---
Ted and Solaria quickly rush to the suffering lashunta. As Ted mentions the healing serum, Solaria checks over the woman. From the pallor of her face and her general symptoms, Solaria is sure that the lashunta is suffering from the final stages of a disease- probably one that was spread by the ksarik's thorn dart from the look of things. With more time a more thorough evaluation of her state would be possible.
The lashunta's head lolls to the side as she briefly loses consciousness from the pain. She snaps back to awareness and spits towards the two people coming to help her, then her eyes turn glassy and she begins to rasp. "I-I'm weak- the D-dh-evourer extends my t-thorment as punishment! Sends d-demons to mock me." The speaking is too much for her and she starts coughing wetly.
Solaria can tell the woman is quite delirious and definitely not attempting to be deceptive.
Meanwhile, Arc and Isu dash in towards the ksarik. As Isu is the first to approach, he's surprised when a tentacle from the creature's face extends out to lash at him! It cracks him across the face and along with the impact, the kasatha feels a light mental touch.
Isu's own blow lands with a burst of sap from the creature. Arc's approach is accompanied by a gush of fire. And while he's not able to budge the creature, it's still singed by the flames.
While Sydney's trick shot misses, the tracking-enhanced fire from Spectre's zero-rifle freezes a couple of tentacles in place.
----
Attacked from multiple angles, the ksarik whips its tentacles about, trying to land blows on both Isu and Arc. While Isu's armor protects him once more, Arc takes a powerful blow to his side.
The ksarik warbles out in a mixture of Arc and Isu's voices "So I can attune- Cycle! Cycle! Cycle!"
|||||INIT - ROUND 3|||||
Ted (11 damage)
Ksarik (40 damage)
Arc (13 HP damage, 13 damage)
Spectre
Sydney
Isu (1 HP damage, 10 damage)
Solaria
??? Lashunta
Everyone is up!
Arc plunges the angel blade into the ksarik and the plasma edge cleaves through wet, sap-filled skin and the hard, woody core alike. The flames from the blade ignite the creature's insides and it collapses with an agonized, half-human bellow.
[larger]"SSSSycle, SSyKLE, SHHHHAAaaaa!!!!"[/larger]
It impacts the earth with a thump and the flames quickly catch the rest of it on fire.
Combat Over!
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Arcalinte catches his breath as the battle ends.
"By the Sun and the Fury...it's over."
Then he turns to Isu.
"You alright, Isu? That thing smacked you in the head pretty hard, and I think they'll need your medical expertise to help its would-be victim."
He deactivates the angel blade and turns back to join the others.
Sydney holsters her pistol and jogs towards the injured and delirious lashunta. "I know First Aid." The operative takes a knee and begins to look the lashunta over. "We need to patch up her physical injuries first, then we can help her mentally." Once they've got a healing serum pumped into the lashunta and pressure on her wounds, Sydney uses her flashlight to check to see if the lashunta's pupils are dilating normally.
"Do you remember what your name is? How about your occupation. How many fingers am I holding up?" Sydney flips the lashunta the bird and smirks.
Solaria presses a pad onto the sickening lashunta woman, "Sydney, she will need more aid than just a serum. What can we do to aid her, do we have the time to give her the care she needs to recover or must we press on? Can we create a litter to take her with us?" the envoy asks with a shaky voice, knowing that to leave her would no doubt being leaving her to die.
Solaria and Sydney inspect the lashunta and quickly deduce that she's suffering from an infestation of the ksarik's carrion spores. She's currently in a bedridden state , meaning she can converse, but is otherwise effectively paralyzed. The disease is difficult to recover from, requiring concerted medical treatment over the course of multiple days, magic, or a powerful immune system. The most unpleasant aspect of the ksarik's infestation is that if a creature falls into unconsciousness, the seedlings that are germinating inside it burrow out of the creature's flesh, usually killing it in the process.
This lashunta is probably a day away from suffering such a fate without treatment.
Effect When an infected creature reaches the comatose state, 1d10+10 Diminutive ksarik seedlings burrow out of its flesh and wriggle away. This ends the disease and deals 1 piercing damage for each ksarik seedling.
The lashunta moans and squints blearily at the figures around her. When Sydney gives her the finger, she spits out "F-f+!# you demon..." while she shivers.
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Spectre watches the others treat the woman from a short distance.
"Curious," he says. "She is unable to move, yet utilizes what remaining energy she has to engage in common vulgarities and euphemisms. Very curious."
Considering their options, he says "It would likely be optimal to follow through with Isu's suggestion. However, in the event any of you choose a sub-optimal course of action, please build a litter quickly and let's continue."
At her companion's chatter, Sydney responds abrasively with choice words. "Stop windmilling your limp #!@&s around and do something!" Sydney stands to grab the advanced medkit each party member had contributed 488 credits towards. She cracks open the brand-new seal of the box and pulls out items to start treating the lashunta.
Sydney generally performed well in high-stress situations. She excelled in making instinctive snap decisions with her intense piloting and was the type of person who'd fight to the death. Treating patients, however, was a slightly more delicate matter.
The advanced medkit adds more-advanced and specialized tools to diagnose and treat ailments. The advanced medkit can be used in the same way as a basic medkit, but the DC to treat deadly wounds is only 20, and you gain a +2 insight bonus to Medicine checks to treat drugs, diseases, and poisons. Additionally, you can use an advanced medkit to set up a temporary one-patient medical lab, though this requires 10 minutes. You can then provide long-term care to a single patient using the temporary medical lab, with a DC 30 Medicine check.
Sydney deftly works on the lashunta. First, she carefully extracts the embedded thorn and sterilizes the infected wound. Next, she carefully examines the lashunta for ksarik seedlings in the later stages of development. Finding half a dozen near the surface of the skin on the woman's back, she swiftly excises them and sterilizes those wounds as well. Finally, she provides anti-parasitic lozenges and forces the lashunta to swallow them.
The treatment is severe and stressful, enough so that the lashunta passes out midway through. By the end, however, she's breathing more calmly and sleeping.
---
By Sydney's estimation, it'll take quite a bit more treatment if the lashunta is to have any chance of pulling through. In the best case scenario, it'd be two days until she can walk again and eight more beyond that until she's completely clear of the ailment. And that's assuming no setbacks.
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Arcalinte watches the treatment and grimaces.
"What IS it with us always running into creatures that want to lay their eggs in us?! First the akatas, now this ksarik thing!" he exclaims.
Once it's clear the person they've rescued will survive, he takes Spectre's suggestion and begins attempting to weave a stretcher out of fallen sticks and vines.
By Sydney's estimation, it'll take quite a bit more treatment if the lashunta is to have any chance of pulling through. In the best case scenario, it'd be two days until she can walk again and eight more beyond that until she's completely clear of the ailment. And that's assuming no setbacks.
Sydney shares the information she'd gained from the medical examination and treatment.
Sydney folds her arms over her chest in a defensive manner. "You think it's safe to travel with someone as badly injured as this lashunta? Maybe we should camp here until she can walk again." The operative looks doubtfully at the make-shift stretcher Arc's constructing. She doesn't offer to help.
She didn't like the idea of prolonging their stay in the jungle, but continuing on could mean even more danger. Sydney contemplated the risk and reward, suddenly craving a cheeseburger and large fry. "Jeezus f*@&!#@ &*%#!$," she curses, kicking a tree with the toe of her boot. "Why couldn't we have been sent to the Intergalactic Space Track or Ernie's All-You-Can-Eat?" She scowls and looks off into the distance, brooding.
Solaria looks through the Lashunta's woman's pockets to find any form of identification, surely she must have some form of authorisation to be here. "Well done Sydney, I must learn from you, though I will help if I can. But who is she?"
Once she has completed her search, she turns to Isu, "If we carry her, can you build a litter so we can continue with relatively good speed. We can spend the night here and then move on in the morning. That way we can all rest and be ready for whatever this rough place throws at us."
While you're trying to decide how to (or whether to) transport the ill lashunta through the jungle, Solaria searches her for any identification. She finds a variety of equipment that the woman had stashed in her pack: a longsword with a defiant fusion, two shock grenades (I), enough field rations for two weeks, a credstick, and an inexpensive looking datapad.
With no other identification, Solaria tries the datapad and finds that its batteries are still good. The device boots and shows a lock screen - simple consumer level security.
What quickly becomes clear as you peruse the device is that Ralkawi has relatively recently (within the last year) thrown her lot in with some kind of cult that professes to worship the Devourer. After a series of poor financial and personal decisions that included being tricked into joining a MLM scheme and dating the wrong sorts of people, she was broke and had unintentionally burned all bridges with her old family and friends. Based on her infosphere postings at the time, she was clearly desperate and destitute. She came across a cell of the Cult of the Devourer on the Castrovelian Infosphere, and joined when they offered steady 'employment' and a place to belong with no questions asked.
Since then however, it's clear from her files and postings that she's really begun to believe in the rhetoric of her cult cell leader: another lashunta by the name of Tahomen. Her sparse records speak of getting to know the other 'somewhat crazy' members of the cell and realizing her 'purpose in life'.
Her more recent records are somewhat vague. She mentions Tahomen not wanting her or the other cultists to leave a digital trail. But nevertheless you're able to piece together that Tahomen was organizing a jungle trip into Ukulam for the members of the cult, and that he was working to acquire a 'guide'. Nothing on the datapad explains what the cell was planning to actually do here.
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Spectre grabs the datapad and types password123 into the console and it flickers to life.
"Her name is Ralkawi Moenveri," the droid says. "And...she's a true-believer cultist, from all appearances. A Devourer cult of some kind. Her communications reference another leader named Tahomen. This cult appears to be active here," he says, explaining all the details he found.
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Arcalinte reads over Spectre's shoulder.
"I imagine this Tahomen is our 'Eyrub Paqual.' Though he probably should have listened to his own advice about leaving a digital trail, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to track him here to Ukulam."
He frowns at Spectre's assessment though.
"True-believer seems a bit of a stretch to me, Spectre. These people clearly preyed on her vulnerability, her financial desperation and her loneliness, as most cults do. They obviously didn't value her much if they decided to abandon her to the ksarik. I imagine once she's recovered a bit, she'll see that. Sarenrae's all about second chances, and I think this poor girl deserves one right now."
Using your survival gear and the ample plant life around the clearing, you're able to fashion a solid stretcher for carrying the now-unconscious Ralkawi. The lashunta tosses weakly and groans as you move her, but otherwise seems stable enough. You transfer her onto the stretcher and continue forwards!
The rest of the day passes in peace and quiet, interrupted only by the lashunta occasionally waking up and briefly shouting obscenities. About half the time, she seems convinced that you're demons sent by the Devourer to punish her and lengthen her suffering. The other half of the time, she seems to think you're some mad figment of her imagination, summoned by her imminent death. She's not lucid enough for coherent answers to any of your questions. At least, not yet.
You're slowed down slightly by the bulky load of carrying the stretcher, but still make good time following Sydney's instructions.
With nightfall, you set up camp for the evening and get a good night's rest.
----
The following morning you find Ralkawi awake and more lucid. Rather than rant and rave, she stays mostly quiet. Not so quiet that you don't hear her groaning and panting with pain, but no longer gripped by madness. When she thinks you're not looking at her, her eyes are open and she seems to be trying to make sense of her situation.
-=-=-=--=-=-=-=
JUNGLE EXPEDITION
Day 8
Hot and Humid
Location: Densely Jungled Foothills (50 miles to go)
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"We should tie her to her death pyre to make sure she doesn't escape to Eyrub Paqual," Ted says between mouthfuls of morning gruel. His top sighs at him and shakes itself unhappily at Ted's uncharitable demeanor.
Finishing his meal, Ted snatches the top from the air, rolls it in his hands to form it in to a ball, and throws it like a handful of seeds in to the air. Growing pinkish bubbles float out to settle over the party. A smile returns to Ted's face with the change of environment, "Give me a ship with low life support over this oppressive jungle any day"
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[dice=treat deadly wounds]d20+8
Isu continues to bandage and care for Arc's wounds, but his skills are still too rudimentary to make a difference.
[dice=survival aid]d20+5
"Ted Under, why did we not just fly our ship here? Did no one think of that?"
"The ban on vehicles in this continent's airspace," Arcalinte replies matter-of-factly. "Besides, even if no such ban existed it'd be impossible to land the Maiden out here with canopy this thick."
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Spectre completes a scan of the surrounding area and thinks he knows which trails they should follow. He provides the rest of the group with detailed observations on the terrain ahead.
As for interactions with the lashunta, Spectre does nothing to dissuade her from thinking he is a demon sent from the Devourer, at least when she is in that feverish state.
"How many credits would you pay to ease your torment?" he had asked her at one point in her delirium. Once the group chastised him, he mostly kept his distance from her, having been mostly against bringing her along, anyway.
Day 8:
Sydney wakes up in a sour mood. She still didn't want to be in the middle of a jungle, and tracking their objective was taking longer than she thought it would. She walks beside Ted as he carries the stretcher, pulling out one of her pistols to check it. "We better find the professor or I swear I'm pumping a few laser beams in someone's @$$" She frowns at the now awake Ralkawi Moenveri, "what kind of educated professional would leave a young woman to die? You're lucky we've been tracking him. You'd be dead if we hadn't."
The operative holsters her gun and nods to the other lashunta. "Solaria is good with words. Maybe she can help you reconcile with your family. We could probably talk with the university and get you a job too." Shut-up, Sydney. You're doing it again. Why do lashuntas do this to you?
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Arcalinte is quick to chastise Spectre when they attempt to take advantage of Ralkawi.
"Spectre, don't you dare try to exploit this woman's vulnerability!"
After this, he helps carry Ralkawi's stretcher and listens to Sydney attempt to make friends with her, smiling a bit.
"Thank you, Sydney, I know travelling through the jungle has been rough on you. If anyone knows what Ralkawi's gone through, it's you."
He offers his own words as they travel.
"We read your datapad while you were resting," he explains. "From what we've read, it seems like you've been through a lot of khefak-s#!t."
Ralkawi listens to Sydney and Arcalinte with heavy lidded eyes. Her face is flushed and she seems to be running a fever, though Sydney is confident that's just a side effect of the anti-parasitics and nothing to be worried about. Every so often she convulses with pain, her body doing its best to fight off the parasites.
Early in the day, you notice that her armor's internal batteries are low, she only has one day worth of cooling and environmental protections left.
In a short period of reprieve from the agonies of her recovery, she mutters to Sydney and Arc "Who... who the f$%~ are you, why are you doing this to me?" She grits her teeth. "W-why are you doing this for me?"
When Arc announces that he read through her datapad, she closes her eyes and settles back. Half-dozing, she murmurs "Tahomen's gonna kill me if this s#!% doesn't." The offers of help fall on deaf ears, possibly because she doesn't believe you, but more probably because she has more immediate problems on her plate.
----
Even distracted by the lashunta, Sydney is able to keep you all on the correct course through the jungle. Around early afternoon, you notice a group of furred lizards in your path up ahead. They have their heads turned up to look towards the canopy and their tongues flick in and out of their mouths. Distracted as they are, they don't notice your approach.
The group exchanges a few strange clicking noises between the members before spreading out and climbing the trunks of nearby trees. The lizards ascend nimbly up the trunks until they reach the clusters of bucket-sized flowers in the upper branches. They wrap themselves in the petals and settle in, practically disappearing from sight.
Once the last one settles in, you notice that the jungle seems to be getting quieter...
A moldstorm is a short-lived event in which several types of giant fungi release their spores at once. In smaller quantities, these spores are relatively harmless. But during a moldstorm, the unrelenting wave of spores can clog creatures' respiratory systems and even take root in living tissues, breaking down flesh and inhibiting neurological systems.
Moldstorms usually last about 4 hours.
"Cute lizards those, see they look so cute curling up into those flowers. If only I could take one back home, it would make such a sweet pet. I wonder what they are?" Solaria's hand motions to the lizards, trying to encourage them down. "Here, sweetie, sweetie!"
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Ralkawi listens to Sydney and Arcalinte with heavy lidded eyes. Her face is flushed and she seems to be running a fever, though Sydney is confident that's just a side effect of the anti-parasitics and nothing to be worried about. Every so often she convulses with pain, her body doing its best to fight off the parasites.
Early in the day, you notice that her armor's internal batteries are low, she only has one day worth of cooling and environmental protections left.
In a short period of reprieve from the agonies of her recovery, she mutters to Sydney and Arc "Who... who the f$$@ are you, why are you doing this to me?" She grits her teeth. "W-why are you doing this for me?"
When Arc announces that he read through her datapad, she closes her eyes and settles back. Half-dozing, she murmurs "Tahomen's gonna kill me if this s#** doesn't." The offers of help fall on deaf ears, possibly because she doesn't believe you, but more probably because she has more immediate problems on her plate.
"I'm Arcalinte. I'm a Starfinder and a Sola of the Order of the Empty Orbit. We're trying to help you because...well, because you deserve it. We're giving you the greatest gift of all: a second chance. Don't worry about Tahomen. I honestly think he's forgotten you, considering the state he left you in."
Even distracted by the lashunta, Sydney is able to keep you all on the correct course through the jungle. Around early afternoon, you notice a group of furred lizards in your path up ahead. They have their heads turned up to look towards the canopy and their tongues flick in and out of their mouths. Distracted as they are, they don't notice your approach.
The group exchanges a few strange clicking noises between the members before spreading out and climbing the trunks of nearby trees. The lizards ascend nimbly up the trunks until they reach the clusters of bucket-sized flowers in the upper branches. They wrap themselves in the petals and settle in, practically disappearing from sight.
Once the last one settles in, you notice that the jungle seems to be getting quieter...
Arcalinte watches Solaria coo over the lizards and notices them seeming to take shelter and follows Isu's pointed finger to spot the approaching cloud.
"Um...Solaria? I think Spectre's right, those cute lizards are taking shelter from that cloud there. You grew up on Castrovel, have you seen that thing before?"
Ralkawi's at a loss for words when Arc explains his altruistic intentions. Clearly she's not used to anyone offering such a gesture. Quietly (perhaps to herself) she says "F#$$er probably has forgotten about me. He had a chance to come back..." She closes her eyes, fuming.
With them still closed, she adds "You're some bunch of weirdos. Real-" Her thoughts and words are interrupted by a new wave of pain that she grimaces through.
----
The strange clouds slowly grow thicker and more vibrantly pink overhead. If only someone in the party knew what that meant!
Day 9:
Sydney skipped her grade school classes one too many times. She has no knowledge of life sciences.
With Isu's guidance, Sydney spots the pink clouds in the sky.
"F^@%! Looks like we're about to be hit by a moldstorm," Sydney observes.
Sydney skeptically gives Isu and the leafy fronds a look over, narrowing her eyes. "Pretty sure leaves aren't going to do shet for us," she responds tartly, crossing her arms over her chest.
She looks around for a rock outcropping (or another tree to kick.) She wasn't sure how strong the winds could be in a moldstorm but silently agreed they probably shouldn't travel.
Sydney finds your group shelter among the buttress roots of a nearby cluster of trees. Isu grabs leafy fronds from a fern and brings them over to enhance your protection.
A few minutes later, the 'storm' begins. The jungle's creatures turn entirely silent and the air pink and hazy. A howling wind approaches from the distance, accompanied by a cracking and tearing as tree branches give way to the heavy mass of pollen being carried by the wind. The opaque pink wind reaches your protective alcove and starts filling it rapidly. The leafy fronds prove little protection, but at least the roots around you protect from stray branches striking you!
Pink spores fill the air, but thankfully your life bubbles and suit filters are able to block any from entering your lungs.
----
The moldstorm takes a few hours to pass, and when it finally does, you find the jungle transformed. A thick layer of pink pollen covers every surface and waist-high fluffy drifts lie piled up against the roots you found shelter near. You don't have long to admire it though, as you start to hear a heavy crashing sound approaching through the jungle. It seems to be heading directly towards you!
"Round 1"
Sydney stills to listen. "What the f^@& is that?" she hisses.
Sydney hears the crashing sound coming from the south.
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"What is.... something is coming! Fast! Everyone, clear the path, get behind a tree! If it wants to run right past us, let it!"
Isu jumps to the side and finds cover behind the biggest tree. He prepares to fire, but only if the incoming beast proves hostile.
Readied action: He will fire if the thing moves to attack any of us.
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Arcalinte says nothing as they scramble to seek shelter from the moldstorm, activating his armor's enviro-seals and seating himself cross-legged in their crude shelter and meditating as the storm blows through.
As they emerge, he hears the roar and draws the curve-blade and moves into the trees to prepare for the creature's arrival.
"We need to move Ralkawi." Sydney grabs one side of the stretcher and waits expectantly for someone else to pick up the other side. Then, she proceeds to pull the stretcher behind a fallen tree Northwest.
Sydney positions herself in the square East of Ralkawi's form so she'll be between the injured and whatever is coming. She crouches down behind the fallen tree to wait.
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Ted helps carry the stretcher to safety, and takes cover behind a tree. "Spec, what's the odds that what's coming doesn't want to eat us." Ted pulls his top out of the air and starts rubbing its sides vigorously. It begins oozing a grayish slime.
Responding to Isu and Arc he contends absently, "A ship's weapons can clear a landing space anywhere."
"Carry on Sydney, I've got the other end." says Solaria hastily, as she helps to carry the stretcher to safety. "This doesn't sound good at all. I wonder if there's anything we can do to divert it's path? I'll look after Ralkawi if you need to take more offensive actions." the young lashunta cowers behind the log.