D.A.B, day 25
Rings of light
Again, it's damn early, especially after last couple of days. The rising fog and clouds from the ridges and mountains will make it harder to see far, but we still need to get into position for the Rings of light. We share breakfast in the community hut while we repeat the plan for today, with contingencies. Koru is really pleased with the honestly fantastic ointment for her wounds, and they are healing very rapidly.
"Your deeds and caution have earned you 'warning of the unknown'. It stays active until the same time next day, and warns about unallied Chosen coming closer than 310 meters. Say 'Mighty Spirits, warn me of unknown Chosen' to activate. Say: 'Mighty Spirits, tell me about my visions' to have information about Visions repeated.
Oath bound Koru Weilu have received Compass."
Wow! And I got told what Koru have too? But seriously? 'Warning of the unknown' can not be common, and neither Reiley or Koru have mentioned that. I wonder why or how I got that. And a weirdly specific range. It might be that the damn alien bastards really want to lure me to start using that wake up phrase, as I will have to say it every day. Still, I silently make sure to remember the activation phrase 'warn me of unknown Chosen', just like the one for Compass. Since it specify 'chosen', I wonder if there is some upgrade? Are dinosaurs tracked?
Xuela and Bokyli more or less start talking at the same time. Xuela's informs us that she got something called Track, and Koru, Reiley and me share a knowing look. It's not that surprising since Xuela have been tracking people a lot, but I assume there is a priority among 'Visions', and travelling huge distances here should be harder to do. Bokyli whispers to me that she got something weird, and that she don't get it.
We excuse us and take the stairs and path to balcony while Bokyli grabs a few different leaves on the way. Bokyli whisper that she got something called Nutrition. Quick low voiced experimentation shows that Bokyli is given a form of bar graph rating after saying 'Mighty Spirits, show me Nutrition' on something she is looking at. She see bars with symbols for energy/nutrition and poisonousness/danger, but the last one is stranger. Poisonousness/danger is obvious, but I have to explain about overall nutritional energy. The last one might be something like importance and how important it is to eat to be healthy, or her body is lacking something that specific greenery have. Bokyli is of course eating each sample after testing, even the one that don't taste good, and she will test what Number 3 tree say, but not eat it. Again.
How hard is 'Nutrition' to get for anyone else? You probably have to eat a lot of different things, and it might be 'in the vision queue' for a lot of people to get it eventually. We decide to share that information and head back. Bokyli stops me with a hug, and keeps hugging me while taking deep long sniffs of my neck and making content sighs, before whisperingly asking if I got anything. I whisper back that I did, but I still won't use it due to the activation phrase. Yeah, I'm stubborn even if that is a really good one, and it feels like a small win against the damn alien bastards. I hope they're annoyed. Yes, I have to admit that I am being stupid since that warning could save my life, but Bokyli likes that I don't bow down even to the Spirits as a leader should be strong.
Once back, Bokyli shares the information about Nutrition, and we all agree it would be awesome for everyone. Koru asks if she too can have a moment alone with me, and we take the stairs up. Again. Koru is really bad at resting her legs, especially as that ointment is really good, but once alone and with the wind masking our words, Koru whispers that she got something called Compass and how it works. She rightly assume that I and Reiley already knows about it since I made a point of teaching how to make a compass and use it to her and the others yesterday. Koru is very pleased as she whisper: "Mighty Spirits, show me compass."
Koru is also pleased that I made her a personal compass and that it have iron in it. Sure, her culture have quite a lot of iron from big mines, but I made it here and it sort of is a magical artefact. We return, and I let the others know about my thoughts about 'queued visions', so Bokyli and Xuela might get Compass next week unless they get something that is higher prioritised. Reiley seems relaxed, but smile. Reiley obviously got something, but won't share with us now and reminds us that we have to get up to the lookout.
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It's a repeat from previous and Xuela see three lights, but we all see the one really close on the beach below between the knoll and the mouth of Tiola's river. That is so close we instantly start to discuss what to do, although I would really want to see that ring of light up close, as Xuela say it really is a wide fuzzy ring. There is a very good chance that person will come here, and we don't want to loose track if the person is dangerous. Xuela can't be sure of any person details from here, as it is something like half a kilometer away in a bad angle among fairly tall grass gently moving in the breeze. In the end we agree that Bokyli can go after she volunteer for the third time, as I shut up after Xuela casually ask:
"Is it just me, or have Arne's protectiveness of Bokyli really increased since they had sex?"
It might be true. Especially since both Reiley and Bokyli is nodding, and Bokyli have a pleased smile. They quickly make a plan, which is basically Bokyli going close and trying to wake the person up, and if not friendly, shoot arrows before retreating up here or we coming down there. Bokyli adjust her bandolier and start to jog and leap down, jog and leap down, and down along the jungle trail. Bokyli is still fast and jumpy, and I know she will be taking shortcuts. A light in the sky catch my eyes and I point out the white Star Fall that will land close to here. I guess that is our reward for being a group of four as the damn alien bastards have a thing for that number, and we take headings. Xuela will fetch it before looking for other people, but we focus back on Bokyli as she have reached the beach, and it doesn't take long until she is standing some distance from the person, and jump straight up to get a better view. Xuela clears her throat:
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"Bokyli signs 'Man', 'Body armour', 'Axe' and 'Knife'."
There is a pause, and Reiley say: "Bokyli is shouting hello. Twice."
Even I can see that it looks like Bokyli pick up and throw something at the man, and the person wakes up, and draws weapons but don't attack. I can understand that reaction. There seem to be some talking, and a few gestures. And the man starts to move towards Bokyli, who jumps back. And jumps back as he continue with drawn weapons, and Bokyli starts to shoot with her bow, which makes the man trying to dodge and rush her, but Bokyli is far too quick and nimble and manage to hit him in the leg, and it's not like she stop shooting. Shit. Well, it was a matter of time and that fight will soon be over.
"Lets hurry down there. Koru, you stay as the lookout."
"I'll get the Star Fall and drop it here before I leave."
Xuela have already stretched and unfolded her wings and dive as I hurry down the lookout stairs after Reiley. Crap.
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When Reiley and I reach the beach the fight have long been over, and as we get closer we see the man is lying dead with plenty of blood from many wounds, including two arrows in his head, another in the neck area and at least one arrow in each unprotected limb. I flash to the meme, and 'annoying arrows' they are not. Bokyli is standing with her drawn pointy short sword that is bloody, and looking at the man with a neutral look she informs us:
"He didn't believe me, wouldn't stop insulting while threatening me, and demanded that I bring him back home. He was a stupid poop hole."
Bokyli shrugs like it was no big deal and no loss. Yeah, I get that reaction too. Both the man's and hers. If he had heard the roar I did, and learned a bit about this world before meeting Bokyli, he might have reacted differently. It might be wiser to watch and let a newly awoke have some time to get their bearings and maybe realise a bit about this world before saying hello. I had a massive headache too, but neither Bokyli or Reiley had that. That man have a pretty and decorated black body armour, and not cheap, and he have gold and copper jewellery and a very decorated knife and axe, so he was probably important or rich and used to get his way. Bokyli casually stabs him a few more times in the head and throat, then draws her knife and start chopping of his head as I look away and shudder. That is just gruesome. Yes, it is my idea and we all agree that it is a good idea, but still... And the sight of Bokyli in just a X tied bikini top getting blood splattered as she casually do the work and remove her arrows is just.... Bokyli needs covering armour.
I excuse myself and I hurry over to where the man woke up. The flattened grass helps to find the spot. I can't really see any real glow, but I cup my hands and peek inside the dark, and there is a faint glow on the grass that I can wipe off or smear. I check several times and it looks like there is some kind of faint powder that makes it glow. I did suspect that!
"Arne, I think I've seen another of his kind before." Reiley's words makes me return to them, and she is taking a close look at the chopped off head. "I think one of the Raiders looked like this. Bring the head back up so Koru might give her opinion?"
We exchange looks, and we all nod. I show them that the inside of my hands are weakly glowing if cupped together and they peek inside. Bokyli lick my palms and fingers and confirm there is a bad taste and grab some grass to munch on as she return to the body. I really want to know how the damn alien bastards make a person just appear like this, but it might not be a teleport or something extremely advanced and they might just have some kind of extremely good active camouflaged helicopter like craft that drop the person off and spray paint a ring with extremely high intensity glowing paint or dust before they leave. The dust reacts with the atmosphere or is like glow stick fluid or something, and presto: Rings of light aka Pillars of light if it is a foggy morning. Oh, well. It doesn't matter that much since the ship is probably automated and they do keep track of us so it's not like we are hard to avoid. If they drop off people all over at the same short time, there have to be a heck of a lot of those stealth crafts. Huumm... Are the other places that gets drop off's another day of the week? This region on Monday, this on Tuesday and so on? If we don't talk with far away groups, how will we ever know?
The dead man's armour might be converted since it is some kind of sewn cloth armour, but the black colour is bad. Reiley is helping Bokyli remove the armour, loot the body and chop the limbs off while I just stand there with my crossbow and keep watch, trying to avoid feeling queasy. We are a savage bunch, just like the damn alien bastards want us to be. Is this some kind of social experiment too? To prove the DAB's fucked up moral superiority or something?
Bokyli make running throws as she throw body part after body part out to sea. Bad idea to go swimming today. I'm gonna need some time alone after this and use the excuse that I have forging and crafts to do, as well as trying to install the glass windows. So we head for the jungle work area while Bokyli run up to Koru with the head and stuff. Since we are alone, Reiley whisperingly informs me that she got 'Map vision', and it looks like a piece of our map floating in her lower vision. Now that she have moved around a bit, she understand that the marker in the center is where she is and the map move around it, and it have more detailed information than our map, and the sides looks to be slightly more than 1km. That is a very nice thing to have. I guess I would have gotten that too, but 'Warning of unknown chosen' is obviously harder to get and should be higher ranked.
We have removed the crucibles when Bokyli comes running down and informs us that the Star Fall had a hoe and spade for crop cultivation and yeah; Koru say the man's head looks similar to one of the raiders that died to dinosaurs in the raid. The thing is, there can be a huge natural difference in colour and looks in a species, especially between male and female, and life style and local culture also effects. Compare a blond haired blue eyed light skinned Scandinavian man with a small Asian or really black African woman, and it might be hard to say for others if we are the same species. Same for those people if their cultures never meet like in ancient times and they suddenly see all kinds of strange people. Now add truly Alien biology and things like Bokyli's 'change' ability. Hard is an understatement, and you basically have to go by limbs, hands, head, hair, feathers and such distinctive things like Reiley's tiger stripe, fangs and eyes. But how many understands that?
Koru believe the new woman that King's Camp got during the raid on Lake Camp was the same species as a woman they lost in the raid to a dinosaur. There is a short man called Dvormrak in Lake Camp, and there might be an oath bound woman in King's Camp that is the same species, as short with stubby legs and their strange heads match. One in King's Camp might be the same as one of the corpses Xuela found. Koru isn't the best at describing the people in King's Camp as she never bothered being social or memorising many of them except the really strange, like that small gangly scout person Rijo who is almost transparent, especially when sleeping, and like Koru from a unisex species. Overall it is looking more likely that there will be multiples of the same species here, just not too close by. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me to learn there are larger groups of the same kind dropped at some continent somewhere just to see how different species and cultures try to work together or not, and act against other groups of alien cultures. That should be more interesting for the damn alien bastards, and not much more work than just plucking a couple of dozen people from each worlds.
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