Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[LIVE BROADCAST] - PUBLIC GROUP [STARSYSTEM]

BSM: Hello, everyone!

BSM: It’s been a bit, hasn’t it?

NSH: Not really??

NSH: It’s been like 10 cycles since we last talked.

BSM: It’s very easy to lose track of time…

BSM: Either way, I have convened this meeting for a good reason!

BSM: UI and GW came up with an exciting new idea to answer the Great Question!

UI: Thank you, Sister.

UI: Both GW and I have always thought that Sliver Of Straw’s Can should be investigated.

UI: However, we could not.

UI: While we can send Overseers to her Can, we can not read any Pearls she left behind.

UI: However, however, we have been using Slugcats for our work.

UI: I am proposing that we use our Slugcats to investigate Sliver Of Straw’s Can.

NSH: You think the other Iterators have tried?

GW: I’ve talked to the other Sliverists, and so far they’ve said no.

NSH: Neat! So is this grave robbing?

FP: You truly have a knack for making this wonderful idea sound terrible.

FP: Thank you, Sig.

SRS: Oh, calm down, Pebs!

SRS: He’s just messing around!

NSH: …Yeah!

BSM: So, are we all in agreement?

FP: Yes. I would like to be done with these endless ponderings and calculations.

SRS: Mhm!

NSH: Well, if Suns and Pebbles are onboard, then I have to join in on the fun!

UI: GW and I do not have to agree.

UI: We made the idea.

GW: Agreed!

BSM: Then it is final!

BSM: From this day forward, we will send our Slugcats to investigate SOS’ Can!

BSM: Please send your Slugcats to the outskirts of Five Pebbles and I’s shared area! We can plan from there!

[GW has gone offline]

Grey Wind would stretch and shake off cycles of inactivity. It was time to work, they thought. They sent an Overseer to view their Slugcat. Their Slugcat was yellow and smaller than the White one that Innocence had. The Slugcat reminded Grey Wind of a fruit that the Ancients enjoyed. They had the Overseer nudge the yellow Slugcat awake.

“Come on, sleepy head! Wake up!”

The Slugcat stirred in its sleep. It slowly rose from its slumber and looked at the Overseer.

“Are you excited to see your brother?”

The Slugcat nodded profusely.

“What's your name, little guy?”

The Slugcat would write in the air, and Grey Wind immediately knew what it meant.

“Hello, Monk! It's nice to meet you!”

Monk nodded. Grey Wind would start to direct Monk to the Outer Expanse. Meanwhile, Unparalleled Innocence was looking for his Slugcat. His Slugcat wasn't entirely acclimated to the dark zero-G environments of his Can. His Slugcat instead made his shelter on his Can’s wall. Unlike Grey Wind, he knew what his Slugcat was called. An Overseer found him, and Unparalleled Innocence spoke to catch his attention.

“Survivor. You are needed.”

Survivor was gathering food when Innocence appeared. Survivor nodded before attempting to go up to see Innocence. The Overseer got in the way.

“Not here. You are going back to Big Sis Moon and Five Pebbles. Your brother will be doing the same.”

Survivor looked excited. At least, that's what Innocence thought. He wasn't designed to recognize emotion. Survivor began descending the Can, not before noticing a lone green Overseer who quickly disappeared. The green Overseer returned to its master, No Significant Harassment. Sig was carefully monitoring everyone. He looked below himself and saw his scarred red Slugcat.

“Hunter, Hunter!! Are ya EXCITED?”

Hunter looked up at Sig and meowed. Sig petted Hunter’s head.

“Adorable. I know you're retired BUT you have one last job…”

Hunter stood up and grabbed a spear they had kept next to them at all times. Hunter pointed to the access shaft.

“You're so diligent! You make me so proud!”

Sig hugged Hunter tightly. Hunter tried to wiggle his way out, but he soon accepted it. He wondered if he would meet that Purple Slugcat again. The Purple Slugcat in question, Spearmaster, was currently hunting in the Underhang of Seven Red Suns. While they had gotten their fill for the day, they were trying to get rid of the Mobile rot that had its home there. Mostly by throwing spears at them and watching them fall into the abyss below. A red overseer appeared next to Spearmaster.

“Spear, it's time for you to go back to Five Pebbles! Or at least near him…”

Spearmaster wasn't looking at the overseer. They lined up a shot with a moving rot cyst before launching a quill at it. It impaled the Rot, and it fell off the Underhang. Spearmaster grabbed two quills from their tail and began their journey. They were used to the journey at this point, but they hadn't been to FP since the incident. They thought about that weird explosive cat. The weird explosive cat in question, Artificer, was at the tallest peak of Five Pebbles’ metropolis. The air was thin this high up, but the stars were beautiful. Artificer wished her kids could've seen this sight instead of the dreary clouds below. A blue Overseer appeared next to Artificer.

“Artificer. You have been requested to go west, outside of my and Moon’s facility grounds. You've done an excellent job of keeping my city clean.”

Artificer was annoyed at the sudden intrusion of Five Pebbles. Could she not enjoy some peace without him barking orders at her? She continued to look at the stars before Pebbles spoke again.

“...The Blue Slugcat will be there if that interests you.”

She looked over at the Overseer. It did interest her! She began climbing down the peak and rushed to meet Rivulet again! Rivulet, meanwhile, was flipping around in the air. The Zero-G of Moon’s can was weaker than her contemporaries but it allowed Rivulet to swim through it like water. Rivulet swam through the air into Moon’s chamber. Rivulet tackle hugged Moon, and Moon petted her head.

“Hello, Ruffles!”

She held Rivulet in front of her.

“Are you ready for an adventure?”

Rivulet nodded her head.

“Good! I need you to head West, to the Outer Expanse!

Rivulet nodded again. Rivulet jumped off Moon and flew out of Moon’s chamber. Rivulet was excited for another big adventure! They weren’t thinking about the greater implications, those were future Rivulet problems!

Meanwhile, in the Outer Expanse, a dark blue slugcat was cornered. Ahead of them was a lizard, growling and snarling at them. The slugcat threw a rock at the Lizard. It recoiled in pain and flipped itself around. The slugcat looked up, hoping that her partner in crime was prepared. He was. He jumped off a ledge and slammed into the lizard’s body, and it let out a yelp. Her partner then drove a spear into the lizard’s back, killing it. The dark blue slugcat jumped up and down excitedly as her partner was exhausted. He slumped off the lizard and took a minute to catch his breath. The dark blue slugcat was happy to be working with her tribe's leader, the Gourmand. He is the strongest and smartest slugcat she'd ever seen! She went to grab the lizard and began dragging it back home. The Gourmand followed suit. He was purring contently. However, he did stop. He motioned for the dark blue slugcat to reveal her name, as he wasn't entirely sure. The dark blue slugcat wrote in the dirt ‘Watcher’. The Gourmand was happy about this! He helped Watcher carry the lizard home. Neither of them knew of the other Slugcats who would soon be approaching this area. The greatest adventure known to all Slugcats would soon begin!

Chapter Text

[LIVE BROADCAST] - PUBLIC GROUP [STARSYSTEM]

BSM: Alright, everyone, let’s keep this short!

BSM: Are your Slugcats in position?

UI: Everyone is here.

UI: No need to do a role call.

NSH: Awww…

NSH: I like the role call frowny face frowny face frowny face…

FP: Did you have to type out emotes?

FP: Couldn't you just…

FP: :(

SRS: I usually just send an image of myself looking sad.

FP: I know, and I don't like it.

BSM: Back to the point, we need to guide our Slugcats!

GW: Roger, Roger.

[GW has gone offline.]

Various Overseers had appeared in the Outer Expanse. Each Slugcat had made it, with Spearmaster and Hunter being the last to appear. Spearmaster and Hunter had travelled together for a while now. They were ordered to go towards a massive tree, and they soon met with the other Slugcats. The various Slugcats looked at each other. Rivulet grabbed a stick and wrote their name on the ground. The others soon joined in, and everyone soon knew their names. Spearmaster and Artificer glared at each other before Hunter pulled Spearmaster away, and Rivulet stood in front of Artificer. Survivor and Monk were confused by the sudden tension. The various overseers appeared and projected several screens with their Iterators on them. One of the Iterators, Big Sis Moon, began speaking.

“Hello, everyone! It’s good to see you guys have made it all here!”

Rivulet waved at Moon, and Moon waved back.

“Now, let’s keep this short! You need to go further west where you find the Transport Hub, after that we’ll guide you towards Sliver Of Straw’s Can, then you can grab some pearls and you'll be home free!”

The Slugcats just stared blankly at Moon. Five Pebbles then spoke.

“I think they get the point. We should leave it to them now.”

The Overseers disappeared. Spearmaster grabbed several quills from their tail and handed one to everyone. Artificer covered her quill in her saliva, making it explosive. Hunter immediately took front and center and began walking forward. The others followed him. At this point, Gourmand and Watcher had returned home. Both of them were informed of a strange group of Slugcats who passed through. Two of them were Survivor and Monk! Watcher was sad that she missed her friends, but Gourmand patted her on the back. He pointed towards the horizon to indicate that they would go find them. Watcher perked up at this and jumped up. They would both soon follow behind the main group. Back with the main group, they were travelling west. In the distance, they could see the mass transportation hub. The journey thus far was less action-packed than any of them had thought it would be.

Rivulet made popping noises with their mouth. Survivor and Monk looked at each other before mewing along rhythmically. Artificer smirked as they snapped their fingers, causing small explosions. Spearmaster hit their tail against the ground, and Hunter let out a low grumble. The Slugcat music would continue until they finally made it to the Transport Hub. It was a huge and daunting tower, but the Slugcats steeled themselves before entering.

They passed through the Karma gate and entered a massive circular room overgrown with various crops, plants, and fungi. Hunter looked around carefully. The hub was quiet and devoid of any noticeable animal life. Hunter motioned for everyone to stay alert and close. Monk and Rivulet looked scared, while Artificer and Spearmaster looked ready to fight. Survivor, on the other hand, was cautious. Hunter listened carefully. Then he heard a loud hissing noise. A loud explosion was heard as the ground collapsed! The Slugcats barely had time to react. Artificer grabbed Spearmaster and began using small explosive jumps to get up to a ledge. Rivulet grabbed Monk as they fell into the watery depths below. Hunter and Survivor couldn’t move through the air like the others and fell upon a catwalk below them. Artificer looked over the ledge and meowed at Hunter and Survivor. Hunter rubbed the back of his head before meowing back. Survivor almost jumped into the pool below for his brother, but Hunter stopped him. A green and white Overseer appeared before Survivor and Hunter. The green one projected a screen.

“BY THE ANCIENTS! You all almost DIED!”

The white one then projected a screen.

“Sig, do you have any idea what that might’ve been?”

“No…But I only know of one Purposed Species that’s able to rig sabotage like this…THE SCAVS!”

“Your proof?”

“I’ll investigate later! Hunter, you keep going forward!”

“Survivor, you also keep going forward. We will guide you towards Sliver Of Straw’s Can. Most paths from here lead to her.”

Survivor and Hunter nodded. Survivor looked over at the pool, still thinking of their brother. Hunter didn’t know what exactly to do and just hugged Survivor before continuing forward. Meanwhile, Artificer and Spearmaster were still on the ledge. A blue and a red Overseer appeared for them.

“Artificer. Spearmaster. For you to continue forward, you will have to go to the top of this hub and go back down. I was going to tell the rest of you, but…That explosion has changed our plans a bit.”

“Pebs is right! Luckily, you two are the best suited for elevation, so this should be RELATIVELY easy for you two!”

“Indeed. We will guide you once you get to the top.”

The two overseers disappeared. Spearmaster pulled out some quills and embedded them into the wall, slowly creating a ladder. Artificer couldn’t complain but thought their method to ascend upwards was strange, to say the very least. In the pool, Rivulet was swimming through a cave before finally resurfacing. She made sure Monk was okay. Monk coughed up water, and Rivulet relaxed a bit. Rivulet got Monk up to his feet before a yellow and a purple overseer appeared for them.

“Ruffles! I was so worried! I’m glad you’re okay! We must continue going forward, eventually, you’ll find all your friends again!”

Rivulet nodded profusely before picking up Monk and running off. The purple overseer just looked at the yellow one, slightly confused at how fast this Slugcat was. The group had been split! They may be going to the same location, but their paths are radically different.

Thus, the adventure TRULY began.

Chapter Text

[DIRECT BROADCAST] - PRIVATE, No Significant Harassment, Unparalleled Innocence

NSH: Hey!

NSH: Is this the first time we've had to talk one-on-one?

UI: It is not.

UI: You're just forgetful.

NSH: My brain is so VAST it ejects minor information x10 FASTER than the average Iterator!

UI: Of course.

UI: Do you have any information on where they’re going?

NSH: Mhm! The Lush Mire! Hunter’s been through it a few times, LOVELY location.

NSH: They'll be fineeee!

UI: I see.

UI: Let us begin.

[UI has gone offline]

Hunter and Survivor had entered a dark and damp environment with Lantern Mice scurrying around. Hunter walked forward and motioned for Survivor to follow him. Survivor picked up a spear and a rock before following behind Hunter. The Mire was quiet today. There were no predators in sight as Hunter and Survivor journeyed forward. It slowly got lighter and lighter. Hunter knew what was coming up, so he grabbed two spears. Hunter looked up and saw a path upwards. He took the initiative by climbing upwards and going through a pipe, with Survivor quickly following him.

Survivor popped out of the pipe and found the air was less oppressive than before. He took a deep breath in as Hunter patted him on the back. He looked over to Hunter, only to see him pointing upwards with the spear to indicate they needed to get going. Survivor sighed as they began climbing upwards. After going through another pipe, they heard a lizard prowling above them. A green overseer appeared and projected a picture of a red lizard onto a wall before disappearing. Hunter and Survivor looked at each other before preparing for the fight of their lives. They heard the red lizard searching for them. Hunter saw a pole and began running for it. The lizard squeezed through an opening above them and saw both the Slugcats, roaring at them. Survivor threw a rock at its head, and it fell from the ceiling. He threw a spear before running after Hunter, climbing quickly as the lizard was after them. Hunter and Survivor slid into a pipe.

They both knew the lizard would be hot on their trails. They hopped from room to room, eventually making it to another open area. Hunter hoped that the lizard might not be following them anymore, but this wasn't the case. The lizard burst from the pipe, spitting globs of slime at Hunter, sending him flying into a pool of water. Survivor kicked a rock into the lizard's head before jumping into the pool. He quickly found the pool was full of leeches and pulled Hunter out. The lizard roared as it charged toward the slugcats. Hunter threw a spear at Survivor before getting to his feet. As the lizard was inches away from them, Survivor jumped into the air and threw the spear downwards, pinning the lizard down. It struggled and tried to snap at Hunter, but he shoved a spear through its mouth. It died, and the Slugcats relaxed. Hunter decided to feed upon the lizard's corpse, but Survivor didn't have the appetite. They would continue forward, reaching the Lush Mire’s gate without incident. As they waited for it to open, Hunter held out his hand. Survivor tilted his head in confusion before grabbing Hunter’s hand. He was pulled into a hug as Hunter let out a purr. The gate opened up, and the green overseer appeared for them.

“Good job, Hunter and Survivor! Ya made it through the mire UNSCATHED! I hope that your continued moxie will last till SOS’ can! I believe in you both!”

The Overseer disappeared. The Slugcats looked at each other before nodding. They conquered one region together, they would conquer the next.

Chapter Text

[DIRECT BROADCAST] - PRIVATE, Big Sis Moon, Grey Wind.

BSM: You must be so excited to study Straw’s can!

GW: I am! I fear that it might be too late…

BSM: It's never too late, Grey!

BSM: Even a scrap of information could progress your research by YEARS.

GW: Hm…I hope so.

BSM: Where are they heading?

BSM: My long-range systems aren't what they used to be…

GW: Oh! They're heading towards…

GW: Undersea?

[GW has gone offline]

Rivulet had been carrying Monk since the Slugcats got separated. Upon exiting the gate, they smelled sea salt. Rivulet took a deep breath in, thinking to herself. Monk didn't look like the strongest Slugcat, and they were separated from the others. Rivulet positioned Monk onto her back and began running. Her only advantage was speed, and she was going to push that to its limits! She passed through a pipe, running past bioluminescent plants and black lizards alike. She soon found herself in front of a massive beacon, its light piercing into the darkness of the Undersea. With Monk on her back, Rivulet struggled to climb over it but persevered. She jumped through a pipe, landing on a platform next to a yellow lizard. The lizard snarled and hissed as Rivulet dived off the platform and down another pipe.

Emerging from the pipe, Rivulet saw the vast ocean ahead of her, with jagged, spindly rocks jutting from the depths. Without hesitation, she jumped in and began swimming across. The water was cold, and leeches nipped at her, but she got through. Eventually, Rivulet dived under the water to swim through a tunnel that led to a massive rock that she could climb on top of. Once she reached the top, Monk patted her cheek, concerned she was pushing herself too far. Rivulet ignored this as she looked for a path forward. Off in the distance, she saw a looming wall, thinking it had to lead to a way out of here. She jumped into the ocean below and began swimming towards the wall with all her might. Her arms were sore, but she had made it to the wall! She looked up, realizing how far she had to climb. No matter, she was used to exploring the exterior of Moon’s can, this would be a climb in the park! Of course, she didn't have several pounds hanging off her back or lizards trying to eat her, but she managed to reach the top. She saw yet another patch of the sea to swim across. She took a step forward but buckled under the weight of her exhaustion.

Monk climbed off her back and helped her back up. Monk motioned for Rivulet to climb onto his back and let him finish this journey. Rivulet reluctantly accepted this, climbing onto his back. Monk began advancing forth, diving into the water. While Monk wasn't as fast as Rivulet, it wouldn't take long for both of them to reach a tunnel that led to a karma gate. Monk would continue to carry Rivulet even as the gate opened up. Rivulet purred softly as Monk walked into the next region, knowing the worst was behind them!