Scoop the stuff out of the pit, then examine it.
If that's inconclusive, cut down another tree and dig at the base of that. Have Chin film from afar this time until the tree's down, then come in to watch me dig.
You dig out the crap in the pit and reexamine it, rubbing your hands along it's rough hewn walls. Well, theres no sign of a root system on he sides here, but the trunk keeps going down and shows no sign of thinning.
"Uh, thanks. So, I'll be one of the ones who heads back."
Grab Mr. Gutless and head on back to the shuttle.
You grab hold of Mason, who is still screaming, and start dragging him along the long path to the shuttle.
Hey, pick up Mr. Gutless before you start walking.
Pick up the remains of Feyri's body and start heading back.
We'll meet you guys at the campsite, Conrad. Try not to let any of them do anything exceedingly stupid. Again. I don't want to make this trip again before the mission is over.
You grab the headless, still smoldering corpse and join the grim procession back toward the ship, dragging the body through the sand behind you..
"Are you meeting up with us at the forest or back at your house? Also, I think I have a better idea. Are the searchlights portable?
((If yes)
Hey, guys carrying the corpses back. Mind grabbing the searchlights while you're there? When we set up camp we can have a small team use them to search for some stiltwalkers"
((This doesn't matter if it's a yes or a no))
Travis uses one of his stronger containers to pick up the branches, avoiding hand contact
"Alright, let's get a move on. The camp site isn't too far off I assume. We can continue our exploration there"
Travis follows the guide for whenever the guide decides to continue
"I'll meet you at my house. And no, they're about 250 lbs each and permanently wired to a generator, so they're not what I would call portable."
You scoop up the branches that Simus cut for you with one of your containers and stuff it into your bag before continuing on with the guide.
((PW, is some of this world inspired by the movie/book "Mist" by any chance?))
Thats that steven king book about a Mist full of monsters right? Not really. To be honest it's inspired almost totally by a dream I had combined with a recent rereading of the book "Blind Decent"
((Yeah, that's the one I mean. I only saw the movie, but some elements of this world reminded me of the book (well, it was a long shot actually but I couldn't resist asking). For example, the tall beings you described (sorry, I forgot their name) reminded me of some creature I saw in that movie and the mist also represented another dimension. It was low budget but i really enjoyed it. Especially because of the bad ending, where the hero shoots three of his friends in the head to save them from a more horrible death, only to find out it wasn't really necessary only a few minutes later. How often do you see that in a movie? Anyways, another thumbs up for your storytelling. It's addictive reading.))
I've only seen it once, and even then not all the way through. I think I caught the last 2/3rds or so.
And thanks, I try to keep it interesting.
No, this body is certainly fried. Though I don't know how much better has the medicine become in the last... how long have I been in stasis?.. doesn't matter.
I adhere to your advice, Milno.
Sure, Travis. About that from before - we'll talk at the campsite, okay?
Okay, we will need to get this body back to the shuttle too. Oh, you've already taken it, Simulacrus?.. ...Thank you.
Sorry for encasing your arm in medi-foam, Thomas - would you want me trying to accurately shove off enough of it? Also, wait a minute, please - I don't like the look of those cracks.
Now, Mason, you be a good boy and don't you try moving, okay?
Seal the cracks with more medi-foam. Head for the shuttle, help carrying Mason's and Feyri's bodies.
(( Honestly, what good is it doing you to wake up? ))
You squirt a bit of extra foam onto mason's copious wounds before grabbing his feet and helping Thomas carry him back toward the shuttle.
Charro milled about, watching helplessly as his teammates worked. He spoke up,
"Um... Is there anything I can do to help? Or shall I just stick with Mister Conrad here?"
>Stick with the guide for now.
You mill around, not sure what to do, but stay with the guide out of habit.
Gorat takes the crutch and hands the camera to Travis (I guess), then sees whether he can comfortable aim his laser rifle. Aim into the darkness, away from any teammates. No firing. Then he puts the rifle away again and moves to the guide.
Aiming with one hand while using the crutch isn't exactly easy, but you can manage, especially if you take a second to kneel and use both hands.
((What. The. F&&k. Did. You. Do. To. Me.
Well, at least Entry#2's prophecy in her diary came true...meh.))
Edit: Her heart had stopped. Now Maurice cut off her head instead of getting her heart to work again. Great.))
((Well, she's dead now by all occasions. Brain death, hello.
Also, hello new character.))
They can usually revive you as long as they get the brain tissue within roughly 5 or so hours. Stasis freezes that timer so as long as they book it back to the ship and huck your head into the pods, you'll probably be fine; there might be some stat loss, but beyond that, fine. It's never really talked about but they can literally reanimate dead tissue as long as it's fresh and not to damaged. That kind of technology really changes the way medical practitioners operate, since it's sometimes best to either let you die or just straight out kill you and revive you later. Look up information on how the medical system operates these days when you get back on board if you want to get an idea.
Mason attempted to stop screaming to say.
"I'll be ok, but seriously why the f$&k! did that douche shoot me i was heating up a metal tree, i wanted to collect a liquid sample, and speaking of that where the hell is my manipuator."
Attempt to get out of arms, use branches as a walking stick/crutch, get manipulator back.
[str:2-1]
[Maurice str:6]
You attempt to escape Maurice's grasp but only get a sprained elbow for your trouble.
The two teams part ways, one group heading for the entrance, the other for the camp. Both make it to their respective destinations in about the same amount of time; one to a squat sheet metal building and ring of lanterns, the other to the hovering black ovoid that constituted the exit to this strange dimension.