Chapter 2: Terrors of the Void

Imti throws another glowing ball of starlight at Big Momma, hoping to help others find the scavver against the expanse of space.

Quaxiver shook off the initial fear that overwhelmed him when Big Momma loomed so fearsomely in front of them. Now that he had normalised the experience, he was ready to take the fight to the huge scavver. He blinked forward, intending to fight the creature hand-to-fin, with Jzu perched on his shoulder to accompany him.

This One's next spell seems to wrack the creature with pain and it once more begins to flee.

Imti's shining bolt strikes the creature in the flank as it turns, burning a hole in its scaly skin and limning it with radiant energy.

Quaxiver teleports onto it as it flees, slashing it twice as he lands, cutting deep gouges into it and causing its scream to echo through the bubble of air surrounding the jolly boat. The energy explodes as the beast flees and it doesn't turn back, trying to rush off as quickly as it can, uncaring that Quaxiver is on its back.

With Big Momma fleeing, the hadozee didn't want to accompany the scavver to wherever its lair was. There was some distance between where he now stood, and their jolly boat. "Give us a little flap Jzu." But the hadozee of wildspace were familiar with how to glide from one height to another. Quaxiver needed to aim his trajectory right, and momentum would do the rest of the trick.

Imti immediately launches into space upon her broom to help retrieve Quaxiver. She knows the hadozee can glide, but he can still use a bit of assistance with lift or even just a simple tug.

The druid also summons a bubble of air around herself, Quaxiver, and Jzu to make sure they all don't suffocate.

Should we not follow it? End it?

"Thanks Imti," Quaxiver was glad for a gulp of air after leaving the air envelope of the scavver. He responded thoughtfully to This One's question, "Topolah did ask for us to slay the scavver. If so, it's best for us to follow on our main ship. This jolly boat can only get us so far, and has no defenses at all."

Krux nods, "I agree," he says, waving at the ship where you can see Mister Flinch at the helm, "Take out the beast!" he shouts.

Mister Flinch raises a fist in acknowledgement and changes course slightly to put the ballistae in line for a shot. As it turns, two ballistae fire and Starbough throws a couple of stones. Once the barrage is done, the scavver drifts limply through space, dead.

"Would've been easier to hunt Big Momma with the ship, rather than this puny boat." Quaxiver jested as their jolly boat pulled up to the Second Wind. "I wonder what else that scavver might've swallowed up..." he mused to Jzu.

This One flyes off to give Big Momma a closer examination. His mechanical nature gives him no problem being in the void. If nothing else, he can move the body to a better position.

Quaxivar's jest flies over Imti's head similar to This One's path. "We were going to hunt with the Second Wind," she says flatly. "Big Momma just went after easier prey."

Considering that This One might need help maneuvering the giant body of the scavver, and that her air bubble won't be going away anytime soon, Imti follows the mechagnome on her broom.

"We can let Topolah know she no longer has to worry about her biggest threat. Hope that keeps her corner of wildspace safe for her."

"This means Topolah will lend us her telescope now, right?"

Imti hovers over This One's shoulder, and with the curiosity of a cat she asks, "So... what are you looking for?"

I don't know yet - I am primarily interested in understanding its stealth ability.

Contemplative, Imti sits on her broom and props her feet upon the bristles, her elbows on her knees and her chin resting upon her interlaced fingers. "It's black like space and like most of us swimming through, hard to make a sound," she posits, floating just above and behind This One and thinking of the many creatures that use similar coloration. "Actually, do you make a sound flying through space? Do your metal parts jingle and jangle?"

"Look for stuff Big Momma's swallowed. I'll bet there's a ton of stuff!" Quaxiver's packrat instincts came to the fore. The scavver's main attack was to engulf its prey, so it stood to reason that there could be undigested things of value...

Imti, do you have a knife?
Quaxiver has a point.
This One flyes around Big Momma to its belly

"I actually don't have a knife," admits Imti. Instead she holds out one end of her rope to This One and says, "Tie this around her tail. We'll drag her back to the Second Wind."

The other end of the rope is secured around Hastain's trident, which is used as a rudimentary lever to gently pull the huge carcass.