Evacuation.

[shimmermods]

MISSION START

rules

faq

hiatus/drop

application

taken

profiles

It's taken a while, but for all intents and purposes, you seem to be back on track; the town you've been sent to investigate isn't far off now. Beyond a crest, just down one of the wooded hills; as you make your way, the strange wildlife watches you. Nothing much. Just one of those deer.

You get the feeling that something always seems to be watching you nowadays. This feeling isn't wrong.

The top of that hillcrest will reveal the town itself, sprawling out below in your line of sight; however, it will soon become obvious that there's something deeply wrong with it. What you're seeing and what you know of the town tell two completely different stories; it's up to you to decide which you believe.

But what your eyes are telling you is that the town is overgrown, the forest reclaiming it for its own – the streets are cracked and broken, grass and shoots of flowers poking up from the roads and the pavement; the ground is thick with fallen leaves, and the buildings seem to have a bright yellow moss growing over them in places. There are residences that seem oddly undisturbed, as though their occupants simply disappeared all at once; given that the town was allegedly evacuated, perhaps that stands to reason.

What doesn't is that this level of growth would take more than a week or two to develop. Maybe you'll find survivors. Maybe you won't. It's worth looking around, either way.

Perhaps it'll be worth your while, in the end.

code by vuvuzela

Comments

[instrumentalized]

[ They've made it. They've made it to the town and this--- this is impossible. Garma is clutching his sniper rifle as he steps to the corner of the hill, looking downward at the eerie serenity of the town. ]

... did we really only lose a week?

[ They have to, because that's what their food says, and yet... Well, one way or another, it's time to do their duty. Garma takes a deep breath. ]

We need to organize. Let the combat squad surround our researchers and medics for security. Any of those teams who have self-defense experience, please help look out for those who don't.

[blunders]

It...It really does seem like we've lost way more than that, huh?

[Either way, Felicia's got all of her medical supplies packed away for now, but she's got her shuriken in hand and ready. Something about this is definitely making her more alert than usual, but Garma's formation idea sounds like a solid one and Felicia's quick to fall in line.]

But you're right. We all need to stay safe and keep our wits about us, first and foremost...!

[abysstery]

[Garma definitely isn't the only one who finds this strange. But "strange" is right up a certain researcher's alley.]

This level of growth suggests months' worth of disrepair...how intriguing.

[He's eager to explore, but Garma's right that they need to get organized.

He holds his staff in the crook of his arm while he checks his handgun to make sure it's ready to go if he ends up needing it. Hopefully he doesn't. The objective is to save any survivors...provided the survivors want to be saved.]

[atrueheroine]

[After their experiences in the Shimmer so far, Page feels she shouldn't be all that surprised that the town looks long abandoned, rather than newly. Even so, it's....jarring, to see roots and flowers poking up through cracks in the concrete, as if the (bizarre) forest has almost succeeded in taking the land back. Time seems to flow differently in here, apparently.

She's got her shotgun out and ready to be used at a moment's notice, although she's hoping she won't have to do so. Vitali's warning about the previous mission and the homicidal townspeople they encountered have her on edge, far moreso than any moss.]

The last group who explored the Shimmer lost a member to the survivors of a town like this. If you don't have a weapon or you can't defend yourself, stay behind someone who can.

[pr159]

[ Huh. ]

I wonder. It's also possible that something could have caused abnormally rapid growth in a short time, though.

[ Anyway, he's definitely fine with a squad that isn't his taking the more dangerous position here, so no complaints. He's got his knives on him if needed. ]

[selfsacrificial]

Yes, I agree. Let those of us who are familiar with combat support the groups that are not. I'll support anyone who needs it.

m...mods...?

[planetary_bonds]

[hi, guess who's having very strong flashbacks to getting beat the shit out by a certain person's plant-based deck

Yusei shakes off the feeling of being watched - it's hard to get used to, the sense of something making his skin crawl and the hairs on the back of his neck rise. This is more important, scouting out the town and finding the truth of everything here.

He turns on the radar once actually entering the town...is there any heat-emitting targets nearby to check out?]

[shimmermods]

[As far as heat-emitting targets go, there is nothing. No signs of heat signatures, human or animal, in the area. It seems, for now, you are alone.

However, there's evidence that you may not be as alone as you think; there are strange, scattered readings that seem to be coming off of some of the plants, sending bursts of static across the screen that ripples and ebbs in waves. It's stronger at a section higher up on the radar screen, perceptible if you're paying attention, up on the upper left.

There may be something over there; at the same time, it's obviously further in.]

[notjustawriter]

What the hell...?

[This is absolutely not what he expected.]

[me_underfire]

[Oh same.]

This place looks like it's been abandoned for years.

[selfsacrificial]

It bothers me how untouched some of these residences are. [...] I wonder if it would be worth investigating them.

GUN SHOP

[shimmermods]

[blunders]

[Well, this overgrown place just seems fine and dandy; Felicia's going to be following whatever group decides to go in here, though she is absolutely going to be checking out that smashed in window first. Are any plants inside gonna make this difficult, or can we climb inside? Because Felicia's definitely gonna try that.]

[bornandbread]

[Sure, he'll be bringing up the rear on this one -- what could go wrong, other than maybe a misfired gun or gunpowder residue or who knows. But it's a bit more of a known quantity than, say, monster plants or some of the other buildings on the block.

Actually, he's going to check out the front door, since Felicia's hanging out over by the window. Locked? Overgrown? Anything else going on with the front of the shop?]

AREA CLEAR

[shimmermods]

CORNER STORE

[shimmermods]

[pr159]

[ Okay, let's check this store out, maybe there's some decent shit in here to add to their supplies now that they've already lost a week's worth. He's also curious to see exactly how old this place looks now that he's up close to a building.

Anything standing out as we approach the door? ]

AREA CLEAR

[shimmermods]

RESIDENCE

[shimmermods]

[atrueheroine]

[This seems like the sort of place one wants to approach while wielding a gun, so Page will take one for the team and approach that open front door, shotgun up against her shoulder and ready to fire at the sight of anything...aggressive. Is there any reason she should stay outside, or are we fine to enter?]

[instrumentalized]

[ He's here to prove himself. He's here to prove himself. A man of the Zabi family does not back down. Garma just has to be smart and competent about this and return victorious. No problems there.

So he's eyeing the residence. ]

If there are any survivors, they should be hiding out there. Given what we just heard, utmost care is in order.

AREA CLEAR

[shimmermods]

CHURCH

[shimmermods]

[selfsacrificial]

[Alright, Rean will take a careful look in here, opening the door a small amount and peering inside to check the state of things before properly stepping inside.]

[abysstery]

[All right. Abandoned town? Check. Church? Check. Clues within the church? ...TBD.

Heinwald is pretty much drawn to the building on principle though, so once Rean clears the entrance, he's going to step inside along with anyone who decided to join him.

What's there to see in here right off the bat?]