by Max Barry

Latest Forum Topics

Advertisement

1

DispatchAccountOther

by Mzeusia. . 4 reads.

RP Series: Kethru's Return

Here's a link to the Mzeusian RP Library which has every RP dispatch.

Here's a link to The Dispatch Writing Guide to help you write a good dispatch.

Kethru's Return

I am delighted to announce that everyone's favourite alien, Kethru, has returned to Earth for another adventure! Read the first story here!
Kethru, standing aboard the small craft now headed to earth, glanced at a dial to its left. A small tentacle slithered up to a lever on the ceiling and wrapped itself around the handle. With a gentle tug, and with several more tentacles shooting forth to press an array of buttons, the ship tilted itself. Through the horizon, Kethru kept its eye on the blue and green planet before him. Another series of button-presses sent the engines up to 70% power and Kethru gave a small contented squelch.

Since Kethru's escape from Earth, it had spent most of its time regaling the little ones of its adventure and discovering how its home planet had changed. On certain nights, however, Kethru would look to the stars and think of that world it had left behind. Earth, although Kethru did not know the human's named for it, had held an allure that Kethru had found hard to shake. Its time on the island had left him curious but unsatiated. What was beyond the water surrounding island? What were humans really like and what did they eat? Kethru didn't even know if they had predators. This time, however, instead of crash-landing from a prisoner-transport ship, Kethru had come prepared. It had more than enough supplies, and there was another ship ready to evacuate Kethru should it need it.

Under the careful guidance of Kethru's many tentacles, the ship drew ever closer to Earth and Kethru twitched in anticipation.

The effect of the atmosphere on Kethru's ship wasn't something it got to experience last time. The violent spinning of his falling prison cell hadn't exactly offered the best view, and Kethru was only conscious for part of the journey anyway. Now, as it guides the ship down, Kethru watches from the front window. Tentacles move across the console and the ship accelerates, breaking through the atmosphere shortly after. Having entered on a side of the Earth over which night has fallen, Kethru watches the lights as it descends. Making a few noises to itself, Kethru realises that the lights are those of civilisation, not naturally occurring. There were more of the natives than it thought.

Kethru steers the ship away from many of the landmasses, moving high above the surface at significant speed. Apart from the occasional tentacle twitch, Kethru stands still as it searches for a suitable place to land. After three hours, it finds one, slowing and letting the ship drift down. It has chosen what looks to be an uninhabited island with thick forested foliage. Kethru hovers for a moment above a clearing before manoeuvring the ship straight down. It is be a tight squeeze, but apart from a few branches scraping the metal, all is well. It remains to be know if anything detected the ship's arrival, but after checking all the systems are functional and that the ship can take off with haste should it need it, Kethru pushes the button to open the doors and steps forth into the cold moonless night.

The cold was more of a problem for Kethru than a human, but it made it's way through the pine trees with a stoic blubbery disposition. From Kethru's first time here, it knew that breathing wasn't an issue, but it had taken a few precautions this time around, and after realising that it might be walking for a while to find shelter, Kethru turned back to get proper tentacle-wear for the terrain and proper equipment to keep warm. If need be, the shapeship could function as a bedroom perfectly well, but the thought spending its time there, instead of outside.

Just as it drew near to the spaceship, Kethru froze. It wasn't that kind of freezing though. A pack of nine wolves were sniffing at the spaceship. From Kethru's vantage, it could only see three, but having no idea what they were, it crouched low, watching them investigate its craft. Luckily for Kethru, it was crouched downwind of the animals, but it was also dark and Kethru's vision wasn't good enough to notice that one of the wolves had made her way around the craft, spotting Kethru as she rounded the corner. Kethru heard the low growl that she let forth, finding the wolf in the darkness not soon after. The two species were equally quizzical about the other. Kethru, not wanting to make a move, and having seen a set of nasty looking teeth on them, stayed still. The wolves, now all alerted to Kethru's presence, focused on it. Over the course of, frankly forty minutes of rather uncomfortable cold, the female wolf who had saw Kethru first, had approached close enough for Kethru to touch her. Extending a single tentacle out, Kethru ran it across the wolf's back. It took a moment for her to get used to the feeling, but when she did, Kethru carried on, always careful not to be rough.

When Kethru was sure it had their trust, it stood, stepped closer to the spaceship. Kethru wished it had food for them, but how was it to know what would be suitable? It stepped inside, retrieved a warm blanket, stepped outside and looked for its new-found friends. They were not there and Kethru looked down. in the snow, several paw prints were leading away. In the gloom of the night, although Kethru couldn't see, the wolves were making their way back to more familiar ground, all unsure what to make of the tentacled creature they had seen.

The spaceship was warm enough, but not exactly where Kethru had hoped to spend the first night. The crunch of snow woke it up and, checking the scanners, Kethru saw that a herd of reindeer were moving by. Just like the wolves from last night, Kethru had never seen reindeer but decided to venture out anyway. To his disappointment, they ran on seeing it. Kethru was not the only one disappointed and as it heard yelling not too far away. Approaching the sound, Kethru spied a hunter staring after the fleeing deer with a scowl. Kethru followed the hunter, trying to remain hidden as it did so. The man spent another half hour unsuccessfully, before heading home. Home, as it turned out, was a village covered in snow and lying in a valley. Over the few hundred years since it's founding, the place had stretched further across the valley and a few fields were present outside the village proper. Last time Kethru had been on Earth, observing human civilisation had been a rather difficult proposition. Other, more pressing matters had hampered any faint curiosity Kethru might have felt. This time, however, Kethru stopped and looked into the valley, letting its hunter friend go on ahead.

The snow-covered thatched roofs and curling wood smoke excited Kethru. Compared to the sparse island population Kethru had seen before, this village was a metropolis and Kethru made its way towards it, still ever careful to avoid being spotted.

The curiousity Kethru felt was nearly overwhelming. The village was a quaint place and Kethru knew it. A human might have said that the quaintness came from the snow-covered roofs, or the rural location or the small size of the village, and those things also stood out to Kethru's subconscious, but what mattered most to it was the laughter. Kethru had come to recognise human happiness, and was drawn to it.

As Kethru descended into the valley, it stopped at the last tree, standing silently behind it. From here, it could see the goings on of the villagers clearly. On a porch, three old men and two old women drank Mzeusian tea. In front of them, a group of seven or so kids kicked a ball back and forth. The cries of farmers advertising their produce. Although Kethru did not understand the words, it liked the tone of the farmer's voice.

Then, as it was standing there, Kethru heard a gasp from behind. Kethru turned, and saw a child. Kethru froze on the spot, and the child screamed, dashing past and running into the village. At the cries of the child, and the assertions that a "sea monster" was nearby, the villagers gathered the twenty or so metres from the tree, within sight of Kethru.

The men, used to fending off wild animals, got their guns. They aimed them at the tree. "We can see you!" one shouted.

Kethru, now shaking with fear, decided it didn't much like the place, but it was confused and cautious. What were those sticks the men had? What did they do? What were they saying?

"That's a minion of Urklosia!" one of the men ventured. Urklosia was the goddess of sea monsters.

"That doesn't make sense." another whispered.

"Correct." Someone pushed their way to the front of the crowd. "That is clearly a supernatural being, but all beings can be reasoned with. Do you people not remember Traritus's tears at the sound of Gredery's music?" The man, dressed in robes that Kethru did not know how to interpret, stepped forward. "The Gods gave me a sign the other day, that a great power will come. They did not say whether it was one for good or evil, but this is surely the power they meant." Now, addressing Kethru, the priest said "If you are a minion of the Gods, or indeed a one of the Gods themselves, make that known, so we can accommodate you. We are but village folk who do not mean you harm."

Kethru, liking this new person's tone, stepped out from behind the tree and walked over to the man, placing a tentacle on his shoulder for a moment, before releasing the grip."

There was silence in the crowd, before the priest spoke. "The creature means us no harm."

"We don't yet know that!" someone said.

"Yes," said the priest whom Kethru had touched. "We don't know that, but bring the Mzeusian tea. If it has a taste for the tea, we shall know."

It did not take long. The nearest house had some freshly brewed Mzeusian tea, and it was offered to Kethru in a mug. Kethru, took it in one tentacle, and pleased with the pleasant smelling offering, recalled what the elderly villagers had done with these mugs. Kethru drunk and handed the mug back, and wiggled its tentacles happily.

"What is it doing?" said one of the villagers.

"We cannot know these gestures," replied the priest.

"What do we do?"

"We give it another one. If it drinks, it likes the tea."

So, Kethru was offered another mug, and drunk it without hesitation, giving another happy wiggle.

Following a few moments of silence, the priest began to smile. He turned to the other villagers and his smile widened. "Let us rejoice. We have a God in our midst."

Mzeusia

Edited:

RawReport