>>5288455A few leisurely footsteps bring you to ‘A’s side, and after sitting down beside her you realize why the expression on her face pains you, so. You recognize the look in her eyes as the self-same one you had, when staring into Sam’s polished chrome. Exhaustion, loss, and the sheer strain of holding on to hope in a world gone mad…all that and more is reflected in her thousand-yard stare. This girl— Alicja—continues to fight against the Crucible every day, teetering on the edge of a madness that’s claimed countless others.
"I recognize that expression." You say, ‘A’ glancing your way as you speak. “It's an expression of pain, isn't it?"
“Whew, they weren’t kidding! That pill really do red!” She chuckles, weakly.
“I really do…and I wear that expression, too.” You continue, and ‘A’ finally turns her head to look at you…*really* look at you.
“Ah, we not so different, you and I. You, with saving the world. Me, with all these fuckin’ markers.” Alicja giggles, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand before fixing you with a brave smile. “I…I’ll be a-okay, Shufriend.”
“Okay…also, it looks like the rabbit hole you’ve been looking for is in the basement of the house. The post-credit scene's just up ahead if you're ready to visit."
“Give…give me a minute, but I won’t make you wait to go see the brick…HOUSE!” She replies. Reconvening with your allies in the center of the hutch brings with it some good news, both from them and your swarmlings.
“You see it as well, Miss Shu?” Dorian smirks, and you can’t help but smile back—through the eyes of your platoon, you’ve finally cornered your prey at one of the forest’s darkest recesses. Dorian’s Paintlings have hit home, the ill-defined figure lurking about a trio of rotting lung-arbors now splattered Pepto-Bismol pink. It undulates wildly, trying to rub off the tags to no avail before darting off into the dark, your swarmlings now hot on its highly visible tail.
With at least one task complete, you shift focus to the FuzzBuzzes that were tasked with capitalizing on Amara’s deft—and possibly desperate—negotiations, and you’re pleased to find they’ve done admirably. Using a similarly arcane method that allows them to siphon biomass directly from their foes and into your body, you feel your hive quickly fill with the explosive fruits of your hive’s efforts. Satisfied at the sheer quantity of ‘Nitro Honey’ that you’ve accumulated, you turn to ‘A’ to find she’s already beckoning you and yours to follow her out of the hutch.
“Home again, home again…” She declares in a sing-song voice, a chant that doesn’t stop until you finally catch sight of what was once the cabin through a gap in the tightly-packed thicket, and ‘A’ finishes her mantra with a very soft; “…figgity fug.”
(Continued)
