It's too dangerous to split up!

Don't do that.

It's dangerous to go two man against a snake like that! Three heads are better than one. And if the snake actually happens to eat one They can cleave it open with that comically sized sword really. Unless they're like all idiots in movies and they all die one by one.

attack one at a time! throw away the numbers advantage! its the most logical tactic!

Yes it is. X3

Probably gonna need more info, but voting to keep Jabaro around because "nothing ventured, nothing gained." That, and I don't want Kuva to get munched. D:

true, kuva getting munched before we get to would be terrible. but, would bringing a panicky cheetah along help? I mean even if we convinced him to stay, he might be more a liability with how fearful he is.

Dunno! I don't know him well enough to know if he'd get his shit together quickly, but he strikes me as a pretty serious guy with a sense of duty. We shall see, I suppose. :3

true, but it seems like he knows the snake that ate everyone, and if he's suffering PTSD from a run in with it, well, bringing him along would be like bringing a traumatized vet to a fireworks show.

not saying you're wrong or anything, just want to have some healthy discussion

Yeah. As I said, we'd probably need more information to make a decision about this.

Has anyone else notice how that there was dragging sound in the last page of the comic, but now there isn't any but bird chipping?

Does that mean that the snake is gone? Or did it just realise that there is another meal nearby and it stopped moving?

This is important and why I'm voting to go with Kuva. We need to get the snake before it has time to set up an ambush. That and I want to see Tanya eat a giant snake like a strand of spaghetti. Preferably also forcing the survivors out of the snakes belly at the same time.

I would agree, but any choice here seems like ones with their own strengths and flaws to them. Kuva seems too much of a risk taker unless we can convince her to not do anything too stupid. Maybe keeping silent from last time may have her be more easily convinced to listen.

We've to also still figure out how the hell it managed to eat a whole village of people with settler tools which should have been no easy feat for a normal or even large snake. So this could be something very dangerous and slow to approach. Too bad there isn't a option to get more information from Jabaro, could help a lot.

Well, if we leave the family dies and Kuva may die with them. No big loss on that second part but it would mean we couldn't eat her. If we go with Kuva, maybe give her the lamp, she could be a great distraction and that would let us, hopefully, get the jump on the snake. Finally If we convince Jab to stay we might get two cheetahs to distract the snake but the time it takes to calm him down could mean the villagers get digested before we arrive. Further that last option, While Kuva may be brash we know that means shi won't freeze during the fight. Jab however is terrified and might let the fear get the better of him.

I do feel like eating and digesting Kuva after this would lead to large consequences, then again, just humiliate her and spit her out I would go. Could become a fun back and forth thing between Tanya and Kuva. XD

But yeah, leave means that the sibling and Kuva dies or possibly Jabaro and Tanya since it seems to easy to leave now that I think about it.

Trying to convince him to stay as you said has its own backfire consequences if our faith in him doesn't hold up.

Kuva might work, but we have to be sure that she won't simply use us as the distraction target and leave us out to dry. So if that path gets chosen, we've to convince her to not do anything stupid or else she risks her sibling's life on the line. Choosing her could get Kuva to trust Tayna more... but again, the choices seem like they could all be good and bad.

Though it would be hard to trust Kuva in general after that being eaten incident for people.

An excellent point, fine fellow *fires a hot pocket your way*

That it's no longer moving may even mean that it's watching us and about to strike! No more standing around jabbering, time for action! We're well armed and primed to get the jump on this sucka!

Well if we get the route where get the group to agree to stay together, we really have Jabaro to quickly spill the beans on this Java. From what I can tell, we all don't know what the snake can do or what exactly it is that made the villagers go skinny dipping and drop a few pounds.

Then we approach very, very carefully. If it can take out a village without a fight, then three of our protagonists would likely never win against it in a straight up fair fight. That might mean fleeing as fast as the devil would allow if we manage to sense it before ambushing us.

Whaaaaat, we snakes are a kind bunch, love to give people hugs and stuff

You know what really might boost Jabaro's confidence? Showing off Tanya's little arsenal--the darts, the horns, the lamp--and maybe offer to loan him the big sword, too? In fact he can take anything he wants if he's willing to tag along... provided Tanya still has something to defend herself.

A snake is also far from a certainty at this point. Despite the funny smell on the clothes, none of them are covered in slime, nor do they appear to be partially dissolved. If they had been regurgitated after digestion you'd expect them to more damaged. There also wasn't any sign of a struggle back at the camp; people generally try to fight back against giant snake monsters trying to eat them, but none of the furniture or huts seemed to damaged, nor was there any blood anywhere.

Good point there with the weapons. Might mean that we don't have to use a stat to convince him to stay or at least tell us about Java.

I assume it is a snake, maybe something like kaa with hypnotic powers. But you could be right and it may be something else. It is hard to tell really what else it could be. Any suggestions or ideas about either hypothesises?

Well here's the Teal Deer version: there is as yet insufficient data for a meaningful answer.

And now for the boring, long winded version.

The reason I'm still hesitant to say the strange tracks are the result of a snake are the described randomness of their directions. The only explanation I can think of is that perhaps, along this trail, it periodically stopped to swallow a victim, otherwise the trail should be relatively straight and consistent. But then, this is probably not just a big, dumb swamp snake. Jabaro called it "Java," which leads me to believe it's probably gifted with higher reasoning, like any other anthro. Adding that to the mix means explaining anything may not be as straight forward as it appears. It could be "Java" is pretty good at hiding its tracks.

Even if this were the case, it's strange that there are so many other tracks along the way as well. It's possible they were not made at the same time--that the mass of paw and boot prints happened hours apart. But, knowing so little about this world, I can't rule out the possibility of those Kaa-like hypnotic powers you mentioned. It could most of the people were entranced and following along, but until we evidence of any magical abilities (vore notwithstanding) in this setting I'm not sure that's a reasonable conclusion to jump to.

If Jabaro can calm down enough to give us more information to work with then perhaps I can draw some better conclusions, but until then the information at hand is both limited and ambiguous.

Those are fair points.

A part of me is wondering if it is a naga, but as you said, there too little info to get a good grasp of what exactly Java is other than Jabaro calling it a snake and one that is very special for some reason. It is kinda creepy when you put everything together and see how cleaned out the village is in terms of its inhabitants. Like it could be anything: the villagers worshipping some unnaturally smart snake or a new settler reptilian species that they could have Jabaro and Kuva's sibling to sacrifice to possibly, or a some freak of nature beast that is capable of devouring whole villages without a fight. I rule out slavers and other sapient beings since they would stolen everything in the village.

And there is no reference in Fiidchell's gallery or such to give an idea of who Java is unlike Kuva who we've a character reference sheet to work with.

So as you said, we're in the dark. And we need Jabaro or at least some way of figuring out more before rushing headlong into something without giving it the advantage of the element of surprise. Even if it isn't Java or a snake that we deal with soon, it is nice to know beforehand that there's a chance we may come across a snake that terrifies an experienced hunter like Jabaro so easily and that we can know the warning signs if we ever come close to it.

Try our best to get Jabaro to cool down and stay with us tell Kuva to stay frosty while you calm him. After all if he runs off we are down a party member and if he runs off he could get taken out when he gets out of site. We came here to rescue a child and from the looks of it maybe any of these villagers that could still be alive because the tracks are fresh, we have to at least try to save them. If we die we at least died trying to be a hero instead of a coward who lets people die.

Whoever splits off from the group is proooobably gonna get ambushed. Sticking together is a must, Jabaro knows this, and since backing out does not seem to be an option for Kuva the only way is forwards.

If that woman wants to get captures or eaten. Let her.

they have to stick together to rescue the little cub. Plus there's the potential for a giant noodle meal X3

Whatever dragged around has stopped. I highly recommend to talk to Jabaro, being that terrified he sure is no use if a mighty enemy is nearby. And if he is sure that the whole village went down the gullet of one snake, well, three against one is better than two. Or better one and a half, because i still don´t think Kuva is a reliable partner in battle.

Just leave with Jabaro, and let Kuva be snake chow if she wants to so badly.

No splitting up! That's just asking to be picked off one by one!

Also, the soft dragging sound has stopped! Maybe it's right above us and is about to strike! DX

Man it would really embarrassing to fall for that trick twice in one day. Tanya should probably take a quick glance up toward the canopy.

Be a bit of irony if it happens to Kuva in a bit of a mirror of what happened to Tanya earlier especially if Kuva makes the same mistake that throwing something at a falling object does not stop its momentum.

Leave Kuva, you and Jabaro continue on. :P

If Jabaro can't be convinced to stay despite Tanya's efforts, leaving with Kuva might be the best (read: least worst) option.

 I vote trying to convince Jabaro to stay. …Preferably while following him, just in case he’s onto something in wanting to not stick around. Trying to convince him to stay might also have him give a very good reason not to.

Hey I dont particularly like Java either, but some things online need Java to run D8

As dangerous as that thing is, we cannot abandon someone in need Kuva is right. This thing needs to be stopped. And if Jabari can't be convinced to follow, lets hope our ally won't turn on us...

If you mean Kuva, well hopefully she is dead serious on saving her sibling now than before. I can say that is why I got angry with her when she ate Tanya as that was wasting time which would no doubt be needed to save her sibling from a horrible fate, even if she meant no harm about how went about the scenario through being a trollish, egotistical prankster. I'd be more afraid of her pride and rash behaviour getting her, Tanya, and her sibling in danger than turning on us when they confront Java or whatever it is.

If Jabaro, I doubt he would do harm to us. He seems more likely to flee, which has to say a lot when a skilled, experienced hunter whose sibling's life is on the line feels it is not worth taking on this Java.

Try to convince Jabaro to stay by pointing out that the dragging sound you heard just stopped and if it is a predator like a huge snake it would aim for the one it sees as the most vulnerable person and if he is by himself that means him.
Side note I really hope if it is a snake that it ends like some other people are asking with Tanya eating it like a giant noodle.

Well I can see the benefits of Tayna eating the snake. It will refill a lot of stats I bet, except maybe charm. And it will effectively make the cheetahs go "Oh shit...", especially Kuva who we can tease and make paranoid that she might get eaten for having tried to prank the wrong rabbit. I feel that is more poetic justice than Tayna eating and digesting her, after all, why end it when you can torment her all the way back to the camp. See how she likes her own games played against her.

Plus if Tanya saves her from it beforehand than that would be just icing in the game.

On the cake (stupid typo)

Indeed, it would be a nice bonus. XD

" it's gonna pick us off one at a time if we split so let's not do that."

I get the funny feeling that this is a test to see if we are gonna continue to be cautious or be daring and capitalise on taking risks. That we got our goodies and gear from going cautiously, search etc is a good sign but I wonder if we are being lured into being too cautious, which may be an opportunity to punish us.

The author has outright stated that Tanya is pretty hardy and capable as a fighter, so call me crazy but I feel we may have to tap into that instinct and not overthink it. In this instance I think Kuva has the right call.

I would put money on us either being attacked or losing the kids were we to hang around longer than necessary. If we must convince Jabarro, which is how the vote looks to be going we must do it quickly!

Who knows, it is hard to tell what a sort of GM has in mind and plan in a situation similar to this.

Whichever choice goes through, we have to do it quick and to the point. Whatever Java or what was making that dragging sound will likely not screw around, in fact, we may have missed our chance to be sneak up on and see what it since I don't think we ever did point out to quietly follow the dragging sound from the last comic when thinking about that in hindsight.

So yeah, while I do say be at least careful when moving it, we have to do it quickly.

Jarbo knows about this...have him stay and tell us about Java

The snake has to be somewhat close, or far away. There was that dragging sound we heard in the distance and it's gone now. The best reasoning is that this "Java" has either stopped, preparing a sneak attack, or is not too far ahead and still on the move. Keep your eyes open and guard up. Trees and brush are your worst enemies. BE CAUTIOUS