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

[Aabcehmu]

I vote D. My two goals with this are 1) insert ourselves a bit into the glintworm economy, since we could use a new source of meat, if we're not going to be around RHCs, and 2) find some nice, real rocks to eat, and maybe bump us up over the 100 DNA mark.

Changing to C, since starbuds are going to need it, as Shrump said, and since we could easily find some rocks on the way, or maybe even a glintworm.

[Shrump]

I'm voting C. I feel that we should find an actual body of water before we mate. More for the sake of our starbud than for our offspring.

Also, Sam B, you've mentioned that our choices during evolution reflect the choices we've made in the adventure. So what do we need to do to gain genders, or is it something we need to figure out ourselves?

[Kíeros]

> Crawl around for a water source.

[Sifright]

Voting A.

Basically, we aren't going to be effective here with out new evolutions. we've eaten local rocks which will help and we've taken eating meat further than any previous members of our species. I say we mate with the other eletus and get some upgrades that will allow us to function on land more safely. I think we are pushing our luck at the moment. Also mating on land with the Starbud may or may not give options to help with making it usable in land.

[Aabcehmu]

We're totally going to be effective here without mutations. The predators and prey alike are unprepared for us, and they have no weapons that we've not faced before. We have a pretty sweet set right now, and I think we should exploit it for all the DNA we can. As soon as we make sure we have a way to fill our internal reservoir, which I assume has been slowly evaporating.

I agree we should do our mating on land, when we do mate.

Also, Shrump, what advantage would there be to stopping being hermaphrodites? Wouldn't it just make it harder to find functional mates?

[Knight_of_Hide]

C sounds good.

Starbuds might be useless out of sea though. Getting them to work on land should be a priority.

And we neglected to get the ??? upgrade last round. We should get it when we next evolve.

[Sifright]

We're totally going to be effective here without mutations. The predators and prey alike are unprepared for us, and they have no weapons that we've not faced before. We have a pretty sweet set right now, and I think we should exploit it for all the DNA we can. As soon as we make sure we have a way to fill our internal reservoir, which I assume has been slowly evaporating.

I agree we should do our mating on land, when we do mate.

Also, Shrump, what advantage would there be to stopping being hermaphrodites? Wouldn't it just make it harder to find functional mates?

I think you are forgetting something very important. What we have are unknown defenses for the land animals. However they are evolved to actually survive in this environment, they will have us beat very easily in mobility and quite probably offense as well, our main advantage is the dorsal blades which MIGHT cut up anything that tries to eat us.

The starbud has been explained to be ineffective on land as well because the seed can't be fired in air properly if i'm recalling the ops information correctly. So our starbud is currently only a hindrance at the moment.

[Latewave]

A I kinda agree that we need some new mutations. Thou I do think we should should find some water first maybe?

[Shrump]

We're totally going to be effective here without mutations. The predators and prey alike are unprepared for us, and they have no weapons that we've not faced before. We have a pretty sweet set right now, and I think we should exploit it for all the DNA we can. As soon as we make sure we have a way to fill our internal reservoir, which I assume has been slowly evaporating.

I agree we should do our mating on land, when we do mate.

Also, Shrump, what advantage would there be to stopping being hermaphrodites? Wouldn't it just make it harder to find functional mates?

Honestly, there's no advantage that I know of. Hell, even being hermaphroditic is rendered moot if we hang on to our ability to bud off. For me it's more along the lines that I want to take this "what if" scenario as far as I can. As such, I'm curious to see if we can't reasonably come up with a species that has more than two genders. Of course, in order for that to happen, we'll need a way to develope genders in general.

[kaleidoscope]

I'll go with C too.

[Sam B]

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Separate genders are either something you will gain automatically as you become less of a worm and more of a vertebrate, or something that will become an option in future evolutions as you advance socially. I haven't decided, but the latter is a more likely scenario. But before that another choice must be made, and that is whether you will reproduce SEXUALLY or ASEXUALLY as a species. You're gonna have to pick one eventually, and it is highly probable that this next evolution will be the one that makes that choice.

On Starbuds, you haven't actually used them for defense on land yet, and the only things you really know about how they work outside of the ocean are:

1. They die without moisture.
2. Their seeds cannot grow in dry sand.
3. It is troublesome to have one on your belly when your primary mode of transportation is crawling.

Act:

Procreation can wait, you think, there's no need to be hasty. After all, you don't even know for sure if there's any water out here! You decide to continue following the invisible trail that brought you here, and you try to give the local predators a wide berth as you do so. Together with the other Eletus you crawl in the direction of the watery scent, but in spite of your efforts your search is quickly interrupted as one of the Anabasis notices you and comes over to investigate! The small creature gracefully runs across the muddy ground and easily reaches your location before you can do anything. You prepare yourself for a fight!

However, the Anabasis does not attack! Apparently this one is especially wary of potential threats, and it is keeping its distance from you as it stares quizzically at the brightly glowing Starbuds on you and your partner. Fate has given you the opportunity to act first in this encounter, it seems. There's no telling how an unfamiliar species like this will react to whatever you do, but you'll probably have to take care of this situation one way or another before you can move on.

With the Anabasis this close, you can see a few minute details that were undetectable by your other senses: Around the its neck is a ring of small bumps, but you have absolutely no idea what purpose they might serve, and the creature also seems to possess webbed toes. (Which isn't all that surprising given its amphibious nature.) It is a very different beast than the fish you are used to, for sure.

You have 92 DNA Pt(s)

What do you do?

A) Attack the Anabasis.
B) Wait and see what happens.
C) Flee in spite of your inferior mobility.
D) Burrow in the mud and hide.
E) Other: ___________________

Stats:

Homeworld: Aros.
Name: Eletus.
Traits: Chordate, Diurnal; Starbud Infection.
Appearance: Faded blue; Slender body with a pair of fin-shaped keratin blades on back; long tail with barbs and caudal fin at the tip; head possesses a red ocellus on either side and a circular mouth with tiny teeth at the front end. [Glowing flower on underside]
Environment: Shallow ocean waters.
Behavior: Defensive, curious, cunning; will actively seek out Starbuds if not infected; travels in pairs.
Symbiosis: Starbud Flower [M]
Diet: Geovore, capable of eating meat in small quantities.
Belly: 80%
Size: 8; Over 10 centimeters long.
SNS: 8; Capable of blurry, short-ranged vision; Cannot hear; Able to sense light and chemicals from a distance; Basic sense of smell.
MOB: 8.5; You slither at a slow pace on land, and can swim well.
INT: 10; 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: 3.5 (5.5); You have a thick C-Plate and a pair of Dorsal-Blades, deterring weaker predators. [+2]
HP: 51/51

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.

[Knight_of_Hide]

C

Lets just keep moving on. If it attacks us, we kill it. If not, we find water.

[Kíeros]

> Bide your time.

[Aabcehmu]

I'm going to with KoH in this case, and vote for C, with the similar addition to continue calmly, rather than appearing frightened, and to continue to be ready to fight.

[meteorMirror]

₪ Be very still, if we run it might consider us more likely as chow then an odd thing.

[Aleisha]

B, and prepare to try and attack it if it tries anything.

[kaleidoscope]

B, stand your ground.

[Saccadic]

B once more.

[Wessolf27]

B, if anything you can hide in the mud or attack if you're attacked.

[Sifright]

B

Although I think taking a hostile intial approach might be better to try and scare it away.

[Woodledude]

A hostile reaction, without attacking or fleeing? You mean kind of like growling, maybe? This presents a great opportunity to make a defensive posture; I think that the best deterrent we have at the moment would be the tail-spikes, if we aim for the legs and any especially soft parts, like maybe its belly. I'm not sure we can reach the face, but if we can, that would be the best area to go for. With that in mind, I propose that the best position to be in, assuming we take a passively hostile one, would be to shift so our dorsal blades are pointed towards it for defense, then ready our tail scorpion-style. Although I'll avoid actually voting for now.

[darkdramon]

B Watch and wait

[Sam B]

Act:

You remain very still, while the Anabasis creeps closer with a few cautious steps. The small amphibian sniffs at your parasitic flower a few times and gives you a confused stare, then turns around and scurries back to its brethren across the marsh. Success! Apparently your Starbud is useful for more than just spreading infections when dealing with terrestrial carnivores; it must make you look and smell like a plant! None of the other land-dwelling creatures approach once the Anabasis takes its leave, and you are allowed to continue your quest for water uninterrupted.

Sooner than you expected, your nostrils lead you and the other Eletus to the source of the watery scent; a large pond located in an otherwise flat area of the marsh. The water is isolated and stagnant, which explains its slightly-off smell, but that hasn't stopped the local flora and fauna from thriving in and around it. The tall Swampgrass is much more prevalent here, forming a dense field all around the body of water that is a stark contrast to the few lone blades scattered around outside of the pond's influence. There is also another species of plant in the area; some kind of thick reed, but inedible things like that don't particularly interest you.

As for the wildlife, in addition to the larger Bogtoads and smaller Anabasis that dominate this environment, you can also detect an unknown species of fish in the outer area of the pond, and many of those big flying arthropods from earlier are hovering just above the water. These numerous Sap Flies, as you've come to mentally identify them (given their apparent connection to the sap-covered tree), appear to be preying on the Anabasis, as individuals will occasionally dive down to pick one up with their jointed legs shortly before carrying the amphibian beyond your sensory range.

Those monsters in the sky are certainly something a creature of your small size should avoid, but at least you can take solace in the fact that the Sap Flies are likely more than big enough to trigger a Starbud's seeding process, if one should attack you. Anyway, you've been getting pretty thirsty this past hour, and stagnant or not that water would do a lot more for your symbiote than some wet mud. If you're careful, you could probably make it to the pond without attracting too much attention to yourself... Right?

You have 92 DNA Pt(s)

What do you do?

A) Attempt to drink from the pondwater's surface.
B) Try to enter the pond and swim in it.
C) Look for some food instead.
D) Other: ___________________

Stats:

Homeworld: Aros.
Name: Eletus.
Traits: Chordate, Diurnal; Starbud Infection.
Appearance: Faded blue; Slender body with a pair of fin-shaped keratin blades on back; long tail with barbs and caudal fin at the tip; head possesses a red ocellus on either side and a circular mouth with tiny teeth at the front end. [Glowing flower on underside]
Environment: Shallow ocean waters.
Behavior: Defensive, curious, cunning; will actively seek out Starbuds if not infected; travels in pairs.
Symbiosis: Starbud Flower [M]
Diet: Geovore, capable of eating meat in small quantities.
Belly: 60%
Size: 8; Over 10 centimeters long.
SNS: 8; Capable of blurry, short-ranged vision; Cannot hear; Able to sense light and chemicals from a distance; Basic sense of smell.
MOB: 8.5; You slither at a slow pace on land, and can swim well.
INT: 10; 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: 3.5 (5.5); You have a thick C-Plate and a pair of Dorsal-Blades, deterring weaker predators. [+2]
HP: 51/51

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]

Drink from the pond and then eat mud from the pond bed.

[Knight_of_Hide]

B. Lets go swim, our water movement is much greater then our land movement.

And maybe we could get a Starbud colony in the pond-mud, too.