John grumbled to himself as he leaned against the supporting pole of the bridge’s ramshackle roof. He didn’t like standing idly for as long as he was already, and the missing cigarettes certainly didn’t help. He reached back down, vainly hoping that maybe there was one somewhere in his pouch. His hand brushed against the oversized revolver sitting in its holster. He pulled aside the chamber, revealing one sizable round loaded.
The cowboy felt more at ease now that a familiar weight hung on his belt, but still couldn’t shake Cedar’s resignated face. Her hesitation reminded him of Jack before the boy went hunting, only amplified much worse. Perhaps it came with age, though John could have never afforded such behavior under Dutch. And if she was anything like Jack, maybe some guidance in the future could put her on the right path.
As he was thinking to himself, he noticed the Batter approach him.
He gently tapped the side of the bat.
"Be careful what you imply about your existence. Specters are an unholy apparition that distort the world."
"But for now," his voice still echoing and warping like the rim of a half-filled wine glass, "We will remain allies. I am not certain of your true nature just yet, and it would be unwise to start a fight unnecessarily."
“I didn’t mean to upset you if my fatal experience was somehow, in some way offensive to you, friend. And I appreciate you being understanding in light of our many differences. But there was no implying anything, and if it’s right by you and me, I’d rather we don’t dwell on that subject if we don’t have to, and focus our energies on the task at hand.”
The strange way the Batter conducted himself brought to mind the stranger in black, but his statements definitely felt more clear-cut than the stranger's, albeit more alien.
As more people appeared out near the bridge, John noticed the blue alien standing out by the edge of the pond. As the alien extracted and feasted upon the pond fish, John realized it had been a while since his last meal. He made his way to the shallow part of the pond and pulled out his knife, hoping he could catch something good before the trip out of 2Fort. [Roll for fishing]
John hurriedly made his way back up to the meeting area as more people provided input on the best direction to head. It seemed that the group was still heeding his suggestion of north, but the distinction was arbitrary, indicated by the rolling flat landscape in all directions. However, it was a sign of good coherence in the posse; that much was appreciated.
Wading into the water under the bridge wasn't easy. There was a solid five foot drop into the water from the bridge and the edges on both sides. However dropping down into one of the corners of the pond proved successful and Marston found himself only up to his waste in water, opposed to over his head.
Drawing out his hunting knife Marston would wait.
The waters quickly calmed from his entry and within moments fat, dark shapes began to swim towards him. Cautiously they swam around him before beginning to take soft nibbles at his body. Nothing fearsome or worrying. Marston would know from experience some fish would try to eat anything and his dusty clothes had just enough color left in them to attract them.
Once the fish had lost all sense of worry the cowboy would thrust his blade down, stabbing into the water with one clean moment.
The fish scattered in wild panic to the other side of the pond as blood rose to the surface along with the plump corpse of a skewered fish...
>Marston has caught an Arowana! Arowana
Despite having a lot of bones and having a strange, almost ancient appearance the meat of the fish is very supple and plentiful given the girth of the fish itself. +Provides moderate Stamina Recovery +Provides moderate hunger recovery
Once Marston had returned to the group the decision on where to go was made.
After some deliberation amongst the group the motley assembly of strangers decided it was time to leave leave 2Fort. They stepped outside the confines of the town and into ‘familiar’ stretch of rolling fields most of them had wandered through to arrive in the settlement to begin with. A glance to the north brought with it both a sense of dread and a faint twinkle of optimism as, one by one, the group began to march.
The largely featureless landscape around them made it rather difficult to visually see the progress they were making. What felt like only a brisk stride forward turned out to be several miles with 2Fort little more than a speck in the distance behind them before completely disappearing from sight.
Continuing north with nothing but stale wind and sun beating down on their heads the group began to encounter drastic shifts in the landscape.
Flat plainlands like the ones surrounding 2Fort gave way to scorching dunes where the sand had the consistency of glass. The dunes gave way to frozen, iced over tundras with winds that blew through the light clothing of the travelers. They had only been walking for a few hours but from the way the temperature, land, and light changed around them it felt like they were crossing entire continents and timezones.
The sudden changes might made some of the travelers in the group sick to their stomachs, others dizzy, others still were unaffected but never the less unnerved by the drastic baseless shifts around them.
Eventually however the insane patchwork landscapes of incompatible terrarians gave way to trees, warm air, and gentle sunshine. Working there way up the side of a steep slope they reached the top and found themselves in what appeared to be a forest of some kind. Tall grass, fallen tree trunks, rocky ledges, and tall climbable trees surrounded them with what appeared to be a path leading deeper into the forest to the north of them.
-YOU HAVE DISCOVERED “Tselinoyarsk”
Cedar stood beside Quiet. Hunched over with her hands on her knees the young girl struggled to catch her breath and ease her upset stomach after the distance they had walked. The change from hot desert, to frigid tundra, to mild tempered jungle had left the sides of her head pounding. Beneath the skin of her belly her empty stomach gurgled with an audible ache.
"Ughhhhh...I should have...eaten something before I left." Cedar muttered to herself before looking to Quiet.
Despite the hardened, un-bothered expression Quiet wore even she had felt the fatigue of their journey. The horrible cold and extreme heat had sucked a lot of the moisture from her skin. Her mouth was dry and sticky, with her tongue feeling like sand paper against the roof of her mouth.
"As long as the sun is shining I don't need to eat. The parasites will supply me with sugars. But I need water. If I dry out the parasites will begin dying out and if that happens I'll follow suit. Why didn't I bring some water?"
Quiet shook her head in disbelief of herself. Barely a day in a new world and already she was making careless mistakes. Part of her felt the blame fell on the others, especially the girl, for distracting her so much. Throwing blame wouldn't get her fluids though, unless she intended to pair stabbing with her unspoken accusations.
"Are you-you alright?"
Quiet turned and looked to Cedar who looked back with nervous, unsure eyes that prickled with concern. The sniper simply nodded her head and looked away. Though Cedar could tell she was lying. Distracted from their bodily demands the two glanced around at the jungle that surrounded them.
To their left was a fallen tree, big enough that it blocked the area behind it and would either needed to be climbed or crawled beneath. Behind the fallen tree in a little area was a proper standing tree with thick branches and wide leaves. Directly ahead of them was a large tree covered in vines with a single large branch that seemed ideal for standing on. To their right was various patches of tall grass and rocky, ledge ridden protrusion from the ground.
"T-there's probably a lot of things here if we look. Maybe you can get what you need here?" Cedar gestured to the trees and the grasses which for all she knew could be hiding fruits and veggies. The silent sniper simply glanced at her with an unwelcoming frown, forcing the teen to look away.
Quiet however had to admit she was right.
"Foraging in a place like this might be worth wild. Though there's no telling what's ahead..."
Character Status: Quiet- Moderately Thirsty Cedar Birch- Very Hungry, Very Thirsty- Minor Fatigue Sarah Kerrigan- Mild Hunger John Marston- Moderate Hunger, Minor Fatigue Lily- Moderate Hunger, Minor Thirst Julian- N/A, Power at 90% The Batter- N/A Abe- Minor Thirst El Presidente- Very Hungry, Very Thirsty, Minor Fatigue Max Payne- Very Thirst, Minor Hunger,
Note:Traveling to new areas will typically be taxing on certain characters. Hunger, Thirst, and fatigue can occur during travel though different characters are effected to different degrees. The use of food items, medications, or certain abilities can reverse or negate these effects. If left untreated hunger, thirst, and fatigue will hinder your character's efforts in both combat and general action. Extreme instances of such may even result in death...
On the other side of Tselinoyarsk
Far to the north of the 2Fort travelers on the other end of the jungle, another group stood. Complete strangers to one another the five had all crossed the same rickety, make-shift bridge across a large cavernous crevice. The last one across made it just in time as the crude bridge folded and dropped into the threatening darkness below. With no way back the four would be left with one a single away forward, a narrow passage to the south.
Around them was a small grassy area surrounded by thick jungle. A single large rock and a tall, leaf-less tree (not tall enough to reach the other side of the crevice if felled) were the only things of particular note. The area was completely unfamiliar to all but one of the group.
Naked Snake would recognize this area as the place where he had fought Ocelot in their first proper duel...
Having been focused on their travels the four would only then begin to realize the others presence...
Character Status: *Naked Snake: Moderate Hunger, Minor Fatigue *The Merchant: N/A *Poppy: Moderate Hunger *Tam Fiernas: Minor Hunger, Minor Thirst *Courier Six: Moderate Thirst
Well, thought Lilly to herself as they trudged through the seemingly infinite and illogical plains looking for something useful, this was awful. While she had the advantage of hiding behind the unfeeling metal bulk of Julian to protect herself a from some of the elements her outfit was more suited to working inside than this kind of field work. It seemed that living on the avenger for so long had made her soft. Teenage Lilly would have been appalled by her lack of preparation for the elements.
During the short periods of time when they were traveling through terrain that wouldn't damage it Lily tried to map their route, or at least log the various Biomes so that she could try and plan what clothing to make to make any future journeys less dreadful. For his part Julian simply soldiered on through the heat, cold and everything in between on autopilot. He took some amusement from the suffering of the humans, but for the most part he was bored out of his skull.
At long last they arrived somewhere where the climate was at least tolerable, the warm air and lush foliage where comforting after the bleak hellscape they had just passed through. This wasn’t what Lilly had been hoping for, she would have much preferred some kind of civilisation, but there might be opportunities to gather food here. Food would definitely be good right about now, she thought to herself, though greedily eating the noodles she had in her pack right now would probably be rather rude considering the state of the others. The young girl (Cedar?) was looking particularly bad. If she got much worse she would consider getting Julian to carry her, through the careful watch she would have to keep on the Ai that he didn’t “accidentally” drop her might be more trouble than it was worth. The other option was the Life noodles, but hopefully they could find some fresh food here and keep the preserved meal for emergencies.
Following up on Quiet and Cedar’s discussion about foraging she walked past the two, ordering Julian to follow.
”I’m no wilderness expert, but taking a look around while there’s no apparent danger does seem like a good idea. One of you knows the difference between the edible mushrooms and the poisonous ones, right?”
She arrived at the fallen tree and told Julian to
”Give me and anyone who wants to follow a boost”
”Like some kind of glorified step-ladder? Obeying command!"
After a few moments of complaining and minor correction Julian converted had his hands and one knee into a rudimentary 3 step staircase which Lilly promptly acceded to stand at top the fallen tree and survey the little alcove beyond.
Snake found the strange land he was suddenly in very concerning. He had been on his way to finishing the final stretch of his mission when suddenly he was nowhere near anything he recognized. To make matters worse his Codec is either malfunctioning, jammed, or broken. Without his support Team, Snake didn't really know what to do......
When he made it a place he recognized Snake felt a strange mixture of emotions. He recognized this place and it almost made him nostalgic for his duel with Major Ocelot. Diving behind rocks and trees, watching Ocelot leave himself out in the open when he reloaded, throwing a snake right at Ocelot, shooting his hat off..... ah, memories. On the other hand, it really drove home how lost he was and how strange the landscape had become.
Some rustling in the grass made Snake realize that he wasn't alone. He quickly dropped into the grass and pulled out his scope. One of them was cloaked in an assortment of robes and cloaks that obscured his figure, Snake couldn't be sure if he was armed or not. Another looked to be dressed in simple pants and clothes with no weapons of note, probably a civilian. The third person looked.... strange. Snake got the feeling that he was looking at something... alien, something that belonged in the realm of fantasy. The creature looked like a young girl, but she also carried a very large hammer, seemed to be wearing some sort of armor, and had bluish skin.
Snake put his hand to his codec and turned it on.
"Major Zero. I made my way back to the location of my first duel with Ocelot. I seem to have encountered several civilians. What should my next move be?"
silence
"It's still jammed?" Snake's condition= Lonely
Snake turned off the codec and laid still in the grass. He was hoping one of the civilians could lead him somewhere or give him some sort of information. At this point, it might be his only shot at completing his mission. He just prayed he could stay hidden long enough for that to happen. It would also be helpful if he could find a snake to eat. I wonder if I can find a python like the one I threw at Ocelot....
The trek through the wilderness was surreal. One moment we were walking over pastoral plains, only to enter a desert that scorched the mind and body. My jacket worked against me, and before I had even started to take it off, sweat poured down my face, my mouth tacky with thirst. The blowing sand was rough enough to make putting the jacket back on seem worth it.
Almost as treacherous was the ice and snow that soon followed. Here my jacket was worth it and fora moment I was back in 2000, during that storm of the century. In a cruel bit of irony my sweat only made me colder, and I zipped up my jacket for the first time in years.
If it weren't for the discomfort, I could've sworn I was in a dream. Every time I blinked it seemed like I was in another world, surrounded by a motley crew of misfits that walked out of some basement dweller's deranged writings. I envied the robot and its near ceaseless march, the whirring of its motors almost hypnotic. The baseball player themselves showed no sign of fatigue either, their intense gaze fixed forward even as the others started to slow down.
Finally we found ourselves in a jungle, the humidity sticking to my skin, the smell all too reminiscent of some of the dirtier parts of the East River. Stomachs growled around me, my own hunger a reminder of why we were here to begin with. Cedar took no time in pointing out that this was a good place to look, and Julian had her robot act as a ladder as she wasted no time climbing over a fallen log. I followed behind her, cautiously eying the robot. "Hey, I'll join you. I can't tell you the last time I cooked with something other than a microwave, but two sets of eyes are better than one."
John let a long whistle escape his lips upon inspecting his catch. The cowboy had caught some sizable catfish in the rivers back home, but he had never seen such a huge specimen before, much less be lucky enough to have one for a meal. He wasn’t feeling particularly peckish at the moment, instead opting to store the fish in his dry bag. It wouldn’t last forever, but at least he could save it for a more appropriate time. He stepped out of the pond and made his way back to the bridge to find all the volunteers gathered near the entrance. Now that all of them were here, the absurdity of the ensemble really started to shine through.
After a short discussion, it seemed that everyone agreed on heading north.
“Well, I certainly didn’t expect to get my way so easily, but if that’s the way we all want to play it, let’s head out.”
As the party traversed the twisted landscape, John lamented the absence of a good mare to ride on. The trek was at least bearable, but the sudden shifts in landscape certainly didn’t sit well with the cowboy. The trek between Nuevo Paraiso and West Elizabeth was at best a couple days’ ride, but this strange new world offered the shift within few hours by foot. John’s outfit made the volatile weather survivable, but hardly comfortable.
After a while, with 2Fort a distant dot on the horizon, John noted the landscape changing into lush and dense foliage, but accompanied by unfamiliar humidity. John had never seen the likes of a jungle anywhere in New Austin. John removed his hat and fanned himself briefly with it, wiping the building, burdening sweat as the group descended deeper into Tselinoyarsk.
The group had soon stopped in the midst of a large clearing, some noticeable paths heading north. Hunger had crept up on John until it was firmly unignorable, etching itself as a loud growling in his stomach and exhaustion in his legs. The arowana swam through John’s mind.
John looked around at the group to assess where the others stood on the ability to continue. All of the volunteers that looked like they came off a film set looked okay; everyone else, however, looked much worse for wear. In particular, Cedar and the new president of Mexico looked on the verge of dropping.
"T-there's probably a lot of things here if we look. Maybe you can get what you need here? Foraging in a place like this might be worth wild. Though there's no telling what's ahead..."
“The little lady’s got a point. Should probably take a look around, fix up anything we find out here.”
The arowana could be eaten tonight if the foraging didn’t turn up anything useful. Hopefully with everyone involved, a search would yield something of value. He saw Ms. Shen approach the fallen tree with Julian close by.
“I’m no wilderness expert, but taking a look around while there’s no apparent danger does seem like a good idea. One of you knows the difference between the edible mushrooms and the poisonous ones, right?”
“I think I know my way around some plants. Just warning you though, can’t say I’ve ever seen any forest like this before. It won’t take long for me to figure out what’s food from what’s foul.”
He watched as Lily commanded her automaton to form a staircase to climb the fallen tree.
“Wouldn’t have laughed at Fordham’s automobile if I had known this was the next step”, John thought to himself.
John looked back at the group in the clearing, wondering if another group was going to investigate to other path to the north. The clearing looked like a good place to set up a small camp. John turned to address everyone.
“I reckon here would be a good place as any to meet back up with everyone once we’re all done looking around these parts. Can make a straight line back to 2Fort if we need to head back.”
As Lily climbed up, followed by Mr. Payne, John followed their lead. He took the steps up the metal man with some trepidation, a hint of fear at some malfunction in Julian.
“Count me as a third. Couldn’t hurt to have another body on board?”
As John mounted over the trunk, he wondered just what felled the massive tree. He hoped that a bad storm must have toppled the tree, but the memories of bears bringing down pines in Tall Trees brought a slight shudder to the cowboy.
The Elsens walked across that mad and fractured landscape in their loose and shifting herd for what could have been an era or an hour. Time was always relative to space, of course, and to the Batter it seemed like such a very long journey. None of them talked to him in that time, an objective truth... after all, he didn't like talking to them.
Every movement they made was loose and chaotic, tense with worry and confusion, and he might even have said it was frustrating to watch... but they couldn't see it, of course. They were blind.
The sense that the group had stopped snapped the Batter out of his meditation, his own path slowing to a gradual, perfect halt as they rested. Time itself rested with them, and he watched the others carefully, his inscrutable gaze seeming to be fixed simultaneously on no one in particular and yet especially you.
He approached the others as the machine unfolded itself, the tip of the bat slowly sliding across the ground behind him as he walked. A graceful, monochrome serpent in the crude and dying soil.
"It was unwise for some of you to come," he gestured to the worst of them - the loud-mouthed Elsen in the ridiculous suit, the young Elsen girl, and the cattle rustler - and slowly shook his head side to side, "But I may be able to salvage this opportunity."
He rested his bat in front of him like a knight at rest, a holy sentinel.
"I agree that you should set up camp, and I will help guard it. Spectres are drawn towards the weakened living like sharks to chum, for their hollow craving can only be sated through the deaths of others."
-----
The mention of ghosts hunting the living snapped Abe out of his own rest, though Abe's was more of the 'use the pause in travel to sit down and take a breather'. Every time the Batter spoke it gave Abe the willies, and frankly he just wanted to avoid listening to him as much as possible.
He slowly got to his feet and crossed his arms, licking his lips in a failed bit to quench their dryness, and leaning at an awkward angle. He was hoping the Mudokon body language for 'stop being a weirdo' would work, though he was pessimistic about his chances.
Naturally, the Batter didn't respond. Ancestors, what a dingle-berry.
"Well we'll be real careful then bud, but all o' ya don't need to worry about ghosts. I'd probably be able to feel it, this place doesn't seem too sacred or 'portant, you know?"
The Batter didn't respond physically, but something about the shimmer in his voice turned just a little bit... louder.
"The unholy dead are not tied to one place, because the Zones themselves are always dying. Even by the standards of the chaos you call home, this place is unnatural."
Abe squinted and frowned, but didn't respond directly. Arguments were not his strong suit, after all.
So, he just growled the short, frumpy growl of a spoiled child and shook his head, turning away from the Batter and towards the strange bug-looking human. His eyes were still narrowed as he looked up at her, but more in the sense of 'hope she doesn't eat me'.
"Say, uh," he stroked his chin like a strange old man, "I think we should go scouting. The others seem to have the wreckage of that old tree handled and can find stuff there no problem, but we need to keep an eye out further ahead too. For the future of the journey, you know? I want to find signs of life - either somethin' to eat, somethin' to be afraid of, or somethin' to help. It's gotta be one of the three."
He gave her a single wrinkly thumbs up before gesturing for her to follow him.
"Name's Abe, by the way. Didn't catch yours, sorry 'bout that."
Standing atop the moss crusted trunk of the fallen tree Lily, Max, and Marston were finally able to see over to the other side. There, isolated by steep sheer rock faces on all sides save for the one where Lily stood, was a fat trunked tree. It stood tall and healthy with thick branches and colorful leaves that splayed outwards like open welcoming hands. At it’s base strange flora grew unmolested by the various critters the jungle likely had, or once had.
Surrounding the tree was flat ground interspaced with tall, lush green grass of the darkest hue. Wispy little insects, the kind that made people rub their eyes thinking they had floaters, drifted around the miniature glade as a gentle breeze swept down through the little area. Standing over the enclosed, almost secret space gave the strangest impression of peace in the otherwise foreign place.
It all seemed so natural, so untouched by human hands that out of the corner of their eyes the three were able to quickly spot something out of place…
There, sitting in the tall grass barely visible among the blades, was a large wooden chest. Made of dark wood and held together by a studded iron framework the container appeared very old, without actually seeming old. It was the kind of thing anyone could recognize as being a museum piece, a surviving antique or a replicate one would find in museums on medieval history.
Yet it showed no obvious signs of rot, rust, or deterioration other than the traces of dirt and pollen left on it by the forest. The chest remained amongst the grass like a child playing hide and seek. Trying to keep out of sight, but quietly hoping to be found…
-
Behind them Ceder stood with a unguarded smile on her face and her hands wrapped around her sides. Marston's simple comment, the fact he agreed with her, had made her feel happy. It felt rare that she made suggestions people didn't immediately shoot down or brush off. The girl's gaze turned to the older women, Quiet, hopeful she might have something to stay.
But Quiet said nothing.
Whatever happiness Ceder felt was momentary though as the Batter's announcement withered her insides. His words, already cold and frightening, stung. Though it was simply a gesture and an implication of her weakness the teenage girl couldn't help but feel he was right.
"Maybe I shouldn't have come, but I don't want to be alone. Not again..."
It was the Batter's mention of Spectres, of ghosts, that really got a shudder out of Ceder.
She had experienced physical the undead. Shambling, hungry corpses wandering through the streets of Raccoon City with near skeletal canines and horrid, skinless creatures with long tongues. Just the idea that even after they were killed, try and properly, that they could come back even without a body...
Ceder looked back to Quiet in desperation to take her mind off such things. She found the women had turned away from the group climbing atop the log and moved towards Abe and Kerrigan.
Quiet had overheard the little creature's suggestion and couldn't have agreed more. They had no idea where they were, not really, and even less idea of what was ahead.
"If this group is anything to go by we could come up against virtually anything. Knowing what we're going to face before hand is vital if we're to survive." Quiet thought as she approached the two, hoping Kerrigan was still listening to her thoughts.
Normally Quiet would have simply gone ahead herself. Scouting and sniping went hand in hand. With her abilities, the ones the parasites in her body granted her, she could have blitzed ahead in an unseen blur. Picking out hostiles was something Big Boss, the Venom Snake, had her do countless times. However she was dehydrated and with no obvious source of water nearby further exertion could potentially endanger her.
It wasn't like Afghanistan or even Africa. Wipe open, predictable, and with plenty of mercenaries and soldiers to loot from. She was alone with complete strangers in a world that made no sense. Quiet felt, if not outright knew, that if she tried to act like the battlefield was unchanged she would most certainly die.
The silent sniper's thoughts were broken as she heard footsteps follow in her wake and glanced over her shoulder to see Ceder following close behind. In a rare moment Ceder actually made eye contact with Quiet and smiled sheepishly back at her.
"Can I come-"
Before Ceder had fully phrased the question Quiet shook her head and the girl's smile dropped away.
"But-"
Quiet's eyes narrowed and in an instant dark spots appeared around her eyes. Like liver spots almost they formed a butterfly-esque pattern that could easily have been mistaken for makeup or camouflage paint.
The appearance of the spots stopped Ceder cold but she didn't look away, didn't leave like Quiet had hoped.
"Please, I want to help..." Ceder looked to Abe and even Kerrigan with hopeful, almost desperate eyes.
Far to the south on the other end of the forest Naked Snake, lying in tall grass and surrounded by 'civilians', would be met with familiar memories of the area. Before he had fought Ocelot and ended up jumping down into the depths of the crevice to avoid bees of all things, there had been a base. Down to the south there had been an enemy encampment, small but well setup.
They had radio equipment, a food storehouse, a munition's depot, and a bunkhouse. Though they also had machine gun emplacements and an attack helicopter, albeit a landed one. Past all that there had been an electric fence with an accompanying minefield, a swamp with leeches and crocodiles, and past all that there was the abandoned factory where had first rescued Sokolov and met Eva.
There was no telling if any of that was still the same or if the area was somehow alerted, compromised like everything else.
Still, some idea of what he might face was better then none...
Having hopped up onto the log she was grateful to find that the other side was not secretly hiding a pit of vipers(be they alien or terrestrial) or something equally nasty.
”looks like there’s nothing dangerous over here, so we’re safe from this direction as we push deeper”
In the little enclosed space was a single mighty tree, around which a few small plants grew, though what they where she had no idea. Herbology was not her strong point. Somewhat bizarrely there was also a small chest sitting in the grass, that looked both like antique and that it had been built yesterday. A replica perhaps, or more time malarkey?
”If you two gentlemen want to go see if the chest and plants might be useful, I’ll stay up here to give you a hand climbing back out again”
She turned from where she was standing and, after examining the group heading further out and realising she did not trust most of it. She would have to rely on
”Ceder. Could you follow after them, at a safe distance, and shout to us if anything bad happens?”
She really did not trust either the alien, the mutant or the, now that she thought about him, rather disturbing Batter to act as reliable sources of information one whether they were in trouble or not.
”Julian, go with them and obey orders Ceder and... ” she trailed off realized she didn’t know the bearded mans name. She couldn't exactly rely on the voiceless soldier to give him commands either. Not wanting to go back on her order for fear of hurting the girl’s already battered feelings, she effectively gave command over the killer robot to Ceder and only Ceder. This was perhaps not the wisest of moves.
Julian gave his slave driver the flattest look he could manage with an expressionless face. After his re-programming blocked the tirade of anger and frustration he was going to give about being put under the command of the weedy wallflower, stood from where he was kneeling and marched over to the teenager. After wordlessly staring at her with his singular glowing red eye for an uncomfortable amount of time he said:
”Let’s get this over with shall we. I await your command O tiny mistress”
Julian layered as much hatred and contempt into those last words as he could without being overridden, which to his great sorrow wasn’t anywhere close to a fraction of the amount that he desired.
The wind here was gentle, and it seemed to have forgotten the bristling spite of the endless wastelands that had marked the rest of Tam's journey these last few days. It was a gradual shift, from cracked and jaded earth to leaves and grass and spring-ish gusts. He welcomes it. Maybe the worst of things had passed. Maybe.
His winter gear still stowed away, Tam was practically half-dressed in the brushy grassland. The cooling breeze felt nice on his bare chest, exposed by his torso-less undershirt, and he'd rolled up his pants to leave his lower legs free to push comfortably through the plantlife of the meadow.
The bridge he'd crossed was gone, but it didn't seem he'd ever want to go back to that awful sweaty broken waste, nor the panicked memories that had filled up his time there. But now here was something new. Other survivors.
One wasn't human, though he couldn't identify her race. The stranger had blue skin, the ears of a mer, and only barely reached Tam's waist. Despite her height, however, her hammer was solid and threatening, and it made Tam's own little hatchet feel somewhat inadequate.
One may also have not been human, all robes and hoods, and his pack seemed just as big as Tam's. Not the most trustworthy-looking, but Tam had been proved wrong on such things before.
Then, finally there was a woman in leather armor. Her hair was in a ponytail, and her eyes were the very set and serious eyes that Tam had grown used to seeing in soldiers and killers and one or two very determined merchants. Her clothes had a certain oddness to them that Tam couldn't place, and there was the strangest machine on her left arm, but she seemed the most familiar to him, and so she was the one he approached.
"Howdy," said Tam Fiernas, in her direction, but roughly to all the others too. He hiked over to them with a friendly wave. "Nice weather today."
"It was unwise for some of you to come," he gestured to the worst of them - the loud-mouthed Elsen in the ridiculous suit, the young Elsen girl, and the cattle rustler - and slowly shook his head side to side, "But I may be able to salvage this opportunity."
John gave slight pause at the Batter’s words. His ominous, otherworldly voice had masked his comment as a portent, but Marston also saw it as an unwarranted observation.
“Well, like it or not, I’m here now. You’ll have to excuse me, I didn’t realize that having a strange look and a love of crypticism was a requirement of being part of this. I’ll be out of your hair soon.”
John turned back to the new area ahead. Atop the fallen tree, the cowboy beheld the quiet scene before him. It was unnaturally quiet, fully untouched, and more reminiscent of a passage that Jack may have shared in his many readings than any place the cowboy had ever traversed. The large tree was unlike anything he had ever seen; the closest was that of the great, old oak that sat in the field outside of McFarlane’s ranch, but its dead branches paled in comparison to the palette that the tree before them boasted.
As his eyes moved towards the root of the tree, he noticed some plants that stood out from the grasses that carpeted most of the enclosed area. Marston would need a closer look to see what they were, or if they could even be remotely useful.
As John continued to scan the enclosed area, he noticed the chest, untouched as its surroundings, sitting neatly in the field. A bit of excitement rose in his chest as he saw the chest; memories of finding stashes of old general’s gold amidst desert plateaus, all right under the noses of the Treasure Hunter gangs, rose up in his mind.
”If you two gentlemen want to go see if the chest and plants might be useful, I’ll stay up here to give you a hand climbing back out again”
“Sure. Anything for you, Ms. Shen.”
A hint of sarcasm could be heard, but in reality, he couldn’t blame her for not wanting to jump into what looked like an enclosed arena. John hopped off the tree into the serene area and took a look around. He could overhear Lily transferring command of Julian over to Cedar.
“...I’m gonna trust you know what you’re doing, Ms. Shen. Can’t say I trust that thing of yours, much less under command of many of the others out there. And you’ll have to forgive me for asking, seeing as I’ve never assumed control of some giant... walking... death machine, but can that thing really be trusted to stay under the command of that girl?”
The cowboy eyed the chest again, his thoughts set on what could be stowed away inside the chest. Despite his riled imagination, his excitement was tempered by the state of the chest. It was clearly an old chest, oldest he’s ever seen, and even though it did seem dirtied by the environment around them, it was otherwise in quite a healthy shape. No chest worth plundering didn’t at least have a few dings or scratches from being moved, transported, dropped, or whatever happens to anything containing valuables, much less an antique looking one like this.
“You guys think this chest looks a little strange? I’ve never seen such a perfect looking chest before. Reminds me of some simple roadside traps set up by bandits.”
He eyed around the enclosed area, hoping to catch any possible ambush points.Marston had seen stranger things in this crazy world, though; hell, he had even seen stranger things in New Austin. He could have been overthinking it. Sometimes a chest is just a chest. And he certainly didn’t want to miss out on what was inside.
“Think I’ll start simple and check out some of those plants over there. Might be something filling.”
After all, he came along with Ms. Shen and Mr. Payne to help identify some plants. The travellers were in a tired way, so it would probably be best to see what could be scrounged.
John approached the base of the tree and looked over the plants. The improvised herbalist plucked some in his gloved hand, doing his best to identify the specimen. [Roll to identify / see what I get]
As John looked over the local fauna, the cowboy looked to Max.
“Think you can check out that chest, Mr. Payne? I might just be paranoid on account of the long travel here, but I think you’d still best be careful.”
Face down in the grass, it dawned on Poppy that this was the first time in a while that she had a chance to catch her breath. Pushing herself up with her stocky little arms, the Yordle tried to think back to what happened as she picked up Orlon's hammer, giving it a few good twirls to ground herself in something familiar. She remembered...the Noxians! She was fighting off the Noxians alongside Jarvan. He had just dived into them when the Earth started to shake. She was falling, and then everything was random...crazy. She saw flashes of familiar places, even recognized some of the faces, but they were gone in an instant. The next thing she knew, she was on that bridge. There were others in front of her, humans, but that was all she could discern before the Bridge started to collapse behind her. She was running, she felt the ground start to fall from under her, she took a great leap...and landed. Safe on the other side.
Feeling a bit more confident about the situation, Poppy rested the hammer on her shoulder and took a quick look around. She counted four people who had crossed the bridge before her. Humans by the look of them, though two of them were dressed rather...strangely. Piltover natives? She would have to ask the pirate with the eyepatch later. That would come later though; right now, she had to find her way back to Demacia to defend from whatever had happened. Clearly something had happened, but it was nothing that the Hero of Demacia couldn't handle, so she had to bring them the hammer right away! Nevermind that feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her something was horribly, horribly wrong. That Hero wasn't going to find himself!
"Howdy," one of the humans called out, the one dressed in leathers that wouldn't be out of place back home. "Nice weather today."
"Ya know...I'm not sure we HAVE weather here," Poppy said, pondering the sky. It didn't look normal, but for whatever reason she couldn't put together the words to describe what was abnormal about it. Slamming her hammer into the rock in front of her, securing it strongly in the stone, she shimmied up the delicately carved handle and stood with one foot on the grip and the other on the bell, peering out over the void they came across. No way to get across that one. Looks like South really was the only way to go. She looked back towards the human who called out to them.
"I don't seem to recognize you....are you Freljordian?"
Snake stayed quietly hidden in the grass as the civilians started to realize that the others were present, luckily Snake's camouflage was keeping him out of sight... for now at least. Snake considered staying nearby to eavesdrop on them but he quickly realized that he couldn't glean much information from them. One was trying to discuss the weather and the small creature seemed to be asking who they were.
Instead, Snake's thoughts turned to the location he was in. He felt a strange sense of..... nostalgia. He had battled Revolver Ocelot at this very spot and been chased away by The Pain, a fearsome Cobra soldier Snake defeated later that day. But there was other, more helpful information on his mind as well. To the south was a small base, more of an outpost really, where soldiers had been patrolling in case he came through the area. Snake had snuck through and took several pieces of equipment as well as some rations. He picked it dry that day but... perhaps they received a resupply? There was also a stretch of a forest full of animals to hunt and (If he got desperate) a swamp with several gavials.
Snake waited for the moment the civilians started talking amongst themselves. Then he tried to quietly sneak away. (Here's hoping I roll a 20 on my move silently check.)
The Courier looked away from her Pip Boy. God, this place was weird. She wasn't any stranger to greenery after spending time in Jacobstown, and even in Cali there was always the odd desolate forest here and there, but this place was just rife with the stuff. Reminded her of Vault 22, come to think of it. Probably why she really wasn't too fond of this place.
Regardless, the area she was in now vaguely mirrored the Mojave, filled with rocks and tumbleweed drifting through the dust and dirt. She took a look around at the colorful cast of characters around her before her eyes settled on the shady hooded fellow. Judging by the backpack and all the bulky robes, she pegged him as some sort of merchant. Probably one who was fine hawking less reputable wares, too. She was pretty much broke, but she still felt the withdrawal biting at her. She had to check, at the very least. She could haggle something out.
“You got any med-x?” she asked with false innocence. “I got in a bit of a scrape on the way here…” the merchant let out a hearty laugh and shook his head.
“I’ve got a first-aid spray in stock, if you’re interested.” he offered.
“Clean water, then?” she prodded, hoping to knock another problem off her list. He shook his head again.
“Stranger,” the Merchant explained. “I deal in products of the more explosive inclination.” The Courier was about to point out that a bottle of water could make a decent explosive if you paired it with some cesium before he opened his coat to reveal a small assortment of firearms. She liked what she saw...
“If you’ve got the cash or treasure, I can give you any one of these, or touch up any guns you might have already.” The Merchant explained, turning his focus to the rest of the group. “That goes for all of you, now.” The Courier sighed, wishing she had some cash on her right now. She offered a half-hearted “I’ll keep that in mind” before she heard a chipper greeting.
“Nice weather today.” The man said. She actually laughed; what an odd question! He seemed like a strange one, too, at least with his getup. The sun must not beat down on you too hard back where he was from if he could leave his chest exposed like that, though she wasn’t exactly complaining.
“Well,” The Courier admitted. “It’s better than what I’m used to, that’s for sure.” one of the others, the short one (was she a mutant or something? Didn’t really look like it), said something about him potentially being Frel...hordian? It sounded like some language that Chance had no knowledge of, so it seemed pretty clear that she was pretty far from home, wherever she was.
“Sorry to cut in,” The Courier said, “But do any of you guys know the lay of the land around here? Chatting’s fun and all, but I kinda wanna make sure I know where I’m going.” She glanced back down at her Pip Boy. RobCo never mapped this place out, it seems. If they even could have. She fiddled around with the radio, half-heartedly hoping to come across some sign that civilization existed near here beyond some rickety old bridge. [Roll search - Radio signal.]
“Think you can check out that chest, Mr. Payne? I might just be paranoid on account of the long travel here, but I think you’d still best be careful.”
Normally I would’ve called in a bomb squad to make sure, but barring that I was the next best thing. “Sure thing cowboy, wouldn’t be the first time I’ve dealt with a suspicious package.” I hopped off the log, and walked over to the chest. While Maston seemed to be concerned with this being bait for bandits, I couldn’t help but notice just how out of place this thing was. It looked too pristine to have been sitting outside for any length of time. Despite the antiquated appearance, the wood looked dry and unwarped despite being on the damp ground. Even though it was large, and very heavy, he grass around and underneath it was still green. The ironwork was unpitted, and the entire thing fit together well enough it was clear that care had been put into the construction. Even more curious was that despite being in tall grass, there were no footprints, apart from ours. If it had been placed there by someone, they would have had to disturb the grass. It was if it had dropped from the sky.
“It looks like a normal chest to me, and that’s the odd part. But I don’t think it’s boobytrapped. I’m going to open it.” I knelt in front of the wooden container and worked my fingers under the lid. It creaked and groaned a little as I creaked and groaned from the effort. With the lid open, and without a poison dart in my face, I reached in to grab what was inside. The light was too dim, so I turned around and held it up to the light above my head. “What the hell…” I muttered.
The young punkish girl’s eyes lit up like Christmas trees as she turned, looking up at the towering (at least for someone of her somewhat short stature) robot that had been willingly placed under her command. For a moment no intelligible words left her lips as she pressed her hands to the sides of her face and squeed like the teenage girl she was.
“My own giant robot to order around? T-this is so cool!” Cedar practically bounced in place grinning like a loon as she took in the previously rather frightening robot’s features. All fear and hesitancy she had towards the machine vanished once she felt she was in control of the machine.
“I order you to let me ride on your shoulders! And don’t drop me or tear off my head or anything.” Cedar added, almost as an afterthought.
Still well within hearing distance Quiet pursued her lips at Lily’s orders. Scouting parties typically worked better when they were small. The more people there were in one the less effective and more easily detected they were likely to be. Quiet couldn’t help feel the order was simply out of mistrust, Miller had given similar ones regarding her on Mother Base.
Yet she couldn’t deny the potential usefulness of the robot. Even with the liability of having an inexperienced young girl at the helm the machine was likely to have far better judgement then the teenager. In a way Julian reminded Quiet a little of the Boss’s D-Walker, albeit bigger and even more humanoid. It was obviously ideal for attack and had the potential to be at least somewhat concealed should things go wrong.
“If things go badly or we run into something we can’t get away from, the machine will be important to have around.”
[MARSTON'S SEARCH RESULTS]
Approaching the base of the mighty tree Marston would be faced with a thick mess of unfamiliar flora he would have to root through with his hands. It didn't take long to realize most of what he saw was little more then spiny grasses and colorful weeds. Yet amongst the chaff he would quickly begin finding eye catching particulars of note:
The first was a trio of mushroom growths sticking out the side of the tree's trunk like rounded little platforms. They lacked stems and the typical tell-tale signs of poisonous mushrooms. While less then appearing in appearance they seemed perfectly edible and possibly even quite healthy. Taste on the other hand...
Then, amongst the grasses, Marston would spot what looked like a bean pod. The biggest and greenest he'd ever seen before. Upon reaching out and pulling it off it's inappropriately thin vine, he would feel the sudden inexplicable urge to hold the bean pod over his head.
Baikal Scaly Tooth x3: Round, flat mushrooms typically found growing out the sides of tree trunks like blunt teeth. It has a less than appealing appearance that matches it’s taste. Your stomach isn’t likely to thank you for this any time soon, but it is edible. What it lacks in taste however it makes up for in protection. The mushroom can be used as an antidote for poison and even it’s raw state can be beneficial to fighting toxins.
[Single use consumable. Moderate hunger satisfaction, minor stamina recovery. 50/50 Chance to cure poisons and toxins if consumed raw. Guaranteed antidotal properties if distilled, refined, or used in medicinal brewing. Three in possession.]
Magic Beans: Like something out of a fairy tale. A fat green bodied bean pod roughly the size of a banana. Four colorful beans sit inside it’s soft wrappings. One red, one blue, another yellow, and the last a normal green. Despite seeming entirely natural the pod and it’s contents have a strange air to them.
The beans seem like they could either be planted, most likely in soft soil, or eaten. Though there’s no telling how they would taste.
[Plantable four use consumable. Effects if consumed: UNKNOWN]
[Payne's Loot Results]
Reaching inside the chest and holding what he found to the light, Payne would be greeted with a brief sense of elation. He could practically imagine the item spinning in his hands as he held it over his head, finally recognizing just what it was in the soft light of the jungle.In his hands he would find a small slingshot and a pair of seeds, glistening and brilliant enough that for a moment he would mistake them for tiny gold nuggets.
Fairy Slingshot: A small, masterfully crafted slingshot made of a strange, but incredibly tough wood. Possessing a leather wrapped handle and a thick elastic cord with surprising draw strength it's very clear that this slingshot is anything BUT a toy. It requires both hands to use and can seemingly fire anything you can fit onto the string with surprising force. The slingshot has an airy feeling to it, almost like it was made and belongs in a forest...
[A small two handed ranged weapon. Able to use small objects as ammo, gaining different effects and damage output based on what's launched from it. The Fairy Slingshot can fire as fast as the user can load and draw the string. Low-Medium Range. Low Velocity projectiles. Low Penetration (certain ammo may subvert this). High Accuracy with a chance to stun. Deals moderate damage to soft targets and is able to kill even men with repeated blows. Very weak against heavy armor.]
Deku Seeds x2: Brilliant, golden seeds about the size of a marble. They're heavy in your hand. Bite into them and you're guaranteed to break a tooth. Fire them at something and you're guaranteed to break skin.
[Slingshot Ammunition. Current Quantity: 2. Hard, able to moderately injure unarmored targets. Potential crafting item, possible use as 'lead' for ballistic ammunition.]
On the other side of the forest Courier 6 would turn the dial on her Pipboy, scanning through signal ranges in desperation to hear anything of meaning. For several moments she heard nothing but static. A drone of grating white noise interlaced with pops and cracks. Every now and then she'd swear a faint word or voice could be heard amongst the static, but it was hard to tell if it had actually been there or if she was imagining what she wanted to hear.
Eventually, like a dam breaking, the mind numbing blare of the static gave way to an unusually peaceful tune.
A wordless song with the gentle strumming of an electric guitar and the happy plonking of a piano. Everyone around the Courier would feel a sudden lift to their spirits. Those weary from the long travel would feel rested and those not tired would feel alive with energy.
[NAKED SNAKE is no longer fatigued] [Poppy, Merchant, Courier 6, and Tam Fiernas all gain a minor enhancement to stamina for the next hour]
Then, like an abusive father kicking in the door to an otherwise peaceful home, the music cut out and a voice blared out over the radio.
"YOU HAVEN'T MADE YOUR SCHEDULED REPORT"
Clear and demanding like a military commander the voice spilled from the speakers of the Courier's Pipboy. After a brief moment of silence another voice, younger then the first, spoke.
"The situation is normal. All clear."
Both voices spoke in English, but had varying degrees of what was a Russian accent to those who could recognize it.
"ALL PERSONNEL RETURN TO YOUR STATIONS. Keep a watch for any more of those machines. We are currently interrogating the subject for further information. There might be allies of his in the area so remain vigilant. The scheduled radio frequency change will begin now, tune your radios accordingly."
Then the voice cut out, leaving nothing but the whine of the static...
Snake couldn't help but stop and listen when a song came on the Radio one of the civilians was using. Snake had never seen a wrist-mounted device like the one the civilian was carrying but it looked like it might be a communication device. The song was great and somehow it made him feel better.
He just stayed there in the grass for a while and let the song wash over him. It was honestly very relaxing
He was getting ready to sneak away under the cover of the radio when the music shut off and a harsh voice started barking orders. Snake couldn't help but smirk as he heard the soldiers speak. Even though it meant sneaking through the base with soldiers on guard Snake knew how to avoid soldiers, and with some luck, he could quietly interrogate one to get some information. Maybe even steal a gun or some food from them. After the first few seconds though the message turned grim. They were interrogating a "subject" in the base, they were on guard because of machines attacking (they were sure to be on caution status at the very least), and they changed the frequency of their radios so he couldn't expect any more news from the enemy.
Better get started. Snake thought as he tried to quickly crawl away from the group. Luckily he was in the grass and the shadows, on top of that the buzzing of the radio might muffle the sound of the grass rustling as he moved. Either way, he wanted to move quickly and get out of the way of the civilians. If they started moving in his direction they might spot him or step on him. No amount of shadows or grass could keep them from spotting him at close range.
That could describe the rage that Julian so desperately wanted to express right now
Lilly was torn between how much of a terrible idea it was to leave Julian in the hands of someone that excitable and how hilarious it was to watch as Julian's override personality dutifully kneeled down and presented his arm as a step up to his shoulders. On a second consideration it was perhaps not the worst idea, Cedar was noticeably tired, and riding Julian would take some of the strain off and let her rest till they found something for her to eat and drink. Also the process of mounting taking a little while meant she wouldn't be far behind when they set out, meaning she could keep an eye on the two of them and easily catch up if something went wrong.
Speaking of food, she turned back to the two gentlemen inspecting the little tree alcove
”you two find anything good down there?”
She asked, crouching down, ready to help them get back up and over the log
After several tries junlian finally got something that was in the ballpark of what he wanted to express past his aggression filter.
“I am not your little pony”
While this statement was technically true, it did not mean that he was any less ready to give Cedar a piggy back ride.
Marston rolled the mushrooms over in his hand a few times, gauging the texture of the caps that sat between his fingers. It was tough, which certainly wouldn’t pair well with the unpalatable taste of the mushrooms. At least they were edible, and based on the smell, possibly even medicinal, which was a great bonus out here. What really caught the cowboy’s eyes were the unusual beans that sat amongst the colorful grasses. He pocketed the mushrooms and pulled the beans from their spot.
Beans in hand, Marston could have sworn he heard a tune, but couldn’t really place where it was coming from. Between his earlier paranoia, this rewarding jingle, and the sudden urge to raise the beans above his head, the cowboy could only conclude that his fatigue was catching up to him much faster than he had anticipated.
As he held up the beans, they caught the light that fell filtered through the jungle canopies, illuminating the colored beans within the pod’s shell.
”You two find anything good down there?”
She asked, crouching down, ready to help them get back up and over the log.
“Luckily, I found some mushrooms that can keep us going for a stretch longer. More interestingly, though, are these things. I’ve never seen beans with these colors before, but they still look like they’ll take if we put ‘em in the ground. I ain’t willing to eat these things unless I really have to, but I think they’re worth bringing back to the fort. Need something that’ll last longer than the fish.”
As Marston finished up his investigation of the tree, he looked over to Mr Payne and his new find.
“Guess that settles it. I’m just paranoid.”
The cowboy sighed, partly out of relief that his ambush theory was misplaced, and partly in frustration that his fatigue had his mind racing in so many directions.
“Interesting find, though. Kids back home loved that kind of thing. I probably would have, too, if I weren’t already slinging iron at their age.”
It seemed that the enclosed area didn’t offer anything else of value, so he made his way back to the fallen trunk, where Ms. Shen offered a hand in scaling the side of the tree. He grabbed her hand and with her help, scaled the side of the old bark.
“Thank you,” grunted Marston, as he ascended over the side.
“Wasn’t able to scrounge up enough for the whole class, unfortunately. Hopefully, we’ll be able to find some more morsels on the way ahead, get everyone on their feet and all.”
He pulled out one of the mushrooms and offered it to Ms. Shen.
“For helping me out here. And more importantly, I don’t want you falling apart, ‘cause I don’t know what’s gonna happen with your robot when you do.”
He looked back at Mr. Payne.
“There’s one for you, too, if you’re feeling a bit empty. We could save them for later and roast ‘em if you want, though. Brings out what little flavor there is, and it could bring out some of its better characteristics. Whatever you guys want to do, I think we should rejoin the posse heading north.”
He looked to the northbound group from atop the fallen trunk. He was interested in rejoining them quickly; a couple of mushrooms and colorful beans wasn’t gonna cut it, and they needed some stable footing in this strange setting. Once Mr. Payne was out of the enclosed area, Marston planned on making his way over and exploring the rest of Tselinoyarsk.
“Feels like I just broke into the world's sturdiest toy chest” I looked to Masrton and shrugged at his comment. “I didn't realize they had rubber in the Old West.” Stowing the toy away, I looked at the seeds that came with them. They were hard as rocks, and didn't look very appetizing. “These don't look like any nut I've seen.”I stowed them away and walked over to the log. “Alright, let's go check on the others.” Taking Shen's hand, I climbed up and over the log and jumped down the other side.
I looked at the mushroom Marston offered, and gave him one of the seeds back. “Thanks. You recognize this? I can't say I have but it looks like it would hurt to be beaned with one of these.” Beating dust off my hands, I looked at the rest of the group, and saw that Cedar had climbed onto the robot like a magnificent steed. Adding another line to my “List of things I never expected to say” list, I walked over, taking a quick stock of the rest of the group's status. “Didn't find much. Looks like we'll have to head that way,” I nodded to the north, “to find anything good.”
