Castaway Planet

Galactic Calendar 259872/ 2000 [ Sol Year 4387/ Day 154 of 365. Sol standard year]

Days after of Crash landing/ 3

Uninhabited Island /River Mouth near Sea

Galactic Standard Time / 0820

Xordig just stared in horror, shocked beyond words. He had thought the thing from the sea was a monster, but now they had a lot of them to deal with.

On one side was a large, green titan humanoid twenty feet tall. It didn’t have a face beyond a jagged line for a mouth and it had large muscles all over its body. It had four arms, the top pair ending in large claws and the bottom in thorn-covered clubs. Its legs ended in cross-facing claws with no feet, just pillar legs.

On the opposite side were two large fifteen-foot-tall brown insects. Their chitin-covered bodies reflected the sun’s light where they weren’t covered in dirt. They had six legs, a slim-looking body, and a segmented stinger tail. Their mouths were behind black mandibles and dripped a white liquid. Above was three eyes on the sides of their heads facing the group, and Xordig knew it had three more.

“Okay, I didn’t expect this!” Jinn said slowly.

Xordig felt a spark of anger, and then the anger faded away. From the attack the other day, to how Locke gained his powers, he was almost at the edge. But Jinn didn’t make this happen, and taking it out on him wasn’t right. A screech caused him to look at the creatures.

The insects screeched and charged, the giant roaring back. It threw its club right arm forward and hit the insect on the left, sending it flying a good twenty feet. The insect on the right screeched and opened its mandibles. From the open mouth, the insect fired a line of yellow liquid aimed at the Giant's face. The Giant reacted and raised its right upper hand with a large tree top first in the path of the liquid. The tree absorbed most of it, but some got onto the giant’s face. As they watched the Giant’s face started to smoke, causing it to screech in pain.

While this had happened, the insect that had been thrown had gotten back to its feet. As soon as it had, it charged at the giant, only for the giant to slam its right club into it. As the insect was slammed into the ground, the giant grabbed it with both hands and picked it up. With a single action, the giant threw the insect at the other one, sending both to the ground.

Xordig looked around the battle, trying to figure out something, anything to help. He saw two large holes in the ground and swallowed as he looked at Al. “So, how did those insects wake up?”

“I was firing at the small ones, and then the big one came. Then when it took a step towards this place, that’s when they came out of the ground,” Al said softly.

Xordig looked at what he was standing on and felt a spark of fear. Lower life forms only acted to protect their interests, nothing more. If they reacted when this place was threatened, then that meant it was important to the insects. “We need to move now please!”

Jinn looked up at Xordig, and for a moment Xordig thought he was going to say something. But then Jinn’s eyes widened and he looked down. “He’s right! Everyone else, fall back to the other capsule! Locke, you’re with me!”

“Don’t forget me too!” Jessie said with a grin.

“And you are?” Jinn asked as he looked at her.

“My name’s Jessie, but call me Jess! Security division back on the ship and I’m a great shot,” Jess, Jessie, said as she grinned at Jinn.

“Don’t forget me, my friend! With my Skill, I’ll get us there as fast as possible!” Burt said with a laugh.

“Fine, Locke don’t try and affect this place. It might end badly for us,” Jinn said as he looked at the ground beneath him.

Xordig nodded and when Jinn ran towards the slide, he followed. And no matter how much he told himself otherwise, it felt like he was following Racha into battle.

<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>

Al looked at Jinn and the others left, and for a moment he felt like following. But no, he had a different job to do. Turning towards the battle between monsters, Al swallowed as he took in what he was seeing.

The giant wasn’t steaming anymore, and with a roar, it charged at the two insects. The bugs had gotten back to their feet and split apart, but not before the giant had reached them. It swatted the one on the left away with its club hands. Turning towards the other one it snarled and roared again, charging at the bug with its fists raised.

As the others all watched, Al was swiftly gathering every bit of data he could. The most important fact was that the bugs attacked didn’t work long. That meant that the liquid had burned through itself, that it was meant to last a short time. Then that meant that it had a short period when it was active. Something like that was terrible for combat, but perfect for tunneling. And it might even…….

Al went still as everything suddenly made sense. Looking around he slowly swallowed and looked at the others. They didn’t understand, and that was enough for Al to move. “We’re leaving! Now! “

As one of the guards turned towards him, he scowled and grabbed him. “Now Nova damn it! Move it!”

Seeing the look on Al’s face, Sal’go looked at him and nodded. “Let’s move! Come on double time. Back to the camp!”

As the group started to leave the cliff, Sal’go moved towards Al. As they walked down the ramp, Sal’go leaned close to Al’s ear. “What is it?”

“Those things can probably dig through rock. And they protected this place from that thing. I think they buried their eggs here,” Al said softly.

Sal’go stopped moving. Al had moved five steps ahead when Sal’go started moving again. “Are you serious?!?”

“It makes sense. If something has a low fertility rate, then they will defend their eggs. From anything that might threaten them. That’s the only reason we were able to climb up here, those two couldn’t hear us!” Al said softly.

Already Al was going over all the limited information that he had about those two things. The picture that he was slowly building wasn’t the best, but it explained a lot. But a few of his deductions he didn’t have information for, but it made sense. From the way that the Vine beast to the vines themselves, everything fit together. Even the position of the False Plants, and how they hadn’t taken over the island.

“We need to get to that ship fast!” Al said as everything suddenly hit him.

“What are you talking about!?” Sal’go asked as they reached the ground.

Al only looked at him and scowled. “We’ll talk with your leader once Jinn is back. It’s bad,” Al said softly.

As they reached the river, Sal’go looked like he was going to say something when Al spoke up. “Where’s the dead monster?”

Sal’go turned his head and looked, seeing the area where they had fought the Kraken completely bare. It had only been a few minutes, what could have eaten it? He looked around, trying to find anything but there weren’t any signs in the rock that explained anything. He even looked around for anything that might have flown here, but nothing.

Looking around, Sal’go went still as he spotted something in the trees. “Move slowly across the bridge. Al, I’ve got a few explosives. See if you can tech them up to break the bridge once we pass.”

Al looked towards where Sal’go had and nodded. “Everyone across, now!”

As they moved across the bridge, a figure jumped to the front of the bridge on the side they just left.

It was a large five-foot tall green feline-like creature. It had three eyes above its muzzle, four limbs in the normal locations, and three long slim tails. The feline’s paws had four digits that ended in black claws. It looked at Sal’go for a few seconds before it nodded and dashed back into the forest.

“Cancel the tech up. What was that?” Sal’go asked in wonder and shock.

Al only laughed a little as he looked at where the creature had gone. It had barely shown itself in the forest, and now it had just given them praise or acknowledged them. “Something that doesn’t want to kill us today. And that’s a treasure. And once Jinn gets back and my team rests, we have to move on. That’s our mission and it might just save all of us castaways.”

Sal’go only nodded and sighed. “Fine. But Chief Arlon is not going to be happy about waiting. But he’s one of you, so he might understand.

“Wait, what?” Al said as he looked at Sal’go in shock. “Chief who?!”

“Chief Tomkin Arlon. He’s the leader of our camp. He was third in command of engineering on the ship,” Sal’go said with a frown.

Al was worried, very worried. He had met Tomkin Arlon once before when his brother became his teacher. The same teacher that their world had killed and whose actions had driven Al from that same world. The world that branded him a Heretic to be killed on sight.

“Oh. I never heard his full name before. I mean I only knew his first name really,” Al said as he tried to play off his shock. Sal’go looked at him and shrugged.

Al felt a spark of hope, if he could fool Sal’go he could fool Tomkin. Then he was able to get through the next few hours alive.

<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>

As Burt looked at the map he was making, he smirked as he led the way. They weren’t as far from the cave as he would have liked, and they were making good time. Soon they would make it there, and with his abilities and the others, they would survive. He frowned as he thought of what exactly they were up against, and the reality before them.

With the ‘Daughter Tree’ here, was anywhere safe? The tale of the Mother Tree was always one that made people scared to trust traders. Some people even argued that was the reason the Mother Tree did it, to allow her prey to weaken themselves. But the cities of the Jungle Realm had created trading places outside their walls. And while people were watched, it had allowed them to spot a few other threats before they became too much.

Plus he had heard about one other time years ago, when a Daughter Tree was found, a war had stopped. They had gathered together and burned the tree, destroying all its spawns. And from that came a wedding had come from both leaders' families and the cities had been united ever since. And that was because the one time the forces involved didn’t, the False Plants ate three cities! At least according to the person telling the story. He had thought they were myths, it was always a friend of a friend or a relative a few generations back that fought them.

But he had to wonder just why the False Plants hadn’t spread over the island yet. If they were as strong as the stories about them painted them, then how was this place still so ‘alive’?

“You good?” Jinn asked as they ran.

Burt looked at him for a second out of his right eye and sighed. “Just thinking about the False Plants. I have to be honest, I thought they were myths. I mean it was always someone you knew who faced them, never the person talking about them. And there was nothing about that giant thing in any of the tales!”

Jinn only nodded, a strange look on his face. “Then we need to take down this tree then,”

Burt only looked at Jinn and tried to keep from laughing. The very idea, it took hundreds of heroes who could use the Power to kill the last one! Plus the forces against had it easy, the Tree didn’t have a giant!

“You’re not joking?! But we’d need a lot more people or a serious tech base to even think of doing that….. ohhhh!” Burt said as he remembered just what Jinn was after.

If they could control just what that Yard-Ship made, then maybe they would have a chance. And he had to help them do that. If he could keep their loyalty, and show them that people born here were allies then they would join his side. And if they had the strength to destroy a ‘Daughter Tree’, then they couldn’t be allowed to join the other side.

“So Tech can be an equalizer here? So good to know,” Jinn said with a grin.

“And where would you get the tech in the first place?! I mean I’m only going to rescue my….. friend. Anything else, we’ll talk about it!” Xordig snarled.

“Relax my friend,” Locke said with a chuckle. “If J’s got a plan then he’s got a way! That’s something we learned about him a long time ago!”

“And where was that? Where exactly did you two even meet?” Jess asked from behind Locke.

All Locke did was look over his shoulder and grin.

“We can go over the finer points later, for now, we have to save them all!” Jinn said and Burt felt a flash of courage.

<>------------------------------------------------<>------------------------------------------------<>

Racha fired again at the green things attacking them! Everything had gone perfectly! Jinn and the others had gone and they were waiting for them to make it back. Then while she was on guard these green things appeared. No matter what she did they hadn’t responded, only coming closer. Only Paige suddenly appeared and fired at them. From the wound she made a black liquid came out, and then screeches came from the forest. Then all these green things had tried to break through, and no matter how many losses they took they didn’t stop!

“We have to keep fighting!” Paige said with a savage look on her face. “Whatever those things are, they’re not alive! All these things are nothing but hunger and rage!”

Racha spared a glance at Paige and swallowed. If not even the monsters they had faced got her this worked up, then what was coming at them? Already this island was making her reconsider everything she thought she knew. Before she thought everything followed a pattern, how the planets evolved made sense. But this place, everything about it was throwing that belief into the black-hole!

As she fired again, her shot destroyed the creature's head. She smirked, at least the idea of killing the head to kill something was still true.

“So, no way to get out?” Racha asked softly.

Paige just sighed and shook her head. “Roy’s trying to move the boulders, but really. It was luck we were able to push them aside so we could pass. Plus it might be bad if those things get access to the tunnel system,” Paige said.

Racha had a moment when she thought about how these things could get to the others at their base camp. And if the tunnels led to the rest of the island, then these things would find the other capsules. The beast that they had fought might hold their own, but all from the Spirit would die in the crossfire. So there was no choice but to fight here until they died.

As they prepared for their final stand, something new came onto the scene.

But a louder screech caused her to look up and stare in horror. As she watched, a ten-foot-tall green giant walk out of the forest. And it wasn't alone, there were three large green six-legged beasts following behind.

The giant was a basic humanoid, with bulging muscles below green flesh. Its arms were long and the right were claws and the left was a thorn-spiked club. Its legs were reverse-jointed and ended in three talons a deep jade that seemed to tear the earth with each step.

The beasts were large as well, each over five feet tall and ten feet long. They were lean, with a blank face and two fangs below their muzzles. Their paws each had four digits that ended in jade claws that seemed to be wet. On the Beast’s sides were spikes that grew from each shoulder and went out a good foot.

As Racha looked at the creatures she swallowed as she saw the plan the green things had. Keep the girls here, locked down for the slower mover to make it here. Then once it was here it would kill the threats, and the Beasts would go into the cavern and then through the tunnels.

“They got us good. Paige go help Roy, I’ll buy you as much time as I can by overloading my rifle. The explosion should take out the cave mouth,” Racha said softly.

Paige looked at her with a glare and Racha sighed, Paige had to have felt Racha’s emotions.

“You’ve got precious cargo to care for. Me, I’m Service. I knew I would go out this way,” Racha said softly before the giant and beast both roared. Before they even took a step, something hit all four of them and exploded.

“That’s not so bad!” Jinn’s voice caused the girls to look to the right. A party of five people came out of the forest, Jinn leading them and Burt aiming at the creatures. But it was the four-armed being that caused Racha to smile.

“Xordig!!” Racha cried out as she laughed a little. If he was here then maybe they would live through this after all. The two of them had fought together for years, and they had taken down worse robots before. If they had the others, then they would

“Hey boss, being getting into fights without me?” Xordig asked with a wide grin.

“Locke, split them up, then you and Jess handle one of those Beasts things! Xordig and Burt, Racha and Paige the other two! Me, I’ll handle the Giant!” Jinn said as he drew out his blade, turning it into a sword.

“You always keep the hardest things as your jobs, bro! We’ll finish ours and go help you!” Locke said that a pillar of earth the shape of a staff formed to his right. With a grin, he grabbed it and spun it around, a savage grin on his face.

“Don’t think you’ll kill it before I do!” Xordig said with a laugh.

“Crazy and arrogant, not bad!” Jess said with a savage grin.

Racha looked at Paige who only grinned and laughed. “Let’s not fall too far behind my friend!”