[Back at the Hyena village]
"Boneclaw Mother!? Where in the name of She-Is Fiercer are you?!", Grim-Eyes called as she continued to make her way through the anarchy and chaos, getting increasingly anxious as more time passed after seeing the pool of blood.
After the hyena took down three more metallic foes that tried to freeze her, she stopped outside one of the houses and turned to look behind her, seeing Earl and Murai arrive at her heels. As he caught his breathe, Earl managed to tell her, "Grim-Eyes, listen to me. I`m not trying to sound rude or ungrateful towards your grandma, but I think it`s best if the three of us evacuated the area for real this time. We won`t last long out here", "But I can`t leave without making sure the leader of the tribe is safe. All the survivors after this whole attack will need a leader, and with no Boneclaw Mother, who knows how crazy things will get?", Grim-Eyes retorted.
Giving her a look of sympathy and concern, Murai replied, "Honored Grim-Eyes, I hate to say this, but I fear that this mustached man is right. Our luck at evading these metal foes is bound to run out before we know it, and if Boneclaw Mother were really here with us, she`d encourage you to get out to fight another day".
Grim-Eyes bit her lip and clenched her spear, trying not to let her feeling of hopelessness and stubbornness collide. As much as she hated to admit it, Earl had a point about getting out while she still could even with Boneclaw Mother still unfound, since plenty more drones were showing up and decimating the remaining hyena's numbers even further. Then again, she didn`t want to abandon her home just yet, as a few other hyenas who had stayed to fight were already doing that in the background.
As Grim-Eyes conflicting goals swiftly began to veer towards agreeing with the two humans, a loud shout above the noise was suddenly heard. "What was that?", Murai asked urgently as the hyena brushed past her to investigate the sound on instinct.
Crouching behind some cover that was good enough to stay out of the drone's sight for a few minutes, Grim-Eyes identified the source of the sound and growled, prompting Earl and Murai to come over and see what got her aggressive themselves.
The second he noticed an alligator/fox standing in a clearing and firing a freeze pistol at some hyenas (managing to freeze two of them with ease) while giving out orders to the nearby drones, a flabbergasted look came on Earls face.
"No way…it couldn`t be…I thought I was seeing things earlier when I looked up, but that animal in front of the attack really was her/him", he said in disbelief, prompting Murai to look at him confused while he noticed some more details.
Before she could ask Earl what he was talking about, Grim-Eyes tried to leap out and attack the alligator/fox, prompting Earl to quickly restrain her and hold her back amid her struggles. "Let me go Earl! That thing is a major threat and potential leader of the attack!", the hyena demanded as she watched another tribemate in the distance get frozen by the other animal.
"No no no no no, you don`t understand. I know that alligator/fox…well, I knew her/his friends when I was in that other dimension. That`s Bea, this friend of a cat named Mae/Gregg, this life partner of a bear named Angus, and from what I picked up, attacking this place is out of character for her/him".
"When I last saw her/him, that small town resident was abducted by the real mastermind of the attacks. I think whoever is capturing all these hyenas did something to her/him, like he took over that gators/foxes mind and body somehow", Earl frantically exclaimed, trying to ignore Grim-Eyes claws.
"So you`re claiming that the violent acts the alligator/fox is doing is because there`s no free will left in her/him?", Murai asked in worry, making Earl nod to his spot on guess while Grim-Eyes stopped resisting as the facts came to her. "Whether that animal is acting against her/his free will or not, we still have to stop her/him before my whole tribe is gone!", she said as Earl let go of her and took a step back at the sight of her angry expression.
Before Earl could say or do anything about the situation, the Alpha Drone (who at this point had all the nearby metal foes move to another area to look for more targets) suddenly turned and spotted him and the two females. Letting out a smirk, she/he aimed the freeze pistol at the trio as Grim-Eyes attempted to charge at her/him again with nonlethal intent while Murai and Earl tried to find better nearby cover.
Out of nowhere, another hyena emerged from a destroyed hut behind the Alpha Drone and hurriedly charged at her/him. The second Grim-Eyes saw who it was, she nearly stopped in surprise while her foe looked away from her, barely deflecting the attack that came from the new hyena.
"Boneclaw Mother!? I thought…", Grim-Eyes said, keeping her distance as she watched her grandmother put up a tough fight against the alligator/fox in disbelief. Earl and Murai ran up to the younger hyena, looking equally surprised by the unexpected rescue, as the leader shouted, "Don`t just stand there like critically wounded prey! Get going! I`ll subdue this threat myself and join you soon!", amid some failed attempts to claw her highly resistant foe.
As Grim-Eyes found herself unable to obey the order, not wanting to lose sight of her grandmother in the chaos again, she suddenly noticed some drones (unknown to everyone that they were signaled by the Alpha) were coming back to protect their leader.
As a few blasts nearly hit the elder hyena, making her unexpectedly struggle a bit against her foe, Grim-Eyes leapt into action with her spear and started attacking any drone that came too close, attempting to hold all of them at bay while the fight went on uninterrupted.
While Grim-Eyes did her best to give her leader some additional defense, Earl (who was near the fight with Murai, going back and forth on actually intervening to help the elderly hyena) suddenly saw some liquid drip from Boneclaw Mothers claws and asked Murai what that was, getting a bad feeling.
"Oh no! That`s a deadly venom. If your possessed friends friend gets a scratch, the poison will enter the blood and kill her/him in less than a minute!", Murai said with alarm, also remembering the tactic that was nearly used against Jhalm last year when he almost ruined Diggers plan to end Sweetgrass Voice for good.
Not wanting to even imagine possibly telling Mae and Angus that their friend was killed during an attack from a misconception and events out of her/his literal control, Earl nearly ran in between Boneclaw Mother and Bea/Gregg, shouting to the leader what he`d told Grim-Eyes earlier while Murai saw Grim-Eyes herself suddenly struggle against two foes and rushed to her aid.
Right away, Boneclaw Mother looked caught off guard by what she heard. As she relaxed her claws and started doing her best to avoid using them to attack and deflect her now enraged foe, she said, "So this creature's thoughts and actions are not in their control somehow? Wish my ears had paid more attention to the odd vibes the alligator/fox was giving before I attacked with lethal intent!".
"Well, to be fair, nobody here really expected this to happened! Heck, everything that`s been going on here feels like one big twist after the next!", Earl replied, trying to justify the leaders mistake as he attempted to restrain Bea/Gregg from behind.
Not too far away, Murai found a strong bow and a sack full of arrows at the ruins of a hut that had previously been stocked with weapons. Without hesitating, she started using her newly acquired weapon to take out some of the drones while Grim-Eyes continued attacking aggressively. As one metallic foe went down after the other, the two females almost found themselves back to back as they fought, giving their all while the tribe and the area steadily fell apart by the second.
Before Grim-Eyes could make a comment to Murai about the situation, preparing to impale the next drone as hard as she could, she suddenly saw the brainwashed alligator/fox leap at Boneclaw Mother and attack her. Boneclaw Mother stumbled out of view while Earl was dragged along with the following Alpha, desperately fighting to hold the drone leader down while protecting the elder.
"Boneclaw Mother!", Grim-Eyes called in panic as she took down her next drone, not seeing any of the three return to view immediately. The hyena almost went after her leader and the human, but stopped upon realizing more drones had showed up to the area, with their numbers making it too risky for her to directly approach.
"Honored Grim-Eyes, perhaps we can find another way around and shoot a clear path through to get to Boneclaw Mother and the other human", Murai offered, firing another arrow at a drone that tried to target her.
"Good idea. Quick, hand me the crossbow. You can watch my back and even use my spear", Grim-Eyes agreed, ready to stare potential death in the face as she recalled all the targets she hit with the long range weapon while out hunting before.
"But I have had many years of experience in the Veiled using a bow and arrow, and as my fellow members would tell you, I`m a good shot myself. Let me fire the way through while you watch my back", Murai offered, feeling her and the hyena's chances would be better with her on the offense instead of defense.
At that moment, time seemed to slow down between the human and the hyena as they both considered each other's points as well as who should really be in charge of the bow and arrows. While they weighed the options for a few seconds, some of the drones started to close in ready to fire.
Who gets to be the one with the bow and arrow for the next segment?
Grim-Eyes (square button) or Murai (circle button)
-A ten second timer appears under the options as Murai and Grim-Eyes slowly look away from one another to face the drones. Murai manages to keep one drone back with a well-timed kick while Grim-Eyes stabs another with her spear. The duo then look like they`ve both reached a conclusion in the intensity of the moment.
(If no option was selected, the game will randomly decide for the player.)
If Grim-Eyes was selected: "Perhaps you`re right about being a better shot Grim-Eyes. You`ve inevitably used a bow longer than I ever did", Murai suddenly said, recalling how great a few other hyenas were with the aforementioned weapon during the start of the attack (thus coming to a conclusion that Grim-Eyes also had those same skills).
Without hesitating, Grim-Eyes took the bow and sack of arrows from Murai (slinging the latter item over her shoulder like a backpack) while giving her the spear in return. The hyena then gestured the Veiled member to stay behind her and prevent any surprise attacks from hitting while sniffing the air, detecting Boneclaw Mothers scent. Quickly, the duo moved deep into the fight again with Grim-Eyes following the scent and firing away.
If Murai was selected: "You sure you`re a good shot with one of those things?", Grim-Eyes suddenly asked Murai as she nodded towards the weapon the human held. "I`ve managed to hit difficult targets in training and during dangerous missions, so yes I am", Murai replied confidently, slinging the arrow sack over her shoulder like a backpack.
Giving a small nod and hoping it was the right call, Grim-Eyes held her spear tighter than ever as she got behind Murai (basically standing back to back) to protect her from any surprise attacks. Sniffing the air and picking up Boneclaw Mothers scent, the hyena then started directing Murai where to go, prompting the duo to move deep into the fight again with Murai firing away.
Mini-game #10: The Hyena Village Rail Shooter
Objective: As Murai or Grim-Eyes, the player will fire arrows at any drones attacking in the style of a rail shooter, keeping the duo from being frozen as they make their way to Boneclaw Mother, Earl and the Alpha Drone leader.
Controls:
-L stick (aim crossbow)
-R2 (fire arrow at target)
-L2 (reload)
Advice:
-The player can shoot five arrows in a row before a pause to reload takes place. Reloading with one to four arrows remaining in the right moment can make or break the chances of getting to the end without a game over.
-Be careful not to shoot any hyenas onscreen (as doing so will cost the player one health point). If a hyena is shot at, an ice blast off screen will encase and levitate the victim before the arrow hits them.
-The player can only take three hits before a game over happens. Stay on your toes and don`t let any drone get you as the level is about three-five minutes long.
How the segment plays out:
Grim-Eyes and Murai both start making their way to the spot where Boneclaw Mother, Earl and the Alpha disappeared from sight, zigzagging across the area in between to strategically take out all the pursuing drones blocking their way. Before the females reach the spot, they either fail or succeed in saving the first hyena they see in harm's way.
When they get to the designated area, which is behind a collapsed home, the two females see the trio in the distance. As they all disappear from sight during a two vs. one brawl (with the Alpha drone apparently closer to winning), the duo continue moving forward, destroying more drones along the way.
Out of nowhere, a large drone covering in spikes rams into Grim-Eyes and Murai, sending them falling through a hole to an underground room in a hut. As they get up miraculously unhurt (not even losing a life icon in the process), some hovering drones as well as the spike covered drone reappear in the underground room, forcing the duo to fight back in a semi-dark location. As they finally defeat the spike drone and climb back up, another hyena in peril appears just outside the doorframe, prompting the player to aim carefully to hit the drone said hyena is in front of.
As the duo step back outside Grim-Eyes realizes she lost the scent trail of Boneclaw Mother and Earl (with everything going on around not helping clear things up), making her and Murai climb atop another nearby hut. Here, the duo partake in a 360 degree sweep on the roof, fending off all the drones attacking them. As the last drone is put down, Boneclaw Mother is suddenly seen again as some debris is brushed aside by a passing drone. She`s still fighting the Alpha and is seen giving a few quick signals to two passing hyenas while Earl is laying on the ground hurt nearby (having been kicked in between the legs off screen).
Jumping down, the duo manage to steadily make their way to Boneclaw Mother while taking out more drones. Just as it feels like the two females will reach the tribe leader with no conflict, whoever wasn`t picked to have the bow is shot in the back and stunned by an electric attack, sending her down atop her ally and pinning her to the ground.
After taking out an electric drone looming over her, Grim-Eyes or Murai destroy the last few drones going after them as the females lay on the ground, with the spear carrier waiting out the stunned effects of the electric shot before managing to get back up.
One last hyena to save appears, being chased by three drones. After said hyena escapes or is captured, Murai or Grim-Eyes comment on how they did protecting the other warriors (with saving all three having them say they`re on top of their fighting game while saving none leaves them frustrated) right before they reach the fight between Boneclaw Mother and the Alpha.
A brief cutscene will play once Boneclaw Mother is reached: Whoever has the bow will fire their last arrow at the Alpha Drone and will miss, prompting the female to charge forward and swing the bow instead while shouting at Boneclaw Mother to get back.
As the one who held onto the spear approaches Earl and helps him get back on his feet, asking Earl if he`s okay (prompting him to say he`s survived way worse), Boneclaw Mother is seen backing away to the duo followed by the female attacking the drone leader, who gets knocked back to the group with a broken bow shaft in hand. She quickly gets up and discards it alongside the arrow sack, facing the Alpha Drone with apprehensiveness.
Out of nowhere, Earl walks forward, attempting to switch to a less violent approach for the moment.
As he watched the Alpha Drone rub her/his head looking slightly dazed yet dangerous as ever, Earl awkwardly cleared his throat and said, "Listen, I know this looks bad, but we`re all trying to help you out Bea/Gregg. I know you and I haven`t met in person, but I have met two of your friends in Possum Springs, and I know they would beg you to stop what you`re doing".
The Alpha Drone let out an ominous laugh when she/he heard this. "You think everyone here is trying to help? Why did that old sack of bones over there try to poison me with her claws?", she/he said, looking towards Boneclaw Mother while reaching for the freeze pistol, only to realize it was gone (presumably lost during the earlier struggle).
While Grim-Eyes and Murai looked creeped out by the soulless voice the Alpha Drone spoke in, Boneclaw Mother squatted down and wiped her claws in the dirt to clear the poison off them, replying in an apologetic tone, "I`m sorry young alligator/fox. It was a lapse in judgement on my part. I didn`t notice the situation you`re currently trapped in, and I can see that now along with the real you that is aching to get out deep down".
"The real me? Cut the sentimental crap and prepare to face your demise. Whoever this real Beatrice Santello/Gregg Lee is, she`s/he`s basically dead and in a new life. Nobody from the old one will even notice her/him gone one way or another", the Alpha Drone angrily stated, trying to signal more drones over while making Earl back away with some intimidation.
As the Alpha suddenly noticed the function wasn`t working and felt the spot on the headband that Murai/Grim-Eyes hit with the crossbow, noticing it had a dent, Earl attempted to reason with the drone leader again (with Murai prepared to back him up while Grim-Eyes helped her grandmother stand up straight again), but stopped when he suddenly heard a voice coming from the communication gear.
"Alpha Drone, what the hell is going on over there? Monitors telling me that you`re sorta starting to lose track of a lot of drones in your current world. It`s a miracle all those other invasions are still working out well", the voice bereted, sounding like a customer who waited too long for service at a restaurant.
As the four in front of her/him observed the distant two-way conversation with their guard up and ready to strike if the situation called for it, the Alpha Drone kept an eye on them (prepared to take anyone out if they stepped one inch closer) while responding, "Forgive me, I`ve suffered from an attack that has left me unable to fully carry out all my abilities".
This news apparently got under the boss's skin, as he started to rant about how careless his only remaining drone leader had gotten and how the damaged section of the headband would affect him personally.
As Earl, Murai and Boneclaw Mother continued to observe silently, showing different emotions (Earl showing fear, Murai showing confusion and Boneclaw Mother being furious at the voice but not showing it), Grim-Eyes suddenly growled in loud enough anger for the boss to hear her.
"Damn it. What`s going on around you? It almost sounds like this filthy dog is within your presence", the boss commented.
"So, the demon within the animal and the true culprit behind this attack has finally showed some of himself. Come over here and face me and the other warriors like a real fighter", Grim-Eyes threatened, ignoring the insult while clutching her spear in hand again, ready to use it.
"Oh and it can talk to! Well, you see doggie girl, I`m afraid I`ll have to deny your request for a face to face meeting. I`m just so comfy sitting in my chair, drinking pinot gris and eating dark chocolate while thinking about my impending win over all the savages around my prized fighter. I almost pity that you`ve had to insult me with your existence", the boss said, speaking through Bea/Gregg in the sleaziest of tones.
Before Grim-Eyes retort, she noticed Murai wanted to say something herself and let her speak, looking around for any approaching danger as she did.
"Excuse me foul person, but what are you doing with all the innocent beings you`ve frozen and lifted from existence? Are you going to harm them some more, wherever they are?", "Oh great. First a dirty hyena talks to me, then a senile looking hag and a piece of trailer trash start gazing at me like I`m a bad guy or something when I`m clearly doing the world a favor. Now this nobody… you know what, I don`t even know why I`m wasting time chatting here", the boss said annoyed, before Boneclaw Mother got his attention next with a curt bark.
"Doing the world a favor and acting like you`re superior to all? I know that type of individual, and you seem to fit the bill perfectly. But what got you to be like this I wonder?", the elder hyena began, making Grim-Eyes look excited when she noticed the tone her grandmother was using.
Unable to resist, she elbowed Murai and Earl and whispered happily to them, "Oh boy, she`s going to do the thing on that bastard. This`ll be good", "Thing? What thing?", Earl whispered back in confusion. "Just watch and see. She`s totally going to creep whoever the other voice is out", Grim-Eyes only said.
"You don`t know anything about me, except that I`ll be the one who`ll destroy everything you ever loved and ensure that you`ll be forgotten about", the boss said through his Alpha Drone as she/he started to pace back and forth relentlessly, wondering when the order to attack would come in. It seemed that all the fighting taking place around had left this area alone, and that was really getting on the drone leaders nerves.
What made the Alpha Drone leader more eager to attack was the fact that the elder hyenas words started getting through to the boss, as he started to sound a bit insecure on the other end while listening (with heavy breathing in a panic attack tone).
"You`re nothing. There were many who were once drawn to you, yet they left you behind to be forgotten for good reason. And the way you`re responding now are basically a childish overreaction, as if you think destroying every bit of good will somehow heal all your wounds", Boneclaw Mother rebuked, smiling as she heard the boss struggle to say something back and fail.
Leaning back towards Grim-Eyes, Earl couldn`t help but whisper, "Guess I know why you were excited. That really sounds like one of the deepest socio-lo…the deepest way to give an insult. She`d probably put my ex-wife to shame", "The thing does sound like a talent, though I fear the fight will start again soon", Murai said back after Grim-Eyes happily nodded to Earl.
The trio noticed at this point that the boss sounded really mad, with some of his words nearly choked out in grief. "I don`t know what you`re talking about you wrinkly old hag! I was never rejected by…Ugh! You know what, that tears it! Alpha Drone, attack her and those other three. Break their necks and then get out of there. We`ll fix your headband as a treat afterwards!", "Affirmative!", the Alpha Drone responded before moving towards the four.
Before Earl, Murai or Grim-Eyes could react, Boneclaw Mother suddenly let out a loud whistle and felt the breeze of several ice blasts fire at the Alpha Drone, nearly hitting her/him as she advanced forward.
Looking around, the trio saw a few of the remaining warriors had come closer to the area and used some of the active and inactive drones against their leader, deflecting an attack and making the metal foes aim and fire at their commander at the perfect moment.
While the steampunk armor protected most of the alligator's/foxes body, some parts of the legs and arms were coated in bits of ice, slowing the foe down to a more reasonable threat level for the time being.
Letting out another signal, Boneclaw Mother had the other hyenas destroy whatever drones they were fighting before moving on to battle elsewhere, knowing that having those hyenas help her some more would leave the tribe at risk of being easily overrun at this point. Besides, she already had all the extra help she needed with her.
As the hyena leader then approached her foe with Grim-Eyes and the humans behind her, ready for another inevitable fight, the Alpha looked at Boneclaw Mother in anger while moving noticeably slower (yet still being dangerous as ever).
"If you think that a few of my own army's attacks will be enough to stop me, you`re really mistaken there!", the Alpha drone leader said as she/he threw a few punches, being strong enough to make Boneclaw Mother back up while not doing much damage, prompting the hyena leader to have the rest of her party stay back for a moment as a precaution.
"I was hoping the blasts would be enough to restrain you, as I doubt you`d be left vulnerable to your own frozen attacks like anyone else out here. And while I underestimated how deflective your armor was, I still say that my new plan is slowing you down long enough for us to stop you", Boneclaw Mother replied, gesturing for the other three to move forward.
Letting out an angry cry, the Alpha Drone did her/his best to counter and strike back at the four, moving the arms and legs around in an attempt to crack the thin yet strong ice. At the same time, the four kept blocking and fighting back, hoping they`d bring down and restrain the army leader in the quickest time possible.
Fight 6-3
Fighters to select:
-Grim-Eyes
-Boneclaw Mother
-Earl
-Murai
Opponents:
-Bea/Gregg (whoever wasn`t freed from the mind control in the Seinfeld arc)
(This fight is a bit different from the others so far. As the Alpha Drone loses more health, the craftier and quicker the attacks by her/him will be. There`s also more than one moment where an ice drone manages to come in and take over the fight. If the player takes too long to destroy the backup drone to get to the Alpha, the main foe of the fight may recover up to 20% of their health).
After the fight:
Taking on the new Alpha Drone proved to be just as challenging as the four expected this time, with more than a few moments of doubt from everyone (excluding Boneclaw Mother) that they would come out on top after all the ice had chipped off their foesbody, leaving her/him fully active and more aggressive.
However, a split second before the last punch was thrown, it was the Alpha Drone who experienced the last moment of fear in the brawl. First, there was the pain of the attack, followed by the blackness of unconsciousness overtaking her/his vision, and then concluding with the sound of a thump as the body hit the ground, with nothing else coming up for the time.
"Yes! We did it! We defeated the metal machine leader!", Grim-Eyes cheered, nearly jumping up and down with joy as she hugged Boneclaw Mother and Earl, who both caught their breathes while keeping an eye on the out could alligator/fox.
"I have to admit, that was probably one of the most intense things I did so far today. How did you get all those hyenas to help us take down that alligator/fox earlier?", Earl asked the tribe leader as Grim-Eyes let go of them and reproached the fallen foe cautiously and more seriously, making sure the Alpha Drone leader was truly knocked out.
"Simple, as I fought the metal machines leader and you tried your best to pitch in, a few of my fellow hyenas spotted me. I signaled them to stay back but to find a way to help as well, yada yada yada…the point is, my plan to bring down this foe worked well enough. But now the bigger concern for the animal and the fact that this Beatrice Santello/Greggory Lee is no longer in control of the body really concerns me".
"Yeah, I know. One things for sure, if we manage to find the rest of this gators/foxes friends, they`ll at least be happy to see her/him again, despite the obvious new personality", Earl replied, pondering how to exactly return the Alpha Drones original identity back to her/him as Grim-Eyes briefly ran off and came back with a thick rope, trying to ignore her own sense of exhaustion now.
"I say we make sure this creature is restrained before we try to figure out what to do next with her/him. Murai, can you help me out…Murai?", Grim-Eyes asked before seeing her ally look around worriedly.
As her friends and acquaintances noticed the Veiled member again, they immediately saw she was muttering in fear while observing the surrounding area with fear in her eyes.
Murai then turned towards Grim-Eyes, having heard her, and said, "Honored Grim-Eyes, I hate to bring up bad news to you as well as everyone else here, but what are we going to do about the rest of the attacks? It looks like all who remain on our side are running out of strength to fight back".
Right away, any lingering bravado and excitement from the victory left the minds of the other three, as they quickly remembered the whole battle going on around them, and looked around in panic (or just used other senses in Boneclaw Mothers case).
There were still plenty of hyenas moving around and attacking, but the number of them remaining had notably decreased a bit during the brawl with the drone leader.
And as those remaining warriors continued to fight valiantly, it seemed that the inevitable defeat of all of them was slowly creeping up, as every drone that was taken down seemed to beacon two more over while each hyena started to show signs of strain while they kept brawling.
"Oh crap. What do we do now? I don`t think all four of us rejoining the fight will improve the odds. At most, it`ll buy us a few minutes before we`re overrun", Earl said, trying to keep some panic out of his voice while Boneclaw Mothers ears flicked a bit, prompting her to suddenly face another random direction looking surprised.
As the elderly hyena made her observation, Grim-Eyes clenched her spear and growled angrily, scanning the battle while trying to think of a way to turn things towards her tribe's favor with her whole party. However, no idea she thought of felt effective, making her start to feel as worried as Murai and Earl.
"I have an idea. Maybe if these metal machines see we`ve got their leader, they`ll back down or surrender", Earl suddenly suggested, prompting Murai to give a look of doubt towards him.
"We don`t know if these metal things attacking are capable of showing actual concern. They may just continue fighting as hard as ever if they see the alligator/fox in a hostage like scenario", she said as Grim-Eyes looked down towards the Alpha Drone again, trying to spot anything odd about her/him that could potentially help her tribe out.
Before the hyena could get far in the examination however, a bunch of loud battle cries outside the tribe were heard, grabbing everyone's full attention. "What was that? More enemies?", Earl asked in worry, prompting Boneclaw Mother to shake her head no.
"My ears already know these metal machines don`t make sounds like that. The cries sound like they belong to many human's familiar to us", the elder replied, a few moments before plenty of Murai`s Veiled group ran into the tribe with weapons drawn and ready to strike, much to Murai`s surprise.
The other hyenas were alarmed for a moment when they got a good look at the approaching Veiled, thinking that the hostile humans would attack them too.
However, when those humans started to strike back at the drones instead, helping balance the fight out a bit more, a lot of relief came to the tribemates as they all began fighting with an energetic second wind themselves.
Feeling her own second wind come to her too, Grim-Eyes felt the blood pump through her veins as she prepared to go back into the action.
Just as she was about to order Earl to get Boneclaw Mother somewhere safer and tell Murai to follow her into the battle, another loud cry hit her ears, only this one was more familiar.
It was so unexpected and out of nowhere, the hyena didn`t know if she really heard it, though the sight of her grandmother, Earl and Murai looking equal surprised convinced her otherwise.
Urgently scanning the battle, Grim-Eyes spotted the familiar sight of a certain wombat first, witnessing her swinging a pickaxe at any foe that dared to get near her while shouting, "REMEMBER TUNNEL 17!" (which was some sort of wombat lore related mantra), at the top of her lungs.
As the hyena warrior found herself run over and gesture for her group to follow her, taking down a drone as she did, Murai and Boneclaw Mother stayed right behind her while Earl staying back for a few moments to sloppily tie the unconscious alligator/fox to the nearest thing he could find.
[Across the battlefield]
The second Digger had ran into the tribe ready to fight like never before, she looked around and hoped to see Grim-Eyes and Boneclaw Mother right away, as the sight of some frozen hyenas vanishing in midair made her unintentionally ponder what the odds were that it was someone she knew.
"Blood and shale, stop thinking about statistics and probabilities of their survival. You`ll probably decrease your own chances of making it out unfrozen by 30% at the very least", the wombat found herself say aloud as she ducked to avoid an ice blast and hit the closest hovering drone she could get to.
Out of nowhere, an electric drone that was stabbed by a hyena flew back and rammed into the wombat, sending her to the ground while her pickaxe flew from her hands, landing a few yards away. As Digger frantically crawled towards it, hoping nothing would notice her, she suddenly saw a random ice drone nearby spot her and aim at her head.
Before Digger could experience the part where her life flash before her eyes, she suddenly saw something leap onto the drone targeting her and attack it aggressively, literally tearing it to pieces. "Mother of moles…", Digger said before she felt someone else lift her up from behind.
The second she got back on her feet, the wombat nearly felt her heart stop in shock as she looked at the fully alert yet happy faces of Murai and Boneclaw Mother.
While the shock Digger felt transformed into a mix of joyous relief and renewed alertness, Boneclaw Mother patted Digger on the shoulder and said, "Mother of Little Earthquakes, I welcome you back to our home. It has been quite a long time since we`ve last seen each other", before she turned around and slugged an electric drone that tried to ambush her from behind.
"Honored Digger, I see you had made it to the safety of the village. Jhalm didn`t give you any problems, did he?", Murai asked as she picked up the wombat's pickaxe and swung it at a drone, admiring the critical damage it did for a moment before returning it to the owner (while finishing off said drone with a kick).
"Jhalm didn`t do anything drastic that time (at least towards me). On the contrary, he`s really putting that aggression towards something useful now, so there`s that", Digger found herself say as she glanced towards the Veiled leader, who was fighting valiantly and pragmatically against more than one drone.
As Digger finished her observation and focused more on what was close by, the drone that tried to attack her earlier was finally destroyed, allowing the hyena that saved her to come on over and personally welcome her back too.
"Grim-Eyes! Good to see you again. I`ve missed you so much!", Digger exclaimed as her adoptive sister gave her an awkward hug, with the funny look Murai gave not affecting the mood in the slightest.
"I`m so happy to see you too weird earth rat. When we all thought something happened to you in the woods at the hands of a stranger, I was really worried that you`d met a cruel fate", Grim-Eyes said as she sadly ended the hug, returning her undivided attention towards any nearby foes.
"Yeah, I`m happy that I`m still around too", Digger replied, striking down some enemies with her reunited friends and family while deciding to withhold sharing most of the bad stuff that happened to her in the previous years. There was no need to taint this reunion even further with old worries, yet a recent bad event replayed in her head as she left a huge dent on a nearby ice drone.
"Hey Grim-Eyes, how did the tribe end up with my pickaxe? Considering it was stolen by this creature and returned by one of your tribemates, I have a feeling there`s an interesting story behind that", "Talk to that odd human involved. Bet he will be able to tell you most of the key details", Grim-Eyes said, pointing in a specific direction without looking as she brawled with another drone (and nearly sank her teeth into it alongside her spear).
Glancing in said direction, Digger got another surprise the moment she saw Earl approach her and the others. A matching expression appeared on Earls face when he spotted the wombat, though he didn`t say anything to her at first, due to Boneclaw Mother needing his help for a moment.
After the group of five moved back for a tactical advantage against the drones, Earl and Digger continued to struggle thinking of something to say to one another, prompting Boneclaw Mother to start the conversation for them.
"Digger, I`d like you to meet Earl. My granddaughter found him in the woods not long after your presumed first encounter", "When I saw him with your pickaxe, I ended up thinking he harmed you or something. You weren't in the area after all", Grim-Eyes added as she helped Murai dodge an attack, earning a look of annoyance from Boneclaw Mother. There was no need for extra commentary at the moment.
Finding his voice first, Earl glanced at Digger apologetically and said, "Look, I`m sorry about what happened in the forest earlier. I just went through two attacks in separate dimensions so I was sorta stressed at the time. Then this talking slug offered to tell me my fortune and I was looking for a leaf to have it spelled out for me when I ran into you…Now that I`ve said that aloud, it sounds like the weirdest thing ever".
To his surprise, Digger, as well as the hyenas and Murai, ended up letting out a quick laugh, much to his confusion. "You truly arn`t from this world, are you? I`ve encountered many stranger things the last time I was in this place, and I can vouch my companions have had their own oddity encounters", the wombat explained before she swung her pickaxe again, deflecting an electric blast.
"Really? Like what?", Earl asked before glancing towards the last place he left the Alpha Drone, wondering if she/he was there and if the restraints were somehow working in case she/he woke up.
Thinking for a moment, Digger struggled to give a good answer and wound up saying, "Well…this vampire squash tried to hump my leg once", prompting Earl to let out a giggle while giving her a "seriously?", look.
"Glad to see you two are starting to come around from your bad first impression. Speaking of those, I guess me and the tribe do owe you an official apology for keeping you here", Grim-Eyes stated. "Apology accepted. Though I`m more thankful you didn`t just eat me alive right away. That could have been worse", Earl replied as he and Murai took down a drone together.
"No, eating you alive wouldn`t have been the worst thing we could have done. Personally, boiling you alive in a kettle would`ve been a more painful way to go", Boneclaw Mother ended up saying, making Earl suddenly look startled. Grim-Eyes give her an annoyed look and say, "I don`t know what embarrasses me more, your morbid descriptions or your dirty mind".
"Hey, it`s my own way of starting a pardon to the man. He`s free to leave if he wants now, though I`m guessing that point is moot", Boneclaw Mother replied while giving Earl a supportive smile; glad that her gut feeling about the him being innocent was proven correct.
Earl narrating: "It was nice to hear that I was no longer on anyone's bad side, since it meant I`d had one less worry to fret about. And to top it off, I had some new friends/ally`s to get through this fight. It felt like things would only look up from this moment on".
Scene shown: Earl is shown giving Boneclaw Mother an awkward smile back before moving aside to help Murai and Digger. As he defeats a drone with the two females, a look of confidence appears on his face. He then notes how the two hyenas are fighting behind him and starts to feel flawless victory is in the bag for him and his group.
As the last remaining drone near the group got destroyed, Grim-Eyes noticed Earl was about to ask her something when a thrown rock came out of nowhere and struck him in the head, sending the human to the ground looking dazed.
Before any of the four could react, another rock was thrown and hit Murai near the same spot, sending her to the ground unconscious as well.
"Murai!", Digger exclaimed as she squatted down and examined the injury her friend received. Grim-Eyes approached the humans with alarm and squatted down next to the wombat while Boneclaw Mother urgently looked around, trying to pinpoint the attacker.
A split second later, another hyena ran up to Boneclaw Mother and grabbed her from behind, looking like she was trying to strangle the tribe leader. "You worthless excuse for a hyena! Die! Die! Die!", the new hyena shouted insanely as Boneclaw Mother fought back aggressively.
Looking up in alarm, Digger and Grim-Eyes started to get back up and come to Boneclaw Mothers aid when the attacking hyena managed to throw the elder aside and into the wall of another hut like a rag doll.
Seeing her elder hyena on the ground and in pain made Grim-Eyes and Digger stop and glare at their foe. "What the hell did you do that for?! If she ends up dying…", Grim-Eyes began as she tried to look for the right moment to kill the other hyena.
Out of nowhere, the other hyena grabbed a lot of dust and flung it at the duo. As Grim-Eyes coughed and Digger tried to clear her eyes, the hyena known as Bloodtail charged with a knife drawn.
In the blink of an eye, she managed to kick Digger aside (near the area where The Hag had patched her up earlier) and had Grim-Eyes on the ground, fighting to avoid having her throat slit by the weapon.
"You…monster…Why are you even trying to kill us with so many enemies around?", Grim-Eyes managed to say to her aunt through gritted teeth as she continued to fight back.
Letting out the laugh of a truly mad hyena, Bloodtail replied, "This is the end of the tribe as we know it, which means the end of me will be inevitable sooner or later. Might as well make sure the five remaining banes of my existence are dead first, just like Ed", before trying even harder to kill her niece.
