CELLQUEST: RIP in Piece [DEAD due to inactive host]

[redaeth]

E, lure the Whiptail onto the urchins.

[Sifright]

B rotate rapidly as we slash into the shark to try and increase the damage we do

[Sam B]

Act:

Taking off from the seafloor, you Charge like a torpedo towards the now lit-up Whiptail Shark. As you rocket through the water, you angel your body so your Dorsal Blades will strike the shark's unprotected belly. Aided by the Starbud's light, you successfully land a major hit along the beast's underside, cutting deep into its rough scales and severely wounding it! Blood suddenly surrounds you as the Whiptail bleeds into the water, and you just barely manage to avoid another strike from that damn tail as the shark violently flails it around in pain. The other Eletus continues to mimic your behavior, coming in for a Charge attack of their own and cutting along the shark's gill slits.

Within seconds, your attacker stops struggling as the recently planted Starbud on its body stops glowing; a sure sign of death. Any fish that witnessed that will certainly think twice before trying to eat an Eletus! Unfortunately, there are always bigger fish, even those that would not be intimidated by a miniature shark killer. In fact, those sorts of fish are probably the same kind that would no doubt be attracted to a fresh Whiptail carcass... It's probably a good idea to get out of here before anything dangerous like that appears to clean up after you. The other Eletus swims over to you, apparently wanting to follow you after seeing the benefits of teamwork firsthand. Hopefully the combined light of your Starbuds (and also being covered in shark blood) isn't too conspicuous...

You have 52 DNA Pt(s)

What do you do?

A) Explore the shallows together.
B) Go shore-wards and return to the beach.
C) Swim further into the ocean, towards the ice-ceiling.
D) Actually, why not stay for a little while?
E) Other: ___________________

Stats:

Homeworld: Aros.
Name: Eletus.
Traits: Chordate, Starbud Infection.
Appearance: Faded blue; Slender body with a pair of fin-shaped keratin blades on back; long tail with barbs and caudal fin at the tip; head possesses a red ocellus on either side and a circular mouth with tiny teeth at the front end. [Glowing flower on underside]
Environment: Shallow ocean waters.
Behavior: Defensive, curious, cunning; will actively seek out Starbuds if not infected.
Symbiosis: Starbud Flower [M]
Diet: Geovore, capable of eating meat in small quantities.
Belly: 40%
Size: 8; Over 10 centimeters long.
SNS: 8; Capable of blurry, short-ranged vision; Cannot hear; Able to sense light and chemicals from a distance; basic sense of smell.
MOB: 8.5; You slither at a slow pace on land, and can swim well.
INT: 10; Sentient; Capable of basic social interaction with your own kind.
ATK: 7.5; You have a strong mouth with teeth, sharp barbs on your tail and dangerous Dorsal-Blades on your back.
DEF: 3.5 (5.5); You have a thick C-Plate and a pair of Dorsal-Blades, deterring weaker predators. [+2]
HP: 42/51

Abilities:

--Active--
-Bud Off: Split your body into multiple organisms. Divides Belly by number of organisms. Temporarily reduces stats to a fraction of what they really are.
-Disgorge: Vomit some of the contents of your belly with mild force. Effectiveness increases with a larger Belly %. Divides current Belly by half.
-Charge: A short burst of speed in any direction, can be used offensively. (-30% Belly)
-Suction: Pull small objects into your mouth from a short distance or affix yourself to larger surfaces. (-10% Belly when used on non-food objects)

--Passive--
-Cephalize: Evolve sensory organs at reduced cost on your "head".
-Geophagy: Gain extra DNA from soil and similar materials.
-Regen: Recover HP at a constant rate. Belly drops faster than normal when more than a third of your HP is gone.

[Sifright]

E Celebrate our kill by quickly grabing a bite to eat from the corpse of the shark. Then head to the beach

[Knight_of_Hide]

C

I actually want to see what that creature was that assaulted us waay back when.

And then kill it.

[Aabcehmu]

I vote for B. Grab something to eat, make sure your wounds are all healed, and see how on land you can make it before needing to turn back.

I'm going to change that to an E, since it was similar enough to Sifright's suggestion, and to push it to a tie.

[Kíeros]

> Cavort with your friend into deeper waters.

[Mithanu]

C, because we can.

[Trueblader]

A] You saw how teamwork worked before. You'll get better results if you stick together

[Mithanu]

I have a question regarding the voting options Sam B. Do the present choices that don't state that the other Eletus accompanies us have him leave us? Or is it implied that he stays with us?

[Wessolf27]

Might be best to get out of here for the moment. So C. But make note to return since the waters there are too cold.

[Sam B]

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Implied, Mithanu. Also, "he" isn't exactly accurate, since your species is currently hermaphroditic.

Act:

You decide to take your partner deeper into the sea and explore a bit. As you swim onwards, the blood covering your C-Plate gradually washes off, until you are completely clean. The further you go, the colder it gets, and before you know it you and the other Eletus are within glacial waters. The ocean is significantly darker in this area due to the thick layer of ice covering the water's surface, but you are still able to see a short distance around you with your Starbud(s) lighting the way. A trio of tiny Gutling Fish swim past you shortly before diving into a large gathering of Purple Seakelp, and you stop traveling for a moment to examine your current surroundings.

Within the aforementioned Seakelp Forest, you detect a number of small creatures living in the dense plant-life, as well as a few slightly larger animals swimming just above the deep-sea flora. A strange scent is coming from somewhere below you, while a more pleasing scent drifts down from the ice above you. Despite the pleasant scent being, well... pleasant, you feel unusually afraid when it hits your nostrils, almost as if there was some unknowable horror associated with it... Weird.

In the open water between the Purple Seakelp below and the ice-crust above, you sense a disturbingly large number of Cetusaurs swimming around and colliding with each other for some odd reason. Maybe now just happens to be their mating season, or something? The social behavior of other species is a mystery to you, but the fact that these big marine reptiles exclusively eat meat is more than enough reason to avoid them, you think.

Your fellow Eletus seems eager to explore this new area, in spite of the injuries it sustained during your battle with the Whiptail. Clearly this individual leans more towards the curious side of Eletus behavior than you do, but four blades are better than two, right? Anyway, you'll definitely want to eat something regardless of what you choose to do next. That last fight was tiring enough, and all this traveling after the fact has given you a serious hankering for some rocks, but sand will do just as well if you don't find any soon.

You have 52 DNA Pt(s)

What do you do?

A) Examine the various fauna more closely.
B) Investigate the strange scent.
C) Disregard your fears and ascend towards the sweet scent.
D) Observe the herd of Cetusaurs... from a safe distance.
E) Ignore everything and continue your journey into the depths.
F) Other: ___________________

Stats:

Homeworld: Aros.
Name: Eletus.
Traits: Chordate, Starbud Infection.
Appearance: Faded blue; Slender body with a pair of fin-shaped keratin blades on back; long tail with barbs and caudal fin at the tip; head possesses a red ocellus on either side and a circular mouth with tiny teeth at the front end. [Glowing flower on underside]
Environment: Shallow ocean waters.
Behavior: Defensive, curious, cunning; will actively seek out Starbuds if not infected.
Symbiosis: Starbud Flower [M]
Diet: Geovore, capable of eating meat in small quantities.
Belly: 20%
Size: 8; Over 10 centimeters long.
SNS: 8; Capable of blurry, short-ranged vision; Cannot hear; Able to sense light and chemicals from a distance; basic sense of smell.
MOB: 8.5; You slither at a slow pace on land, and can swim well.
INT: 10; Sentient; Capable of basic social interaction with your own kind.
ATK: 7.5; You have a strong mouth with teeth, sharp barbs on your tail and dangerous Dorsal-Blades on your back.
DEF: 3.5 (5.5); You have a thick C-Plate and a pair of Dorsal-Blades, deterring weaker predators. [+2]
HP: 43/51

Abilities:

--Active--
-Bud Off: Split your body into multiple organisms. Divides Belly by number of organisms. Temporarily reduces stats to a fraction of what they really are.
-Disgorge: Vomit some of the contents of your belly with mild force. Effectiveness increases with a larger Belly %. Divides current Belly by half.
-Charge: A short burst of speed in any direction, can be used offensively. (-30% Belly)
-Suction: Pull small objects into your mouth from a short distance or affix yourself to larger surfaces. (-10% Belly when used on non-food objects)

--Passive--
-Cephalize: Evolve sensory organs at reduced cost on your "head".
-Geophagy: Gain extra DNA from soil and similar materials.
-Regen: Recover HP at a constant rate. Belly drops faster than normal when more than a third of your HP is gone.

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Just to make it abundantly clear, you'll auto-eat during the next sequence no matter what wins the vote. You know, so you don't have to waste an action shoveling dirt into your mouth yet again.

[Knight_of_Hide]

A
Remember when we were cells, and saw this very same stuff?
Lets see how the other creatures have evolved.

[Kíeros]

> Egress into the depths.

[Aabcehmu]

I vote for F, head back to the shore, skimming sand on the way to keep your belly up. We left these waters long ago, and I feel no need to remain here where progress is so unlikely, at least in the direction I, and I imagine most us, desire.

[seastormjt]

I like option A

[Wessolf27]

Appraise various fauna carefully.

[Sifright]

I vote for F, head back to the shore, skimming sand on the way to keep your belly up. We left these waters long ago, and I feel no need to remain here where progress is so unlikely, at least in the direction I, and I imagine most us, desire.

This ^

F

[Mithanu]

A, we must know of these beings.

[Kingleo]

I agree with the previously mentioned F option.

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Just finished reading the whole thing through; This is amazing! Can't wait to see how the Eletus grow as a species, biologically and eventually technologically.

[Sam B]

Act:

You and your cohort descend into the Seakelp Forest to get a better look at the indigenous wildlife. In addition to the numerous Gutlings darting about, you detect several different kinds of invertebrates residing in this area, the closest specimen being an Armollusk: A member of an eponymous gastropod species featuring an incredibly hard shell that protects most of its body. Armollusks are omnivores, and have the ability to launch their venomous radula which they use to prey on other creatures. The next species that catches your attention is a small group of Orb Jellies: Meat-eating cnidarians who have two tufts of stinging tentacles on opposite ends of their spherical, gelatinous bodies. These tiny creatures typically join their bodies together in groups known as colonies, with many specimens often appearing to be a single entity covered by a multitude of stingers.

Only the one Armollusc is within range of your senses, but there are several Orb Jelly colonies floating around near the seafloor, and you can sense one such colony attacking (or perhaps, being attacked by) a devious Snakeweed Worm. Upon closer inspection of the larger creatures above the Purple Seakelp, you determine that they are members of the vaguely familiar Sea-strider and Hydra Sea Turtle species. Both of the moderately sized herbivore groups appear to be grazing on the deep-sea flora while generally ignoring all the smaller lifeforms below, including the other Eletus and you. The strange scent from before is much stronger now, while the sweet scent is barely detectable at all since you entered the Seakelp Forest.

With your curiosity sated for now, you pick a nice open spot on the seafloor and begin vacuuming up blue sand to fill your belly, earning (you guessed it) 4 DNA Pts. Your partner joins in as you eat, using their own Suction ability to draw sand into their mouth like you've been doing. After a few minutes of this, you are surprised to find that your casual eating has uncovered a buried object of some sort! At a first glance, the object appears to be a kind of rock, but your chemical detection tells you that it is... not. A rock, that is. The interference from the ocean soil surrounding it prevents you from sensing anything more, though.

You have 56 DNA Pt(s)

What do you do?

A) Unearth the mysterious object.
B) Investigate the strange scent.
C) Approach one of the creatures. (S.V.P: Specify which species)
D) Leave the area and head into even deeper waters.
E) Leave and return to your home in the shallows.
F) Other: ___________________

Stats:

Homeworld: Aros.
Name: Eletus.
Traits: Chordate, Starbud Infection.
Appearance: Faded blue; Slender body with a pair of fin-shaped keratin blades on back; long tail with barbs and caudal fin at the tip; head possesses a red ocellus on either side and a circular mouth with tiny teeth at the front end. [Glowing flower on underside]
Environment: Shallow ocean waters.
Behavior: Defensive, curious, cunning; will actively seek out Starbuds if not infected.
Symbiosis: Starbud Flower [M]
Diet: Geovore, capable of eating meat in small quantities.
Belly: 80%
Size: 8; Over 10 centimeters long.
SNS: 8; Capable of blurry, short-ranged vision; Cannot hear; Able to sense light and chemicals from a distance; basic sense of smell.
MOB: 8.5; You slither at a slow pace on land, and can swim well.
INT: 10; Sentient; Capable of basic social interaction with your own kind.
ATK: 7.5; You have a strong mouth with teeth, sharp barbs on your tail and dangerous Dorsal-Blades on your back.
DEF: 3.5 (5.5); You have a thick C-Plate and a pair of Dorsal-Blades, deterring weaker predators. [+2]
HP: 44/51

Abilities:

--Active--
-Bud Off: Split your body into multiple organisms. Divides Belly by number of organisms. Temporarily reduces stats to a fraction of what they really are.
-Disgorge: Vomit some of the contents of your belly with mild force. Effectiveness increases with a larger Belly %. Divides current Belly by half.
-Charge: A short burst of speed in any direction, can be used offensively. (-30% Belly)
-Suction: Pull small objects into your mouth from a short distance or affix yourself to larger surfaces. (-10% Belly when used on non-food objects)

--Passive--
-Cephalize: Evolve sensory organs at reduced cost on your "head".
-Geophagy: Gain extra DNA from soil and similar materials.
-Regen: Recover HP at a constant rate. Belly drops faster than normal when more than a third of your HP is gone.

[redaeth]

We must dig a hole!

[Knight_of_Hide]

A thingy!

Remnants of our spacely descent?
An egg of some kind?
Perhaps a creature or somesuch?

Investigate away, Eletus comrade.

[Mithanu]

A, WE MUST DO THIS NOW, OUR CURIOSITY MUST BE SATED, WHETHER FOR GOOD OR ILL!

[Kíeros]

> And what is it?