>>5345264
>Search for creepy crawlies to eat

File: Soifrog.png (6 KB, 331x286)

6 KB PNG

>>5345272
You dig under one of the red flowers. Everyone knows the most delicious bugs are attached to plants.

You find a ball of earthworms and eat them.

You are now full.

However, you spot the shadow of a bird circling around the field. You need to get to some cover or you risk getting eaten yourself.

>>5345278
>Hide in the hole we dug

To the swamp!

>>5345264
Going to the Northeast, there is an icy area
>>5345280
+1

File: Soifrog2.png (6 KB, 412x355)

6 KB PNG

>>5345280
You dig the hole out further.

You should be safe in here until the bird leaves, however you can't exactly explore while you're hiding in your hole.

You could probably [equip] one of the [rocks] to your spot in order to serve as anti-bird defense, or you could just wait until the bird leaves to continue exploring

>>5345295
Equip a rock

>>5345307
You equip the Rock. Now you can see its stats. As it turns out, the Rock gives you +1 defense, but -1 speed.

You have no idea what these numbers mean, but you do feel a little stronger with the rock on your back.

You should be ready to go out now and head to the swamp.

You could try to be stealthy and rely on the rock's natural camouflage, or you could wing it and hope the rock's defense is better than the bird's ability to attack you.

File: Soifrog.png (7 KB, 412x355)

7 KB PNG

>>5345311
Forgot image

>>5345311
>>5345312
Go northeast to the icy area.

>>5345315
You wing it and go to the icy area to the northeast. You were nervous for a bit as the bird decided to follow you, but it seems to decide you weren't worth the trouble and leaves.

The icy area is cold enough that you don't think you can survive here long term with your inability to regulate your body temperature.

There are some furry gerbil-looking creatures here who live in the occasional pine tree, as well as some owls but they seem to be asleep.

There are a couple ways you can help yourself regarding the cold situation-- one of them is mining out some ice from some of the ice mounds that litter the area but you need some kind of tool for that, or you could try killing one of the gerbils and equipping its fur for warmth.

No image this time.

>>5345321
Have a gerbil creature eat us, but unequip the rock so it chokes on it instead.

Alternatively, shove the rock in the gerbil creatures mouth and jump on its head.

>>5345328
Better yet, jump high in the air and dive bomb the rock onto the gerbil creature's head.

File: Soifrog2.png (6 KB, 556x199)

6 KB PNG

>>5345328
>>5345329

You lunge onto the gerbil creature, hitimg it rock-first. As it turns out, equipping things makes it so it's bonded to your skin and won't fall off.

The gerbil tries to bite you in self-defense, but the rock allows you to harden your skin so it basically just bit into a rock-textured portion of your body.

It seems that trying to bite you has left the gerbil-creature dazed. You'll be able to finish it off with one more attack. This could be a great opportunity to learn what other rock-themed abilities equipping a rock gives you.

>>5345334
Wrap our tongue around the rock and whip it at the gerbil-creature's face.

>>5345339
You smash the gerbil's face in with the rock.

You gain 1 XP. Looks like you can use the XP to level up the rock. However, you'll start taking damage from the cold if you don't equip the gerbil skin

Alternatively, you can equip the Gerbil skin and level it up, but it looks like replacing the rock with the gerbil skin will destroy the rock.

>>5345352
>Equip gerbil skin

>>5345352
why not consume it

File: Soifrog2.png (9 KB, 866x506)

9 KB PNG

>>5345412
>>5345414

You equip the gerbil skin, but don't level it up for now. You bank the 1 XP you have. As it turns out, it looks like you can get another equip spot if you collect 10 XP.

You hide evidence of your crime by eating the gerbil meat, leaving behind only a gerbil skeleton.

It looks like the gerbil has a table that can be used to create mining equipment-- you just need to feed it material. Not that that's useful to you because you can only equip one thing at a time and the Gerbil Skin you have equipped is currently keeping you alive.

Night has fallen and you can hear Owls outside. Your previous knowledge tells you that you can go hunting for glowing bugs at this time of night since they like the cold temperatures. However, you risk getting caught and eaten by an owl.

>>5345441
How hungry are we?

>>5345442
After eating that gerbil meat, not at all. But there's always room for more bugs in your stomach.

You won't get any XP from eating bugs, though. You only get XP from creatures who are at least as big as you

>>5345441
rest until morning. we've had a long day. maybe we can contemplate our origin and think about where home is

>>5345462
Agreed.
>Support

>>5345441
In the morning, maybe try crafting the gerbil skeleton into tools of some sort?

>>5345462
>>5345467

You remember how you used to live in Froghalla. However, the accursed specttal ravens, Huginn and Munnin destroyed your home in order to feast on the froggy souls that dwelled within.

You were cast down into this plane, unsure that any other frogs from Froghalla even survived as any frogs you encountered in this plane were decidedly non-sapient.

You dream deeply of the Spectral Birds' attack, as you have many nights before. However, you were awoken by a scream. There is a female Gerbil who has entered the wooden abode and was shocked as she was met with a gerbil skeleton.

You were planning to use it to make some mining tools, but you forgot to put it away before you went to sleep.

>Kill female Gerbil
>Don't kill female gerbil.
>Convert the skeleton into mining tools and run away

>>5345474
>Don't kill female gerbil.
>Capture.

>>5345474
>Dont kill
>Convert bones into a cage and capture her for slave labor

>>5345489
You decide to be merciful and not kill the female gerbil. However, her screaming will likely attract some attention so you stuff some of the dead gerbil's bones inside her mouth.

That stops her screaming for now and she seems to be in shock. You use the remaining gerbil bones and manage to create two Bone Pickaxes.

It's still early enough that there aren't too many gerbils around, but her screaming probably woke a few gerbils up.

You threaten her with the pickaxes and manage to convince her to follow you.

There is a field to the north of the Gerbil Forest and a cave to the Northeast.

Field is a bit more dangerous than the cave because there isn't any cover from birds flying overhead.

Alternatively, you can flee southwest back to the Flower Fields, but there are probably birds there that will get attracted by two small prey animals like yourself.

File: Soifrog.png (6 KB, 412x355)

6 KB PNG

>>5345493
Forgot image again

>>5345493
Ask slave what she knows about the area

>>5345578
You ask your slave what she knows about the area, as you hold the pickaxe's blade to her throat to prevent her fom escaping.

She's hysteric and it's hard to get a straight answer from her, but from what you can puzzle out of her ramblings, there is a village of giants somewhere to the north, beyond a river.

Apparently, the giants can't understand gerbil language so the gerbils stay clear of territories to the north. Periodically, the gians will cross the river to mine metal out of the cave.

The cave is home to bats and the bat king. Although they're legendary monsters, they have the mind of beasts and can't be reasoned with.

Apparently, the giants have some kind of technology that prevents them from getting attacked by the bat kin and his ilk.

What do you do?

File: 2d6.jpg (32 KB, 478x403)

32 KB JPG

>>5345591
We double back from the nightmarish hellscape of ice... And we
>go back to find the bayou/swamp
where an OG frog nigga belongs. We ain't afraid of no birds. We can show off our foreign girlfriend/slave to all the... Non sentient swamp creatures... Ah, shit.
>Look for sentient creatures on the way to the swamp
and before we leave
>Piss in the snow
(Nothing personal, ice nerds, heh.)

>>5345705
Support.

>>5345591

>>5345705
>>5345710

You leave the ice biome and head back to the fields. Your girlfriend/slave is starting to slow down as the climate gets warmer. Apparently, gerbils don't do well in the heat.

You start to feel a little hot too, with your equipped gerbil skin, but your naturally cold blood counteracts the gerbil skin's warming properties.

As you head past the hole you made much earlier, you see a couple of birds circling over your head.

It seems like the birds have sensed that your slave isn't doing too well in the temperate climate and are waiting for her to pass out or something.

>>5346325
Eat her before she gets scavenged by birds

>>5346325
Turn back. Gotta' keep First Girl alive. It's practically the law on /qst/.

>>5346476
>>5346425

The gerbil girl is dead meat. Although you try to save her, the relative heat of the area compared to her natural habitat meant she was overheating under all that fur.

Not wanting her to go to waste, you head underground and eat her. Normally, it would be hard for you to take a bite out of something, but the Spectral Teeth skill you got from your equipped gerbil fur allows you to take bites out of her succulent meat.

Her screams attract the birds and they wait patiently outside the entrance of your underground burrow.

You currently have two XP in the bank

>Spend 1 XP to level up Gerbil Fur (Improves Spectral Teeth, unlocks Spectral Claws)

What do you do about the birds
>Wait until they leave
>Fight them using your Spectral Teeth skill/Bone Pickaxes
>Burrow deeper underground where they can't reach

>>5346493

>Fight them using your Spectral Teeth skill/Bone Pickaxes

File: Soifrog4.png (9 KB, 700x372)

9 KB PNG

>>5346511

The bird is easily 2-4 times your size and its blue-white feathers reflect the light of the sun.

However, you don't let the accursed beast scare you. You stand on your hind legs and wave your pickaxes around. The bird doesn't seem intimidated by your display though, and tries to peck at your legs.

Foolish bird-- a frog's legs are his greatest asset!

You deftly jump away and bonk it on the head with a pickaxe.

The bird doesn't seem deterred and looks at you with hungry eyes.

>What do you do?

>>5346536
stab it in the eye with our pickaxe

>>5346543
You take a mighty leap and try to stab it in the eye with your pickaxe. However, the mighty beast flies backwards, flipping in the air and slashing you in the stomach with its talons.

You are wounded, but not enough that it hinders your movements so you try to stab it in the eye again. You miss by mere finger-widths as the bird whips its head to the side and tries to peck at you.

This time, it's your turn to dodge as you leap backwards with your powerful legs.

Your third attempt at going for its eyes is the attempt that succeeds. You time it such that you go for its eyes at the same time it attempts to peck at you. The bird has committed to the action and doesn't have the reflexes to dodge as you lodge one of your pickaxe in its eye.

Being made of mere gerbil bone a large fracture appears on your pickaxe as you withdraw it from the accursed beast's eyes.

Thankfully, being able to successfully damage it has showed the bird that you mean business. It flies away, deciding you're not worth the trouble.

What now?

>Go south to the swamp
>Go northwest to the desert
>Go northeast back to the icy biome
>Go underground

>>5346550
>Go northwest to the desert
Lil Odysseus

>>5346554
You go to the desert.

You feel sweltering heat as a result of your furs. At thesame time, they protect you from the harsh heat of the sun.

Far to the north, you see a massive structure, but it's far enough north that you'll have to risk traversing a large swathe of desert without cover which risks attracting birds.

At a closer distance, you see a cluster of cacti to the northwest where you'll likely find more critters clustering under their shade.

File: Soifrog4.png (8 KB, 744x372)

8 KB PNG

>>5346567
Forgot pic

>>5346567
>>5346568
>Find and kill a desert creature

File: Soifrog4.png (13 KB, 744x372)

13 KB PNG

>>5346629
You decide to try picking a fight with the locals, but the only fight you manage to fight is against a trio of scorpions.

You maintain your distance as you follow them they haven't noticed your presence yet.

They seem to be going around from cactus to cactus, digging up worms from beneath the sand.

What do you do?

>>5346739
Hit and run! Take down and abscond with a single scorp!

>>5346740
You attack and steal one of the scorpions before the other two can react. The abducted scorpion stings you, filling you with painful venom. In retaliation, you smash its legs with one of your pickaxes.

It doesn't seem like the scorpion is strong enough that it would give you XP for killing it, but equipping its shell will give you some decent desert adaptations.

You have a single Scorpion with broken legs and it's getting late. You'll have to find some shelter soon or risk getting eaten by owls.

What do you do about shelter?

>>5346753
Dig down, equip scorpion shell, and level it up.

More like scorn peon am I right? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA GOTTEM

I vote for traveling through the night while the sun is low, don't wanna get caught in the heat for too long. Maybe we can rest in the morning as the sun comes out, many frogs are nocturnal creatures so maybe we'll get a boost by flipping our sleep/activity schedules in this biome. I also think an owl beak or set of owl talons would be an improvement over our gerbil bone pickaxe.

>>5346753
Attempt to convince the scorpion to ally with you. We can carry it around, but it has to help us and sting enemies. Ignore the fact that it can't move because we broke it's legs in the first place.

>>5346739
man those look cute
>pet one scorpion with pickaxe

>>5347139
I see someone hasn't read Aesop's Fables.

>>5346769
>>5347167
Going with these. Kill it, take its shell, and level it up. Keep our fur in the new hole if we can't keep it.

File: Soifrog4.png (15 KB, 898x372)

15 KB PNG

>>5347248
>>5347167
>>5347139
>>5346912
>>5346769


You pet the scorpion with your pickaxe, but you pet it a little too hard and kill it. You decide to equip its shell instead and the gerbil pelt is ejected from your spot, destroying the pelt.

Leveling up the scorpion shell, you gain access to its special skill, the "Spectral Sting". You still have 1 XP in the bank, but it looks like leveling up the shell to Level 3 will take 2 XP. Also, it seems like you can't eject the shell until level 5 so you might be stuck in the desert until you can eject the shell. At the very least, you're pretty sure going back to the icy biome will kill you since the shell you have equipped preps you for the harsh temperatures of the desert

You dig down and find a family of scorpions dining on a particularly juicy grub. You might be able to convince them that you're also a scorpion, or you can ignore them and keep digging down. You could probably rest here until they leave you alone.

Also, you notice that there's some papery substance all over the walls that prevents the sand from caving in and killing all the scorpions.

File: Frog2.png (8 KB, 438x195)

8 KB PNG

>>5347481

>>5347481
Steal the grub and run away.

File: Soifrog2.png (11 KB, 866x258)

11 KB PNG

>>5347512
You steal the grub and try to run away. The other scorpions are angry and try to sting you so you attempt to defend with Spectral Shell. However, the ability can only do so much and against three enemies, the Spectral Shell breaks.

You're stung a few times and you just barely manage to abscond by digging downwards, where the scorpions refuse to follow you.

However, you're met face to face with a giant beetle. Quite frankly, you've never seen a bug that big before. It's even bigger than you are.

"Oh, a lost little scorpion. You're not supposed to be here this deep in the Paper Caves."

The beetle just talked! This is getting a bit silly now, if you've seen talking bugs and haven't run into a single talking frog yet.

The talking beetle doesn't seem to have realized that you're not actually a scorpion

What do you do?

>>5347528
>What do you do?
Tell him about our qt deceased gerbil gf, ask him about his love life and ambitions

>>5347582
You tell him about your dead gerbil slave. He seems surprised that you can talk and you don't get much farther abot asking him about his life.

"Hey, scorpions normally can't talk! I need to show you to all my friends."

"By the way, what's a gerbil?"

He asks you questions about the life you've lived so far, but you manage to avoid explaining the gorey details.

As he drags you through the caves, the papery substance keeping the walls from collapsing gets thicker and thicker. At the thickest, it doesn't seem like you can dig through them with your bone pickaxes without breaking them. The papery substance is almost as hard as stone.

Glowing mushrooms decorate the wide caves, providig just enough light for you to tell what color things are.

This deep in the caves, the air is pretty humid. Humid enough that your frog skin is starting to excrete some slime.

Your beetle friend introduces you to a blue beetle.

"Hey, Jerry. You'll never guess what I found!"

"What'd you find, Barry?"

"This guy's a talking scorpion! He says he had a gerbil girlfriend and talks a lot of nonsense so I'm not sure how much of what it's saying is stuff it can understand, but it talks!"

"That's crazy, Barry. There's no way scorpions can talk. They're a bit lacking in the upstairs department. That's why we feed them deformed grubs."

'Barry' and 'Jerry' are arguing over whether or not you can actually talk.

There's a bunch more beetles here since it seems to be some kind of communal space. You don't think you can get away with trying to murder someone without being swarmed by a bunch of their beetle buddies.

What do you do?

>>5347589
Ask for some food.

File: Soifrog2.png (19 KB, 1008x468)

19 KB PNG

>>5347608
You ask for some food, which surprises Jerry.

There's some discussion about the back story you told the red beetle before the pair leads you to the 'Birthing Caves'

They ask the brown beetle guarding the door if there are any rejects they can feed to you.

The three beetles lead you down a meandering path where the 'defective' grubs are kept. You're not sure how they can tell the grubs are defective, but there are probably beetle experts who can tell.

You much down on a defective grub. It's pretty hard to do so as the defective beetle grub is larger than yourself and you lost access to the Spectral Bite skill when you got rid of the gerbil fur.

You end up having to use Spectral Sting to cut the grub into more manageable pieces while the three beetles watch in awe at your dexterity.

"We should totally introduce him to the Cactus Mining team"

"No, we should totally introduce him to the excavation team! I'm sure they can use the help getting rid of plantlings."

"Actually, why not just ask the guy where he wants to go?"

You ponder for a bit while you enjoy your beetle grub. It's healing your wounds from your encounter with the bird and the scorpions earlier, but you're pretty sure you need a day or so to completely heal up. It sounds like both of the groups they want you to meet have pretty dangerous jobs

The artwork is cute.

>>5347706
Thank you

>>5347703
Cactus Mining team
Drink the cacti water and gain mystic powers.

>>5347703
Those beetles look like they could form a megazord. I want to ask how I can get some powered up armor like theirs.

>>5347719
>>5347716
You ask how one acquires cool-looking armor like theirs. Barry calls you silly and says scorpions have the same kind of armor as beetles, just smaller.

You also ask if you could meet the Cactus Mining team. Barry seems excited to introduce you to them, and he leads you through some winding paths, past the common area. Jerry, the blue beetle seems like he stayed behind to chat with the brown beetle.

Barry introduces you to a gold beetle called "Chuck". Apparently, he's the leader of the mining team. The rest of the mining team are brown beetles of the same kind as Bob. You wonder if their names are also Bob.

Chuck leads you, Barry and his team to the surface, where the harsh sun bares down on you.

"Alright, men! We're here to mine some cacti so they can be turned into paper to expand our cave. Since we have a special guest here, why don't we ask him what cactus we're mining today?"

In the distance you can see a blue cactus, a green cactus and a red cactus. The green and red cacti are in the direction of the massive structure you saw while exploring the desert earlier while the blue cactus is a bit to the west, in a direction you dismissed before since there wasn't anything interesting there other than an oddly colored cactus.

>>5347728
>Red cactus

File: Frogmap.png (20 KB, 796x592)

20 KB PNG

>>5347728
In case anyone wanted a map

>>5347750
You suggest going to the red cactus and Chuck's group maes the treck. Barry decides to stay behind because he says he's more of the kind that makes paper walls than the kind that harvests cactus.

You make conversation with Chuck, asking what Beetles normally eat.

"Oh, we usually suck the sap out of cactus. However we're able to take out birds occasionally and we share the kill among each other."

He elaborates further by saying the area with the red cactuses has a lot of birds in it, but they don't usually touch the ground as there are even larger animals that eat birds if they get too close to the ground.

You're a little amazed that there are creatures that are even larger than birds around here. You can't even imagine the idea of things that could eat birds like Huginn and Munnin.

After making a lot of polite conversation, you arrive at the Red Cactus area. There's a meandering river to the east and some birds making conversation in the river.

They're picking stuff from the teeth of some large creatures. Although you can only see the heads of the giant creatures, they look like they could just snap their jaws closed and devour the birds whole.

Chuck and his crew are hard at work cutting pieces of red cactus and loading it onto a wagon made of the same papery material as the beetle nests.

You should probably help them harvest some cactus, but you bet you could also get upto some mischief here, as biodiversity is off the charts.

You can see a couple of mice hiding where the red cacti grow thick and if you isolate one of them, you and the beetles will be in for a hearty meal.

The massive creatures also have some flies buzzing around their backsides and if you wanted an easy meal, those flies could make for a quick snack

>>5347764
>Eat all the flies for XP
it's a shame we didn't go for plantlings

>>5347812
You get at the flies, using your long, sticky tongue to pluck them out of the air. Although they were too weak to give you any xp, they fill your belly and heal you a bit.

You spend the day eating flies before you spot Chuck and his gang getting ready to leave.

It's a shame to leave the biodiverse red cactus grove, but you reckon that when the sun sets, things will get bloody as the things that can potentially eat the birds go to sleep.

The more nocturnally inclined birds will probably attack whatever prey animals they can get their talons on.

>Go with Chuck back to the Beetle territory
>Stay for the night in the Red Cactus Grove

>>5347818
>Go with Chuck back to the Beetle territory

>>5347818
>Go with Chuck back to the Beetle territory

>>5347818
>Go with Chuck back to the Beetle territory
But also offer to help pull the wagon

>>5347818
>>5348232 +1

>>5348232
Support.

>>5347818

>>5348232
+1

File: ProbablyDireRat.png (43 KB, 1737x680)

43 KB PNG

>>5349003
>>5348983
>>5348973
>>5348232
>>5347831


You decide you aren't ready for an entire night of Bird-palooza so you go back with Chuck's crew.

"Oh, I thought you got eaten by a bird or something."

You mention that you found some nice flies to eat.

"You went near the hippos? That's real crazy, man. What was it like? I'm sure the guys back at the hive would love to hear about it."

On the way back, you were telling the story of how you snatched the flies that hovered about the hippos. Chuck and the Bobs were enraptured by your story that they didn't notice your group had gotten waylaid by a bunch of rats.

"Hey you! Golden boy! Give us your shell or we'll kill you all! The birds give some good trinkets for shiny things like yours!"

With a fight like this, your party has the numbers advantage. However, the rats are pretty big, almost half as big as some birds so there's no way to tell how this fight will go.

> Suggest that Chuck give himself up to the rats to avoid a fight.

> Get up close and personal with the rats (Gives the most XP, but risky)

>Partner up with Chuck to get the rats to leave your party alone (Less XP, less risky)

> Let Chuck's party handle the fight while you take attacks of opportunity at the rats. (Negligible risk, negligible XP)

>>5349220
>Get up close and personal with the rats (Gives the most XP, but risky)
Time to prove ourself to the group and start stacking up XP to get closer to Level 2

I suggest we make use of our prolific tongue, maybe try to pull a rat eyeball out and eat it

File: 1658590311808.png (13 KB, 300x200)

13 KB PNG

>>5349220
> Get up close and personal with the rats (Gives the most XP, but risky)
SHIT JUST GOT VERY FUCKING REAL

>>5349220
> Get up close and personal with the rats (Gives the most XP, but risky)

File: ProbablyDireRat.png (18 KB, 1004x596)

18 KB PNG

>>5349242
>>5349229
>>5349225


You mount one of the rats, using your powerful frog legs to get on top of it. Clearly, the rat wasn't expecting a scorpion to be able to move that fast, because you're able to lodge one of your bone pickaxes into the rat's eye.

It tries to buck you off, but you hold firm.

"Oh shit, boss!" the other rats call out.

This seems to be the signal for the beetles to engage the other rats.

Unfortunately, with the rat moving about and your pickaxe already sustaining some battle damage from previous fights, the pickaxe breaks. Luckily, you still have one left... What do you do?

>Keep bashing the 'boss' rat'.
>Try to disable the other rats to help the beetles out.
>Write-in

>>5349295
>Keep bashing the 'boss' rat'.
Careful though: I've heard it said that once a boss rat dies, another gets to become the giant rat and make all of the rules.

We don't want to see what kind of trouble they can get themselves into.

>>5349295
>>Write-in
Tie all the rats' tails together then start bonkin' 'em
one by one with the pickaxe!

>>5349295
>Keep bashing the 'boss' rat'.
>Use Spectral Sting!

>>5349297
>>5349303
>>5349309

You keep bashing the rat's head with your pickaxe while at the same time using Spectral Sting to pump it full of poison.

A rat manages to kill one of the Bobs and tries to escape, while the remaining beetles are busy trying to kill the remaining rat.

Meanwhile, there are scavenger birds flying overhead, likely looking to profit off of the fight.

>Help the living beetles beat a rat
>Try to take on the escaping rat by yourself.
>Try and scare the scavenger birds off. You know the scavenger types scare easily.

>>5349324
>Help the living beetles beat a rat

>>5349324
>>Try and scare the scavenger birds off. You know the scavenger types scare easily.
Throw the pickaxe at its aorta or lung

>>5349324
>Help the living beetles beat a rat

AIM FOR THE EYES AGAIN!

>>5349324
>Help the living beetles beat a rat
Cute quest man. RIO gerbil gf.

>>5349331
>>5349337
>>5349354
>>5349359

You throw your remaining pickaxe at the scavenger birds to scare them off. Luckily, they scatter.

You Then use your superior frog legs to hop onto the rat the beetles were attacking and proceed to sting the hell out of its eyes.

It screeches in pain as both you and the beetles stab it in various places until it finally bleeds out.

In the confusion, it seems the third rat has escaped.

For killing two rats, you gain 5 XP, bringing your banked total to 6.

You can level up your Scorpion Skin twice, up to level 4. Looks like for each level up, you have to choose whether to upgrade Spectral Shell or Spectral Sting.

>Level up Scorpion Skin
>>Allocate levels to either Shell or Sting
>Don't.

The beetles are loading up the rats to the cart. Looks like Chuck tried to cut up the rats into ore manageable parts, but didn't quite manage to and wound up mangling one of the rat corpses. The three bobs are working together to carry a rat while Chuck is pulling the sled of harvested cactus material by himself.

>>5349375
>>Don't.
Finner level FrogMC up instead of just his inventory

>>5349375
>Don't.
It's lame, we need a cooler accessory

>>5349383
>>5349427

You decide not to level up your Scorpion Shell because you're eyeing a bigger prize. Levelling up would grant you another spot on your back and the size to match.

You make sure to pick up your remaining pickaxe.

Instead you head back with the crew. You end up passing by another Chuck with another group of Bobs. Looks like they're headed for the red cactus grove as well.

Once you're back underground, Chuck hands you back off to Jerry... or what looks like Jerry. Honestly, you really can't tell these beetles apart!

Jerry shows you how they make the paper walls for the cave! Apparently, it involves chewing up the cactus and mixing the beetles' special saliva into the fibers. The mixture then gets mixed up with a bit of sand for hardness!

It's kind of amazing how these beetles can do a lot of things without tools.

It's now night time! It seems that the beetles have prepared a room for you! You're sharing a room with three other Bobs!

You consider the possibility of finding a lone bug and wearing their skin, but as it turns out, since you leveled the Scorpion Skin to level 2, you can't actually take it off until it reaches level 5... hmm.

What do you do?
>Actually go to sleep
>Explore the surface...
>See if the beetles have any kind of night life...

>>5349482
>Ask Jerry if he can craft you a pair of Paper Wallblades if you help Beetles flatline some rats
>Tell him you're not actually a Scorpion, you were just acting. OR WERE YOU?

I like the weapon-rotation system, allows for many cool ideas and themes to be utilized

>>5349482
Wait, WHY can't we take the shell off without dumping points into it?

>>5349482
>See if the beetles have any kind of night life...

Also see if you can reinforce your pickaxe with the hardened paper stuff.

>>5349502
That's nature for you...

>>5349482
>paper walls for the cave
I have a solitary wasp nest about the size of a soccer ball/basketball with at least 2 dozen wasps on my shed that I've watched start off smaller than a baseball, with half a dozen wasps max. It's been really cool to watch. They're pretty friendly, and I think they like smoking weed with me. I've "buried" at least 5 of the dead adult wasps.

Let's
>Actually go to sleep
After all the commotion, some shut-eye couldn't hurt.

>>5349492
>spoiler
Now that you put it like that, we're like Kirby or something

>>5349517
Kirbreath of the Wild
We should call the frog Kirbreath, lol

>>5349570
If not the frog, your firstborn son

>>5349585
Sure. Since I'm not planning to reproduce.

>>5349570
Plans can be rearranged.
PREPARE YOUR ANUS

>>5349605
Humans aren't manufactured in the ass.

>>5349492
You ask Jerry if he can make you a pair of paper wallblades. It's pretty late but Jerry, or at least /a/ Jerry is working. You tell him if he does, you'll tell him a secret.

Jerry jmmediately bites. "Man, a talking scorpion probably has the juiciest secrets. I'll hook you up, my man! I wouldn't know why you want a paper blade since you've got that cool stinger and that pickaxe you use. Hmm... weren' there two?"

While he talked, Jerry has finished making you an arm-mounted blade. It's formed around your arm so you can't exactly take it off, unless you manage to [Equip] it somehow. Equipping it would probably make these beetles think you're part of the wall or something... you try not to think about that too hard.

"So, what's your scorpion secret?" Jerry says in a stage whisper.

You tell him that you're not actually a scorpion, but rather a frog pretending to be a scorpion.

Jerry laughs.

"Damn, you got me! Scorpions make the best jokes, huh! There's no way you could be a frog! Frogs can't live in the desert! I've never even seen one. Also they don't talk!" he says.

You ask him how he knows about frogs, then.

"Hmm! Well, we get info from birds sometimes. When gold beetles like Chuck die, birds go crazy for their shells! Sometimes they'll trade us worms or dead animals for them. One time, we got a "Gerbil Table", but we didn't really need to use them since us beetles have our own tools, y'know!"

Hmm. You get a lot of interesting information from that. Birds can apparently be reasoned with if you've got the right bribe. Also, no one here has heard of talking frogs.

Perhaps you were dumped into a world untouched by Froghalla?

You ponder those questions as you go to sleep. It's a little uncomfortable with a blade attached to your arm, but the blade is blunt enough that you don't cut anything off in your sleep. You'll probably be doing more bruises than cuts with this.

You wake up in the morning and all three Bobs who were rooming with you are gone.

They're probably off to do their jobs and nobody decided to wake up the scorpion.

What do you do?

>>5349502
It's to prevent you from destroying an item you've already invested points into.

You can unequip items past level 5. It will still destroy the item, but you get something in return. However, I wanted to make it an actual investment, so once you start investing points into something, you can't unequip them after level 5 or 10.

>>5349667
Explore the beetle den. Maybe eat some grubs?

>>5349670
nice

>>5349667
>Explore the surface

>>5349667
We should try drinking the goo out of the red cactus pieces and see if it has any effects. Also keep an eye out for a gold beetle shells.

> Explore the surface

>>5349667
>Sharpen the blade

>>5349670
>but you get something in return
like what
also you said
>You can unequip items past level 5
>you can't unequip them after level 5 or 10.
what

>>5350098
Sorry I meant that you can unequip items at level 5 and 10, but 2-4 and 6-9 means you're stuck with the item. I'm ESL forgive me.

That said, once you upgrade something to Level 5, you can unequip it at any time as long as you don't upgrade it to level 6. Level 10 is the max.

>>5349807
>>5349735
>>5349685

You try to sharpen the blade before you head out but it proves difficult since none of the beetles seem to have heard of anything like a table. You have to scrape it against the walls which only gives you some very questionable success.

You decide to explore the surface. There are groups of Chucks and Bobs going to harvest materials and you can see the Chuck group you were with yesterday going north. You can tell it's them because they're missing a Bob.

There are other groups heading to the green and blue forests, but no one is going towards the forest with the large, tree-like cacti that you've noticed before. Where do you go?

>Red cactus grove
>Green Cactus Grove
>Blue Cactus Grove
>Cactus Tree forest (You won't have a party with you.)

>>5350128
>Blue Cactus Grove
Go with our team.
>Put EXP in Scorpion Shell

Voting to dump EXP into scorpion shell, so we can get something that matches our green swag.
Kinda sucks it's interlocked like that. Instead of saving, it forces players to dump 3 points into X just to change equipment after one person decided to put EXP in X.

>>5350128
>Cactus Tree forest

>>5350128
>>Green Cactus Grove

>>5350128
>Blue Cactus Grove
>Put EXP in Scorpion Shell

>>5350128
>Blue Cactus Grove

File: Spoiler Image (3 KB, 200x200)

3 KB PNG

>>5350128
Jsyk, I shilled the quest on /qtg/ and some anons responded: >>5350242

>>5350128
>>Red cactus grove

>>5350128
>>Red cactus grove

Avenge our brethren.

File: Soifrog2.png (8 KB, 574x232)

8 KB PNG

>>5350149
>>5350155
>>5350176
>>5350263
>>5350356
>>5350438
>>5350500


You decide to go to the Blue Cactus Grove, introducing yourself to the Chuco and Bobs that make up the materials retrieval team.

"Oh you must be the talking scorpion I heard about from Chuck"

You make conversation among the bugs until you reach the blue cactus grove.

Unlike the other cacti, the blue cactuses have massive roots that make them look like upside down trees.

There's some rabbits here harvesting some of the roots. What do you do?

>Help the beetles harvest some Blue Cactus
>Pick a fight with the rabbits
>Find some tasty bugs to eat.

>>5352225
>Strike up a conversation with the rabbits
>Murder them.of they offend you

>>5352225
>Help the beetles harvest some Blue Cactus

Hopefully for some XP
(And sneak some for a snack if its editable.)

>>5352225
>>Help the beetles harvest some Blue Cactus
it's ecks PEE. baby,

>>5352243
i like the cut of your jib, +1'ing this after harvesting

>>5352243
>>5352266
>>5352267
>>5352268

You help Chuck and the Bobs in harvesting the Cacti. Without the bladed protrusions, you end up having to use Spectral Sting a lot to cut the cactus into manageable pieces.

However, when the cart is about halfway filled, a large beetle-cactus hybrid looking creature arrives and starts wrecking shit.

The rabbits are quick to bring out their weapons, while Chuck is knocked out.

One of the Bobs helpfully informs you that the monster is called an Aberrant. Apparently, they can only be killed by specialweapons made by the rabbits and that you should run.

>Help the rabbits take out the cactus beetle
>Help the cactus beetle take out the rabbits
>Help the bobs protect the cargo

>>5352300
>>Help the rabbits take out the cactus beetle
so helpful :-)

>>5352300
>Help the rabbits take out the cactus beetle
Want that shell.

>>5352300
>Help the rabbits take out the cactus beetle but ask for one of the weapons first.

And before you attack, you quietly say to yourself "This one's for Kermit."

File: Soifrog2.png (23 KB, 1170x498)

23 KB PNG

>>5352302
>>5352333
>>5352380

You try to help the rabbits by attempting to attack the Aberrant. However, it seems your weapons have no effect and you only succeed in adding a large fracture to your pickaxe.

However it seems that your Spectral Sting can pierce through its chitinous shell. The rabbits are surprised.

The rabbit weapons are made of fragile looking glass, but see to glow with a mysterious power. You try to ask for one, but the leader of the rabbits tell you that Rabbit weapons are a rabbit secret.

However, he seems to be willing to work with you to take down the Aberrant.

>Write in strategy

>>5352406
Focus on that shell with spectral sting. Try hopping really high, to avoid damage, and landing back on the shell. Let the rabbits do the rest.

>>5352406
>Jump on Aberrant's back and open its shell while the rabbits keep its limbs occupied
>Comment on rabbit's cool glasses
Especially if they use them as weapons lmfao

>>5352421
Support.

>>5352406
Also, steal a rabbit weapon, if we can manage it after the battle.

>>5352424
Only if we can do so without getting seen and starting a war with them

>>5352417
>>5352421
>>5352424
>>5352428


You use Spectral Sting, opening up holes in the Aberrant's shell. The Bobs try to shout you down and get you to retreat, but you're determined to take it down.

In contrast, the rabbits' weapons are doing damage, but not much. However the sheer number of their attacks mean they make quick progress in disabling one of the aberrants' legs. If you let the rabbits lead the fight, then this will turn into a battle of attrition.

Your attacks and the rabbits' attacks enrage the aberrant and it does a sweeping attack that knocks down most of the rabbits except for the leader that manages to dodge it by hopping on the offending leg and unleashing a series of attacks with its glowing glass Katana.

The Aberrant is trying to get you off its back by extruding spikes off of the holes you made on its back, one of which grazes you, opening a large wound on your torso.

>What now?

>>5352438
>Steal a rabbit weapon and enter a berserker rage

>>5352438
Brace your arm blade and pickaxes in the hole you made, and try to widen it with your PURE FROGGY STRENGTH! Utilize the widenee hole to shove your spectral stinger in further.

>>5352438
Only diamond can cut diamond. Let's rip a fucking cactus leaf/spike off of the Aberrant's head and use it as a weapon against him. If that fails, jam a piece of blue cactus down its throat the next time it tries to take a bite.

>>5352438
>>5352440
Support

>>5352438
>Use Spectral Shield and try to break all spikes so you can stay on its back

>>5352440
>>5352472
>>5352505
>>5352511
>>5352513


You take one of the fallen rabbits' weapons. It's a more modest dagger compared to the leader's Katana

"What are you doing!? Those weapons are for rabbits only!" The leader shouts.

And then you immediately go ham on the beast, trying to cut off its spikes and widening its existing wounds.

As it turns out, the rabbit weapons aren't actually as effective as your Spectral Sting.

However, you try to channel the Spectral Sting into the glass dagger. It begins to crack, but Spectral energy has turned it into a spectral broadsword that looks like a scorpion's sting.

Your attempt at de-spiking the Aberration's neck turns ino a decapitation and it spews blood everywhere.

The rabbit weapon is unable to handle the spectral energy and breaks into a million useless shards.

The rabbit leader looks unhappy

>>5352534
>T-pose and tell the leader to go eat a dick, we just saved him several rabbits, then dab at him several times

>>5352534
>Turn slowly to the rabbit leader and say "That's no way to get AHEAD in life."

Then see if there is anything we can scavenge off the Aberrant.

>>5352534
Maybe ya shouldda "Get gud" scrub

>>5352566
>>5352749
+1 T-pose to assert dominance

>>5352566
>>5352749
Supporting both.

>>5352534
>Turn slowly, assume T-pose, make quip

>>5352534

>>5352566
>>5352749
+1 Rabbit’s a little bitch for being such a stickler

Supporting everything

>>5352889
>>5352845
>>5352815
>>5352749
>>5352566


You T-Pose at the rabbit leader in order to assert your dominance.

"I knew there was no way a common desert insect like you could understand... those weapons are supposed to grow with us. Rabbits only get one. By breaking a Rabbit Weapon, you've basically robbed a rabbit of their life."

"By the Desert accords, I place you under arrest for the murder of a rabbit."

You've gained 5 XP from defeating the aberrant, by the way.

11 XP, which is more than enough to push the Scorpion Shell to lv 5 and end this scorpion ruse.

>Fight rabet
>Run away with the beetles

>>5353077
>Shuck shell, equip Aberrant shell, slay the rabbits
I am become death, destroyer of buns

>>5353077
>11 XP, which is more than enough to push the Scorpion Shell to lv 5 and end this scorpion ruse.
Can we spend 10 XP for a second slot so we can wear the aberrant shell and the scorpion shell? Lets do that.
Then invest 1 xp in the aberrant shell.

>>5353130
+1

>>5353130
+1aroni

>>5353199
Also,
>Write in
>Submit to rabet
Joining The Beatles in being a Band On The Run sounds tempting, but I think it could lead to negative repercussions later if the rabbits come back. We should stick up for ourselves, we didn't know what we were doing. In fact, we feel a little bad for the guy whose flimsy weapon we shattered.

Maybe there's a way to atone for this crime by helping out the rabbits? I'm sure the Chucks and Bobs would understand.

File: Soifrog2.png (11 KB, 738x312)

11 KB PNG

>>5353212
>>5353199
>>5353135
>>5353130
>>5353103

You use 10 points to leve up and gain another spot. You have 1 XP left, which you can use on the Aberrant Shell to gain Aberrant Spikes. The Aberrant Shell only currently gives you Aberrant Blood, which allows you to heal other creatures by feeding them your blood, but it slowly turns them into an Aberrant.

What an ominous ability.

The rabbit is surprised at your sudden increase in size.

"My god. You've turned yourself into an Aberrant."

He slowly draws gis Katana but you assuage his worries and tell him you'll vome willingly to rabbit prison or whatever.

"A talking scorpion and now a talking Aberrant? Strange, but whatever. I'll take you in. Our rabbit scientists would have a field day with you."

You say good bye to the Chuck and Bobs who beg you not to go because you're so cool. However you explain to them that you don't want to get them in trouble with the rabbits.

On the journey back to the Rabbit home, what do you do?
>Try to talk to the rabbit captain
>Try to apologize to the rabbit whose weapon you destroyed
>Try to escape
>Write-in

>>5353293
>Try to talk to the rabbit captain

>>5353293
>>5353303
Oh, and
>level up for Abberant Spikes

>>5353293
>>Try to talk to the rabbit captain

>Try to talk to the rabbit captain

>level up for Abberant Spikes

>>5353303
>>5353304
>>5353333
>>5353352

You level up the Aberrant Shell in order to get the Aberrant Spikes skill, locking it in until it reaches LV 5. The skill is unlike what you expected, and is a skill for boosting attack by feeding someone your blood. For unthinking monsters, Aberrants sure have a lot of support skills

You try to talk to the rabbit Captain and while he tries his levl best to ignore you, you eventually crack his emotional armor by being genial and cracking jokes.

"Hey, you're pretty funny for an Aberrant. Why don't we stop by Bunnybucks before I turn you in? They make the best cactus coffee"

You learn a lot about bunny culture including, surprisingly, that the Rabbit Weapons contain a Rabbit Soul, which allows them to grow with the user and harm Aberrants.

The Rabbit Captain sas he isn't sure on the specifics of how they were made...

Although, the Rabbit weapons needed a lot of attacks just to make an Aberrant bleed. Your Spectral Sting was way more effective in killing that Aberrant even if the atack that allowed you to decapitate it broke the Rabbit Weapon.

It doesn't take long for yo to reach Rabbitville... although it looks rather destroyed.

You spot some Rabbit-like aberrants walking around like zombies, occasionally falling from the high glass buildings built into the cactus trees.

"Holy shit. What happeed here? It looks like an Aberrant attack... but Aberrants don't work together... how did they coordinate enough to destroy our home?"

The Rabbit captain is speechless

>Suggest getting to the center of the city. Maybe you'll find the source of the Aberrant there
>Suggest finding survivors among the rubble
>Suggest making/finding a center of operations to purge the aberrants from Rabbit City
>Write-in

>>5353380
>>Suggest getting to the center of the city. Maybe you'll find the source of the Aberrant there

>>5353380
>Try to befriend the Aberrants
Rabbits aren't our friends yet, and in fact arrested us and want toe experiment on us. Aberrants are supportive buddies, based on their skills.

>>5353380
>>5353389
This is better. Rabbits suck.
Support!

>>5353380
Still not sure who to support here. Rabbits might be cute, but they can obviously be dicks. I'm not about to go to rabbit prison and get bunny raped.

I say we
>Suggest getting to the center of the city. Maybe you'll find the source of the Aberrant there

But keep an open mind about who to side with. Maybe no one.

>>5353293
oh god how disgusting

>>5353418
+1
If these Aberrants are "working together" us tuning into their nature can better help us understand the problem at hand, we might not even need to pick a side rather then help these misunderstood creatures acting out of the norm

>>5353381
>>5353389
>>5353390
>>5353418
>>5353477

The rabbit-like Aberrants are wandering somewhat Zombie-like. With how the Aberrant style abilities work, you can kind of guess how things went down. Maybe the current infestation is a result of Aberrant blood?

Nonetheless, the Rabbit leader urges yoj to avoid the aberrants, making travelling through the Rabbit city to the center more difficult.

"It takes an entire team of Rabbits to defeat one Aberrant. Rabbit Aberrants are weaker than beetle ones, but I don't want to risk it..."

Eventually though, you reach a point where to progress further, you have to encounter an Aberrant.

The Rabbit aberrant you come to face has hadt their swollen muscles turn red, interlaced with green spiky vines.

You tell the rabbit thay you want to try talking to it, but he stops you.

"That one looks stronger than the others... if we have to fight it, then I need your Aberrant powers or my team is dead."

>What do?

>>5353498
>Feed the rabbit our blood as a precaution
>Attempt talking to the Aberrant

>>5353498
>Attempt talking to the Aberrant
>Do NOT feed the rabbit zombie juice

>>5353498
>Attempt talking to the Aberrant
>Do NOT feed the rabbit zombie juice

>>5353498
Tell him to stand back while we work our magic.
>Attempt talking to the Aberrant
>Also look for an escape route so we dont end up in bunny jail.

>>5353498
>>Attempt talking to the Aberrant
>>Do NOT feed the rabbit zombie juice

>>5353772
+1

>>5353772
>>5354570
>>5353769
>>5353708
>>5353618
>>5353575

You very pointedly NOT buff the rabbit captain using your Aberrant skills. The possibility that the Rabbit Captain will turn into an Aberrant as well is too high for you to consider it.

Instead, you attemp to parley with the Aberrant. Its powerful plant muscles tense, as if it was deciding to attack you or not. It ultimately decides not to do so, deciding that you were Aberrant enough for it to not attack.

Instead it notices the rabbit capan and its shambling walk turns ino a sprint.

The Rabbit captain takes a stance with his Katana while his rabbit followers defend their unarmed comrade.

This might be a perfect time to escape

>Attempt to escape
>Help the Rabbit Captain
>Help the aberrant kill the captain

>>5355135
>>Help the aberrant kill the captain

Today we wake up and choose violence.

>>5355135
>Help the aberrant kill the captain

>>5355135
>escape
Let's get da fuq out of here.
Whatever beef these guys have its none of our business.

>>5355135
You know what... >>5355184 has a point.

Switching my vote to:
>Attempt to escape

We can kill rabbits later, if Aberrant continue to prove cool.

>>5355135

Changing to support >>5355184

>>5355135
>Help the Rabbit Captain
Don't be dicks. Help the Rabbits.

>>5355135
>Attempt to escape

>>5355148
>>5355161
>>5355184
>>5355199
>>5355212
>>5355269
>>5355490


Now that the Captain and his crew are busy, you flee in a random direction.

Escape was a simple prospect, however you flee as far as your froggy legs can take you, fleeing until you can no longer see the rabbit city.

This takes you to a mesa, doted periodically woth cacti and plateus of colorful clays.

Irds are plentiful here, but more importantly, you can see a bird whose body is made of and emits shadow.

They're using a pair of binoculars to see what's going on in the direction of rabbit city.

Those shadowy feathers are the signature look of Huginn and Munnin so approaching may be dangerous.

>Approach shadowy bird
>Find shelter.

>>5356169
By the way, this is the last choice before Frogcore concludes!

>>5356169
>Approach the shadowy bird
If this is the end, let's go big!

>>5356169
>Find shelter.

>>5356169
>>Approach shadowy bird

>>5356199
>>5356239
>>5356246

The Wisdom Birds were impossible to avoid forever.

You climb the mesa by hopping with your powerful frog legs and with your increased size, you manage to reach its plateau in half the time it would have taken you in your original form.

"Ah, yes. A froghallan frog," the Wisdom Bird acknowledges you as you approach it. However it doesn't move its eyes from its binoculars.

"I've been expecting you. After all, my brother an I destroyed your home. Surely you don't think your survival was due to our negligence" says the crow.

"This world has many strange powers and I was curious if a Froghallan frog would thrive in such an environment. I must say, I'm proud of your progress," the Crow continues.

You feel anger rising up from withi the depths of your soul. Froghalla was destroyed because the birds simply wanted to experiment?

"Oh, don't be like that. After all, I have a reward for you for making it this far."

The crow regurgitates a pink frog with a single spot on her back.

"Like you, she was fortunate enough to survive the Froghallan massacre. I fully intend to help the two of you repopulate the frog population. For the creation of a new froghalla"

This is sick.

"Of course, I don't intend to give you a choice on the matter. A new Froghalla will be born on this plane."

It seems that the Crow had more to say, but you don't let him finish his monologue. It seems that you've blacked out part way and buried a Spectral Sting into his heart.

"Of course... that would be your choice. Godspeed, Froghallan."

>>5356374

This marks the end of Frogcore.

Sorry if the ending seemed a bit rushed, but I always had the rough shape of the ending in mind.

If any of you are interested in what-ifs, feel free to ask them in the thread

>>5356376
Were the Aberrants capable of advanced diplomacy and alliance?

>>5356384
Generally, no. However it's possible for them to reach that point if they live long enough.

Mostly, they infect other beings with their blood.

>>5356401
Fair. Thanks for clarifying!

More importantly, thanks for running. Was a fun little one-shot! Archiving it at suptg?

>>5356376

Thank you for a good quest. May the frogs profligate bountifully!

>>5356436
Yup! I tagged it Frogcore

>>5356441
Frogspeed gents

>>5356469
Frogspeed, king.

>>5356469
This quest went above and beyond my expectations. Good show, frogbro.

>>5356374
>>5356376
As much as short endings suck, this one was fucking kino, hory shet.
Thanks for comfy murder quest, FQM. Frogspeed.

>>5356376
Thanks man
That was fun.

>>5356374
>>5356376
Cool quest. Thanks for running. What would have happened had we headed to the swap first?