. Bunny literally springs towards you from foothold to foothold with quick, efficient bounds, smiling as she approaches...as your foe's attention shifts from you to the subject of your shout.

It sounds like the cracking of a whip when the tongue snatches Bunny's leg and sends her tumbling mid-leap to the porous ground with a painful thud. Bunny's larger than the canids, so the tongue reels her half the distance to its source before Bunny finds a handhold on a stray bone and screams in terror.

HP:100%
BIO: 69% (4 Basic Swarmlings, 1 Acidic Wasp, 5/6 Swarmlings)
THREAT: Close, Bunny grappled

TECHNIQUES

Reassemble (1 ACT): Allows you to combine members of your swarm into larger, more aggressive forms, capable of taking a dealing more damage.

Repurpose (1 Act) You may focus on creating a single Swarmling with your action, taking 9% BIO to do so, but you may imbue the creature with a singular purpose from the options below;

>> (1) Drilling: Imbue a Swarmling with a rotating set stingers that will allow it to bury itself within your prey.

>> (2) Subcutaneous Swarmling: Drain a little of your stomach acid to grant a Swarmling the ability to inject damaging acid into the victim of your choice. (ACTIVE ON ONE SWARMLING)

>> (3) LOCKED UNTIL BIO < 50%

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3070341
Good job bunny, its distracted!

> Send our acid bug straight for her skull!
>Have the other bugs impale the tongue to the ground to hold it in place!

>>3070374
I doubt we'll be able to penetrate her skull with our current firepower. Producing the acid was more on the assumption that she'd eat it, or otherwise cause it to rupture, and damage her tongue in the process. With the being said:

>Send Acidic Wasp to attack the Grin's tongue.
>Repurpose (Drilling)

>Bunny: Struggle.

>>3070416
(Are you re purposing your acidinc swarmling to drill as well, or making a fresh sixth swarmling with a drill?)

>>3070416
Thats fair, but acid to the face is still not fun. Blinding her is not a bad idea. My worry is it might not be strong enough to melt through the tongue, and her stomach/chest mouth might have good acid resistance.

Either way, i think we both agree disabling the tongue and saving bunny is a good idea at least.

>>3070419
Making a fresh drill. I don't assume there to be any synergy in repurposing to an acidic drill, unless we're trying to deliver the acid past her skull instead of to soft tissue. But we don't have the actions to ensure the success of that sort of maneuver right now, though it is something to bear in mind for later.

>>3070441
Makes sense.

Acid the tongue and make a drill swarmling then? Ill back that up.

>>3070430
>Either way, i think we both agree disabling the tongue and saving bunny is a good idea at least.
Agreed. Acid to the tongue was just the most expedient was I could think of. I would also have suggested committing all our flies, but if she eats them all we've got nothing left to defend ourselves with.

>My worry is it might not be strong enough to melt through the tongue, and her stomach/chest mouth might have good acid resistance.
I don't expect the tongue to melt entirely, not when it has enough mass to easily lift an entire dog. But as it's her main weapon, and likely her primary defense, I figure any injury that might hamper it is will increase our odds. Having acid injected directly into any part of your body will still hurt like a bitch.

When she's still shaking off the pain and we're in less danger of a direct attack, I figure we can prepare a proper counterattack against her.

>>3070341
Reassemble
Combining 4 into 2. The mouth is occupied with bunny, who we need to keep distracting her close range. Attack the mouth with acid, the use the swarmling v2 to go directly for crippling. We need to interrogate and assimilate her best qualities. If her best quality is that she becomes a team member, then so be it.

>>3070447
>>3070446
What is it with this specific quest and my timing with posts haha.

>>3070341
>>3070374
>>3070416
>>3070449
>>3070452

You tune out your companion's screams as your four wasps swarm towards the tongue, finger length stingers pinning themselves to the ground, with the Maw's tongue pinned between them. Your acid-filled insect makes a bee-line for her skull as the realizes what you've done, a panic-stricken look crossing her face, eyes locked with your corrosive missile.

Her stomach-maw clamps shut, severing her tongue in a single swift motion as she swings her arm up to block your fifth swarmling's cranial trajectory...a limb that splits down the forearm, bone-shard teeth seizing your acid swarmling by the stinger, holding it steady as it flails furiously in a vain attempt to deliver its payload.

No matter, you have more options. A stabbing pain seethes through you back as the buzzing of your new swarmling bleeding into the high-pitched keen of it's drilling needle piercing the air as it rotates furiously. Meanwhile, your four swarmlings tear free from the girl's disembodied tongue, shifting and recombining into two, skull-sized monstrosities, foot-long daggers protruding from their abdomens as they ready themselves for flight.

You take pride in your creations, at least until you feel the impact. You're send sprawling to the forgiving ground, Bunny racing to your side as you feel the chill of pain erupt across your face and arms where you instinctively tried to block the impact of...what?

The girl's stomach opens grotesquely, a fresh and specialized tongue lolling about in its gaping maw; distended canines protrude randomly from the spike muscular whip shes generated at no small expense to her biomass. For the first time since you've seen her, she speaks, a high, grating voice tearing through your ears.

"You taste *amazing*, cutie~! You're sweet as honey, not so stringy like that other one~! Please c'mere, what's a lick between sisters~?!"

HP:78%
BIO: 51% (2 Greater Swarmlings, 1 Acidic Wasp(Grappled), 1 Lagan Swarmling 4/6 Swarmlings)
THREAT: Close, Bunny close by, ready for orders.

TECHNIQUES

Reassemble (1 ACT): Allows you to combine members of your swarm into larger, more aggressive forms, capable of taking a dealing more damage. (ACTIVE ON TWO SWARMLINGS)

Repurpose (1 ACT) You may focus on creating a single Swarmling with your action, taking 9% BIO to do so, but you may imbue the creature with a singular purpose from the options below;

>> (1) Drilling: Imbue a Swarmling with a rotating set stingers that will allow it to bury itself within your prey. (ACTIVE ON ONE SWARMLING)

>> (2) Subcutaneous Swarmling: Drain a little of your stomach acid to grant a Swarmling the ability to inject damaging acid into the victim of your choice. (ACTIVE ON ONE SWARMLING)

>> (3) LOCKED UNTIL BIO < 50% (CLOSE TO UNLOCK)

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3070511
Have our two bigger swarmlings clear the way for the drill, their goal should be to disable the tongue, or at least distract it so the drill can go for her skull-
- or so we will make it look like. Last second, it should nose divecl to drill through her ribcage and into her heart.

Also have acid bug just melt her arm, pain is a good distraction and it will at least lower her biomass a bit more.

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>>3070511
>1 Lagan Swarmling
>drill swarmling
OP. Now you've done it.

I now have to KICK REASON TO THE CURB and GO BEYOND THE IMPOSSIBLE.

>Bunny: Help us defend against/evade oncoming attacks
>Regenerate swarmlings to max capacity

It's time to use THAT.

>Reassemble (All available swarmlings)

don't actually do this though
actually just do >>3070544
possibly augment the drill swarmling with acid first so it has a payload to deliver

>>3070511
She's smiling at you with both mouths, assured in her victory.

Her smile falters and is replaced by a scream of pain when the acid sprays across her arm.

Your acid wasp punctures its own stomach with its claws in a last-ditch effort to deliver its devastating payload, distracting her enough to where her focus is solely on the two gigantic wasps speeding at her through the hot air of your battlefield. Her tongue lashes out, annihilating one of your larger swarmlings instantly in a spray of gore as the other barely evades the razor-sharp arc, still aiming for her stomach. Suddenly, the tongue turns as she pivots in place, retracing her last attack's arc and catching your second greater swarmling, slamming it into the pulsing earth.

Her attacks are loud and furious...but the shrill cry of your drill rises above it all, coming low at knee-level at ludicrous speed before switching course to aim at the gluttonous girl's heart. She throws herself backwards in an attempt to dodge, but she's nearly too late to completely avoid the impact. Your drilling wasp plunges into her stomach's open maw, her tongue's reach too far out to counter. It spears through the bladed replacement tongue and into the roof of her horrid mouth, the scream that issues from her actual mouth immediately cutting off into a miserable gurgle as she drops to her knees from the pain. Her bladed length, damaged beyond control, is severed by her stomach's teeth after two half-hearted bites. You stand and bear witness to her reaching up inside her second mouth and tearing the stomach-acid drenched wasp free to throw it clear.

Misty emerald eyes meet yours as Bunny keeps her distance behind you, still wary of your exhausted foe. You hold fast, watching the girl try and fail to rise to her feet before a pained chucke echoes from her lips and her belly.

"I...I'm so hungry...will it stop if I'm eaten? I'm so tired of being hungry, sis...I...please, I..."

Tears begin to fall from her drawn cheeks.

The air is hot and stifling as she awaits your judgement.

HP:78%
BIO: 51% (0/6 Swarmlings Active)
THREAT: Incapacitated, Bunny close by & ready for orders.

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3070636
We need more biomass, she attacked us, and made us use our biomass.

We are not evil, but rules of nature and laws of reperations and self defense says we end this threat in the best way to aid us. Kill her and injest her biomass. Let bunny have a bite too if she wants.

>>3070636
Wish we had some way to help her, but all we can give her is the release of death. We can at least try to comfort and console her as we do it. We still have some humanity left in us.

>>3070636
assimilate her teeth-whip tongue, so we have a short range scourge and holding device. We are essentially defenseless in melee

>>3070636
>>3070667
>>3070680

You step towards the girl, as she futilely tries to back away from you along the porous and difficult ground. You drop to one knee at her side and reach out with both hands, touching her shoulders, keeping her in place. Her eyes are a mix of tears and terror, but after a moment of staring into her eyes, she calms her breathing and her eyes mist over. You pull her close with one arm, the other wrapping around the small of her back, bare skin on bare skin.

"It's alright." you whisper, and you feel her go slack in your embrace as you gently rub the small of her back.

"You won't be hungry any more" you say as you begin your mercy, and she weakly brings her arms to your waist and hugs you tightly with what little strength she has left.

"...nk...you..."

Her murmur is almost too weak to be heard clearly, and in a few minutes there's nothing left of her to hear. The only evidence of her existence are her threadbare hoodie and jean shorts left on the ground before you, and a simple, broken cell phone case with a worn Pac-Man charm dangling from its side.

You are vaguely aware of Bunny's muffled sobs in the background, as you focus on what was lost...and what you've gained.

LEVEL UP

CHOOSE *TWO* OF THE FOLLOWING

>>HEALTH
>>BIOMASS
>>SWARMLING
>>TECHNIQUE
>>CONSUME

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3070717
biomass, and the teeth-tongue whip that she used. I got in just before your fresh post. But we are essentially useless at short range, and a scourge paired with holding ability is good when we are co-operative focused.

>>3070717
>SWARMLING
>TECHNIQUE
Continuing to buff our swarm, and give ourself more options in combat.

>>3070717
>>TECHNIQUE
>>CONSUME
Though im not sure exactly what consume is, so ill be willing to let that one get overridden if votes a tie, as im off to work.

Full on wlrhink technique is a good idea though, so votes 100% for it.
Second probably more swarmling only if you need a tie breaker at all.

>>3070739
(CONSUME allows you to integrate the abilities of your foes into a specific mutation of your choice from a list provided if CONSUME is chosen.)

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>>3070748
(Additionally, I will be heading to bed shortly. I will check out the votes when I wake up and resume at 6pm Eastern time tomorrow when I get back from work, though. Thanks for reading, you all are great!)

>>3070748
Voting for consume. Did our swarmling upgrade from the last fight trigger at all?

>>3071346
>two choices
My bad, consume and swarmling

>>3070717
swarmling and consume

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>>3070717

LEVEL UP

>>SWARMLING Lvl. 3 Chosen

You feel the hive on your back shifting, warping in form and function. A single swarmling spawns from your back and flits, silently, to your hand. You blink and your vision swims, and upon closing your eyes your vision is replaced with a segmented view of yourself from your swarmling’s perspective. Your creations ‘ wing beats are considerably muffled, allowing them to fly slowly in complete silence and producing only a barely audible susurration at their normal flying speed. Additionally, you may now see through their eyes without sacrificing any additional biomass.

>>CONSUME Successful. Please choose one new ability from the list below.

>> 1) Abdominal Maw: Replace your stomach cavity with a grotesquely efficient faux-mouth, complete with needle-like teeth and, most importantly, a grasping tongue with an effective reach of seven meters. While the maw’s teeth do not possess the guillotine-like cutting power, nor the speed and adaptability of the original’s tongue, it still remains a force to be reckoned with. Cost: 30% BIO to craft, remains active and obvious on your midsection until dismissed. 15% BIO to replace tongue if severed. (Gains its own upgrade tree if selected.)

>> 2) Ravenous Swarm: Permanently upgrade your swarmlings to boast a larger set of mandibles, allowing them to do damage over time to any foe they are locked or stabbed into onto until they are destroyed. (Considered a Swarmling upgrade and will be upgraded accordingly when SWARMLING is chosen from the level up menu.)

>> 3) Reactive Grin: Shu gains an automatic counter-attack upon impact of her foes’ melee-related abilities. A small, vicious mouth spawns on practically any surface of Shu’s body and attempts to tear a chunk out of the offender. Automatically consumes 5% BIO every activation, but will not make your BIO fall below 0. Additionally, the ability’s activation can be toggled on or off on your turn as a free action.

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3071520
I suggest upgrade 1 or 2. Both open up different upgrade trees and both synergise well with our current ranged combat build, giving us respectively a last line of defense and our own personal ranged attack or else allowing the swarmlings to do continuous damage to the enemy and lock on better. Personally, I am leaning 2 mostly because I think we ourselves could get better powers. I suggest our next upgrade be a BIOMASS upgrade,

Check on Bunny to see if she's okay and if any of the dogs are still around to consume. If they are, have bunny and ourselves eat some of each. If they aren't, continue on in the direction we are going.

>>3071520
>2) Ravenous Swarm: Permanently upgrade your swarmlings to boast a larger set of mandibles, allowing them to do damage over time to any foe they are locked or stabbed into onto until they are destroyed. (Considered a Swarmling upgrade and will be upgraded accordingly when SWARMLING is chosen from the level up menu.)
I heavily favor upgrading our swarm over personal upgrades at the moment, as far as offensive abilities are concerned. Anything that requires our main body to be near the target in order to be useful is too risky for my liking. Damage avoidance upgrades are fine.

>>3071581
Having a second defense would be good if the swarm fails but I too agree that 2 is probably better than 1 as it expands a tree we're already investing in.

To play devil's advocate though, the Abdominal Maw makes us into a perfect zoner as we have 3 tiers of defenses.
>Our swarmlings
>Our tongues
>Our mouth
To engage with enemies at various points of contact. Plus, we can have it on us all the time if we form the mouth too.

>>3071520


>> 1) Abdominal Maw: Replace your stomach cavity with a grotesquely efficient faux-mouth, complete with needle-like teeth and, most importantly, a grasping tongue with an effective reach of seven meters. While the maw’s teeth do not possess the guillotine-like cutting power, nor the speed and adaptability of the original’s tongue, it still remains a force to be reckoned with. Cost: 30% BIO to craft, remains active and obvious on your midsection until dismissed. 15% BIO to replace tongue if severed. (Gains its own upgrade tree if selected.)

>>3071520
>Our swarmlings

>>3071520
>>> 1) Abdominal Maw: Replace your stomach cavity with a grotesquely efficient faux-mouth, complete with needle-like teeth and, most importantly, a grasping tongue with an effective reach of seven meters. While the maw’s teeth do not possess the guillotine-like cutting power, nor the speed and adaptability of the original’s tongue, it still remains a force to be reckoned with. Cost: 30% BIO to craft, remains active and obvious on your midsection until dismissed. 15% BIO to replace tongue if severed. (Gains its own upgrade tree if selected.)

(It looks like both Maw and Swarm have 2 votes each, Gentlemen. I know that >>3071531 was split between those options but I did not wish to move forward until I have a definitive tiebreaker. Voting will close in 30 minutes.)

>>3071706
Maw

>>3071706
Maw

>>3071706
Swarmlings

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>>3071520

You stomach churns as you feel your organs shift and harden, a split opening vertically from your belly button and ending just below your sternum, teeth like needles grinning up at you as you watch yourself change. A slender mass of tongue coils within, ready to strike.

Your body reconfigured, you stand up and turn your attention in Bunny’s direction. You catch sight of her huddled over a trampled canine amalgam, assimilating its crumbling form jerkily with its mass being absorbed in fits and starts. You walk over to her and a snap of bone underfoot causes her to whirl around, hastily wiping her eyes on her sleeve as her misty forest green eyes search yours. She quickly tries to cover her mouth with the back of her hand to hide how she’s changed. You notice her jaw first, her small lips and simple smile replaced with cheeks split open in a Glasgow grin, savagely sharp teeth filling her mouth in haphazard rows, her overbite and the sheer length of her incisors making hiding her new form impossible. Your eyes trail lower to the next obvious change that’s overcome her form. Her oddly jointed legs now angle sharply, a bizarre mix of rabbit and dog that you would assume enhances her speed considerably.

“I…ith thith okay?” she asks sheepishly, her tongue trying to get used to her new mouth, “I jutht…I’m thorry abouth being tho useleth. Y-you thaved me when I couldn’t do anything so…it’s time for me to thtart helping, too.”

Her hand hesitantly drops to her side, and she blushes when she gives her best attempt at a smile. It comes out more as a toothy grimace, but you can tell her heart is in it.

“Ready to get moving?” you ask, nodding westward from whence the Horde and the girl had come. Bunny nods back, bounding ahead of you with even longer strides than before, hopping ahead and waiting for you to catch up.

(Continued)

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>>3071769
The two of you walk in silence for a little while, the subtle thrum of the fleshscape and your squelching foot falls the only noise the breaks up the deafening soundlessness that has fallen upon the world. The smoke from Doctor West’s laboratory has long since faded from sight over your shoulders, though whether from distance or a cessation of the burners you’re not certain.

You glance over at your traveling companion, somewhat surprised at her lack of conversation so far. You can tell there’s something on her mind by the aversion of her eyes whenever you focus on her face, but she’s mainly just bounded ahead of you and waited for you to catch up, the two of you settling into a comfortable sort of rhythm in your travels. You’re not sure if you should do something to break the silence or simply continue on like this until you reach some sort of landmark to break up the bright crimson scenery.

>>You may as well ask her something. This silence is starting to get unnerving and you’re curious about (write-in question).

>>Break up the monotony by telling her something about yourself (Your hobbies, your family, or a simple write-in subject are options, Shu will expand further depending on choice).

>>You feel like you’ll find a place to rest soon enough, no need to break stride now with useless conversation.

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3071775
>Ask her about why she chose to go for a jaw mutation and what she remembers from her life before this
>Tell her about how we're jealous that she can run fast; we used to run track after all.

>>3071783
Yeah sure this works

(Gentlemen, I will be traveling back home shortly and will resume writing in 2-3 hours. Thank you for reading and I'll be back soon.)

>>3071775
Backing >>3071783

>>3071783
>>3071820
>>3071935

“Hey,” you begin, and Bunny turns to face you, “Why’d you go for a jaw mutation? I mean, it looks pretty sick, but I’m curious.”

Scarlet floods her cheeks as she touches the side of her face before she replies sans lisp.

“Um…the dogs, they didn’t have any useful claws, so I t-thought ‘Hey, I can bite stuff instead’…they’re stupid though, right? I m-mean, what am I gonna do, just run up to somebody real fast and shove my face at them go all ‘om nom nom’ on them?”

You shrug. “Hell, it’s basically what that girl did and it seemed decent. You’ll make it work.”

She chuckles, an odd sound coming from her strange new mouth.

“Those legs though, I’m jealous.” you continue, and Bunny’s eyes widen, “I used to run track, I would’ve ki…”

You wince at a considerably poor choice of words.

“…I just would’ve really liked to have had those.”

“I uh…that’s cool that you ran track. I wasn’t really in shape before…all this.” She says, gesturing at the flesh-and-bone horizon. “I went to class and just played online…I was in the middle of a game when the power went off and I felt…it’s where Bunny comes from, y’know? Kids in high school used to make fun of me ‘cause of my teeth, but after a while I just decided to own it, just freaking embrace it. I abbreviated it, I went by B-apostrophe-n-I, killed it online, and it didn’t hurt anymore. I started having fun, but yeah…I got off on a tangent, I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

You hold up a hand and give your best attempt

“No, I don’t mind B’ni. It’s nice to talk…it’s been a while. I’m not the best at talking, really, but I do like to listen.”

B’ni doesn’t meet your eyes as she hops ahead a few meters while pointedly facing away from you, though you still catch a shade of nervous red on the sides of her face and neck.

“O-oh…um, that’s cool. So, uh…I’m like, an open book if you have anything you want to know, so…”

She turns to you, a contemplative and earnest look on her face as she address you full-on.

“Shu, I…I know you don’t really trust me, and t-that’s okay, we’ve only known each other a couple of hours… I know you keep me at arm’s length because you’re worried I’ll do something to hurt you, but…you know what?”

She smiles again, teeth bared in her best approximation of one as the corners of her green eyes shine at you.

“I owe you so much, and I want to earn your trust. I know it’ll take time and I’m happy to work at it. If you need me to walk ahead, or scout, or anything you need me to do to help you trust me, I’ll do it. I was so, so scared that I was the only person left that wasn’t a monster, o-or crazy, or…but then I met you. I…guess this is a roundabout way to say thank you, Shu.”

Huh. Neat.

You’re not quite sure what to say.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3072030
>You owe me so much? What makes you say that? All I've really done is not kill you.

>>3072118
I mean, i cant think of anything else to say, so sure.

>>3072118
this

>>3072118
supporting

>>3072118
Is in character, I like it.

>>3072030
>>3072118

"You owe *me* so much?" you ask, raising your eyebrow, "What makes you say that? All I've really done is not kill you."

B'ni seems taken aback as she stammers her response.

"I-I mean y-yeah, but I...I just...you." she stops for a moment, searching your face.

"Do you really not...?"

A scream echoes across the skinfields, followed by a muffled explosion just over a ridge to the south. B'ni stares into the distance, crouched low in a runner's stance before glancing back up at you.

"What do we do?"

>>"Stay low, we'll get to the ridge and see what's going on. With a blast that loud, I'm not sure I want to engage."

>>"We stay put, I'll send a swarmling ahead as a scout. Stay alert and warn me the second you get a sense of danger, got it?"

>>"Yeah. Explosives can go fuck themselves with my build. Let's keep moving...and I'd like you to elaborate on what you just said."

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3072381
Swarmling

>>3072381
>"We stay put, I'll send a swarmling ahead as a scout. Stay alert and warn me the second you get a sense of danger, got it?"

>>3072381
>>"We stay put, I'll send a swarmling ahead as a scout. Stay alert and warn me the second you get a sense of danger, got it?"

(Gentlemen, I am afraid that I will have to turn in for the night, but I will be resuming tomorrow afternoon, time permitting. Additionally, any advice or questions are welcome. I am always seeking to improve your experience when I QM. Thank you for participating!)

>>3072381
>"We stay put, I'll send a swarmling ahead as a scout. Stay alert and warn me the second you get a sense of danger, got it?"

>>3072381
>>"We stay put, I'll send a swarmling ahead as a scout. Stay alert and warn me the second you get a sense of danger, got it?"

Can we shrink the swarmling with reporpurse? The one that has eyes we can look through. It may reduce resolution or field of vision but if we make it indetectable... awesome amirite?

>>3072381
>swarming scout plan
>what were you saying? Is it because you just became part dog?

>>3072381
>>3072518
>>3073050

"B'ni, stay sharp. I'm going to scout ahead."

REPURPOSE (BIO: 41%, Free Swarmling Perk Triggered!)

A surge runs up your spine as you generate a swarmling, reconfiguring its mass and stripping down all unnecessary functions until a small, pinky-length swarmling crawls from the back of your neck and down your arm to settle on the back of your hand. You give it a once over, noting the combination of smaller, nigh-silent wings and a miniature stinger. You blink, and you find that the second sight through your swarmling remains sharp and clear, perfect for recon.

You send it on its stealthy way, navigating slowly around the hill, a dilapidated and overgrown town coming into view roughly a hundred yards ahead of you, the collection of squat, single-story homes having escaped your notice with the hilly surroundings. One of the buildings lies smoking and ruined from the explosion that rocked the landscape only seconds earlier, and a shift in the smoke catches your attention. A flurry of movement flails out of the smoke, a girl around your age sprinting out of the haze with orange bulbous growths jiggling along her left arm, alien on her athletic form. She tears one free with her right hand and flings it back into the haze where it erupts into a second violent explosion, though with less power than the first. The target of her desperate attacks becomes immediately and intimidatingly clear, the smoke parting as a colossal shape rises from the remains of the destroyed home.
(Continued)

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>>3073279

It utterly dwarfs any Amalgam you’ve encountered so far. Its deformed, muscular forearms drag its slug-like lower body along, a vertical mouth flanked by a pair of smaller arms running along the length of its body as yard-long teeth chatter independently of each other. The enormous upper body tapers to an almost comically-small head, a furious and unchanging expression plastered on its face, with a smaller, child-like set of eyes and mouth on the larger one’s forehead. It half-crawls, half-slithers after the girl, with her putting increasing distance between the two of them.

Then she just stops.

Mid-run, she seizes in place, unmoving, her expression frozen in fear, eyes glazed over. The creature slowly closes the distance and reaches out, gently plucking her from the ground and transferring her into a bear-hug, the smaller set of arms and motile teeth locking around her in an impromptu cage. The moment she’s locked in she springs back into motion. Utter bewilderment mixes with fear as her screams are muffled by the arms restraining her, unable to reach her explosives. Slowly, ponderously, the giant turns back to where it came from, slithering into the smoking ruins of the simple home and disapprears.

The sound of B’ni’s voice cuts through your focus, and you shift your attention from your swarmling to your own field of vision.

"What's going on, I heard a another explosion? Do we need to run?"

You tell her what you just saw, watching her consider the facts in silence before she speaks again.

"I...what are we going to do?"

You fix your gaze on hers and consider your options.

>>"I'm running low on biomass, and where there's other people and Amalgams, there's bound to be what we need. I think between the two of us, we can pick through there without running into that thing."

>>"If we play our cards right, I think we can replenish my biomass and mount an ambush for that giant. If that girls still alive, maybe a rescue can give us strength in numbers and a feast with that creature. Win-win."

>>"There's too many blind spots in that town, and I don't like how that thing slipped away from sight for being so big. We bypass the town, it's too much risk for too little a reward."

>>Write-in

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3073299
Ambush would work well. Our Swarmlings would be just perfect for taking out that thing's eyeballs and it'll give Bni a chance to learn to fight.

However, we should ask for her input too. I think eating the girl AND the long-mouth monster would be for the best. Lets see if there's any biomass nearby to absorb first before we give it a whack.

>>3073299

>>Write-in

The amalgam has a mounstrous size but it is oddly how it didn't ate our sister. There must be an ulterior motive to it. Let's give it chase but remain hidden. My swarmling can spy on it

>>3073299
>>3073321

>The amalgam has a mounstrous size but it is oddly how it didn't ate our sister. There must be an ulterior motive to it. Let's give it chase but remain hidden. My swarmling can spy on it

Also goddamn I missed so much of the quest but I'm happy it's updating once more.

We do need to invest some more into our own defense, just in case someone breaks through our swarmlings and targets us

>>3073299
>Bypass the town. Too risky.

>>3073299
Scout it out closer with our swarmlings before committing.

I'd like to rescue her and expand our group - more people means more firepower if we need to hunt or defend ourselves - but that thing seems to have the ability to remotely and completely suspend a person's mental processes or something similar, which is utterly terrifying.

>>3073321
This, but lets keep,
>>3073430
Words in mind. That girl freezing up isnt a good thing at all.

(Finishing up a daw of work now, will post either before I leave for home or immediately upon my return two hours from now. Thanks for participating, and welcome back to those of you that have returned!)

>>3073299
>>3073321
>>3073430
>>3073445

You bite you lower lip in thought for a moment, before giving your answer.

“We’re going in. I’ll scout ahead with my swarmling as we go and I need you keep stay alert, head on a swivel. We’re going to take it slow and steady, try to find that girl and then get the hell out. Got it?”

B’ni nods furiously and grabs your hand in hers, both of you crouched low as she leads the way into the town. You shift focus to your swarmling again, giving chase after the unnerving giant. Your swarmling flits through the settling haze, and as visibility returns to the area, you realize how the creature disappeared so quickly; a vast, yawning abyss opens before you into bare earth and darkness. Given the curvature of the tunnel walls, you would guess that it curves towards the center of town. Shifting focus back to your current position, you and B’ni are pressed flat against the wall of a home two doors down from the one your swarmling inhabits. She turns to you, keeping her voice low.

“Good news and bad news. Good news, there’s a really pretty church in the center of town, looks pretty old and the stained glass looks like it’s still intact, so that’s nice.” She gives you a half-hearted smile before she continues, “So, uh…bad news is that there are a ton of amalgams out there, but...it’s weird, just…look for yourself, Shu.” You cock your eyebrow at her and slide along the wall to carefully peek around the corner.

You feel a chill run down your spine.

(Continued)

>>3073604
You are met with the sight of dozens of amalgams, most of them vaguely humanoid in size and shape but every one you see are clearly molded together from a variety of creatures into an unsettling facsimile of the human form. What’s more, they seem to be existing in a bizarre state of harmony, all of them miming routines that would have been commonplace before the world ended. You see a tall humanoid with an umbilical tether to a vaguely canine creature, two smaller humanoids tottering after them as they all simply pace back and forth in front of a collapsed home. You spy another one, standing out in what used to be a yard, hand fused with a long, intestine-like tube, from which gurgles a stream of bile that splatters at its feet, its body swaying from side to side to evenly ‘water’ its property.

Their eyes, though…it’s the eyes that get you.

Grey, glazed, or rotten, their lifeless eyes stare off into nothingness. It becomes increasingly obvious to you, with their varying states of decay, that these amalgams have not been alive for some time. Like a grotesque Christmas window display they all just follow pre-programmed routes, bodies long since devoid of life but given purpose at another’s whims. You turn back to B’ni.

“T-that’s a little weird, right?” she asks.

You make a face at her, making a mental note to have her define her personal spectrum of ‘weird’ to you at a later date. For now though, you need more information.

>>Send a drone to the church and try to find an entrance while you and B’ni stay put...though you’re not sure if one of the amalgam’s routes will bring them by your position.

>>Send your drone into the tunnel. You have limited sight in the dark but it’s better than simply wasting time bussing around town.

>>The amalgams appear to be dead, but getting a better look at how they’re animated like they are wouldn’t hurt, and you may be able to use some of them to replinish your own biomass.

>>Write-in

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3073609
Find some way to climb up onto one of the buildings' roofs. If we stay low, we should be able to stay out of sight of any amalgams on the ground, and the height should give B'ni a good vantage point to keep watch for anything approaching us deliberately.

After that,
>Send a drone to the church and try to find an entrance

>>3073609
>>Send a drone to the church and try to find an entrance while you and B’ni stay put...though you’re not sure if one of the amalgam’s routes will bring them by your position.

>>3073609
>Take a closer look at the puppets

>>3073609
I posted a bit early, so I'll wait to continue for about ten more minutes before resuming.)

>>3073609
>>3073625
>>3073645

"Let's get to the high ground. If these things are just going through the motions then there's no reason why their normal paths would take them to the roof, so we'll be safer there." you say, gesturing to the top of the home you're creeping near. "Help me get up there?"

B'ni nods hastily and gives you a boost at the gable's lowest point. You struggle to help her up in turn, noting your unfortunate lack of upper body strength and your companion's fairly toned physique as you do so. Track made you a great runner, but you realize belatedly that you skipped arm day more often than you should have.

You shift focus, settling into a concealed position on the roof as you command your drone to approach the church's facade. You exercise caution by flying just below the sight lines of the amalgams glancing at them as you pass, noting a peculiar threading running along and through their bodies. It's a strange weave of purple and alabaster, organized into collection of thin, reflective strands that you haven't seen on amalgams thus far.

Reaching the church doors with little issue, but they have no seam that your drone could effectively pass through. Instead, you decide to take the high road, forcing your swarmling to ascend and latching on to the side of one of the massive stained glass windows, peering through the warped glass at the interior.

(Continued)

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>>3073749
Dim light filtering through the glass couples with crude candlelight to give the place an eerie rainbow coloration, illuminating a long table that seems to be fashioned from the remains of the church pews, Seats run up both sides of the immense creation...seats you wish were empty.

In each chair sits an amalgam, twitching randomly with cups, cutlery, and various other items seemingly sewn into their fingers...save for the head of the table.

A girl, looking no older than seven, sits at a tall, stately chair, gesturing animatedly to the rotting crowd. You can tell her dress was at one time quite lovely but now rests threadbare upon slender shoulders, though for all this child's posturing you can tell she considers herself a princess, her dramatic flourishes highlighting an exaggeratedly reagal air. Her long black hair flails about with every gesture as she seemingly converses with her guests, andyou can tell it hasn't been cut or washed in years. Suddenly, her attention shifts to a point just outside your view, her face lighting up as a massive form lumbers into the frame.

The giant, at the child's gesture, tears a guest from their seat and flings them out of view before manhandling the girl from earlier into the vacated chair. The girl's eyes go wide at the state of her dinner companions and she immediately tries to rise...only for her to stiffen, collapsing back into her chair with all the grace of a plastic store mannequin. Moments later she regains mobility, trying to get out another way before seizing up again. At this, the child appears to scowl and, striding over to the girl like an indignant mother, plucks at the air at random, flinging her hands this way and that before donning a satisfied look and hopping playfully back to her seat.

The girl regains her motor functions but makes no moves, the orange color going out of her explosives as tears begin to stream down her cheeks, much to the frustration of her hostess.

You turn to B'ni.

"It's a fucking dollhouse. This whole goddamn place is the dollhouse for a girl that pulls the strings of these things and the giant we saw."

The color drains from B'ni's face as she looks at the church.

"We...we need to get out of here, Shu. I know you want to help that girl b-but this just isn't worth it...I can't think of any scenario where this ends well for us."

She searches your face, a pleading expression on her features.

"I...it's up to you. I'll follow your lead, but just please, *please* think about this."

>>Write-in

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

i say we get out honestly it isnt worth it as she said

>>3073805
"...You're right. Let's go."
Much as we'd hate to admit it, we've got a snowball's chance in hell of succeeding here. And forcing B'ni into this against her will also leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

>>3073805
Make a swarmling with acid and drill, send it straight into the puppeteer girl's brain and finish her off. Send other swarmlings in after to sting spam until we make sure she's dead.

>>3073805
sneak towards the church and send the stealth drone off to cut the weave from some farther away dolls. If she sends the giant away to check it out we should be able to overpower her quickly and easily.

>>3073905
Her most significant asset isn't the giant; it's the filament that she's certainly using to control everything in town:
>You exercise caution by flying just below the sight lines of the amalgams glancing at them as you pass, noting a peculiar threading running along and through their bodies.
and
>the child [...] plucks at the air at random, flinging her hands this way and that before donning a satisfied look [...] The girl regains her motor functions but makes no moves[...]

I'm inclined to suspect there may be some mental aspect to the control too; physically restraining someone with wires doesn't cause their expression to freeze or eyes to glaze over.

But realistically speaking, we don't really have any proper idea of the full extent of her abilities or what their weaknesses are. We don't even know how deep we are into her domain, or how far we need to run to escape her influence, should she direct it at us.

If we do decide to go for it regardless, I'd say we need to go full stealth and attack her while she's unaware of us, killing her in one strike. Because I'm terrified of finding out what she can bring to bear for a counterattack.

>>3073902
This is our best bet. An assassination is the best we can hope for.

Were too low on biomass though, we need more and this is a big spend on a hit or miss. It might be best to replenish our supply first.

(Gentlemen, just to be clear; you're going for the sneak attack option with a combined acid-drill swarmling?)

>>3073805
Once you figure his stand he is just another fool. How can we fight this one without risking becoming controlled? I also believe that the threads can do both phyisical and mental control.

We understand that the sisten can controll every amalgam we can see and that she can sense them all, probably. Also, let's remember how the Expurishion sister was controlled.

>Then she just stops. Mid-run, she seizes in place, unmoving, her expression frozen in fear, eyes glazed over.

It seems The puppeter sister can project her strings through at least one controlled amalgam (the giant) but it would be safe to asume that she can see through all the eyes there are. Luckly we have not been spotted by the... townspeople, right? WE HAVEN'T BEEN SEEN RIGHT?

Oh shit this is impossible, we can't risk it! Let's turn tail and keep looking for the center. Sorry explosion sister....

>>3074011
(You remain undetected.)

>>3074014
O̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶u̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶n̶k̶.̶

What's the maximum range of our swarmlings? I'm still inclined towards leaving, but if we do end up going for the assassination, I'd rather do it from as far away as possible so we can immediately leg it if it turns pear-shaped.

And also have the swarmling commit suicide if it fails the attempt so she can't take advantage of our mental link with it, if that's a thing she can do.

If y'all are so keen on murdering the pupetter sister and (let's face it) probably having to kill explosion sister as well...

Repurporse 4 swarmlings into Spy Drones. Each one should look better at a certain frequency of light; at a certain colour. That way we could notice the threads more clearly, if they are purplish and sort-of can refract light.

I think that way we could avoid the threads or at least notice how does she controlls everything. Is the gargantuan amalgam a hub of threads or all the wires stream from the sister herself?

With that information we could try something else. We don't eat, we don't sleep, h*ck we probably don't breathe. If y'all so keen on murder, why don't we observe for days and wait our opportunity, after figuring out her wire-power?

>>3074026
Yeah, the worse that can happen is that she can control the swarmling and control us by proxy. Inmediate game end.

Another thing to study is the range. The gargantuan amalgam was in close proximity of the fake town when we saw it abducting Explosion sister. Maybe 100 meters?

>>3074011
>>3074026
>>3074027
My issue is, shes too powerful, and clearly greedy. Letting her live might come back to bite us in the ass later. It almost always does.

>>3074026
(Maximum effective range is currently 100 meters. After that, control becomes less precise and visual connection starts to blur. Drones send over 150 meters away will cease to function unless you move closer to them.)

(Also, to be clear; crafting a dual-purpose swarmling or two large ones would cost approximately 18% BIO and bring you to 29% capacity.)

>>3074036
HOLD A MOMENT!!
When pupetter sister instructed the monster to make a spot for the new girl, the explosion lady recovered her movement for an instant.

1.- Or she resisted the control
2.- Or the pupeteer can't control that much at the same time.
3.- Both happened at the same time.

If this goes on... If we fight the pupeteer head on, she may not be able to capture us both but will resort in using the amalgam... all of them or only the gargantuan? Dunno. If the chance so arises, explosion lady could get free and explode the pupeteer since she's the closest

>>3074036
I don't know - she shows no inclination towards leaving her domain. And she likely can't outpace us over land, even if she were chasing us, once we're out of her effective range. If we leave without alerting her towards our existence, she has no reason to pursue us. And if we meet her again, it'll be by coincidence rather than a direct result of our actions here.

>>3074027
I'm not particularly keen on murder myself; I'm more in favor of running. I do personally want to rescue the captive, but the risks are too high for ly liking.

I'm just planning for the possibility that the vote swings towards a rescue attempt, in which case the most effective way to go about it would be an assassination. And then it turns out that the little girl isn't the main body; the main body is the giant and the little girl is just a lure like an anglerfish's.

(Gentlemen, voting with close in ten minutes.
Executing a sneak attack appears to be the prevailing vote.)

>>3074052
Consider this:

She's a little girl. She bears herself like a princess. She brings people in and gives them seats at her table. She gets frustrated when her guests move to leave, but she gets also frustrated when they give up on leaving and do nothing but cry.

She wants guests, or perhaps friends, to entertain and be entertained by. Someone who will willingly dine with her and speak with her and stay with her. Not like those lifeless automatons outside, or that giant beast that's probably more like a pet to her.

She didn't bind the girl not because she couldn't (or at least not only because she couldn't) but because she doesn't want to.

>>3074080
Might actually be true... could we uh.... convince her to follow us? she's 7 "We are taking you to mom and dad, come with us"

"nooo dad touch me in weird places!!" Bad End we all die.
-----------------

My vote is NOPE THE HELL OUT OF THERE

>>3074091
Indeed. I only brought up the idea in response to yours; it didn't remotely factor into my vote. The slim possibility that we might be able to talk our way through this doesn't mean I have any faith in our actual ability to. As much as I want allies, I wouldn't try it.

>>3073805

You've made up your mind.

(REPURPOSE x REPURPOSE)

(Violent Injector Swarmling spawned, -18% BIO)

HP: 86%
BIO: 29%

From within your hive scrawls a wickedly barbed thing, wings flickering in anticipation as a potent stinger revolves slowly, first one way, then another, a needle-point of acid coalescing at the tip.

It travels far above the mockeries of a world long gone, far above the shining filaments that criss-cross the town below, and comes to settle next to its diminutive kin. Locating a cracked area in the stained glass, your specialized swarmling wiggles through the gap as you direct it to slip behind the child. Her gesticulation continues, a rambling, high pitched drone the only sound your insect can transmit to you as you creep closer.

You see the captive girl more clearly, now. Short red hair frames a pale, freckled face, bright red eyes blurry with tears, breathing labored from the efforts of her struggle. She hiccoughs and swallows hard, sending another miserable look to her hostess, her eyes suddenly going wide.

Her eyes are locked on your drone.

(Continued)

(Wait, are you sure the vote wasn't 'bounce'? I read through all of the posts and it seems like the prevailing thought was 'We should probably leave, but IF WE DON'T then do XYZ'.)

>>3074162
Too late! Time for sum fun!

>>3074162
There were 2 for assassination; 1 for distracting the giant and then overpowering the girl; and 2 discussing at length for fleeing, but if we don't then what do we do.

Being one of those for fleeing, I'm not thrilled about this outcome, but I can see the argument for the overall sentiment being aggression.

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>>3074136
She instantly averts her attention to her knees, her focus intent on anywhere but her hostess as an angry orange color begins to filter in to the cysts on her left arm. Five meters, four meters, your swarmling is closing the gap by the second as you take no chances on even muffled wing beats giving you away, inching along on the ancient wooden floor, thick with dust and grime to muffle your claws. You glance back to the redhead, and from your position you see her generating a small, brightly glowing sphere from underneath the table, out of the child's line of sight.

The hostess is quiet for a moment. You hear the high pitch of a question being raised. No answer. Another, clearly directed at her impertinent guest, the child's voice getting higher and more irate.

Two meters.

The girl finally raises her eyes to the child, a defiant smile on her lips as she flicks the glowing marble underneath the table and towards her hostess.

One meter.

There is a loud pop and a flash, the child recoiling from the explosion that shatters the table and sends splinters flying everywhere. The puppet master flings herself away from the blast to the floor behind her now-overturned chair.

She looks up in time for the needle to find her eye socket.

Your connection to your drone is suddenly cut as a series of rapid explosions rock the church. B'ni taps your arm excitedly and as you raise up and strain your eyes to see what she's trying to show you. You focus in time to watch the town's populace collectively collapse on the spot as the doors of the church explode off their hinges, a red-headed blur sprinting from the crumbling church as fast as her legs will carry her. B'ni leans closer to you.

"Should we...uh. Stop her?"

>>Write-in.

>>3074197
Clever girl.

>"No - but we should start running too, in case that wasn't enough to do that thing in. And we may as well go with her, while we're all headed in the general direction of 'away'. Safety in numbers and all that."

>>3074209
I am all in for away

>>3074197
Backing >>3074209

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>>3074197
>>3074209
>>3074277

"No - but we should start running too, in case that wasn't enough to do that thing in. And we may as well go with her, while we're all headed in the general direction of 'away'. Safety in numbers and all that."

B'ni hesitates for a moment before leaping down from the roof and helping you follow suit. You step out from behind the home and into the path of the red-haired girl. She freezes, the globules on her arm roiling with explosive fluids as she fixed you with a furious scowl. In response, you merely allow one of your swarmlings to crawl from near your shoulder-blades and perch on your forearm. The girl's eyes widen, though she still has her limb armed and ready, her right arm cocked for a quick throw.

"You..." she says, her voice coming out huskier than you expected from what you'd seen of her. "...it was your bug that..."

"Her name is Shu and she just saved you, yeah. What do you say to putting those things away?"

B'ni makes her presence known, legs tensed, ready to strike as she stalks to your side. The girl looks at her arm and chuckles.

"I can't really dis'arm' myself, now can I?" She throws her head back and laughs at her own joke, prompting B'ni to shoot you a sideways glance.

"But seriously though, can we cut the crap?" she says, staring you down. "We both know there's only one way this can go. I've seen what happens when daughters gang up, and I'm gonna try and avoid being picked fucking clean as long as I can, bitch."

A low, guttural growl resounds from deep within B'ni's throat as she bares her teeth, and your swarmling chitters anxiously from the tension in the air.

This could go one of several ways, and you know you need to think fast.

>>Write-in

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3074323
>"Have you? I can't say I have, so I'm kind of just doing what I feel like."

(Gentlemen, I will be stopping here for tonight and will be resuming tomorrow afternoon. Thank you for participating and know that this session did not go where I was expecting it to in the best of ways.Due to how low your Biomass fell over the play session, you actually ended up scoring a critical hit against the child and bypassing her defenses entirely. Thank you for participating, you're great!)

Argh I just don't get it! How did we broke free explosion sister from the spell! Did we manage to pierce pupeteer sister even tough we lost "connection" to our drone? It had a trajectory and all.

I don't understand!

>>3074372
(The strands were a specialization possessing a similar underlying effect to what Doctor West was able to do on contact, though with less control. They share the same class, incidentally.)

>>3074323
>"I didn't help you out to 'pick you clean'; I'd probably have waited until just after you were dead to fly in if I wanted that. Or actually ambushed you just now instead of stepping out for a chat. I don't want to fight you; please don't force me to.

>"First off, let's get out of here. I don't want to assume that girl's dead and then be unpleasantly surprised when she isn't."

>>3074387
but how did the sister managed to make her explosion? Or the pupeteer wasn't coincious of what she was doing and thus coulnd't prevent it? Did we took a part on that exhange at all, besides being seen by explosion sister?

>>3074397
Backing this. We need to get to safety, then we can decide if we want to team up or not.

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Organic 'guns', yea or nay?

These could potentially range from muscles that spit out bone fragments, teeth, or even corrosive/toxic/poisonous projectiles.

>>3074561
I mean, i dont see why they wouldn't be possible in some form or another, but as for us ourselves taking it? I feel we have enough range. Unless were just ignoring close combat and only going for mid and long that is.

>>3074323
Backing >>3074397

>>3074397
Backing this too

>>3074397
Back this. See if there's some biomass to consume. Should we go back and make sure she's dead?

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>>3074323
>>3074397

The red-head’s level stare flicks between you and B’ni as you place a calming hand on your companion’s tense shoulder, her growl subsiding to a hum of irritation. Slowly, painstakingly, the color drains from the girl’s explosives.

“…Alright.” She says, letting out a shaky sigh. “Okay then. Let’s get the hell away from this shithole and we can chat or whatever when we’re safe, ‘kay?”

You nod, and the three of you skirt around the town and continue westward.

***
B’ni is the first to break the silence, the three of you having marched in an uncomfortable silence for the better part of an hour to put as much distance between you and the dollhouse as possible before resting.

“You haven’t told us your name, red.”

“You didn’t ask, doggo.” The girl shoots back coolly, kicking a stray bone shard peeking above ground.

“You…fine. You can call me B’ni.”

The red-head lets out a scoff that makes your head throb, the start of a headache starting to form in your temples.

“Oh okay so we’re using made up names, that’s fucking neato.”

B’ni opens her mouth to say something before you shoot her a look, and the other girl chuckles.

“Nah, it’s cool, I can work with this, Doggo. Hm…Rach…Ra…”

The girl snaps her fingers as a grin spreads across her face.

“Rath! Fuck yeah, call me Rath. Hell yes, it’s the apocalypse, I’m gonna embrace the edgelord.”

“Do edgelords cry like bitches where you’re from?” you hear B’ni mutter under her breath so only you can hear, your headache intensifying.

You feel like you may need to speak up so that this doesn’t escalate.

>>”Hey, the next ruin we see we should set up camp. We’ve had a hell of a day and I don’t think we can keep up this pace forever. We’ll figure out where to go from there when we’ve had some time to chill out, alright?”

>>”Rath, how long have you been awake and traveling? Do you just have the explosives or have you assimilated any other mutations? We’ll make it fair, you tell us about you, we’ll share. Sound good?”

>>Lean close to B’ni to whisper, “Hey, cool it. This kid almost died, she’s bound to be punchy after all that. Just let up a little bit and maybe she’ll chill out, too.”

>>Write-in

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3074916
>>”Hey, the next ruin we see we should set up camp. We’ve had a hell of a day and I don’t think we can keep up this pace forever. We’ll figure out where to go from there when we’ve had some time to chill out, alright?”

AND GET ALL CHUMMY WITH RATH SO ISABELLA GET JEALOUS MUAHAHAHAHAHA

>>3074916
>”Rath, how long have you been awake and traveling? Do you just have the explosives or have you assimilated any other mutations? We’ll make it fair, you tell us about you, we’ll share. Sound good?”
>”Hey, the next ruin we see we should set up camp. We’ve had a hell of a day and I don’t think we can keep up this pace forever. We’ll figure out where to go from there when we’ve had some time to chill out, alright?”
>"How about instead of trying to be the meatworld's best comedian the both of you keep an eye out for Biomass, yeah?"

>>3074916
>"Isabelle, Rachel, let's set up camp soon."

"Isabelle, Rachel, let's set up camp soon. I don't like the look of those clouds up ahead." you say groggily, the pressure at your temples starting to constrict your field of vision. B'ni's shoulders stiffen, red starting to fill her cheeks at the admonishing use of her real name. Rath just shrugs and continues striding along the terrain.

“Rath, how long have you been awake and traveling? Do you just have the explosives or have you assimilated any other mutations? We’ll make it fair, you tell us about you, we’ll share, and we’ll find a place to rest while we talk. Sound good?”

Rath looks you up and down.

“Well, Ive been awake two days, fought my first mish-mash a couple of hours after I got up. Got the explosives from it, fight was pretty easy since my OG power let me make some rookie mistakes.”

You start to ask what she woke up with, but Rath shoots you a toothy grin, digging her fingers into the skin on her left arm and tugging hard. With a sickening crunch and the wet sound of ripping flesh, she tears the limb free and slings it over her shoulder as the disembodied limb gives you a thumb’s up. Viscous strands of bright orange liquid trail from it back to the stump, and with a shake of Rath’s shoulder, the limb falls and dangles for a moment before the strands reel back in, joining limb and body once more. The seam sizzles briefly with a bright glow until sealed shut, the wound completely gone. Rath laughs at B'ni' incredulous expression, the sound doing nothing to help your growing headache.

"It's just the best goddamn thing in the world, right?! Like, it's just so fucking metal it blows my mind."

"Hey, look up ahead!" B'ni's timely interruption drawing your attention to a wholly different terrain breaking up the horizon.

A towering forest of white, slender trees stretches across your field of view, and even underfoot small strands of white are becoming visible. Rath absent-mindedly kicks on with her foot, a loud crack sounding from the spot as the strand clatters along the ground, looking more like a broken bone than any sort of flora in the old world. You stoop down to pick it up, feeling along its broken length before attempting to assimilate it.

(BIO +7%)

Damn, this stuff is pretty dense.

"Okay, let's set up at the edge of that forest. We'll have some visibility without getting surrounded by trees, and they're a good source of biomass. We can figure out what to do after that, alright?"

Both girls nod, and you continue on.

(Continued)

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>>3074941
B'ni inmediately starts gathering scraps of fallen bones, sorting the small ones into a pile for consumption and stacking the larger limbs to form a sort of simple hut. Rath, on the other hand, begins scaling a tree by tearing her arm off again and looping it around the back, inching up the alabaster spire.

You don't even question it as you lean against the tree that B'ni is working near, slumping down and lazily absorbing a handful of the bone shards she'd collected.

"Shu...are you okay? I didn't want to say anything in front of her, but you look really tired."

B'ni kneels down next to you, putting the back of her hand to your forehead in concern. Youre not feverish, but your eyelids feel heavy.

"Yeah, I'm just exhausted...I'm not sure if this is what happens if I spend too much biomass, or...hell, I haven't slept since I woke up. I was starting to think we didn't need rest, but I guess this proves otherwise, huh?"

She tugs at your hand to lead you to the little hut she'd assembled and pushes you down to sit inside.

"Sleep." She says simply. "Get some rest and I'll stay on lookout, okay?"

You study her face.

"You sure you'll be okay with her without me around to..."

"I'll be fine." She says with a toothy, yet reassuring smile. "I can deal with it for a but while you rest up. It's okay, you can relax."

You open your mouth to reply, but close it a moment later. You vision is starting to fade. Good God, you're more tired than you realized.

>>You feel like you can trust the two of them to not kill each other while you're unconscious. You need to meet rest if you're going to survive this place.

>>Wait to pass out until you've touched base with Rath first to make sure both she and B'ni are alright. Maybe one or both of them are tired too and maybe just haven't mentioned anything?

>>You can keep going. You're not entirely sure a situaton won't arise while you're out, and as exhausted as you are, there are too many issues with sleeping here.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(HP:78%, BIO:67%, moderate health and biomass restoration will take place if you choose to sleep.)

>>3074948
>>You feel like you can trust the two of them to not kill each other while you're unconscious. You need to meet rest if you're going to survive this place.

They should realize we need to play nice, also can we leave some bug bois to scout a perimeter or are they only active when we are?

>>3074953
(Your swarmlings currently only function as long as you are conscious.)

>>3074948
>Wait to pass out until you've touched base with Rath first to make sure both she and B'ni are alright. Maybe one or both of them are tired too and maybe just haven't mentioned anything?
Empathy and shit. We show people we care, maybe they'll be more open to us.

>>3074948
>Write in
Before you sleep call them both together and stress how we need to work together to survive and that we are trusting them to be there when we awaken

>>3074948
>>3074953
>>3074964
>>3075037
You rise to your feet, an action that takes more effort than you’d like to admit. Silencing B’ni’s protests with a raised hand, you approach the tree that you last saw being aggressively scaled by your explosive new travelling companion.

“Rath! Come down for a sec, we need to talk.”

Fragments of bone rain down around the tree as she reels herself down, landing with a crunch.

“Yo, what’s up?”

“Isabelle, Rachel…listen to me for a second. Back there, at the dollhouse…one way or another, if any of us were just trying to tackle that by ourselves I have no doubt that we couldn’t have gotten out of that place without losses of one kind or another.”

You struggle to focus in on their faces to emphasize you mean business, even as your vision swims.

“Us, the three of us, just got out of that place little worse for wear. I know we just met…hell, we’ve only been in this hellscape for a handful of days between us, but our odds of surviving and thriving here skyrocket if we together. Regardless of differences, regardless of personalities, that’s a stone-cold fact.”

B’ni and Rath share a delayed glance.

“Even if it’s just for a little while, let’s stick together and see where this goes. Alright?”

Neither girl does anything to raise a protest against your speech, and you end up letting out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to go pass out under that tree and hope you’re both here when I come to. Deal?”

B’ni nods enthusiastically as Rath mutters her reply and returns to scale the tree again. Stumbling over to the hastily constructed hut, you collapse within, the worn-down bone doing nothing to prevent sleep from overtaking you and closing out the longest day of your life.

(Continued)

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>>3075217
“..Hone…eetie…en your eyes…sleep…ead.”

You startle awake, sunlight streaming through your open curtains as you shake your tangled hair out of your face. Your mind swims, trying to cobble together today’s schedule. What time is it, even? You glance over at your alarm clock, ruby-red numbers swimming on a glossy onyx background and slowly coalescing into…late. You’re so fucking late for school it’s not even funny. Hurling the covers off with a series of furious kicks, you bolt into your bathroom with screech at your mom.

“Mom, why didn’t you wake me up?! I’m going to be so late and I can’t affor…”

Your Mom peeks into your bathroom, laughing.

“Holly sweetie, it’s Saturday. Calm down and come get some breakfast, your father and I have your plate set up, so don’t wait too long, ‘kay?”

You stare at her, a bit of toothpaste running down your chin. Well, that changes things. Her laughter echoes through the hall as you swish and spit, staring at your hazy reflection in the shower-fogged mirror. You squint, wondering why your strawberry-blonde hair looks so much darker...and shorter. A chill runs down your spine as you slowly wipe the mirror to reveal a stranger’s face, glaring at you with cold eyes. You watch as a fist-sized wasp crawls from behind her back and…you know her. This girl…she…

…she killed you.

You blink, and you see yourself, shirt wide open, blood gushing from a tongue, hanging uselessly from a mouth that doesn’t belong there. You can taste the blood in your hideous second mouth. You look up and find yourself in a void. Just you, and the girl that killed you. You were just so hungry, you just…you have no excuse. You gave in to the hunger, only this time you couldn’t rid yourself of what you devoured. You…wish you were stronger. You wish…

You blink.

You see her standing across from you in the void, now. You feel the vertical slit in your stomach, the power you gained from her. Your swarmling buzzes lightly on your shoulder as she stares into your eyes, resignation on her features.
“Hey.” She says, gently brushing a strand of straw-berry blonde hair away from one side of her face.

>>Write-In

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Gentlemen, I'll be stopping here for a while to finish up some work. I will resume around 3-4 hours from now. Thank you for reading!)

>>3075234
>"Hi."

>"...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't help you more."

>>3075234
>"What's up? How are you liking my insides? I know you're probably getting lonely, hopefully I can get you some company pretty soon!"

>>3075234
>" Uh. Hi? This, this is not what I was expecting to happen. Im guessing this is a bit more then a dream? Well, ok then. Not sure what to say, uhh, hi, again? Sorry for what happened? How, uhh, are you?"

>>3075234
"So, You are living through me, sort of"

(Apologies for the wait, writing now.)

>>3075234
>Uhhh, hey. I hope you're not still hungry?

>>3075217
>>3075255
>>3075334
>>3075788

You weakly wiggle your fingers in a vague wave.

"Uh...hi."

She just studies you. No judgement, no anger, just a quiet curiosity in her eyes.

"This...this is not what I was expecting to happen. I guess that this is a bit more than just a dream, huh?" She just shrugs, at that. "Okay then, um....I'm not really sure what to say, uh, hi again, I guess? I'm..."

You swallow hard.

"...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't help you more."

She offers you a gentle smile.

"Um...Holly, right? How are you, here? I guess you're, I don't know, sort of living through me now?"

"I think so?" she says, and you find yourself relieved at her contribution to the conversation. "You're...nice."

"I...excuse me?" You're not quite sure how anything you've done in this hell could be construed as 'nice,' and from what little you remember before all this it's not an adjective that was often associated with you.

"Please don't feel bad, but...this is just the way things are from now on...at least, that's how I felt once the hunger took over. Does that make sense? Like, when you, uh...when you held me, I wasn't hungry or angry anymore, everything was just so calm, and you were so sweet to me. You reminded me of my mom, the way you..."

She struggles for words before she shakes her head and simply smiles at you again.

"I don't think I'd be here if you hadn't done what you did, how you did it. I...let me help you. I want you to live, and I think you can save them one way or another."

"What are you talking abou..."

She holds up a hand to stop you.

(Continued)

>>3075850

"Keep going west. Find the Cord. Ascend. I don't know what it means, but that's what kept running through my head before you freed me. Just...let me help, alright?"

The darkness begins to blur her at the edges, as she walks towards you.

"Don't let all this be in vain...please?"

She's dissolving now as she walks towards you, smiling.

"...please just let it all mean something, Shu..."

You feel a warmth blossom within your core, and move towards your belly. Her power shifts, changes, becomes something more malleable. She has given you the scalpel. She trusts you to make what you need.

A gift born of mercy.

RAVENOUS MAW UPGRADE UNLOCKED

CHOOSE ONE:

>>Executioner's Jaw: your Maw's teeth become a savage guillotine that deals an automatic and doubly effective critical hit to foes that are drawn close enough. Can also trigger upon being grappled to deal severe damage to anyone foolish enough to close the gap in combat.

>>Cat o' Nine Tongues: serrated teeth sprout form your tongue with each lash, dealing greater damage at medium and close range in addition to causing damage over time by inflicting jagged wounds that prove difficult to heal from.

>>Bungee Tongue: possessing both the qualities of rubber and tongue, this upgrade grants you the ability to latch onto a stable point of contact one movement zone away and use it to leapfrog over or around it, moving up to one more movement zone. (i.e., with a solid object to anchor you to, you may move two movement zones with one action, as opposed to just one with your current move option).

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3075852
>>Bungee Tongue: possessing both the qualities of rubber and tongue, this upgrade grants you the ability to latch onto a stable point of contact one movement zone away and use it to leapfrog over or around it, moving up to one more movement zone. (i.e., with a solid object to anchor you to, you may move two movement zones with one action, as opposed to just one with your current move option).

GRAPPLING HOOK. MOBILITY IS KING IN COMBAT.

>>3075852
>Cat o' Nine Tongues

>>3075852
>>Bungee Tongue
Were just not built for CC and focussing on what were good at and avoiding what were not will work out better i think.

>>3075852
>>Executioner's Jaw: your Maw's teeth become a savage guillotine that deals an automatic and doubly effective critical hit to foes that are drawn close enough. Can also trigger upon being grappled to deal severe damage to anyone foolish enough to close the gap in combat.

I want this to punish anyone who tries to squish us. However I see the merits of the mobility upgrade, but that's B'ni's role.

>>3075852
Executioners maw. We need to have a close range defensive measure. Not to.mention it won't cost us the biomass required to build a tongue

>>3075861
We need this to basically stay in the backlane while B'ni engages, if and when someone closes in on us. Mobility is never a bad thing, no matter what role you are.

>>3075852
>>Bungee Tongue: possessing both the qualities of rubber and tongue, this upgrade grants you the ability to latch onto a stable point of contact one movement zone away and use it to leapfrog over or around it, moving up to one more movement zone. (i.e., with a solid object to anchor you to, you may move two movement zones with one action, as opposed to just one with your current move option).
Still backing anything that keeps us out of melee. We can't expect our allies to be able to cover us at all times.

>>3075852
>>>Bungee Tongue: possessing both the qualities of rubber and tongue, this upgrade grants you the ability to latch onto a stable point of contact one movement zone away and use it to leapfrog over or around it, moving up to one more movement zone. (i.e., with a solid object to anchor you to, you may move two movement zones with one action, as opposed to just one with your current move option).

>>3075852
>>Executioner's Jaw: your Maw's teeth become a savage guillotine that deals an automatic and doubly effective critical hit to foes that are drawn close enough. Can also trigger upon being grappled to deal severe damage to anyone foolish enough to close the gap in combat.

>>3075852

>>BUNGEE TONGUE UNLOCKED

You feel the tongue within your midsection twist and distort, writhing and twisting into something new. You look down, peeling back the needle-teeth to find the tongue coated with some sort of viscous enzyme, now resembling more of an amphibious adaptation than its previous mammalian appearance.

As you look down, the void begins to eat away at your edges, too. It feels warm as your legs and arms dissolve, then your torso, as you fall backwards into warm nothingness, and then...

~~~

...Your eyes adjust to the light filtering through the marrow-woods, and you see B'ni slumped next to the opening of the hut. Your heart skips a beat until she snores slightly, shifting position. You peek out, careful not to disturb her, and spy Rath leaning against a nearby tree. She glances up at the sound of movement, giving you a nod and jerking her thumb over to a clump of trees nearby. Without awaiting your response, she starts walking. You giver another glance at B'ni and, taking great pains to slide by her without disturbing her slumber, follow the red-head to the spot she indicated.

She's chewing at the corners of her thumb when you approach, though her hand immediately drops to her side when she realizes you've arrived.

"Yo, uh...so yeah, I kinda just wanted to say hey and stuff before I head out, so..."

"What?"

"Yeah, I...listen, Shu" she says, and for the first time since you've interacted with her she allows the tough-girl face to falter, the way she speaks to you now earnest and unguarded. "You saved my ass. You really did. I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. You're cool, I just...look, I can tell if we keep going like this, the three of us, something's gonna give and we'll just split anyways. I'm just wrapping this shit up before any of us waste any more time trying to make something work that just fucking isn't, okay?"

You take a moment to process this.

"So yeah, uh...thanks, man. I owe you one. If the world decides to get un-fucked we should grab a drink or....fucking whatever..."

You raise your eyebrow at her and she, amusingly, throws up her hands and whisper-yells at you.

"Dude, don't make shitty fucking faces at me! Listen, I'm doing you and that chick a favor alright?!"

You lock eyes for a moment, an inscrutable look in hers as you take a breath and give her your reply.

>>"...Okay. I respect that, Rath. Just be safe, and I'll be sure to take you up on that drink...or 'fucking whatever', as you said."

>>"I feel like you haven't given...whatever this is enough time to get to a good place yet. Just stick with us a little while longer, see how it goes...if you can stand me, that is."

>>"You just said you owe me one, Rath. Let me cash that in and get you to stick with us through or around the forest, then see what happens."

>>Write-in.

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Also bear in mind that your upgrade selection allowed you to tap into later upgrades found in the Maw skill tree, so you have not been locked out of anything but rather gained an early bonus due to story-relevant choices.)

>>3075889
>"...Okay. I respect that, Rath. Just be safe, and I'll be sure to take you up on that drink...or 'fucking whatever', as you said."
>"Can you just promise me two things, though?"
>"If you feel like you owe me, wherever you go from here, try to pass on the favor. You don't have to risk your life or anything. But, well, I can't help feel like if those of us who still can can learn to be a little kinder to each other and trust each other more, then this world'll be a little less of a living hell, no matter how fucked it is."
>"And as for the second thing. I know you might not see eye to eye, but I'd still like you to say goodbye to B'ni properly before you go. For however short a time you knew her or traveled with her, don't leave her or you with regrets over things left unsaid."

>>3075921
Basically this. No point building resentment over a unwilling party member at the moment.

>>3075889
>>3075921
>>3075930

"...Okay. I respect that, Rath. Just be safe, and I'll be sure to take you up on that drink...or 'fucking whatever', as you said."

"Heh, I look forward to it, dude."

She turns to walk out of the forest before you stop her.

"Can you just promise me two things, though?" She turns back to look at you, wary of what you're about to say.

"If you feel like you owe me, wherever you go from here, try to pass on the favor. You don't have to risk your life or anything. But, well, I can't help feel like if those of us who still can can learn to be a little kinder to each other and trust each other more, then this world'll be a little less of a living hell, no matter how fucked it is."

That inscrutable look is once again on her face as she remains silent and lets you continue on with your next point.

"And as for the second thing. I know you might not see eye to eye, but I'd still like you to say goodbye to B'ni properly before you go. For however short a time you knew her or traveled with her, don't leave her or you with regrets over things left unsaid."

She cracks a smile, shaking her head as chuckle escapes her lips.

"I just don't get you, Shu. You're just so...okay. Fine, I'll pay it forward or whatever corny shit you just said. About her, though...I think it's best if I just head out. We talked while you were out, so...yeah. Anyway...you know what? If you get demands then that means I got one, too. Ready for it?"

You open your arms.

"Lay it on me, Red."

"Meet me at the Cord. We'll make it that far and if we do, we can scale the bitch together. Deal?"

"...Deal."

She gives you a little salute and turns on her heel, skirting the edge of the marrow-woods as she continues walking until she disappears from sight around the edge of the treeline.

~~~
It's another two or three hours before B'ni comes to, starting awake and springing blearily to action.

"W-wait, what...fuck! How long was I out?!"

"Not long. I woke up, you were out like a light, and Rath was keeping an eye on us."

She glances around to catch sight of the other girl for a moment before you answer her unspoken question.

"Rath headed out. Doesn't seem to be ready to be a team player, and I said I was alright with that. Are you?"

"Y-yeah, that's okay." she says, and you notice a little of the tension leave her shoulders. "So, what's the plan now? Oh, and did you sleep well?"

She bounds over to where you're slouches against the tree closest to the hut and keels down beside you. You're not sure whether making a bee-line through the forest or skirting around it like Rath did would be the best idea...to say nothing of your dream and the new mutation it granted you.

>>Write-in

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3075986
Also let her know of our new mutation. Important for team plays. Let's pump out some scouty bois, and one tanky boi for overwatch.>>3075980

>>3075980
"Let's consume some more of this bone and check up if we are healed already. The forest seems safe enough, but I want to see if I can have swarmlings flying around and replenish my biomass at the same time"

A lil' experiment pretty much. I want to see for how long does a swarmling lasts and if it lasts long, when does it starts to demand biomass to keep going.

Say, if a swarmling takes 9% to hatch, it may demand 5% daily to not die.

>>3075980
(Hello Readers! I will be concluding here for the night and resuming tomorrow afternoon, time permitting. I'll also give a breakdown of swarmling costs over time and the like for the long-term strategists out there. Once again, thank you for reading and take care.)

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>>3076004
THE FEAST ONLY SLOWS, IT SHALL NOT END

>>3075980
Backing both >>3075989 and >>3075993

>>3076054
I'm backing this guys backing of other guys.

>>3075852
Cat O Nine tongues. The bungee tongue seems like a bad form of locomotion and the cat o nine seems like the best tool for zoning/keep away and supporting our swarmlings.

I can't believe we picked the bungee tongue. What was the actually justification for this terrible choice

>>3076700
>>3075854
>>3075860
>>3075870

>>3076704
Even with the justifications still the worst choice of the 3. Early game should focus on damage and variety of attacks.
Mobility is king my ass

(Gentlemen, my apologies for the lack of an update this far. Things have gotten hectic so I will instead update you all this evening with a post showing your current upgrades and powers, as well as the next proper story bits before...things occur. Thank you for being such a fun crowd to write for.)

>>3076848
Thanks for writing a good quest

>>3076848
No problem. Make sure your real life is in order as it needs to be, you cant run a quest on an empty stomach or from a homeless shelter.

...well i mean, you could, but that sounds like a terrible idea.

>>3076848
no problem my boi

>>3075980
(Your Current Stats & Abilities are as follows)

HP: 94% (MAX: 100%)
BIO: 82% (MAX: 100%)
ACT: 2/2

HEALTH: Base Level.

BIOMASS: Base Level.

SWARMLING (Level 3)

>>Basic Swarmling Cost: 3%

>>Enhanced Swarmling Cost: 9% (for combinations, the cost is merely additive at your swarmling’s current level).

>> Your swarmlings have evolved into a heavier, more lethal form, boasting serrated needles and clasping pincers to aggravate efforts to remove them. Additionally, their scouting powers have been enhances with greater visual clarity and sensory control, though they still lack basic auditory capabilities.

TECHNIQUE: Base Level.

>>Reassemble (1 ACT): Allows you to combine members of your swarm into larger, more aggressive forms, capable of taking a dealing more damage.

>>Repurpose (1 ACT) You may focus on creating a single Swarmling with your action, taking 9% BIO to do so, but you may imbue the creature with a singular purpose from the options below;

>> (1) Drilling: Imbue a Swarmling with a rotating set stingers that will allow it to bury itself within your prey. (2) Subcutaneous Swarmling: Drain a little of your stomach acid to grant a Swarmling the ability to inject damaging acid into the victim of your choice.

RAVENOUS MAW

>> You have replaced your stomach cavity with a grotesquely efficient faux-mouth, complete with needle-like teeth and, most importantly, a grasping tongue with an effective reach of seven meters. While the maw’s teeth do not possess the guillotine-like cutting power of the original’s tongue, it still remains a force to be reckoned with. Cost: 30% BIO to craft, remains active and obvious on your midsection until dismissed. 15% BIO to replace tongue if severed.

>>Augmented into the frog-like BUNGEE TONGUE, your second mouth now sports a bio-organic grappling apparatus that allows you to traverse the environment faster than ever before, though it is dependent on an anchor point between you and your destination.

(Additionally, at your current swarmling output your familiars require sustenance to keep functioning beyond a two hour time limit. Due to their level, they receive only minimal biomass on consumption and must be reinforced by returning to you and paying their upkeep cost of half their spawn cost, rounded up.)

>>3077086
Can they gather biomass if available on the move

>>3077116
(In their current state, they can only process and become replenished by biomass through you. Upgrades to this are available by speccing into the Biomass skill tree, though they are further along on the Swarmling tree, as well.)

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>>3075980
“Hey, turns out these abilities of ours can change while we sleep. Check it out.” You say to B’ni, gesturing to your abs as they split open lengthwise and you both see the coiled, elastic tongue within. Glancing over at a nearby tree, you consider using it as target practice when the tongue moves on its own. You find yourself hurtling at incredible speed towards the trunk before something in your gut shifts, sending you spinning around it and tumbling across the forest floor, having painfully botched the landing.

Okay, good to know.

“Shu?! SHU!” B’ni springs to your side as you struggle to your feet and brush yourself off.

“I’m fine, this thing just has a hair trigger I’ll have to get used to. We need to get moving, those clouds are drawing close and if this world is anything to go by then I’m worried about what it brings with it. Ready to go?”

She gives you a curt nod, the two of you heading taking the short way deeper into through the woodlands.

~~~
You thought this was going to be the short path, at least. You wonder how long it will take Rath to circumvent the forest at the rate she’s going, since you and B’ni have been trekking across the seemingly endless expanse of blindingly white trees for going on four hours.

“How’re you holding up?” B’ni asks, her pleasant voice cutting through the stark white monotony.

“Fair. How about yourself?”

“These legs are pretty great, so I’m not even tired yet!” she replies, a wide toothy smile plastered on her face. It falters, though, replaced with a reluctant expression as she speaks again.

“So, while you were asleep you, uh…kinda talked a bit.”

You mind flickers back to the face in the mirror, the void eating away at you, and the conversation you’re not entirely sure took place.

“…if it’s not too much to ask, um…who’s Holly?”

>>”…I’d rather not say, if that’s alright with you. It’s just not something I’m really comfortable with talking about yet, no offense. Still processing things, y’know?”

>>"Yeah, about that...listen, I think yoy should know what I saw." (Tell her about the dream.)

>>”How about a trade? I’ll tell you if you if you’ll answer a question of mine, how does that sound?" (Write-in Question)

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3077237
>>”…I’d rather not say, if that’s alright with you. It’s just not something I’m really comfortable with talking about yet, no offense. Still processing things, y’know?”

>>3077237
>>>"Yeah, about that...listen, I think yoy should know what I saw." (Tell her about the dream.)

>>3077237
>>>"Yeah, about that...listen, I think yoy should know what I saw." (Tell her about the dream.)

>>3077237
>Tell her about the dream

>>3077237
>>"Yeah, about that...listen, I think yoy should know what I saw." (Tell her about the dream.)

>>3077237
>"…I’d rather not say, if that’s alright with you. It’s just not something I’m really comfortable with talking about yet, no offense. Still processing things, y’know?”

(I will be posting shortly, Gentlemen. Also, does the vote still stand to have a drone scout ahead while two bulkier ones hang close as backup?)

>>3077237
>>”How about a trade? I’ll tell you if you if you’ll answer a question of mine, how does that sound?" (Write-in Question)

¿What about you. Have you had any weird dream lately?

>>3077493
Yeah, best to be prepared for danger

>>3077237
>>3077523
>>3077396
>>3077407
>>3077446

"Yeah, about that...listen, I think you should know what I saw."

You start telling her what you dreamt, absentmindedly spawning a simple drone and two larger swarmlings to have a decent offense at the ready. The words just start spilling out of you as you ramble about what you saw, about what it could mean, with B'ni listening intently all the while.

You finish, finding yourself almost short of breath from everything you've said and scanning your companion's face for any sign of judgement or doubt. She considers all of what you've just said to for a few moments before speaking.

"So...do you think she's a part of you, now? Like, when you consumed her, her mind is going to be with you? Forever?"

You shrug, noting the oddly hopeful tone you think you hear in her voice. "I don't know, honestly. We'll see if she's chatty next time I go to sleep, maybe ask her if she's aware of what's going on in the waking world...if it's even her, I don't know, I...what?"

B'ni's hand is held up to silence you, eyes intent on something a few yards ahead. You follow her gaze to see what she's so focused on, and you see a tree stump. It takes you a moment to put it in the bigger context of the subtle change to the tree line that you failed to notice while indulging in conversation. You though the trees were just getting shorter but no, you can plainly see where several trees have been cut cleanly through, perfect halves littering the treeline. The cuts are immaculately, impossibly straight, and you feel yourself and B'ni tense. You shift your eyesight to your drone, sending it flitting high above the treeline to get a bird's eye view of the forest.

(Continued)

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>>3077583
Scanning around, you catch sight of a slender woman in a simple white dress a ways off in the trees, slowly walking towards the two of you, bare feet gently padding along the forest floor. You slip the drone around behind her, intent on observing her a moment before deciding how to deal with her appearance, when you note the smallest tilt of her head, as if listening intently.

A smooth motion, a fluid strike, and a blur of white.

You blink. You drone was just destroyed. You look at B'ni and open your mouth to speak when an authoritative tone reaches your ears, demanding your attention.

"Hello, Daughters. I can smell the hunger in you both. You have come here to be cleansed."

You must have miscalculated the distance, when you sent your drone out. She was over two hundred yards away from you when she somehow destroyed your drone, yet here she stands, elegant and regal, staring through you with an icy gaze.

B'ni take a step forwards, putting herself between you and the girl as the girl takes a simultaneous step back, foot sweeping the ground. Where it swept, a slender bone draws forth from the floor, a wickedly sharp sabre carved from the bone and marrow of her surroundings.

"There can only be one to ascend the Cord, brutes. Come, let me grant you mercy."

There's a sound like a crack of a whip as she kicks off from the ground, her feet enclosed in a pair of clacite greaves as she skates towards you, crossing the gap as an alabaster blur. It's time.

Shu

vs.

Le Chevalier de'Squelette

HP: 94% (MAX: 100%)
BIO: 61% (MAX: 100%)
ACT: 2/2
THREAT: Medium, Approaching Quickly

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3077623
Probably not going to be able to talk this girl down.

Very fast and quick reflexes, probably can match B'ni, and bone crafter- but she needs to get in melee range to wreck shop, it seems.

Simple divide and conquer might work if we can keep at range and harry her- but I wonder if we might need to have B'ni do the heavy hitting if possible. That, or find a way to get her blade from her since it seems she has to take the time to create one, even if it's not a ton.

For now, I say

>Split up, force her to divide her attention, and let's get to making beetles to distract her.

This needs to be a literal running battle- she can't be allowed to set the pace. We need to hold her attention long enough to let B'ni set it and then we can help her control it.

>>3077635
>>3077623

Oh, and just to clarify, bungee out of the way- she's going to be looking for it afterwards, no doubt, but IF she fights like I think she might, then I'm counting on that.

>>3077623
>>3077635
>>3077637

"B'ni, split!"

You sling your second mouth's tongue wide, latching on to a tree behind you and grappling out of range of the pale girl's devastating reach, spawning another swarmling the moment you turn around. Your companion reacts by bounding around, attempting to split the girl's focus.

Her focus remains solely on you as her skating charge leaves her where you were just a moment earlier you newly generated swarmling speared halfway down the length of the massive blade. In a single fluid motion, she kicks backwards and spins in place, flinging your destroyed swarmling free and sending a blade spinning behind her...

...cutting a bloody gash in B'ni's shoulder, causing her to stumble in her efforts to flank your foe. You see her grimace across the distance and fix the girl with a furious glare.

The wraith ignores your companion and instead fixes you with an assured smirk.

HP: 94% (MAX: 100%)
BIO: 58% (MAX: 100%, 2 Reinforced Swarmlings active, on your person)
ACT: 2/2
THREAT: Medium, Waiting
B'ni: Awaiting orders, shoulder damaged. (HP: 78%)

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

Ugh. I hate it when no one else weighs in. Makes me way too nervous to post.

(If now seems to be a bad time to continue, I can be available about 12 hours from now to post and resume combat.)

>>3077680
Probably a decent idea, see what responses you get. If nothing else, THEN I'll post.

>>3077692
(Alright, thanks for reading, and I look forward to seeing how everyone handles this fight.)

>>3077660
Hmm.
Shes fast, really fast. Spawn two normal swarmlings and have them all come in at randomized angles, directions, and distances (slightly).

We need to make sure she cant simply cut them all down at once, nor in a single arc/spin swing.

It might also help if we and b'ni charge in too, but that may be too dangerous, at best fling our tongue into the mix aswell.

>>3077665
>>3077680
i work late afternoon/nights so i can only chime in during my breaks usually myself.

>>3077808
Yeah, at this point the best idea is to make 6 normal swarmlings. She has enough speed and sharp senses to have cut down our small spy drone... well* ideally she won't be able to cut them all down right away plus Isabelle is avaible to fight her as well and she is fast.

I know we are low on biomass but we really need to pump out drones. We may run out actually.
When the time comes, we must use our bunge tounge to latch on her and fling our mouth to her demise and I am kinda angry that we revealed that skill so quickly.

So:
>Make as many swarmlings as possible. Order them to attack on independant and erractic patterns.
>Tell b'ni to attack right away (if she waits for an oportunity Chevalier will simply cut our swarmlings down)
>We must attack right away with our tounge or *just* after chevalier defends herself.

Since we have 2 ACT I think we can pull it off. I don't know how many acts the enemy has. If she has 3 she may defend from all the things we throw at her. Let's consider sacrificing our arms to parry or deflect a cut or to convert into biomass; they are disposable in this dire situation.

>>3077660
>>3077808
>>3077866

Four more swarmlings erupt from your back, joining their two larger siblings in their mad sprint towards the ivory swordswoman. (6/6 Swarmlings Active) Mid-flight they scatter, surrounding her from six wildly different angles in their kamikaze dive for her slender frame. Her smirk holds true as she drops her marrow sabre to her hip as though to draw it out of an imaginary sheath, eyes closed even as your swarm fall upon her.

What follows next could only be described as a whirlwind taken human shape, her strike coming as a blisteringly fast spiral lashing out in every direction. Five of your creations clatter to the stark white forest floor in as many pieces, only one of your augmented swarmlings surviving the technique as it struggles to right itself in the air away from her. No matter…you’ve granted the opening your companion needed.

The girl’s smirk morphs into a furious mask of pain and rage as B’ni’s fangs sink into her shoulder, having closed the gap faster either you or your enemy would have guessed. The girl in white screams and her body suddenly erupts in a spray of snow white and ruby red. Bone spurs, jagged and inelegant, spear out of her wounded shoulder, the bite completely covered by the explosion of skeletal growths. B’ni lands a short distance away after her evasive leap one eye shut and bleeding, her face and neck covered in countless lacerations.

With a swipe of her blade, the girl brutally shaves off the spurs, sending them rattling to the ground. She’s stopped smiling and now glances between you both, revaluating the situation.

It’s time for you to do the same.

HP: 94%
BIO: 46%
ACT: 2/2
Threat: Midrange, readying.
B’ni: Wounded, bleeding, ready for commands. (HP: 67%)

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

>>3078262
What was the approximate range on her attacks?
It appears as if our opponent is basically a perfect counter to us at the moment.
as she can deal with multiple attacks simultaneously and has reactive Armour.
i do have an idea but it depends on the range of her response

>>3078289
The idea would be to ideally make her hesitant to attack the swarm by having her attack acid imbued swarmlings to as the acid spray her with the acids when she strikes them from an appropriate angle assuming that the acid inherits the swarmlings momentum.

>>3078294
Also staggering the approach of swarmlings could be useful with drawing(forcing expenditure on a response) out a response.

would small stones(or anything with a large enough mass to able to be thrown to be able to be thrown as a distraction to force her to attack them?) be lying around on the forest floor
as bunny is injured she may be able to gather them as they could be used to cover the swarmlings advance.

>>3078262
Produce two more swarmlings, send them to distract her and tell Bni to take in some biomass. At the same time, go for her legs with our tongue. We can keep her off her toes, force her to dodge the tongue, leave a potential opening for Bni and show her she's something else to worry about.

>>3078289
(Her maxium reach is six feet in a dome around her.)

>>3078262
Didn't we have a secret move locked until below 50% BIO? Now might be a good time to use it.

>>3078262
>>3078326 backing

If she was to manage to cut off the tongue while dodging should we replace the tongue as it would cause us to drop to 30% biomass that would cut off our options.

and how heavy are the swarmlings?

>>3078345
(Yout are absolutely correct, it will be revealed in the next post.)
>>3078347
(You can regenerate at attack with your tongue as a single action, just fyi. Also, the basic swarmlings weigh in at around 2-3 pounds, while the enhanced ones are between 5-7 pounds but move at the same speed as the smaller ones due to their stronger wings, by necessity.)

>>3078347
If we get into combat without significant reserves of biomass we are at a disadvantage due to us solely relying on minions we rely need to look into improving our efficiency and our maximum number of swarmlings.
this is going to be a close fight if we don't end up being forced to retreat though.
Honestly I feel like we kind of screwed over at class selection.
it's as if we just got hamstrung like when we dumped those levels into upgrading the interceptors (they ended up almost always just being a very temporary distraction ) while we gained meter then nuked things to death in Joker quest.

Catching up now. To be clear, in >>3077623, what were the relative positions of us, our drone and the girl when the drone was destroyed? We've previously established our drone's maximum range to be roughly 100 meters in >>3074046, and no swarmling upgrades have happened since then; but the description seems to imply that our drone had slipped behind her while she was 200 meters away from us.

>>3078372
(My apologies for that, as it was an error on my tracking sheet. The distance was a little less that 100 meters to keep in step with your swarmlings current range. Excellent catch.)

>>3078262
>>3078326
>>3078347

Two more swarmlings tear themselves free of your hive and take flight, heavy with their corrosive payload as they take aim at the fencer. They seem off, somehow, heavier than normal before they lifted their weight off you.

B’ni staggers back, one hand held tight to her damaged face and cheek as she pulls away from the other girl’s vicious glare, scooping up a handful of loose bone shards to replenish her biomass. The angry gaze whips around to meet yours, and with a sound like the snapping of a bone, she’s hurtling at you. Your swarmlings race to intercept her, stingers at the ready...but they are grossly outranged by the dismissive swing that cleaves them in two and speaks of the swordswoman’s single-minded desire to end you.

Bad move.

Her amber eyes go wide as the shock and pain of what she’s been splattered with reaches her brain. Kicking backwards with a pained yelp, she’s in mid-air when several things happen at once. Your tongue bursts forth from your intestinal mouth, catching her leg mid-leap at the same moment that B’ni’s feet slam into the girl’s back with a sickening crunch. You think B’ni is home free when the girl’s sword-arm twists unnaturally in its socket, carving a bloody swath diagonally across your ally’s stomach. You’ve never seen a cut so deep and brutal, gasping as B’ni’s eyes go wide with shock, tumbling to the forest floor at the same time as her target. The white-haired warrior attempts to rise to her feet but is yanked towards you, reeled in by your ravenous gullet.

Scrambling for purchase on the worn ground, her sword plunges downwards into your tongue, not quite wide enough to sever your grapple, but enough to bring her to a stop and pin your tongue in one move.

Then you see it.

(Continued)

>>3078391
Glancing at the fallen halves of your swarmlings, you’re startled to see several small, tiny insects testing their wings, having climbed out of the chunks of acidic ones you’d spawned as a distraction. They turn as one to focus on your kneeling foe.

TECHNIQUE UNLOCKED

>>RECURSIVE NESTLINGS

(You may now choose to expend an amount of BIO up to the summon cost of the swarmling you create to effectively nest several, smaller swarmlings (at a cost of an additional 1% per nested swarmling) inside it that are released upon its host’s destruction. While the damage they can inflict is minimal, they can go unnoticed by larger or distracted foes and are incredibly difficult to dispatch effectively, making it easy to set traps and overwhelm foes with damage over time. What’s more, they do not count against the maximum number of swarmlings you have active.)

You glance between your prey and your ally, seeing B’ni struggling to stand, arms wrapped around her stomach in a futile attempt to stem the flow of blood gushing from her opened midsection.

HP: 94%
BIO: 28% (1 Heavy Swarmling, 6 Nestlings, Tongue pinned.)
ACT: 2/2
Threat: Close, destabilized.
B’ni: Bleeding, critically damaged, mobility reduced. (HP: 28%)

YOU ARE IN CONTROL

(Gentlemen, I will be in a work meeting until this evening, roughly five hours from now. Thank you for reading!)

shit looks bad man... As long as Isabelle retreats is ok but... shit man...

>Nestling to buss around her head, hoping to blind and deafen her while the heavy can attack.
>Make more acid swarmlings (how many more can we control? 1?) To attack her.

This way we can have her as distracted as possible, since she is pinned on the ground and has to deal with our swarm. She has to cut the tounge, deal with the nestlings and the swarmlings. Our companion is not KO but I don't want to risk it; we better tell her to back off.

Another thing is that she has been expending biomass like crazy. We may not be doing so bad after all.

>>3078375
Not a problem. Thanks for the clarification.


Alright then, let's try and get an idea of this girl's abilities.

Her methods of damage projection are primarily centered around her bone-based weaponry. They are capable of destroying our drones in a single hit, and damaging B'ni to the point of throwing her off balance. She can apparently produce a single projectile in an instant; this seems to always be accompanied by a kicking motion, implying that she is unable or unwilling to produce a blade that isn't from her feet. More on this later. On a side note, I would also wager that she herself is vulnerable to damage from her own weapons being directed against her.

Her primary form of damage mitigation is her speed. She has no notable forms of armor. However, she has a reactive ability that generates spines which heavily damage melee attackers, making engaging her close-in a risky prospect. I expect her biomass is low to negligible as a result of her method of combat to allow her to attack more quickly and precisely. This means that the number of times she can produce her spines should be extremely limited, and any attacks which do manage to reach her should deal a sizable amount of damage. By now, she should be quite heavily damaged, and she seems not to have enough biomass to produce those spines again.

As for her blades, I suspect she bypasses the limitation of not having much personal biomass by drawing on the biomass of her surroundings to produce them; by kicking at the ground she somehow shapes or manipulates the bone and marrow there into her desired shapes. If we were to lead her out of this area to a place where the terrain is less suited to this ability, she'd likely be unable to produce any more weaponry. Alternatively, if we managed to restrain her in midair, away from the ground and any other sources of bone, she'd likely be similarly disabled.

In terms of movement, she's fast just as her attacks are, but there's a thing to note here: she /skates/, and is beholden to the mechanics thereof. As she is driven primarily by weight and inertia, she cannot start, change direction or stop as efficiently as a movement based off explosive power can - though she seems to have enough experience with her chosen method to make it seem easy anyway. Despite her speed, our own drones are apparently fast enough to surround her, though not nimble enough to evade her strikes to reliably get hits in. And though I can't be sure, I'd guess her dexterity is superior to B'ni's, while her straight-line speed is slower.

Well, these would all be more significant considerations if our options weren't so limited right now. I might have suggested things like using our tongue to trap and suspend her from the trees before slowly picking away at her, or having B'ni retrieve and throw her projectiles back at her, but now we need to end this as quickly as possible so we can treat B'ni.

>>3078393
So, the first thing to do is to remove the girl from combat and get to B'ni. I don't really care whether we kill the girl or not. But we'd likely need to spawn an acid or drill swarming for that, and then we'd still be immobilized by our pinned tongue.

So here's what I'll suggest:
>Bite off and replace tongue.
>Restrain freshly-disarmed girl by her legs, and hang her from a branch of nearby tree - make sure to have her suspended out of arm's reach of the tree itself. This should remove most of her ability to attack.
Then go to help B'ni. We don't have time to deal with the girl right now.

>>3078422
(Okay, I'll run with this in four hours when I return unless it gets out-voted by others. Once again, thank you for reading!)

Gah, seems like some things happened while I was gone. Nevertheless...

>>3078415 seems accurate, but I'm not so certain that she can't boneshape out of herself- I don't think we'll be able to grab her so easily. We do need to prioritize B'ni, though. Maybe we can hold her at swordpoint, so to speak- get an acid spewer at point blank and make it sit on her or something?

>>3078475
My assumption that she is low on Biomass comes from the assumption that her spike growth ability is an automatic reaction to suffering a melee hit, similar to Reactive Grin from >>3071520.

That she didn't use it again during >>3078391 would imply that she either actively chose not to or that she could not. But choosing to use her sword over spikes doesn't make tactical sense to me - she had to deal with attacks from two simultaneous directions at the time, and her sword would have been far better used freeing herself from our tongue. Therefore, I assume that her biomass is currently beneath the threshold required to actually use the ability.

Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that she can't produce any weaponry at all. But if she still can, we're probably screwed anyway.

There is, of course, also another reason beyond the fact that it's efficient that I suggested what I did. I'd like to see how she reacts to us placing the prospect of killing and consuming her while she's weakened below the priority of aiding a comrade in arms.

>>3078524
I'm mostly worried she's gonna impale our hands, really, the rest of the idea is okay.

>>3078536
We'd be restraining her with our tongue, not our hands, though? If possible, we'd even use the length of tongue we bite off in replacing it.

>>3078524
And she has lost two swords already, if I am counting. She has been skating for a while. She is not at her prime (cut tress; she probably fought before).

I wish we could measure her biomass somehow.

I am unsure how we will make her hang from a tree since the tongue is not prehensil but we can give it a shot. Currently she doesn't have a sword avaible so, if we are fast, we can disable her before she makes another one