Notail Simulator Beta (4/4)

> LET 👏 SLITHERS 👏 FIGHT

>Let's challenge some nerds to a fight!

> Let's not challenge these nerds to a fight. Can we ask around and see if anyone has met Same-Face? We do know his number, right

>This is going bad and I hate it but LET'S SEND SLITHERS TO A FIGHT! OH YEAH!

>wish the I's good luck
>See if Slithers can wear the mask
>Use Slithers to help you beast-bait a creature, or feed the bait to the crab

>We should probably try to keep Slithers from facing the same fate as Midnight just to get some prize. Try to see if anyone has seen same face around, maybe trade some of your spare items off for food or other supplies, and continue on your journey.

> Put a mask on the braiab to see what it will do.

> Also, if you participate in the battle, use the braiab instead. You still get a prize for participation, after all, and this means you don't have to risk Slithers.

Let slithers fight. I don't think he'll die too easily.
Let's see if we can trade one of our extra knives for a book on, say, crafting.

let BRAIAB fight. either slithers kills other creatures and everyone hates us or slithers dies to the unknown thing. let's not risk it and just take the participation prize

> Do not under any circumstances risk Slithers! They're too dear to us, we can't lose them again!

> Send the crab into the death pit. It's not like it's useful anyway. If we win we win and if we lose it's not an extra mouth to feed anymore.

> Mask both Slithers and braiab

>The braiab should fight. Not slithers. Maybe get Hawks to be around the braiab a little bit so they aren’t so scared. Then they’ll be more useful at capturing things.

Looking at other suggestions and adding them together, I say that we should

- Let the Hawk kid get more accustomed to capture creatures by hanging around the braiab
- Try both masks on both the braiab and Slithers
- Use the braiab to fight, NOT Slithers
- Trade anything we don't need for more useful items, such as rations or information

At the behest of people from the Fantuna Discord that reckoned I should post this here, I bring all you folks this. Please enjoy, and heed the warnings just in case!

warnings: animal death, gore, processing of animals

https://philome.la/AuruMachine/drowned-i...light/play

You gaze at the capture creature arena and then at the braiab you grabbed from the campsite. You didn't want to risk Slithers soon after getting them back, but in full honesty, you did not care for the braiab. You were going to toss it into the arena, even though a braiab was a poor battle creature. It was useless to you, unlike the minor participation prize you would get. Still lost in your thoughts the I-classes speak to you.

"Well, I guess we'll be going on our way now. :)"
"There's a settlement just up north, so we plan on sticking around there until we can leave. (;"
"It's right next to the exit so it works out in our favor. :) (;"
"Are you going to be ok with just the Hawk kid with you? :)"
"Yeah. I'll be alright don't worry about me. I'm used to traveling alone. =3"
"So you're not taking the Hawk kid with you? (;"

You shrug. You have grown increasingly desensitize to what happened that day as you go over the events in your head. It's not that you stopped caring.

It's just that you have grown so tired of crying. You simply had no more tears to give. When you think about midnight now, all you feel is a deep hollow emptiness. As if you were sinking into the ground and were doing nothing to stop it. There was no more panicking. No more sadness. Just a slow sink.

"I don't care what he does. If he follows me. He has to do what I say. If he leaves me, I don't care what happens to him. =3"

Hawk kid clenched his hands together and looked at the ground. His go-to move when he felt even the slightest bit of stress. He didn't have to say anything to express his discomfort. There was a long pause before you hit his shoulder, quite roughly, as if there was still a part of you that was still waiting for a chance to dig your claws into him.

"Hurry up and tell me what you're going to do. =3"

It looks like you didn't need to dig your claws into the Hawk kid, cause the spotlight being turned on him had clearly terrified him. He dug his own claws into his hands as if the pain would help him think. He ummed and spat out half words. His mind refused to give him a full answer he could hand to you.

You grind your teeth just a bit as you grow agitated.

"Answer me. Now. =3"

You watch Hawk kid dig his claws deeper before he sputters something out.

"I'll follow you. I have nowhere else to go! >=3"

You can tell he didn't want to say that in such a panicked way, but he was so stressed out he knew if he didn't just blurt it out he'd keep thinking it over and over.

"Well, that's that. =3"
"I'm glad you're taking the Hawk kid with you. He would have been creature bait in days without anyone else to pull him around. :)"
"Hopefully he actually proves useful. (;"
"Anyway, it is time for us to take our leave. If you make it out of the woods and want to find us, just see if you can look around for our numbers. :) (;"
"I-79 :)"
"and I-97 (;"
"Hopefully we'll see you around again. :)"
"So don't die. (;"

You can't promise you won't die.
But you can promise that you will come back.

But you're not going to explain that.

"I'll try! =3"

==========================

They had left soon after. Heading north to a settlement, and leaving you and Hawk kid behind. You repeat their names over and over in your head, hoping to make sure you don't forget. Then unceremoniously you pick up the braiab and stuff it into Hawk kid's arms.

You can't see his mask. Which is what is intended. You can sense his fear though.

He's scared of the living creature in his arm with its wiggling legs, but he's more scared of what you might do if he drops it out of fear.

You point towards the arena.

"Go and send the braiab to fight in the arena. =3"
"B-But I don't know how to fight with a capture creature, I-I've never had one before. >=3"
"Well learn then. Braiabs are smart. =3"

He un-tenses, not because your words have calmed him, but because he couldn't believe what he was told. He trots away even though he doesn't want to. You go to explore the store.

Sadly it seems the T-class shop owner is out of supplies due to a large swarm coming through here just a day or two again. She does inform you that the place normally stocks camping supplies and basically everything needed for someone who isn't looking to settle down in one place. She also notes she has a map of every location that comes with notes of what's typically in that place, but she'll only trade the map for a rare artifact or a living legendary capture creature, so it is in no way cheap.

You leave the shop and spend the next few hours relaxing and making a meal. It feels a tad odd to be cooking for fewer people now.

As if on cue, just as you finish up today's meal, as well as packing a few meals for the road, the Hawk kid runs towards you with the braiab in hand.

Fortuna rolls four 20 sided dices. A 16, 19, 14, and 7 is rolled.

"I got second place! Me and West got second place! >=3"

If you didn't know that Hawk kid would die of stress over telling a lie you would have assumed it as such. He proudly displays "West", the braiab, something he has decidedly personally named all by himself while taking out the winnings.

The prize they gained was a capture creature beginner set, with two rounds of bait, a nice strong wire rope for tieing up capture creatures until they learn to accept their fate, and one capture cage that could even fit a large capture creature. You snatch his winnings from him and start packing up your bags.

He seems....disappointed. He was expecting some sort of pat on the back but received nothing. You finished packing and started walking towards Slithers. Hawk kid held out the braiab while looking in your direction.

"C-Can I keep West? I love him. >=3"

You turn around to look him in the eye.

"We have to go now. =3"

You don't answer him. You don't care about "West" but you don't want to give Hawk kid anything of value.

You're not even sure if you hate Hawk kid enough to be doing this.

It's more of a display now. You're showing Hawk kid that you're in control, and he gets nothing until you decide so. You're the boss and he is the lowly lacky.

You and him climb up Slithers. You offer him the food you made and for the next month you two head south.

Fortuna rolls a 20 sided die. A 5 is rolled.

It's a rather tough trip, as food slightly becomes more elusive. It is also starting to snow slightly. It is officially winter and you have a hard time rousing Slither's to move every day. They wish to just burrow into the ground and wait it out.

It takes slightly longer than it should have, but you all reach a ruin. You see footprints all over the place, the weak storm attempted its best to hide them, and you suppose a large group had arrived at the ruins no more than a few hours ago. The footprints go into the ruins, but not out.

You decide this is an interesting enough place to bait for a capture creature at least once, so you toss bait down outside the ruins and wait.

You go to hide in a spot so you don't scare off any capture creatures, but something launches out at the bait before you can fully hide. The creature likely had been stalking you and Hawk kid the moment you guys arrived. Its movements are strange and unsettling on some level as if it were experiencing the world in a completely different way. It snapped at invisible competitors and at one point tossed itself on top of the bait as if protecting it from an onslaught.

"W-What is that thing? It's so creepy.... >=3"
Hawk kid whispers to you as he cradles West for comfort.

You take out your scanner and aim it at the creature.

"Oh. That's really freaky. =3"

>Well, you can't just not try and capture something so bizarreinteresting.

> New pet! New pet! New pet!!!!!!!!!

> Catch it.

> Go over and give it a hug.

hold it gently

Gotta catch em all. No really. All of them.

>Try to catch that MAJESTIC CREATURE!

>Catch it. Tackle it and forcefeed it the bait.

> Creepypasta pet!!! Just keep waiting until it eats the bait so it minimises the chance of aggression.

>Nope. Avoid, egress. Throw some more bait if you must, but do not interact.
>nothing good can come from this critter