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

[Sam B]

Act:

You swim a short distance away from the Starbuds and start scanning the surrounding area for anything good to eat. The dark, empty seafloor doesn't look too promising, but as you turn around to go back something catches your attention! There is some... thing, sticking out of the sand pretty close by, silhouetted by the glow of the flowers. You swim over to investigate further, and you find...

My god...

YOU FIND...

Some purple seakelp.

This crap is even less edible than those Starbuds! Plus, it's usually filled with all sorts of nasty critters who guard their violet garbage like it's a pile of Crystal Coral or something! You just eat some sand instead, and gain 4 DNA Pts as expected. This place sure is uninteresting! Except for the those Starbuds that is, but even those are starting to bore you a bit. At least staring at them is better than getting chased by some horrible crab-beast, or a gang of tentacle-faced monsters, or the biggest freaking eel on the planet.

You have 26 DNA Pt(s)

What do you do?

A) Investigate the patch of seakelp more thoroughly.
B) Go mess with a Starbud.
C) Explore the unknown.
D) Other: ___________________

Stats:

Homeworld: Aros.
Name: Eletus.
Traits: Annelid, Bilateral Symmetry.
Appearance: Faded blue; Long, slender, segmented body with a pair of fin-shaped keratin blades on your back; Pair of red stigma on sides of head and a mouth between them.
Environment: Shallow ocean waters (primarily coastlines, close to the ice-crust)
Behavior: Cautious, defensive, curious; signs of cunning. Occasionally stays within the safety of a colony.
Symbiosis: Starbud Flower [C]
Diet: Geovore, capable of eating meat in small quantities.
Belly: 60%
Size: 4.5; Less than 5 centimeters long.
SNS: 2.7; Capable of blurry, short-ranged vision; Cannot hear; Able to sense chemicals around you.
MOB: 5.5; You move somewhat well for your size, and can swim at a decent pace.
INT: 6; You have a basic brain and semi-complex nervous system.
ATK: 3.5; You have a well-developed mouth and dangerous Dorsal-Blades on your back.
DEF: 3.5; You have a thick C-Plate and a pair of Dorsal-Blades, deterring predators.
HP: 29/32

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)

--Passive--
-Segmented: Receive a DNA discount when increasing your size.
-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.

[Knight_of_Hide]

I'll vote for C, we can always go running back to the safety that the Starbud field provides, so we can afford to look for some Hermit Crabs (or rocks, I guess)

[Kíeros]

> Bother the starbuds.

[Aabcehmu]

I vote for D, rest and try to figure a way of more effectively communicating with your fellow eletus.

[Aleisha]

B, let's mess with some shiny plants before we swim off somewhere else. Ideally, we can get a Starbud plant on our Eletus's back between the dorsal-blades. We'd be untouchable from above.

[Mithanu]

B, INFECTED, ROUND OVER!

[Sam B]

Act:

Since there really isn't much else to do, you swim back over to one of the Starbuds and start poking at it with your face. It is very bright at this distance. The flower is unfazed by your prodding, but that isn't about to stop you. These plants don't think you're big enough? You'll MAKE THEM see how suitable your species is for use as a host to their parasitic tendrils. Wait, why are you doing this again?

You apparently lack the intelligence, and time, to even consider something like logical reasoning, as the flower quickly gives up and fires a seed directly at your underbelly. Within seconds the seed sprouts into a fully grown flower, and you can feel its roots digging into your unique plant-feeding organs. You have been infected by a Starbud! ... Again! It doesn't exactly hurt this time, but you do feel a bit... heavier, with the flower growing on you.

The other Eletus doesn't seem so keen on forcing a parasite onto its body, and who can blame it? You aren't even sure why you would want a bioluminescent plant growing (glowing?) out of you, for that matter. Nevertheless, you have one now. Armed with the amazing power of... a flower on your belly, you feel like you can do anything! (Wait, what?)

You have 26 DNA Pt(s)

What do you do?

A) Explore randomly. Adventure awaits!
B) Search for a reef. There's gotta be some decent food in one of those, right?
C) Go back and brave the dangers of the Titan Eel's lair?
D) Stay here for a while... ?
E) Other: ___________________

Stats:

Homeworld: Aros.
Name: Eletus.
Traits: Annelid, Bilateral Symmetry, Starbud Infection.
Appearance: Faded blue; Long, slender, segmented body with a pair of fin-shaped keratin blades on your back; Pair of red stigma on sides of head and a mouth between them.
Environment: Shallow ocean waters (primarily coastlines, close to the ice-crust)
Behavior: Cautious, defensive, curious; signs of cunning. Occasionally stays within the safety of a colony.
Symbiosis: Starbud Flower [C]
Diet: Geovore, capable of eating meat in small quantities.
Belly: 40%
Size: 4.5; Less than 5 centimeters long.
SNS: 2.7; Capable of blurry, short-ranged vision; Cannot hear; Able to sense chemicals around you.
MOB: 5.5; You move somewhat well for your size, and can swim at a decent pace.
INT: 6; You have a basic brain and semi-complex nervous system.
ATK: 3.5; You have a well-developed mouth and dangerous Dorsal-Blades on your back.
DEF: 3.5; You have a thick C-Plate and a pair of Dorsal-Blades, deterring predators.
HP: 30/32

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)

--Passive--
-Segmented: Receive a DNA discount when increasing your size.
-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.

[Aabcehmu]

I vote for C. The bioluminescence of the starbud might make exploring the titan eel caves somewhat easier. I wonder if titan eels are so large as to go uneffected by starbuds?

[Knight_of_Hide]

Adventure! Lets go look for some RHC's to eat, some big creatures to infect and some Eletus to get a colony going.

[Kíeros]

> Brave the dangers of the reef.

[Mithanu]

C, you guys have no idea how happy I am right now that not only that we budded off earlier while infected, but that we are now infected again. I don't even know why. FLOWER POWER! I'm sorry for saying that.

[dragonpaul99]

AAAAAAAAAdventure Time!

[Aleisha]

I don't have a vote right now, but I drew some fanart. Starbud is almost certainly not accurate, Eletus is also probably not accurate, but whatever. I tried.

[Aabcehmu]

That seems quite good! Seems pretty accurate too, with the only thing I spot off the bat being the mouths seem as though they have jaws, which I don't believe we've evolved yet.

[Sam B]

Aleisha that is so damn adorable, a barely audible "squee" actually escaped my lips. Love your interpretation of the fin-blade thingies too.
(starbuds have six petals but it's fanart who cares and also I probably never mentioned that except in the bestiary)

Also, we're tied... again.

[Aabcehmu]

You might just have to break this one yourself, like you did with the name of the world.

[Aleisha]

Or I can decide to vote for A?

[Aabcehmu]

Curses! It doesn't really seem like we can even try guess what we'll get out of just wandering around, but oh well.

[Sam B]

Act:

You head off in a random direction in search of vague adventures, and the other Eletus seems to be following you much more effectively than before. Maybe the light emanating from your underside is guiding it along? Or, more likely, its wounds have just healed a bit more. Either way, the flower on your belly does illuminate the seafloor quite nicely as you travel, making it a bit easier to see things very close to you. The effect is pretty neat, and while it does make you look like some kind of worm-shaped UFO from a distance, it's not quite beneficial enough to upgrade your relationship with the Starbud to Mutualistic. Whatever that means.

Before you can find any delicious rocks or friendly members of your own species, you have to stop and eat some sand to keep from starving to death, gaining another measly 4 DNA Pts. You take this opportunity to examine your surroundings more closely, and a few things catch your interest. On a slightly elevated area, two creatures are having an intense battle for a large carcass. One of them is a Whiptail Shark of above average size, and the other is a Samurai Ray: A flat-bodied species of fish whose main body is covered by a hard, armor-like shell made of overlapping segments. They possess a flexible tail with a sharp, spade-shaped tip that they use offensively, and enlarged pectoral fins that are fused to their head. (Not unlike every other species of ray in existence.)

The two fish seem equally matched, and are both gradually wearing each other down with quick, well-placed strikes from their weaponized tails. The other object of interest within range of your senses is a large gathering of Bleeding Algae, or more specifically, what is right next to the algae. You detect the presence of a large creature engorging itself on the plant-matter, and as far you can tell it is some kind of Arthropod. Something about it makes you feel very uncomfortable, or maybe that's just the mild taste of blood slowly leaking into the water from the nearby fight?

You have 30 DNA Pt(s)

What do you do?

A) Cautiously observe the fight.
B) Investigate the plant-eater.
C) Avoid the creatures altogether and continue exploring.
D) Other: ___________________

Stats:

Homeworld: Aros.
Name: Eletus.
Traits: Annelid, Bilateral Symmetry, Starbud Infection.
Appearance: Faded blue; Long, slender, segmented body with a pair of fin-shaped keratin blades on your back; Pair of red stigma on sides of head and a mouth between them.
Environment: Shallow ocean waters (primarily coastlines, close to the ice-crust)
Behavior: Cautious, defensive, curious; signs of cunning. Occasionally stays within the safety of a colony.
Symbiosis: Starbud Flower [C]
Diet: Geovore, capable of eating meat in small quantities.
Belly: 70%
Size: 4.5; Less than 5 centimeters long.
SNS: 2.7; Capable of blurry, short-ranged vision; Cannot hear; Able to sense chemicals around you.
MOB: 5.5; You move somewhat well for your size, and can swim at a decent pace.
INT: 6; You have a basic brain and semi-complex nervous system.
ATK: 3.5; You have a well-developed mouth and dangerous Dorsal-Blades on your back.
DEF: 3.5; You have a thick C-Plate and a pair of Dorsal-Blades, deterring predators.
HP: 31/32

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)

--Passive--
-Segmented: Receive a DNA discount when increasing your size.
-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]

watch the fight

[Mithanu]

A, because who doesn't like watching two creatures fight to the death?

[Kíeros]

> Cautiousness is definitely justified in this scenario.

[Knight_of_Hide]

Choo Choo! All aboard the exploration train!

Next stop hopefully a place with rocks!

[Aabcehmu]

I vote for C. I reiterate that the starbud might be significantly useful in exploring the titan eel tunnels.

[Sam B]

Act:

Giving the dueling fish and algae-munching Arthropod a wide berth, you continue your expedition into unknown waters. The journey is pleasantly uneventful, until you detect a large group of creatures rapidly approaching you from the direction you're swimming in! They seem pretty small, but there sure are a lot of them. You can sense that they are not fish, but their quick movement is kicking up a lot of sand which is obscuring both your vision and chemical detection abilities, so that's about all you can make out.

You turn and start swimming in another direction to see if the horde is actually moving towards you specifically, and your fears are confirmed as they also change their trajectory to meet you head on. The Starbud on your stomach glows brighter as you become more and more anxious, and the other Eletus with you has chosen its usual response to fear and is now flailing wildly beside you.

You have 30 DNA Pt(s)

What do you do?

A) Flee!
B) Flail!
C) Face! (The oncoming creatures, that is.)
D) Other: ___________________

Stats:

Homeworld: Aros.
Name: Eletus.
Traits: Annelid, Bilateral Symmetry, Starbud Infection.
Appearance: Faded blue; Long, slender, segmented body with a pair of fin-shaped keratin blades on your back; Pair of red stigma on sides of head and a mouth between them.
Environment: Shallow ocean waters (primarily coastlines, close to the ice-crust)
Behavior: Cautious, defensive, curious; signs of cunning. Occasionally stays within the safety of a colony.
Symbiosis: Starbud Flower [C]
Diet: Geovore, capable of eating meat in small quantities.
Belly: 50%
Size: 4.5; Less than 5 centimeters long.
SNS: 2.7; Capable of blurry, short-ranged vision; Cannot hear; Able to sense chemicals around you.
MOB: 5.5; You move somewhat well for your size, and can swim at a decent pace.
INT: 6; You have a basic brain and semi-complex nervous system.
ATK: 3.5; You have a well-developed mouth and dangerous Dorsal-Blades on your back.
DEF: 3.5; You have a thick C-Plate and a pair of Dorsal-Blades, deterring predators.
HP: 32/32

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)

--Passive--
-Segmented: Receive a DNA discount when increasing your size.
-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.