[TINY CAT PEOPLE] VOID SESSION: ACT 4

[skinstealer]

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-