== > Be Future Hestus.

You are somewhere dark. Gloomy.

There's a splash of blood on the wall.

You smile.

Just slightly.

HESTUS: ~I'm so sorry for this...~

YEAH NO YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE FUTURE HESTUS YET.

== > Be CURRENT Hestus.

Alrigh1, 1ha1 sounds reasonable.

You are now CURRENT Hestus.

== > Get Cariel into the Medium

In your haste to help Iferna, you forgot about your actual client player! Cariel needs to get in! Hurrying fast, you deploy the Cruxtruder, Totem Lathe and the Alchemiter.

You rush through the movements as quickly as possible.

Wait, what are you going to alchemize the kernelsprite with...? You decide for no particular reason that it'd probably be best to alchemize it with one of the very few items that can't kill you in Cariel's house.

Or you could go the easy route and just use her lusus.

== > Troll her and let her have a say.

tardisAlmagation[TA] began trolling angelicTravesty[AT].

TA: ~So wha1 should we alchemize 1his spri1e wi1h?~

AT: +-- ...eh, my lusus works. I'D prefer for her noT To dIe In The incoMIng meTeor shower.

TA: ~Sounds good! On ano1her note, who's your clien1?~

AT: +-- our resIDenT furry.

TA: ~Why does everyone insis1 on ha1ing her... pla1onically, of course.~

AT: +-- I haTe mosT of you plaTonIcally. Half of the people playIng are coMpleTe IdIoTs.

TA: ~D:~

AT: +-- LIsTen, we have More pressIng maTTers to deal wITh than who I haTe.

TA: ~Fine, I'll jus1 pro1o1ype i1 with your lusus 1hen.~

tardisAlmagation [TA] gave up trolling angelicTravesty [AT].

You prototype Cariel's sprite with her Lusus, a CANNIBAL DUCK.

Yeah she's got a strange Lusus.

Well, you've got that take care of. Looks like she's chosen a Blade for a Cruxite Artifact. Good for her, you guess. But now you've got to head over to LoCaT.

== > Continue approaching gate.

You continue approaching your first gate. Your consorts have not appeared at all. You are the slightest bit worried something absolutely terrible may have happened to them. However, you do have your lovely screwdriverkind strife specibus and your sprite. You prototyped it with a clock and an extra fez. It is a lovely and wise sprite and you are very proud of yourself.

And... there's the gate right there! Hopefully the elaborate self-defense system will be sufficient in case some asshole comes along and screws with your hive. Anyways, you do have the keys to the TARDIS so it's not like anyone else can get in.

Joke's on them!

You jump through the gate and fall right on top of a tree.

Lovely.

Picking branches out of your clothes is not how you want to spend your time.

Ugh whatever. Time to find Iferna and get Hekata in and then get on with the actual game.

So where's Iferna's hive likely to be? Probably in the densest thicket of gorse you can find. Hurrah for picking branches out of your clothes.

Probing the wilderness, you come across a clearing with... a sprite in it? It's crouched in the corner.

Uh oh... he's looking at you.

SPRITELOG

Brokensprite: IT's yOu

Brokensprite: YoU WHo DesTRoyEd Me

Brokensprite: YoU WIlL UNdO ThIs OR PAy fOr wHaT YoU'Ve DoNE

HESTUS: ~Look, uh, I don'1 really 1hink...~

Brokensprite: YOU WILL PAY

== > Strife

Strifing with a demented cat sprite isn't how you want to spend your time either. But you don't have a choice. He's coming at you, and fast. Raising your screwdriver, you charge.

The cat's faster than you are. It hisses and slices down at your face. You hastily block it with your screwdriverkind and push the clawing, scratching paws aside. As a burgundyblood, you aren't violent in nature and have little experience fighting. In fact, this might even be your first strife. You almost had one with Desten but really that was just you crying while he sat there and broke your Tardis.

This is similarly one sided.

After a few minutes being trapped under the yowling feline, you smack him over the head with your screwdriver. It seem unfazed, and you decide to try a different approach. You attempt to run away, but the cat hisses, slicing you across the chest. You scream as loudly as possible while attempting unsuccessfully to flee.

== > AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

DIALOGLOG

IFERNA: WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS DOING///

HESTUS: ~Jus1 s1rifing wi1h your demen1ed ca1~

HESTUS: ~Oh, by 1he way, I'm Hes1us...~

IFERNA: oh uh its you then///

IFERNA: sory this is my sprite/// hes prototyped with one of my friends before this awful game started///

IFERNA: so ur gona help me or somethin///

HESTUS: ~I think so~

HESTUS: ~But~

HESTUS: ~How?~

HESTUS: ~Your spri1e has me 1rapped! I can'1 even 1RY 1o leave 1his fores1 clearing wi1hou1 him clawing me all over!~

IFERNA: hey uh broken heart plz let him up///

Brokensprite: HISSSSSSSSSS

IFERNA: HISSSSSSSS!///

Brokensprite: HISSSSSSSSSS

IFERNA: HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSS///

This continues for at least ten more minutes before eventually Brokensprite lets you up.

HESTUS: ~1hanks...~

IFERNA: no problem/// all the same you you should probably get that old hag into her land/// cuz theres a meteor coming toward her block///

IFERNA: shes freaking out epicaly its hilarious/// (hehehe)

HESTUS: ~She's no1 1ha1 bad, you know.~

IFERNA: HISSSSSSSS/// you dont know what shes done///

HESTUS: ~...~

HESTUS: ~Alrigh1, 1ime 1o be 1he responsible one. Give me your husk1op and I'll ge1 her in.~

Iferna hands you her husktop and you are presented with an image of Hekata in her respiteblock. She appears to be peering out the window nervously. And for good reason - meteors are hitting left and right.

As you deploy the cruxtruder, Iferna sulks off into the forest dejectedly. You hate to see any of your friends like this, but Iferna seems as inconsolable as Brokensprite seems demented.

HESTUS: ~Hey Iferna...~

IFERNA: can i just be left alone///

HESTUS: ~Yeah, sorry.~

HESTUS: ~I jus1 wan1ed 1o say, well...~

HESTUS: ~You're a pre11y cool ca1.~

The smallest of smiles flits across Iferna's face. Then she's lost among the trees.

== > Be the guy you've forgotten about.

That's all of them.