[text] @carrotcupcake

[nightbunny]

O-kay! Imagine me dusting my hands off in accomplishment just there. I have some things to share with you all!

First, thanks to everyone who came down and helped clean up the Helix Station and get things running down there again. Home sweet home. I've run a few tests just to make sure, but it seems like our portal is safe and functional again. Credit where it's due, your Dr. Ingram does actually sometimes know what he's doing. So! If you guys need special tools or materials from home, or just want something to make your stay a little easier, we can get right back to doing those special orders! Just run it by me first, since there are still some limitations - can't be too big, for one, and I do kind of feel a little responsible for the stuff that comes through there so don't be too offended if I say no to your request for napalm unless you have a really important use for it.

This thing sucks up a lot of power when we pull in specific items, so let's start by just asking for one thing per person and I'll see how that goes. Got it?

Second, more good news! I've been trying out a few things based on Alastair's research. Repayment for the cleaning and all that, as promised. I tried doing the opposite direction this time - sent a note to a world, then was able to pull it back through, so that works. Does it work with living people, though? No idea. Let's not try until we get rid of the World Eater that's bearing down on us all, because I don't really like the idea of having you all turn yourselves to ambiguous goo by mistake and spending the rest of my days hiding under the lake by myself.

Lastly, I know some of you saved some samples of the other World Eater, right? Has anyone had a chance to look at it? Because it might be helpful to compare it with what we learned about the green-eyes we had here. I'd like to see if my ideas are right. It could be really helpful in making a more effective weapon. I want to help, and I've got the tools to build another bomb, but I want to do it right in case this is our one and only shot, so let me know if you've found anything out. Or if you have more plutonium, for that matter.

All right? All good? If we can beat this thing, this world might finally get to catch a break. I'd like to see life here. Real life, not like us. I think we've got a chance.

Comments

[nightbunny]

I don't know exactly how big this one is, but from what little we know of the previous one (ones?) they get to be hundreds of feet tall. Count on at least one leg, and cross your fingers for more? But holding in place could be really helpful for us targeting it. How close do you have to get?

I'm just worried that the green-eyes will turn on you guys the moment they hear the World Eater. That's what happened here. We thought we had them under control. I like the concept, I really do, but the last thing I want is for everyone here to have to go through what we suffered down here. But... whether you try to weaponize them or not they might still do that. They're all over the woods, still, aren't they? Have you seen many lately?

[paletteswap]

For something that large I need to be fairly close. Especially if I'm trying to ice it to the ground, I'm sure it's strong enough to break free but it might be distracting if nothing else.

10-20 feet away maybe.

I've only seen the regular spirits lately, and they've been far more active than normal. But you're right, they'll definitely turn on us immediately. The green-eyes seem to be able to compel the regular spirits, I'd assume the world eaters could do that to all of them. A hierarchy of sorts.

[nightbunny]

I don't know about you, but being that close to a fully-grown one sounds like a death sentence. You saw just as well as I did what happened with the little one that was trapped.

What if it's coming this way through the lake? How much of the lake can you freeze from a distance?

A hierarchy... I wish we had ever figured out how to translate the World Eaters' vocalizations. The lighthouse signal was an altered recording, but I don't know who originally made it. It definitely compels everything, though, that was the point. I hate to say it, but the green-eyes might be one of our few remaining resources on that topic. I wish it wasn't so risky to talk to them, and that we weren't running so low on time.

[paletteswap]

I've never been to the other side of the lake so I'm not sure how large it is, but a substantial amount. It wouldn't be so thick that it couldn't break out, and it would fall through if it walked on it. But it would probably keep it submerged for a while if you think it will come from the lake?

I don't think it's worth the risk, the damage they can do is substantial and anything they tell us is open to interpretation. I don't think they lie, but what the spirits say doesn't usually make a lot of sense. Unless Soldat has gotten better about interpreting it.

[nightbunny]

You're right, and I don't know any better myself. Downsides of working in weapons instead of the biological research team, I guess.

[Then again... She's here to talk to them, and medical/bio isn't.]

The reason I think it will come from the lake is that I do know they tend to take the quickest path to the light, from the little I heard about past encounters. If the spirits say it was on the other side before, then it's probably not going to go all the way around.

It's a big lake. Also, it's already partly frozen. Maybe you can make it freeze more solidly if it looks like that might help?

[paletteswap]

I can do that, if we can lure it into the lake I might be able to trap it beneath the surface, but I'm not sure for how long.

And of course the closer I get the more susceptible I am to whatever hallucinations it might bring on. We definitely need more of the concoction the group who went down to the station had that helped resist them. I'll have to find out how that was created.

At some point someone is going to have to get close to it, and that will do no one any good if they succumb within seconds.

[nightbunny]

From the pictures I've seen of the others, unless this is another juvenile it'll probably be able to get its head above water even if it walks straight through the deepest part of the lake. But even if you can only pin its feet for a few extra seconds, that could save someone's life, or let me aim my drone.

But you're right, don't put yourself at so much risk that you're just a sacrifice. Can't any of you fly or teleport or something? Thought I saw that in the fight down here. Maybe someone can be there to get you out faster than you can run if it gets too close.

Failing that, stand in the submarine and I'll program it to automatically deliver you down to the station after a countdown. You'd only get one shot, but you could get close and then it could seal you in and get you out of range. Well, unless the thing decides to eat the submarine. I'd probably consider that a last resort kind of plan but I know a few of you were hoping to use it as an emergency backdoor of some kind, right?

[paletteswap]

Stone can fly. He can turn into a huge dragon, but I know he and Rosinante tried to fly out over the lake and something caused him to crash. Maybe with it iced over like this whatever caused that can't attack him again. I'm not sure they've tried again since the destruction of the lighthouse either.

If it's close enough to eat the submarine it would be close enough to eat someone who tried to fly or teleport me - so probably better to be alone with a submarine.

Soldat was talking about using it in an emergency, but it seems like running may make things worse. Once it arrives I don't think we get a second shot at it.

[nightbunny]

You're right about that. Something like this isn't going to let us mess around.

I think I can add you and a few others as authorized to command the second submarine, if you're dead set on this. You and a few, because if something goes wrong for you I'd still want someone able to control it in a pinch. I can connect it to your tablets for remote access. That's probably better than a countdown. Normally not something I'd do, but... Obviously if I can't trust you guys now, there's no point to any of this. Might as well throw everything we can at this plan.

Come meet me at the harbor with maybe two or three others, and bring your tablets.

[paletteswap]

I appreciate the trust. But it's true, should anything go wrong we'll all be dead. I can't think of a reason anyone would sabotage our attempt.

Not a resident anyway. Unless they were a spirit in disguise, which would be incredibly unsettling.

Very well. I'll meet you there.