CELLQUEST: RIP in Piece [DEAD due to inactive host]

[Kíeros]

> Anything that's an easy and guaranteed meal.

[Knight_of_Hide]

C

Meat will probably give us a decent chunk of DNA.

Also it doesn't look like we'll be seeing the Sea-Eletus for a while, which is too bad.

[Aabcehmu]

I feel as though we weren't going to be seeing them by going up either river anyway. For all we know, we might have ended up even closer to the ocean than before. Considering rivers usually flow to the ocean, it's actually probable that we are closer now.

[volnrok]

C, for reasons above.

[Sifright]

C eat meat.

It's incredibly rare for rivers to flow away from an ocean. We are heading towards the sea.

[Wessolf27]

Let's go with C, also, weren't we going to mate soon around this point to get some of the starbud/size upgrades?

[volnrok]

I think the plan was to mate soon, but a better jaw (and maybe acid spray) would help us eat larger things, so maybe we should wait just a bit more.

[sonic3535]

I vote As well.

[Aabcehmu]

I'm going to be a bit more adamant when we come up to 70 DNA and vote to mate until we do, even if it means using the make-it-yourself option.

[Sifright]

I think we desperately need more jaw size. So we want to have DNA for a couple of the expensive upgrades the parasite organism one and one to make our jaws more useable so we can eat stuff we hunt.

[hero122]

Eat, and then bud off to maintain a larger group.

[Sam B]

Act:

You decide to track down the mysterious carcass through the scent of decay being carried throughout the water. A bit further downstream, you find the apparent source of the meat-scent floating in the water: A giant tail. That's all you can see, anyway, but what a sight it is! The smell coming from the gigantic mass of flesh is almost overwhelming up close, and the tail is so huge that it's actually displacing half of the water in this part of the river, causing it to spill out onto the ground above. If this thing had died just a bit closer to the water, it would probably dam the whole thing up!

Of course, any instincts your kind might have once had relating to this species are long gone, as it is not nearly as important as the terrestrial creatures you have to watch out for daily. But if you were a Sea Eletus you would probably recognize the behemoth as a dead Titan Eel. They are quite rare even the sea, but seeing one beached like this is unprecedented! How did it even get so far out of the water? Is there another species big enough to drag it out, or did this strange beast simply crawl out on its own before dying to the elements? You certainly don't know, but you are sure it's quite edible, and there's probably enough meat on this thing to feed thousands.

Wasting no more time, you and your partner latch yourselves onto an open spot and start to gorge yourselves on the soft, rotting flesh. You aren't the only ones feasting on this carrion buffet, of course: Salmon, Milledons, Anabasis and Landfish, even a couple Beach Bugs are all tearing into the fallen giant from all directions. Your tiny belly is filled all too quickly, and you gain a whopping 20 DNA Pts from this once-in-a-lifetime meal. You eat just enough to accelerate your Regen ability, but take care not to overeat again, as doing so too often will surely cause adverse health effects that you're probably better off without.

It seems almost wasteful to leave such a delicacy behind, but if there are Beach Bugs and Landfish swimming and running around then that surely means the coast is nearby. Weren't you going to the ocean for some reason? You've come so far already, and there probably isn't much daylight left for traveling, so if you want to reach the sea now is the time to do it.

You have 65 DNA Pt(s)

What do you do?

A) Head downstream, towards the ocean. (Probably...)
B) Backtrack and try to return to the wetlands before nightfall.
C) Ignore possible health risks and continue to eat for a while.
D) Other: ___________________

Stats:

Homeworld: Aros.
Name: Eletus.
Traits: Chordate, Diurnal; Starbud Infection.
Appearance/Physiology: Dull greyish-brown color with bright underside similar to Starbuds in color; Scaly snake-like body with thick, fleshy fins near the front, pair of fin-shaped keratin blades on back; long tail with barbs and caudal fin at the tip; slightly enlarged head with dark red eyes and a pair of flat frog-like ears on either side, and a circular mouth with tiny teeth. [Glowing flower on underside]
Environment: Northern wetlands.
Behavior: Cautious if unprovoked, curious; will actively seek out Starbuds if not infected; travels in pairs.
Symbiosis: Starbud Flower [M]
Diet: Omnivorous, can eat both meat and mineral matter.
Belly: 100%
Size: 10; Average length of 14-16 cm.
SNS: 13; Slightly blurry light-based vision (colorless); Can detect low-frequency sounds; Able to sense chemicals from a distance; Basic sense of smell.
MOB: 10.5; You crawl at a somewhat slow pace on land, and can swim well; Very flexible.
INT: 12; Sentient; Capable of basic social interaction with your own kind.
ATK: 7.5; You have a strong mouth with teeth, sharp barbs on your tail and dangerous Dorsal-Blades on your back.
DEF: 5 (7); You have durable scales and a pair of Dorsal-Blades, deterring weaker predators. [+2]
HP: 33/56

Abilities:

--Active--
-Bud Off: Split your body into multiple organisms. Divides Belly by number of organisms. Temporarily reduces stats to a fraction of what they really are.
-Disgorge: Vomit some of the contents of your belly with mild force. Effectiveness increases with a larger Belly %. (Divides current Belly by half)
-Charge: A short burst of speed in any direction, can be used offensively. (-30% Belly)
-Suction: Pull small objects into your mouth from a short distance or affix yourself to larger surfaces. (-10% Belly when used on non-food objects)

--Passive--
-Cephalize: Evolve sensory organs at reduced cost on your "head".
-Geophagy: Gain extra DNA from soil and similar materials.
-Regen: Recover HP at a constant rate. Belly drops faster than normal when more than a third of your HP is gone.

[Sifright]

C+D=Eat loads of food and Mate with other eletus

[Aabcehmu]

I'm going with a different D, get out the river and look around a bit, above water.

Changing it to D, Sifright's most recent suggestion.

[Cadorean]

to the oceAn

Changing to Sifright's D

[Sifright]

I've got kind of a crazy idea, Why don't we burrow into the carcass mate with the other Eletus partner inside the carcass?

D Burrow into carcass and mate inside the nummy fleshes.

[Aabcehmu]

Maybe...What the heck, I'll go with that. Changing my vote now.

[Sifright]

Maybe...What the heck, I'll go with that. Changing my vote now.

Setting sail for awesome.

[Aleisha]

I've got kind of a crazy idea, Why don't we burrow into the carcass mate with the other Eletus partner inside the carcass?

D Burrow into carcass and mate inside the nummy fleshes.

This is gross, pointless, and really random.

Let's do it.

[Knight_of_Hide]

D Mate.

But not inside the flesh, that seems a bit pointless.

[Kíeros]

> And now we head down to the final goal.

[volnrok]

I shall go with A, with the hopes of wandering around for a bit, then maybe returning for epic meal part two.

[meteorMirror]

A, because now is not the time to mate, with a small 65 DNA points.

[Heroguy]

Hey guys. I've read up on this one long extended shenanigan, and have converted to readership status. Because this thread is awesome.
As a generally cautious dude, I choose B. Maybe I missed something in my not-entirely-thorough reading, but I don't see much reason to head to the ocean, as our current branch of Eletus is land-based...

[Wessolf27]

Sifright's D