Robin couldn't help but be stunned. It wasn't the first time something similar had happened to him. He was after all the current musical superstar on the ship.
Would have been a wonder if he hadn't met with anything of the sort. Robin had however never met anyone as brazen as this.
Robin saw the innocent excitement in Fi's eyes. It didn't make him feel any easier about it.
"I don't care, do what you want." He said with a huff. Everyone except Fi, who didn't pay any attention to it, saw that he most definitely cared.
Fi grabbed Robins arm. Feeling the rocklike skin, her attention undivided, no shape escaped her touch. Fi tried pinching, but the skin didn't stretch. She knocked on it and nodded as if understanding something.
The expression on Robins' face was most bemusing. Twisting in every fashion possible. Trying his hardest to not push Fi away.
Finishing with Robin's arm she moved her hand to his face.
Blue had thought that it wasn't possible for Robin to gain any more red on his face, but it happened.
Fi didn't pay any heed to his expression but took a step back. Something was on Fi's mind. Robin was just about to blurb out "What?" when she aimed a kick at his legs.
The three team members were stunned and didn't have time to react before a dull thud sounded. The legs collided together. The end result being Fi jumping in pain as she swore in abandon.
With this episode behind them, the group dealt missions. Robin was to scout for the best place to place the beacon. Sawyers mission was to scout the dangers and areas around them.
The mission left for Fi and Blue was to find any food sources. Fi and Blue spent most of the time getting used to the gun, the knife and some simple survival techniques.
Fi learned the pistol had a few settings. One mode for using it underwater which greatly interested Fi. They tried it out together in the lagoon while staying away from any seaweeds.
The second mode for killing shots, lethal up to hundred meters. The third mode for stunning and incapacitating instead of killing. Blue told her the pistol was not meant for long range engagements. Any further than thirty meters and it wasn't accurate.
Guns could however only work so far on Eden. Creatures had hard carapaces and other varying means to survive simple gunshots. The safest bet was to learn magic and utilize it together with all the other tools in her arsenal.
The most important rule that Blue tried to hammer into Fi, was that always find out what something is before recklessly trying. Countless unimaginable ways that the environment, fauna and flora could kill you here.
If you weren't careful enough you would find yourself dead. Having to start over from scratch.
As they were still inside Eden Dream they could respawn, but with heavy penalties. Dying took all your dreams bucks, all your powers you had gained up till now. It had a respawn time of a month.
It was however still mild to the real consequences when they would arrive in Eden.
In the last three hours, the women were hunting. Blue was hunting food and Fi the surrounding trees as every shot kept missing the moving targets.
Nothing could stop Fi from persisting. Shot after shot was fired. The incapacitating energy buzzing into trees, leaving small scorch marks.
By pure luck, Fi managed to catch some prey. A grey bird the size of a pineapple. The grey bird had been sitting, minding its own business as a white striped green boar stood under it munching on roots.
Fi had aimed her best at the green boar. The crackling shot whizzing past the boar, knocking the bird down from its branch.
In her usual style, Fi had taken her lucky shot in style and celebrated as if she had aimed for the bird.
Butchering the bird was another chapter in and itself. She thought it would be easy after felling the prey. It squeezed at her heart to take its life. Fi knew it had to be done and steeled herself.
Plucking the bird and making it ready for cooking was a gruesome affair. The camp had a similar recycling plant as on the ship but in a much smaller scale. It could be carried in a backpack but was not something you could take with you on shorter trips.
It was necessary to learn all the basic. You had to be able to survive on your own. Fi felt thankful to Blue for teaching all these necessary skills. She didn't hesitate to show it either.
She might have taken the wrong time for it. Fi had blue in a tight hug, just after finishing with preparing the bird for cooking. Smearing Blue into the same mess as Fi herself. While Blue wasn't happy about it, she didn't mind it either.
The two women with jumpsuits painted red entered the camp. Sawyer and Robin had arrived. Sun was about to set after another long day.
Robin grabbed the food with an eager fist. He walked towards the recycler. Tapped at a few buttons and poured the food into it.
Fi started smattering about her day to Robin. She didn't let Robin utter anything than acknowledgments. Fi told about what she had learned today and would have talked for half an hour if Blue didn't grab her to lead her towards the showers on the scoutship.
A clean jumpsuit and refreshing shower were in order for them both.
A refreshing shower later, the two women appeared again. Food was ready and fantastic smells spread out over the campsite.
The smell of real food. A hint of ecstasy spread over Fi. In a floating gait, Fi moved to the recycling unit. Fi grabbed a plate of food made from her catch and some other ingredients they had gathered.
The plate was almost to Fi's nose. She poked at the hot food with her finger feeling the consistency. It was a springy piece of meat. Nothing like the sludge she had been eating on the ship. She enjoyed the food in silence. Closing her eyes not to let a single flavor or differing consistency escape.
This was heaven.
The meal eaten, they gathered for information sharing. Sawyer started the meeting by sharing the map he had been updating on his user interface. The general outline of the Island was showing. The island itself was 18 000 square kilometers. If comparing to Hawaii on earth it was close to double in size. A singular mountain loomed on the southern side of the island.
Sawyer zoomed in and it showed the general area. They were on the northern shore. Surrounded by trees.
Robin painted a dot ten kilometers southwest.
"This should most probably be a good place for the beacon. I'll have Sawyer come with me tomorrow to make sure."
The team acknowledged.
Blue motioned to Fi. Taking a step Fi marked a few points on the map. The points marked a few good spots with ample fruits. A thumbs up from Blue made Fi happy as she had marked them in the correct locations.
Half an hour passed with the team was explaining the situation in detail. Fi was sure to note down everything into her UI for later use.
"Anyone gained any powers during the day?" Robin asked. Fi knowing that the two of them hadn't during the day, turned towards Sawyer. A shrug was part of the answer from Sawyer.
"I kind of did. I gained powers, but have no idea how to trigger them as of now." Sawyer said sipping at the fruit tea in his hand. The team nodded as it wasn't usual for it to happen this way either.
The game didn't help you. It was the same way on Eden. You would have to figure it out yourself. The UI would exist and could record things you knew, but it wasn't an all-knowing machine.
Silence fell over the camp as everyone got themselves ready for bed. The team had retreated into their respective quick shelters.
Fi was still in her jumpsuit reviewing the day. A happy exhaustion was shining on her face. The first step taken. In a few weeks she would have autonomy.
Her train of thought shattered, as a high pitched scream rushed through the camp.
Fi exploded off her bed and didn't forget to grab the pistol. Everyone had simultaneously exited their tents.
On the ground, by the fissure made by Robin, stood a two meter ball of fluff. A pure white ball of fluff. The rabbit inside, size of a cat. A soft crackling sound and small blue bolts exited the rabbits long fur at small intervals.
Half of the rabbit's fur split from his body and flew in an astonishing speed towards Blue.
"Watch out!" Fi yelled.
White fur covered Blue. She didn't have time to react.