As Jack is finishing the last of the balloony, he’s stabbed in the side by what seems to be a grooved spearhead, without the handle “AGH! What the hell was that! Felt like a bee sting!” feeling around his sides he grasps the spearhead and pulls it out, inspecting it “This can’t be natural, that design is way to symmetrical and-” *Stab* “AGH!” “ANOTHER ONE!?” “REALLY!?” “Once I find whoever is d-” *Stab* “STOP IT!” turning to the side, Jack breathes out using his breath weapon instinctively, sending the wave of searing gas out wildly -this time much larger, almost five times larger- turning the tops short trees and bushes to ash almost instantly, and setting aflame anything not directly touched by the wave.

Including about thirty creatures hiding under the bushes, many of them dive off the cliff into the water, some make it, some don’t, some do, but hit themselves on rocks below. All of them are screaming. ???: “BLARGAGAHGA!!” they scream.

They’re quite low to the ground creatures, with three sets of legs, each like that of a plucked duck’s, they are also quite wide, with bodies like that of frogs, and a pair of eyes like that of a crocodile. All of them are wearing a strap with a pouch of the ‘spearheads’ attached to them under their flat mouths.

Those that make it to the water scatter in all directions, but away from Jack.

Partially blinded by uncharacteristic rage, Jack unloads another breath weapon, following the creature’s shadowy figures. He manages to get about half of them, but the others use that time to swim out of sight.

 J: “What were those things?” “They seemed to have both a plan, and weapons to execute it, leaving aside their plan’s intentions, that’s impressive.” “Wait, so does that mean…” opening his status quick he tabs over to Objectives and finds one he was expecting to clear today, and one he wasn’t, crossed off; ‘Reach 10 Meters’, and, ‘Kill Your First Sentient Creature’. This left him with only one objective left to clear out ‘Beginnings’

“Fuck.” “Those weren’t just sentient, those guys had to be sapient, otherwise I highly doubt they could’ve crafted these… Darts?” “Whatever they are, there’s no way they’re naturally formed, that not even counting those pouch things I saw, well, some are floating right there I suppose, but I don’t really want to mess with the, uh, corpses right now.”

“I don’t care how much growth they’d give me; it just wouldn’t feel right.”

Unbeknownst to Jack, the survivors had returned to their floating city, half the of buildings under the water, and the other tightly compressed above it, hidden in a rather swampy area of this planet. ???: “Is the beast dead? Where are the rest?” The survivors preceded to give as detailed of a report they could, emphasizing the monster’s long range abilities.