Cave-In

[Ignispark]

You're going to be looking for surface crystals in a few potential land purchases we're thinking of acquiring. The more surface crystals you find, the more likely it is there's larger ones underground we can get our hands on.

I'd like to request more information on the crystals!

[victorianflorist]

As much as walking seems fruitless, we'll have to keep going, we can't just sit here and mope. We should keep moving and document this experience.

If/when we find others, that's more heads working at the problem.

[knux400]

I'd like to request more information on the crystals!

These crystals are essential in the manufacturing of various devices due to their unique behavior with shreds. You're not sure of the exact science (or possibly magic) behind it, but for some reason shreds are drawn to these crystals. By refining them into various shapes and forms and combining them with other substances, one can control the flow of shreds and harness their energy to power devices. Most machines on Morbit use this principle- in fact, you and Ortho both have a large amount of crystal within you in the form of crystal fiber wires, battery contacts, circuitboards, and other odds and ends.

Shred crystals, as they're commonly known, are typically found in large formations at the lower levels of Morbit's crust, just above or sometimes intersecting with the horror layer. These formations are usually completely covered in stone, but they can sometimes poke out into neighboring caves. These "surface crystals" are generally a decent indicator as to whether larger formations lie underneath the stone. Your job is- was, rather, because you're definitely quitting once you get out of here- to locate those surface crystals and indicate them to the excavation team.

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---

"Well... It seems like our best option is to just keep walking."
"Didn't Matri just say that wasn't a way out?"
"We don't really have a way out with the materials we have right now, so our best bet is to try and find other survivors. They could have more supplies or more ideas, and besides, people could be in danger. I don't want anyone else..." You involuntarily glance at Ortho. Matri and Exclusit both understand your meaning without forcing you to finish that sentence.

"...I guess that makes sense. But the moment we have a way out, we need to take it. I'm not about to wander around this place looking for every single person that fell down." With that, Exclusit turns and starts forward again.


It seems like you don't have a lot to do during these walks. To pass the time, you could start a conversation, or reflect on your own memories.

[King-Clod]

How about we start a conversation? We're not the best at this I know, but I don't think dwelling on our thoughts is gonna help us all that much. Maybe we can ask Matri if there's anything they know a lot of facts about? What sorts of things catch their interest?

[victorianflorist]

Let's ask them about their lives outside of this, what they did for fun.

[knux400]

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---

You can take a break from reflecting on your own life for now. There's two other people here, you may as well get to know them a bit better despite your predicament.

"So... What do you guys do for fun? What's your life like... outside this?"

Exclusit is the first to respond, although judging by their tone, they don't exactly seem interested in this line of discussion.

"I dunno. I just hang out, watch TV, maybe chill with some friends. Life's fine."

Matri's answer, however, is a bit more lengthy.

"Oh! I'm actually really interested in horrors. The way they work and the mythology surrounding them is super interesting to me, so I like to research them and document my findings in my spare time. I've got a whole library dedicated to this stuff, actually! I should show you when we're out of here."
"Oh, so you know a lot about them?" You ask.
"Yup! I'm not, like, an actual horror-ologist or anything like that, but I do enjoy learning about them! I actually wanted to get a job researching horrors, but... There aren't any jobs like that around here. The nearest facility I could find was too far away- I'd either have to deal with a 2-hour commute or move somewhere closer. And, uh, real estate isn't exactly cheap." They look a bit sad.
"So I figured I'd work down here for a while, build up some funding, and then move to the city! I figured mining would be a good fit for me since, y'know, I don't need to do the whole 'breathing' thing, and it's... sort of adjacent to horrors! Well, this job in particular was much more adjacent than I thought it would be."
"Wait, so you knew they had us going below regulation depth?" Exclusit turns their head briefly.
"I didn't know about that when I first applied, and when I found out, I honestly didn't mind too much. I figured we'd be safe enough with the horror detectors, and the thought of being this close to a real horror cavern was super exciting to me! I've actually seen a few little horrors myself- nothing too dangerous, of course! They're kind of cute when they're small. There was this one that was kind of like a bug- it had four eyes, four legs, and it was all fuzzy! The way it skittered around was super cute. It even had tiny mandibles. It was about this big." Matri holds up their hands, indicating a size and shape somewhere around that of a small loaf of bread.
"Greeeeat. You're lucky that thing didn't bite your face off." Exclusit remarks sarcastically.
"Well, obviously I observed proper safety protocol! I kept my distance, I didn't startle it, and I reported it to the admin building as soon as my shift was over."
"So you're not... worried? At all?" You ask.
"I mean... it's not that I'm not worried. It's just... This is the closest I've ever been to a real live horror, and it's such an interesting one, too! Did you know that there's only been 3 sightings of a horror anywhere near this big, and they were all eyewitness accounts with no documentation whatsoever? We could be inside the biggest discovery ever, both literally and figuratively! If we can document this somehow and get our findings to a good lab, we could be set for life!"
"If we make it out of here alive." Exclusit chimes in.
"Okay, yeah, obviously, but... I mean, this is just about the coolest thing that's ever happened to me. I can't stay worried when I think about that."

Exclusit just makes a noise somewhere between an exasperated sigh and a dry chuckle and turns away.

[King-Clod]

Might wanna change the subject from horrors... Maybe we should talk about what we like?
Share a story about one of our favorite photos that we've taken?

[Ignispark]

Aside from what's already been mentioned, maybe leaving others the floor to talk would be a good idea. Get to know the people you're trapped inside a horror with better and whatnot.

[knux400]

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---

"Maaaybe we should change the subject."
"Oh! Um, is the horror talk uncomfortable? Sorry about that. I just get kind of rambly when I'm super interested in something, so-"
"Yeah, we gathered." Exclusit cuts Matri off.

You pause to look at Exclusit. Are they... always this abrasive? Or is it just stress?

"Well... a bit, yeah. I'm glad to have someone here who knows this much about horrors, but... maybe tone it down a bit? Unless it's something important, obviously.
"Yeah, got it!"

...




...You were going to let the other two take the lead, but Exclusit isn't much for conversation anyway and Matri can't seem to think of anything else to talk about.


"Do you guys do photography at all?"
"I used to, a bit!" Matri chimes in.
"No." Comes Exclusit's deadpan reply.

"Well, I really enjoy it. There's something about being able to take any moment and capture it forever that just... clicks with me, You know how sometimes you see a picture, and you don't just see the picture? You remember what it was like being in that moment, all the sounds and memories..."
"Yeah! Family photos do that for me sometimes. There's this one I really love where me and my siblings were camping, right, and we wanted to take a group photo of all of us in our big ol' tent ready to bed down for the night."
"Aw, that sounds nice."
"Haha, well, um, not really! The wind picked up right as Rui took the photo, and it ended up being a blurry mess where the tent was half falling over and we were all freaking out and stuff. It took us a good half hour to get everything all set up again."
"Oh, geez."
"Yeah, it... kinda sucked. Everyone was really tired and grumpy, and we all wanted to sleep."
"...And you like that photo?"
"It's my favorite!"
"Why?"

Matri pauses, putting a fin on their chin.

"Well... the next day when we all woke up, we were all feeling a lot better, but we had kind of forgotten about the picture. So when Rui showed it to us, we all just... burst out laughing!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! Even though it sucked actually being there, it all seemed silly in hindsight. We all got so mad over a gust of wind; it just makes me smile to think about! And the picture itself was funny, too. The way Rui managed to perfectly capture everyone's panicked expression as the left side of the tent was bowing in, and all the stuff on the floor was hanging in midair as the tent tilted... It was perfect. A moment of beauty in the middle of a total disaster. We all still have it."
"That sounds amazing! I wish I had anything half as good as that."
"Well, you've got a camera built straight into your head, right? I mean, I'd have to stop, get my camera out of my bag, turn it on, maybe replace the batteries, but you- you can just psssht and it's done! I'm sure you've got a lot of great stuff on there."
"I actually have this really nice one of a mudchucker poking its head out of its burrow, with some foliage in the background and the sun rising behind it..."
"Oh, wow! I wish I could see..."
"Well, hang on a second. You've got a UCI2 port, right?"
"Of course, yeah! But I didn't bring a cord with me down here."
"Oh, I always carry a spare, just in case. It's a bit short since it has to fit in my shell pocket, but..."

You produce a small cord with a triangular plug on either end, passing one end to Matri. Matri takes it and plugs it into a small port on the back of their head, hidden under a protective flap of plastic. You do the same on your end, and after some awkward shifting to accommodate the short length of the cable, you can sense each other. It's sort of like a doorway in your mind has been opened, and Matri is standing on the other side. You recall your photo of the mudchucker, and will it through the doorway towards Matri. At almost the same time, you feel information passing through the doorway towards you. You accept the packet and begin decoding it, and sure enough, it's the image Matri described to you. The whole process takes less than a second, and after a moment you both audibly react to the pictures, you chuckling a bit and Matri making a small 'awww'.

Matri disconnects the cord, clicking the flap on their head shut before passing the end back to you.
"That's awesome! You can really see the mandibles."
"Yeah, you too! Is that your whole family?"
"Well, Rui isn't there because she was taking the picture, but yeah! I met them a few weeks after I was manufactured and we've been best buds ever since."
"Aw, that's neat! I've heard about those family units, and the concept always seemed cool to me! Of course, I never needed to join one myself, since I had a creator instead of a manufacturer, but..."

The two of you continue like this for quite some time. Exclusit even offers a snarky comment here and there- they still don't seem that talkative, but they are calming down.




...







Eventually you come to another opening. You and Matri almost bump into Exclusit as they stop walking abruptly. They extend their arms to either side, cautioning you to stay back.

"More debris." They report. "I think something's moving inside."

[Ignispark]

...could be the horror, another person, or something else...I have no idea what to do here.

[King-Clod]

I actually have this really nice one of a mudchucker poking its head out of its burrow, with some foliage in the background and the sun rising behind it...

(I'm interested in knowing more about mudskippers and what they are!)

Let's move the debris quickly, there could be a person under there.

[knux400]

Mudchuckers are a burrowing animal native to this part of Monte. They tend to enjoy rather humid environments, and will often burrow under soft ground to sleep. Draw in particular tends to have a lot of them, as the vast mudfields provide ample space for them to live. They're small, sort of reptilian in appearance, and they're omnivorous in diet, eating bugs, worms, plants, and occasionally a piece of discarded food. Their most distinct feature is their large mandibles, useful both for digging and processing different kinds of food.

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---

You hesitate for a moment before starting to duck under Exclusit's arm. They move their arm in response.
"Uh-uh. There could be a horror in there." They whisper.
"It could also be a person."
"Yeah, and if you're wrong, you're going to get your head clawed off. I'm not losing someone with your knowledge of machinery."
"But if you're wrong, they might die in there. We don't know if they need help or not."
"We can't stop and pick up everyone we find! Our priority is getting out of here."
"The plan is to gather more resources so that we can find a way out in the first place! And besides, the last fork was about twenty minutes back. Do you really want to try and go around?"
"When the last fork was doesn't matter because this place is rearranging itself. As soon as we get far enough away, we won't have to worry about it anymore."
"Look, I'm not making you come with me. Just wait here and if it does turn out to be a horror, I'll tuck up and roll away as fast as I can. My shell is what helped me survive the fall in the first place, I'll be fine."
"Wait, you fell? I just sort of slid-"
"Not important right now!" You and Exclusit shush Matri in unison.
"Fine. But leave the- leave your friend here."
"Obviously. I wouldn't want to try and sneak anywhere carrying all this. And their name is Ortho."

You gently set Ortho down and slowly skitter into the room, approaching the debris pile.
"Hello?"
The rubble jumps in response, and you back away, ready to make a roll for it- but you wait, just for another second.

Something inside lets out a burst of four clicks, then pauses slightly before doing so again. It continues this way in an odd sort of rhythm, over and over again.

You tilt your head, confused. You're not sure what to do before Matri bumps past you, tearing through debris.

"That's a Drumbeat! I know it from learning about Knights, but a lot of different professions use it. It's sort of like a universal distress signal."

Without another word, you and Exclusit follow suit. Underneath is a Sheala Frame. Their shell is dented, but still intact. The three of you pull them out of the rubble and they makes a rapid series of clicks in response.

"Are you alright? What's your name?" You ask.
They click a few times.
"Can you not speak?"
More clicking.
"Okay, uh, two clicks for yes, three for no?"
Two clicks.
"Did your voicebox break in the fall?"
Two clicks.
"Are you seriously hurt otherwise?"
A pause, then three clicks.
"I have some spare parts from a coworker of ours, do you want to take a few minutes to see if you can patch yourself up?"
Two clicks and an enthusiastic nod.
"Alright, great! We can bring you up to speed on what's going on while we work."

You drag Ortho into the room, allowing the Sheala to get a good look at them. The first thing they reach for is Ortho's head, which, thankfully, still has its voicebox intact. They wave the voicebox at you and point to their own head.

"Oh, yeah, sure!"

As you remove the Sheala's casing and install the voicebox, Matri and Exclusit recap what the three of you already know. You're inside a giant horror, the tunnels rearrange themselves, and you're working on gathering supplies before you try and find a way out. They simply nod, occasionally making two clicks to confirm they understand. Their body doesn't look too heavily damaged- everything has mostly just been jostled around, same as you. Their shell probably protected them from the worst of the impact, since it was designed for high-pressure environments. There are a few disconnected or torn wires, which you replace. Eventually the new voicebox is installed and their casing is closed again.

Almost immediately, a series of harsh tones emanates from the Sheala frame, causing Matri and Exclusit to recoil.
"It's alright! They're just calibrating their audio output!" You shout over the noise. It continues for a few more moments as the tones gradually get softer and easier to listen to.

"...eeeeeeee-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-uuuuuuuuhhh. Thaaaank-yooou. I-go-by-hee-pronouuns-actually. My-naame-is-Delve."

Delve is still speaking in an oddly stilted and monotonous manner, but that's just a natural side effect of a new voicebox. He'll get used to it the more he speaks.

"Nice to meet you, Delve! I'm Pillbug, or Roll-E or Pole-E for short."
"Three-names? That-seeems-like-a-lot." They stutter jovially.
"I like having nicknames."
"Faair-enough. Nice-to-meet-you-Rooll-E."

[Ignispark]

It'd be a good idea to make sure Delve is up to speed on the whole, horror situation. Maybe also see if they have any knowledge of, uh, what might be a good idea about the whole. Inside a horror thing.

[King-Clod]

Seconding catching Delve up to speed about the situation.
Also ask him if he had a buddy or partner with him that he'd like us to keep an eye out for as we continue on, or anything on him we can try to use to burn our way out, or any other ideas.

[knux400]

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---

With Matri and Exclusit's help, you've already told Delve everything you know about your situation, horror and all. They seemed taken aback at first, but calmed down surprisingly quickly.

"Did you have anyone with you when you fell? Was there a buddy we should look out for?"
"I-was-wiith-two-other-people-wheen-I-fell. Riya-is-the-HR-director, I'm-espeecially-worried-about-heer. She-waasn't-even-supposed-to-bee-down-here, but-there-was-soome-kind-of-dispute-and-she-had-to-come-doown-here-to-get-everyone-to-fill-out-forms-and-whaatnot. She's-a-Flexin, so-I'm-worrried-about-her-getting-hurt-down-here."

You remember what a Flexin is, vaguely. They're balloon creatures that spawn under specific conditions. Their physiology seems particularly ill-suited to this environment. If a horror were to get a good swipe in with its claws...

"Thee-other-person-I-was-with, I-didn't-know-too-well. I-think-their-name-was-Sarah? They're-a-gesabott. That's-aboout-all-I-know. We-didn't-talk-much. But-if-whaat-you-said-about-the-shifting-tunnels-is-truue, theey-could-be-anywhere-down-here."

Gesabotts... You barely remember anything about them other than their name. They look inorganic, but you honestly have no idea. The only thing you can remember for sure is the distinctly plug-shaped tail the species shares.

"Got it. Right now the plan is to try and burn our way out, but we'd need to get through the layer of stone first..."
"And-there's-no-waay-of-knowing-if-we're-at-the-edge-or-noot."
"Right. Do you have anything with you we can use as fuel?"
"No. But..."

Delve looks down for a moment, thinking to himself.

"Wee-don't-have-to-burn-our-way-ouut, necessarily."
"What do you mean?"
"Horrors-are-made-of-goooey-stuff, right-Maatri?"
"Yeah." Matri nods.
"If-wee-had-adequaate-protection, it-miight-be-possible-to-swim-through. Soomething-biig-and-built-for-underwater-traavel. I-could-probably-do-it-myself, eeven."
"That's... That could work." Matri puts a fin on their chin. "Of course, you wouldn't be able to see anything, and sonar would be basically useless with how thick that stuff is. You'd be swimming completely blind. And the rest of us would have to have a vehicle, otherwise we'd get waterlogged... horrorlogged? And potentially torn apart or crushed if it happens to shift while we're inside it."
"It's something, at least." Exclusit chimes in. "It would allow us to travel further through the horror than just burning a hole in it. And we wouldn't need large amounts of fuel to pull it off."
"Exaactly." Delve replies.
"Well... Do you know of any submersible vehicles we could use?" You ask.
"...No. There-miight-be-other-Sheala-frames-doown-here, but-nothiing-that-would-accomodaate-the-rest-of-you."
"So we have yet another abstract idea of how to escape, but no tangible means of doing it. Great." Exclusit laments.
"It's more than we had before!" Matri offers.

Everyone turns to you for a plan. How exactly did you manage to become the leader of this group again?

[Ignispark]

...it's a bit grim, but since there's another person. Let's get photos to have a record, in case we get split up and they don't turn up again.

Anyhow, as for...what to do. Well. There's no way out at the moment. If there was decent confidence in swimming through, getting one person out could be useful...but that presumes the way out of the mine is functional. There's a decent chance that's compromised too, even if you get outside of the horror...so. Tools. Resources. Are definitely a need.

Verdict: Continue as is. Wander, look for more signs of survivors or resources.

[King-Clod]

Alright. I don't think we should split up yet, sticking together is our best bet right now. And I agree that searching for resources and more people, especially Riya and Sarah if we can should be our priority. Get more heads together. But it might be a good idea to find a way for Delve to swim out, so she can go get help. Find a knight or something.

[knux400]

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---

"Having Delve swim out could be useful. He could go get help of some kind, or warn people about the horror. But we shouldn't try anything like that right now. We don't know what the conditions are outside, and we don't know how close to the edge we are, like Delve said."

The group nods in agreement.

"And, uh, Delve? I've been taking pictures of everyone, just so we've got some kind of a record of events. In case we-"
"I-undeerstand." Delve cuts you off. He does a comical little pose for the camera.

"Anyway. We still need tools and resources, so... Same plan as before, for now. We keep making our way through these caves and gathering up as much materials and as many people as we can."
"Faair-enough. How-loong-have-you-been-waandering-for?" Delve asks.
"It's been... Almost 11 hours since I first fell."
"Good. I've-been-sitting-here-for-the-saame-amount-of-time, which-meeans-we-must've-come-from-the-same-grooup."
"So it hasn't eaten anyone else yet." Exclusit deadpans.
"Juust-wanted-to-be-sure. I'd-haate-for-anyone-else-to-be-stuck-down-here."

"Before we go, uh, how's everyone's battery looking?" Matri asks.
"87%. I charged mine before I left for work." You respond.
"63%." Exclusit responds.
"71%. I'd-been-reesting-until-you-guys-shoowed-up."
"Okay, okay, good!" Matri cheerily responds. There's a bit of an edge to their voice, though.
"...Are you doing okay?" You ask.
"I've... been at one bar for the last two hours. Botleys don't come with precise power readings, so..."
"One bar out of four?"
"Yup. So theoretically 25% or lower. I've never had it go below one bar, though, so it might be one of those ones where it displays an empty battery at some point."
"Why didn't you say anything sooner?!" Exclusit exclaims.
"I... Well, I didn't want to bother anyone. And it's not like there's any way we can recharge down here..."
"Ortho probably still has some charge left in them." You offer. "I don't know what a Botley charging port is like, but I could try and rig something up..."
"I'm not sure how well it would work." Matri responds sadly. "And besides, we might find someone who needs it more than I do."

[Ignispark]

...They make a fair point. We should reserve that spare power in case it's needed in an emergency.

[King-Clod]

...I suppose. But if you ever start feeling woozy, we should plug you in.
(Also, how long will Ortho's charge remain? If it's going to slowly drain anyway, would it be better to transfer it now?)