THE SWARM: STAY
PRELUDE.
Five days have passed since you, The First, woke on the strange and barren planet of Kharas. Four days since the pods housing you exploded when tampered with, and Three since the strange Trilobite-like sand crabs began hesitantly crawling their way into and around the boneyard. At first there was only a few brave specimens to be found, keeping mostly to the shadows and scuttling this way and that. Now, however, at least a hundred of them can be found in and around the boneyard in various placed, commonly grouped together in batches of two or three, sometimes even four.
Notably they do not interact much with one another despite their groups and are much more interested in scouting out their surroundings for fibrous materials. On the odd chance that they manage to obtain any scraps they will begin to wander back towards the tracks your
counterparts began following earlier. Odd, isn't it?
As the softer morning sun overhead slowly begins to heat up with the encroaching afternoon more of the Trilobites begin to fill the area. Only unlike their predecessors these ones do not wander around aimlessly, and instead beeline their way to any Coral stalks that remain in the area. They bury into the sand beneath them to avoid their harsh shells and attack the roots until they topple and collapse under their own weight. Once this happens they practically swarm, working to segment it into pieces with their mandibles. When the Coral's shell cracks the Trilobites pry all vegetable matter from within and begin dragging it into the desert.
And that's not all: these new Trilobites seem
much braver and more interested in you than their predecessors. They will openly wander up to characters and gnaw uselessly at their ankles or feet, chittering and chattering. If enough of them happen to get together around an individual they will form a tiny ankle-gnawing mob intent on clambering all over you.
As the daily eclipse nears their numbers will begin to grow even further. Odd tremors can be felt beneath the ground, even in spite of all the sand, but characters won't get much of a chance to look into the matter before their wrist communicators begin to emit that same strange static from the mist.
...Only there's none to be seen in
any direction whatsoever.
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Lance grits his teeth and goes. How they're going to climb the ribcage he doesn't know, exactly, but he has no intention of dying here. ]
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He knew what he needed to do. The numbers blink at him as they drop lower and lower. ]
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But this? This is honest-to-goodness heroicism and he isn't going to let Lance ruin it by tripping them up. So it's good when he (reluctantly) moves on with him, and Inui grips his hand tighter; in equal parts from fear and desperation to keep from losing him.
Because another burst of those damn things is suddenly coming out of a mound of sand to their-- ]
--Left!! [ Inui pivots, eyes wide. ]
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Clark gives him a curt nod, but his voice is firm. ]
Go up there and you'll be fine.
[ He knew Inui was scared. Found it hard to look out for anyone but himself. That was fine. Clark never judged him for it. ]
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The texture of the bones is like sandpaper, and at least that helps him grip as he begins to climb. He jabs stray trilobites out of his way with his elbows, trying to clear a path for Inui to follow behind. ]
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If we don't die, the next time we get attacked by bugs I'm climbing first--! Hurry up!
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[ It's easier to quell the rising fear if he can act normal. What's more normal than jokes? Distantly, he sees and hears Clark doing his thing—are those laser beams? from his face??—and puts his head back in the game.
If he doesn't hear Inui respond though, he's going to reach back for him. ]
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Heaving himself up on the curve of the rib, he clenches his hand over Inui's bicep and heaves, privately glad for Allura's brutal training. He may or may not thank her later. ]
Come on, up!
MESSAGE
...ulmot. quulmot. ATLAS jogosgoja. Slygs...
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What?! Um, hello? Is anyone there?!
[ He's shouting pretty hoarsely, pulling Inui up next to him, swatting bugs away as they move in for him. With both his arms occupied, it's hard to get a decent handle on what's going on. ]
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I'll hoist you both up.
[ Yes, both of them. And he doesn't wait for permission, choosing to grab them both and push them up higher. ]
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Stop talking and move...!
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[ Lance makes a frustrated noise as he's bodily hauled up, the communication cutting out as they go. His mind is siwrling, that brief flash of hope sputtering out. ]
My communicator! I heard something!
[ But there's no time to discover what. ]
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Clark! How are you looking for power?
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Not great. But if everyone makes it to the top, then I should be able to get out.
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See? I told you--we need to get out of his way.
MESSAGE
...glumcnyuggot urolg vousem geh JOVO PRIME. Uquuygot eljo...
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As if this wasn't creepy enough. ]
MESSAGE
The message cuts through immediately after, as if taunting Inui (it's not, but we're amused that he finally rolled two successes after his other 800 failures).
Inui has now received the maximum amount of messages he is eligible for! Congratulations!
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Those questions would have to wait. But a quiet hope flickers back to life. ]
Re: MESSAGE
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'Should be'? C'mon...
[ But even he can't argue much. The fact is, they're mincemeat without Clark to defend them. ]
Whatever. Just don't—just watch yourself, okay?
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His thumb lightly brushes his own cheek, where a scar had once been. ]
I will.
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