You say there’s no way to know until you try, and that hope is just the flipside of doubt. Doubt says that you’re not sure things will go well, and hope says that you’re not sure it’ll go badly. The only way you’d say there’s no hope was if you were certain of anything, but you’re not. It may not be the largest chance, it may not be easy, and you’re definitely rolling the dice- but you might win. You just have to put in the effort and keep on believing in each other, and you have no plans to stop that any time soon. The most you can promise aside from that is that no matter what happens, you’ll take responsibility for it. That’s all you can do, really.

But...you know they want particular reasons as well, solid evidence. The truth of it is, you’re pretty confident you can get ahead of Spit, and you’re already finding cracks in her methods. Her way of doing things is self-destructive, and she’s acting against the nature of her TCPs. It’s fragile tactics, and the more you work her grip loose, the more slippery it’s going to get for her. If you could get all of her TCP’s out of her base, away from her influence, and into the unhallowed sanctuary, you’ve basically won. She won’t be able to hurt them anymore or make anything, and you’d have the chance to sway them from her influence. It’s going to require a lot of undoing conditioning, and there’s always the chance that they won’t take well to it...but there’s the chance that they will, and that’s the chance that you’re going to take, no matter what.

At the very, very least...Jasper could try and get Writhe out. Jasper agrees completely, as soon as you say it- it’s clearly being hurt here, all of them are, but Writhe seems the most delicate, at least to your phantom type. You’re going to need its help as well, and if Jasper wanted, they could try and help calm the cage type down before you get to it.

Jasper agrees, and floats over to Writhe.



Writhe can’t stop looking at its stunned teammate, Dana and Dad doing their best to keep it from poking at Raw. Jasper gives it a careful tap on the bars, backing up as the cage swings to face them. They’re surprised to hear Writhe speak, the cage saying hi to them in its low, rattling voice. Jasper says hey back after a moment of hesitation, glad to see that it can understand what they’re saying now. Their name is Jasper, and it’s good to meet them. Again.

Its name is Writhe, says the cage, looking a little shy. It doesn’t really know what to think of its name, it sounds weird, but...Jasper stops it before it can go much further than that, saying that it doesn’t sound weird to them. It’s a cool name. Writhe perks up immediately at the praise, saying that it’s happy Jasper thinks so! That makes it easier, to know someone thinks it’s cool!

Jasper has to calm the cage from bouncing around and making a ton of noise, trying to shush it as politely as possible. Okay, enough of that. Please. Things are still pretty scary right now, and they’re going to need Writhe’s help if they want things to go well. Could Writhe go along with things Jasper asks it to?

Writhe hesitates before asking whether it’ll hurt or not.

Jasper says it won’t, not if they have anything to do about it. They extend a hand for the cage to feel, the large storage type TCP fiddling with the ectoplasm immediately. It’s still weird for Jasper, but it seems to reassure Writhe so easily that they don’t mind, not really.



You thank Jasper for their help, relieved that things are starting to turn towards your favor again. You need them on recon, and they’re going to need to use their abilities to scope out the rest of Spit’s base. The focus should be on extraction, with the end goal of getting everyone out of there- your team, allies, and Spit’s team. Yes, all of them that you can, but especially Writhe. You need a spot where everyone can be rescued, and it’s their job to help find it. 

Jasper takes it in and nods, relaying this to Dad and Dana. Dana says that she’ll fill in the others, and rushes back into the room to talk to Bryce and Jetter. Dad gives Jasper a pat on their side, unable to quite reach up to their back- she’s proud of them-

Jasper swoops Dad into a hug before she can go on a big speech. 

They didn’t know if they’d ever see her again, or any of the others. They thought they were going to die down here. 

Dad is silent for a moment, not sure what to say. She settles on returning the hug as best she can, saying that no matter what, this team is like a family, and Jasper is included in that if they want to be. And if you’ve taught her anything, family sticks together.

Jasper says they know, and that they don’t plan on going anywhere soon. They set Dad down and get back to business, seemingly a little embarrassed at their emotional outburst.



You ask if there’s any way to get Raw into Writhe’s cage, but Jasper immediately nixes that idea- there’s no room in that cage for another big body type, not with all the spikes. Marvel’s barely fitting in there as is, and it doesn’t look like those spikes are easy to remove either. 
 

VOIDSY: Hey, Eastwood?
EASTWOOD: Yeah?
VOIDSY: Sorry for the radio silence, Jasper needed our help...we’re not going to use that healing fluid.
EASTWOOD: Why not?! I said it was safe!
VOIDSY: There just, there has to be some catch. It’s Spit we’re talking about.
EASTWOOD: It’s just straight up healing potion, same as what you’ve got back at base pretty much. Literally no difference.
VOIDSY: We’ll discuss it later, just...send some jelly instead.
EASTWOOD: Fine, but we’re running low.

 
Jasper gets a double-sized fistful of jelly from the bag, once again revulsed by the texture...but this was more important than their comfort. They float back over to Marvel and Writhe, the cage type allowing its door to be opened. Marvel’s still out cold, but as Jasper presses the jelly against his hand, he begins to stir.

Marvel’s health is now SUFFERING. 



He pulls himself into a sitting position, swaying from side to side. Jasper is immediately taken aback, his calm monotone replaced with a shaky, almost stuttering voice. He asks where he is, and Jasper says that they’re in Spit’s base, and that the scouting mission failed. It takes him a moment to realize what Jasper’s talking about, giving a slow nod. Right. The scouting mission. He had forgotten about that.

He takes a look at his hands, noting the massive holes going straight through. The brain type says nothing, Jasper reaching out and giving his shoulder a shake. Is he alright? Like, obviously he’s not alright, but…

Marvel says that he’s sure he’ll be fine, it’s just. Hard. It’s hard to think straight, everything feels all scrambled and- He can’t find the word, something that means not all there. Incomplete, Jasper suggests, and he nods. Scrambled and incomplete. It doesn’t feel right. 

Jasper says that whatever happened, they’ll find a way to fix it. Marvel gives another slow nod, looking around. Jasper says they can catch him up on everything, but it’s going to take some explaining.


 

VOIDSY: Miller, could you tell us about Bryce’s ability, and his weight gun? We have an idea.
MILLER: Well, sure! Bryce can turn things into driftwood and control it, but he can also make objects lighter thanks to his synergy bonus.
VOIDSY: How about living things?
MILLER: Well...yes, he can do that, but it isn’t reversible. That’s what the weight gun is for. 
MILLER: The weight gun can make things heavier or lighter, but by switching the weight of the user with the target. This means it’s only really effective on a single target at a time, BUT, testing shows that you can daisy chain it a bit if you’re careful. 
EASTWOOD: ...what the fuck?
EASTWOOD: You didn’t think to mention something that potentially broken?!
MILLER: No one asked!
VOIDSY: Mind if we try a thing, then?
MILLER: Go ahead, just be careful.
VOIDSY: Okay...we want to try making Writhe lighter. Those stairs are way too big for it to get out, and if we can make it lighter-
MILLER: Ooh! Jasper could just float it out, couldn’t they?
VOIDSY: Exactly.
MILLER: I love it! I’ll go get Bryce in on it immediately, and we’ll give it a test. 

 
It takes a moment or two, but Bryce wanders over to your group just as Marvel’s being helped out of the cage. You tell Jasper that you’ll need Marvel to sit on the sideline for a second, and you’d need their help with something. When they ask what, you say that you’re going to help Writhe get out of here, and relay the plan. Jasper passes this on to Writhe, who looks shocked. Is it even possible? It’s so deep here, and the stairs- Jasper shushes the cage, saying that they’re sure that you’ve figured it all out.

Bryce steps forward with the weight gun, bracing himself for impact as he fires at Writhe. Sure enough, he staggers, falling over as soon as the bolt hits. Writhe on the other hand, hops around almost gracefully from foot to foot, delighted. 
 

MILLER: Success!
 

Jasper sneaks over, trying to get Writhe to stay put before getting underneath it, picking it up with relative ease. It’s a little unwieldy to hold something so big, but with Bryce’s weight, the cage is no problem. Writhe tries not to wiggle too much, but from the sound of its giggle-like clangs, it’s having a blast.



They peek up from underneath Writhe, trying to get a good look at what hangs above them.

You tell Jasper to bring Writhe back down immediately, the phantom type doing so without hesitation.
 

MILLER: Voidsy?
MILLER: Is something wrong?
VOIDSY: There’s something up there, something big.

 
Bryce peers up, visibly startling a little.
 

MILLER: Oh.
EASTWOOD: What- oh.
WRETCH: what is it?!
EASTWOOD: Everybody get their TCPs to the wall, now.

 
You pass it on and Jasper pulls Writhe to the corridor entrance, Dad and Dana squishing up against the wall. Bryce tries and fails to pull himself up, locked under his own newfound weight. Jasper asks if he can shoot that thing, but Bryce shakes his head- even if he could get up right now, there’s no way the bolt would reach. 

In a bold move, Jasper darts forward and starts trying to drag Bryce, visibly straining as he scrapes along the ground. It’s enough to get him over, Jasper trying to regain composure. That weight gun really does a number on a person. 




You ask Jasper if they can ask Writhe some questions, and pass on what you want to know. Jasper starts simple- what’s that thing in the sky? Writhe hesitates before mumbling that it doesn’t really know, it’s never really been on the surface before, and the big flying thing’s never really come into the pit… But it scares it a little. Maybe more than a little.

Next, Jasper asks about Spit’s fifth TCP, and Writhe gets even more nervous. It says that it doesn’t know his name, but that he’s kind of mean, and messes with it sometimes. He’s really little and full of green stuff, and doesn’t like being touched, but it’s seen him… It shuffles, really uncomfortable now. It’s seen him feeding animals the green stuff before, and k-killing them. It doesn’t like it when he does that, not at all, even if the animals try to bite it sometimes.

Jasper’s more than rattled at this info, their hands shaking. They ask why he would do these things, why he’d kill something, anything- and Writhe says it doesn’t know. Spit might have told him to, but he never really seemed...upset about it. Not like how Writhe gets.

Jasper thanks Writhe for the new information, and slides against the pit wall. Great. Just great.




Jetter slips over, presumably trying to get a better look for Wretch’s sake. 
 

WRETCH: oh fuck whatever that thing is
WRETCH: what the fucks been going on out here
EASTWOOD: Well, we just found out that the last of Spit’s TCPs kills animals for fun, so that’s going great.
MILLER: Writhe said that he could be ordered by Spit to do these things-
EASTWOOD: I have full faith in Spit’s ability to raise a fucking serial killer.
MILLER: We don’t know that! We need to be optimistic!
WRETCH: yea like. idk
WRETCH: spit’s the fucking worst ever and im sure she’s fucked up these kitties’ brains to hell and back
WRETCH: but we’re tryin to like. make friends and shit
WRETCH: i dont wanna call any cats serial killers unless we meet them and theyre legit off their shit
MILLER: Even then, we need to work together to undo any potential grooming. 
MILLER: The session hasn’t been going on long enough for her to do anything that can’t be undone.
MILLER: ...I hope.
EASTWOOD: Fine. 
EASTWOOD: But if things look unsalvageable, I’m not hesitating.

VOIDSY: Does anybody know what typing it could be from Writhe’s description? 
EASTWOOD: Yeah, I’ve got a good guess- and it’s both good and bad news.
WRETCH: out with it man
EASTWOOD: No way to confirm this without seeing him, but it sounds like a poison type to me.
EASTWOOD: The bad news is that a well used poison type can fuck up pretty much any team.
EASTWOOD: The good news is that we’ve got a few TCPs completely immune to him if it is that-
MILLER: And one that gets buffed!
EASTWOOD: Exactly.
EASTWOOD: It’s not ideal, but it’s not impossible to work with- we’re just going to have to be really, really careful. Poison types are fragile, which makes me think that’s why we haven’t seen him at all yet...Spit’s smart to have him hide.
EASTWOOD: But that also means that he could be anywhere, and he’s probably armed to the teeth with stuff that can work with his ability. 
WRETCH: whos in danger outta the current bunch??
EASTWOOD: Hm.
EASTWOOD: Jetter, Jasper, Dad, and especially Dana and Marvel.
VOIDSY: What about Spit’s TCPs?
EASTWOOD: Raw and Hark, mainly. Writhe’ll be fine. No idea on the one back at Void’s base.

VOIDSY: And what about the UFO?
EASTWOOD: No clue-
MILLER: It’s Consumption fauna for sure- that’s Spit’s zone.
WRETCH: yea she tends to use lots of fucked up animals she made for her zone
WRETCH: idk what it is tho
MILLER: Me neither, though I’ll be able to do some digging if we get a moment...which, I don’t think we will.
MILLER: Not for now, anyway. We’re almost there, we can see the entrance to her territory and everything.
MILLER: If you have any ideas on how to get out of here without getting that creature’s attention, now’s the time…
MILLER: Otherwise, we’re just going to have to let the incoming TCPs handle it.
MILLER: ...and potentially risk their lives.

You suggest that Jasper should try raising Bryce up to hit the flier...maybe after he lightens up, though. Bryce is already on it by the time you get to it, zapping a pebble and jumping to his feet, spry as ever. He stretches and flexes, glad to be back to a more manageable weight. He agrees to your idea as soon as Jasper suggests it, and the two of them start discussing logistics as he sets his backpack to the side.

You decide to confer with the other gods while they talk it out.
 

VOIDSY: See if you can look something up-
MILLER: Alright, alright! I’ll take the time to- oh.
MILLER: I found it pretty quickly, actually…
MILLER: Searching “large Consumption flying animal” got something that uh...hm.
MILLER: It’s not great news!
EASTWOOD: Out with it.
MILLER: It looks like it’s a creature called a “bungle”, and it’s rarely ever seen. Most people will never encounter one in their lifetime, but if they do, they’re, well. Screwed.
MILLER: They attack anything that comes into their flight range with aggression, and wait patiently for grounded prey…
 

 
She swallows audibly.
 

MILLER: It says here that they wait on top of houses, perched and waiting for people to leave…
MILLER: They can survive without food and water for a few weeks, so...they starve out their prey and have horrifying, victorious siren calls after they’ve finished a meal.
MILLER: It’s definitely what attacked Seaspray…
WRETCH: well fuck us
MILLER: Yeah...
MILLER: There’s a lot of info here, I can try reading more later if you’re willing to handle things.
VOIDSY: We’ll do our best.

 
You remember another concern, and hope that it’ll lighten the mood at least a little…
  

VOIDSY: Eastwood! We made a mask based on you, remember?
EASTWOOD: Uh...maybe? Refresh me.
VOIDSY: It can help the wearer process poisons, or anything like them! That could come in handy if this TCP really is what you think it is.
WRETCH: didnt it have like
WRETCH: a killer drawback tho
VOIDSY: Well...yes. 
VOIDSY: The wearer risks becoming addicted to the substance in question.
VOIDSY: It’s not ideal, but-
EASTWOOD: Something to keep in mind. Good idea, Void.
 

  

VOIDSY: What drugs have you put in the bag so far?
EASTWOOD: Sleeping powder primarily, made from a combo of bottled smoke- mine, for the record- and heartsea petals. It’s actually pretty good at knocking people out with a soothing nap, but it does run the risk of addiction.
MILLER: We are not getting the enemy TCPs addicted to drugs!
EASTWOOD: We might not have a choice. This could be what keeps us from losing our own.
VOIDSY: Anything else?
EASTWOOD: Some tranq bullets. Turns out you can combo drugs with bullets in this lab of mine, and I intend to make it count.
EASTWOOD: Along those lines, we’ve also got some bullets mixed with my crystals-
WRETCH: mixing...bullets?
EASTWOOD: Eastite is a stimulant, so these will get anything with a heart pumping and losing blood way faster. Theoretically, anyway.
EASTWOOD: Jelly...soda...still coming up with a proper name for it. It’s pretty disgusting, but it heals great.
EASTWOOD: We’ve combined the milk rice nearby and some silk strands to make a sort of sticky spider silk. Kind of a hack job, but it works in a pinch.
EASTWOOD: We have a bunch of mushrooms growing all over our cave base, and I’ve managed to make some fungus-based weapons of mass destruction...or in this case, potential addiction.
EASTWOOD: Combining my smoke and crystals with mushrooms has made some fungal weapons that, when kept in a bottle, can essentially work as a grenade of spores that grows on and infects a target with either depressants or stimulants respectively- but it only works if the target gets hit directly with the bottle.
EASTWOOD: I’ve also made a kind of mushroom that can create healing spores, also bottled to ensure nothing is wasted.
VOIDSY: Wow, that’s! A lot!
EASTWOOD: I’ve been busy.
VOIDSY: And a lot of it is kind of fucked up!
EASTWOOD: That’s the kind of game we’re playing. 
EASTWOOD: I’m going to do what I have to to beat Spit. 
VOIDSY: Just...be careful with that.
VOIDSY: Can’t you just give Marvel the jelly soda, also?
VOIDSY: You were willing to give him Spit’s weird healing fluid, but you had that the whole time.
EASTWOOD: Void.
 

  

EASTWOOD: I really cannot convey just how nasty this beverage is.
EASTWOOD: It’s a last resort.
MILLER: I agree with Voidsy, those mushrooms sound especially messed up…
MILLER: Please, only use those if we really, really need to. No exceptions.
MILLER: If I find any TCPs with fungus growing out of them, I’m going to have more than a few stern words with you!

VOIDSY: Oh, Miller, we’ve got something else in mind!
MILLER: Oh?
VOIDSY: Well, we figure we can probably hit the flier...bungle, you said?
MILLER: Yes, bungle.
VOIDSY: We think we can hit it if we have Jasper lift Bryce up high-
MILLER: What?!
MILLER: Voidsy, that’s- the height! The weight!!!!
VOIDSY: What do you mean the-
VOIDSY: Oh.
VOIDSY: Oh.
MILLER: He’d hit the ground way too hard-!
VOIDSY: Relax, it’s a dumb idea, we’ll just tell the TCPs to chill out-
MILLER: VOID!!!

 
You get a sudden chill down your nonexistent spine as you turn back to your TCPs-
 

 
But you’re too late.

Bryce’s weight is transferred into the bungle, the wind picking it up and sending it careening uncontrollably. 

The bungle’s weight is transferred into Bryce and Jasper struggles to hold on, straining and doing everything they can to keep their grip on the driftwood type as they start to plummet.
 

 
But they pick up speed, and your phantom type can’t prevent their passive ability from kicking in.
 

 
He falls.

Eastwood’s yelling, not even caring that his comms are still on.
  

EASTWOOD: Marvel, get over there, NOW! Catch him!

 
His brain type scrambles to his feet, swaying from side to side before tripping, still in a complete daze.
 

MILLER: BRYCE!!
EASTWOOD: God DAMNIT
 

 
 
The sound of wood hitting the ground and splintering is deafening, but it’s nowhere near as painful as the sound of Bryce’s screams as soon as he processes what’s happened to him.

Dad and Dana rush forward as Jasper floats down, stammering choked apologies and saying that they didn’t think he’d be so heavy, and they couldn’t hold on, and they’re so, so sorry-

They try to help pick Bryce up, straining-

 
You tell Jasper that it’s not their fault at all- it’s yours, all of yours, the void’s, and you don’t want them blaming themself for this. You didn’t do the math, and that’s not on anyone else but you. 

VOIDSY: Jesus, Miller, we’re so sorry-
MILLER: …
VOIDSY: We fucked up, this is our fault, we should have told Bryce to carry a pebble or something to balance the weight-
MILLER: …
VOIDSY: Fuck, fuck, fucking fuck goddamnit-
EASTWOOD: Void.
VOIDSY: I made a bad call, and it could have killed Bryce-

WRETCH: voidsy, hey…
VOIDSY: I could have killed Bryce, you deserve so much better than me-
MILLER: Void. Stop.
MILLER: Just...stop it. 
MILLER: I don’t want to hear you beat yourself up, I really don’t…
MILLER: It doesn’t help! It doesn’t help any of this!
MILLER: You are not helping!

 
 
 
She chokes a little, anger sneaking into her voice for the first time since you’ve met her. 

MILLER: Yes! You f-fucked up!! You absolutely fucked up!!!
MILLER: We all know you fucked up!!!!
MILLER: No one is questioning that! You don’t need to say it over, and over, and over!
MILLER: It! Does! Not! Help!
MILLER: I know you mean the best for this team, I don’t think anyone would question that either, but…
MILLER: I don’t know if I can trust you to give direction to my TCPs, not after this. 
MILLER: And I hate that! I want to trust you!
MILLER: We all do!
MILLER: But you need to think, and you need to talk to us before you make any broad sweeping decisions that involve other people’s TCPs, especially high risk ones…
MILLER: You’re...you’re not even a day old, not in our time, and you’re having to learn so much, all at once. And I get that!
MILLER: I get that it’s hard! I get that you’re new to all this, and that you have to deal with being a ton of voices all at once, and that not all of those voices are able to agree!
MILLER: But you need to acknowledge that you’re with two other newbies-
EASTWOOD: Hey-
MILLER: I am talking.

  
Eastwood shuts up immediately.
 

 

MILLER: And someone who hasn’t had a lot of success in this game- Sorry, Wretch.

Wretch just nods, not saying much.

MILLER: We are all on the same footing here, we’re all struggling to figure this out, and people are going to make mistakes. 
MILLER: I’m going to make mistakes too, I feel like I already have, with this whole weight gun thing…
MILLER: But right now, we can’t afford to make any more.
MILLER: TCPs’ lives are on the line- your life is on the line!
MILLER: I get that this is scary for you!
MILLER: You will literally die if you don’t win this game!
MILLER: But that doesn’t mean that you can - or should - manage everything. 
MILLER: We are a team.
MILLER: Now let’s start acting like one.
MILLER: If anybody has anything that involves any other team’s TCPs, you ask first- all of us. 

  

MILLER: Heck, any big decisions at all… we can’t mess this up. Not like this, not again. 
MILLER: And if I’m being honest, I’m either going to have to sleep soon or take some kind of caffeine, and I bet Wretch and Eastwood are in the same boat.
EASTWOOD: I mean, I’m good-
WRETCH: dude don’t just take drugs or whatever i know that’s what yr plannin and we dont need you high as balls
MILLER: Seconding that!
EASTWOOD: Fine. We have coffee.
MILLER: The point is...I don’t know if you need to rest or anything, because you’re a whole lot of people all in one head…
MILLER: But we’re going to have to start resting, maybe in shifts.
MILLER: And I’d rather have plans in mind before then. 
MILLER: Can we just, can we do that?
VOIDSY: ...we’ll definitely try.
MILLER: We’re going to need more than that to get through this, but that’s a start.
MILLER: Now- let’s get moving.

 
Dana is rushing around the room, her goal unknown- until she picks up the weight gun, somehow unbroken. Even with her tiny legs, she’s able to get back to Bryce and snatch a pebble off the ground, handing both the gun and the pebble over and allowing him to lighten his own weight before taking the gun back. Jasper holds him a lot easier now, cradling the cracked driftwood type in their arms. He says that he wants to go home. Please, let him go home. He’s not much use here- Dana interrupts and says that of course he has value no matter where he is, but they’d definitely get him home. 

WRETCH: is there any way to put the leg back on?
EASTWOOD: Well, it’s theoretically possible with something like a bolt through the leg or wood putty, but with it that splintered...I don’t know. Your best shot is a full prosthetic. 
MILLER: We can’t make one of those, not for a long time…we’d need at least one team fully back at their base, and everybody’s all spread out.
VOIDSY: We’re in the same boat with Buddy.
WRETCH: well we gotta figure out somethin
WRETCH: ill dig around the warehouse when we get home n see what we can do...no idea how to do any of that shit but its something
VOIDSY: What about non-addictive painkillers, can you whip anything up? 
EASTWOOD: All I’ve got for ingredients that could pull that off is my smoke, which is an addictive depressant. 
EASTWOOD: If I had create powers, I could probably do something, but like Miller says, I’m shit outta luck on that front. 
MILLER: I can at the very least do this…

   

 
Dana comes close to Bryce and grows a flower, and then another, tying them expertly into a crown before placing it on his head. He seems to calm immediately, his grating whimpers quieting down. Jetter approaches slowly, holding the vial of healing fluid. He says that Wretch says it’s worth a shot, and that Eastwood says it’s okay...Jasper nods and tips the driftwood type closer, allowing Jetter to hold the vial up to his face. 

MILLER: Okay...good news, his health is...not zero now.
MILLER: SUFFERING is still terrible, but he’s not in danger of a kill command or anything...it’ll have to do until he gets home. 
MILLER: It doesn’t seem to have any side effects, just like Eastwood said. 
MILLER: Strange for Spit, but right now, I’m grateful.
MILLER: Voidsy, can you have Jasper help Bryce through the bag? 
VOIDSY: On it. 

  
Jasper’s careful with Bryce, not wobbling even a little as they take them to the other room. Dad follows suit, patting Jasper’s tail as best as she could reach. It’s going to be okay-
  

 
Hark’s gone, the ropes are left in a pile, and the mask, hook, and what was left of her bat are nowhere to be found. Thankfully the bag is still there, untouched. Jasper panics, but Dad tries to get them under control- it’s okay, right now they have to focus on Bryce. Now is not the time to freak out. 
 

 
Meanwhile, Marnet and the others have reached Spit’s base.

Marnet comments that there sure is a weird animal careening out of control through the sky, and that she’s relieved it seems to be going in the exact opposite direction. Wouldn’t want to deal with whatever that is! 

 

VOIDSY: Looks like we’re here.
EASTWOOD: We’re going to have to split up our attention.
VOIDSY: Before we do- we just want to say that everything brought up here is more than reasonable, and we accept it entirely. 
VOIDSY: You guys know your builds better than we do, and we’re grateful for your understanding with all this.
VOIDSY: We’ll talk with you before doing anything else, and we’re going to be a better person for both you and the TCPs.
MILLER: Thank you, Voidsy-
EASTWOOD: Hello? Back to the plan?
MILLER: Right…
VOIDSY: Well, about the needing sleep thing…

 
You check yourself over, seeing if there’s any sense of tiredness at all. Thankfully, you feel right as rain...aside from the cuts all over you. They feel terrible, but at the very least, they don’t look too gross. You don’t want the rest of your team to watch you bleed out. 
 

VOIDSY: Doesn’t seem like that’s going to be a problem. We don’t feel tired at all.
MILLER: Well, that’s good!
WRETCH: voidsys gonna pull an allllll nighterrr
EASTWOOD: Yeah, for like...a week or however long this takes.
VOIDSY: No matter how long it takes, we could try sleeping in shifts. Caffeine will only get us so far, and we can’t afford anyone crashing.
MILLER: Hmm...I’ll take the first sleep shift once we get back to the base, providing all of my TCPs are being cared for and checked up on…
WRETCH: dont worry mills
WRETCH: we’ll take good care of em
MILLER: Thanks…

 

 
You check on the TCPs. Jasper has Bryce halfway shoved through the bag, and seems more than a little stressed. You try to soothe them as best as you can- Hark got away, and that sucks, but you know how she works now. You can plan for that, and you feel like you got through some when you were able to talk to her. What you did, it wasn’t nothing. They do seem to take some comfort in your words, and nod solemnly. You tell them that there’s some good news as well- backup has arrived, and the flying creature is long gone now. Now they really seem to perk up, and after making sure that Bryce is all the way through, they straighten up and do their best to look lively. They tell you to make sure to pass this on to Dad, and you turn your attention to her to do just that.

Dad says to keep her posted on the next move, and that she’ll do her best to keep things from going belly up as best as she can. Just tell her the next move, and she’ll be there to see it out. You promise that when you get somewhere safe, you’ll all have a team meeting. There’s a lot of stuff that needs to be said, by both you and all of the TCPs. You stop for a moment, remembering Raw...could Dad go check on him?
 

 
Dad walks towards Raw carefully, a bit hesitant to approach after her earlier experience. With a gentle poke of her foot, she says that he’s still out cold...but probably not for long. Jetter seems to have the same idea, poking at the burn type’s leg. Dad says it’s probably best for them to back up, and the razorblade doesn’t need much prompting. Your dad type can’t help but put her hand to her face, avoiding directly touching the burn- she's grateful that it doesn’t seem to be hurting as much anymore...it’s still very much there, but… 
 
 
 
Jetter asks what’s wrong, and Dad shakes her head. It’s nothing, it’s just...he had her right where he wanted her, and he only burned her that much. He could have hurt her a hell of a lot more than that, and he didn’t.

Maybe there was some hope for this guy after all.
 

 

VOIDSY: We need to figure out whether we’re going to rescue Writhe or not-
MILLER: Oh, definitely. We already figured out how to make him light, we have no reason not to.
EASTWOOD: As much as I hate the idea of dragging around a giant cage, it’s pretty much already on our side. We’d be fools not to take it.
WRETCH: what about the big burn dude though
VOIDSY: That, we’re not so sure about. 
EASTWOOD: I say we leave him.
MILLER: I don’t think that’s a good idea...we want to save as many of these TCPs as possible.
EASTWOOD: Okay, how the hell do we get him out then?
VOIDSY: We could lighten him, and put him in the cage-
EASTWOOD: And then you’re gonna make Marvel walk, huh?
EASTWOOD: He couldn’t make it two steps without tripping over himself. 
MILLER: There has to be some kind of solution!
WRETCH: what about like
WRETCH: an elevator

  

 
There’s a moment of silence as everyone tries to make sense of it.
 

EASTWOOD: ...What?
WRETCH: yea like
WRETCH: we made writhe light right
WRETCH: and we’re gonna make marvel light 
WRETCH: why not like put the burn one in the cage after makin him light too
WRETCH: and then we just stick marvel on top and all the littler cats inside
MILLER: What if one of them gets hurt by the burn type?
WRETCH: i mean danas got the stun gun still right
WRETCH: burn type starts actin up and bang!!! out like a light again
WRETCH: no chance of runnin
EASTWOOD: ...that could actually work.
MILLER: Yeah, that’s a great idea!
VOIDSY: That could get all of us out of here in one piece...thanks, Wretch.

 
She beams. 
 

VOIDSY: There’s also the matter of looking for Hark.
EASTWOOD: You kidding me? As much as I want to get revenge on that little creep and all the rest, she disappeared into thin air. 
EASTWOOD: We need to get out now, and wherever she is, we probably don’t want to be there. 
WRETCH: hate to say it but im with eastwood on this one
WRETCH: besides like
WRETCH: we already got the big cage guy and the little one thats back at voidsy’s base!!! and thats rly fuckin good right
VOIDSY: It’s definitely a start.
MILLER: I say we got this...things are pretty rough, but we can turn them around. 
MILLER: Let’s give this elevator thing a shot!

 

 
You set the elevator plan in motion, the TCPs swapping Marvel and Raw’s weights with pebbles and starting to gather up all of the items strewn around the area. The bag of holding gets delicately placed inside Writhe. Jasper tells Dad to keep an eye on it, and she salutes. She’s got this.
 

MILLER: I think we’ve got this covered.
MILLER: ...Voidsy, how do you feel about guiding people above ground?
VOIDSY: I’d be happy to. 
WRETCH: ill go too!!!
WRETCH: i wanna help and like
WRETCH: slick’s gonna be super mobile and shit
WRETCH: i trust mills and eastwood to keep shit good in the pit
WRETCH: plus, i asked jetter and he says he’ll be okay
WRETCH: little nervous about him tbh but i wanna help
MILLER: Well...absolutely! Two heads are better than one, and that means we have an even split of attention. 
EASTWOOD: Good luck.

  

[full size]
 
You (and presumably Wretch) take a look up top, getting a proper visual on the area. The TCPs (and clown) appear to be in a clearing in front of a rocky entrance, lined with high cliffs. There doesn’t appear to be any other way but forward, and from the look of Marnet trying and failing to get up the sides, the cliffs aren’t scalable. You ask your lobster type how she’s doing, and she says she’s pretty sure she’s onto something. You gently tell her that she’s probably going to get hurt if she keeps trying that, and she relents, getting back onto the ground and dusting herself off.
  

WRETCH: well
WRETCH: guess we gotta get goin huh

 

VOIDSY: Maybe we should go keep an eye on the elevator still-
EASTWOOD: Void, we’ve got it covered.
EASTWOOD: We need your eyes on the spiral right now. 
VOIDSY: But-
EASTWOOD: Chill.
VOIDSY: Okay… 

 
The spiral’s path already seems much more of a trek than you were expecting, the steep cliffs looming above your TCPs. Everyone seems tense, and you can see Marnet and Illusio keeping close to each other. You tell your lobster type to keep an eye out for traps and possible dangers- even the rocky terrain could cause problems if they’re not careful. There’s two TCPs you don’t know the locations of- Marnet asks what types. You tell her that there’s a curse type running around, but she’s probably too low on health and injured to do much damage. Marnet laughs a bit nervously, and asks if Buddy was the one to do that- you say that it put up a great fight against her, and that you’re very proud of it. She says that she’ll have to give it a pat on the back as soon as they’re reunited...but what about the other one? You say you don’t know that one’s typing, but you have a hunch that it could be a poison type. 

Marnet relays all the information you’ve given her, the rest of the party looking a little confused at her talking without being able to hear the responses. Whipp says that she hates the idea of TCPs running around where they can’t see ‘em, but Lady reminds her that that’s something to expect in a place like this. Spit wasn’t going to fight clean.
 
The last thing you tell Marnet before turning your attention to Wretch is that there was a beast in the sky, but you handled it. Should be fine from here on out. Marnet gives you a little salute, and you’re confident in her ability to keep going. 
 

VOIDSY: So...Wretch...you doing okay?
WRETCH: yea
WRETCH: i mean i guess
WRETCH: kinda
WRETCH: it doesnt matter too much tho
VOIDSY: I mean, it matters to us.
WRETCH: yea well...im hangin in there
WRETCH: managin and all that
VOIDSY: Do you want to talk strategy while we walk? We have time and all.
WRETCH: sure...i mean its gonna be fucked no matter what we talk about
WRETCH: she likes causin as much pain as possible and really making everybody suffer, includin her own cats
WRETCH: this strat is pretty new tho
VOIDSY: Any experience with it at all?
WRETCH: eh....

  

  
She trails off, the TCPs slowing down as they approach a chamber on the side. Peeking in reveals a pit of horror, an empty cage dangling above it. Slick, presumably talking to Wretch, asks what it is...only to whisper that it’s apparently called a dungeon. Whipp says that she doesn’t like the look of it one fucking bit, and Marnet’s gotta agree. Maybe they should keep moving.
 
Wretch is silent as they get to walking again, and you can’t help but get a twinge of worry.
  

VOIDSY: ...You okay?
WRETCH: i just
WRETCH: dont like this strat ok
WRETCH: its fucked
VOIDSY: It seems like it goes a little deeper than that…
WRETCH: idk i dont really wanna talk about it
VOIDSY: You sure? Like, we’re here to listen-
WRETCH: i have some personal history stuff with horror ok

 
Her voice drops a little, just enough for you to hear.
 

WRETCH: ...and i don’t wanna talk about it around eastwood or mills
WRETCH: sorry

 

VOIDSY: You don’t have to be sorry, we get it.
VOIDSY: Consider the subject dropped- but if you ever do want to talk about it, we’ll listen. 
VOIDSY: It’s your choice, and we’d only do it on your terms.
WRETCH: thanks bud
WRETCH: really really appreciate that
VOIDSY: It’s no problem.
VOIDSY: Anything else you wanna talk about?
VOIDSY: Like maybe...how cute you are?

 


 
Wretch blushes a little, a funny little effect on her pitch black sludge- but it just makes her more cute, really. 
 

WRETCH: nahhhh
WRETCH: you dont gotta say that to make me feel better
VOIDSY: We mean it!
WRETCH: well i mean thanks...its nice of yall to say n all

   

 

EASTWOOD: I’m literally right here, you know. 
EASTWOOD: Right next to Wretch.
WRETCH: i didnt start shit!!
EASTWOOD: I don’t want to hear you two flirting!! Save it for later!

 
You hear a faint Miller voice, Eastwood seemingly having turned the volume down so that only he can hear. 
  

EASTWOOD: Yeah, they’re fucking flirting. 
EASTWOOD: Yes, now.
EASTWOOD: ...
EASTWOOD: I know.

  
You feel very embarrassed, but have no regrets.
  

 
You take a moment to warn Marnet about horror, explaining what it does and to avoid it at all costs. She passes on the information and they all steer clear of the next dungeon that pops up. 
 

VOIDSY: Moving on...wanna talk about Earth stuff?
WRETCH: lay it on me
VOIDSY: Okay, so...there’s one thing you have to know about Earth.
WRETCH: yea?
VOIDSY: One of the most important cultural things to us is updog.
WRETCH: whats updog?
VOIDSY: Nothing much, what’s up w-

  

 
She starts laughing her ass off, cutting you off. You can’t help but grin, surprised and delighted that it worked.
 

WRETCH: oh my god!!! oh my god im gonna use that on fuckin everybody
WRETCH: is that a legit big thing on earth
VOIDSY: A big joke, yeah. It’s a pretty common prank.
WRETCH: i love it
WRETCH: hey eastwood, you gotta hear about this thing voidsy told me about from earth
WRETCH: its called updog
EASTWOOD: …
WRETCH: dont you want to ask me what it is
EASTWOOD: I’m still right here. I heard the whole thing Wretch.

  
Wretch pretends not to hear him. 
  

WRETCH: what else does earth got
VOIDSY: Well, that’s the thing…
VOIDSY: I have all these memories of things that have happened to my individual selves, but now that I want to tell you any of it, they’re all so messy and muddled up. 
VOIDSY: I guess I could pick out some memories and anecdotes, but I’d have to concentrate pretty hard, and I can’t promise they wouldn’t get mixed up with each other.
VOIDSY: I can speak pretty well on things like...what Earth has, but when I try to find personal context…
VOIDSY: It’s hard. I can try again later, but right now, I don’t think I can deliver on my offer. Too much going on.
VOIDSY: ...sorry about that.
WRETCH: nah like its okay
WRETCH: but once we get outta here im cashin in on some stories
VOIDSY: You got it.

  
You decide to ask Marnet about Illusio- what kind of magic can they use? Your lobster type decides to go straight to the source, asking Illusio directly.
 

 
Illusio says that they're able to conjure a pair of floating magic gloves, ones that can do anything normal hands can do, but much more safely since they don't get hurt if the gloves get hurt. The gloves can also float out pretty far from them, so maybe they could reach things far away?

Additionally, there's the magic cloth that their gloves can make. If they hold it in front of someone and pull it away, they can disguise them as an object, or turn them invisible, though the latter is much more difficult!

They can even use the gloves to trap objects or other beings within a small magic ball, though doing that with a person would take a lot out of them! And the ball can be broken; from the outside and the inside. It's very much a temporary solution.
They do think their powers can be useful, though!

You’re pretty impressed with this tiny clown’s power, and make a note to self to come up with some interesting strategies...hopefully not in the moment, but you’ll do what you have to.
  

 
All of a sudden, Eastwood seems to jolt and panic, pushing Wretch over a little as he talks to his console at a much higher volume than the hushed conversation he and Miller were having thus far. 
 

EASTWOOD: Wait, what?
EASTWOOD: Hold on, wait a sec-

 
He cranks up the volume on his console, Miller’s voice crackling through.
  

MILLER: -hurry, they need to know-
VOIDSY: Know what?
MILLER: It’s the bungle!
VOIDSY: Is it threatening the elevator gang?!
MILLER: No, but…

 

 

MILLER: I was looking at the rest of the article while waiting for everybody to get out of the pit, and I found something really, really worrying.
VOIDSY: Like what?

    

 
You feel dread course through your body.
 

MILLER: It hunts in pairs.