WEEK FOUR

[shimmermods]

FOURTH WEEK

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The Shimmer may have left you physically, but it's always with you; it's something it had insisted on yesterday, and it's something that continues to be pervasive even now, both in thoughts and within you in other, perhaps more noticeable ways. The statements that have been made weigh heavily; your surroundings continue to be influenced by something or other - plants you recognize are still present here, even as the trees themselves continue to crystallize, growing glassy white and transparent around mechanical insides - and the changes to your physical bodies are becoming more evident and difficult to ignore.

Perhaps more disturbingly, when you went to sleep in the clearing there were sixteen of you.

When you wake up, there are fifteen.

No matter how many headcounts you take, you keep coming up one short; the fact of the matter is that Rean Schwarzer is no longer among you. There's no visible evidence of where he's gone, and all of his belongings are still here; perhaps in some part of your mind, the possibility registers itself - maybe he's not with you because he went to the Shimmer. Not in the same way the cultists went, and not in the same way the ring of bodies seems to have gone, but maybe...

The thought is difficult to shake; the fact of the matter is that he isn't here, and you probably don't want to stay here. After all, your options are currently either to do what you set out to do, to return to the base and very possibly be killed for your efforts, or to remain here with the corpses.

The hike uphill is steep; perhaps it's fortunate that you're no longer tiring out like you used to. It's easier to keep going nowadays, even if it feels somewhat mechanical in doing so; your limbs know what they're doing, even if there's some reason for your mind to disagree. You seem to be making good time in moving toward the site of the initial impact of the meteorite; perhaps it won't be much longer before you find your objective.

That is, if all goes according to plan.

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY

code by vuvuzela

Comments

TUESDAY

[shimmermods]

Stasis.

[shimmermods]

[If there's one thing you've learned about the Shimmer during your time here, it's that everything changes. The wildlife around you reflects it, and your group isn't immune either. Whether you're aware of the changes or not, everything in the Shimmer changes. Nothing stays the same.

Your path forward leads up a hill and into a town. It isn't an unusual sight by now - you're familiar with overgrown towns with almost no signs of human life, and this one is no different in that regard.

The changes are different, however. While the last towns you visited were certainly overgrown, this one has taken it to the extreme. What were once houses are now almost entirely consumed with vines and brush, some even have trees growing from within, breaking through what were once fairly solid roofs and reaching skyward. The buildings furthest from the center of town have long since been broken down and reclaimed by nature, but even those further in haven't seen the best of days.

Everything is still. Perhaps unnaturally so.

You've come this far, so only one question remains: will you enter?]

[abysstery]

If this were not the Shimmer's doing, I would be inclined to think that these were ruins from centuries gone by.

[Heinwald still hasn't been in the best of moods since the weekend, but he's been pressing on much better than he had in the past. His lack of fatigue helps with that for sure.]

Shall we scour the area for information?

[Or supplies, those are nice too he guesses.]

[aokisouhei]

[ Hm...he didn't really like this, but they definitely weren't about to turn back now, so here they were. ]

I'd think the same, not gonna lie.

[ Lnacer's eyes were watching their surroundings carefully, though he'll nod. ]

Time to get goin'. Though obviously we should keep our eyes out for any sudden movements.

[abysstery]

Of course. I will trust you to come to my aid, should danger arise.

[He sounds serious, but...Heinwald.]

[aokisouhei]

Heh, naturally. You can count on me.

[ At least he's taking it in stride. ]

[blunders]

It...really looks like something that should have taken entirely too long to be here before us...

[Dear gods. This is kind of interesting, but at the question...]

We should. We might be able to find something useful--everyone, be sure to stay close!

[Let's get to it, then!]

[abysstery]

While our experiences in previous towns were far from pleasant, we still learned a great deal. I would like to continue that part of the trend.

[He'll be good and stick with the group, though!

Alright, we're venturing forward, mods! Is there anything immediately eyecatching among the ruins?]

[shimmermods]

[Entering the town will give you a better idea of what you're looking at when it comes to the buildings. The vast majority of them are so overgrown and ruined that getting inside looks like it would be more of a chore than it's worth, but there are two buildings that look promising.

The first is near the center of town - it might have been a town hall or something of the sort at one point, but it's impossible to tell exactly what it is now. It has a large tree growing out of the center of it, but the doorway is still intact and it looks like you can make it inside easily.

The second looks like it might have once been a general store. The windows are long since gone - they were smashed in at some point, from the looks of it, but very little glass remains. Getting in shouldn't be a problem, and there's no tree growing out of this one. It still looks almost completely overgrown like the majority of buildings in this town, but who knows, it could have something useful inside.]

[bornandbread]

That might be a little harder than usual...

[He’s eyeing all the trees poking out everywhere and the dubious structural integrity of the buildings, but it’s probably fine to scope it out from the outside first, too.

He’ll have to keep an eye out for any signs of activity, even if it is more likely to be mostly wildlife.]

We should... stick together a little more.

[I mean, with the vanishment and all. Also some kind of Shimmer-kin floating around out there. Exploration just gets better and better.]

[planetary_bonds]

You're right. It doesn't seem like anything is here, but...

[Things could happen in an instant, it seems. The moment you took your eyes off of someone...]

The radar isn't indicating anything other than the usual. I think it's safe to move on, but we should probably go in our usual formation.

[abysstery]

Indeed. These buildings may be difficult to navigate.

[He shuffles around in his pack (that he has been carrying on his own now!) for his binoculars.

Should we need to secure a building before entering, I might be able to scout with these.]

[pr159]

Might as well.

[ Here's hoping for a drugstore or medical facility or something that hasn't been completely swallowed up by overzealous plants. ]

[abysstery]

[Wouldn't that be nice...]

Very good. Be on your guard as we advance.

[me_underfire]

[We're checking radiation levels first!]

[shimmermods]

[Always a good idea! Unfortunately, this time isn't any more enlightening than any of your previous attempts. It seems to be hanging out in the negatives, occasionally hitting a little higher than 0 but otherwise just sort of chilling. There isn't a ton of variation here, at least.]

[planetary_bonds]

[of course!

not without using the handy dandy radar first, though]

[shimmermods]

[It doesn't seem like there's anything showing up on the radar. There's a bit of weird static, but at this point that's not really all that unusual.]

FIELD TRIP

[me_underfire]

[Once they're all gathered again, Grace will show everyone the map- very carefully, as it's crumbling in her hands.]

Whoever was here last went to take shelter in some nearby mines. I think we should check it out, just in case anyone's still alive.

[bornandbread]

... We don’t know how long it’s been since then. But if we’re careful, we can probably find something.

[It’s entirely debatable what that something is, but it doesn’t seem like Jean is in principle opposed to spelunking at least. As to whether he’s really been down underground in the guts of the earth before.... maybe that’s a matter of perspective.]

[planetary_bonds]

[Given how this place is, it could have been anywhere from an hour to several months ago that the person left that message. Still...]

We didn't find anything in that store, so this is our only lead. There might be a chance.

[pr159]

[ Does not look terribly convinced about the necessity of this, but he's not saying anything. ]

[aokisouhei]

They're probably all dead or turned into plants or something by now, actually.

[ But he won't refuse if people want to go; maybe there'll be something there for the researchers! ]

[me_underfire]

I wouldn't be surprised, but I want to make sure.

[She already can't sleep but she really doesn't want to be kept up at night thinking that they may have abandoned someone who needed help.]

Obviously not everyone needs to go into a potentially dangerous abandoned mine. Anyone with any serious reservations can stand guard outside.

[So who wants to be on what team?]

[alchemicals]

Great, so only half of us will die in a claustrophobic hellpit while the other half can't do shit about it and will have no idea what's going on. I don't fucking think so.

If we're going, we're all going.