"They want us to leave." Dev whispered.
Bit looked puzzled. She might not understand why he was whispering, but Dev had figured out that some of the Jungleclads might understand English. Still, she whispered back. "I thought they were friendly. We had a good time last night."
Dev nodded. Last night had been... interesting.
The Jungleclads had a communal meal service. A few of them kept a fire going and roasted meat and fruits. Bit's introduction of the Milk Box had been met with some trepidation, but the gorillas had soon partaken from it. They seemed to like it. A number of them clearly preferred it to boiled water.
Things had gotten interesting when they'd pulled out a strange guitar. It had two handles, and the strings crossed over its body. There were some other musical instruments: drums, and what he could only describe as a large, wooden flute. Dev supposed it must be most similar to a didgeridoo.
The Jungleclad Gorillas were clearly musically inclined, as they had played a complex song. It was strange in that they didn't sing along. Instead they hooted and grunted once it ended.
This morning? There was... not a tension in the air, but the outpost seemed strangely still.
"I think they don't want to kick us out, but they also don't want to work around us."
"Work?"
Dev nodded towards the central tower. "Remember when we arrived yesterday? There were gorillas swarming on that big pillar in the middle of town. I'm not sure what they were doing, but there was hammering and other activity. That died down when we got here."
Bit frowned, and held up one of the yellow robots.
"My Mets say that there's normally more activity. So I think you're right." She looked at him. "Do you think it's a cultural thing? Like, resting after the party last night?"
"It might be." Dev shrugged. "But with the arguing that I saw yesterday, I think there's something more."
"Like what?"
He shrugged again. "I don't know. They clearly had a disagreement about us. And I think they chose to live here because it was isolated. So they might be worried about us... uhm... telling someone?"
"I don't think that's it." Bit shook her head. "They aren't trying to hide anything. If they were afraid of something like that, they'd have someone keeping watch over us. Instead, most of them have ignored us." She paused. "Except for their doctor. He's interested in what I did, and I've tried to show him some things."
"That's good." Dev smiled. It was nice to be helpful. "And you might have a point. I've been drawing a lot, and some of them have been interested, but more in an... appreciative way, I guess? If they were trying to hide something, then they probably wouldn't want me documenting it."
"So... what do you think we should do?" Bit stood on the tips of her toes and looked around. "And where's Pinky? She should be here."
"I'm here!" The pink-haired Fraerling in question dropped down from a rooftop above them. "And look what I found!" She had a scroll in her hands that was larger than she was. She glanced left and right before throwing it on the ground and pushing the rolled up parchment.
Unfortunately, the small rock she'd left on the end of the scroll wasn't very heavy. Halfway through, the scroll began curling back up - with her in the middle of it. Pinky managed a soft 'eep' before she was rammed from behind.
The entire bundle shook and bounced into the air before rolling to a stop with a pink tuff of hair sticking out of one end.
"Are you okay, Pinky?" Bit asked while Dev picked up their small friend.
He gently extracted her from the parchment before unrolling it.
"It's blank." He turned it over to look at the back side just to make sure, but that was just as blank as the front.
"It's ⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛." Bit said something.
"I know, and that's what's so interesting!" Pinky clamored up to his shoulder. "There's nothing on it, but the gorillas were pointing at it and arguing. That's strange, right?"
"It's ⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛." Bit sounded odd. "Can't the two of you ⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛?"
"Huh?" Dev frowned. "Did you say something, Bit?"
"Can I see the paper?" Bit stuck out her lower lip, and her eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked up at him. "Oh. Uhm. Sure?" He handed it over to her.
"It says ⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ - ⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛. Can neither of you ⬛⬛⬛⬛ it?" Dev and Pinky both waited for her to say anything. "Okay, can the two of you wait here? I'll leave the Mets to guard you. I need to go and speak with the chieftain."
"About what?" Pinky asked.
"About the ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛." Bit didn't reply as she walked away.
Trial of Creation — The Tower of Jungleclad
To prove yours is a people capable of creation and shall endure, build unto this world a construction unique only to your people. None of levels may give thee aid in the smallest part of this building.
Let it rise higher than any other before you. To a height of 892.4 feet from top to base, and let it stand at least a minute. Then yours will be a people who have proven they have the potential to climb yet further.
The scroll was interesting, and not just because of what was written on it or the Stranger effect it had. Riley focused on the scroll itself. The only paper she'd seen in this world were Dev's notebooks. The scroll was made of parchment - at least at first glance.
She rubbed it between her fingers. It was thicker than paper, and smoother as well. That was to be expected of an animal hide. Wood pulp was a lot rougher on its own. However, Riley had an older brother that pretended to be human and who had cubes instead of cells. She was used to looking at things a lot smaller than anyone else could see.
It still hurt her eyes to focus so much, but she could see individual cells when she really tried.
The scroll was closer to Kevin than it was to regular parchment. While it wasn't made up of cubes, the cells were all uniform. She slowly pulled it through her thumb and index finger as she scanned the material the scroll was made of.
Yep. This was something manufactured to look like parchment. Any naturally occurring animal would've had some variation or blemishes in their skin. That meant that this scroll had either come from a Shard... or something similar.
And there was really only one other suspect: the Passenger that had tried to connect to her when she'd first arrived. The one that was granting Pinky and Dev powers. The one that granted 'levels'.
Kevin was probably loving it here.
The scroll wanted the Jungleclad to prove themselves, but to what end? Nine hundred feet was taller than some skyscrapers. Building a tower like that without powers and with medieval-level tech? That would be rough. Were they being punished for something?
Was that why they were in the Red Lands? Could the 'Leveler' have placed them here? Could the tower be their only way out?
Hmmm...
Possibly.
Except... there were no children here. They also had metal tools and weapons, but no way to forge them. That implied that there was a... civilian population somewhere that was providing them supplies. Or, HAD provided them supplies before they'd embarked.
Putting that aside, the fact that the Leveler could manipulate its hosts? Riley didn't like that. She didn't like it one bit. Although, to be fair, the Shards did the same thing.
The gorillas watched her as she walked through the camp, but not any more than they had yesterday. She went to the clinic first. It was empty of patients now, but the older ape was still there. He grunted as she entered.
Riley held up the scroll, and opened it.
She watched the other doctor's reaction. Gorillas weren't human, but these seemed human enough in their emoting. That was probably a learned behavior if they had interacted with humans (or other humanoid races) in the past as mercenaries. There were still some differences - either from a biologic or sociological origin, but she thought she'd be able to read his emotions.
Surprise... then amusement?
The green ape smiled and chuckled to himself... and then waved her off.
Riley stuck out her bottom lip and pouted for a second. Okay, how about the chief? She stood on her tiptoes and raised her hand to their leader's height. She then spread her arms to be as wide as he was. She then did her best chief impression.
The doctor tilted his head... before nodding and smiling. He ambled out of the hut and pointed at a building on the third floor of another 'tree'.
Wonderful.
Riley didn't have anything against climbing, but her poor dress had been through so much already!
She let out a sigh, and continued her latest trek.
So... that hadn't gone like she'd expected. Surprise she understood. She wasn't supposed to have the scroll. Amusement? Why...
Oh.
He thought that SHE couldn't read it.
The scroll contained a secret, but the gorillas weren't worried about other people finding out. The Leveler was preventing that.
Ah. It also explained why the chieftain and the expedition leader had been arguing. They couldn't get help from anyone 'of levels'. But 'help' was a nebulous term. Would she have counted by helping treat their injured if she had been a host?
Riley grunted as she pulled herself up.
That also explained why the village was so... quiet this morning. All the gorillas that were standing around doing nothing would normally be trying to build their tower. Right now, they didn't want to risk getting any 'help' from their visitors.
That shouldn't apply to her or her Mets. She could at least put their minds at ease.
Harahon had been resting in his hammock when the female human pulled herself up onto the balcony outside of his room. He grunted in surprise. Out of all of their guests, he hadn't expected the healer to explore vertically.
The black-haired girl pulled herself up with a surprising amount of upper body strength, and then dusted herself off. It was more proof of what power levels could bring. While she didn't weigh as much as a Jungleclad child, she also had far fewer muscles. Human muscles deteriorated from non-use, unlike a Jungleclad's, so not having many wasn't a surprise. Climbing with her tiny arms was unexpected. She must have a 'skill' that helped her.
Her eyes locked onto him, and she smiled and nodded her head.
Oh? Was she seeking him out?
Harahon yawned as he swung from side to side in his bed. Was she seeking payment for the aid she'd offered? That was only fair, he supposed. Plus, it would make it easier to send them away. Guests that had done a service to the tribe were to be treated with respect until a service in return was performed.
Or until enough time had passed.
The girl pulled out a scroll from the ridiculously large bag she wore on her back. The size and weight made her climbing ability all the more impressive.
Harahon frowned. That scroll looked...
He grunted, and swung out of his hammock before taking the offered scroll away. Had she taken it from the planning room? Or had one of his tribe dropped it somewhere? It wouldn't be the first time. Noken in particular liked to read and re-read the request - as if it would suddenly change.
The girl started gesturing. He really should learn the language of the levelers, but it was so complicated. Small. Hidden. Scroll.
Oh. The Fraerling had found (or stolen) the scroll.
Harahon grunted. It didn't matter. If they lost this one, another would appear in time.
The girl then took the scroll from him, and spread it open on his table. She pointed at it, then at herself, and shook her head.
Harahon regarded her. She was trying to tell him something, but what? Was she curious as to why they had a blank scroll? Did she disagree with... having a blank scroll? Did she want to trade for the scroll? Sell them more scrolls?
He should get Noken and let his son deal with her. It was his responsibility anyways. He'd been the one to bring the visitors to their outpost in the first place.
She pointed at the scroll, then at herself, then she shook her head.
She pointed at the scroll, then at herself, then she nodded.
Over and over again. Each time the same...
No. She was pointing at a different spot when she shook her head verses when she nodded.
Harahon leaned forward.
'of levels' - shook head.
'give thee aid' - nodded.
This... He needed to get his son.
...
'See?' Noken grunted at him. 'Bringing them here was an even better idea than I had first thought!'
'Idiot.' Harahon snarled back. 'Even if the impossible is true, and they do not have levels, how could you have known?'
'I'm just that smart!' Noken hooted.
Harahon glared at his stupidest son. 'Regardless, I am still not convinced that they do not have levels.'
'Can you not see the female pointing at the words on the scroll?' Noken pointed at the visitor. 'She reads them. She comprehends them. She uses them to communicate.'
'That is not in doubt.' Harahon interrupted him. 'We know that levels grant all sorts of powers. Why wouldn't there be one that allows seeing what is hidden?'
'Why would the granter of levels deny us assistance, but at the same time allow one of levels to see that?' Noken grunted. 'And if she is of levels, then that could help with the other trials. And why would she lie?'
'She might not be lying. Your 'english' is poor. As for the other trials, she would need to be of high enough level.' Harahon replied. 'Besides, how is she supposed to help build the tower? And what does she want in return?'
Both apes stopped and turned to look at their guest.
"..."
'If we can't communicate, how could she help anyways?' Noken wondered aloud. He began to try and mime... something. Harahon wasn't sure what message his son was trying to relay, but judging from the puzzled look on his recipients face... it wasn't working.
The girl frowned, until opening her eyes wide and smiling. Did she understand Noken's gibberish? She walked out of the hut, and then jumped all the way to the ground.
Harahon peered over the edge of the walkway. He was the biggest and strongest Jungleclad in the outpost, and even he wouldn't risk a jump like that. It would be too easy to break something.
No levels - yeah, right.
Still, he and Noken swung down on the ropes that they'd substituted in place of vines, and followed her.
Dev was doing his morning stretches when Bit came back. They'd been talking about leaving the village... and maybe something else? Then, the younger girl had walked away without a word. Now she was back with a rolled up piece of parchment in her hands and two of the green gorillas following her.
"Hey, Bit, what's going on?" She looked... intense.
"Dev." She nodded at him and then jerked her head towards the Jungleclad gorillas that were following her. "Can you translate for me?"
He blinked. "I can try. I mean, I think I can get the general gist of their questions, but it's not like I can reply to them."
Bit shook her head. "That's fine. Anything will help."
'Are you really ⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛?' One of them grunted while tilting their head.
Dev frowned. "I think I missed that."
"Hmmmm..." Bit hummed and then opened the scroll. She pointed at a random spot, then at herself, then shook her head. She then pointed at the same spot, then at him, then nodded.
'Oh. I understand.' The pair nodded.
"They say they understand?" Dev wondered what was going on.
"Okay!" Bit did a little hop. "Now, ask away, but don't talk about." She pointed at a blank spot on the scroll again.
"They want to know if you can help." The gorillas spoke, and Dev translated.
Bit nodded as an answer.
"Okay, they now want to know what you want in return."
"Noth-" Bit stopped and started tapping her foot. "What DO I want? Huh? I've been busy helping Pinky... What I really want is to find my brother, but I don't think they can help with that."
The gorillas grunted at one another, before turning and grunting towards Dev.
"They say... they can help? Something about showing, no, introducing you to someone else who can help?" Dev glanced at Bit. "Who would they know that could help find him?"
"I bet it's the Titan!" Pinky said in his ear, and Dev nearly fell down in surprise. When had she climbed up onto his shoulder? "They work for the Titan, sometimes, so they probably know how to get in contact with the Forgotten Wing Company."
The smaller gorilla hooted in agreement.
"What's the Forgotten Wing Company?" Dev didn't want to interrupt the... bargaining? But he felt lost.
"Only one of the four great companies!" Pinky jumped up and down.
"So they're important?" He asked.
"Are they important?" She said incredulously. "Are they important? The great companies run Baleros! Of course they're important!"
The smaller gorilla hooted in agreement again.
"Hmmm..." Bit pursed her lips. "Well, if that-"
"Hold it!" Pinky shouted again, which was really loud, since she was still standing right next to his ear. "I can help you meet the Titan. Probably. You should ask about the crystal!"
"The crystal?" Dev and Bit spoke at the same time.
The younger gorilla grunted.
"They say the crystal isn't for trade."
"No." Pinky stomped her foot, which made Dev's shoulder twinge. "I don't want their stupid GREEN crystal! I want to know if they know of a RED one!"
"A red one?" Despite being the translator, Dev was feeling more and more left out of the conversation.
'If they don't want the green -.'
'There should be a red - at the -.'
'It's not a -.'
'Then what would you call it?'
'A tower? A small tower?'
'That's deep in the jungle. It would take several days to get there, and the trees wouldn't like it. The - doesn't control them well that deep.'
'We can do it.'
'I know we can, but is her help that useful?'
'Why don't we ask?'
The smaller gorilla turned back to them and grunted.
"They want to know how much you can help them." Dev looked at Bit. "I think they know of a red crystal, or at least a place where it might be, but it's far from here."
Bit smiled as she pulled a yellow cube out of her pocket. "I think a demonstration will work across the language barrier." The pair of Mets waddled to her feet, then long, spindly arms extended from them and lifted them up. They looked like large, black and yellow spiders - with large, cute eyes. The pair scuttled off towards the wall, and then climbed it without slowing down. "They'll be back in a few minutes."
Dev frowned. "I think they demonstrated their abilities fine during the surgery, but wasn't most of that you? And the pair were already helping out before then as well."
Bit shook her head. "They're okay surgeons. Well, better than 'okay', but that's not what the Jungleclad want."
"What DO they want then?" He was curious.
Bit shrugged. "Material gathering and placement. You know, helping with the infrastructure."
"They can do that?" Far be it from him to discount the video-game spiders, but the jungle was a dangerous place.
"I doubt my minions will encounter something that could both hurt them and manage to hit them." Bit puffed out her chest with pride. "They're strong and agile." She looked the Jungleclads over. "I can't say how they compare to a gorilla from this world, but they should be able to help."
"But, the jungle..." He countered.
Bit rolled her eyes. "They're robots, so they don't have to worry about poisons or disease or stuff like that. They also could survive being stabbed with a branch or roots. The only thing they'd have to worry about is encountering an alpha predator." Bit's smile turned rather sinister. "But my Mets don't fight fair."
"Okay, but there's only, uhm, two of them. Could they handle a Bloodrage Badger?" Dev looked over at Badgy, who was lying on his side.
Bit tilted her head. "Probably. I mean, one wouldn't be enough, but Badgy would have to hold it down to really apply its strength and crush it. Batting them away wouldn't work. So, two might manage to take a Bloodrage Badger out on their own... or they might not."
"Right, so-"
"Hold on." Bit raised her palm to face him. "It looks like their spawn point really was pretty close by."
"What?"
She held up the yellow cube. "They're supposed to appear here, but something's wrong. I was right that it was at a set location..." She frowned. "Or around an area. It looks like they're still gathering. That's fine."
The smaller Jungleclad hooted a question.
"What do you mean, 'gathering'?" Dev wondered the same thing.
"You'll see, the first of them are coming back." She giggled. "And they're bringing a present!"
A shadow fell over them as something poked up over the wall. Dev put his hand up to shade his eyes from the morning sun and squinted. A... log? Yes. It was a large, red log - about two feet in diameter. It was being lifted over the wall by one of Bit's Mets!
The yellow robot was using four of its arms to hold the former tree, while climbing with the rest of them. Then, as the log crested the top of the wall, another Met came into view. Then another, and another.
Four Mets scurried down the wall with the log. The first one smoothly transitioned from the wall to the ground, while the next one had to jump. So did the third. They also had to extend themselves to move their load. Once the final Met was on the ground, all four of them lowered themselves and the log.
The procession moved past them, and created a ruckus as other Jungleclad gorillas noticed what was going on and started hooting.
"Weren't there, uhm, two of them when they left?" Pinky asked the same question that Dev was thinking.
"There are a lot more than two." Bit said smugly. She then turned to the two apes that they were... negotiating with. "I think I can spare... twenty to help you out. How does that sound?"
...
Dev and the younger gorilla crouched down. Between them was a rather simplistic map that they'd drawn in the dirt. A circle represented the village - or possibly the clearing around it. A squiggly line was the river, which led to a large circle (the lake), and more squiggly lines (the tributaries).
The two of them were planning their trip. In part, because Dev considered himself more knowledgeable about how to survive in the jungle than either Bit or Pinky. The main reason was that the gorilla could understand English, and Dev's skill let him mostly understand the gorilla.
He wished it would allow him to know the ape's name. It seemed rude to think of him as 'the gorilla', but it also seemed rude to arbitrarily give him a name. Still... if he thought about it like a nickname...
'Tower here.' Chewbacca pointed at a spot. 'Center of red jungle. Very active. Very dangerous. Slime not control.'
"The slime doesn't control... the plants there?" Dev asked. "Does that mean it controls them at other places?"
"What was that?" Bit looked up from her horde of robots.
'Slime smarter than plants. Slime not worried about small things. Plants dumb. Plants want red blood. Plants attack everything. Plants die.'
"Ah." He nodded. "It's a predator/prey relationship. You'd normally have the plants grow from water, sunlight, and nutrients in the soil. Herbivores eat the plants, then predators eat them. They eventually fertilize the soil, and the whole process repeats."
'Yes. You smart.' Chewie grunted.
"But, if the plants are too good at killing, then they'd have to rely on only sunlight and water." Dev frowned. "And they can't?"
'Yes. No.' The gorilla shook his head. 'You forget magic. Forest feeds on magic too, but still not enough. Has to go dormant with no blood. Until slime.'
"What's he saying?" Bit came over to the map.
"He's telling me about the slime that controls the jungle." Dev found this incredibly interesting. Pinky might want to find a red gem, and Bit wanted to find her brother, but he wanted to explore. Finding a native tribe in an uninhabitable land? This was perfect!
"Right." Bit nodded. "The slime that lets the roots and branches move so quickly. The stuff that connects all the jungle together. Are you saying it's sapient?"
'Dunno.' Chewbacca shrugged. 'Jungle move without slime, but it does join together I think. Slime smarter than plant, but that does not mean it's smart.'
"He says the slime isn't really intelligent, but I think without it the jungle attacks anything moving through it, which it does too effectively."
'Not everything.' Chewbacca shook his head. 'Only want red. Blood.'
"Ah. It wants red blood, so that's why your tribe is safe?" Dev asked, which got a half-hearted shrug in return.
Bit smiled.
"No!" Pinky landed on Bit's head and pulled at her hair. "Don't think what I think you're thinking! Red blood is the best! Don't change our colors!"
What?
Dev swallowed. "Bit... WERE you thinking about changing our blood to be a different color?"
"It would work!" She stomped her foot. "I wouldn't even need to use Dyed Land parts. We'd just need to replace the iron in the hemoglobin with something else that would bind with oxygen! I can do that!"
"Uhm..." Dev closed his eyes and counted to three. "No offense, but I don't want any elective surgery."
"And I like my red blood!" Pinky added. "Besides, how do we know that the Jungleclads are right? Or that Dev translated what they're saying correctly? Huh?"
"..." Dev frowned before letting out a sigh. "You're right." Just because native cultures had lived in a place longer than anyone else didn't mean that all their beliefs were correct. Plus, his translation skill wasn't that precise.
'We take path.' Chewie drew a line from the village, across a tributary, and towards their target. 'Usually best to avoid area, but since target, straight line best.'
"No." Dev shook his head. "We can travel on the river easily." He traced a different route that went down to the lake, and then up the closest river. "I don't know if it'll be quicker or not, but I'm sure it will be safer."
'Hmmm...' The gorilla grunted. 'Good idea. Avoid more - -. They not in area around tower. Only have to fight trees.'
"How do we do that?" Dev asked. "Our badger was able to tunnel successfully, but I'm not sure how feasible that is."
'We get tools.' Chewbacca motioned to them. 'I show you how to make path.'
The three of them followed him to a ground level hut on the edge of the village. He pulled out a large wood & metal shield, a worn looking log, and a metal wedge.
Dev translated as he mimed using the items.
"The vanguard use the shields and their axes to cut any plants within reach. They don't go past the line where roots could attack them from underground. Once the above foliage is chopped down, someone comes with the plow." That's what the metal wedge was. "The earth is torn up and the vines, no, sorry. The roots are killed. The big log is used to pound the earth flat."
"Oh, ho ho ho!" Bit put the back of her hand to her mouth and laughed. Dev thought it sounded forced. "My Mets can handle that! They can burrow and take the roots out below us, while also clearing the way above!"
Dev glanced at the swarm that was now following the superhero. Yeah, Bit HAD to be a superhero. Or at least someone with superpowers from a different Earth. Those were clearly robots, and they were also obviously under her control.
This was a brand new world with unexplored lands and culture. It had all manner of exciting animals and races.
It didn't have robots.
Earth, his Earth, didn't have robots either.
Bit still might be crazy, but it seemed far more likely that her story about being a superhero was true.
And that she was a little crazy.
'We need test.' Chewbacca crossed his arms. 'Can you make path outside? We see how good - are.'
Dev translated, and Bit nodded while agreeing. "We can do it from on top of the wall. That way if they disturb some of those cats or something else nasty, we'll be safe."
Chewie grunted in agreement. He easily climbed to the top of the wall next to them - as did Pinky. Bit had her Mets carry her up.
"Want some help?" She asked him.
"No." Dev shook his head. "I can manage." He bent down and rubbed some dirt between his palms. The wall was tall, but it wasn't smooth. The trees that made up the wall had been stacked vertically, and there was no space in-between them. However, there were plenty of hand holds from where branches had been chopped off.
It took him the longest, but he managed to make his way up on his own.
Dev smiled in satisfaction before looking out at the commotion.
The Mets had made good progress, and the jungle was responding to them just as violently as it had when Badgy had tried making a path. However, there were more than a dozen Mets in the swarm and they chopped the assaulting vines and roots apart with ease.
A jungle cat did appear, but was taken down just as effortlessly.
This... might actually work.