Man, I am putting a LOT of choices on you guys, huh? Speaking of which though... who can forget these! Spoiler: Winning Votes [X] Try to set some traps for your Jet while the Bots search he general area some more: Gain defenses to protect your Jet, and more importantly, your Healing Station, from harmful elements for your stay here.
[X] Around the Giant Tree you parked under, it hasn't been explored fully.
Let me tell you, this was a really close vote! But good thing we DIDN'T choose to go to the river this time, cause while our Bots have no need for the substance known as air, we certainly do! And unfortunately, our Jet does NOT double as a submarine, or have transforming capabilities... yet.
And, to the question on whether to split the timeline for this fic on Sufficient Velocity...
The current vote is 3 Yes, 4 No.
So remember, this poll will be open till the end of this Hunt, and the more I like your reasoning for whether to keep the timeline intact or separate, the more I'll count it to the vote, with the maximum number being 3 votes. If you haven't already, BE SURE TO DO SO.
Now that all that is said and done, ON WITH THE STORY!
You were in the middle of the jungle.
It didn't really connect with you for a bit, not really, but right at this very moment, you were smack-dab in the center of "Fucking-Nowhere", just a couple of miles away from "Civilization Ends Here".
And nobody KNEW you were out here either. And why would they? WHO would expect the heir of one of the worlds wealthiest families to be hanging around one of the densest sections of Forestation and Jungle on the planet? Not even yourself, a few hours ago.
So, you decided to do the logical thing when in the ass end of Nowhere, famous for its ambush predators and poison-secreting EVERYTHING.
You set traps. Granted, they weren't your highest quality, but damn if they would be effective against most things trying to kill you out here. With turrets around your planes medical compartment, set up to activate with only the push of a button, literal tiger, or in this case puma, traps dug and hidden around the large roots of the tree, helpfully done by your ever useful Bots, and the Stinger of your Jet-pack module (STILL NEEDS A NAME, DAMNIT!) loaded with Pepper spray rounds, you'd definitely say you were loaded and prepared for bear, or any other large mammal.
So, you nodded your head, made CERTAIN to memorize your new terrain obstacles as you were taught, and went out to explore the area around where you parked. But before you did so, you made SURE to take at least 2 Jackbots with you, one flying model to help you scout the area for pitfalls or anything eye-catching, and a land model with their Saw-hand modification to make sure you're path wouldn't be blocked. This done, you set the rest of them to Scout mode around the area, with orders to return immediately if they encountered something interesting or harmful to them, with the exception of one, which was left to man and guard the med compartment if worse came to worse.
Delegation done, you set out.
Truly, the tree you had parked yourself under was a remarkable example of both the beauty and power of Nature, making you feel more at peace with your place in the Universe than anywhere outside your Lab before. But you weren't here to relax or think about the nature of Existence (though you should probably cme back here later at some point, if only for this feeling) you were here to find a snake...in a Jungle... known for its snakes...
This was going to take a while wasn't it?
TIME SKIP: 3 HOURS/ 9:00 PM
"Haaaaaaaaahhhhhhh.." You breathed out from your mouth as you finished climbing the giant root you had found yourself on, steadied the the help of your ever present Fly-Bot.
While the same feeling of tranquility and peace was still around you, now the temperature was starting to drop, causing you to shiver every so often at the feeling nipping at your face.
Thank Kami that you wore a black, full-body trench coat most of the time, or you feel that this would be a lot worse.
Still, as you looked around from your newfound elevation, using what little light still remained from between the shade-throwing leaves and the dense vines obscuring all below, you could still make out quite a bit more than you did before with your bots.
For starters, you could see that beyond the river the Bots found, lied a completely clear river bank, giving you the impression of a Watering Hole. Wasn't the most useful thing in the world, but good to know all the same if need be.
The second thing you noticed, was that those ruins you had found earlier? They seemed to stretch over quite a large area, covering so much land that it was kind of a surprise you didn't see them from the air when you were searching for a landing spot.
The final thing you noticed? The tree you were on the root of... looked quite a bit different then it did before in the twilight of the setting sun. Spoiler: Shaped Tree
It... was covered with animals of all kind.
Everything from pumas to tigers, gazelle to chameleons, everything that slithered along the ground, to the that ran on four legs, and swung on two.
It... was breath taking. This was incredible. Why was this in the middle of the Jungle?
"No, a better question is... Who did this?" The words escape you as you bring yourself close to the carvings closest to you, looking eye to eye with the Tiger in mid pounce, the Snake moving along a branch, and a Toad watching all from its lowly perch.
You were understandably shocked when you heard the sound of another person.
"n,deed. The Tree calls to all who Listen, young Tiger."
You jumped up from where you were, half leaning against the tree, the other half trying to hold on to your Bot for stability as you nearly slipped from your chloroformed footing, allowing you to see who just spoke. Spoiler: HOLY SHIT
He was... lets be polite, and say 'Terrifying'.
With PURE RED EYES, three spike like hairs on his head, and only the ragged red remains of clothing keeping him decent, and one arm missing, he was the single scariest thing you had ever seen.
It wasn't just his appearance, no, the fact that he was RIPPED and made no attempt to hide it did not bother you.
What bothered you was TH|E FACT THAT NOW THAT HE WAS IN FRONT OF YOU, YOU FELT LIKE GRAVITY SUDDENLY HAD A VENDETTA AGAINST YOU, CRUSHING THE AIR FROM YOUR LUNGS.
It felt like... like you were being buried under an unstoppable force, at the mercy of whatever was doing this.
You couldn't even scream, the only sound coming out like a small whimper, your mind threatening to black-out.
And as suddenly as you were being crushed, it was gone.
"Whoopsey! Sorry Youngin! Be'in a while since somebody else came here! Hahahahaha!" The man suddenly laughed.
You were still trying to get past your life flashing before your eyes, on your hands and knees struggling to breath. As you did so, you absent-mindedly noticed that both of the Bots you had brought with you had been reduced to scrap parts on either side of you, as evidenced by the scattered parts flung around you.
You nearly burst out in laughter yourself for a moment, though for probably VERY different reasons than the person still before you, as your mind raced through the same thought again and again.
'What just happened What just happened What Just HappenedwhatjusthappenedwhatjusthappenedwhatjusthappenedWhatjusthappenedWHATJUSTHAPPENEDWHATJUSTHAPPENEDWHATJUSTHAPPENWHAT JUST-'
"WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED!?" You yelled out, before almost swallowing your own tongue as you smashed your hands over your mouth, eyes wide as they locked on the one before you.
The man finally stopped laughing, but a big grin remained locked on his face, contrasting greatly with his pure red eyes.
"I happened. What 'bout it?" He said, grin pulling on his face.
"Who... Who ARE you?" You damn near whispered, a combination of fear and the previous pressure on your lungs taking its toll.
Luckily, the man still heard you, and his grin grew all the wider.
"I? I am Oro, Grand Heylin Master of Wood! And I welcome you, Little Cub, to the Tree of Life and Spirit!" Oro shouted, before suddenly throwing his arm out to his side, causing the previously static and silent Tree you had been standing on to erupt in motion. All around you, suddenly was filled with the sounds of LIFE.
Birds cawed and sangs as they danced through the air, Toads and frogs croaked and hopped in unity, Tigers and their ilk moved through the trees as if they were their home. The Animal Kingdom was alive and before you, and it shocked you to your core.
END OF CHAPTER
CHOOSE ONE OF THE OPTIONS BELOW:
[] How... Is This Possible?: Gain +Chi, Learn of the Tree's Origin, ?
[] What did you DO?: Gain +Chi, +Understanding, ?, ?
[] WHAT.: ?,?,?, + Understanding?
[] Write-In
ALSO:
Alternate Time-line or No: Choose.
[] Hell No, Keep it here, in ONE Timeline!
[] Hell Yeah, Multiple Timelines FTW!
And there we go. Hope you all enjoyed it. But that's not all everybody! No, instead, you get the next installment in Dear old Jackbot #349. Here we go!
WHEN JACK'S AWAY, THE BOT SHALL PLAY, Part 2: The Major Malfunction
The lights were shining, the lubricates were flowing, and the plasma was burning at maximum efficiency.
By all rights, the party was is full swing, and their Joy-Capacitors could not handle more without the required upgrade. (A Booth was getting set up for said upgrades.)
Of course, nothing in this world can go completely right for long, as that just tempts Murphy all the harder.
And who boy, is he a mean drunk.
Jackbot's #227 and #951 were always a little off. Whether it was fetching the Master Vanilla instead of Chocolate Pudding, using Spark-plugs as hair extensions instead of the available Wig Supply, or fetching Master Vanilla Pudding instead of Socket wrenches, they were never quite right.
The rest of the collective tried to understand why the Master did not just decommission the two, but far be it from them to point out facts to the Master.
So, it came to no surprise that when the two Bots rolled in a DJ booth, the rest knew something would go wrong.
"Query: The Fuck?" As a small consequence of their learning program being connected to the Internet, most Jackbots had grown a tendency to swear when not around their young Master, a rule implemented by Senior Designator: Burning Fist and Imperial Ruler; Rose.
They deserved those titles.
"Response: Because this is going to be Fuckin' SICK, Bra." As another side note, when out of Master Jack's view, the... corruption, of the Internet on the Jackbots becomes much more apparent.
This is in fact embodied by the fact that Jackbot #951 was wearing sets of spark-plugs like dreadlocks, had a pair of 'window-shade' sunglasses on, and a chain that said "HARD".
"Exasperated Reply: Try and not be Ignite this Time. Ash marks are hard to buff out." Jackbot #557 shouted out from his place in the oil tub, surrounded by two different company computer modems, the lucky Lightbulb. (1)
"Observation: We make no Promises." Shot back #227, as he stepped out from behind the speaker set, multi-tools only now being returned to inside his chassis, the pervert. (2)
He was dressed in his usual 'causal' attire, a set of bots and nuts lining his arms and head, along with a fur coat of some kind. What he hunted or where he got it was unknown, but god did it look stupid.
"Unison Response: The Party has just begun, after all." Jackbot's #951 and 227 said as one as they synced systems for a brief moment.
Yep, truly something wrong with those two...
END OF OMAKE
1: The Jackbot Equivalent to calling someone Bastard, cause it took so many tries and failures to make a reality.
2: Think the equivalent to not tucking your junk away after going to the bathroom immediately.
AND THAT'S A WRAP FOR NOW PEOPLE.
I hope to see all of you voting, and make sure to tell me your reactions to the chapter. Hope ya'll had fun, cause I certainly did! Till next time!