Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, have decided to embark on an epic quest to reach Lathar's long-lost father, Harkonn. After side-quests, distractions, and backtracking, the group has made it past Fair-Town and KIA Academy, and have encountered some sort of abandoned facility along the Big River.
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Lathar Bracken: A pure-strain human from River Bend. He's got the muscle, the face, and a mount for most encounters. Lathar's trusty beast of burden, No Name, travels wherever he does. Looking for trouble in all the right places. The two-time champion of the Fair-Town Queen's Joust. Recently married to the now-pregnant Thunnelda Haycock. He had recently received a letter from his long-lost father, and has convinced the others to accompany him to the Wildlands.
Sneaky Pete: A mutated weasel scout. Pete's telepathy and night vision take a backseat when he whips out his electrical powers. Apparently addicted to his newly uncovered yellow powder found at "The Pool House"
Sonny Helianthus: an over 10' tall sentient sunflower artifact examiner with four arms, and trusted Restorationist ties. Knowledgeable, but not a good one with device repairs or upgrades. Sonny may have recently detonated an atomic device in the petrified woods... although no one else knows.
Slitheran Wurmtail (aka Squiggles): a mutated earthworm scout, in impromptu power armor, looking for trouble in all the wrong places, and finding it often. He has been subject to genetic testing and developed super-human strength, a more human body, and a thick coat of shaggy white hair. Recently attacked and kidnapped then left for dead by an unknown group, looking for revenge. Also pregnant for the third time, and due to deliver badly out of season
Poppy and Speedy: Two of Squiggles' offspring from his first... litter(?) They're now teenagers in worm years, old enough to grab diminutive muskets and help their Manchi and his friends on this epic quest.
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Pete crept up towards the fence, revealing a larger complex along the river....
He ventured back to fetch the other explorers, still keeping everyone within a distance needing spyglasses and binoculars. Pete wandered the perimeter.
Pete: "Guys, there's a lot of footprints in the dirt... I say we go around the wood line perimeter and explore those buildings.... "
Sonny: "By you guys, do you mean you?"
Pete: "We can completely circumvent this and we can keep going down river."
Sonny: "I mean I think we're all a little curious."
Squiggles: "Curiosity killed the cat."
Sonny: "Good thing none of us are cats..."
Pete started by reconnoitering the buildings outside the walled area. At first look there was a three walled building, a huge unobstructed side which seemed to have deep and wide wheeled ruts leading all the way to the river. The ruts seemed to stop ten feet from the rivers edge. A quick look around the open area by Pete netted a windowless metal shack without windows and a single door up a short flight of steps, and a broken collection of metal framework behind the three walled structure.
Nothing worried Pete too much, except for the complete absence of bird or even insect noises.
Pete gingerly returned to their spot, and the rest followed him back along the silent tree line. The group itself was divided by whether investigating further or if the risk didn't match an obvious reward.
It was Speedy the Worm who suggested, "If we didn't run into them on along the river yet, that means they must be downriver... maybe we can figure out who they are before they surprise us."
The group decided the young worms' wisdom of learning about potential enemies was worth the short-term risk.
Pete: "If we hear weapons, or engines, we'll need to split quickly..."
Surprisingly, it was Sonny who noted certain symbols mounted to the outside of the wall... some of them had been deface. No one had a clue what they were.
They finally worked their way to the outbuildings and Sonny was particularly intrigued with the damaged metal framework. Sonny worked his way away from the building, surmising from the half-broken dish and structure, that this had been some form of a communications array, that was intentionally cut precisely four foot above the concrete pad, and somehow knocked over.
As a sunflower with four arms, Sonny took the dish as a potential shield.
With back-up this time, they went to the windowless shack, propped the door open, and peeked in. Along one wall was a long metal table with a number of tools and parts that appeared to be intentionally damaged/destroyed. Pivoting from that spot, they found a surprise.
Two large racks of Ancients assault rifles, store neatly.
The group went silent, trying to figure out why there were so many, why there was no ammo... discussions finally starting involving the logistics of carting them away. Lathar grabbed one out of the rack, inspected it and slung it over his shoulder. "I'm taking at least one... we just bought ammo back in KIA."
Pete: "We don't know if these work... Until you fire a round..."
Lathar: "Let's lock and load..."
Sonny:
"Here? Right now?"Lathar: "If these folks get storming back after a single gunshot, we were going to be trouble anyway. Speedy has spoken."
Lathar grabbed one of his magazine, it locked in easily, he put the rifle upon his shoulder, aiming across the river.
*click*
"I'm still taking mine!"
The group moved towards the half-opened gate.... They ventured towards the three small silo structures, clearly labelled:
Water
Rations
Fuel
Lathar quickly rapped on the first silo. Empty.
He moved to the second one, creating an odd sound. "Something's in here."
Squiggle popped around the far side, holding a box. "I think so!"
There was a giant hole on that side, exposing boxes of "Rations Ready to Consume (RRC)" filling a third of the container.
Lathar opened the box, revealing a dozen packages in a tough plas-tec covering. He pulled one out, reading aloud the markings on it:
CS LOGISTICS / RRC–M3 / HUMAN USE ONLY
- ☢ LOW RAD STABLE🧬
- MUTANT INCOMPATIBLE
- ⚠ NOT FOR PLANT ENTITIES
Squiggles: "Lathar, eat it!"
The others joined in.... "Lathar! Lathar! Lathar!"
Lathar pulled in tear strip on the pouch, revealing eight items inside. He opened the rectangular slab labelled PROTEIN PROCESSED BRICK. Inside was a dense beige slab, faintly fibrous, with the physical appearance halfway between overcooked chicken and sidewalk chalk. Tucked beside the slab was three connected packets labelled "“Savory,” “Smoke,” or “Neutral." He got as far as ripping open "Savory" and applying the dark brown gelled substance onto the slab before stopping.
"Who am I kidding, this might be the most dangerous thing here.... I'll try it later."
Discarding peer pressure for a moment, they moved around the closest domed buildings, labelled "MRF". Each letter was the recipient of progressively more blood splatter, culminating in the most dried blood covering the building door.
Pete spun the wheel in the center of the door to unlock it. The room inside smelled stale but clean, with a number cloths hung up to provide privacy or partitioning. Inside was another long metal table, with remains of a number of smashed tools and instruments, they did find three pistol like items, that weren't guns, but something was loaded into it.
It was Posey the Worm who opened up a metal cabinet. A strong smell emanated from it. Inside were over a dozen glass containers with barcoded labels and various substances inside.
Speedy read the side of the cabinet in a halting manner. "CS BIO-SEC FREEZER UNIT / LEVEL OMEGA"
The samples are room temperature, some look like were rotting, save a plant based one, that had tendrils growing out of the sample.
Pete: "Do any of them read 'Essence of Squiggles?'"
Next: #128 -
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