|
 You frowned. The rain had a decidedly oily feel. Not that someone from up above would really call it rain. Down here, it was more of an occasional mist, dispersed by the kilometers of skyscrapers above you. Someone from above, and with a particularly esoteric education, might have even compared it to rainforest canopies. Here, though, it was rain, and it was life. Except … when it had that oily feel. Near you, you heard a sneeze. A quick glance at the shadows, and you could see a flourocat gleaming. “Easy for you to say. You don’t even mind the oil.” It simply licked its fur, declining to respond. Cats seldom did. “Probably digest it with the hydrocarbons and heavy metals and everything else you eat.” It didn’t look at you. You sighed. “I don’t even know why you eat rats. That’s my lunch.” It seemed to raise its hackles, but it may have just been the light. “Look, there’s more than enough for both of us. Just give me the first couple. And maybe find me some clean water.” No response. You made a face, shifted your leathers uncomfortably. The mist slid off it effortlessly, and you nodded to yourself. Such layers were vital for survival, reducing the chemical exposure, and the only way anyone would dare step into the open. They needed consistent review, too, to make sure no tears were developing. People who didn’t get that habit died young. Well, younger. You rubbed your face thoughtfully, considered your reflection in one of the nearby metal facings. It was … A) Gaunt, with tattoos and ritualistic scarring B) Cautious, wary, and weathered C) Heavily burned and with driven eyes D) Haggard, suspicious, and sallow E) Something Else
|
#
¿
May 12, 2018 04:24
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 18:23 |
|
|
Faces Blurry, for one. Surfaces down here weren’t exactly waxed within an inch of their life. It gave the impression of you having been through a burning, but aside from that your familiar face frowned back at you. Weathered, aged beyond your years, like so many down here. And with the wary caution that any survivor had. You pushed the image away, letting rain smear across it, and considered your next move. One day of good water left, couple days of food. You had found this spot years ago, where the rain would run off the higher tiers of buildings and form the mists. On good days, it was clean, and more than enough to fill your reservoirs. Now, though … no. Too risky. No, best to push on. Your hands checked your gear carefully. Nothing had moved, and you would have known if it had, but … caution. Always caution. Giger counter on one hip, flat bladed knife on the other. It was a handy thing, and you’d used it as both lever and wirecutter in the past. In your pack, messkit, stove, some chemical fuel. Cloth sleeping bag. Bottle of almost pure alcohol. And the prize of your collection, found on the body of someone who hadn’t been cautious enough … A) A datapad with low-grade military cracking software. Can be charged anywhere in the city, which is anywhere. B) A .38 Special revolver with two reloads (18 total bullets) and reload wheel. You also know the (isolated, unsafe) location of more ammo. C) A 20 meter rappel hook with two hundred kilogram support. Is almost impossible to unlatch without your intent. D) A counter-surveillance cloak. If you aren’t moving and they aren’t within ten feet, it would take a witch to spot you. E) Something else of comparable value, what? Loel fucked around with this message at 02:15 on May 13, 2018 |
|
#
¿
May 13, 2018 02:13
|
|
|
mepstein73 posted:I think that in a Loel CYOA, that's just enough rope to hang ourselves with... We're always going to end in the nuke 
|
|
#
¿
May 13, 2018 03:55
|
|
|
Multipass … a multitool. Not the conventional swiss-army knife such a name might conjure, no, it was specially crafted for the utility workers who used to come this far down. It could unbolt the hatches of maintenance tunnels or the panels on machines and fixtures for simple repairs or rewiring. The key to the city in the right hands. In the end, they guy you found it on hadn't been. Between that and the MAK knife, you could get through pretty much anything that had a mechanical lock or bar. The question now, of course, was where to go. You bit your lip thoughtfully. One day’s water, three day’s food … the numbers ran through your head insistently. You had already used one of each getting down to this point, and would need one of each to get back to your home level, up above you. On the other hand, you could keep exploring on the level you were on. It was pretty well scavenged, being conveniently close to above, but you had found a few niches here and there worth the trying. Or, and you felt the uneasy risk in your bones, you could go further down. Below the base of the spires, in the foundations of the towers … anything could be down there. What do you do?
|
|
#
¿
May 13, 2018 04:39
|
|
|
Crazycryodude posted:Find more water Yes, but where?  Higher is safer, lower is riskier. Higher has more people, lower has ... other things.edit: for the curious, I was looking up ~$500 dollar multitools, as that is comparable to crypto ipods or military cloaks. Google gave me this: quote:Large blade edit2: tossing in a couple more cuz I want to: quote:420HC Stainless Steel Folding Medical Shears Loel fucked around with this message at 05:12 on May 13, 2018 |
|
#
¿
May 13, 2018 04:47
|
|
|
Higher: cat, mepstein Same: horrible, nothing lower: lanky vampirism: blasphemaster Still anyone's game. For vampirism, we have stabbing implements and storage implements, but no processing implements. My google searching says blood drinking can temporarily stave off dehydration, but will have complications if you are also starving, and may expose you to pathogens. Also, hi FBI
|
|
#
¿
May 13, 2018 16:19
|
|
|
Same The mantra you learned from childhood echoed through you. Caution, caution… Going back to civilization would leave you where you started, only with no water and two days less food then you had started. And going deeper was a leap into the dark, hoping you would find enough water to get back. No, best to stay in this area, you were most familiar with it, and you knew other places. You nodded to yourself, hefted your pack. The floruocat watched you go disdainfully, enjoying the water you couldn’t drink. It knew the number of creatures who would try to make it share were low, just because it drank what would be poison to anyone else. Lucky bastard. Still, there was a ruined set of factory platforms about twenty minutes walk from here. It wasn’t your first choice, or even your fourth, but you had already tried the others. It still committed you to a further distance from your safehold, but no real choice at this point. And the path hadn’t changed much - you had already cleared yourself a way with your multitool months ago, and it wasn’t like maintenance crews were replacing the broken grates. You were getting close when you heard something. Immediately stopped, caution caution, waited and listened. The footsteps were definitely humanoid, and if you waited a moment you were sure they would step into view. Caution … and there they were. About twenty meters ahead and below you, exploring the set of pipes that you were headed for. You recognized them, too. Aurelia Peek, fellow scavenger. Thoughtfully, you considered your options. A) Civilization was up above, and she knew it. Her gear was too useful, and this was too good of a chance to miss. Wait till she headed out along the cleared path and cut her down. B) Civilization was up above, yes, but you hadn’t left it behind. She was probably here for the same reason, and there was safety in numbers. C) She had saved you from a particularly nasty feral, months ago, and you owed her one. This would be a chance to show her around, and chip away at your debt. D) You had saved her from the feral, and she owed you. Time to call it in, in return for … E) Something else 
|
|
#
¿
May 13, 2018 16:55
|
|
|
well, it looks like everyone wants us to be friends and owe Aurelia Peek a favor… making friends Down here, it was best to have someone to watch your back. You tapped the metal piping next to you lightly, the clank clank clank echoing about the chamber. Aurelia jerked back in surprise, and then relaxed as she saw you. “Oh, it’s you.” “In the flesh.” You walked closer, taking in the view. Somewhat squirrelly, with exaggerated goggles and breath mask. Currently unattached to her face, it hung gamely off her shoulder, and you knew it was attached to hours of oxygen. You did better in the high metal and radiation zones, but she was one for weird atmospheres and chemical clouds. You gestured to them. “Any new discoveries?” She shrugged. “Nothing worth noticing.” A faint smile. “Found any clouds you need to be pulled from?” You gestured, accepting the reminder. “Not yet. Still owe you for it, to be honest.” “Yes, you do. Come to pay it back?” “If you need something opened, sure.” You waggled the multitool. “Hah. No.” “Then it seems like I will continue to owe you.” Another shrug. “I know you are good for it. What are you down here for?” “Water resupply. Down to one day left.” “Oof. And those bastards top-side won’t share the condenser?” “Something about ‘owing them money for last time.’” “Ah.” Her eyes narrowed, exaggerated behind the goggles. “Bastards.” You smiled winsomely. “We could team up and rob it.” “And get perforated immediately afterwards.” “Well, yes.” “You don’t make good plans.” “The plans are great, the consequences aren’t.” She chuckled. “That means they are bad plans.” You sniffed airily. “I am just unappreciated in my time.” “Sure you are.” She tapped her hydration system, water jostling. “Listen, I found a leak not far from here. Interested?”
|
|
#
¿
May 14, 2018 02:51
|
|
|
operation camelpak You gestured. “Absolutely.” Aurelia smiled. “I figured.” You made to follow, paused. “What were you doing here, if you had all the water you needed?” “Oh, that. Yeah, some of the pipes looked like they had potential, thought I might use some of their contents for the lab back home.” “Did you?” Picturing her with a backpack of noxious/explosive chemicals did not appeal. “Nah. Place was dry as a bone.” You sighed. “Pity, it was my next choice for water.” Another shrug. “Got one nearby for you, don’t worry about it.” “But … walking.” She raised her eyebrows. “When have you ever cared about walking that far?” “The monotony gets to me.” “Ahh … of course. Probably explains why you talk to yourself so much.” “Do not.” “Do too.” The journey to the water site was uneventful, and you found your mind wandering. It really would be a good heist if you could get the condenser topside all to yourself … but the local security was very good. Anyone who could conjure water out of the air had all the power in the world, and thugs would line up to work for someone who could guarantee a hot shower. Aurelia’s voice interrupted your thoughts. “We’re here.” You blinked, looked about you. Being lost in thought was a bad habit down here, and you were surprised you had let it happen. That kind of mistake could get you killed … if you were alone. Even so, it probably wasn’t a good idea (or even fair) to make Aurelia do all the work to keep you safe. The leak, meanwhile, was gushing out water as if it had been designed for it. There was already a lake pooling beneath it, and you looked closer as your skin began to itch. Something was off. Aurelia turned to look at you. “What do you see?” “That pool of water … something is wrong there. See how the ripples seem to move around that one area?” She bit her lip. “Could be debris. Submerged trash, abandoned pipes.” “Do you remember seeing that when you were here earlier?” She grimaced. “No. There’s something in that lake.” Turned to look at you. “What do you want to do?”
|
|
#
¿
May 14, 2018 04:02
|
|
|
I shoot the lake You grimaced. You weren’t very familiar with things hiding in lakes - any water source topside would quickly be colonized and fortified. Even something small like this, twenty or thirty meters across, was worth money up above. You briefly considered trying to fortify it yourself, but you simple didn’t have the resources. The two of you could keep it a secret for a while, but someone else would find it as well. Then they would sell the information to one of the factions who could hold it. That was just the nature of things. Maybe you could do that later. Put in a pin in that thought. She was still looking at you. “What do you think?” “I think we might make some money.” Aurelia blinked, followed your train of thought. “Well, yes. But you still need some water now.” “Could share yours.” “You already owe me enough.” “Hah.” You considered it more. “I’m thinking a lizard.” “A lizard?” “Yeah. Something solitary, something that could move from land to water.” You narrowed your eyes. “Ambush predator.” “That’s all well and good, but what do you want to do about it?” “Bet you anything it’s waiting for people - or other animals - to approach the shore. Then it rushes you.” “Ah.” Aurelia looked the ripples. “Yeah, I could see that.” She looked back at you. “So … want to throw rocks at it?”
|
|
#
¿
May 15, 2018 03:35
|
|
|
Muhahah
|
|
#
¿
May 16, 2018 02:41
|
|
|
Votes tend toward ‘get water’ with increasing levels of aggression. Let’s see what happens  Let’s be reckless You ran your hand through your hair. “Well … throwing things could alert it. Or agitate it.” “So no?” “But … it would also let us know how territorial it is. Maybe it’s waiting for a big enough prey to get close enough, or maybe it responds to everything.” “Aha. Rocks it is.” Aurelia seemed entirely too cheerful in annoying the whatever-it-was. She was already grabbing fist sized debris from nearby. Perhaps it was exposure to all those chemical clouds. “What do you think, overhand or underhand?” “I can’t imagine it matters.” “Overhand it is. Big splashes.” She took careful aim, lobbed a brick forcefully. It punched through the water, causing swells to ripple in every direction. She raised her eyebrows. “Hunh. Nothing.” “Maybe do them further away, on the other side. If it gets alert, let’s have it go the opposite away.” She nodded. “Good idea.” Another launch, this one further from you (and closer to the presumed critter). It immediately responded, if its leisurely approach could be considered a response. “Definitely something there.” “We’re on the right track, I think. One more on the far side, and then I’ll go.” Aurelia hefted another brick, threw it like a shot put. It went almost too-far, landing in the shallows on the other side, and the critter didn’t respond. “Want me to throw another?” You shook your head. “I think we’ve persuaded it that it’s a false alarm. Can’t be the first time debris has fallen into a lake.” You unshouldered your camelpak, considered it. It was sadly almost empty, enough to get home, but not much more. Another long gaze at the lake, and you gently tossed the container into the lake. Dragged it slowly towards you - the critter did not appear to respond. +1 day of water, you are now at 2 days of 3 possible. What do you do?
|
|
#
¿
May 16, 2018 04:39
|
|
|
Agua-sition Aurelia met your eyes. “That’s enough for two days, and enough time for your luck to change. We heading back?” Caution caution. “No, sometimes you have to risk it. I’d rather risk the maybe of ‘waking it up’ over the maybe of ‘not having water.’” She glanced back at the escape tunnel. “That’s fine, but if it jumps out I’m leaving your dumb rear end.” “My hero.” You looked at the lake contemplatively. Aside from heading to the far side, the critter hadn’t really been aggressive. And it would have to move 15 meters through water before you made it 5 meters into the entry-way. So, unless it had some crazy lunge move it was waiting to use, you should be okay. You briefly wondered if that was what every lurker thought before they died. Probably. Another gentle toss of the camelbak, another mild splash. The ripples reached out towards the critter, but there was again, no response. Aurelia met your eyes quizzically, and you shrugged. “Sometimes we get lucky I guess.” Began pulling the pack back towards you, and into your awaiting hands. Easily 90% full, enough for another day. You smiled briefly. “I call that a win.” She blinked, looked at the critter again. “I’m confused, good things don’t happen to you.” “Maybe things are starting to change.” What do you do? We can go to the upper levels / home, keep exploring, or go deeper now that we have a stash. You wouldn’t believe these rolls though. Critter don’t care. Rock 10% Ignore 54 Rock 20% Aggress 14 Rock 30% Ignore 40 Camelpak 60% ignore 62 Camelpak 80% ignore 83
|
|
#
¿
May 16, 2018 16:40
|
|
|
Tyrannosaurus posted:Which way could we go to sell someone the location of this water? Up above (home base) is a small frontier style town with a couple factions. One of them controls the water condenser for the area.
|
|
#
¿
May 16, 2018 17:06
|
|
|
CourValant posted:What dice system are you using? So far, d100s
|
|
#
¿
May 16, 2018 19:38
|
|
|
CourValant posted:You're using actual dice for a CYOA??! New character As we power up, dice become less important. Ohone is a max xp Ascension toon by Arc 5 or so. This toon, they dont even have a gun yet.
|
|
#
¿
May 16, 2018 19:52
|
|
|
We have to go deeper “We can go below, explore a bit, come back and refill. No one is going to find this place in three days.” She nodded consideringly. “Yeah, okay. Gone below further than this?” You chuckled. “Not as a rule.” “Me neither.” “Heard anything about what’s there?” Aurelia snorted. “Same as you. Ferals and monsters.” “And loot.” “And loot.” You considered the downward sloping tunnels. “I’m feeling lucky.” “Oh good. You know I can run faster than you right.” “It’s not about running, it’s about knowing the right way.” You replied airily. Another snort. “Sure. And you know the way.” “I will once we start.” She looked at the lower tiers appraisingly. “What you thinking?” The floors had shifted some aeon ago, the foundations of the skyscrapers acting like tectonic plates. Steel bars and concrete formed their layers, and water erosion has twisted it further. Here are there, old floors had broken apart, showing the darkness below, and you couldn’t help but notice that the copper wiring had been torn out of all the walls. You tapped your lips thoughtfully. “Well. We could go the slow route, travel along the floors. Maybe find some stairs. Or we could set up some rope and see how deep we can go in one move.”
|
|
#
¿
May 28, 2018 01:12
|
|
|
CourValant posted:So, the whole 'Hive' is coming down, eventually? Ill have you know my settings are famous for their durability
|
|
#
¿
May 29, 2018 21:57
|
|
|
Not now Charles Aurelia raised her eyebrows. “This place has been worked over for a thousand years. Nothing here worth the search.” You nodded. “Quite agree. Let’s make some money.” It was a matter of moments before you had a rope looped around the central column. You both checked the knots, just to be sure, and she nodded. “Okay. You ready?” “I thought you’d be going first.” “Oh no, I’m much better up here. Guarding the rope against all comers.” You rolled your eyes. “Fine. But if you cut the rope I’m going to haunt you and your descendants.” “Good, they’ll probably need the company. Haven’t been impressed by my kids so far.” “You have kids?” “Maybe?” You snorted. “Fine mother you are.” “I have the maternal instincts of a hamster.” “You really do. Fine, pretend I am a kitten of one of the flourocats.” “Meow.” “There you go.” You hooked the rope through a makeshift harness, looped it around wrist, leg and foot. Looked into the blackness. “This is a bad idea.” “You’ll do fine.” And she gave you a gentle push. Your hands and feet reflexively gripped the rope, and you took a calming breath as you were lowered into the depths. Around you was a complete darkness unlike anything you had ever encountered, and you could feel blind eyes watching you.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 12, 2018 00:23
|
|
|
halls of the blind You stretched out your senses, desperately searching for anything besides this void. It would be … strange, but not impossible, for the ever-distant floor to be beyond the range of your rope. In your experience, the buildings slumped and crumbled over each other like so many old drunken men. There had to be a bottom to this somewhere. Your eyes weren’t - couldn’t - adapt to the total black. After a certain point, you thought they were just sending random nerve signals, presenting vague hallucinations, and you dismissed them. In the distance, you thought you could hear something. Aurelia was still giving more slack to the rope, but if you was speaking you couldn’t hear it. There were the chirps of animals, rats or echolocating pigeons. Good eating, both of them, but they were disinclined to wander into your waiting hands down here. Instead, you could only listen to the disorienting echoes, colonies of whatever they were observing the strange inteloper in their midst. Something was coming, though. You could tell by the way the chirps quieted, and by the sound of its movement. Either a dozen bipeds … or a very large thing with dozens of legs. You considered the thought uneasily, and wondered which would be worse. Wondered if whatever it was could see you, could sense you. It was getting close, you were pretty sure. And based on the echoes, it seemed like the floor was getting close too. What do you do?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 13, 2018 05:40
|
|
|
Vavrek posted:Plan LCT because I'd been trying to remember the name of Gone with the Blastwave for like a year or five now, thanks! Its such a good comic. Pairs well with Romantically Apocalyptic 
|
|
#
¿
Jun 13, 2018 17:16
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 25, 2024 18:23 |
|
|
Eat them before they eat you “Psst! Aurelia!” Your voice was a sharp undertone. “I’m blind down here!” You couldn’t catch her reply, something muttered. A moment later something landed on your face, and you flinched back. Reached for it. A quick investigation showed an oblong shape - by the smell, a chemical flare. Attached to it was another rope, and you unhooked it carefully. Tugged at it, and the rope ascended where it came from. The sounds were getting closer. You considered the matter carefully, guessed to about where they were coming from. Uncapped the lid, threw in that general direction. Even prepared for it, the phosphorus left searing after-images on your eyes. You blinked rapidly, trying to ignore the spotting, even as you tried to follow the light down amongst the sounds. It was easily another thirty meters or more down, and you couldn’t even guess how large the chamber was. Here and there, vast support beams showed the weight of years, and a thousand critters erupted from them, fleeing the light. As the flare spun downwards, the shadows bent and twisted dizzyingly, and you almost lost your footing. The rope was swaying uneasily, and you could only half follow the light. It landed in a pile of rubbish, burning sullenly, and the chamber dimmed. You noticed two things however. First: there was a travois built for transit, and a reinforced box of some sort was resting on it. Very heavy, very secure.  Second: there were a number of bipeds that had started near it, and were now sprinting towards you. 
|
|
#
¿
Jun 16, 2018 05:11
|
|