The Deadland

I have a request to make from the inhabitants of Mercy Apartments! [Day sounds cheary and friendly] I have made a prototype of a poison that should be able to paralyse and kill these monsters pretty quick. But I need people to volunteer to be test subjects, we need to know if the poison is strong enough.

[There is a pause and it sounds like she is eating something] Name's Day by the way, I live in room 145. If you're happy to help test let me know and then you can come get a gun from me.

I have enough poisoned darts for five or six guns. Fighting experiance isn't needed, since the point is non combtants will be able to kill monsters this way but since the poison isn't finalised yet being able to run fast might be useful! [She laughs though it's not too obvious whether she is joking or not]

Oh and bring gloves if you have them, I have a few that I got from storage though if you don't have your own!

Something had happened earlier, though Golbez wasn't clear on any of the details. Between whatever it had been, and the fact that apparently a little boy was missing, one might assume that his offer to teach magic to the less-capable "residents" of Asper would be put off for a more convenient time.

One would be wrong.

This was all the more reason to make sure everyone was capable of holding their own. Once the monsters had retreated for the night, he set up shop in the apartment next to his, using materials he'd looted from buildings around town; a whiteboard and some markers, and some notebooks and pencils for his "students".

The living room hardly made a proper classroom, and of all the people to have for a magic teacher Golbez was probably one of the worse choices. But they would have to take what they could get.


((OOC: For Lillet, Shion, and anyone else who's interested in studying FFIV-style magic. It will take quite some time for characters to achieve tangible results, but it's better than the alternative...

Tag in under the appropriate threads in the comments section.))

(ooc: Im assuming in the family meeting they let Patience in on their real names so they don't have to pretend in the house, but I'll correct if wrong.)

Suzaku didn't sleapt for most the night, his thoughts had been too jumbled, too confused. He instead had sat at the window his gaze drifting between the city and the soul gem he held in his hand. He was still struggling to take in everything Lelouch had told him as well as what had happened but there was nothing he could do now. So he accepted it.

He must have dozed off sometime before dawn though because he woke to the pattering of rain. Looking out the water he blinked in cofusion, instead of grey clouds like he was expecting, the sky was perfectly blue.

He rubbed his eyes and went out into the main apartment, no it was the same here. Raining but from blue sky, he had never seen anything like it before, he tapped lightly on Fletcher's door. "Come a..."

Fletcher wasn't in his bed. Suzkau frowned "Lelouch? Patience?" He went to knock on both their doors.

Radio Post a little later:

[There is a lot of crackling and static, Suzaku fixed his radio as best he could, but it still isn't perfect] H ...anyone... a little boy.... small... blonde hair... Missing... If you see... please ask... Zero

Regarding the matter of the holes that have mysteriously appeared around the city: Has anybody gone down into them? What have you found? A full-scale investigation is necessary, but we will need to assess the risks before we act.

And second: While many of us are capable of holding our own in a fight, I've noticed that many others are not. For those of you who are not proficient with weaponry, I can try teaching you the magic of my world. I cannot say how well you would be able to use it, being from other realities, but let me know if you are interested.

It is noon.

The TVs turn on to static, and the creatures start to attack.

Each monster when killed has a chance of dropping a random item, or a special item: Energy & 5 Fish Scales. Not every kill will drop something, but more likely than not it will drop at least some Energy.

[ ooc: Hi guys! We're testing out something new this week. Please comment in this post to fight the aggressive, Energy-dropping monsters out and about in Asper today! This in lieu of a whole new post for every person who wants to play out their character collecting items/Energy. Thank you. ]

When she arrives, the first thing she does is search for a place to hide.

There are monsters. She can hear them, and see them so faintly. They scrabble over things to get to her, but she manages to run, by some miracle. She ends up outside a house, and upon opening the door and not hearing anything she closes the door, locks it, and drags a nearby table over to help hold it shut. Things were chasing her, and very quickly she hears growls nearby.

She runs upstairs and hides herself inside one of the bedrooms, again dragging a piece of furniture in the way of the door. She doesn't know how she didn't drop it, but she's been holding onto the radio this entire time. Flicking the switch, she speaks.

[ radio ]

These creatures. They won't stop. What are they? They reek of death. [ She sounds almost panicked, but her voice returns to a monotone with her next words. ] I need help. I need a weapon. Take these beasts away, get rid of this death, please, quickly, I must... [ She trails off. There's the faint sounds of banging. ] Quickly.

Anyone headed in or out of Mercy Apartments at around 8 AM might notice Golbez crouched in the middle of the road, peering down into one of the holes that has appeared overnight. He's shining a flashlight down into the darkness, but it really doesn't help much.

Of course, he's not so distracted that someone will be able to sneak into the building without catching his attention, or that monsters will be able to get the drop on him. Actually, he's been at this for maybe a minute at most. Still, this development is rather odd...

The night's sleep had restored what the world had drained, and when Lillet woke up, she knew instinctively that she'd have enough mana to alchemise a little of what she needed to be useful. Since she already had the flask and materials assembled, it wasn't a case of drawing a Rune so much as inscribing a small symbol on the inside of the flask with one glowing fingernail, and then pressing her entire palm against the suddenly-warm glass to infuse it with enough mana to create life.

The substances swirled within the glass, chaotically at first, but soon enough eyes formed, a mouth, the cat skull grew and malformed and sprouted muscles and skin and fur, barely fitting into the flask, and the rest of the creature's body formed within the narrower neck and expanded into the air, claws wriggling a little until Lillet obliged and tugged them straight. By the time it blinked and stared through its flask at her, she was ready to lift it and set it upright.

"My creator!" It greeted her, cheerful voice muffled by the flask. "What do you command?"

"First things first: we're going on a walk," she said. "I have to introduce you to everyone!" And, after a short pause, she knelt down to inscribe something else on the flask.

Hello, the writing read, My name is Blende. If found, please return to Lillet Blan!.

With that, she collected it in her arms (it snuggled as well as it could), and left to knock on everyone's doors. They'd be up, right?

[The accent is distinctly Australian at the end of the line, though if you asked her what part she was from she'd not know. She sounds way more relaxed than anyone new should be--waking up in strange places is something she's probably too used to by now, and the alcohol she and Lightning had had helped too.]

I guess it's about time I used this damned thing...

If every day is gonna be like today was, I could get used ta livin' here. Better than what I was doing before, which was a whole lot of nothing. I would like to know if anyone knows where I could getta hold of a pole, and some blades, since I don't have my lance with me. This bat is alright for now, but I would really prefer to start working on something more familiar.

Oh. Right.

I'm Fang by the way. I hear you people need some help with pest control.

[ The second she saw the TV turn on, she knew it was time. It was obvious to her: something odd like that... must be what that Oliver guy was talking about. Even so, that hour seemed to pass too quickly. Cornelia had been out with her hunting knife going after the smaller, injured and secluded monsters. They were still a struggle to bring down, but she managed to kill three of them and so she was able to collect three bottles of energy.

After a brief rest, she flicks on the radio. ]

Mercy Apartments: we're all well aware everyone needs at least one bottle a day. We have just over 15 people. In addition to this, we need food. Water. We're doing well with that, at the very least.

But Energy is a much more pressing issue. Anyone with Energy, hand it over to me. I'll distribute it among us and make sure it isn't wasted. It's best to regulate something like this. [ What she doesn't say is that preference will be given to those who aren't dead weight. ]

We need more guards for the doors. Let me know if you'd like to take a few shifts.

And unless you've proven you can handle yourself, don't think you're going out to forage alone. Go in pairs. The last thing we need is for any weapons and ammo to be lost along with an arrogant imbecile.

Cornelia li Britannia, out.

[ Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep. If you need her, you can find her pouring over legal documents in the Superintendent's office. ]

[ The hour of monsters dropping Energy has come and gone, and once Golbez is reasonably sure the swarm has died down, he turns on his radio, and tries to hide how completely exhausted he sounds. ]

Is everyone unharmed? And furthermore -- did everyone manage to gather the Energy those monsters dropped? I picked up several bottles if anyone is in need.

That morning, Lightning and Golbez were standing guard outside the front doors to the Mercy Street Apartments, making sure nothing dangerous tried to get in. No monsters would be getting past them.

Visitors might also have a hard time of it. But as long as you don't mean any harm, you'll be let through. Probably.

This was new. This wasn’t a part of any of the previously-established patterns that this session had already set out. He was surrounded by hives and communal hive stems. And there were still underlings around, but they were new types. And they didn’t have the usual jocular outfits. But whatever. They were trying to kill him so they were going to die.



He had no idea what new kind of mission he’d been sucked into, but he knew he’d rather be back on the horn pile with Feferi than here. And it was going to storm soon. Of course, he didn’t know that through any other means than the dark clouds overhead. Or so the people on this primitive communication device insisted. Humans were more used to living on land than trolls were.



He had his own matters to deal with. Like why his vision twofold and the voices were gone. Had all of his friends been slaughtered? Was this some place where people were incapable of dying? He had no idea, he couldn’t see a bloody thing. Well, he saw lots of bloody things, the monsters that had met with their untimely demise as he moved through the streets. But he couldn’t see what was coming, only what was right in front of him. And that was more monsters that needed killing. Bastards weren't even dropping any grist. "Fuck thish shit." He took off his sunglasses to blast a whole row of monsters away from him.

Shion opened his eyes, the dream had been so strange, so vivid. The child figure, who had he been? Shion was a little shaken, because dreams were not something he often had, not one that felt that realistic and yet were so divorced from real life.

He blamed Rat and all the books he was making him read. Shion sat up to inform his friend of this and his mouth dropped. He was still dreaming? No surely he could not have this much rational thought in a dream.

There were noises all around him, and he thought he heard a gun shot in the distance. A gun shot? Where was he? Even though he had gotten used to the West Town this was not there. This was... somewhere else entirely.

More noises, getting closer. Shion soon found himself surrounded by three... well they looked like a fusion of feline and canine but that wasn't scientifically possible either. He stood very still hoping they would react in the ways dogs did. As they got closer he started to doubt that. Maybe he should try to run.

[ You know what they need more of? Guns. Well, everything is what they need more of, but Lightning is feeling a little antsy without some kind of weapon weighing down her holster. The moment they all split up to search the areas around Mercy, she heads to the bizarrely familiar police station. She's been through enough cycles that she can rely on the push-tug of lost memories, so when she slips inside and goes immediately for the weapons lockers further inside the building, she doesn't question how she can guess where they are. It's just convenient. ]

[ She leaves the station door open, because if she's the only one who thought of this, they're in a worse situation that they think. Cornelia may want to monopolise supplies, but that's a little short-sighted. If something happens to them, what'll the next lot do for weapons? Anyway, once she's found a burst rifle, she's satisfied. It even fits her holster, almost. Add a baton and she's set. ]

[ And then she hears movement nearby. ]

... Hey. Someone there?

The town square is silent.

Cornelia paces, waiting for people to show up. She thumbs the hunting knife she'd picked up from a house near where she had woken up. Should any troublemakers appear, she was prepared-- unless, of course, they appeared with a gun. The city was too big to explore alone; too dangerous to wander the streets aimlessly. So that's why she doesn't have one herself. The only reason she didn't go to pick anyone up so they didn't have to traverse alone was because that would be setting herself up for an ambush. For a similar reason she waits off to the side of the square, concealed behind a food vendor, rather than sitting in the middle.

Trusting these people could be her downfall-- so she won't trust until they've proved themselves. But they're largely children. And she thinks of her late sister because of that. Euphie wouldn't want these people to go around alone in a place where any danger could be lurking. So that's her primary motivation in doing this. It's a mixture of that and the wholehearted desire to go home, to find the answers of this place. Cornelia knows returning home could be impossible with or without help, but she isn't about to give up on that hope. So she seeks help, because her chances are higher that way.

She scans the surrounding areas, alert. If that false Zero were to appear before her, she thinks, child or not-- she would destroy him. Anger swells once again, a sort of madness and hysteria that she finds unbecoming in other people. Cornelia breathes.

[ ooc: Mingling post! Starter in prose, please don't hesitate to switch to action. Cornelia isn't going to be coming out of the shadows until there are a few people there/ someone she knows appears, so please interact among yourselves!

Speaking at the Square
At the Apartments ]

[There's crackling, a voice at first too muffled to here before clarity strikes it.] ... Hello? Hello.

I know you're new here, you've just arrived. Welcome to Asper City.

[static] I'm Lara. Stay safe.