TUNETURNED

> Una seems a little bit startled by that first part.

Una: YOU WANT THE STUPID EARRINGS. FINE. TAKE THEM FROM MY GRIP.

> Una throws the things in your face!

> Got Laka's earrings!

Una: Kehekehe.....you may have your earrings back, but this won't be the last you see of me....now I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT IT'S LIKE TO NEVER BE FREE! KEHEHEHEHEEE!

> With that foreboding farewell, Una runs in the direction you came from faster than your eyes can keep up with. You hear a rumbling coming from the entrance. Travelling over to inspect it, the discovery makes your jaw drop. Somehow, someway, Una has trapped you inside the cave.

Ranger: Well. That just complicated things.

> You reluctantly stumble towards the completely wrecked animal.

Una: Gngh.....Useless....useless.....useless...

> Fortunately - or, morally, unfortunately, they still seem to be alive. Hanging onto life by a thread, but still kicking.

> Una's face twists around clockwise, positioning itself the right way. They laboriously find footing among the ruin floors, one arm grasping the other.

Una: What...

> They gesture with their stable arm something incomprehensible.

Una: W-What is it that you want?

Ranger: Ferrel? What in the gosh-darn dang nabbit has gotten into you?!

> Ferrel shifts around awkwardly in place.

Ferrel: E-excuse me for my sudden hostility, I only-

> Ferrel looks at you - no, more than looking directly at you - Ferrel is looking through you. A stare so deep it'd be disconcerting if they were the enemy in question, in another timeline.

Ferrel: *sigh* Balancer, I only want to protect you. The last thing I'd want is for you to fall to a preventable cause. If it happened again...there'd be no second chances.

> Ferrel's demeanor has changed completely, in a just as unexpected way.

> Just when it seems hopeless, you flinch. You hear a big, bad-sounding meaty slap. And a snap. You open your eyes to see that one of Ferrel's strange hair appendages is what blocked the attack. As the makeshift hand casts itself to the side, the scene becomes apparent.

> Una is lying on the floor, head turned to the ceiling of the cave, with their face flipped upside down. They're motionless, bar from a few twitches. You hear static, only to note that Una is the source. The knockback from the attack was clearly more than any of you anticipated.

Una: Hng....g-h.....g...tght....

Ranger: Oh...my sweet numbers...

> Ferrel draws in closer to the opponent.

Ferrel: .......Is that all you've got? Is that all you can deal? I could do this all day.

> A vileness, a hate, a genuine sense of loathing coats Ferrel's formerly relatively composed tone. It's so uncharacteristic of them it puts you in a light state of shock.

> Once the Hexbeast gets too close for comfort, you rev up your fist and sock Una in the face!

> ...Turns out their face is less like flesh and more like wood.

> Your punch hits with no less than a comical, ineffective thunk.

Una: Kehehe...? You...you PUNCH Una?! YOU PUNCH UNA LIKE A WHITE WALL?! HEHE! HA! REVENGE! ATTACK RAGED UPON THE BALANCER FOR 5 GATRILLION YEARS!

> Una leaps towards you! You need to find a way to block the attack, fast!

> You approach the wild beast with the swagger of a car salesman in his late 40′s. You say you have an heirloom that you got from your dad in Vegas. You don’t have a father. You cannot visualize Vegas.

> You say that this heirloom is rare and valuable. You begin to make up the ideal heirloom. It is a coin. Or is it a coin? It is a gold bar, or something similar. It is in the shape of a small crawling baby. The baby feels something. You are not one with the expensive secret baby. Maybe it’s not human. Maybe it’s your best friend. You are making shit up and you are lying to a monkey.

> Una seems intrigued. After stepping back from you, Una begins to approach with a regained sense of... envy.

> It seems to be working...

> You throw a banana peel directly at the Hexbeast.

> They have no reaction.

> You pull your party members aside a large rock, and give them the rundown.

Ranger: I ain’t got much, but I got a lasso! Don’t know if that’ll be any use, though.

Ferrel: As for me, I’ve got some spells that might be helpful. The only downside is that all my attacking ones take a while to charge...

> You give Una a banana. Una, pretty unsurprisingly, kicks the hell out of it.

Una: YAHAHAHAHA! I WILL KILL YOUR PIRT!

> Maybe that wasn’t the best approach.

> You try to run, but it's no use!

> Una catches up to you, and SWINGS!

Una: DON'T RUN, DON'T HIDE! I'LL JUST CHOMP AND I'LL BITE! HAHAHAHAHA!

> Like it or not, Una has forced you (and your party) into battle!!!

Dr. Hivebody: Um, what's going on? Wh-what's with all the commotion?

> You tell Dr. Hivebody about the cave writing.

Dr. Hivebody: Well. That's certainly...alarming. I'm not picking up a sign, oddly 'nough. All I can ask of you is to keep safe. You never know when these things will just come out and-

Una - WAIT WHAT: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTACK YOUUUUU!?!

> Una takes charge! You have to think fast!

> You turn to face the wall in question.

> Scrawled into the rocks with a jagged, frantic handwriting is the following passage.

"WHAT FUN IS IT TO SEETHE IN MY SEAVE!

SUCH LITTLE TO CARE, SUCH LITTLE TO GRIEVE!

SO I SIT AND SIT AND LAUGH AND SCHEME

WHILE I AWAIT TO ATTACK AND PREPARE TO DECIEVE..."

> You speed ahead, your arms outstretched for maximum speed! You can hear the not far off pitter-patter of your teammates behind you...

Ranger: HOLD YER HORSES, DARLIN'! I THINK I SEE SOMETHIN' HERE ON THESE THERE WALLS!

Dr. Hivebody: No need - all data suggests that the EXP Vault - being the Hexbeast - is dead ahead. I-it's best you investigate.

Dr. Hivebody: Please. Can we please make some progress here.