"Keep me in a daydream."


You're still here? I thought you'd have at least tried to move a while ago. Still can't think of anything to say?

Blood, running up and down his back. Chance's hair stained a deep black, and his face tainted red. He couldn't see. He couldn't breathe. He could barely even think. His lungs shuddered from the suffocation.

I know you can hear me. You're actively choosing to ignore me.

His clothes were torn, deep gashes in his skin running under them. Everything was wet and warm and metallic.

This isn't a threat, it's a warning. I want to help you.

He didn't even have the energy to clench his fists anymore.

Please. What have I offered you, all this time, but freedom?

With what little strength he could muster, Chance glanced up with weary, orange eyes.

I can't stop the inevitable. But I can save you from the pain.

Everything you're feeling has, essentially, already happened. You can't dodge a blow that's already struck.

But with my help, maybe you won't have to suffer from it.

I don't want to see you suffer.

Please.

Tired, tangerine eyes, gave one final gaze into the blinding headlights of the inky black ghost that was once Tusk.

-collapsed promptly over his shoulder.

" Ahh , perhaps Lightfoot had a point…" Rio sighed, her legs shaking as she tried to lean on Chance for support. "Why, we've barely left the Village, and I'm already exhausted." They were out in some forsaken wilderness, not too far from the Mantis Village, but far enough where they didn't encounter any scouts. Or maybe all the scouts that would be here went back to the village after Chance's… well… episode.

He didn't know why he was talking to this woman still. Well, he knew why ; she'd popped in out of thin air and saved him from an unwinnable fight. But what'd she go and do that for? He appreciated it, yeah, but people don't normally just jump into things like that. Especially people who were apparently sick enough where they shouldn't be out of bed.

Sick with the same thing he has.

All he could do was try to wrap an arm under hers to support her. "I... think there's a bench around here somewhere." He didn't think that, he'd never been down here before, he didn't even have a map of this place, what the hell was he-

Rio made a dramatic pose of a woman on the verge of fainting. " Oh , but if I go out much further, then I'll have to walk all the way back , won't I, dear?" A few moments of silence later, she slouched back down. "...I'm kidding, of course. Just up ahead."

They walked in silence for another minute. Just two headaches taking a stroll down shroom world.

"...Besides… I haven't seen my mate in what must be ages now."

"So you've mentioned." Twice, now.

"Yes, he was quite… q-quite, erm…" She slouched further, until Chance was practically dragging her on his back as they approached the bench. "Rrrrhgh, why are you so warm , human…"

Wait. Did she just-

It's 'cause you're warm-blooded.

She- What?

Humans are warm-blooded, but insects are cold-blooded, so they can't naturally raise their body temperature. Hallownestian insects are the same, and while most have evolved to survive in and even like the cold, they still can't help but be attracted to heat. Like when you leave your bedroom window open one cold night, and your half-awake mind in the morning knows nothing other than to reach and grasp for any bit of warm bedding it can find.

O-Okay, cool, but-

Exactly, they're always cool, but you're like a living space heater to them. So that's why they're always trying to get close to you, 'cause being close to you is super comfy for them - for a couple reasons, this being just one - so that's why this Mantis lady is all over you, and that's also why your little Vessel friend-

Hey, wait-wait a minute, stop this shit. What the fuck am I thinking about?

(Somewhere in the back of his mind, Chance swore he heard a record scratch.)

"What'd you just call me?" Chance said, as he helped her down to the bench seat. It wasn't a question.

"Mhmm… warm? Waaarrm…" She leaned over, crooning over him. Her bladed arms wrapped around his chest, and Chance had to pull himself away as he shot up from the bench.

"No! The-" He shook his head with a grunt. "The other thing! That you said."

"Whua-?" Rio blinked slowly, waving her arms around where Chance once was. "H-Hu-...Maaaaaan?" She furrowed her brow, as though she wasn't sure how she got her answer.

"Where'd you hear that from?" As far as he could remember, the only people in Hallownest who knew what he was were all the way back up in Dirtmouth. He wasn't sure why Rio's mental state seemed to be slipping, but he needed to get answers out of her while he still could.

"Oh… about how you're a human?" Rio threw her legs over the armrest of the bench and moved over to the side, lounging across the bench as she stretched her body out. "Mhm. She must've told me that at some point."

"...She?"

...The Infection was a disease.

Rio chuckled darkly. "She lives in my eyes and speaks to me in my sleep. She's offered nothing but comfort and peace to me…" She sighed. "I owe so much to her. The others find her repugnant, but I think… she's just misunderstood."

The Infection was a virus.

"Yes… Misunderstood, that's a good word. Sometimes, all she wants is just to talk… I can't imagine living inside of a head. It must be lonely there. ...She's warm, just like you are."

The Infection was only biological matter.

"Do you know what Mantis life is like, Chance? Everything is decided by combat and honor. That's all that exists. Even our very bodies are built for being fighters," she shrugged, vaguely gesturing to her bladed arms.

The Infection was a simple plague that could be treated or even cured, just like anything else.

"And my son, Lightfoot, is a young adult now, and he's such a hot head… he was put on distant scout duty for assaulting one of his superiors. Over me , no less."

The Infection was not a supernatural occurrence.

"It's all a nightmare to deal with… there's nothing better than falling into bed at the end of the day into her warm, soft wings. They call me insane, but I think I'd go insane without her."

Chance was not being possessed by some metaphysical goddess.

"...She lives in your eyes, too."

He was frozen. He didn't know when she got so close. Her face right in front of his, inches away, and he could feel her cool breath on his neck. Tangerine eyes bore into tangerine eyes.

Her arm gently pressed against his back, pulling him closer, and Chance exploded away from her like the shot of a gun.

He barely heard her cries for him to wait over the pounding of his footfalls and his heartbeat in his ears. His legs pushed him forward with all the might and machination of a runaway train.

The world was a blur. A green-yellow spiral surrounding him. The Wastes looked like a whirlpool of vomit, and he felt like he was about to be sick too.

And then his legs gave out.

He tripped and collapsed in some shadowy corner, with nobody around. He scrambled as deep into the darkness as he could, curling into a ball, jagged hands running over his scalp as he struggled to get his heart rate under control.

It's okay. I'm here to help.

I can take the pain away.

I can help you feel better.

I can-

Shut up.

Chance spun around and punched the wall as hard as he could. The mushroom he hit exploded into spores right in his face, covering his fist in mucus and blood. He gagged, fell on his side, and staggered away as fast as he could. He was blind, and he couldn't breathe.

Nobody around. No Mantises, no mushroom-people. Tusk wasn't here, either. Where was Tusk. Where did they go. They had to be around here somewhere. Somewhere. Somewhere Somewhere Somew-

The world only grew more and more hazy, the inhaled spores clouding his mind. Chance stumbled blind, lethargy creeping up through his veins. His eyes couldn't focus right. He narrowly avoided falling into what looked suspiciously to his spore-filled brain like a pit of acid.

His breaths were labored and his limbs quaked, until he fell to his knees and coughed up green and orange acid into the dirt.

His elbows collapsed, and he fell on his side, body slowly shutting down.


"I like to dream... Yeees, yes..."

The world was black and empty. Chance would prefer to keep it that way. He laid on his back, drifting through the comfortable abyss of dreamless sleep. His lungs didn't hurt because he didn't need to breathe. He wasn't hungry or thirsty because he didn't need food or water. His body didn't scream in pain because he didn't feel anything.

"Right between the sound machine…"

Chance's brow furrowed, and with a tired, reluctant groan, his eyes fluttered open and existence poured back into him. His lungs still felt stuffy. He hadn't had a half-good meal in hours. He felt like a pile of bricks.

He didn't know where he was. He didn't even know if he was found and moved in his sleep, or if his unconscious body just sat there in the open for God knows how long. Most of the Wastes looked exactly the same, anyway. At least Greenpath tried to look pretty; this place lived up to its name in every sense.

"On a cloud of sound I drift in the night-!"

He rolled over, and his eyes were awash with color.

The same hazy Wastes yellow floated through the room, but cloth and silk and plush pillows of all colors were plastered over every surface. Within what looked like a partitioned cave, Chance lay on a small bedroll in the corner, while a small wooden bowl filled with water and a soaked rag lay just in front of his head. The room was illuminated by long strings of tiny Lumafly lanterns strung across the edges of the cave.

"Any place it goes is right…"

A figure slid, no, literally slid into view, as if the floor was frictionless. They stopped before a small ledge that looked like a counter, their feet still hopping and moving in place in a dance. They moved their body to the rhythm of their song as they worked on something, their back turned to Chance.

"Goes far, flies near-!

To the stars away from here-!"

Chance began to wake up more, and even in the suffocating density of the Wastes, could clearly identify the smell of something cooking. A light hissing noise emanated from before the figure, who seemed to be working with a small pan resting over a fire. His vision was distorted, but all Chance could make out of the figure was the oak-green cloak covering their whole body.

"Well, you don't know, what-a,

We can find-!"

The figure held his - he could only assume it was a he from the voice - large, wooden spatula like a microphone, singing into it while still dancing in place as he cooked… something. The smell was tantalizing, especially since it'd been so long since Chance had eaten anything.

"Why don't you come with me, little girl-

On a magic carpet ride~"

Chance tried to sit up, but his elbow knocked into the wooden bowl by his side. He hastily set it upright, but the water was already flowing over the cave floor, getting soaked up by the very nice-looking pillows and carpets. A small stream of it flowed towards his mystery savior, but he danced away at the last second, turning his attention to something else in the room.

"Well, you don't know what-a,

We can see-!"

He spun around as he moonwalked back to the kitchen, but his foot dragged over a small puddle of water as he did so. His singing faltered for just a moment as he glanced down, unaware of Chance slowly standing up behind him.

"Why don't you tell your dreams to me,

Fantasy will set you freEEEEEE-!"

The figure shrieked as they turned to find Chance standing right behind them. Clutching their chest in a knee-jerk reaction, they doubled back, only for their foot to slip on one of the water puddles, and fell to the ground with a thud.


Chance felt like a huge asshole right about now.

First off, now that his panic and confusion were starting to fade away, he remembered Rio, who was still ill with the Infection, both her mental and physical state slipping. She'd needed his support just to get as far as the bench they were at, and he'd ditched her there.

Best case scenario, she'd barely stagger back to the Mantis Village with the help of some scout who found her, and they'd all know he bailed on her, and he'd have pissed off the one Mantis who didn't want him dead.

Worst case scenario, nobody helped her back, and…

"Something on your mind?"

Chance blinked, looking back up at his savior. That was the second thing.

Here was this guy, a complete stranger, who'd found his unconscious body laying around, and had gone through the trouble to carry him all the way back to his home. He'd looked after his injuries, kept him comfortable, and he'd even gone out of his way to cook up something for when he woke up.

Chance looked back down at the plate he was holding, sitting cross-legged on the cushioned floor across from his savior. It looked mostly like sautéed mushrooms, but with a reasonable mix of stir-fried vegetables and meat bits as well, cooked in a buttery, tangy sap, sprinkled with a pinch of some kind of seed.

"Er-" He started, remembering his host had asked him a question. "Nothing," he lied, "It's just… how'd you make this?"

"Well," he began, "These mushrooms aren't the big yellow ones you see everywhere. If those were edible, this place wouldn't be called the Wastes, would it?" He gave a light chuckle, "No, this is a specific mushroom found around here. Called Lifecaps. You can identify them from their solid-blue caps, with no yellow dots on 'em. They're still not safe to eat raw, though."

Chance hummed as he listened to his savior's rambling. Who knew, maybe it could prove useful.

"Those vegetables I got from the Gardens. It's not that long of a walk if you know the shortcuts, so I go there often to gather ingredients. Some of the white bulb flowers have Brass-sprouts growing in the soil underneath 'em. And all that Emerald Ivy around there - the big thorny vines, if you cut off one of the thorns and wash it thoroughly, it'll get all the toxins off of it, then just boil it in water for a while to soften it into something edible, just gotta cut off the pointy tip, too. Ivythorns, they call 'em."

His mind wandered to Iselda, and the stew she made for him and Dirtmouth his first day here. Even if he was no cook, maybe she'd like to know all of this.

"Or, you can break up Ivythorns while still hard and get the seeds from 'em, that's what I used to sprinkle it with. Good for your eyes, they say. For the oil, there's another plant in the Gardens, a reddish-purple bush, called literally just Reddishes. A-And those giant bouncy mushrooms around here, Queenshrooms, poke 'em and collect some of their sap. Dissolve diced Reddishes and Queenshrooms sap with some of the acid around here, it neutralizes the acid and causes it to thicken, all tangy and a bit spicy, but edible. Great for cooking stir-fry like this."

"Mhm," Chance mumbled, taking another bite. God , this tasted good. "And the meat?"

"You know those Fungoons? The giant round creatures floating around."

Chance paused mid-chew, his wary eyes darting up to his savior's. "Mhh?"

"Y-Yeah, the erh… Infected ones. Turns out, the Infection only exists in a gaseous form within their bodies, so when you kill one - y-you know how it deflates all at once? Yeah, it expels all the Infection in its body then, making it safe to eat."

They stared at each other for a long moment.

"...A-After you cook them!", he added hastily. "Of... course."

Chance stood still for a moment longer, before he slowly resumed chewing.

And again, that was the second thing. All that effort, all that care for someone who didn't even know him, and Chance spilled water all over his stuff and made him fall on his poor ass.

"Well… um, thanks." He said, in between mouthfuls of the stew. Never let him be known as someone to waste food, "And, uhm… Sorry. About the-"

"Y'know that's the fourth time you've said sorry now?"

He paused, having to force himself from saying "sorry" yet again. The stranger sighed, setting aside his own plate and scooching closer to where Chance sat cross-legged. He patted Chance's shoulder with what felt like a warm hand under his impossibly long sleeves, shaking it a bit before having it there to rest.

"If anything, I should be the one apologizing."

Chance reached up, holding his savior's hand like a lifeline. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" He pulled his hand away from Chance all too soon. Picking up his plate of sautéed mushrooms from the floor again, he gestured vaguely at it, " Look at this thing! The first meal I make for a new friend, and I didn't even use any spices!"

"Whu-" Chance stammered for a moment, before looking wildly between his plate and the stranger's hooded face. "What about all those seed things? Ivythorns or whatever the hell?!"

"That's not a spice , that's a seasoning! "

"So what , you take it, y' sprinkle it all over, what difference does it make?!"

"You would consider the sugary toppings on a cake to be a spice ?!"

"I would-" Chance suddenly burst out laughing, setting his own plate aside before he doubled over with a stupid grin on his face. "Wh-What the fuck, no?" Soon enough, he and the stranger were both laughing together, Chance clutching at his sides from the sheer absurdity of it all. Everything he'd fought through, everything he'd suffered through, all led up to him arguing over food , or all things.

It must've been nearly an hour in there, but it all flew by so fast. They argued, they joked, they laughed, they ate food. There sadly wasn't enough for seconds, so clean plates set aside, the two laid back in the pillows, catching their breaths.

Chance didn't think he'd clicked with someone this well since… well, for as long as he could remember.

"Hey, uh…" He felt kind of stupid for asking this now, after all this , but it couldn't be helped. "I never actually got your name, I don't think."

The figure perked up, as though waiting for this moment. "I'm Jeremy!"


"Ohhh... please... don't leave me behind!"

Chance bit his lower lip anxiously. He and this new friend, Jeremy, had been wandering together for a little while now. He wasn't certain what he was looking for. Well, he did, but he didn't know how to prioritize all the problems that had piled up rather suddenly. He needed to check to see if Rio was alright, and apologize profusely to her. He needed ( needed, but not wanted ) to get back to the Mantis Village and figure out how to be diplomatic and hopefully not get his arms chopped off.

And Tusk. God, he needed to make sure Tusk was alright.

But for all his problems that needed to be addressed quickly, he'd still feel like an ass for just leaving this poor girl all by her lonesome.

Chance and Jeremy had wound up here almost by accident; they had been looking about, trying to get their bearings, and Jeremy had spotted a secret opening that could only be accessed with the Mantis Claws. The whole pathway was a haze; spikes everywhere, Chance had been forced to rely on Jeremy's guidance, weaving through the hazards until they finally reached an exit, finding nothing but an empty room with a single Infected girl, crying her eyes out.

His cloaked friend crouched down to eye level with the beetle(?) girl they had stumbled upon. He waved a hand in front of her face, her eyes fogged in that horrible tangerine.

"Heeellooooooo…?" Jeremy tried calling to her. With a defeated sigh, he stood up and shrugged. "Doesn't look like anyone's home."

"You... forgot about me...?" The girl moaned, her voice heavy in a delirious sorrow. Chance could only stand a ways away, awkwardly watching her suffer from her condition. And what could he do? If he knew how to cure her Infection, he would've cured his own by now.

Orange tears were trailing down her face now. She hiccuped, her breaths uneven and shaky from her sobbing. "I knew you would…" she cried, "everyone always forgets about me…"

"AAAGH!"

Chance jumped from Jeremy's sudden scream. The cloaked figure was sprinting away from him, shouting something from over his shoulder as he fled.

"ILEFTTHESTOVEONI'LLBEBACKSOON-!"

And he was gone.

...That tiny Bunsen-burner thing he used was a stove?

Well, now he had to handle this all by himself. Shaking his head, he walked over to where the girl sat hunched over, resting a hand on her shoulder got about me. Why do they always forget about me?

Shhh… I understand, my child.

Y-You do?

Better than anyone else, I understand the pain of being forgotten.

Of seeing warmth flow all around you, seeing other's joy, seeing their smiles. But all through a window, from the inside, looking out. None of their smiles face you, their joy seeming so cold and distance. All of it, cold and distant. The warmth flows everywhere, but always seems to flow around you. You're invisible.

I…

Though, a small word of advice. That invisibility can be quite handy; you can work from the shadows to bring yourself back into the light. When you're forgotten, you're the last person they'll ever expect.

I'm… not sure what to do with that information.

Hmph. I don't expect you to be. Perhaps you'll know when the time comes.

"Oh?! Who are you?"

Chance blinked, feeling as though he were somehow cut off from something. "Uhm… You alright?" he asked, dodging her question. Bretta flinched, seemingly startled by his warm touch.

She shook her head in a daze, blinking a few times, and Chance had to do an actual double take - the orange glow in her eyes had faded entirely. She'd gone from being completely enthralled by the Infection, to being completely healthy in a matter of seconds.

WHY DOESN'T MINE WORK LIKE THAT. :(

"M-Me? Oh! Yes, I-I'm alright," the poor girl stuttered out while Chance's brain was still flung for a loop trying to figure out how Bretta's Infection had somehow all vanished in an instant for seemingly no reason.

(He didn't realize it then, but the main reason Bretta squirmed under his gaze was from the glare he was unknowingly giving her.)

"I-I'm sorry. I got lost, I don't know how I ended up here," she said, cupping her face with a claw to hide her embarrassed flush. "I... you came here to rescue me, Bretta? The girl that everyone just... ignores?"

Chance felt a twinge of pity for her, and a part of him wonders exactly why she had wound up all the way out in this empty, desolate part of the Wastes, where nobody would find her. He awkwardly tried to give an encouraging smile and said, "I mean, I couldn't just leave you here, could I?"

Beretta gives a small smile, before it grows into a much larger, warmer grin. "I just can't believe you two came all the way down here to rescue me. I didn't think anybody…"

Chance only smiled back.

And then he stopped.

"'You two'?"

...pat pat

Chance flinched as two small, cold, chitinous hands ran through his hair, patting him softly on the head. He swirled to his right, nobody was there. To his left. Nobody.

He tilted his head upwards, and came face-to-face with the two, upside-down pale horns, and empty eyes of Tusk, sitting on his shoulders.

"TUSK!" he shouted, startling Bretta. Chance scrambled to his feet, reaching behind his neck to gently lift Tusk off and into his arms, where he pulled them into a tight embrace. "Ohmyfuckinggodyouresafeimsosorryimsosorry-"

pat pat pat, Tusk's hand went on his arm. Fighting back against his watery eyes, Chance loosened the hug so he could look down properly at Tusk, resting in his lap. "How'd you find me?" Tusk only shrugged.

"And… How'd you get on my back without me noticing?"

Wordless as always, Tusk stood up, stepping off of his lap. They held up their hands, and two small, sharp claws grew out of them. Chance had almost forgotten the Tusk had grabbed a pair of Mantis Claws, too. They walked around behind him, where they grabbed on the back of Chance's shirt with the claws. Surprisingly, Chance didn't feel the claws poking through the shirt, and could barely feel the tugging as Tusk climbed up his back, until they eventually sat themselves down on his shoulders, their stubby legs dangling around his neck, and their hands - claws retracted - running through his hair.

Chance laughed. "I keep forgetting how light you are. I can barely feel you up there. I hope climbing my back like this isn't gonna tear my clothes…"

Bretta coughed, getting Chance and Tusk's attention again. "Sorry... I mean, thank you. I'd better go. Back to town I mean. I'd better get home."

Chance smiled, and Tusk waved. "Right. Make sure to stay safe, okay?"

"Right… Th... thank you."


Of course, Chance's content mood was ruined by him stepping on a patch of loose rubble within seconds of standing up, and falling to the area below.

And Jeremy just happened to be passing through said area right as he fell.

"You, uh, you alright there, buddy?"

Chance only gave a muffled groan.


"We can talk about how you left me here for three hours later, but first, why don't you introduce me to your new friends?"

Chance cringed under the venom in Rio's voice. He deserved it, really. Hell, there wasn't enough venom. On the upside, maybe getting scolded would help him feel like less of an ass over time.

"A-Ah, hello-" Jeremy stammered out from his hiding spot behind Chance. "Jeremy. M-My name's , Jeremy. My-name-is-Jer-e-my. Nicetomeetchu."

Rio eyed him up and down, judging him silently, before chuckling softly. "Do not be so tense, dear, I won't eat you. Yet." Jeremy cowered from over Chance's shoulder for a long moment, before shying away behind his back yet again with a peep. With a huff, Rio turned to the small bug riding on Chance's shoulders. "And who might this little one be?"

"Hm? Oh, this is Tusk," Chance brought up a hand to caress the small knight, who leaned into the warmth of his touch. "They've been with me for a while now, actually. They, uh, got away from the Village earlier, and we kinda split up then."

Rio's eyes widened in recognition. "Ah, yes, I thought I overheard the guards mentioning two intruders, even though we only found you. Clearly, stealth is not your strong suit."

"I…" He sighed in defeat, "Yeah."

"Which is going to be a problem, because you can't just waltz back into the Village. No, I'm afraid we're going to have to hide you on your way in somehow."

...Wait, what?

"Waitwaitwait, you're going where?!" Jeremy spoke up, his voice frightened. "Going to the Mantis Village is a death sentence! I'd stay away if I were you, they hate strangers."

"Well, uh…" Chance rubbed the back of his head anxiously, "I'm not exactly a stranger ."

"Oh! Well, then that changes things."

"I kind of broke in, stole a set of their claws, and beat up one of their scouts."

"YOU WHAT?!"

"And yet, you still have not accomplished your goal," Rio chimed in. "You've yet to challenge our Lords, and you can barely handle a single soldier. If you wish for a fair fight, without interference, and at your full strength, then you'll need to get around the entire village somehow."

"W-Wait, hold on," Chance glared at her, "What makes you think I want to fight your Lords? " He was getting tired of having to constantly remind himself of his real goal; he was down here looking for a cure . Not to pick fights with Lords who he could safely assume would tear him to bits within seconds if he so much as looked at them funny.

Rio blinked. "You said so yourself."

"Wh- No I didn't, when did I-"

Rio's eyes flashed golden.

"-er-the-test-set-for-you-think-not-"

Chance's eyes flashed golden.

"-of-it-as-a-chal-lenge-think-of-it-as-an-ex-per-"

Something - like a thin layer over Chance's mind -snapped, and Chance staggered backwards, tripping over his own feet and falling to the ground with a thud. Rio only gave him a sly, sideways smile, sitting back down on the bench, reclining back with one leg crossed over the other. She let herself stretch out, before giving a satisfied sigh.

" Ahh , how I want to be furious with you, human," she hummed, "But I just cannot bring myself to be."

Mhmm. He's just too lovable to be angry at.

...Chance felt like he'd just been slapped.

(What the hell kind of thought just crossed his mind?! Was… was he thinking in the third person now? No, that couldn't have been him, he was too self-loathing to think that on his own.)

"Uhh…" Jeremy muttered, standing awkwardly in a corner. "Are you two… alright? You got… kinda weird there, for a sec."

Rio cracked a smile. "Worry not. We have an infiltration to plan, with you," she pointed to Chance, still sprawled across the ground, "as our star."

Chance gulped.


Chapter name and summary are a reference to Superstition by Stevie Wonder.
Other musical references in this chapter include:
Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf
Jeremy by Pearl Jam

WOOO NEW CHAPTER JUST IN TIME FOR THE NEW YEAR

now I can say we've gotten at least one chapter out for every month of 2020. it's hard to grasp that we've been writing this story for an entire year now, and we're not even to the Mantis Lords yet. I plan on seeing this story the whole way through but wew, it's gonna be a long ride.

Chance learns that the Infection isn't just some random thing that happened, and also meets a new friend! who likes to cook! i think you'll like Jeremy a lot as he develops more throughout the story :) Cause why would i do world-building with characters and places and history when i could do it with food?! who cares if my plant names suck if it sounds like it tastes good

we were gonna have this chapter include the Mantis Lords fight too, but decided to cut it short to get it out a bit sooner. next chapter's gonna be reaally fun, i promise. i've started working on a habit of just getting only 100-200 words out a day, more if i get in the mood, and i've been feeling a lot better about my writing, both in terms of quality and actually making consistent progress instead of just dumping 3k words in a day after 3 weeks of nothing. I honestly feel like I've improved a lot since I started this story almost a full year ago, and I think Piston can say the same, too.

That said, we were thinking of possibly taking a small break at some point, either after this chapter or the next (so you're not left in suspense :) ), both to work on our own projects, maybe re-write older chapters, or just relax a little.

Speaking of editing old chapters, I've been considering changing Tusk's name back to just Ghost. Idk why, I'm just so used to Ghost that reading my own work feels weird. But not only am I trying to decide if I should change their name or not, but I'm also struggling to decide that IF i do change their name, whether I should have something happen later in the story that changes it, or if it'd be better to go back and edit previous chapters. I'm confident I could do it convincingly, it's just a matter of whether I want to or not. What do you think?

Anyway, happy new year's, late happy holidays, please leave a comment/review, and we'll see you when we get the next chapter out :)