Sekani feels cold. He just wants to sleep a little longer...

He lacks the strength to open his eyes. All he can do is float along aimlessly.

Sekani hears a distant voice. It sounds like it's coming from everywhere at once.




"Little birdie, what is most important to you?"

The strength of fire, able to burn down anything in your path.

The gentleness of love, capable of both great good and great evil.

The finesse of wings, capable of flying you anywhere your heart desires.

>Flight. Flying is freedom and freedom allows one to do almost anything.

I do like how you mention that love is capable of good and evil, Slink. Not everyone seems to get that.

YOU DON'T NEED LOVE WHEN YOU HAVE

> FIRE

HEART! By your powers com-wait, this isn't Captain Planet. >_>

I'll go with flying since it always seems so important to him whenever it comes up, and being unable to fly ever would probably really depress him. :(

> Flight. Freeeeeeeedddoooommmm.

Fly for the skies, Sekani!

DESTATIIIII--

.... too soon?

> FLY, YOU FOOLS (Gandaaaaaaaaaallllffff!)

Sekani feels some of his strength return. His wings feel a lot better, but he's still pretty battered.

He sees something ahead.



"Little birdie, what animal do you most envy?"

The Nerat, tough and powerful, they're able to dig through solid rock without pause.

The Kisqueet, intelligent and crafty, they have a strong affinity with majicka.

The Gizu, swift and precise, they are the fastest land animal in the world.

Kisqueets sound pretty neat, even if their name sounds like a squeaky fart.

Totally not ripped off from Kingdom Hearts, no sirree.

>Nerat

This is COMPLETELY different from taking shield and shunning magic because magic is useless.

I took magic and dropped shield.
And it was awesome.

The alternative was shunning Sword and I could never bring myself to do THAT.

> I deny these answers and pick our old, lost companion kitty-thing who was both cute and brave.

> THE NERAT. HELL YES.

I'll go with with the crafty smart thing, any enemy can be outwitted if you're craft like a FOX I mean KISQUEET.

>I envy none, for I have wings and they do not.

"You seem confused. I totally feel you there.

"Maybe it is your faithful companion you wish to be like? Strong, brave, compassionate."

Kitty! :D

> KITTY

>same

Okay, not really, >Kitty >_>

Actually, no, I take it back. Sekani loves the kitty, but he does not envy the kitty. For he has wings.

DAMMIT YOU GUYS DON'T YOU REALIZE HOW AWESOME PANGOLINS NERATS ARE >=(

KITTIES ARE AWESOMER

YOU LIKE CHI DON'T YOU? D:

I DON'T

Even after death, Ziki appears to help Sekani in his time of need. Thank you, old friend.



Sekani's tail feels much better. The strange being moves away as a small light appears.




"Little birdie, your mind is full of conflict. You seem confused about your feelings..."

"Who means the most to you?"

Yourself.

>THIS

Can't take care of others if you can't take care of yourself!

> Agreed!

>Ziki.

"This birdie really likes his kitty-type-creature."

Kitty!

I could vote for Jini if you'd rather, she's my favorite, but Sekani hasn't met her >_>

> Myself

i think this might end up unanimous...
-Yoru

It certainly seems that way~

Yes, we're all voting for Yoru!

Yep, that looks like a Sekani, there.

>DILIA, YOU IDIOTS

> OBVIOUSLY MY SECOND CHOICE.

"Yourself...?"

Good Sekani! Creepy Sekani is not cool. D:

> "It's something I build as I go along. It won't ever be 'finished' because it's always changing. But I still care about it very much."

:D

> MUTANT POWERS > NOT MUTANT POWERS

Well when you put it like that...

> MUTANT POWERS

The you that retains self-control and a sense of morality and rational thought? =|a

Majibeasts are sentient! And sometimes rational! Morality is an artificial construct created to make the weak feel good about themselves!

Granted, neither Dilia nor Jini seem particularly amoral once they stop taking advice from Iiji. Clearly Majibeast are simply in need of better role models.

Well, I see Jini as a sociopath, actually. Just less scary and more adorable >_>

>The me that I was and shows all that I have done. The the me that I am and shows all that I am. The me that I shall be and shows all my potential

Yes... all sentient beings contain both good and evil. To shun either one is to shun everything that makes Sekani who he is.



Sekani feels warm and at peace for the first time in many years.



He always hated himself for being so weak and such a coward. The death of his companion weighed heavily on him and he'd always beat himself up about everything he did or failed to do.

But now he feels a strange sense of pride. Ziki loved him, and Amiel and Dilia both seem fond of him. Maybe he's worth something after all...?



Sekani flies towards the strange light. It must be the ticket out of here!






What is this place?

"Your mind is strong, little-- um, mister birdie. It's like someone is watching over you."

What?

"Now, finish your transformation!"






"You're awake! And now you look so pretty~"

Oh geez it's a ki-jaara! It's holding Sekani's hand in its own, and it has these huge claw-things that's holding onto his shoulders! What should Sekani do?

>PANIC
>then look around

> Gasp out "DON'T KILL ME" while panicking

>Be Manly and assume she's not a threat yet.
>Ask her name, introduce yourself and politely ask what's happened? LAst thing you remember is Iiji mind controlling you.

GO GO SAILOR SEKANI.

Compliment her on the hair band! It's very nice.

> PANIC
> Er, thank her and tell her that you think her hairband looks pretty too?

>PANIC
>Gasp out "DON'T KILL ME" while panicking

Sekani isn't a coward anymore!

..."P-please don't kill me."

"I don't kill people anymore since Amiel told me people don't like dying~"


>Ask her name, introduce yourself and politely ask what's happened? LAst thing you remember is Iiji mind controlling you.
"My name is Jiniki. I'm a beautiful princess~

"Amiel gave you some weird blue stuff and you collapsed. Since you were in Mi-- Iiji's control you got trapped in your mind. I had to jump in and save you~

"I sounded really cool, didn't I? I used big words and everything~"


It-- She lets go of Sekani's hand. He realizes his hands look a lot different. His fingers are long and slender, a far cry from the short and stubby fingers he had all his life.



>Look around

Amiel and Dilia are sleeping.

Sekani asks how long he's been out. Jiniki says that it's probably been several hours. She spent a lot of time preparing the awesome orbs to show Sekani.


>Compliment Jiniki on the hair band! It's very nice.

"Thank you~"

She is kind of adorable. Sekani smiles at her. His balance feels different. In fact, a lot of him feels different. He's a lot more "aware" of the air around him and the majicka Jiniki emits from various parts of her body. He feels a lot lighter than before. He could probably set a new world record for flight speed. He doesn't feel as strong as he did before, but he feels...

He feels good.

Sekani's transformation is complete.

BECAUSE SOME OF YOU WERE THINKING IT:

SEKANI IS A PRETTY PRINCESS TOO

Amiel and Dilia are laying adorably right there. Sekani's arms are huge now.

>GROUP HUUUUUUG

> ... test out your new skills =>

[wording puzzle to figure out how to fly]

GODDAMMIT

OH COME ON.

Sekani got hawk-eyed, or something! Yikes.

So. Ask Jiniki where she came from and what we've missed. Also ask her about Iiji - she seems to know her.

> Also comment that the crack in her carapace is shaped kind of like a rose and it's really quite cute!

You guys gave him bird and kitty; it's lucky he can see at all! Crap, birds aren't colorblind, are they?

Making people colorblind requires me to utilize photoshop, so probably not.

Birds can see UV light! They have better sight than us in some ways.

AWESOME. Now he has to tinge all the panels so we can see the ultraviolet parts!

>"You did this? Why? How? Not that I'm complaining..."

> Go to main menu. Select ALTERNATE OUTFIT: PRETTY PRINCESS.
> Thank Jiniki for helping. She did a good job!

>GROUP HUUUUUUG

It's pretty obvious they fell asleep from exhaustion after waiting for him as long as they could. Sekani hugs them both.

After all they've been through, he thinks he might actually be falling for them. He wishes he could have them both as girlfriends, but he doesn't think they'd go along with that.
Well, Dilia might...

>"You did this? Why? How? Not that I'm complaining..."

"I didn't really know what I was doing. I kind of just winged it and it ended up working! My majicka is super special."




>Comment that the crack in her carapace is shaped kind of like a rose and it's really quite cute!

"Thanks~ You guys are so nice and make me feel really pretty~"


>Ask Jiniki where she came from and what we've missed. Also ask her about Iiji - she seems to know her.

Jiniki updates Sekani on her encounter with Amiel.

"Iiji was always super nice, but she's been a lot less kind since you showed up. She still wants me to kill Amiel and the pony but my majicka is super strong so she can't control me. I can't make her be quiet, though.

"I came here a really really long time ago before everything blew up! Mommy said to let them try to heal my cracked carapace but while I was in the lab everything was like BOOOOM and BLAM and then mommy disappeared and I never saw her since. I still miss her sometimes but I'm okay now."


>Test out your new skills
Sekani excuses himself and heads out to take to the skies.

Wow! Sekani can fly so much faster! Sekani flows through the sky with the same ease and control as a fish swimming in a pond. But something's missing...

...Oh. Sekani doesn't have his AWESOME TEZAKIAN FASHION PANTS. He should see about getting those back once he lands.



Sekani saw part of Iiji's mind while she controlled him. She's waiting for them inside that building. But Sekani also learned of something very important in the COMMUNICATION BUILDING. He should...



Oh shit!

> DO A BARREL ROLL

>DO A BARREL ROLL
>USE THE BOOST TO GET THROUGH

Haha! These beams are way too slow to hit Sekani!



Hahahahahaha!



Hehehehehe!






"You are a lot faster than I expected, little bird."

Hmm. Sekani's low light vision isn't as good as it was, but he can feel a powerful majicka around him. That's definitely her.

> Punch her. In the face.

> With fire.

FIRE GRENADES

and get us back to that train of thought regarding the communication building.

>FIREPU awww, they beat me to it.
>LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE

Oh no, we lost Sekani Jr.! He was in the pants! AUGH NOOOOO.

> Take a moment to mourn the loss of your son/daughter/egg

>And you're a lot uglier!

Also, you fight like a dairy farmer!

ZING.

>Oh no, we lost Sekani Jr.! He was in the pants! AUGH NOOOOO.
>Take a moment to mourn the loss of your son/daughter/egg

Sekani doesn't care about the egg!

It...

It wasn't even his! He um, needs a moment. Iiji's making him cry with majicka somehow.



"You hear me, don't you? I'm glad it was only my long range communication your whore of a girlfriend knocked out. Now, for what reason have you--


>FIRE GRENADES

"Whoa! So quick to attack! I didn't even get my dramatic speech in yet~"

A strange shield blocks Sekani's attack!



"Hmph. Your majicka is weaker now. Did you choose wings? What kind of idiot chooses freedom over power?"


>Punch her. In the face.
>With fire.

"What do you know about freedom!? You can't even move!"



"Yeah, that's not going to work."



"You're no different from any of us! You're no queen!"



Sekani is repelled! His majicka is just not strong enough to take on Iiji alone. He may have to consider retreating for now so he can come back with his friends.

"Well, that was amusing. Can I give my dramatic speech now? I promise it's only fifteen minutes long and totally unskippable~"

WOW only 15 minutes THAT'S AWESOME. (sarcasm)
>while MS.TOO COOL TO CARE QUEEN aka iiji is making her speech get away while its distracting her.

^^^^^u know like in the movies?^^^^^

Yeah, press the triangle button on this one.

Let's get out of here and reconsider our options.

>Vow to return with the BLINDING MIGHT OF FASHION

> Huh. 15 minute speech. Ask Iiji how long she's been lonely.

>Let's get out of here and reconsider our options.
>Huh. 15 minute speech. Ask Iiji how long she's been lonely.

Sekani offers a witty quip about Iiji's loneliness as he takes off for the hole he came in from. She starts swearing as she charges more laser beams. Dodging them is so fun!



Haha Iiji can't hit him~
Is she just that bad a shot, or is he that swift a flier now? He likes to think it's the latter.



Had Sekani chosen fire, he might have stood a chance head-on... but he also would have easily been shot down if he could even fly at all. He thinks he made the right choice in the end.

But he's going to need more than speed to beat her. Iiji really seems to hate a certain trinket that she locked away in the rarely-used COMMUNICATION BUILDING. He only caught a glimpse of it in her memories, but it looked like a medallion. For simplicity, he decided to refer to it simply as the AMULET.

He could go after it, but he's really tired and the girls looked really comfortable. The sun has only recently risen (or whatever it does with the world missing), so he should still have time to get a few hours sleep if there's nothing else for him to do.

>Ask Jini if she thinks the maji- Ki'jara in the pool area would be willing to join their merry band?

> Yes this! Consider making sandwiches as an offering of good will.

Why bother having an inbetweener? Sekani's hit his level cap, he can probably take on that jerk if she won't play nice.

>Visit POOL like you own the place. Handle any unsuspecting doors.

Well, Jini could tell us about her (I forget her name), what she's like, and how best to convince her to be swayed to our side!

>Visit POOL like you own the place. Handle any unsuspecting doors.
>Entice Ki-jaara from swimming pool room into joining our party.

It's true that Sekani could probably take her on-- she looks slow and he's now able to use his wings to maneuver quickly even if he doesn't have room to achieve flight-- but he doesn't have any BLUE SOLUTION to break Iiji's hold on her. He'd rather not be limited to begging them to join or killing them outright.


Sekani heads back to the hallway.


Heeey. He was going to take that spot!

"Hi birdie~"

Jiniki is still awake. Sekani considers calling her "Jini" for short.


>Ask Jini if she thinks the maji- Ki'jara in the pool area would be willing to join their merry band?
>Yes this! Consider making sandwiches as an offering of good will.

"Tayza? I don't think so. She's super mean and acts more 'feral' than the rest of us."

"What if we made her a sandwich?"

"Um... I guess if we feed her a sammich she'll like us a lot better maybe~"

Is there anything else Sekani should ask Jini? Once he's done, he'll go ahead and get some sleep before doing anything else.

>Ask what sort of powers Tayza has so we're prepared for them, also how powerful they are.

>Ask what sort of powers Tayza has so we're prepared for them, also how powerful they are.

"She has healing majicka, so she's super hard to hurt. She also can't really hurt anyone except by clawing or biting them or stabbing them with her tail. I don't hang out with her much cause she always calls me mean names and says to stop cheating and running away but that's no fun~"

...All right, then. With that, Sekani drifts to sleep.



Hours pass...




"...And then my brother was like, 'dude, I know you like the stuff but you can't expect to live in a house made of ice cream without a few issues coming up!' So for the next few months his friend had to live with him, but they let me eat part of his house so I was happy."

"Your brother has some silly friends~"



"And then..."
"Oh, mister birdie is awake now~"



Oof! Amiel hugs him just as he gets up.

"Oh Sekani! I'm so glad you're okay. I was really scared for a while there and then Jiniki said to let you sleep cause you were tired but I wanted to hug you so badly and I'm just so glad you're okay!"

Should Sekani...?

> HUG HER BACK YOU FOOL

Sekani hugs Amiel back. They've been through so much together, and not once has she stopped believing in him.

His emotions get the better of him.

"I love you."



"You what!?"



"You what...?"

OH SHIT

QUICK WHAT RYHMES WITH LOVE

'I LOVE YOU ALL YOU'RE JUST THE BEST FRIENDS A GUY COULD EVER ASK FOR REALLY GROUP HUG!'

> I LOVE UNICORNS. THEY'RE SO SPARKLY.

>I LOVE UNICORNS. THEY'RE SO SPARKLY.

"Hahaha they sure are!"

"That's not what you said~"



>'I LOVE YOU ALL YOU'RE JUST THE BEST FRIENDS A GUY COULD EVER ASK FOR REALLY GROUP HUG!'

"Well come on and hug me I'm really soft and fluffy now!"

They're totally not going to buy that.




"Yaaaay~! Hugs~! Oh wow you really ARE fluffy~"



"Thanks to Jiniki Amiel and I have been able to talk while you were out flying, and we're okay with whatever you want to do. But you shouldn't run away from your feelings, sweety~ I'll be... fine, if you prefer Amiel as your girlfriend. You've already done so much for me. Of course, if you want me instead I won't argue~"

Maybe now would be a good time to figure out what he wants. There's a lot of work to be done and this might be his last chance, if their eventual fight against Iiji doesn't end in victory...

It probably wouldn't be nice to Amiel if he realizes he's actually more fond of Dilia after what he just blurted out, but she's a grown woman. Surely she'd understand.

Can't he just pick himself like last time? Aw man...

"Obviously we're not going to pressure you into anything now, just think about it, okay~?"

>Glance longingly at Dilia

> With a sparkly, bubble effect background.

> Ponder aloud the benefits of a menage a trois

You guys are all horrible. XD

Blush and mumble and defer any love decisions until later. We gotta creepy bug lady to deal with. Besides, friends are awesome, anyways.

>Glance longingly at Dilia
>With a sparkly, bubble effect background.

....


>Ponder aloud the benefits of a menage a trois

"You know I'm totally up for that~"

Sekani kind of is too-- No. He couldn't possibly...?


>Blush and mumble and defer any love decisions until later. We gotta creepy bug lady to deal with.
Y-yeah. Sekani shouldn't just assume they won't survive. There will be plenty of time to sort this out later.



Amiel says that it'll be a little longer before her clothes are dry. Maybe this would be a good time to see Grasshopper? Sekani could also just head on into the RECREATION BUILDING since him, Dilia, and Jini would be more than enough firepower.

...He wonders why she feels the need to cover up. He hardly cares and Jini and Dilia are both female anyway. Must be a Lian thing.

>GO get some blue sollution
>Get ready to find the last Ki'jara and hopefully convince her to join TEAM AWESOME AND TOTALLY NOT A HAREM.

OH COME ON JINIKI IS MORE LIKELY TO GET WITH AM--

AND IS JUST A KID!!

She's the Sasami of the group, obviously.

Grasshopper may have learned some FUN stuff from those things you brought him

>Go find out what

>It's time to find out about those solutions.

"QUITE_A_CROWD_TODAY."

Grasshopper has been spending 97% of its CPU analyzing all of the SOLUTIONs, and it thinks it has a good idea of what each one does. It can't be completely certain, unfortunately.

The GREEN SOLUTION Sekani found seems to invoke an increase in majicka, but it also makes them act more like slaves. Had Sekani taken it, he probably would have been lost to Iiji's control.

The DARK GREEN SOLUTION Amiel found seems to halt the production of majicka. Maybe it was intended for use when majicka users lose control of their powers. The effect is only temporary, however.

The BLUE SOLUTION found by Sekani is flawed. It restores the individual's personality, but causes a huge shock to majicka cells. The damage fades quickly, but is enough to shock the heart into arrest. Grasshopper thinks it has managed to complete it per Amiel's request, so that it should no longer cause a jolt to the system.

The LIGHT BLUE SOLUTION found by Amiel returns the cells to the way they were before "infected" with majicka.



In essence, the BLUE SOLUTION is the cure.

However, it seems it would take the entire vial to cure one person, so if they wanted to undo all the mutations, they would have to decide who needs it most.



"I could turn back to normal...? I could be myself again?"

"YES_BASICALLY."

Sekani has prayed for this news since he started growing new parts, but now...

> But now Sekani thinks we should use the light blue solution on Iiji

> THIS!

Using it against Iiji sounds like a good idea.

Unless Jini or Dilia want to return to what they were...?

>But now Sekani thinks we should use the light blue solution on Iiji
>Unless Jini or Dilia want to return to what they were...?
Yes. Sekani really likes what he's become. It should be used on Iiji, unless...

Jiniki says she's super happy with how she is now. She gets to glow purple!

Dilia says she would kind of like to be "cured" because she feels she forgot something important, but it's not that big a deal. She's also happy with what she is now and the experiences she's had with Sekani.

Sekani considers his options. Dilia would like to be cured, but would be content if he decides to save the cure for Iiji.

What should Sekani do?

[SINGLE IMAGE UPDATE BROUGHT TO YOU BY MY TIRED HAND THANKS TO A FUN AND LONG OC SESSION]

Well that was my second choice so I vote yes, let's cure Dilia.

It'll be easier to have a menage a trois that way!

Maybe we should save the cure until after we've dealt with Iiji, too. After all, lightning might come in handy against the bigbossbug, and the cure probably means no more Majicka!

If we can find another way to deal with Iiji (say, what's waiting in the comm building again?), then the cure can be used on Dilia!

> If it would make Dilia happy, opt to save the LIGHT BLUE cure for her; ask whether or not she wants to wait before or after confronting Iiji though.
> We can still stab Iiji with the BLUE one. Keep the DARK GREEN one close, though.

>This one.

>Set the LIGHT BLUE SOLUTION aside; we're probably going to need it for GOOD END
>Inquire about formula synthesis, and/or possible combinations using the blue and green solutions at once

>If it would make Dilia happy, opt to save the LIGHT BLUE cure for her; ask whether or not she wants to wait before or after confronting Iiji though.
>Set the LIGHT BLUE SOLUTION aside; we're probably going to need it for GOOD END
>Maybe we should save the cure until after we've dealt with Iiji, too.

"Would you be okay waiting until after we've dealt with Iiji? I want to keep it around just in case it's the one thing she's not immune to or something."

"That's fine with me, sweety. I'm happy just being with you~"


>Inquire about formula synthesis, and/or possible combinations using the blue and green solutions at once
Grasshopper doesn't have the supplies to create more of this stuff. It'd probably be able to do it if it had a CENTRIFUGE, an INCUBATOR, and some TEST TUBES. The remaining formulas that Amiel and Sekani brought are mostly ingredients for these SOLUTIONS. Not enough to make another CURE, though.

It doesn't recommend mixing the solutions. It has no idea what would happen.



>We can still stab Iiji with the BLUE one. Keep the DARK GREEN one close, though.
They head to Amiel's clothes. Sekani takes the DARK GREEN SOLUTION so he can add it to his inven... um...


"Where's my pants? Weren't they put out to dry with Amiel's clothes?"

"Um, I think your clothes were burned away by the energy you released when you transformed. You made a whole ton of fire like FWOOSH~!"




What!?

> Scope out your GF adorably falling on her ass over there

> VOW TO BRING IIJI ONCE AND FOR ALL AND END THIS HORROR OF A FACILITY, AVENGING YOUR PRECIOUS PANTS!
> Inspect that junk Amiel just dumped on the floor. Maybe something can be fashioned into a solution toting belt.

That's a spiky effect I was using to show that her bottom hit the floor. SORRY IT IS NOT SOME SECRET CROWN OR NINJA STAR

...Um. Ask her if there were any egg-like or BIC-like objects that she noticed rolling around anywhere. ;.;

Drat, beat me to it.

>inquire about the safety of others! No one was burned too badly, were they?

>VOW TO BRING IIJI ONCE AND FOR ALL AND END THIS HORROR OF A FACILITY, AVENGING YOUR PRECIOUS PANTS!

Sekani will possibly cure Iiji, and then he will give her a very stern talking to!


>Scope out your GF adorably falling on her ass over there

"Owwwww..."

That is just too cute.

Fondness for Amiel +1


>inquire about the safety of others! No one was burned too badly, were they?
Nobody seems to have gotten hurt by his release. Jiniki thinks it dissipated very quickly as it left his body. His clothes were just, you know, right in the heart of the blast.



>Um. Ask her if there were any egg-like or BIC-like objects that she noticed rolling around anywhere. ;.;

Sekani asks about the EGG and the BIC.

"Actually, I grabbed both of them from you for safekeeping. I have them in my--"



"--pocket."

> Go help Amiel get dressed

>No, don't, she's gotta get through these trials and tribulations herself. IT IS HER EPIC BATTLE! Amiel versus... PANTS

>Instead get distracted by the egg and the BIC. Oh, and check on those other eggs too! ANd Ask Jini if she has any idea who made them.

Oh crap, gotta dump all this before I leave for work. Screw you, two-command rule, I have a lot of updates to cover.

All this talk about clothing reminds me. Amiel's the only person in the facility that can go near that black cloth, right?

>Consider making some sort of cloak and/or armor out of scavenged cloth.
>Make MENTAL NOTE not to hug Amiel while that plan is in action.


>Try to remember where those gold syringes from a few chapters back ended up. Grasshopper may want to see those. Gotta get all those research points.
>....Briefly consider some sort of cocktail involving the gold, green, and blue solutions. And Amiel. Just sayin'.

>Also consider how useful a healer is in any boss fight. Still gotta visit the pool before going into the final dungeon.

>Oh, and let us know how long it would take to ransack the labs for the stuff Grasshopper wants. Too many plans involve using too much solution to rule it out.
>How portable is Grasshopper, for that matter?

>Go help Amiel get dressed

"Oh! Thank you. Just hold me up for a moment, okay?"

....


>No, don't, she's gotta get through these trials and tribulations herself.

No no it's okay Sekani's totally cool with helping her it's what friends are for.

"There! Thanks."


>Try to remember where those gold syringes from a few chapters back ended up. Grasshopper may want to see those. Gotta get all those research points.

"Grasshopper already has those. That's why he was able to figure out what everything did so quickly~"

"D-Dilia!"

"Hi Dilia~"



Sekani's inventory has been restored. Though holding SEKANI JR. in his hand might not work so well. Amiel agrees to put it in her inventory.


>Oh, and check on those other eggs too! ANd Ask Jini if she has any idea who made them.

"Didn't you make them~?"

> Ask Grasshopper if we can charge the Uhiki'sha. Give it to Amiel if you can! Nonlethal weapons are nice to have.

>Get ready to go talk to the pool Ki'jara whose name I still can't remember.

ALso...

>No, males don't lay eggs =|

>Ask Grasshopper if we can charge the Uhiki'sha. Give it to Amiel if you can! Nonlethal weapons are nice to have.

Grasshopper offers its SOPHISTICATED RECHARGE PORT. It will take an hour to charge, so they should come back after dealing with the Ki-jaara.

>How portable is Grasshopper, for that matter?
Grasshopper is not programmed to leave the room. Its path-finding would completely fail if it tried.


>...Briefly consider some sort of cocktail involving the gold, green, and blue solutions. And Amiel. Just sayin'.

What, turn Amiel into a Ki-jaara? Sekani really doesn't think she'd appreciate that. Besides, it might be wise to keep at least one person completely and utterly immune to corruption.

Man she'd be spiky.

>Get ready to go talk to the pool Ki'jara whose name I still can't remember.
Didn't Jiniki say her name was Tayza?
Someone will have to stay in the COMMAND CENTER to open the

Hahahaha.



Hmm. This looks different from last time. Not a good sign.

> PUNCH EVERYTHING

>WITH WINGS. since we gave up fire...

...You've seen him use fire twice! Or three times.

It's not QUITE as powerful as it was getting near the end, but his fire is still pretty gewd. That's right I said gewd.

NO, WE GAVE IT UP. THIS MEANS WE SHOULD USE OUR WINGS MORE THAN OUR FIRE!

We also gave up love, but that suuuuure didn't stop Sekani from blurting things out.

Okay, you got me. I only said "with wings" because Guin expected me to say "with fire"

He's quite the little rapscalion! or however you spell that!

> maybe go through the door first before you start swinging though

We are SO far past caution right now

>Burst dramatically into the room. Bonus points if someone is riding Dilia
>"Adult swim! All rogue Majibeasts out of the pool!"

>even more if it's Dilia.

Dammit, now I want to see Dilia riding Dilia.

> Convince Jiniki to add "In the name of the moon!"

Oooh, ooh, get Amiel to get the pencil rose thing going again.

Don't get your hopes up too high, we're still relying on my artistic talent here!

>DO THIS

Also

*randomly steals the time helmet*

>Burst dramatically into the room. Bonus points if someone is riding Dilia
>"Adult swim! All rogue Majibeasts out of the pool!"
>Convince Jiniki to add "In the name of the moon!"

*Crash!*

"Adult swim! All rogue Majibeasts out of the pool! Because apparently you're all children!"

"In the name of the moon, we'll kick your butt!"

HELL YEAH




Oh.

Nobody's here.

...Oh. Huh.

Why does it look like something's been torn apart in the drained pool?

Also, peek into the sauna.

>Run towards the Sauna! SCREW INSTRUCTIONAL SIGNS.

>Run towards the Sauna! SCREW INSTRUCTIONAL SIGNS.

Wheeee!




It's really dark in here. There's a big wall, and it looks like there's a few trees and bushes. Sekani "hears" a voice, but it's not Dilia or Jini.

"The prey has arrived~ Now the hunt can begin~"

"Aw, I don't like playing with Tayza," Jiniki says, "I never get to be the hunter."

They outnumber her, but if she gets the drop on them she could do some real damage before they have time to react. Sekani might want to try and get the drop on her instead.

THAT'S NOT A SAUNA

> fire, right at them glowing eyes in that bush

>fire, right at them glowing eyes in that bush

There's nobody there.

"...And she cheats."

Amiel sighs heavily.

"I guess I owe my survival trainer 10 bucks. I really didn't think I'd need that night-time hunting course."

Call out to Tayza and ask her what she eviscerated in the pool.

>Ask Amiel "what's a buck?" and tilt head to side.
>Shout "we're here to talk! Would you please come out, Tayza?

> Invite Tayza to join you all for some sandwiches.

>Call out to Tayza and ask her what she eviscerated in the pool.

"They were prey. They don't taste very good, so I just left them in the pool~"

Klis-khar corpses... what else is new?


>Shout "we're here to talk! Would you please come out, Tayza?
"Hunters don't talk to prey!"

She sure is chatty for someone who doesn't believe in conversation.


>Ask Amiel "what's a buck?" and tilt head to side.
Amiel explains that the original creator of Lian currency was Tedanzi Bucken, the first director of treasury. The money is actually called the Bucken, but they call it the Buck for short.

Amiel currently has 61 bucks.

>Invite Tayza to join you all for some sandwiches.

"I already have food coming to me. It looks like I'll be having some bird meat tonight~"

Sekani hates that everyone's calling him a bird. He is not just some run of the mill aviator! He... he shoots fire!

Amiel whispers. "What if one of us draws it out so the others can flank it?"

This could work. Should they try it? If so, who should be the one who attempts to out-hunt the hunter?

Sekani's the quickest and he has room to dodge into flight mode sooo

> Did somebody just volunteer to be the bait, Sekani?

:Sekani-no:

WHAT'S THAT? YES? YOU DID?

Jini's magicka is strongest...

>JINI, I CHOOSE YOU!

> Sekani, we picked wings for a reason. TIME TO SHINE.

Awww, but this might be our only time to use dilia or Jini...

But this might be our only time to get to play as Jini or Dilia!

YOU JINXED YOURSELF

Yeah, I refrshed and it didn't look like my first one was there, so I guess some glitch made me post twice. Oops.

"He is not just some run of the mill aviator! He... he shoots fire!"
Yeah, he's a fuzzy bird that shoots fire! Like some sort of... cat-dragon hybrid!

...Wait.



Stealth is a funny thing. You can't do it in bright light or when you are on fire.

>Start burning trees. They don't belong in a desert anyways.

>Sekani, we picked wings for a reason. TIME TO SHINE.

Being hunted... it's just like before. No, he's not going to let it happen again. He's stronger now.

Why can't he stop shaking...?


>Start burning trees. They don't belong in a desert anyways.

Wait. Who said this had to be a game of cat and mouse? Let's see her hide with everything on fire!



Sekani controls his flame with an unseen level of finesse. There must be more to choosing KITTY than he thought. He is able to light every single tree and bush in a single go.

It smells kind of weird. The trees were probably fake.



"No! My hunting ground! You asshole!"



"I'll fucking kill you!"

She lunges at Sekani!

> MEET HER WITH YOUR FIST

> SCRITCH BEHIND HER EAR IN MOMENT OF WEAKNESS TO PACIFY

>Tickle her! It's harmless, but still an effective form of torture. Hopeflly we can get her to relent this way instead of just making her angrier.

Jini, Dilia? Help plz?

Iiji can't hit your with LASERS. Things that actually EXIST have no chance.

>Go evasive. No need to attack yet

...your what?

Your OTHER lasers, obviously. You should start using those.

>Go evasive. No need to attack yet

Sekani effortlessly hops out of the way with the aid of his wings.


>SCRITCH BEHIND HER EAR IN MOMENT OF WEAKNESS TO PACIFY

Lians don't have ears! They have those little hole things. The same holds true for this Ki-jaara.

"The prey is fast. But it will pay! I will take all of its organs and--"




"uh..."

Sekani swings around behind her!


>Tickle her!

"Hh Hh Hh Hh!" It makes a sound that Sekani assumes is laughter.

"I... hate... y-you... so much! I w-will...kill you!"




*Thock!*




"Looks like the hunter has become the hunted!"

"Hurray! I finally get to be the winner!" Jiniki says excitedly.

Amiel continues, "That solution has disabled your majicka. Now would be a good time to talk to us like sentient beings instead of like animals."

"The hunter can't be-- Argh! This isn't fair! You cheated!"


That was one short battle. Let's hope Sekani isn't that fast at "everything".

TICKLING FOR THE WIN!

>Explain situation, try to persuade her to join TEAM AWESOME AND TOTALLY NOT A HAREM. Explain the many many benefits of being in such a group such as "regaining individuality" "Not being under an evil queen's rule" and "getting to see the outside world again!"

>Explain situation, try to persuade her to join TEAM AWESOME AND TOTALLY NOT A HAREM. Explain the many many benefits of being in such a group such as "regaining individuality" "Not being under an evil queen's rule" and "getting to see the outside world again!"

"The alpha says you're lying. She says you're trying to take all the prey for yourself!""

"Well, she's kind of a lying b-"



Ghck!

Sekani feels a very sharp pain in his back as the Ki-jaara stabs him with her tail!



she escapes his grasp

it... it hurts

getting dizzy

world spinning



The world becomes dark and sketchy as Sekani loses consciousness.

"The huntress always gets her prey."

"Sekani! No!"


Control of Sekani has been lost. Please select a character to control.

> JINI TALK TO TAYZA 8(

HEY, SHE CHEATED

>Jini time!

Jini, talk that bitch down!

(Also, Amiel, theoretically you know what to do in case of Lian poisonspining, right? First aid plz.)

>Jini, talk that bitch down!

Oops, Jiniki thought you said knock her down! This is good enough, right? Jiniki hopes so. She wants to be a good girl.

"I still can't believe you're doing this. I watched over you for eons, and out of nowhere you side with the rogue bird and those bitches? You're really hurting your queen, you know!"

She's been like this the entire time.


>Amiel, theoretically you know what to do in case of Lian poisonspining, right? First aid plz.

"Tayza used to be a Lian. You should know how to cure it right Amiel?"

"Of course not! We're immune to our own poison!"

"Just let him die. We'll find another to be king. It only took four lifetimes for this one to show up, right?"

Jiniki doesn't know how Lian poison works, but mister birdie probably doesn't have much longer. Aw, Jiniki doesn't want him to die. That'd make Amiel super sad!

Well, shit.

Get Sekani onto Dilia and have them go off to see Grasshopper. Hopefully he'll know what to do. Amiel can go too if another pair of hands is needed.

Jini should stay here so Tayza doesn't go anywheres.

> SUCK OUT THE POISON

> alternately, yeah go rush him to Grasshopper

>Get Sekani onto Dilia and have them go off to see Grasshopper. Hopefully he'll know what to do. Amiel can go too if another pair of hands is needed.

"I'll watch over Tayza for you. Hurry and heal mister birdie!"

"Thank you, Jiniki. We'll be back as soon as we can."

They leave.



...Now what?

"You're letting-- urgh-- the prey get away! Why are you helping him!?"

"Yeah! You're letting her prey get away! That's not very nice!"

It's not...?

"It's also not nice to hunt Mr Sekani and Miss Amiel and Dilia, so shove it, meanie!"

Reason with Tayza. Wouldn't hunting Iiji be much more of a challenge?

> Yes, this!

> Hunting Iiji would be the best prey of all. It would be a lot cooler than just hunting birds!

>Firepunch Iij- wait, what element do you use again?

>Block off mental link with Iiji. She's been annoying.

>"It's also not nice to hunt Mr Sekani and Miss Amiel and Dilia, so shove it, meanie!"

"I'm not the one doing the hunting, you idiot. W-wait. I didn't mean that..."

Jini really doesn't like this new side of Iiji. Nor is she very fond of Iiji's new hobby of trying to bite her head.


>Firepunch Iij- wait, what element do you use again?
>Block off mental link with Iiji. She's been annoying.

"You can't block me! Stop that! Stop that right now!"

Jini's element is special! Most Ki-jaara control things like fire or electricity, but she was infused with TRANSDIMENSIONAL MAJICKA. She can move around objects to some degree, and she can also manipulate other majicka.

Speaking of which, Jini concentrates on shoving away Iiji's own majicka.




"Stop, damn it! I created you! You would be nothing without me...

It's silent. Blocking Iiji will tire Jiniki out over time, though. Maybe she should take some of the solution that set mister birdie free?


>Hunting Iiji would be the best prey of all. It would be a lot cooler than just hunting birds!

"Why chase after a little birdie when you could hunt something super mega huge like a bug!" Jiniki asks.

"What. You? I always catch you. If you weren't so overpowered, you wouldn't escape each time."

"Bigger than me! Like, super big! You should hunt Iiji herself! She's like the ultimate super duper mega prey!"

"Hunt the Alpha...? She's been our leader for as long as I remember. She made it so I could hunt. I can't just betray her!"

> "But if you caught her and you became the alpha then you could hunt whatever you wanted!"

> And if you can catch her, then she clearly doesn't deserve to be the alpha anymore, does she?

>She also told me she doesn't think you can hunt well.

>"She has been alpha a long time, hasn't she? You sure she isn't too old and weak to keep her spot?"

>"Sure, she's powerful, but she's losing it, too. She lost control of Dilia. I don't need to listen to her. She can't even control who was supposed to be the alpha male! What could you do as alpha, Tayza?"

>"But if you caught her and you became the alpha then you could hunt whatever you wanted!"
>And if you can catch her, then she clearly doesn't deserve to be the alpha anymore, does she?

"I can already hunt as much as I want!" Tayza insists.

"I guess so, but if you catch Iiji then she isn't worth being an alpha and then you'd be the alpha and she'd have to do what you say!"


>She also told me she doesn't think you can hunt well.

Even Jiniki wouldn't fall for that one, silly~


>"She has been alpha a long time, hasn't she? You sure she isn't too old and weak to keep her spot?"
>"Sure, she's powerful, but she's losing it, too. She lost control of Dilia. I don't need to listen to her. She can't even control who was supposed to be the alpha male! What could you do as alpha, Tayza?"

Jiniki never NEEDED to listen to Iiji, she just never had a reason not to until Amiel came and opened her little eyes.

Jiniki continues talking while releasing Tayza. "Iiji's still the super mega ultra prey, but she's getting weaker and old and mean and grumpy. She's lost Dilia, and she can't even convince mister birdie to become her boyfriend! Wouldn't you do a much better job if you were in charge?"

"I... I'd have easily kept everyone in check. I would have had that bird wrapped around my finger before it realized what was going on. This entire mess would already be solved."

"Sure! I guess I mean Amiel and Dilia probably wouldn't like that but they probably couldn't stop you from trying!"



"You're right. I'd handle this so much better than she has. I'd handle everything better. This place needs me."

"Yeah! Totally!"



"All right. I'll take on the greatest hunt and seek out my own alpha."

"Hurray! Why don'cha join us~?"

"Join with you and the bird? No thanks. Besides, I'd rather hunt her my way. Still, if you need anything at all, just call me and I'll come. I owe you for opening my eyes."

Jiniki could use her long-range communication ability to call out to Tayza if they ever need her HEALING MAJICKA for anything.

Hooray! :D

Let's go see how Grasshopper's making out with Sekani, shall we?

Hopefully not with his lips...

Pity we disabled her majika so recently. We could *really* use some help curing Mister Birdy.

>"You wouldn't know anything that cures your poison, would you?"

>"You wouldn't know anything that cures your poison, would you?"

Tayza shrugs. "Sorry, I've never had to worry about it. Well, I'm off to continue the hunt. Maybe you can be a part of my new pack once I'm in charge."

"Byeeee~! Good luck~!"

Tayza leaves.


>Let's go see how Grasshopper's making out with Sekani, shall we?

Everyone seems so sad. Amiel is squeezing her tail into a glass and releasing some poison.

Grasshopper thanks her and says he'll prepare an antidote immediately.

Dilia attempts to comfort Amiel. Thankfully she can now hear her a little.

"Hey, don't worry. He'll be back up in no time, blushing adorably as we hit on him~"



"Y-you're right, of course. Thanks, Dilia..."

"ANALYSIS_COMPLETE. MATCH_CONFIRMED. I_WILL_BEGIN_ADMINISTERING_THE
ANTIDOTE_IMMEDIATELY. PREDICTING_A_75%_CHANCE_OF_SUCCESS."

Grasshopper turns around and prepares to inject mister birdie with the anti-venom. Hopefully they got him back in time.




Amiel walks up to mister birdie and takes his hand into her own.

"S-Sekani. I don't- I don't know if you can hear me, but if... if it means anything, when you said you loved me..."



"I... I think I feel the same way."