text | morning | 030

[lonelynotforsaken]

[ LO431Y | TEXT | 030 ]

Hi, everyone!
Jet and I made it past all of the rivers on the west/northwest side of the island.
We took a few detours and I've been moving kind of slowly.
So, I think someone could reasonably make the journey in about four days.
We could shorten it if we can put some nice sturdy logs down across the river branches near the hotel.
I think that could really help in making it easier to get down to the base from this side of the island.

No animal attacks! :)
But we might have just got lucky.
We did hear some weird stuff going on the day before yesterday, though.
Did anyone else hear a sort of rhythmic thrumming?
I wasn't sure if it was just over by us.

Comments

text | KD201D

[obeir]

I heard it as well. Early in the morning a couple days ago at camp, northeast from the airfield.
Immediately afterward hundreds of crabs began to rise out of the ground all around us.
Seemed disoriented.
Luckily we were able to get away before they swarmed us.

[ K includes a low-res monochromatic video file of the event in question, most of which was shot while quickly moving in the opposite direction from the growing mass of crabs. ]

Glad to hear you two are doing okay.
Making bridges like that at each river is something I've wanted to do to help people cross easier.
Unfortunately I currently lack adequate tools. But it's a good idea.

[lonelynotforsaken]

Oh, my god?

[This is like the fucking... Vast monster in Simon's domain? Maybe this is a world that's been smacked across the face with every Dread Power all at once.]

Why crabs?
What?

[obeir]

The sound must've agitated them. Or summoned them?

[ Because it definitely felt more like they were... called, somehow. Deliberately. ]

It doesn't seem like normal animal behaviour.
Or at least I've never witnessed anything like it before.

[meadqueen]

It seemed to me some kind of blind migratory behaviour, so summoning would make sense. I do not believe the ones that accosted me were even aware of my presence.

[obeir]

That could explain how we were able to escape these ones. I'm not sure they were really aware of us yet. Didn't want to stick around to find out.

[ But more importantly: ] Still no signs of Maddy? Or Zam? I hate to think of them out there alone potentially getting caught in something like that.

[ Especially Maddy, who he suspects doesn't have much if any wilderness survival experience beyond what Levi's been teaching her. Zam is a different case. ]

[meadqueen]

It’s good that you didn't: the force of their migration through this area knocked down trees.

No signs of anyone who has disappeared in this way. I hope if they have been taken away somewhere they can take care of one another.

[obeir]

Those who've died are normally revived shortly afterward, aren't they? So Zam... I'm really hoping this means she was returned to her place of origin. Along with the others who've disappeared.

[ He'd be able to enjoy finally having a break from back-to-back-to-back rescue missions more if not for how much he's worrying about Maddy. Her disappearance is too recent to really guess at the cause. The others have been gone long enough and with no traces left behind that it's easier to assume they're no longer on the island. He's been through this multiverse experience before... even his one-time boyfriend vanished in a very similar fashion, and K's never seen him since. ]

On the upside, there's an abundance of crabmeat now. Wish I had the ingredients to bake proper crabcakes, but maybe I can improvise.

[meadqueen]

"Normally" is still less than five times. I'm not certain we know enough to make assumptions with any accuracy, though I hope she has returned safely to her home as well.

[The talk of crab cakes makes her feel a bit homesick. If they were guests at her home, she could have Merton make those fish cakes of his that she’d enjoyed so much for everyone.]

It’s truly absurd. You should have seen Squalo returning with it.

now that we know the crabmeat shouldn't be saved........ lol

[obeir]

I suppose it is wishful thinking more than anything.

[ Way to be a downer. 😔 Even if she's right. And unfortunately now it's K's turn to be a downer. ]

It's a shame so much will go to waste. Any crabmeat older than a few hours isn't safe to eat, even if it's cooked. Be sure not to let anyone eat anything you can't verify the freshness of, it could make them extremely ill.

[meadqueen]

We can't let it immobilize us, but I don't want to forget them in case they need help later.

[Of course. She probably should have guessed that something given in such abundance on this island would not be safe for them.]

I understand.

[lonelynotforsaken]

Okay, but someone is saying that there were morse code vibrations that spelled out an ominous poem
And then threatened everyone???

[Should he mention- No. No, he's trying to be careful still. He's managed to keep his mouth shut about things for a month. Better not to break that streak.]

I get why people think there are gods here.

[obeir]

Very interesting. So the crabs *were* being compelled or controlled in some way, you think?
That tracks with what I witnessed of their behaviour.

[lonelynotforsaken]

Seems like it.
Maybe the whale god?
Or at least what people think of as the whale god here.
Or the trench monster, if that's actually something different.
I wonder if it's connected to the storms, as well.
They weren't that far apart.

[obeir]

Whale god. Could make sense.

[ Especially in light of what he and Senku learnt from IN732Q. ]

You might be onto something with it being connected to the storm too.
The possibly artificially-induced storm.
Did you see the lights in the ocean afterward, as well?
I managed to record one on my phone. Hoping it might help Senku and co. when they sail out to investigate.

[lonelynotforsaken]

I did.
Weird stuff.
I'm surprised your phone still has a charge, though!
Android or iPhone?

[obeir]

I barely use it. Only for important things like that.
Seemed important at the time, anyway.
Wallace Corporation. Same company that manufactured me.

Would be kinda funny having an Android phone, though.

[aluminumandash]

outta the fucking ground?

[obeir]

Yes. Between the rumbling and the initial sensation of the ground beneath us roiling, I thought it might be an earthquake. But it was all crabs. Some also came out of the trees.

[aluminumandash]

you remember where you were?

[obeir]

Next to one of the rivers northeast of the airfield.

[ K sends through another close-up of Randvi's map, this time with a small stone placed to mark (X.D.5) where he'd made camp with Senku and Harley. ]

The Crabbening seems to be over, but might want to take precautions all the same when camping near water.

Still no plans to come to the airfield yourself?

[aluminumandash]

no plans to announce plans over the walkies

howre you doing that? [ Taking pictures. Capturing—broadcasting—fucking video. ]

[obeir]

[ Fair enough. Maybe one day K'll be part of the cool kids club and kept in the loop about what people are up to. ]

Camera transceiver attachment. It's how I've been sharing [ Randvi's map. But... this is public; he's been specifically only sending the map to callsigns he knows belong to fellow kidnappees. Maybe best not to mention it. ] the other stuff, too.

[aluminumandash]

[ Anyone can join, all you need is a grievous injury and no regard for your own life! ]

senku made that? lens too?

[obeir]

It was found on the island. Plugged it in and it worked.

[aluminumandash]

[ And here he was dreaming of fashioning a pinhole camera...but even that's not necessarily safe to share. ] yall had a look at its insides?

the camera, i mean. maybe senku could cook up something similar. [ Not a camera, not without a lens, but a recording device would be useful. ]