Creature Quest 01

>>788223
>>Medium and gaunt, but beautiful

>>788223
Small and terrifying we are, no one knows where we strike from.

>Small and withered, but agile

>>788223
>Small and withered, but agile

>>788223
> Small and withered, but agile
The shadow, the hint of movement, in the corner of your eye.

Picking up a trip in case I have to change IP

The creature I see staring back at me is small and withered, frail bones showing clearly through pale, nearly translucent skin. My eyes are large, yellow orbs. My fingers and toes are both tipped in sharp claws. I am not displeased at this image. It suits me, I feel. I grin and see a set of wicked yellow teeth, large fangs set in a small mouth. Yes, this pleases me greatly.

After consuming the fish and returning to the darkness, I continue my struggle upwards. The primordial hunger draws me towards my goal. The stone becomes less and less common, giving way to more manageable dirt and earth. The air becomes lighter and colder, to the point where I can feel myself shivering as I crawl along the caves.

After what feels like lifetimes, I feel something strange. The air, once thick and heavy and hot, is now light and flowing around me. The cave itself seems to be breathing. I follow the breathing air through twisting tunnels, slipping on loose earth, splashing through streams that run deeper into the bowels of the world. And just when I feel as though my venture may be pointless, I find more light. On the far side of this tunnel I can see, bathed in harsh yellow, a flickering light. Its brightness is so great that I cannot see beyond it.

But more than that, I can feel something nearby. My hunger grows. Larger than the fish of the lightless pools, a slumbering mass of skin and furs is sprawled out near the light. It breaths contentedly, unaware of my presence. It is larger than me, and could be dangerous, but I can sense in the very core of my being that it is what I have been seeking. It is the thing which I hunger for. I need it. I must have it. I...

>Rush forward and attack!
>Sneak towards it, I must assess the situation more clearly.
>Wait patiently. I have lived in hunger for all my life, surely I can wait a moment more.
>Other…?

>>788298
>>Sneak towards it, I must assess the situation more clearly.

>>788298
>Sneak towards it, I must assess the situation more clearly.

>>788298
>Sneak towards it, I must assess the situation more clearly.

>>788298
Is it a bear?
> Wrestle it!

On light feet, I begin to creep towards the creature. I can feel something moving beneath its skin, pumping rhythmically. As I get closer its features become more clear to me. Thick brown furs cover its chest and legs, though its arms are bare. Longer, more stringy fur pools around its head, black as the caves I crawled from. The creature’s chest rises and falls at a steady pace. Its eyes are closed, and its soft pink lips move slightly. As close as I am, I can hear the rushing and pumping of the creature’s essence with ease.

A few more cautious steps and I am squatting over the thing. Its smell has me intoxicated. The beating of its heart pounds in my ears, a sound that drowns out all other things. I feel my stomach folding over itself as the hunger begins to grow, almost overpowering me. I…

>Give in to the hunger!
>Ignore the hunger for just a bit longer. (Roll 1d10)
>Other…?

>>788363
>Capitulate to Hungery.

Rolled 1 (1d10)

>>788363
>>Ignore the hunger for just a bit longer. (Roll 1d10)

>>788363
>>Give in to the hunger!

>>788363
>Give in to the hunger!
RIP AND TEAR

I am awake, and I am hungry.

I crawl right up to the creature, looking at the smooth skin of its exposed neck, and without thinking I lunge forward.

The first moment is pure ecstasy, the taste of flesh as it hits my tongue drives my thoughts to oblivion. As I recover, I begin to taste the blood, flowing over my lips and down my chin, dripping onto the dirt floor of the cave. What a sweetness, what a flavor! Truly nothing can match this sensation! The creature begins to thrash, muscles tightening, arms flailing wildly, but I will not be denied my meal. I move quickly, letting go of the sweet neck-meat for a moment to crawl onto the thing’s chest. With clawed hands and feet, I dig into the creature’s torso, delighting in the feeling of ripping skin beneath me. As I look down at the thing, I can see that its eyes are now open, large with fright. The terror I cause brings me great joy. It lets out a high-pitched scream before I clamp my fangs down on the front of its throat. The scream turns into a harsh gurgle before finally falling to silence.

As I feast on my prey, I feel the hunger in me begin to subside. Slowly, memories come back into my mind. A world of darkness, a huge cavern, a legion of strange beasts shuffling through the inky black. That is the world which I left. And now, on the other side of the fire, I look beyond its harsh light and into the world beyond.

I see a dark blue sky, dotted with thousands of white pinpricks. A sea of green and brown rolls down from the mouth of the cave, while in the distance harsher lights shine bright on the horizon. The wind blows and the green sea ripples and waves, giant trees swaying and creaking. I feel small in this world. It almost makes me want to return to the safety of the caves. But I know deep down that there is no higher goal. I have climbed and burrowed my way to this place for a reason, though I have yet to figure it out, and I will be damned back to the darkness before I give up on that.

Suddenly, in the distance, I hear a loud noise. Guttural hollers and cries in strange patterns. Harsh lights are making their way through the woods, up the sloped hillside and towards the mouth of the cave. More creatures like the one I just killed. I got lucky taking this one by surprise, but what could I do against a group of them? Quickly I decide to…

>Retreat into the darkness of the cave.
>Venture out into the darkness of the forest.
>Other..?

>>788499
>Venture out into the darkness of the forest.

>>788499
>>Venture out into the darkness of the forest.

>>788499
> Venture out into the darkness of the forest
After starting a smiley face in blood with the dead guys hand. So it looks like a last desperate message from a dying guy telling his buddies about his euphoric killer.

>>788499
>Venture out into the darkness of the forest.

Thinking quickly, I decide to take my chances in the strange new world. Surely if I retreated into the caves I would be trapped eventually.

I dart out into the darkness, weaving through the towering trees. The creatures and their harsh lights run right by me, unaware of my presence. As they venture into the cave I can hear more shouting. I do not wait around to see what happens next.

My path through the forest has no reasoning to it. I dodge around brambles and scamper over fallen trees, fleeing the harsh lights and the creatures that carry them. After a short while I can feel my limbs grow heavy. The hunger within me has subsided substantially, and now I feel the need to rest. I find a shadowy indent in the hollow of a towering oak, and lay myself down, the soft decaying leaves making for a comfier bed than I’ve ever had before. Quicker than I can register it, I am asleep.

>>Here’s how this bit works. Now that you’ve fed, you’ve gained one Essence Point. You can use essence points to buy powers and abilities for your developing creature. Right now, you have 1 to spend and 3 options to take. I may eventually make a pastebin of all the options you can eventually get, but please be patient with me in that regard. Some abilities and powers will cost more points, and thus will require more feedings. The less Essence Points you have, the hungrier you will become, and thus the harder it will be to control yourself.

>>What would you like to acquire?

>Speech (Lets you speak and understand languages of devoured creatures) [1EP]
>Tough Skin (Thickens your hide, making you harder to hurt) [1Ep]
>Scary (Grants you an aura of fear, terrifying weak willed individuals and unsettling strong ones) [1Ep]

>>788616
>Speech (Lets you speak and understand languages of devoured creatures) [1EP]

>>788616
>Scary (Grants you an aura of fear, terrifying weak willed individuals and unsettling strong ones) [1Ep]

>>788616
> Speech
To facilitate waifuing

>>788616
>>Speech (Lets you speak and understand languages of devoured creatures) [1EP]

Quick heads up, I have to drive to a party quickly. Will update when I get there. Thank full it's a writing club party so that won't be weird.

>>>

I awaken to the sound of rustling leaves and more guttural shouting, only now it sounds smoother, as if the words have some sort of meaning behind them. I listen carefully, and begin to understand…

“Garm, this way!” Says the first voice, “I followed its tracks this way!”

“You’re a fool.” says the second, much deeper voice. I open my eyes and immediately regret it. The world is washed in harsh yellow light. Gone is the soft darkness of the night before, replaced by the orange glow of the daytime afternoon. It stings my skin and burns my eyes. I retreat further into the darkness of the hollow oak.

“If you find the thing, what do you plan on doing then eh?” says the deep voice. “It killed the priestess in her own cave! Ripped her neck out and opened her belly right up! And those weren’t wolf or panther tracks either. I’ve never seen tracks like that before!”

I can hear them walking towards my hiding hole. With the daylight as bright as it is, I would be at a serious disadvantage trying to ambush them or even fleeing. I could always climb further up the tree, but there’s no guarantee that I can escape that way. My options are limited.

“I am no fool, Garm. Those tracks were small. I’m sure we can gut the thing without bringing the other men into this. Think about it, we’ll return home as heroes!”

I’m running out of time. The things are getting closer. I decide to…

>Climb higher into the tree.
>Escape the tree, run into the forest.
>Attempt to communicate with the creatures.
>Other…?

>>788828
>Climb higher into the tree.
They can probably follow our tracks.
Let's just hide.

>>788828
>Climb higher into the tree.

>>788828
> Climb higher
Operation dropbear is go

>>788828
>Burrow into the ground and tunnel our way out

I can tell from their words that if they catch me, it will not end well. Quickly I scamper up the hollow tree, squeezing into the tight space between the bark.

“The tracks end at the tree.” says Garm, the deep voiced man. I can hear them walking around the base. “You think it’s in there Ragni?”

I hear rummaging at the bottom of the tree, and look down to see a shaggy head of hair looking up the length of the tree. He can’t see me, as high up in the darkness as I am, but I can see him. A chiseled, hairless face with striking blue eyes and long, dark hair. I blink, staying as still as possible, waiting for something to happen.

“I don’t see it in here Garm!” he says.

“Better burn the tree anyway, just to be safe.”

I don’t like the sound of that. As I cling to the wall expectantly, I begin to hear a crackling noise. Smoke rises from the bottom of the tree, suffocating me, burning my eyes, and I begin to feel warm.

“If it’s in there,” says Garm, “that’ll smoke it out.”

This is not good, but surely I can escape. I’ve burrowed my way through stone before, and bark is much softer. I rip and tear at the wall of the tree, splintering the wood and breaking apart the bark, revealing the bright world of the outside. Again, it burns my eyes, but I fight through the pain and crawl out of the burning tree.

“There, up there, I see it!” Garm shouts. I glance in his direction and see him pointing at me with a stone tipped spear. I hiss out of reflex, and leap from the side of the oak to an adjoining tree, taking off into the forest.

>>>

I can hear them shouting in the distance, trying to follow me, but I am fast. I stick mainly to the trees, leaping from branch to branch. Soon I’m alone in the forest. The light of day is beginning to fade, and soon I feel it will be dark out. In the distance, I can see rising smoke and harsh firelight. Something draws me in that direction, the same sort of hungry compulsion that once drove me to the surface. But that must mean that there are more of those creatures there, and that could present a problem for me. I perch on a tree branch and consider my options.

>Investigate the fires.
>Go deeper into the woods.
>Return to the caves.
>Other…?

>>789027
>Go deeper into the woods.
Right now we're weak we need to kill eat and grow

>>789027
> Circle back to the heroes
It's dark now, let the hunters become the hunted

>>789027
>>Investigate the fires.

Alright, it's been a while and we're still at a tie. If someone doesn't come in and break it in the next 15 minutes, I'll roll for it.

>>789088
Support. Lets get our feed on

Thank god someone else showed up, I didn't want this to die right here.

As I sit there on the branch, a plan begins to form in my mind. Those wretched hunters from before tried to kill me, and they deserve to be punished. I take off through the trees again, doubling back the way I came. It isn’t long before I find them, wandering in the forest.

“I can’t believe we lost it!” laments Ragni. He carries in his right hand a small spear with a flint tip, and you can see an array of knives hanging from his belt. His left hand holds high a burning branch, lighting the way for the two of them.

“Yeah, damn thing was quick.” Garm seems less visibly upset, but his voice has a quality to it that tells you he is just as bitter as his companion. He carries his own spear in both hands, and he looks around suspiciously on occasion. “By the gods, I’ve never seen anything like it before. What do you reckon it was?”

Ragni stops and turns to his companion, looking him dead in the eye. “I’ve heard tales of creatures from the darkest reaches of the world,” he begins. “They say that they are shadow and evil given form. Whatever we saw was small, sure, but you could tell it wasn’t natural. Nothing under the sun looks or moves like that thing did.”

I crawl slowly across the face of a large tree while I stare down at the duo and consider my options…

>Drop down amongst them with a surprise attack!
>Continue to listen and follow, wait for a better opportunity.
>Other…?

>>789814
>Continue to listen and follow, wait for a better opportunity.

Throw some fruit or a branch off into the woods. Try to seperate them.

>>789823
>>789814
Seconding this

While we're waiting for more votes, here's a pastebin with some of the upgrades you can get as you gain more essence points.

http://pastebin.com/9cYi8aub

I bide my time. Let the fools chatter amongst themselves. Soon they must sleep, and when they do I will be there, ready to strike.

As the darkness of night grows deeper and the thin sliver of the moon makes its way into the sky, I continue to follow them through the wilderness, their position easily marked by the brightness of their makeshift torch. They talk back and forth, mentioning other men from their village, gossiping about who sleeps around and who wants to fight, but I don’t pay that any attention. My hunger grows.

After a while they finally find a clearing to settle down in. As they make a fire and roll out makeshift fur bedding I continue to lurk in the treetops, looking down at them. One of them, Ragni, sits himself next to a tree while Garm settles down to sleep. The night grows darker. After waiting and waiting, my hunger begins to grow, gnawing at me, compelling me to act.

>Attack!
>Go in loud!
>Go in quiet!
>Ignore the Hunger (Roll 1d10)
>Other…?

>>790263
>Go in quiet!
Attack Ragni first

>>790263
>>Go in quiet!

>Go in quiet!, stealth for days.

>>790263
>>Go in loud!

After a day of drinking and working, we now resume…

I cannot ignore the hunger any longer, but that does not mean I am foolish enough to rush straight in. Slowly I make my way across the branches and down the tree that Ragni now sits against. I crawl towards him, my claws gripping tightly to the bark. I’m within striking distance now, and he doesn’t seem to have noticed that anything is amiss. This kill will be sweet.

>>Roll 1d10!

Rolled 4 (1d10)

>>793850

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>793850
Whoops, that piece of bark was loose, how embarrassing!

Rolled 4 (1d10)

Dont worry I'll save us

I shift my weight backwards onto the balls of my feet, preparing for a quick attack. As I spring, however, Ragni rolls to the side, grabbing his spear and brandishing it with one smooth motion. I land amongst the rotting leaves, down on all fours, crouched and ready to for my next move. Ragni, now paces away, gives a shout, and his companion begins to stir. If I want to take them both down, I must act quickly. Or perhaps this fight is beyond me, and I should make my escape while I still can.

>What do you do now, Creature?

>>793998
Go for the throat and use our agility to our advantage.
Let's try to wear them down

>>793998
Dash over to mister sleepyhead and rip his throat out. Then we can take our time with this one.

>>793998
A combination of these
>>794021
>>794091

>>793998

Quickly maneuver around to Garm, I think his name is? The sleeping one, and cut/bite at his hamstrings to bring him down while we run back to the forest

Alright, give me three more 1d10's

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>794297

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>794297
Once more, with feeling.

Rolled 2 (1d10)

>>794297

The one with the spear is too dangerous of an opponent for now. He is alert and armed. His companion, the one called Garm, is still struggling to find his feet.

Thinking to make an easier target of Garm, I dash to the side, past the crackling fire pit and towards where he is now sitting up. I leap through the air, claws outstretched, but Garm manages to scramble out of my way before grabbing his own spear from the ground.

I stand up straight, facing the two men silhouetted by firelight. Even now at my full height, I barely reach their shoulders. We all three of us stand like this for a moment, until Ragni explodes into action. He dashes forward, and with a great heave launches his spear in my direction.

>>Feed me more 1d10’s

Rolled 3 (1d10)

>>794383

Rolled 10 (1d10)

>>794383

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>794383

We lost our change of surprise attack, this does not look good.

Rolled 8 (1d10)

>>794383
Big money, no whamies!