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Post by Genesis on Mar 26, 2018 18:50:58 GMT -8
*Playing hero? He remembered some idealistic guy who preached on about others wanting to feel like heroes, to feel like they mattered. He had called him foolish at the time, not because he had a thing against heroes. Frankly they were pretty much lacking them, especially now given current events. But he was against it because he was telling them to do a good thing solely for recognition. If you acted only because you wanted to be acknowledged then you couldn't exactly call yourself a hero, you just were following your own desires. That wasn't exactly the picture of a hero if they were only acting on their selfish whims, was it? If so then clearly they had far more heroes than he thought.*
*Of course, assuming you could do much to help others in the first place was probably hard to go by in this day and age. All of this had sidetracked him a bit from the thought about the door he overheard too... which might be what he was looking for here as well. And if so, then it was better to investigate it together in case something was still there... or was it? Honestly, sometimes a group was just bad. But you had to try it every now and again, tailing along them as they went by silently for now.*
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Post by Shast on Mar 27, 2018 6:38:05 GMT -8
Slypner Rooks quest would lead him away from the group. Opting to jump through a stray pile of burning debris than walk around it he makes his dramatic departure. Slypners entourage easily keeps pace with the short artist. The two 'groups' venturing farther and farther from each other. Becoming blips on the others peripherals until finally... they could see one another no more...
The rifle bearing militant presses on. Surveying what he and others failed to protect with each step; praying, scouring, hoping to find some survivor, injured or otherwise. To the west a mere 200 meters remains a few buildings collapsed inwards with others fallen to the side on one another in layering slouches. A post remains vigilantly upright. It reads '15th' on one plaque, and 'Fire street north' on the other. It bares no city significance but this area in-particular was known for having a dense number of residence...
Yet dead ahead perhaps a good thousand meters away Rooks keen ear picks up the faint yet familiar "pwang!" of a metal ricochet.
Slypner stops. Could? I expect such naivete from humans, not navis. Especially a navi in soldier attire. He resumes walking, yet continues to feed her curiosity. The door of possibility.
He remains silent for some time they move farther and farther into the heart of the wreckage. Minutes creep up on the hour since their separation from Rook. The group marches. Passing one grueling scene after another. The locked ability to break down and recompile code finally lay bare what this crafted world was all about. Destruction. A children's toy on a global stage. Humans built this world to fight their wars for them and simply pushed the reset button to fix their carelessness. Yet for now, such childish notions are gone. True death has come to this "world" and this harsh recreation of human history is the first and poignant statement.
...
In the distance, a huge scrapheap lay ahead. Those who've been here before would recognize it as a desiccated chunk of New Life. Electopias bastion of hope.
Where hope falters, despair festers. He exhales in in tired apathy at the scene. He pulls out his sketchpad once more and begins perfectly capturing the corpse.
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Post by xoDeathy on Mar 27, 2018 6:56:39 GMT -8
Everything was so desolated, yet it still seemed like it could be even worse. Or perhaps it was due to the missing data fix with the click of a button? That reminded Mary, just where had the operators been in all of this? Not having one herself, she wouldn't really know. What are they so busy doing that they can't fix the issues here?
"You say that as if it's not a given. You have a plan?"
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Post by Gaia on Mar 28, 2018 8:56:21 GMT -8
PlagueMan.ERR
It was strange, to say the least, to travel throughout the net without his usual method of transportation; even stranger to do so through the methods of his newest host.
Genesis seemed content, however, with being mostly silent, looking about the city and its remains and listening to those around him without response. On the inside, his thoughts were unclear and yet didn't lack conviction - he had a plan, or, at least, an idea, and he was to follow it. That was all he could tell, though, as his connection with the overlord wasn't as strong as it could be.
His host's silence made the dread and sorrow within the air from this place nearly palpable, and, while PlagueMan knew that it was best to return and study the damage done, he had to admit that he was not all too keen to be back here, so soon. It made him wonder just what Genesis hoped to find, amongst the rubble, ashes and pain; what he hoped to accomplish.
He stayed silent, though, as his host did, in silent contemplation, humming ever so slightly within, the overlord's body suffused with his distinctive red glow.
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Post by church on Mar 28, 2018 10:16:50 GMT -8
Rook had heard this sound before. It was a sound that he had heard many times, and always while fighting. After all, it was the same sound that his own weapon made. After hearing the first shot, Rook ran towards it, with his rifle at the ready.
/Don't be too late.../
As he sprinted towards the sound, Rook leaped, slid under, and climbed several obstacles before reaching the sound's point of origin.
"If there's anyone here, please show yourself. I mean you no harm, I simply intend to rescue any that I am still able to."
As he spoke, Rook put his rifle away, and looked around.
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Post by Genesis on Mar 30, 2018 1:02:46 GMT -8
*This particular scrapheap was one that he saw not long ago. In much more pristine condition than it now rested in. For years it hung in the air as the symbol of hope, yet it very similarly served as a symbol of oppression. For those who couldn't think beyond what they were told and oppressed those who instead fought for the benefit of their oppressors. He didn't understand how that ended up happening, but it showed that people didn't have their heads on straight. Not like he could say much about it, as he was one of the larger participants in that civil war for years. And now here he stood, at the vestiges of a place he assumed that one day he would either have ruined himself or been locked inside of until the end of days. Ironic that it fell on the occasion he would fight to protect it.*
"They were the hope for some, but not all. Their presence kept some down, but this is the end of it. It's fall is a sign of changing times and that the approach they, and others, elected couldn't hold strong in the end. They were wrong. The survivors will know better now."
*He didn't exactly make it a secret about who he was. The ones who didn't know were generally the ones that lived under a rock, which he was fine with. But in a way, this took care of a problem for the Revolution and let it finally come to an end the way it was always meant to. So from this, he would take at least that much vindication. He didn't have anything to sketch it with but his own mind, but his rather mixed memories of the cadaver of a fortress would stay etched in his mind for some time to come. But this was at least close then. Or he presumed so at least given this might have been a wayward piece that had flown quite far from the explosion of the base itself.*
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Post by Shast on Mar 30, 2018 2:31:26 GMT -8
Slypner
Rook slides and leaps over rubble, as he runs he hears a few more metallic clangs. When he nears the area of the source however it stops. He finds many broken into shops within the small district. With several shelving units having been tossed into the street or in one case piled up against smashed windows to form a barricade. Nothing answers his call, even after putting his weapon away... The silence is a tad maddening after the barrage of noise not a minute prior.
One easily investigated shop solidifies the sad truth. It's been torn asunder in every way. Posters ripped, posters and registers ruined and smashed. From the few remaining advertisements it's clear the owner stocked more offense software than supportive. Chips, programs, etc.
Could he have imagined it, or is there more here?
Slypner sketches slowly, as to allow Genesis and Mary the time needed to paint their own mental picture while listening to Genesis Wrong indeed. Wise and accurate words.
Minutes pass and his sketch is complete, rivaling greats of the current human generation with excellent attention to scaling and shading. He puts his sketchpad away but does not rise just yet. He looks to Mary. Now... Slypner begins, his voice tired and expecting. I must know. Like the boy, you have not left the place of your failure. I am curious as to why. Has the destruction of your fortress broken you? Are you guilt ridden? A lost lamb in the fields of sorrow looking for a shepherd? He pauses a moment, to allow Mary time to think.
He slides a gaze to Genesis, noting how he is in near pristine condition. What purpose brings you here. To follow a scavenging artist?
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Post by xoDeathy on Apr 2, 2018 6:08:57 GMT -8
"Guilt; I feel none of. This place, I wouldn't call it my fortress, but I'd say I am broken, yes. However, that's not an issue. This has opened my eyes to the next path I must take. If anything, I am grateful."
She had more she could say, but she was interested in the appearance of Genesis, or it'd be better to say she's been interested since he first arrived. While she was with the ONB, it was no surprise she would hear of him, but she held her courtesy to allow him to answer.
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Post by Genesis on Apr 23, 2018 5:36:21 GMT -8
*So she was one of the survivors of the place already? Then she could be one of the first examples of the different paths that were open to them now. Whether that path was good or bad was up to her, but it would be the path she chose to walk. And if they rebuilt themselves from these ruins, then they should understand where to go from here. As for why he was here, following a scavenging artist it was for a similar reason, except without the artistic approach to the whole thing.*
"My purpose here is to do a bit of scavenging myself, actually. It might have something that is needed sooner rather than later. And if the destinations align, it doesn't hurt to head there together."
*He was only after a specific thing and anything else that might help with that. That didn't mean he needed everything and odds were, the same could be said of the artist as well. He just needed to reach the particular ground zero of this conflict while making sure, even if the odds were slim, that the ruined city didn't maintain any other hostiles. But given the desolation... it was pretty unlikely that there would be any hostiles here. It served as a mark enough of things to come if this was only the beginning too. Because if this level of destruction was an opening act, then their world was in for more than just a rude awakening. And to that end, he would have to try to level the field as much as he could. And then find out if that would be enough...*
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Post by Gaia on Apr 23, 2018 12:13:23 GMT -8
PlagueMan.ERR
He murred as he realized that Genesis had been directly addressed, pulled from his own depressed reverie by his host's answers. He hoped to look into the rubble of the aftermath to find answers, as well as possible tools against their adversary? Given the state of the situation, PlagueMan wondered just how quickly Genesis planned on chasing them down. Had he any intentions of letting them strike next first, or was he planning a more frontal assault?
While aware that the artist was not talking to him, the artist was technically looking at him. Intensifying the red glow around Genesis for a moment, PlagueMan let his presence be a bit more noticeable, and answered the question that he was not asked. "We are here because our host is here."
His voice, a cacophany of differing sounds, varying pitches and delayed audio files, resonated outward from Genesis as though the overlord himself were speaking; some parts of his speech was dragged, and others were exceptionally fast, and suffused with static. While what he said was technically not a lie, as, at least for now, he could not go anywhere without Genesis, he was also here for his own purposes. He did not know this man, though, and worried what his own intentions were.
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Post by Shast on Apr 24, 2018 22:22:56 GMT -8
Slypner Rook stands there, motionless. Distraught by the terrible banditry before him the rifle bearing navi can do naught but sit there sad. He is then hit in the neck with a hacky sack.
His eyebrows perked at the reddish glow emanating from Genesis. While not the prime Slyper was still surprised at how dampened his abilities were to not have noticed such a contagion within the Overlord.
Suitable. Come then, delve into the ruins of shame with me.
He turns southward, walking along the visceral scene as it guides him up, and up, and up... Until finally stopping at the edge of a football field sized sinkhole a paltry 100 meters deep at its center. The surface of this collapse was once a normal city block. Now caved inwards on itself with several collapsed buildings layering each other. Pieces of reaverbots, mrprogs, and navis barrage the strained eyes of those who inspect the scene. Acting as a final depressing shield to the treasure that could lay within.
The decline, while steep, is manageable. Lacking any means to float or fly Slypner slowly begins the descent down...
Hoisting over debris and disrespecting the deceased by using them as footholds the small treasure hunter makes his way to a perch to get a better vantage at the lowest point of the collapse. He peers out and surveys the area, looking for some form of access point downwards. Perhaps others would have some luck?
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Post by Gaia on May 23, 2018 14:10:16 GMT -8
PlagueMan.ERR
PlagueMan watched through the overlord's eyes as the artist meandered towards the pile of rubble, obviously looking for something amidst the chaos. Whatever it was he meant to find in the grave of heroes - heroes he felt he had a part in burying - the former alpha had no way of discerning. What he did know, however, was that he wanted to be of use. Perhaps helping this Navi would get his mind off of the past?
He couldn't leave Genesis behind, so, he manifested a small wave of bugged material, and shaped it into a small sphere that he rapidly edited with his base program. It was a dangerous gambit, creating another hivemind like he used to operate in the past, but, he needed the maneuverability and the extra autonomy right now. Besides, there wasn't too much here that looked to want to harm anything, so, he and his host should be safe. So long as he only relegated himself to one . . .
. . . the little red sphere took on shades and oscilatting hues; sickly green, rotting purple, fungal grey and erroneous red were the easiest to discern among the mass, but, the colors shifted without end and without reason. The static that came with his bugged nature followed it as it floated down towards Slypner, PlagueMan's consciousness safely nestled within it and Genesis, both. He made a point of letting off a slight trill of white noise to alert the other Navi, so as not to surprise him, and floated up next to him on the edge of the pile.
"I apologize for my rude intrustion from earlier. I am the being you undoubtedly sense within Genesis; to give a proper introduction, I am PlagueMan.
"More important, however, is how it is you wish to make your way into the lower reaches of the city. Do you wish to bypass the rubble entirely, or would you prefer I simply ate through it? The latter would create quite a bit of corrupted data in the area that I would prefer to leave be, but, the former would cause a small error in how the 'Net registered you for a brief moment. The former is much easier to correct once I've done it, but, a bit more personal - I am fine with doing either, so long as it is within your permission."
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Post by church on Jun 15, 2018 13:20:07 GMT -8
Turning around, Rook would do a visual check to see if he could determine the source of the object that struck him. After picking the object up, he would call out to whomever it belonged to.
"Hello? is this yours? I would like to return it to you. I don't mean any harm to anyone. I just wanted to know if anyone is in need of assistance after the recent events."
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Post by xoDeathy on Jun 15, 2018 14:05:18 GMT -8
At this point, the steep is where Mary would have to take it easy. It would be hard for her to climb even downward with an injury. She floated followed somewhat distant to the others, but showed the rest a path more towards the left of the descent. It required somewhat of a hop to get to but lead to less of a slope that's easier to walk down; even if Slyp was the only one that could really use the info, she thougt'd be nice to have if she needed to walk again.
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Post by Shast on Jun 17, 2018 17:58:59 GMT -8
Slypner
Only his own voice answers him, the echo of his last words fading into silence. A final statement solidifying the depressing scene he found himself in. Alone in one of the more popular software stores in this district. Now a defunct wreck devoid of value. Debris blockaded windows, shredded posters, and destroyed registers with a battered but potentially still serviceable door behind it
Haha, I'd say this one does. He heard a raspy voice, but a quick glance revealed no source.
Snap! The sound of rope going taut snapped Rooks attention to the glass window of the store, where a silhouette dangled loosely off the ground by rope before resting limply.
Be smarter than this one. Drop your valuables. The sourceless voice demanded.
Slypner shot a sideways glance to the sphere as it approached, cocking an eyebrow. Bugged data does not phase me, but for others... Slypner glances towards Mary and shrugs lightly. To perform either option blindly possesses risk of damaging the prizes within. You are a collection of smaller parts it seems. Drip beneath the surface and hunt for our prizes. Signal us and we shall excavate. Are you able? Once again the painter glances about the area. It appeared to be a total cave in... How tragic.
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