[IC] Arknights: The Dark Woods (PaulHaynek & LiverisGood)

[PaulHaynek]

@LiverisGood

"These individuals were clearly huddling around something before they attacked. Let's take a quick look at what they were and then make our way to the tower. If we are going to be here for a while, we should know what these savages are interested in. It shouldn't take too much time."

Medivac

"Ah! Y-You're right, we should take a look at what they were doing. Maybe it'll give us a clue as to what's happening here." Wu agreed, as if his senses snapped back to him.

When Radiant took the headdress from the downed savage, it revealed the normal face of an average Kuranta man albeit with some Originium crystals growing on his face. The sight seemed to have perturbed Ibon. "We have Oripathy cases that affected the mind... but nothing like this. These people seem to have retained intelligence in their madness, enough to coordinate with other maddened infected. The Oripathy here isn't normal." The Medic Operator remarked.

"Ibon, Radiant. Take a look at this." Ibon and Radiant soon joined Medivac and Wu who were investigating the point of interest. The Haynek Institute Operators beheld a disturbing sight. The now-incapacitated savages were huddling around the corpse of a Kuranta male. The upper body was bare and in his torso were multiple growths of Originium while there were two white mushrooms on his eye sockets. It seemed the fungi were put there on purpose, the eyes gouged out to make way.

"What the hell were they doing...?" Wu was clearly disturbed by what he saw.

"He-he should have some dignity in his death." Ibon suggested. "Let's remove the mushrooms from his eyes at least and maybe take him to the side and cover him up. I won't say bury him, we don't have time for that."

"Is that such a good idea though...?"

[LiverisGood]

"Well the infection can cause madness but I bet being ostracized by your neighbors does a real number on your mental health," Radiant replied towards Ibun's earlier statement. "Still, can't say I've seen the infected run at us nearly naked with such bloodlust and actually wearing the originum as a crown."

As Medivac continued to observe the body, Radiant took out a pocket handbook and began to jot down some notes.

"What are you writing down?" inquired Ibun, "Are you-are you taking down field notes? Out here?"

Radiant looked at Ibun and chuckled. "Ibun, if not now, then when? Besides, this is part of the work we do. I am just writing some quick notes on how these infected treat the their dead. Putting mushrooms in their eyes is a first for me. Besides, Wu is keeping watch. Right Wu?"

Medivac furrowed his brows. There was simply not enough information to make a conclusive statement. For what purpose did those savages do this? "Perhaps this is their way of performing their last rites?" he suggested.

Medivac stood up. "We can only make conjectures. At the very least, we know a little more about these so called savages. We're better off talking to one of the townsfolk about what we just saw here when we have the chance."

Medivac turned in the direction of the radio tower. "Leave the body as it is. There are more pressing issues to worry about. We've already spent a significant amount of time here. Let's not tarry too long."

==========
Move towards the radio tower as a group
@PaulHaynek

[PaulHaynek]

@LiverisGood

"Leave the body as it is. There are more pressing issues to worry about. We've already spent a significant amount of time here. Let's not tarry too long."

Medivac

"Alright. Everyone! Let's move out!" Wu motioned with his hand to get the group moving.

As they left, Ibon took one last glance at the aftermath of the battle. She choked, her eyes widened with fear. The others noticed and also looked back. The body with the mushrooms on his eyes was gone. The down Savages were still there, bleeding. But the object of their interest was gone. Was it taken by the forest? Or was it not as dead as the Operators thought it was. Or perhaps it was dead, just given life?

"Come on! We can't stay here any longer." Wu declared and the Operators quickened their pace, leaving behind the disturbing sight.

-

The group finall arrived at the radio tower, a single structure in a large clearing surrounded by the seemingly dead forest of this land. It was clearly a military installation, made of concrete and sported a very tall signal tower. It was old, perhaps years old, but it seemed no worse for wear. The steel that made the tower appear to be still holding up and the concrete that made the main building still seemed sturdy. The windows on the second floor were even intact and not at all broken.

"We're here. Thanks goodness, we're here." Ibon was about to rush to the installation but was stopped by Wu.

"Hold on, Ibon. We don't know what's inside. We should be cautious and scout out the area first." The Feline Defender surveyed the area and looked at the radio tower more closely. "Okay, I see the main entrance..." Wu pointed to a pair of double doors at the installation's front. "...but places like these should have a back door too."

"We should split up. Make sure not all of us are walking into a trap or ambush inside" The Feline declared. "Okay, who's going with who?"

[LiverisGood]

"Given that there were infected within running distance of this installation, I can see why your worried about an ambush," Radiant stated. "Others infected taking shelter inside will be within the realm of possibility."

Radiant continued observing the installation. Was splitting up to cover more ground such a good idea? They knew nothing of the layout and if they split into parties of 2, either group would have a significantly harder time to defend themselves against a group like that earlier. Then there was an issue of their communication being down.

"Frankly, I don't like the idea of splitting. We don't know the layout, our radio and comms are down at the moment so we won't be able to tell where either party is at. If we are going to split up, it should be after we've restored the signal in the area. What do you think Medivac?"

"We can waltz up to the entrance and split into 2 parties and loop around the right and left side of the perimeter until we meet with each other. No, there is a better way. Radiant are you up for a solo job?" Medivac asked.

"Oh? You want me to check out the perimeter alone? After all I've said?" Radiant responded playfully.

"Wait! Why is Radiant doing this alone? We should-" Wu interjected.

"Let me finish Wu. You concern for your operators is a fine thing but your tendency to jump straight into conclusions is something you need to work on," Medivac remarked sternly. "As I was about to explain, the three of us will make a loop around the left side of the perimeter. Radiant will cover the right side by herself. Eventually we will see each other and we'll exchange what we found."

"But Medivac, Radiant said it herself! We shouldn't split up!" Ibun said with grave concern. "What if something happens to her? We wouldn't know!"

"I'm touched by your concern Ibun," Radiant replied with a smile. "But I understand Medivac's reasoning. It's also a sign of his confidence in my abilities that I am going alone. I am the fastest and agile among us so there are places that I can reach that you guys can't. Having someone tag along with me would slow me down."

Radiant reached for Ibun's shoulders and held them firmly as if to reassure her concerns. "And besides, this isn't the first time I've worked alone and I don't plan on it being my last. Information gathering and reconnaissance is something that I am intimate with."

Medivac cleared his throat. "If there are no other questions or objections, then let's quickly investigate the front door before we split up and check the perimeters of the facility."
@PaulHaynek

[PaulHaynek]

@LiverisGood

The Operators split up, albeit not evenly. Medivac took Wu and Ibon with him while Radiant went by herself. They first checked the front double doors, though. They were not locked and all it took to open them was turning their knobs.

The first sight was a wide but empty hallway. Two doors could be seen along the left side and one door on the right. Another set of double doors could be seen at the end of the hallway. "Doesn't seem like anybody's home." Ibon remarked.

Wu's ears twitched. "Hmm, I don't sense anyone's presence either. But let's not lower our guards until we're sure." He replied. And with that preliminary reconaissance done, the party split up to scout out the outward perimeter of the facility.

Medivac's team circled the radio tower to the right while Radiant to the left. Neither of the teams found anything in their scouting, only the eerie silence of the place and the ominous forest that surrounded the clearing of the facility. They safely found each other behind the radio tower and, like what Wu said earlier, there was a single door that provided an alternate entrance to the building.

"Looks like you found nothing too." Wu said to Radiant once they met up. The Defender then gazed at the facility. "Places like this, there should be a room for the control center, a room for the generator or an electricity source and maybe several more rooms for the kitchen, bathrooms and living quarters." Wu explained. "But this building seems too small to accomodate all of that. Archosaur might be right that this place has an underground bunker."

"Do we... do we go inside now?" Ibon meekly asked as she glanced at the forest. "Being outside is unnerving."

[LiverisGood]

@PaulHaynek

"I say let's stick together for now. We might be able to find a floor plan somewhere inside. Then we can split once we have a better understanding of the layout. Probably still got those emergency fire escape maps posted on the walls." Radiant said aloud.

"Through the front or back?" Wu asked.

"Well, we are already at the back and I'd rather not waste time going back through the front door," replied Medivac. "In any event, our priorities will be locating the command room. If we can get that up and running, that will expedite investigations. If we are lucky, there may be floor plans there. Then we should look to restore the generators so that the communication radar comes online and we can link up with the other Haynek operators."

"Hey there should be cameras too! Maybe we can use the cameras in the communication rooms if electricity is back up?" interjected Radiant.

"Good idea. We can think about splitting up once we are at the command center. Once we have the generators up and re-established communication, perhaps we can inspect the bunker if the locals can be trusted. Anything else before we enter?"

--------
Actions:
>Go in together as 4 through the back
>Be on the lookout for any fire emergency escape routes maps posted on the wall/elevators (if they exist)
>Look for any signs that the complex has been used (disturbed dust marks, signs of subsistence living in the rooms) as they move in from the back

[Sorry, work ended up being more than I anticipated]

[PaulHaynek]

@LiverisGood

(It's all good)

The Operators entered through the back door and found themselves in the facility's kitchen area. There were a couple of tables and several steel chairs. There was a large refrigerator on a corner and about four microwaves sitting on a counter to the side alongside a sink, a few plastic utensils and some coffee makers. Below the counter were some drawers and cabinets. Should the Operators check the fridge and open the drawers, they would find nothing. Although, the kitchen looked pristine despite being abandoned for a long time.

Besides the door they entered in, there was also a pair of double doors in the kitchen. Wu immediately went to open them and he saw the familiar sight of the hallway, just from the other side. "Looks like this is all it. Pretty simple complex, but radio towers built in remote areas are made to be as small as possible. Wanna check the doors on the hallway now?"

One of the two doors on one side of the hallway lead to the generator room. A room that contained only the electric generator that powered the station. Meanwhile, the other door lead to the communications room, the main room of this facility. It contained aged computers and radioes as well as machines that picked up transmissions and signals. Despite being out-of-use for what could be several years, not much dust has settled on the place. "I know some technical stuff about radioes so I can probably set things up. I would need power, though." Ibon said.

"And I know a thing or two about generators. I can handle that." Wu spoke with confidence. "But let's explore the entire facility first before we get to work."

The Operators inspected the last door. Opening it, they found a staircase that lead down. "This probably leads to the bunker." Wu guessed. Having no other choice but to investigate, the group descended the stairs where another door waited for them. Getting past that, they soon found themselves in a wide stone hallway with several doors to the side. On the far end of the hallway was an engraved emblem of the country of Kazimierz. Evidence of this place belonging to Kazimierz military.

Wu and Ibon opened the doors to the sides, revealing rooms with beds and small bathroom areas. These were the living quarters for the crew manning this radio station. Like the area above, this small underground bunker was empty too. Until Ibon found someone. "Guys! Guys, look!" She called everyone over.

On the last room to the left, on the bed tucked in neatly was one of the leaders of this operation. Lying unconscious was Blizzard, seemingly unharmed and no worse for wear. "Blizzard--"

Wu stopped Ibon from getting closer. "Stop! It could be a trap." The Liberi Medic looked at him incredulously. "I-It could be the forest playing with us. This could be an illusion or something."

[LiverisGood]

"Pretty elaborate for an illusion if it's affecting all of us and we all see the same thing," Medivac mused. "Unless this is a form of arts that is being cast on us. In which case, I must commend them for maintaining such an impressive illusion. At the very least we have an idea of who was responsible for those signs of life earlier."

Radiant took a step forward and checked the surroundings around Blizzard.

"I'd say Blizzard looks pretty defenseless right about now," Radiant quipped. "You'd think she'd set up something to alarm her if anyone is approaching but we are this close to her. If we were one of those savages, oh it wouldn't be a pretty thing to see. Let's wake her up!" As she finished her sentence, Radiant began to set some items down from her pouch.

"Wait are you just going to head over and shake her?" Wu asked with a bit of concern.

"Of course not. Maybe there's a trap closer to her," Radiant said mischievously, darting her eyes at Wu. That's why I have this," she said, raising her hip pouch triumphantly.

"Are you...are you going to throw that at Blizzard?" asked a shocked Ibun. "What if you hit her head and knock her out or something?"

"Ah Ibun, don't worry about that. My aim is pretty good. I took down those combatants earlier with my knives right? The only thing in here are some rolls of bandages to give the pouch a bit of weight. If the bag doesn't incinerate mid air, then we can probably approach her. It won't hurt her. Probably."

"Radiant wait-" Medivac began but by the time the words left Medivac's mouth, Radiant already flung her hip pouch at Blizzard's abdomen.
---------
Radiant throws a hip pouch at Blizzard to attempt to wake her up.
@PaulHaynek

[PaulHaynek]

@LiverisGood

The pouch flew to the unconscious Blizzard, and hit the Vulpo at the her torso.

...

Nothing happened.

The Operators waited, with bated breath, for something to happen. But nothing did, and they relaxed knowing that there were no illusions here nor were there traps of any kind. That still begged the question, "If this is all real, then how did Blizzard get here?" Ibon said. "The last time I saw her, she was carried into the forest by Rex, another teammate of ours. Did he take her here?"

Before Ibon's question was answered, Wu took the initiative to approach the sleeping Blizzard personally. He slowly went up to her and placed a hand on her still shoulder. "Blizzard...?"

Suddenly, the Vulpo shot upwards, startling everyone. "There's someone outside!" Blizzard yelled before hopping out of her bed, pushing aside Wu and the other Operators and bolting out of the room. Presumably, rushing to exit out of the radio facility.

"Guys, we have to follow her!" Ibon was the next to move, following her team leader.

The Operators all go out and find Blizzard just outside of the radio tower's main entrance. She stared far into the dark forest that surrounded the facility and paid no heed to her fellow Haynek Institute Operators. At first, it seemed like she was looking at an empty forestline. But when the other Operators looked, they would see a figure obscured by the cursed woods. A humanoid stood at the forestline, his dirty attire of a brown trenchcoat and a very worn hat proved to be effective camouflage with the woodland background.

It slowly emerged out of the forest with a simple wooden staff. He raised his hands and staff outward and exclaimed. "Outsiders! Do you wish to survive this dark land? Do you wish to see another day within this forest ruled by the Cursed Rock?"

The voice was male and he awaited a response. Blizzard still stared while Wu and Ibon were too dumbfounded to answer.

[LiverisGood]

Post on saturday

[LiverisGood]

The uncanny timing of Blizzard sensing someone outside and it proving to be correct was something Radiant found incredulous. "Jeez, that's some crazy sixth sense our leader got there!" she exclaimed to Medivac. "Makes you wonder why she didn't have this reaction when we came around."

"We can ask her later. This stranger is rather...suspicious. How did he know we were in the complex?" The silence was deafening after the strange man made his remarks. Wu and Ibun both looked towards Blizzard to lead but she merely stayed silent and continued to stare at the stranger.

"Um...Blizzard? Hello?" Radiant asked tentatively.

Her inquiry was met with silence. Was she even aware of the other members of the team around her? Radiant felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and faced Medivac who leaned in and whispered to her ear.

"I'll initate the conversation. I don't know what has occurred to Blizzard but keep on eye her, she is very unpredictable right now. It feels like she hasn't acknowledge our presence or something." Radiant gave a solemn nod.

"My friend" Medivac replied back, "Who are you and how did you find us? Why do you want to help us?"

@PaulHaynek

[PaulHaynek]

@LiverisGood

"Who are you and how did you find us? Why do you want to help us?"

Medivac

"I know this land well, outsiders. I know this forest, and this forest knows me. Know me as the Soothsayer. I warn of the gnawing evil of this land, but the Cursed Rock knows this and so, keeps me here until it finally steals my last breath." The stranger replied to Medivac. "I give you my aid for it is my sworn duty to save the innocent and the ignorant and combat this land's ravenous hunger. Every life it consumes makes this world more miserable... and its power grows."

"He sounds like a madman." Wu remarked.

"But the advice he gives might be useful." Ibon added.

"Heed my words, outsiders! The Miasma that protects the village is absent here. Without that barrier, the forest will unleash its fury upon you each night that you stay here." The Soothsayer proclaimed. "You must fortify this dilapidated abode, for the forest's minions will make their assault until they overcome you. It might seem easy at first, but that is only because the forest is only testing your strength. Once it has known you, you will all be doomed."

"We don't plan on staying here in the first place." Wu replied.

"Then do not tarry. Complete your tasks, and escape this dark land while you still can." The Soothsayer then retreated back into the woods, disappearing completely.

Blizzard was left panting, turning around to look at the other Operators as sense came back to her. "Well that was... something. I'm glad you two are alright." Blizzard told Wu and Ibon before glancing at Radiant and Medivac. "Who are these two? Are they part of the other teams?"

[LiverisGood]

Radiant looked puzzled at Blizzard. Surely as the mission leader she'd at least remember the faces of other operators for this mission. "Ma'am, I'm Radiant and this is Medivac. We were aboard Raven Two when circumstances forced us to jump. Our team leader stayed onboard the VTOL and we didn't see anyone else jump in that storm. Most likely, Medivac and I are the only ones left from Raven Two."

Medivac stepped forth. "Originally, Medivac and I were going to investigate a sealed well by the mayor's house as we have reason to believe that it may be useful to our investigation but circumstances changed when we met Ibun and Wu. We decided to prioritize this communication station so that it would be easier to get in touch with everyone else who is missing and have this place be a possible rendezvous point."

"Don't forget our scuffle with some of the infected!" Radiant interjected. "They held some ritual around this body and attacked us. Left us no choice but to defend ourselves. They put mushrooms in the eyes of the body. Very creepy stuff. I've managed to collect a souvenir from them. Might be useful for our investigation."

Radiant carefully pulled out the originum crown for Blizzard to see. "There were two more of us but we lost them to the forest..." Radiant noted sadly as she waited for Blizzard's response

@PaulHaynek

[PaulHaynek]

@LiverisGood

Blizzard listened closely to Radiant's and Medivac's reports. She let out a long sigh at the end, the team leader knew she had a lot of stuff to resolve. Although, she was glad she had a working team at hand and not everybody was lost to the storm that greeted them when they first arrived. "You all have done well under these circumstances. I'm glad your training in the Institute is paying off. Even if... none of what's happening is covered in the courses."

"There were two more of us but we lost them to the forest..."

Radiant

"I heard the Soothsayer talking about how the forest was dangerous." Blizzard replied. "How is it exactly dangerous?"

"According to a contact we have in Riventor, there's a force in the forest that can induce vivid hallucinations to make people go mad and also make them disappear." Wu explained. "Well actually, he said that the forest itself is the one doing it. Either way, the strange happenings around here seem linked to Originium, called 'Cursed Rock' around these parts. Like Radiant said, we've lost Operators to it."

"We've lost Rex and we thought we lost you to it too since he was the one carrying you while you were unconscious. It was miraculous that we found you in this radio bunker. We have no idea how you got here." Ibon said. "We've also lost an Operator named Will-O-Wisp. They simply walked into the forest and were never seen again. Zasada, meanwhile, is still back in Riventor. Hopefully, the Archosaur's taking care of her."

Another long sigh came from Blizzard. "...This forest is something else, isn't it? And no, I don't know how I got here either. Hopefully, the 'how' doesn't become important later." She pinched her temples. "Anyway, you all did good going here before attempting any other action. Let's make this our base of operations and get the radio tower working. We'll try to contact any Haynek Operators still out there but most importantly, re-establish communications with Haynek Institute. Maybe request evac too since the situation is beyond FUBAR where I'm standing."

"We should split up: One group taking a look at the radioes themselves and the other looking for supplies or anything we can use in this facility. Any volunteers?"

[LiverisGood]

@PaulHaynek
"Wu, you said you knew a thing or two about bunkers earlier, right? It seems quite obvious where you should be headed then!" Radiant said, giving Wu a pat on the back.

"In the meantime, I don't mind taking a look around this facility. Besides, if what that guy said was true and this installation does come under attack, we'd probably want to secure the front and back entrances. We definitely need to check out those stairs that we passed by earlier, the ones that could lead to the bunker," Radiant said thoughtfully.

"What about you Medivac?" Blizzard asked.

"Given what has transpired and what we have seen, I am inclined to believe that man we just saw. There may be a connection to those infected savages and the woods, especially since the townsfolk appear to avoid traveling through the forest when possible. There's time before night falls. I'll secure the front entrance just in case and I will check the back too."

"Wait Medivac, what if he was in cahoots with them? Can we really trust him?" Ibun interjected.

"He certainly didn't check spears at us or come running towards with knives out like the ones we saw earlier," Radiant quipped. "That makes him trustworthy in my book."

"Where are we going to meet after we are done with our tasks?" Radiant asked Blizzard. "What should Ibun and you do in the meantime? Wu says he knows how to handle generators. Are you also going to look around the facility with us or will you be helping Wu with the radio comms?"

[PaulHaynek]

@LiverisGood

"Where are we going to meet after we are done with our tasks? What should Ibun and you do in the meantime? Wu says he knows how to handle generators. Are you also going to look around the facility with us or will you be helping Wu with the radio comms?"

Radiant

"We'll meet in the comms room after everyone has done their recon. But just in case anything... weird happens, we'll begin searching for anyone missing after about fifteen to twenty minutes. That's enough time for everyone to do their jobs, right?" Blizzard answered Radiant. "Me and Ibon will start looking into the radio equipment with Wu. Is there power in this place?"

"Technically, yes. But the generator's dead so we'll have to take a look at that too." Wu answered. "I'll go take a look at that myself while you handle the radioes."

"Alright, then. I believe that's all, let's move out."

---
~RADIANT~

You took the flight of stairs in the facility down to the underground bunker. Your first sight was a corridor made purely of stone and rock. However, it did not appear there were any windows to this area so it was in complete darkness save for the light coming out of the open door. Looks like you will have to--

* FLASH *

The light suddenly came on, as if it awaited your arrival. "I turned on the generator, guys! But it looks like it's just emergency power!" You hear the faint yells of Wu from the generator room.

With the lightbulbs on the ceiling turned on, you now see a corridor that stretched towards a pair of double doors at the end. On the left side were three doors evenly spaced from each other while on the right were two doors. Investigating the doors on either side, you will see a small, personal living quarters consisting of a bed, a desk, a cabinet and a sink with a mirror. The double doors at the end lead to a sizable public shower with a pair of toilets hidden in the corner.

As you investigated, however, you caught a faint whiff of a familiar scent. It came from the last door on the right, inside the cabinet of that room. Opening the wooden container revealed small, plastic pouches of plant seeds. But you recognize these seeds, these are of the same species as the ones you planted in your ecospheres back in Haynek Institute.

Quite the coincidence?

~MEDIVAC~

You took a look at the front entrance of the radio facility, a set of large double doors that lead to the main corridor as well as the back entrance, a single door that lead directly into the facility's kitchen. The doors had simple knobs on them as well as an extra lock for a slight increase in security. This place sure had a cheap budget although if one can get away with cheap, why not right? Regardless, the doors look like they could be reinforced with some boards and nails.

Taking a peek outside, you notice that there were some activity by the forest edge. You see a pack of infected dogs or wolves fighting a large Acid Orignium Slug. The snail monster spat its acid at the black-furred canines, some having its flesh dissolved by the potent liquid. However, the pack eventually overwhelmed the slug as members took opportune bites at the snail's neck.

The infected dogs were about to enjoy their meal when they noticed Medivac looking at them. Surprisingly, they made no attempt at hostility and fled immediately to the forest.