• This section is for roleplays only.
    ALL interest checks/recruiting threads must go in the Recruit Here section.

    Please remember to credit artists when using works not your own.
OOC
Here
Characters
Here
Mentions of places outside Culrud aroused Jesse's interest. Granted, any peasant could stumble on a lake, think it was an ocean, and say they saw the Southeast coast. He himself knew about the landmass he was on, vaguely, and had a fuzzy memory of the last map he had seen of the world, but he had a better idea than most people in Culrud and probably most places.

"The Southeast Coast? Tell me about the place." Jesse said with curiosity. She could be a dumb peasant, or a spy telling a crazy story to manipulate them. There was still a possibility, however, she truly was from an actual coast.
 
Shisa didn't say anything to Aurora as she left, or to Shaun as he came into the barn. She just stayed seated on the edge with her legs dangling over, crying softly. She rested her head on his shoulder, pulling off the bandages she had used to cover her face. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and shoulder, setting the gun down and holding his hand.

She didn't say anything for a while, just crying into his shoulder.

"I shouldn't have ever come here."

She looked down. The barn was tall, but if she fell, she would probably survive. Unless she landed on her head or something. She probably couldn't find a higher structure or anything. She was fine with her way of life before she came here, but now everything has changed. Shaun is the only one who likes her. Well, the new girl and Rose were nice enough. They didn't know who or what she was yet, so they should stay friends.

"What happened back at the Cistern?"

Shisa asked, as if her previous statement had never happened.
 
"Southwest Coast? Have you ever been on a boat? What a skill. I always have wanted to travel on water. Never had the opportunity though.."

Rose began to unbutton and remove the clothing on the bodies, taking care of the uniforms so that they weren't further damaged,"Ahh.. I'm Northern. Came from a Tribe in Canadia called Vanover. Brought up trading with groups in the cold lands, and that was where me and Shauny boy met."

At Jesse's question she nodded, "I think you are right about leaving. Better to stay on the move then wait for more bodies to drop. If you don't mind, I would be open to coming with ya."

As he turned his attention back to Saxa, she smiled, "Yeah, what's the coast like?"
 
Last edited:
“Someone go tell Shisa and Aurora to get the horses ready with the wagon.” Jesse bluntly said. They would need to move quite a ways, to a different area.

—————————————
An abandoned Thornting neighborhood bordering the Eastern Plains
—————————————

While much the the mountains had plenty of forests and canopy, the Eastern plains were open, with little but grass that was dead most of the year. But there were a few thickets here and there, and the Old World buildings were seldom ventured by Nobility, and the tribals mostly feared to travel too close.

Jesse remembered a spacious venue the Bastards took refuge in back in the day. If he saw the place, unfortunately, he would have to avoid it. That didn’t mean he couldn’t seek out a similar place.

“Stop!” He shouted, as the wagon came upon an old church among unremarkable abandon houses.
 
Wheover it was Jesse sent to have the wagon prepared had quite the surprise ahead of them. Shaun and Shisa were just relaxing in the hayloft smoking a blunt and giggling like idiots, Shisa now disagreed with the idea suggestion she ''shouldn't of come here''. It was them who helped prepare the wagon, and they did so with a spring in their steps and a mess of their hair. Shaun had explained what went down in the cistern. He thought Aurora would've told her, but then again the two women probably weren't even on speaking terms.

Rose was familiar with how he looked, but said little. She let the younger people be. There'd been enough headaches today.

__________________________________________________________________
Thornting Neighbourhood.
__________________________________________________________________

Shaun marvelled at the reality of the church. Even after such a long time exposed to the elements with out maintenance, the old stone symbol of Faith was standing strong. Shaun knew lots about places like this, they had a big role in old world history, and Shaun made It clear he would answer anyquestions about It, if anybody cared of course. It probably only mattered to him.
 
Last edited:
Hawk with his now stronger teeth with no cracks could more easily tear into the flesh of the meal before him. He picked up the first toddler that he had been eating and shoved the dagger into the right arm. With a sharp twist, the bones splinter in the arm, and he tears the arm off, chewing it with new found vigor.

The hungry monstrosity of a man had no care for the food presented before him, it seemed. This was less man but more beast and focused soley on chewing his meal presented to him. He is encouraged to eat further, and begins to consume more of his meal until he is satisfied for the moment.

As Hawk begins to dine upon the other cooked cadavers on his tray, he finds this easier to tear into without any shocks to his jaw. Jamming his fingers in the skulls, Hawk begins to yank teeth out of the other toddlers mouths. He placed the teeth in his satchel in case he would need to repair his teeth again after the next feeding time.

The beast heard scratching and narrowed his eyes to the source, the scientist was writing something, but paid no mind as Hawk had other matters. He strips some of the cooked flesh and cleans out the mud compacts from his open wounds. He takes some of the flesh and pushes it in the wounds now that they had a mud coated inside that stops the bleeding.

Upon realizing he will need to fill the hole, he knew how to seal it quickly, but he noticed the blade had cooled. This behemoth with nary a concern beside food and fight picks up a leg and holds it in his mouth. The scientist calls from the other side of the room.

"Good, my child. Eat as you heal, like we discussed. You have another performance soon. This time, don't get hurt. Remember, you will need to heat the blade again for new flesh."

Hawk heats the blade again, bringing the meat to his lips, he bites hard on the bones or what remains of them, tearing off most of the flesh as he seals the holes. Repeating this process, Hawk finishes sealing these wounds with more mud compacts he would prepare as the scientist had taught him time and time again.

The scientist commends Hawk, patting him on the back as Hawk flinches slightly. It was not a reaction of fear, but of restraining himself to from snapping the scientist's neck. "Good, the flesh will be good as new. Now, my son, are you ready to fight again?" By this point, hours had passed, and Hawk's stomach growled in response.

Hawk nodded, as he was lead to the arena. His mud compacts were peeled now, and displayed no scars. He was ready to fight again.
 
Dogs, Xys wasn’t sure why people ate them in this climate, not when they were so incredibly useful out in the field. Efficient in tracking and killing, he made a note to get one of his own once he returned from this endless slog of a mission.
Only on land for two hours and they’d been saved by the hideous brindle and white creatures descended from housepets, back before the world had collapsed in on itself and rendered human achievements obsolete. All of the wars, disputes, discoveries, and triumphs meant nothing in the dust of the old world. Only scraps of their advances were left for humanity to salvage and cobble back together with limited resources and almost no manuals available.

Gone were the days of civilized humanity he’d been taught about in the small school on Echo, a curriculum that had been passed down for centuries. Xys wasn’t entirely fond of clinging to a past that had only resulted in the apocalypse, really they had seen to their own end. Choosing a better model for society would likely be the best course of action, though the tracker wasn’t about to launch into a political debate when he knew he was only forming an opinion based on hunting down resources and erasing anyone who tried to intervene. Rather than push for change, he’d carve out his own existence on land and make appearances back on the rig when necessary. The safety of the ocean was certainly something he’d appreciated growing up, far away from the cannibals and violence of the dry land. Now he almost grimaced at the thought of returning to the little oasis in the sea. A desert of its own, they were blessed to have kept the water filtration system in such good order.

Xys was happier now as he drew tight on his bow and watched a dark form move along in a poor show of stealth, the brown beast standing between his legs holding alarmingly still. So trained were these creatures that they wouldn’t move until an arrow flew, the sheer talent Orra the handler showed with the animals was astounding.
The goggles he wore left the world with a gentle red tint, not truly enhancing or obscuring his vision but adding a polarized layer of protection that kept the glare down when he aimed.
Exhaling as he released his shot, a light brush against his left calf told him the monster had followed her command and took off after the arrow. Seconds would pass before the sharpened broadhead would pierce through the calf of their stalker and completely buckle their stance, the next impact would be seventy pounds of muscle completely knocking them prone. Another beast, white and heavily scarred emerged to snatch up a jacket slave and shake its head violently, keeping the scrambling man locked in a grim tug of war between both hounds. Smart enough to keep the man helplessly struggling to break free, screaming in terror as his last moments revealed themselves to be a nightmare.
The brindle beast pulled free with a wet sound, dropping a mouthful of flesh and denim before diving back into the exposed tendons. If the man had any kind of backup in the area, they would be aware of his fate now.

“Stad!”

A high voice spoke, causing both creatures to release the man and move happily back to their master, seeking their reward with joy. Xys was almost impressed by how quickly the dogs would move from terrorizing someone to playfully jumping around with dried gull corpses tossed out by Orra. At least the beasts would eat just about any form of protein, they were practically as easy to keep as goats and much friendlier.

Xys turned his eyes to the badly wounded man lying a few yards away now, weakly trying to pull himself. The now torn sleeve was quickly darkening with blood from the deep punctures in the man’s forearm, his ruined leg a show of gore between a protruding arrow and mangled flesh. No survival would be had from wounds this severe, especially when it came to a bite wound. People so often forgot the dangerous infections that could come from even a human bite, these beasts were equipped with bigger teeth.

“Excuse me sir, would you mind chatting for a moment” Xys asked, his tone friendly as he walked towards the man weakly trying to crawl away on his still functional limbs. Up close the damage was so much worse than he’d expected, though not severe enough to keep this stranger from trying to slowly crawl away. Putting his bow away, Xys closed the final gap between them before pulling his sidearm out and crouching down next to the man.

Grabbing the portion of his arrow jutting out of the man’s calf, Xys earned a gurgling shriek of pain as he shoved the arrow against the ground and struck the back of the shaft with his pistol twice. The well-honed top of the broadhead sunk into the dry ground with little effort and caught on the flared edge, pinning the man down and putting an end to his annoying crawling. Another moan of pain left as the man desperately tried to pull himself loose, causing a now mildly annoyed Xys to sigh before walking over and placing a foot on the other man’s ankle and slowly pushing the impaled leg into the ground. A string of curses would erupt from the lone man as the arrow shaft would slide back through his leg and only further tear the wound as wood fought with bone for space.

“Shhhh-shhhh-shhh. Come on, pull it together buddy” Xys said, his words soothing in nature and clashing wildly with the torture he was inflicting. Only moans of pain could be heard as the boot was removed from ruined flesh, blood leaking freely from the barely stemmed hole in the man’s calf. “You keep wiggling around like that, the hole is gonna get real big and you might even get loose, but then you’ll die of blood loss, so could you please hold still, for both of us?” An order more than a question, laced with words that would sound as though Xys was genuinely concerned for this man’s wellbeing.

The stranger was wild-eyed but compliant, seemingly believing Xys about dying of blood loss, not understanding his chances of survival had vanished once he’d been spotted following after them. Stalking after a small group wasn’t the greatest risk in the land, but the two hounds had detected him once the group had left the barely standing remains of an old-world city.

“So I gotta know where you’re from, don’t see a whole lot of people on their own around here” Xys had finally walked around the front of the man and set himself down to sit a few feet away, sounding genuinely curious and as though he hadn’t just staked the man to the ground. Despite his methods, Xys was a normally jovial and pleasant person who often bordered on confusing for those on the receiving end of his arrows.

“Fuck you-not sayin’--shit” A weak reply came now, the man still kept his face to the ground, leaving Xys somewhat unsure of what he might look like beyond the mousy brown hair hanging in mats around his scalp. Likely older, likely aligned with someone nearby that preyed on landing crews. Despite their best efforts, some of the locals still knew boats showed up from the ocean, though the stories had varied drastically from tales of slavers snatching people up to them being explorers from unmarked countries. With no global communication, there was no telling who was still up and running outside of their doomed little continent.

“That’s not the right answer” Xys chided, keeping his tone as light as possible to keep the man hoping for survival. “Tell me where you’re from” He repeated, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees in an effort to get a little closer to the man. Removing an ounce of comfort with every evasive action, pressuring him without escalation, there really was a rush in gently picking people apart.

“You think I’m stupid” Another weak question that had Xys tilting his head slightly, aware the mask likely wasn’t adding any layer of comfort over his words. It was easy to forget how he might look with red lenses and a filter marring his face but there really wasn’t anything wrong with safety, the climate could be brutal when they headed east. Being able to cut through the few unsafe zones around long burned out chemical plants would shave precious time off of his journey and really help him avoid running into many travelers once his escort had reached their agreed separation point.
The others were on a regular scouting mission, needed to bring more supplies home to the rig, and continue building their stockpiles. Xys almost envied their short trip into the land, it was always safer in groups but they were too necessary to take off mission, at least he had been accompanied for the boat trip.

“I need you to understand me, we really can’t have cannibals chasing after us. How about this: Just tell me where you’re from or I’ll have to cut your ear off” Xys replied, almost flippant with the threat, as though he expected things to journey beyond the loss of an ear. His confidence wasn’t hard to miss, really Xys was going through the motions of this interrogation with little joy, something he found alarming. Rarely had he caught someone so easily and the predictable burst of attitude had practically become a script, this man wasn’t evasive enough to test his patience either. The masked man would sit and watch his victim struggle against the makeshift stake, a tactic he’d really grown fond of. Human nature was hard-wired to respond poorly to being trapped and staking someone down on the open ground was about as satisfying as setting someone adrift from the rig with no water.
Xys was a fan of certain death at the hands of the elements, sending someone back to be swallowed up by nature and completely erased. He would never voice this, preferring to keep himself out of any conversation, there was nothing helpful in spouting off about controversial methods of interrogation or disposal.

“No cannibals” The weak voice spoke, words trembling as he seemed to be forcing together an argument borne from desperation. Revealing home was almost certain death in this terrain, the people of Echo were well-practiced in protecting their hive, Xys could offer the man some respect for at least trying to keep predators out of the nest. “No settlement, I’m alone” A lie that Xys could smell, the rush of words almost too easy after the man’s initial threats.

“That’s a lie” Xys replied, sighing as he pulled the knife from his boot sheath and stood up. Two steps closer and he was crouching before the man, tangling his gloved hand into the ratty strands of filthy hair and wrenching the man’s head up at an uncomfortable angle. A shriek would follow as Xyn would make one slow cut, only digging about half an inch into the jaundiced flesh. Another unbecoming squeal of pain would escape the man, now thrashing between the knife and arrow still staking his leg into the hard-packed earth.

“We’ve got a ways to go and you have two ears, I really don’t want to go through both” Xys still managed to hold on to that same friendly tone, he was being quite honest with the man, he didn’t want to have to cut both ears and a nose off for answers. It also ran the risk of false information for the sake of making things stop, something Xys really tried to avoid, it wasn’t becoming to be chasing ghosts in this area of the mainland.

Only two shallow cuts were required before the man finally blurted out a rough direction for the small group he worked with was holed up, a slave to his own drive for survival. Clasping a hand over his partially severed ear once Xys had released his grip, blood streaming through his dirty fingers as he tried to push the severed extremity back into place, whimpering incoherently as the flesh refused to reconnect. For some reason, they always tried to hold things back in place as though by some magic the flesh would knit back together and it always had Xys wondering how he might react under the same conditions. He wouldn't have time to venture down that spiral now, there was a man finally complying with his questions and Xys needed to truly drive home this man's predicament.

“Look at you, you’re doing great” Xys replied, the smile he wore obvious in his voice, likely tossing a wave of anxiety through the slowly deteriorating stranger. His eyes had been fixed on the stitching pattern of the blood-soaked jacket, almost disappointed it held no clues on the missing group. Finding a trail so soon into their journey would be almost too convenient but a welcomed change of pace, lately everything had been dragging him closer and closer to the volatile groups of cannibals. "Now what’s got you following after us with no weapons?” Xys asked gently, continuing to press the scared man, dangling an unspoken promise of kindness with his tone. Years in the desert had taught him how used to brutality people had become, so ready to endure torture or lie under pressure. False confessions and a few wild goose chases had taught him just how differently things went when he expressed a little patience with the people he captured. It wasn’t often he was skinning people for information now, a practice he’d picked up from the locals he’d crossed paths with.

“I-I was supposed to see what you had” Stammering out his answer, the man finally lifted his pale eyes to meet the red lenses of Xys’ mask. Wincing as he took in the dull metal mask covering his attacker, struggling to keep face as pain pulsed through the wound. Anyone could read this poor creature shaking beneath the trio of masked Tycho, though he would never know what the group had called themselves. Discomfort throbbed and the man began whining in pain again as a fresh wave of anxiety would remind him of the danger sitting casually before him, invading his space to subconsciously suppress him.

“Easy now” Xys soothed, keeping his focus on the man, grateful for the backup he was provided with for at least the first day of the journey. “You’re being so good, you know that” Never missing a beat with the praise he offered for each answered question, completely dehumanizing the man with every word. Almost certain the looming threat of the beasts and three armed attackers was adding enough menace to push the man into submission for the sake of survival.

“Orra, you can have him” Xys said, earning an outright shocked expression from the badly wounded man, now wildly looking back at the dog handler and another tall Tycho who’d only just joined the group. The mottled green mask this man wore caught the light at strange angles where the sprayed paint had worn thin or scratched away, adding a green haze to the gunmetal grey of Orra and Xys.

“Kraeger, I found something” Jarno spoke, causing Xys to rise almost immediately, following his companion without another word to the pinned man. Leaving Orra to deal with him as she saw fit, it was no business of Xys once he’d walked away. The pair would be using the injured man as a guide until they found his home, then a proper survey of the area could be taken in. They weren’t advocates of upsetting land dwellers but they weren’t naive about the practices of the modern world, resources were necessary and other people sometimes found them first.

The pair would move quickly along a narrow path they had both used many times in the past, winding into the ruins of a man-made tunnel. An open crack in the ceiling showed slivers of blue sky and allowed enough light in to give the tunnel a light glow, just enough for Jarno and Xys to pick through the rubble and find the first signs of an Echo camp.
A burned-out campfire and six symbols written in oil paint on the far wall, mindless graffiti to those who weren’t aware of the language. Set instructions painted into the wall for any who may follow, a smart practice in a world with few existing maps.

As far as Xys could tell, the group had aimed to go directly East from here and looked to land in an area referred to as Sal ake, Xys hoped some of the ancient road markers might still exist to at least point him in the right direction. Unfortunately it meant he was going to be marching through the unpleasant territory of what might have been known as Utah, he hated that whole miserable wasteland.

“They headed to Bunker 8, they might still be alive” Jarno said, earning an exasperated sigh from Xys. Perhaps dramatic but he’d only made the trek to the ancient stronghold once with one of the veteran scouts, a horrible journey set to build character. More than enough character had been earned for several lifetimes, though Xys couldn’t deny it was the most thorough training one could face. The group of ten trainees had still been escorted by five seasoned Tycho, and many of the class had failed the test or fallen to one of the varied horror shows they’d stumbled into.
The bunker in question was a several week journey with an impressively dangerous trek underground for a good portion of it, though he knew it was possible for a group that large to make it. It wasn’t as though the group had been unarmed and inexperienced, they just hadn’t been given a Tycho escort and a hard lesson had been learned.

“Can I have your backup filter?” Xys asked, shamelessly looting his friend before likely walking off into his death.

“You die with this, I’m going to be pissed” Jarno replied, passing the filter and a few rounds of ammunition. A distorted laugh would be returned as the supplies were handed over and Jarno wasted no time in leaving Xys alone, the cold sounds breeze pushing from the exit adding a void like sensation to the pressing dark of the old tunnel. Nothing pleasant waited in the dark but Xys was confident he could be a little less pleasant than anything lurking in there, the more dangerous creatures weren’t afraid of the surface.
 
Saxa had known she was playing with fire when mentioning the coast, unfortunately she wasn’t quite well versed enough in the surrounding areas to pass off lying. Risking mentioning a town that someone may hail from wasn’t in the cards and she did avoid unnecessary lies.

“Its big and it's next to the ocean, salt water, rough living. A whole lot of hostile tribes between here and home” She said, trying to give them a fair description of the rugged coast. A few small groups had made things work as long as their numbers stayed low and they could avoid the more dangerous groups alway traveling.

Rose’s questions were trickier but the woman offered her own small tale of origin and even offered some insight on Shaun. The older man had been the first to approach her and unintentionally provided an outstanding opportunity to get herself a little further from the nobility.

“Just some fishing with my father, there are quite a few hull skeletons littering some of the beaches” Saxa said quickly, more truth as the coast did host hundreds of vessels that had washed up over the centuries. The rig had been welded together and built up over the years, some ships even dragged in from the groups that would comb the oceans.
News of the far North was something she’d never heard of outside of school, there was nothing easy about surviving the harsh winters. Saxa had only really known ridiculously fair weather for the most part, major storms barely a threat out at sea due to some impressive engineering by the earliest settlers and of course upkeep over the years.

-------

The trip to Jesse’s new safe haven of choice had been practically silent for Saxa, only offering friendly bits of conversation to those who would approach her. Almost glad any questions about her home life had dried up before they left, far too much was happening around the group for her to really stand out. Perfect camouflage and a group she was almost considering being comfortable around if she was left to her own devices.

Nothing was familiar on their route, though they weren’t crawling through the dark to stay hidden. Saxa had left the correct markers on their trek but she knew there was nothing safe about taking that road back, only skeletons marking every mistake the group made.

A beautiful old building lurked in the distance, a church by the looks of the build, standing impressively tall so many years after the last traces of hope had dried up. Hearing Jesse soon call for them to half, Saxa slowed to a stop, eyes constantly checking their perimeter.
Having walls around them would certainly be a nice change of pace, she hadn’t been treated to much time at the cistern.
 
Jesse wasn't sure exactly where the borders were, but knew he was likely now outside of Lord William's territory and either the Daimyo or the Impaler claimed this area. The old Bastards had their last stand in a church. Tombstones exploded, heads popped, stained glass sprayed and men gave their final shrieks.

"Lets set up." Jesse said, as he started taking crates from the wagon and taking them to the church, all the while keeping an eye on Saxa. He allowed her to follow because he could easily tell she wasn't Nobility, but who was she and what was she doing with that ammo. He would figure things out later.
 
Shaun helped carry Crates from the cart. He was unusually chipper and energetic. He carried the guns box in under an arm, which was surprising heavy but didn't seem to want to burden anybody with also having to carry it. One by one they set the crates down between the rotten pews. Some of the wood was salvageable, but the majority of the best wood was the carved panels by the vestry. When Ethan, resourceful as always, tried to pry them from the stonework and prepare them for burning, Shaun almost threw a fit.

"Have you no culture? You're seriously just going to disregard the visage of the Virgin Mary and burn it?" Shaun asked the boy incredulously. This church seemed to be an older one, maybe late 1800's, or perhaps 1900's... needless to say Chistianity held a place in the scholars heart. It dictated what he did and did not know of over a course 2000 years of known recorded history.
 
“These Old World beliefs and idols are for morons.” Jesse said with a hint of irritation.

The church he stayed in before had a big cross on a wall facing the pews. Jesse remembered looking and wondering about the Old World and the things they believed. He had heard about Christianity, and while he never believed in much but the Bastard ideology, he did find it interesting.

“We won’t burn or destroy the statue though. It’s nice decor.“ He said
 

  • Following his usual shooting practice routines, Ethan sets up targets with whatever debris can be used in the surrounding ruins, practicing shooting at ever greater ranges and learning the effects of greater distance using his pistols and sniper rifle. He also put in some practice with his bow as well, and after a couple of hours of this Ethan had enough. Settling himself on the roof of one of the ruins, perching himself on the perimetre wall, Ethan pulled out one of the steam engineering books he had been reading, making an effort to finish the last chapter. Within came references to other more advanced forms of technology that followed earlier forms of steam-powered industry, but the book only mentions this and makes no attempt to elaborate further. Ethan would need to gather more texts if he is to rediscover yet more about the technology of the Old World.

    After Ethan finished reading the last chapter, he slipped the book back into his backpack before heading back to the Cistern, only to discover that the whole place was packed up for a move to somewhere else.
 
Wind had gained momentum. The rusty grass which were neither alive nor dead suddenly oscillated like they have to desperately be torn from their roots and to be flown along with the wild wind. Drizzling started and slowly rain started to pour. Here, Aurora was sitting alone in front of the church. She would smell the aroma of mud. Her group was monitoring the old world building for resources or checking whether it has potential of a hideout. She sat close to the building to avoid getting wet. She was alone. She was depressed.

Previously she had seen the scars in Mos's head. The scars were straight lines. Lines that would have been drawn only by intention. Some one had done something on his head. No wonder Mos is all pale and blank. Though he understands few things, he cannot be Mos again. That is for sure. They have punished him by depriving him of his most potential thing. His thoughts. His thoughts of better world. His thoughts of rebellion. His thoughts of freedom. His thoughts of equality.

Damn, she had always warned him not to dream of something that is very much unlikely but would only bring more danger. Man, he never listened. And she knew when he was taken, life will not be same again. But she had expected some thing better when he was brought back from prison. But he will remain only a vegetable. A moving vegetable as cute as a toddler.

She felt guilty 'cause she had then wondered what would happen to her life. Should she live with vegetable Mos? Should she desert him? It made her guilty to think in those terms. But what else would she think? She love him a lot. But she is philosophically drained? what happens to her life now?

Well, she has got her group. They are all nice. Jessy had been short tempered but he has the potential to pull himself back to be a leader to lead them. Shaun is always a nice gentle man. Pity, Aurora had always been placed against Shaun. She regret hitting him. Ethan whom she never talked much and he was always tensed. Now Ethan is missing here but they have let the directions there to guide him come to this place. Probably he will be soon here.

Shisa! mM! Aurora no longer wants to accuse Shisa but she does not want to acknowledge her existence. She no longer want to think about her dad's death. It is far away in the past. But she do not know whether she might be in speaking terms with Shisa again. Damn, Shisa looks already lost and punished.

She did not have the opportunity to speak with Rose. Rose seemed to be extra ordinarily energetic for her age. And Saxa, the red haired girl with the bow and arrow, she looked more wise for her age.

Aurora was travelling with the group. She was depressed and remained calm for the journey. She was occupied in her own thoughts. She was growing aggressive inside. She knew there is no life left for her in future. Those romeo and juliet dream of being in a forest with Mos is nothing but a dry dream now. She helped the group by doing few things around. She helped Shaun carry crates from the cart. She left Mos inside the building and ventured out alone.

Now, she heard the sounds of thunder. She saw lightning. Rain was getting stronger. She saw something suspicious. Then she realized it was a jackal. A wild one. She took her SMG and aimed at it. "Come on, i am so desperate to kill some one, Thanks for showing up."

As she took aim, she realized the jackal was not alone. She saw a group of jackals numbering more than ten. They seem to be professional hunters. They had cautiously surrounded the building. She would smell the imminent danger. She can kill three or four but rest would attack her. She shivered and realized what life had brought to her misery. She pulled the trigger and kept on shooting towards them amidst the rain. The sound of gunshots would have reached everyone in the building.
 
Shaun stopped in the middle of berating the young Ethan at the sounds of gunfire outside, his head whipped round and his shotgun was clutched in his rapidly white in knuckles. He moved from the vestry down to the main aisle, towards the doors. He peeked out of a broken part of stained glass window to see Aurora fighting a pack of wild animals.

Shaun joined in, trying to help the girl fight them off. Three shells were fired, three sets of fine glass shards ripped into the pelts of the Jackals. Aurora had already killed two, wounded one, Shauns assistance finished off the injured one and proceeded to wound another 2, and kill one. The pack had lost 4, and two were hurt. They were just wild animals, and the loudness of their guns combined with their packmates dying around them scared the survivinganimals away...for now.

Shaun whipped open the door and pulled the young woman inside, in case a larger animal or pack appeared in its place. "Are you alright? Why the hell did you make so much damn noise? There's no telling who may be in the area." Shaun told her, his arm over her shoulders, he walked her back to mos, who was cowering in the choir booth, like a frightened child.
 
Last edited:
Aurora fought bravely. She killed the wild animals one by one. If not killed, at least had them wounded. As she was shooting, she realized it was a hell large gang. Her gun shots were deafening. She knew the wasteland life have to end like this. She was getting ready to embrace the bitter end. But then she heard Shaun popping in and started shooting. He dragged her in.

"There are too much of jackals there. Not ordinary jackals, they seem really weird." What words would she describe the attitude of animals which did not stop advancing through the deafening sounds of gun shots. They were like her. They did not seem to be frightened when their mates were killed by the ruthless shots. They kept advancing to help their gang advance. They seem to want death.

"There would be more," She shouted at her gang. She wanted to tell them the imminent danger is all around and is not over yet. And she turned to Mos. "don't worry, baby, I am here," She hugged her. But she was ready again to go out to face them all.
 
At Saxa's description of the coast Rose smiled. Up North where she was from the ocean was dark and cold, a place of mystery and intrigue. Her mother kept her away from it for most of her youth. She could fish and create a few fish traps on the river but sailing or canoeing was out of her range of skills. At the talk of Hulls she tried to envision the fisherman out on the ocean, catching creatures of the deep. She was glad Saxa was warming to her, knowing if she offered some of her past, that usually most people gave ya something back. She smiled, "Hulls eh? That's genius. I've seen a few rafts made out of tires and posterboard..."

At Jesse's outburst, she sighed, shaking her head, as she slowly got to her feet abandoning the job of getting rid of the nobility. She did however slip the clothes she took into the small satchel given to her earlier, and proceeded to help with packing as she made a mental note to talk to Saxa further about her parents.

------------------------------------------------

At the church Rose remained quiet, eyeing the building curiously. Shaun's talk of the place and Jesse's wants to take from it didn't really bother her. She wasn't religious but seeming as she was probably going to meet her maker before anyone else she did bow her head lightly saying a silent prayer to herself just in case. If christianity was still the faith, she would need all the golden points she could get. Once finished she helped grab crates of items, bringing them inside with the group. She eyed the visage of the Virgin Mary and stopped looking up at it quietly for a few moments indifferently. Shaun's apparant resistance and Ethan's teasing tone made her giggle. She didn't know why the two men had such a repertoire between them but she thought it was funny none the less."

She was just about to offer to help Ethan when Shaun started berating the young man. She now was fully laughing, surprised at how much Shaun was getting ruffled, when suddenly she heard gunshots.

She charged outside with the rest of the group, seeing the jackals in the distance as a storm thundered overhead. She watched Aurora and Shaun take down a few of the creatures, wondering if it was worth it to venture out and collect the beasts. Skinning them for furs or meat could be useful for them in the future. As Aurora was brought into the church with Shaun Rose followed behind, reaching out to pat the girl's back. She paused by the door, leaning down slightly as she eyed the tree-line quietly looking for any sign of human activity. Eyes could be seen watching from the woods but they were those of the rest of the pack. She stood up glaring at them before she came inside, shaking off the rain as she nodded to Aurora, "They've been mutated. Larger than regular Jackals and braver. They are scouting around the tree-line for now. I didn't see any sign of humans though. I didn't get a full count but four are corpses. Their fur and meat could be useful for selling."

She shook out her braid before walking over to the crates taking out some large metal buckets as she headed back outside quietly. She kept an eye on the woods, not traveling too far to place the buckets off between a few old yew bushes, where they could collect fresh rain which was now coming down quite heavily. Risking her life for freshwater seemed worth it in the long run. The jackals hadn't moved but they were watching her, she knew that. She backed up towards the door, so her back was not turned to the beasts and headed back inside. She brushed the wet strands of hair from her face as she plunked down on a pew, waiting to hear what plan of action was going to be taken, "Can't see a bloody thing out there.."

She shivered slightly, the cold rain not helping her already sore bones.
 
Shisa tied up the horses in the back behind the church, she had been riding the black one (a female she had named Lenore) and walking the other one(a female she had named Radka). She was feeling rather chipper as well. She stayed with the horses a bit, before hearing the sound of gunfire.

What the hell? Shisa calmed the horses before rushing to see what the commotion was. Jackals, nothing to concern herself with. The rest of the group probably took care of them.

Shisa explored the church for a few minutes, finding a semi hidden back room to claim as her own space. She started unloading her stuff, making the back room nice and cozy. It even had a door still. She found it kind of funny that what was once a place of organized religion was now housing her. She liked her room though. No windows, one door, plenty of space for her and her stuff. There was even room for a proper altar. Maybe she would even ask Shaun to share the room with her.
 
Saxa had just been dropping a load of supplies off inside of the church when she heard the commotion begin outside, difficult to place gunshots were lighting up but seemingly only from one weapon. Quickly she deposited the box of gear she was holding with the rest and darted towards the staircase she’d seen out in the entryway, grateful these buildings always had a second floor.
Getting herself up and perched was the best way she could contribute and the brittle walls on the upper floor provided her with more than adequate room to begin aiming at their attackers. A second gun joined the fray and Saxa quickly placed the sound as Shaun’s shotgun, no one was being overly conservative with their ammunition and a lack of return fire told her whatever was attacking didn’t have firearms of their own.

Finding a large stone window long since missing its stained glass, Saxa had an arrow knocked as she knelt and finally took in the sight of bizarre looking jackals. Creatures of nightmares really, their ugly jaws primed for ripping flesh and the desperate hunger shown by the charging beasts was mildly concerning at best. Even when she was stuck traveling alone for months, she hadn’t seen a pack this large or desperate for meat.
Taking aim as she tried to make sense of the rabid animals, Saxa released a breath along with a composite arrow she had picked up in a burned out sporting goods store a few weeks prior.

The benefit of these charging bests was their lack of awareness, the loud sounds of gunfire seemingly focusing the attack and allowing Saxa to send an arrow through the ribcage of one advancing jackal and breaching the other side. A rattling breathing would be heard as the creature’s lungs filled with fluid, meaning she’d unfortunately missed its heart but the wound was still fatal. Her attention shifted by the time the creature collapsed to the pavement to rattle out its last few breaths, completely ignored by its packmates jumping over its corpse into gunfire. Another arrow soon stuck fast through the open mouth of one charging beast, instantly killing her next target, the next arrow knocked quickly as she searched for a third target among the chaos below and finding more of the beasts hanging back around the tree line.
She hoped they had brought the horses in, they were tough creatures but tied up and facing a large pack of mutated jackals could mean losing their beasts of burden. If her time scavenging had taught her anything, canines weren’t front line fighters and only charged in when the odds were in their favor. Part of her wondered just how large the pack was if they felt comfortable charging down a group this size, or perhaps they had successfully used the church grounds for hunting with a great deal of success.

Keeping her bow line slack to avoid exhausting her shoulders too quickly, her sharp eyes watched Rose carefully as she moved back outside with a few collection buckets, the woman was impressively brave.

Saxa would keep herself perched and watching the treeline, ready to begin firing if more of the creatures attempted to charge the group again. At least they could barricade themselves in time for the time being, though leaving the horses undefended wasn’t exactly ideal when they had so many supplies to move.
 
"Jesse, organize us on a watch rota will you? I'm going out to make sure Rose doesn't get Mauled." Shaun told the younger man, follow ing the Northern woman out to collect the corpses of those Jackals. His shotgun was at the ready as he watched her flank, the lady scooping the dead animals into a large bucket. These creatures clearly were not natives to Culrud, or even this continent. Shaun knew that, but was hazy as to their home. He couldn't remember everything on every topic, but he could remember a lot.

These creatures probably escaped a zoo during the collapse, with too few for a healthy gene pool. The long time of inbreeding had created these ravenous, violent, disfigured creatures.

"Best we butcher these carefully. Some of them are full of glass, sorry, my bad." Shaun told her as they began to return, Shaun walking backwards behind her in case one darted out the tree line. He was grateful Saxa watched them from above.
 
Last edited:
In all his time around Culrud, from the mountain forests to the ruins to the plains, Jesse had never seen creatures like these. Still, there were some general facts to bear in mind with mutated creatures. The creatures native to Culrud had skulls too thick and dense to be taken down with a single headshot, so Jesse shot for the eyes for quick kills or joints to cripple. He also knew they were likely relentless, and if one were allowed to flee it would return, probably in night.

"Cover Shaun and Rose!" Jesse commanded as the two made their advance. As blood sprayed and these ugly dog-like creatures collapsed, Jesse wondered where these things were from and how they got here. Maybe they fled to Culrud on their own, or maybe they were brought here...

Another shot rang out from Jesse's gun and another jackal went down in the ocean of its dead kin. There appeared to be no more left, which Jesse knew was dangerous, as this meant a few survivors were stalking for an ambush.

"Don't get comfy." Jesse said "Shisa and..." Jesse looked around, then at Saxa "You. Check the perimeter. Theres-"

Jesse was cut off by a jackal pouncing from the shadows in the church. He ducked out of the way in time, and shot the beast in the eye. The jackal was sent flying back, laying still for a moment, then got back up with a low growl only to eat another bullet to the eye, downing it for good.

He began reloading "Check for more. Theres bound to be more of these assholes stalking the area."
 
Rose volunteered to collect the dead Jackals and face the beasts with some heavy cover. She wasn't shocked when Shaun offered to join her to collect their bounty. She gave a nod towards the door after she grabbed some rope and a bucket or two. She checked her axes on her back, before moving to open the door slowly planning a path to the corpses. When Shaun and the group were ready she gave them a nod and headed out the door, "Alright...Keep on my tail and stay low."

She smirked at Shaun, remembering old times before she headed out moving quickly towards the corpses. The sounds of shots whizzing past didn't bother her as she zig-zagged across the clearing, keeping low behind stumps and rocks. When she reached the first corpse she hogtied it with the rope within minutes throwing it over her back. She turned to the second, completing the task again with quick efficiency. As she worked she kept looking up watching the eyes stare at her. She began to growl, imitating the jackal howls like a pro. She raised her shoulders, appearing bigger as she grabbed the other corpses throwing them into the bucket she had. As a few got closer she stood up higher letting out a ragged cry, her eyes staring deep into the nearest animal. She smiled at it, stopping it long enough for Shaun to get a shot.

She finished collecting and backed up her eyes watching the jackals intently. She gave a few of the bodies to Shaun, before heading off surprised he was willing to take the rear. She nodded, "Haha, Well we can work with what we got. Glass we can pick out. No worries. Creatures deserved a good death."

As they reached the Church two jackals came out of a bush one aiming to bite Shaun's ankle the other heading straight at Rose. She had an axe in her hands within minutes, the animal falling stone dead as her blade slammed into it's skull. She jumped at the other one, getting on top of it as she used the momentum to roll it over, her arm coming up to grab the creature's upper snout. She twisted quickly a snap heard as the creature grew limp in her arms. She let out a soft breath, shaking her head, "Fuckers are strong. He almost got free there..."

She snatched up the corpses and kicked open the door, throwing the beasts to the side before she shook off the rain, "Got the corpses! Thanks for the shooting guys! There were more of them than I expected."

She dropped the creatures off to the side, taking out an axe as she saw Jess's own corpse below him, moving to another window, as she put her hand to her mouth imitating the call of an eagle, one of the only creatures she knew was an enemy of Jackals. She eyed the group and the skies, "Once it gets dark they will try to get braver."
 
Last edited:
Aurora was close to the window. The Victorian style building had a large window with damaged colored glass. There was a hole big enough for Aurora to keep shooting at the jackals which ever was trying to get closer to the group. Jesse, Shaun and Rose had miraculously escaped. They were brave. But Jackals were stupidly braver.

Back when Rose had patted her back after Aurora was dragged in by Shaun, Aurora had thanked Rose for her kindness. "Thanks. I feel at home already." and when Rose said these Jackals were mutated, she wondered whether there were also mutated human beings in this world.

She inspected the carcass and started helping others to settle down. She kept the buckets of fresh water in the corner. The big hall with the high ceiling with broken benches all over were soon filled with their items. She started wondering how many items they have collected in a short span of time.

"Baby just go to sleep for some time," She let Mos to sleep in of the middle benches. The guy was terrified by the gun shots and now by the sight of these Jackal's carcass. "Sleep baby, sleep," She sat next to him and patted him till he closed his eyes.

She heard Rose saying that they will get braver in nights. Then she walked to others. "If we are going to live here, we need to take care of these Jackal business. We have to hunt down the alpha and destroy their hideout." She had spent her childhood in the jungles. "I know these beasts. They will never stop hunting us. It will be either them or us. Or there is another way out. We have to leave this place." As she spoke she knew maybe this cannot be a priority now. "I am worried about Ethan."
 
Shaun was watching Shisa and Saxa get ordered around, they had to look for where the Jackal got in. If they were to fight these Jackals, they'd need to secure this building first, especially since there is a way in for them at this time. Animals couldnt open doors, so they just had to prop all but the main exterior doors shut with old pews. The Church most definitely had a cellar, and where there's a cellar, there is an outdoor hatch. That was probably how they could get in.

"There isn't really a chance of them coming in through the front doors, so we only need to keep them on a latch with a lookout. Check for any open doors, and block them up with debris... oh and there's probably a cellar, I'll check that while you do that." Shaun added to the two women, now preparing to patrol the building.

Aurora saying that it was Wipe out the Jackals or Leave was a grim reminder of the world they were in. You can't just call pest control, no. You gotta take a band with guns into the heart of their territory and kill as many as possible without dying a horrible death...lovely. Shaun knew surprisingly little about these animals, granted they were not native to the area. He wasn't even sure of their exact genus, Lupine, Feline or Vulpine. (Dog, Cat, Fox related animals.) If they were nocturnal hunters, it was probably best to wait for good weather conditions and sunlight. That way they had maximum visibility of these black furred creatures.
 
The beasts seemed to be leaping out of shadows as the group scrambled to barricade the church, everyone seemingly wrapped up in a different level of alarm. Saxa was more concerned about firing in close quarters with such quick targets. Call her soft but she wasn’t interested in wounding any of her new companions in the chaos, she was stuck slowing down her rate of fire as she lined these creatures up.
One arrow buried itself into the open jaws of one lunging jackal, striking the creature in the brain through the roof of its mouth. Saxa wouldn’t have time to admire her own handiwork as she followed Jesse’s direction and resumed watching the perimeter, dropping another jackal with an arrow to its left eye.

Kneeling to line up another shot, Saxa had her sharp eyes trained on the outside, glad she’d climbed up out of the jackal’s reach. Hoping everyone else was capable of holding their own, she couldn’t help wonder where these hellish creatures had come from. Rarely had she seen a mob of animals so reckless, short of the starving wolves they ran into on the coast on occasion.

Frustration mounted over the beasts sheer numbers, part of her was about ready to hang a few jackal carcasses off of the walls as a warning to the beasts. She wouldn’t be able to enact any revenge while the creatures were still finding their way inside, though she soon noticed the beasts moving towards the far left section of the building.

“I think they’re getting in on the left side” Saxa called, aware she might be telling them something they already knew. Still, she was doing her best to keep everyone alive, grateful she actually responded quite well under pressure.
 
Shisa brought the horses inside, stashing them in an empty room to keep them safe, they shouldn't be in there for too long.

Mask on, Shisa scanned the perimeter on foot, hearing Saxa's order to check the left side. Shisa stalked along, seeing the breach near the graveyard fence. It was the open storm cellar door, big enough for them to get through. Shisa fired at one, going through its eye. These things were strange. Most animals would scatter if too many of them got injured, but they didn't. They didn't look like any normal animal either, none Shisa had seen. She and Shaun would have to dissect one later.

Shisa crept to the cellar door, seeing a large group of these animals: who's eyes were now all trained on her. Oh no. She would have to hop over the fence to escape, or just run and pray. She shot at a few, but more always seemed to fill their place. They looked similar to dogs or wolves, in the little moonlight there was.

"Little help? I found the breach." Shisa called out, one of Saxa's arrows taking out a creature that had tried to enter the cellar door. The door was still intact, she could shut, bar, and lock it. She just needed the cover.

Shisa took her chance, kicking a jackal aside, slamming the metal double doors closed. She grabbed the bar, bringing it down into place to bar the doors shut. A jackal lunged, biting into her arm. Shisa kicked it in the side, its teeth tearing down her arm, but it let go. Shisa found a padlock, with the code written on the back. She locked the doors shut and the bar in place, dashing to hop over the wrought iron fence. Another jackal latched onto her leg as she climbed over the fence, Saxa shooting the beast in the head.

Shisa fell into a heap on the other side of the fence, adrenaline rushing through her. She would have to check in the cellar to see how many got in.

"Closed the breach. I've been bit." Shisa called out to the others, alerting them to her sort of accomplishment. She was worried that they might have carried a disease, that she might die. Bites are one of the worst kind of wounds. They leave many crevices in the punctures, and can easily get infected.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top