#leby

Xe knows xe shouldn’t be out here on xeir own and without telling anyone, but xe could’ve sworn xe saw a blue glow in the mess over by the tall papery things, and xe has to check that it’s what xe think it is. Sure, xe initially spied it last week, and sure, xe and xeir friends were fleeing for their lives at the time, but still!

After not-so-subtly asking one of the lookouts about it back in the village, xe learned that the eye and the creature attached to it weren’t around, and that certainly allays some of xeir worry.

Lorlei creeps slowly along the edge of the shelf, xeir antennae waving incessantly to pick up any scent of danger. Xe ducks back and lies still as one of the toxic things floats by with the aid of its gas-filled sacs. After several minutes of hiding, xe drops down and runs quickly across an open stretch. It was right around… aha! The roach skids to a halt and quickly reaches through a tangle of wire to grab the small blue crystal.

But as xeir fingers wrap around the small rock, something else wraps around xeir arm. Lorlei yelps, strikes at the living cord, and jerks xeir arm free, but before xe can run, an otherworldly pressure paralyzes xem. A bright gleam in the darkness causes all but one thought to vanish from xeir mind.