The vibe was different that morning.
Not bad. Just… off.
Kiki had his head low, tail stiff, nostrils flarin' like he smelled somethin' the rest of them couldn't. Arka noticed, but didn't say much—yet.
They were up early, stackin' more vines on the water collector when Lina's new toy—some janky signal scanner she whipped up from Builder scraps—started bleepin'.
"Yo," she said, brows up. "I'm catchin' a pulse. Like… radio? From way out."
Tam stopped haulin' moss bricks and glanced over. "Could be another base."
"Could be a trap," Yen muttered, squintin' into the tree line like a comic book sidekick with trust issues.
Arka walked over, hands on hips, feelin' that jungle breeze liftin' through the canopy. "Alright. We follow it. Light pack. Recon only."
Kiki grumbled low, like bad idea bro, but followed anyway.
🌿 Midday Drift
They hiked out, sun dancin' through the leaves, scanner bleepin' like an old-school ringtone every few steps. Jungle around 'em felt tight—like the trees were listenin'.
Then, outta nowhere—a clearing. Big. Circular. Stone ruins right in the middle. Moss-covered, but Builder-style for sure.
Right in the center? A pod.
Metal. Ancient. Still hummin'.
"This thing's not from our time," Lina whispered.
Arka stepped closer, dustin' off some glyphs. The moment his hand brushed the surface—BOOM—a quick flash of light, and the pod hissed open.
But no body.
Just… a floating orb. Pale green. It blinked.
Then spoke.
🌀 BUILDER AI FRAGMENT ACTIVATED"Echo-Thread 017 online. Tribe... detected. Purpose... uncertain."
Everyone froze.
Even Kiki.
"You alive?" Arka asked it.
The orb pulsed. "Define alive."
Lina leaned in, grinning. "Okay, now we're in sci-fi territory."
🌀 ARKA'S SURVIVAL LOG
New Encounter: Builder AI – "Echo"Current Mood: 65% FriendlyCan assist in tech upgrades or jungle scans... if kept powered.
Echo floated beside Arka like a tiny moon. "This biome is... unstable. Something ancient stirs beneath."
That's when Kiki snapped his head toward the trees—growlin'.
"Company," Tam said.
And right on cue—movement.
Three figures stepped into the clearing.
Humans.
Wearing gear not from the crash. Not even from this century. High-tech. Clean armor. Laser-cut edges. No vines, no dirt—just sharp.
One of them nodded. "We've been watchin' you. Nice setup you've got back there."
Yen whispered, "Okay, uh, plot twist?"
Lina stepped forward. "Who even are you?"
"We're from Outpost Helix. Different continent. Different mission. But looks like... we need each other."
🌀 NEW QUEST UNLOCKED
Alliance or Rivalry?Outpost Helix offers supplies, knowledge... and secrets.Do you team up? Or dig deeper before trustin'?
Back at base, night came quick.
The orb—Echo—hovered above the fire pit, flickerin' softly like it was dreamin'. The squad sat around it in silence, listenin' to the jungle thrum.
"I got a weird feelin', y'all," Arka said, leanin' back. "Like the story's startin' a new page."
Kiki curled up beside him. Mira was already asleep, head on a moss pillow. Tam sharpened tools. Yen scribbled stuff like a man on a mission. Lina? Still starin' at that orb, like it held answers to questions she hadn't even asked yet.
The jungle breathed.
The tribe? Still growin'. Still changin'.
And whatever was comin' next... they'd face it together.