Published at 30th of September 2026 9:26 am

Chapter Interlude Odd Jobs IV + Arsenal Art!

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When I come to, my head is throbbing, and I feel dehydrated. How long was I out for? Slowly opening my eyes, I see that I am quite high up. Wrapped around all four limbs, my torso, and my neck are curling branches or roots, I guess, since everything around here is made of mushrooms. Scanning my surroundings, I spot Club, Spade, and Heart; all three are unconscious and tangled in the same canopy as me. Briefly, I consider cutting myself free, but the drop has to be over a hundred feet, and I'm quite low on metallic dust. Damn.

My throat is dry as shit, so it's been many hours, if not days, since we were captured. The question is who or what captured us. So far, every single creature we've encountered has been hostile, intent on eating us. Keeping us alive speaks to a level of intelligence that we have not yet encountered on this godforsaken mission. This sucks shit. I take a second to get a feel for any potential wounds, but as far as I can tell, I'm unharmed. Even roughly jostling around doesn't cause any pain or cause any injuries to flare up. Even stranger, I could swear that I sustained a rib fracture.

Spade, psst, Spade, I called out.

My oldest friend, my most trusted companion, and my partner in crime stirs slightly, and relief washes over me that I haven't lost her. Thank fuck. I don't know what I would've told her Mother if I'd gotten her only child killed. Not that I forced her to come here; we made the decision as a group, and therefore we all share the blame for this mission going tits up and sideways.

Spade, I whisper-yelled. SPADE!

Hmmph? W-what? What the hell hit me? She asked.

No idea. I just woke up a few minutes before you. Last thing I remember was that we were fighting that insect kaiju, and then the ground started to freak out. Then we were here, I explained.

We need to get the others awake. Once Hearts up, she should be able to free herself and then the rest of us, Spade replied. I'm unarmed; even my boot knife is gone. What about you?

I knew I was forgetting something. I can't believe I didn't notice that all my weapons were missing. All my guns, blades, grenades, even my spare magazines are gone. Another reason to suspect someone was behind our abduction and not something.

I'm out as well. Heart, wake up! HEART! I shouted.

The roots tighten around my neck until they're crushing my throat. My eyes widen as my air supply is cut off. I thrash around, trying to free myself, but then the roots wrapped around my limbs start to tighten and twist. Motherfucker. I HATE THIS PLACE. Spades voice is faint and fading, just like my consciousness. The lack of oxygen is messing with my sense of direction, because the ground seems closer than before. A lot closer. The blue grass and yellow dirt are swaying so much it looks like a sea of green. My face is flushed, heavy, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to die.

The rising ground smacks into me, or I smack into it; it's hard to tell. The mycelium noose releases me, and I greedily suck in air as I sprawl out on the alien ground. The thumping in my head starts to subside enough that I hear the rest of the Suits bodies hitting the ground around me.

What the fuck? Whe-uh ah we? Heart asked, her accent slipping out.

Relax, Heart. Were as in the dark as you are, Spade said, calming the other woman down. Why don't you take a look around for us? It looks like we're going to be relying on your ability for now.

Got it, Heart said.

Her shadow thickens and pools around her, dark, pulsing tendrils emerging from inside to wrap around her. Crossing her hands against her chest, she allows the limbs to pull her backward into the darkness. Both she and the shadows disappear, leaving the three of us behind. Just because she's investigating doesn't mean you can't as well. I climb up from the ground, brushing the dirt off myself. I might be able to use the little bit of metal I've generated to cut off a few branches and make us some spears.

Leaving Slade and Club in the clearing, I walk over toward the closest mushroom tree, my footsteps near silent against the squishy ground. The lowest hanging branch must be a hundred-odd feet up. Fuck this place. Shaking my arms dislodged the minor bit of metal dust I've accumulated. It's only fortyish grams, but it's enough to create a very, very thin blade. A wrist flick sends the ruler-shaped blade spinning up into the air. The rotating ruler saws straight through a branch. The branch drops, and I sidestep out of the way of the falling object. It bounces with a dull thud, and I get to work carving it up into four short spears. Shaving the smaller twigs off, I collect them together for a secondary idea I have. Im left with eight twigs that are straight enough to use. Forming the metal into wire-thin nine-inch sticks, I tunnel them into the center of the twigs, leaving just enough metal left over to make pointed tips for each one. My improvised arrows will allow me to fight at range and give me more options for whatever comes next. I carry my bundle of spears back to the others and drop them in front of them.

Take one. Were going back to the Stone Age, I joked.

Fantastic, Club remarked dryly. What am I meant to do with this? Im shit in CQC.

Sorry, they were all out of long-range rifles at the tree store. Dont worry though, Ill keep an eye out for any squirrels for you to possess, I replied sarcastically.

Hush, you two, Spade said suddenly.

I turn to see what my friends problem is, but her raised hand sign tells me that she found something. Or someone. I connect with the arrows I made, having them hover around me in a circle. Club grabs a spear and tosses me one as well. Armed and dangerous, or as close to it as we can get right now. The copse of mushroom trees were in prevents anyone from having clear LOS on us. It also means our own visibility is shit. Ive lost track of how long its been since we got here, and I have no idea how were going to be able to get back to the portal. I keep my doubts and concerns to myself; no use bothering the others with my misgivings.

I heard something, but its gone, Spade finally said, dropping her hand.

Was it those Spi-Deers? Club asked.

I dont think so; it didnt sound anything like them.

Damn it. I hate being stuck out in the open without a plan and my dick in my hands, I complained.

We have weapons and all of us are well rested. When Heart gets back from her reconnaissance, we will figure out our next move. Until then, quit whining, and stab anything that moves, Spade said.

Her words might sound harsh, but shes probably thinking the same things that I am.

Heart materializes a good fifteen feet away from the little section were camped in. Spade notices her and stops Club or me from stabbing the woman as she approaches. Its dark as hell, and its been half a day since she first left. I didnt worry that she was dead; the womans ability is perfect for escaping, but there was a possibility that she had been injured or captured by whoever ambushed us before. I kick the final spear at her, and she snaps it out of the air, testing the point on her finger until it pricks her. I just know that if I had night vision goggles on, Id see her making a face at the artistry of it. Beggars cant be choosers. Shes lucky I was able to make those; Im a mercenary, not a woodworker.

Report, Spade ordered.

I found a building. Its about twenty clicks north of here. It has to be where White Rabbit is; the place sticks out like a sore thumb. Its a floating crystal pyramid-like structure. Theres a portal the size of a small town below it, and whatever is on the other side of it hurts to look at. And whe Im in the Under, it looks like a white void. The pyramid has a ton of pipes coming off it, and every fifteen minutes the pipes let out a deluge of liquids and sludges that pour into the hole. Its too strange and alien to be from this world, so Im assuming it has to be related to White Rabbit, Heart reported.

There is a chance it belongs to the locals, Club countered.

Maybe, but Im going to say the gigantic portal makes it a pretty safe assumption to make.

Thats enough, Club; shes right, Spade said.

Did you get a look inside? I asked.

No, I didn't see an easy way in, and besides, that's not the only thing I found, she answered. I discovered a group of humanoid creatures, and I think theyre the ones who took our equipment.

What makes you think they stole our shit?

The group has powers, she said.

There are other Neuvohumans here? Spade questioned her.

No, they are definitely not human, Heart corrected. They are incredibly strange-looking. I observed them influencing the plant life to their bidding. It seems pretty clear that theyre the only ones who couldve captured us. I didnt observe them interacting with the pyramid; their primitive village is pretty far from it.

Whats the plan, Spade? I asked.

It sounds like it might be time to make contact with the locals. Who knows, they might have information to share. At the very least, they should have water and food we can borrow, Spade said.

What if they dont feel like sharing? Club asked sarcastically.

Then well slaughter them down to the last man, I answered.

The four of us are perched on a hill overlooking the aliens village. I dont know what I thought the locals would look like, but theyre nothing like I wouldve imagined. Theyre humanoid, almost aquatic insects. An average of five feet tall, they all have two separate sets of arms. One set is smaller, with webbed four clawed hands and double-jointed arms that come out of the front of their torsos. The second set is thicker, much larger, and ends in giant retractable blades like a mantis that touch the ground as they walk. The blades are embedded in the flesh and made out of a black metal that Ive never seen before. Duh, theyre aliens. Their legs are digitigrade and end in webbed toes similar to a duck's but with ankle spurs like roosters.

Unlike humans, these creatures torsos are the smallest part of their bodies. The legs make up over seventy percent of their height. Every part of their body is covered in a green-blue chitin. Their heads are gumdrop-shaped and oversized, like African plank masks. Theyre covered in thin fibers, with three orange eyes clustered together in the center above a mass of tentacles that end in pincers. I cannot tell any kind of difference between them that would denote age, sex, or individual identity. I can tell theyre the same species, but thats about the only thing I can be sure of.

I see the abilities that Heart mentioned being used in real time. Their domiciles are little more than dirt huts, but they lack doorways or windows. Instead, the creatures walk up and touch them with their small hands until their eyes begin to glow. Then the dirt, grass, and plant debris open up into a hole to allow them inside. The power works on any part of their homes, with the bugs entering and exiting from any side. There has to be a cavern below, because too many have entered the building and not come back out to fit in any of the homes.

I count thirty-eight hostiles, Club said. There may be some more that are hiding below, but Ive only been able to count the ones weve seen.

I dont know how he managed to tell them apart enough to get a count, but if you cant trust your teams reconnaissance, then you dont belong in the field.

Quite a lot of them if we go loud, Heart remarked.

If I had my sniper, Id say that this is nothing, Club said.

Going loud implies we have something that makes noise. We have pointy sticks and the few arrows I was able to make, I corrected.

Lets get a closer look, and well try and isolate one of them to gather information. Aim to subdue, not kill, but if we cant capture it without suffering injury, then we kill it. Normally, Id like to wait until nightfall, but Im growing more and more confident that wherever we are doesnt have a day or night cycle. Weve been here for over seventy-two hours, based on the accumulation of sweat on us. We cant wait and hope for a better time; we need to pounce now while were well rested, hydrated, and satiated. Get ready; were moving in five, Spade ordered.

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