The Lands Beyond (Outer Wilds/The Land Before Time)

Since time immemorial, the Saurians of Firmament's second moon looked up at the stars and watched as strange worlds danced in circles across the heavens - so close but always out of reach. They walked among the metal ruins of those long gone, hunting each other with tooth and claw while eking out a desperate existence in a hostile land. For generations, they concerned themselves only with surviving another day, ignoring the mysteries of the universe that abounded all around them. In their eyes, this was just the way things were meant to be, and they did not spare a thought towards anything else.

Until one day, in a remote corner of Wild Nest's largest continent, something awakened. A circle runner prophet named Amber descended upon its inhabitants, bringing with her the knowledge of not just how to survive nature, but to alter it. She gathered followers of many once-hostile races, and together, they erected the First City within the confines of a great valley. This was a tiny flicker of civilization in a vast wilderness, and after Amber's passing, the flame would only grow brighter. Soon, an enterprising few would gaze up at the sky and dream of venturing where none had before.

It has been seventy years since Amber last walked on Wild Nest. Thirty-six years since the first astrosaur flew into the Mysterious Beyond. Twenty-eight years since the first Saurian set foot on a world - a triumph that would soon lead to tragedy. Seventeen years since the rebirth of Mysterious Beyond Ventures and the rise of a new generation of explorers. Five years since the commissioning of the first MBV mothership. There remain many skeptics of the space program among the City's citizenry, but the two-legs who run it remain convinced that the destiny of the Saurians lies above.

They cannot know how horrifically correct that sentiment is. That their doom will come from the depths of space and that the next few days will likely be their last. That the only hope for their world lies in those the space program had left behind and that the elders had forgotten.

This is where you, Hatchling, come into the equation.

---

Hello and welcome to The Lands Beyond, a very experimental narrative-driven quest that is centered around puzzle-solving and open-ended exploration. This is my first ever quest on SV and thus I ask your patience as I figure out the business of QMing.

For the uninitiated, this quest is a crossover between The Land Before Time, an acclaimed animated film by Don Bluth about a group of dinosaur hatchlings trying to survive the end of the world, and Outer Wilds, an open-world space exploration video game set in a miniature solar system trapped in an endless time loop at the end of the universe. In the Lands Beyond, you play as a juvenile sauropod named Littlefoot who must brave the depths of space in order to save his kind from a terrible fate. The quest takes place in an AU of The Land Before Time where dinosaurs live on a moon of a gas giant and also possess their very own space program, and the setting has hidden connections to the world of Outer Wilds that will be uncovered over the course of the story.

This combination of franchises may seem bizarre, but it is also something that has a lot of meaning to me personally. I hope I will be able to translate my childhood memories into an experience with wider appeal. The Land Before Time is infamous for having many sequels, but fortunately watching them will not be necessary to enjoy this quest. I myself haven't seen one since I was ten years old, and while I have done some research to refamiliarize myself with the series, the AU nature of the quest makes it only distantly related to the "canon" world of the sequels. While LBT has a (somewhat undeserved) reputation of being a "childish" franchise, this quest is most definitely written for adults. Keeping with the spirit of both the original feature film and Outer Wilds, it will contain some horror elements that may be unpleasant for some. That "cosmic horror" tag beneath the title is there for a reason.

As a note for those who have not yet played Outer Wilds, it is a game where progression is tied to the knowledge you gather through exploration and thus spoiling it can ruin the gameplay experience for players. Fortunately, The Lands Beyond takes place in a literal alternate universe with different physics and new locations, and thus will not contain "gameplay spoilers" for Outer Wilds. However, certain Outer Wilds plot twists play a major role in this quest's story and it will thus contain spoilers for Outer Wilds' story. In addition, the conversation in this thread will no doubt contain gameplay spoilers for Outer Wilds, and thus it is recommended to avoid reading this quest if you wish to experience the game for yourself.

Finally, players must keep in mind that uncovering the mysteries of the world they are thrown into is the primary gameplay of the quest. Thus, the QM will only answer questions that the PC himself knows the answer to, and answers to unsolved mysteries will not be forthcoming.


Acknowledgements:

The-Mr-E for some terminology and concepts.
@BirdBodhisattva for proving this kind of crossover can be done

CHARACTER SHEETS

Name: Littlefoot
Clade: Longneck

Skills

Maneuver: Fledgling (+2)
Pioneering: Fledgling (+2)
Interface: Hatchling (+0)
Deduction: Juvenile (+4)

Knowledge:

A Dream of Flight: You may have only an inkling of what lies beyond, but it is enough to set your mind ablaze. +1 to Deduction checks relating to your knowledge of the Mysterious Beyond or the history of Saurian spaceflight.

At Paw's Length: You've had trouble making friends among your peers in the First City, and thus you are somewhat inexperienced in picking up on the subtleties of interpersonal interaction. -1 to Deduction checks for noticing things about others.

The Uncertainty Principle: Wavelike properties. Uncertainty. Superpositions. The microscopic world abounds in strangeness, and Opal's "quantum theory" is only scratching the surface. Yet, what you've learned doesn't seem to explain much about the Quantum Shards or the Wandering Moon. You feel there are still many missing pieces of the puzzle. +1 to Deduction checks involving quantum objects or quantum-related phenomena.

Amber's Laws of Motion: An object at motion stays at motion. An action produces an equal and opposite reaction. These are the rules that keep the moons in their orbits and push rockets through the cosmos. You may not be anywhere near to being able to rendezvous by yourself, but you know how to navigate in a zero-gravity environment.

Principles of Flight: You have learned how to manually pilot the Starflyer in an atmosphere and land on a celestial body without need for CORS. However, you will need to make a Maneuver check any time you attempt to do so, with varying difficulty levels.

Permanent Inventory:

Signalscope Frequencies: Mysterious Beyond Ventures, Quantum Fluctuations

DISCOVERY LOG

Rumor Mode

The world ended four years ago. One day, the ground broke apart, spewing fire, ash, and noxious gases. In the blink of an eye, the land you had known your entire life had transformed into something nightmarish and hostile to Saurian life. With heavy hearts and aching bellies, you and your mother set forth on a journey to a new home, traveling where the Bright Sun set. It was the sort of voyage longnecks like you were tragically accustomed to, for your kind has never been able to remain in one place for long.

Your mother claimed that your destination was a secret few Saurians spoke of. It was a kind of place you had never heard of - a "city" where Saurians had created strange monsters from rocks that shone and pierced the heavens on pillars of fire. At the city, you would have all the food you could eat and there would be many other Saurians to talk to. It sounded like a dream come true, but your mother spoke of it wearily and mournfully. It was only years later that you would understand why.

As the days went by, the land grew harsher and harsher, with once gentle-plains transforming overnight into mountains that burned. Lava flows blocked your path more and more frequently and the air itself choked your lungs. The sky was filled with clouds of ash, and Bright Circle became almost impossible to spot. Still, you held on together, and your mother was confident that your journey was almost over.

You can remember only a few things from the day your journey came to an end. First, you recall looking out at a landscape of solidified lava flows that blended together into a blob of blackness. Then, you hear a gasp from behind - your mother's - and turn your head to see a gray plume racing down the mountain to your right.

"RUN!" you remember your mother shouting, and you leap forward, never once looking back. The ground itself starts to rumble and your mind is filled with panic. You spot a hatchling-sized crack in the ground and, without thinking, jump into it, rolling up into a ball right before the plume arrives. The rumbling becomes overwhelming and you feel a gust of wind blowing through the crack as a gigantic mass passes next to you at a speed you didn't think possible. Thirty heartbeats later, and the rumbling comes to a halt. You breathe in and out, coughing as you take in a lungful of fumes, then slowly scrabble your way out of the crevice.

There is nothing but ash and gravel behind you, still shimmering from heat. No trace of your mother at all. It is as if she has vanished into thin air, and part of you hopes she is about to climb over the hill this ash avalanche created.

"Mother? Where are you?" you call out. The hill is silent.

"Mother, please say something! I can't see you!"

Only silence. You feel fear rise through your body.

"MOTHER?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" you scream at the top of your lungs. No voice comes from the ash. You feel your resolve breaking down, you want nothing but to cry… yet a voice speaks to you from the depths of your mind. It tells you that you are still in danger and that you must keep moving. With hesitation, you turn around to once again face the landscape and start walking forward. Some part of you still holds on to the hope that you will hear your mother's voice behind you, if only you keep moving. However, the landscape is as indistinguishable as ever, and you despair of ever finding your way.

It is then that you see something behind the clouds in front of you: a pinprick of orange light shining through a thin patch in the sky. As you stare at it, you notice that it is moving ever slowly upward, completely unlike Bright Circle or any star you've ever seen. You recall your mother's tale of the City's Saurians piercing the heavens on pillars of flame. Is the City within reach?

You have no choice but to go forward.

You put one foot in front of the other, dragging yourself past countless peaks and troughs of dark gray rock that used to be lava. You feel a shortness of breath and your stomach aches for food, but push forward regardless. The rock cuts your scales and bleeds your feet, but the pain does not stop you. Slowly but surely, the hills in the distance grow closer and closer, even as your legs grow weaker and weaker. Finally, they give out from under you, and you feel your awareness begin to fade. The world grows blurry and your eyelids droop, and you do not know when you will wake up again.

Suddenly, you see a figure appear in front of you. Your vision is too blurry to make it out, but you know it is another Saurian. The last thing you see is the figure dropping an object to your left, and then a blinding red light filling your vision, spewing clouds of smoke that obscures the figure from view.

You slowly awaken to find yourself lying on your back, resting on some kind of strange leaf capable of supporting your weight. More of it is wrapped around your feet and legs, and you taste something bitter on your tongue. A droning noise fills the background. You gasp and suddenly realize that there is something heavy wrapped around your snout. The air seems to be clean, but you feel the panic rising within you once again.

A female voice interrupts your racing thoughts.

"Ah… welcome back, little one."

Your eyes turn to see a large flyer standing in front of you. Her downy coat is thick, colored orange with black streaks, and her eyes are a light amber. You see her eyes wander over you with great concern.

"Mhmhm…"

You struggle to speak through the …thing on your snout. The flyer picks her left wing off the ground and adjusts it with her paws until your mouth isn't blocked.

"Wh-where am I?" you weakly stutter out.

"You're safe aboard one of our scouts," replies the flyer. "You're lucky I found you - the way you looked, you were almost dead!"

She shakes her head at the thought. Suddenly, you recall the image of the ashfall, and a sense of dread falls over you.

"M-my mother was with me when she… disappeared. Did you find her?" you manage to ask.

"Y-your mother? I didn't spot anybody else…" answers the flyer with great concern. "Where was she, the last time you saw her?"

"I…there was… one of the burning mountains spewed out ash that fell down really fast! I jumped in a crack to hide, but when it was over, she was gone!"

A small gasp escapes the flyer's beak. It takes her a moment to respond, and when she does, her voice is filled with sorrow.

"That… little one… is what we call a…a 'pyroclastic flow.' I-I do not know how to put this… Oh Traveler, your… your mother…I do not…do not think you will see her again."

She hangs her head. As you process her words, you feel your fear turning into sorrow. A tear streams down your cheek, then another and another. The flyer removes the thing from your snout and leans into you, trying to wrap your aching body in an embrace as best as she is able to. You don't stop yourself from crying on her chest. An eternity passes as reality presses down on you, all cold and all alone. You have no one, anymore. No one to protect you, to teach you which plants to eat and which to avoid, or to sing you to sleep on pitch-black nights. The world is empty and without love or comfort.

It was only when the scout ship arrived at the First City that you found out your mother was not your only family, and that the world was far greater than you could have possibly imagined.

Four Years Later, 120 Years After Founding of City (AFC)
Dawn of the First Day

Your body is out of order and your limbs are not your own. That is the first thing you feel as you try to make sense of your surroundings. The world seems blurry and fluid, but you can tell that you are sitting on something with your tail bent around to your side. You feel a force pressing you down and your surroundings shaking, yet you are not unbalanced.

"Approaching first stage cutoff," announces a strangely warped voice in front of you.

"Copy that, getting ready to hit the button in five…"

This second voice sounds more normal and is closer, coming from your front left. You try to shift around only to find that something is restraining your movements. Your body feels tight, as if there is an object wrapped around it. You still cannot make out who is with you.

Suddenly, you feel a jolt. The ground trembles and the force pushing you down disappears for a moment before returning with even greater strength for about a heartbeat. It then fades to something weaker yet still present. The second voice returns.

"Stage separation confirmed. Second stage ignition! Control, how's our trajectory looking, over?"

"Copy that, your trajectory is right on-target. Good flying there, Commander!" replies the first voice.

You feel a strange sense of dread overpower you. The walls close in around you, and you sense death itself staring at you on the other side. You are trapped in the maw of a great void hungrier than any sharptooth, and there will be no escape from it.

A voice pierces through the darkness. You feel yourself pulled away from the maw's clutches.

"How's the hatchling doing?"

A pause.

"Hatchling, do you copy?"

Something outside strikes your world and you feel a sharp spike of awareness course through your mind as your surroundings disappear in a moment. With a gasp, you burst from your dream back into the waking world and find yourself lying on your right side with a sore sensation on your flanks. Feeling a wave of relief wash over you from being back in your own body, you roll to the left and find…

A pinecone, now lying shattered on the ground. Well, that explains it.

Fortunately, the faint orange glow on the horizon means you haven't lost much sleep. Soon, the rest of the City will be waking up as well - including your grandparents, still asleep aways to your right.

On most days, they would be teaching classes, but today is a free day, so you feel like giving them some well-deserved time off. Of course, that usually means one thing: a lone trip to the Museum, quite possibly your favorite place in all the City.

Before that, you feel like catching the sunrise. It's not often that you wake up early enough for that.

You stand up from your resting place and walk past your grandparents slowly enough not to disturb them. The vantage point is about five minutes from here. You pass by the standing rocks that mark the Circle of Learning. For other hatchlings, this is the place where they are dragged to against their will so your grandparents and other teachers can try in vain to fill their tender minds with all Sauriankind has discovered. But for you, this is home. Here, you sleep out beneath the stars when Bright Circle has set beneath the hazy skies of Wild Nest.

As you head towards the overlook, you glance at the sky out of habit. The broad disk of Firmament hangs in its prominent position above the Great Wall from which it never leaves, with one side shrouded in darkness and the other shining bright. Its reflective white cloud bands streaked with purple are a sight no Saurian pays much mind to, despite the many questions about it yet to be answered. A teacher Mr. Thicknose once claimed that Firmament's purple streaks come from "sky plankton" that live in its upper cloud layers. Of course, you doubt Sauriankind will find out the truth for a long time.

Transiting Firmament is the innermost moon, Shrouded Ember. A very faint stream of gas and particulates trails behind its ashen atmosphere, only visible against the backdrop of Firmament's clouds.

Somewhat to the right of Firmament hangs the crescent of an outer moon, Gale's Abyss. You can't make out the hypercanes among its overcast skies, but you can easily imagine them buffeting the hapless astrosaurs unfortunate enough to be sent there. The very thought of it makes you nervous.

Hanging close to Firmament is the eerie disk of Lambent Creep, with its faint yellow glow the subject of many a frightful tale among hatchlings. Even the grown-ups are loath to speak of that cursed moon.

Unfortunately, neither Lofted Ether and the Wandering Moon are visible at the moment. You'll probably have to wait until the afternoon, but it's no problem. After all, today is a free day and you have all the time in the world.

You finish your observations and scamper up a hill to reach the overlook. For half an hour, you wait as Bright Circle creeps over the Great Wall and illuminates the entire valley before you. It's been years since you got here, yet this sight never gets old.



You gaze from the pair of geysers by the mines on the left opposite where Bright Circle rises, to the sprawling hodgepodge of homes, workshops, and who knows what else that is the First City, to the vast tracts of land surrounding it, to the Old Astrodome on the right where Mysterious Beyond Ventures launched its first flights, and finally, to the other side of the Great Wall, beyond which the current Astrodome is located. Below you, you see fellow Saurians of all clades getting ready for the day ahead, and the view tells your heart that this will forever be your home.

After a few minutes taking in the sight, you realize you really need to get a move on. The Museum will open any minute!

You scamper down the valley towards the First City, passing by numerous plots of cycads and horsetails along the way. Navigating through the outlying houses of the City, you skip past the town square and the Traveler's Shrine to reach the bridge spanning the river that runs through the center of the valley. The Museum lies carved into the bottom of Saurus Peak, a large outcropping of rock that emerges from the ground at the center of the Valley. At its top lies the dome of the Observatory, with a circular set of stone stairs leading downwards and past the carved homes of the City's leaders.

Your heart sinks as you arrive at the entrance to the Museum, which you see has been blocked off by a cordon of rope. A medium-sized Saurian - probably a domehead - in a hazard suit is applying chemicals to the ground in front of the entrance, which has been stained by… something. Passing by the few onlookers that have gathered, you approach the worker to try to gain some answers.

"My apologies, Littlefoot."

You turn around to the voice that came from beside you. It belongs to the Museum's curator, a male circle runner with blue-gray feathers named Cobalt who you've seen more times than you can remember. He has done his best to answer your unceasing questions about the world, and for that, you are thankful.

"Cobalt? What happened here?" you ask, trying and failing to hide your dismay.

"It appears that last night, someone emptied a canister of nitric acid right by the entrance. After Mysterious Beyond Ventures' sad history with that substance, I'm surprised we even have it accessible."

You raise an eyelid.

"N-Nitric acid? Who'd do this?!" you reply in equal parts shock and revulsion. Cobalt sighs before replying.

"Unfortunately, a few citizens would come to mind."

You groan. If this is one of Topsy's latest stunts…

"Well, what's done is done. I think it'll take about… two hours to clean up the spill, what with all the deadly fumes. Now, perhaps you can find other things to do in the meanwhile?"

You sigh. It looks like you have some time to kill. Which location in the City or Valley will you head to?

[] The Town Square, which hosts a broadcast of live footage from the Mysterious Beyond. It appears there's some kind of commotion there. Perhaps you should check it out?
[] The Traveler's Shrine, where Saurians of all clades come to reflect and contemplate the universe.
[] The Airstrip, where the City's scouts and carryalls take off for other lands. It was here where your rescuer still works as a Ranger. Perhaps you should pay her a visit?
[] The Old Astrodome, where astrosaur Edmon first took off into the Mysterious Beyond more than thirty years ago. It hasn't seen use in about that long, but there's a lot of history there you enjoy taking in.
[] Return to the Circle of Learning, where your grandparents are just waking up. You could speak to them… or check on your greatest secret.

[X] The Town Square, which hosts a broadcast of live footage from the Mysterious Beyond. It appears there's some kind of commotion there. Perhaps you should check it out?

You walk towards the Town Square you originally bypassed on the way to the Museum. The distant sound you are hearing resolves into the bellowing voice of...

Topsy. It's always Topsy, isn't it?

A crowd has formed around the outskirts of the square that is blocking your way in. You attempt to wriggle your way through the onlookers while your ears strain to pick up the argument.

"-for DAYS, the 'heroic' and 'trustworthy' leaders of Mysterious Beyond Ventures have hid themselves inside their Astrodrome, not once returning back to the City!"

You finally push past the shaggy feather coat of a rainbow face to get a good look at the square itself. The irate gray-scaled threehorn formally named "Mire Topps," but known to everyone as "Topsy," is standing in front of the bronze statue of Amber at the center of the square. You read a look on his face like he's about to charge the entire crowd, which is quite typical of him.

"-And this is AFTER their latest 'Expedition' to Traveler-knows-where, which has used more resources than the last THREE combined!" continues Topsy, bellowing out for what feels like the entire City to hear. Traveler, he really likes the sound of his own voice, doesn't he?

"Why do we even let Mysterious Beyond Ventures squander our time and our energies on their machines to nowhere?! Have our lives gotten any easier since the space program started?! Have we become happier and healthier?!"

A pause, for effect.

"The answer to all of those questions is, as usual, NO!"

Whispers erupt among the crowd. You know that there are many in the City who share his feelings, despite you not understanding why. Sometimes, you fear that enough will listen to the point where MBV may get shut down again, and what a heartbreak that would be for you! Suddenly, you see the crowd at the path to your right parting before another voice, weaker but no less firm, calls out.

"What's the meaning of this?!"

You gasp as you see a digger step into the open. Not just any old digger, but Malin, the co-founder and Director of MBV himself!

Deduction Roll (Easy): 2 + 4 + 4 (Deduction) - 1 (At Paw's Length) = 9
9 vs. 7 = Success

You can't help but notice the dark circles under Malin's eyes and the stimulant-induced twitchiness of his claw fingers. Clearly, he's been lacking sleep for at least a while. What has happened to him that's left him like this?

Upon noticing the intruder, Topsy growls his name and gives the digger a stare that could kill. Malin is unfazed.

"I was hoping you'd show up. CARE TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF?!" barks the treehorn. Malin only gives an exhausted reply.

"We all have pressing issues to attend to, Mr. Topps. Our business is our own! Don't you also have things to worry about?"

Upon hearing this, Topsy only laughs bitterly before addressing the crowd in a mocking tone.

"So... this is the kind of person our leaders believe deserve our respect. The same ones who decided to invite a pack of fast biters-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" shouts Malin suddenly enough to take you aback. "YOU WILL NOT INSULT OUR CITIZENS LIKE THIS-"

"Yeah? And who made you May-"

Topsy's angry reply is interrupted by something small and green splattering all over his nose! The crowd goes silent - silent enough for you to hear faint snickering among it. Topsy's bewildered expression soon turns to fury as he desperately tries to search for whoever was stupid enough to insult him.

Pew!

The second legume splots directly on Topsy's nose horn. Then another hits, and another, until his frill is plastered with them! You yourself barely suppress a giggle, and you can just feel the others besides you squirming as they try to hold in their laughter. Unfortunately, the snickering to your right has grown louder, and you know that the perpetrators have just outed themselves. Someone in the crowd shoves two yellow-and-black Saurians out onto the ground, where they land on their bellies along with the peashooter that one of them was holding.

"Ow! What was that f-" speaks a female and older-sounding yet still juvenile voice.

The two look up to find Topsy glaring down at them. Of course, you'd recognize them anywhere. Bendy and Mendy, the two hoofhand twins apprenticed to Tinker. They've just begun their Time of Great Growing, and yet they're already brilliant with building gadgets or fixing machines. Of course, they're also known as the most infamous pranksters in the City, with Topsy in particular often the victim of their "jokes."

Bendy, the one with the peashooter, somehow manages to sport a mischievous (through strained) grin on her beak as she stares down the threehorn.

"Got something on your face, loser?" she somehow manages to utter. Topsy response is exactly what you expect.

"You-YOU WORTHLESS BRATS! YOUR PARENTS SHOULD BE ASHAMED TO HAVE HAD YOU FREAKS OF NATURE! WHEN THIS IS OVER, I'LL GIVE THEM A LESSON THEY'LL NEVER FORGET!"

"Suuuuuuuure you will," intones Mendy, the twin who wears goggles. Topsy only paws the ground in front of him, half a mind to charge the two. Mendy tugs at her sister's arm, and the two retrieve their peashooter and run off back through the crowd, shoving a sharpeyes out of the way before disappearing. Topsy stares around wildly before realizing that his grand confrontation is over. He merely finishes with "this isn't over, Mysterious Beyond Venture!" before leaving for the Square exit in front of you. The crowd begins to scatter, and you finally breathe a sigh of relief. You hate it when Topsy does this!

With the path clear to the Square's center, you head towards Amber's statue. There she is, beak and eyes raised to the horizon, her right wing tucked beside her body and her left wing grasping her iconic lantern, shining stylized rays of light through its strange aperture that looks like a five-pointed treestar. You always felt it had a weird design - a crescent shape with the handle on one end no covering for the blazing flame at its center, focusing its light forwards. Somebody once said this was supposed to be a "Lantern of Cold Fire," but you have no idea what that old myth has to do with anything.

Done inspecting the statue, you turn to the other main attraction of the Square: Postcards From Orbit. This attraction is a great way to waste time for many a hatchling and grown-up alike. Multiple projectors hooked up to a radio dish beam several images onto the screen unfolded in front of you, showing images of Bright Circle rising over the curve of Wild Nest, casting an orange glow on the atmosphere. One image is of a large swath of land, flecked with scattered clouds. By the screen is a sign with an explanation:

"This is a live feed of various cameras mounted on the SkyNest - Sauriankind's first any only space station! As it travels on its ninety-minute orbit, the feed shows different portions of Wild Nest's surface as well as the Mysterious Beyond. If you wait for the right time, you can even see the Great Valley and First City itself from two hundred kilometers above!"

You could just sit here and stare at the pretty pictures for hours, but you feel like going to other places today. Where is your next destination?

[] The Traveler's Shrine, where Saurians of all clades come to reflect and contemplate the universe.
[] The Airstrip, where the City's scouts and carryalls take off for other lands. It was here where your rescuer still works as a Ranger. Perhaps you should pay her a visit?
[] The Old Astrodome, where astrosaur Edmon first took off into the Mysterious Beyond more than thirty years ago. It hasn't seen use in about that long, but there's a lot of history there you enjoy taking in.
[] Return to the Circle of Learning, where your grandparents are just waking up. You could speak to them… or check on your greatest secret.

[X] The Airstrip, where the City's scouts and carryalls take off for other lands. It was here where your rescuer still works as a Ranger. Perhaps you should pay her a visit?

A thought surfaces as you ponder your next destination. The Ranger patrol should have returned any time now, and that means that Pterrie has come back with them. With her being so busy, you haven't gotten the chance to speak with her in weeks! This should be a good opportunity to catch up.

The Airstrip is located on the outskirts of the City's northern edge. Of course, orienting yourself with your worldsight is second nature to you by now. Many Saurians possess this ability to sense the direction of Wild Nest's magnetic field, manifesting as a curved and faintly purple band overlaid on your vision. Your mother taught you how to interpret the direction of the bend to find your way even in the dark of night, when Bright Circle's path across the sky cannot be traced. As if by instinct, you head to the center of the Town Square and turn left until the band of your worldsight curves downward - the signature of magnetic north.

As you leave the City and approach the Airstrip, you immediately spot both a scout and a carryall landed on the clear field in front of you. Both vehicles use a large envelope of lifting gas to break free of Wild Nest's gravity and hover in the air, with tilting engines providing additional thrust and altitude control. The scouts are comparatively more agile crafts, carrying only two engines and a smaller envelope, while carryalls are behemoths made of two larger envelopes sown together, with a whopping four engines attached. Those can carry more than a hundred tons of cargo across pure wilderness - a necessity for delivering Creep-derived fuel and oxidizer to the City from its harvesting site and refinery. Without regular shipments, space travel would be impossible.

You notice a familiar flyer standing on her fours by the scout. Pterrie is still wearing her protective goggles and is looking away from you. This is the perfect time to strike!

"PTERRIE!" you excitedly call out as you bound towards her. She almost seems to jump out of her skin with fright before recognizing to whom your voice belongs to. As you reach the final stretch to her, she turns her elongated beak to face you, the closest flyer approximation to a smile on her face. Finally, you leap into her downy chest coat as she moves to embrace you.

"Littlefoot!" she exclaims. "Oh, it's been weeks! What a wonderful surprise to see you!"

You let yourself giggle before replying, "Me too!"

After a few moments in her arms, you back away from her.

"So, where'd you been? Did you find any more hatchlings to rescue?" you ask. She only shakes her head disappointedly.

"Oh, the City's just sent us on scouting missions to some of the Creeplands that have sprung up in the Outer Wilds. I didn't figure out much about what they were looking for, but I get the feeling that there's something worrying them. I've been over those lands many times over the years, both by scout and by my own wings. A few times I even get the feeling that they're growing, but the closest one is more than a hundred klicks away! You shouldn't worry your little head about them!"

She remembers something else.

"Some of the others - oh, they've been unbearable! They keep seeing monsters worse than sharpteeth everywhere they look, and one of them even thought he spotted 'ruins' among the Creep! Ruins! Can you believe it?!"

She laughs at the thought.

"Sometimes, they remind me of my oldest. Have you seen him during lessons, by chance?" she asks.

You jog your memory, but nothing in particular stands out. You know Pterrie's hatchlings attend classes with you, but they mostly keep to themselves and you find it difficult to tell them apart.

"Sorry, I... I don't really remember. I'll try to look next time," you reply sheepishly. Pterrie humphs disappointedly, but her mood soon recovers.

"Well, I'm sure you're eager to enjoy your free day. Heading to the Museum again?" she asks.

"You know it!" you exclaim. She chuckles.

"Well, I won't be out for at least a few days. If you want to talk further, you know where to find me!"

With the conversation over, she awkwardly raises her left paw to her head and gingerly removes her goggles. The sight of it always makes your grimace. Flyers aren't the best at using their forelimbs for things other than walking or flying. Once she is done, she crouches to the ground, then vaults into the air using her forelimbs, unfolding her wings and taking flight. You see her heading towards her home at the Aviary on the City's southwest corner.

Despite your impatience, it may still be some time before the Museum reopens. Where will you go next to pass the time?

[] The Traveler's Shrine, where Saurians of all clades come to reflect and contemplate the universe.
[] The Old Astrodome, where astrosaur Edmon first took off into the Mysterious Beyond more than thirty years ago. It hasn't seen use in about that long, but there's a lot of history there you enjoy taking in.
[] Return to the Circle of Learning, where your grandparents are just waking up. You could speak to them… or check on your greatest secret.