![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
week 2
WEEK TWO
After allowing the party some time to rest at the stadium, it’s time to get a move on again. As per your mysterious benefactor’s (?) recommendation, the party will be splitting up into two groups, with one group traveling west to a hospital, and the other traveling east to a mall.
if you chose hospital...
To get to the hospital, characters will need to venture into more densely populated areas of Los Angeles – and that means they’ll be coming into contact with a higher amount of zombies. The hordes that roam here descend upon any living creature that makes too much noise, so you might witness an unlucky squirrel or cat get hunted down by these roaming threats. The bad news is that they’ll sprint full speed at you if they happen to catch sight – the good news is that they’re not very coordinated at pack hunting, and you may be able to outsmart them by weaving through the streets.
In a stroke of bad luck, Shoko Ieiri attracts the attention of a horde, forcing the party off considerably off course. Temporarily, hopefully. Detour!
Thankfully, there are several methods of getting to the front door of the location – parkouring atop or traversing inside connected buildings, for example. The zombies aren't the only thing that can kill you, though, if you're not careful; while traveling to the hospital, Auch Aubrey slips and falls to his death off a building. Remember Dr. Bei's warning, about not getting too far away from each other? The party will realize if they get too far away from his body (specifically the bracelet), it'll start feeling like their own bracelet is burning them at the wrist. Better go back — and either lug his body around, or lop off the bracelet somehow....
The area this group will travel through has many tourist attractions – antique stores, the Natural History Museum, old-school theaters, for example. For our sword wielders, there are some dated ones among the antique stores and museums; they're dusty, but they'll get the job done. There are other cool artifacts to "borrow" at these places, too, not to mention some history of what the world was like before all this happened.
And at the theaters? There's candy, DVDs, and cardboard cutouts from a variety of movies that were out when the fall of society came. Maybe there are minions there.
Once at the hospital, the party will find that there are a massive amount of zombies that have been trapped inside. Many are former patients or hospital staff, so several are wielding things like scalpels or crutches, and they are just smart enough to attack with them. To get around the facility to find the medical supplies you need, you’ll need to find a way to either distract the zombies, stealthily make your way around, or, you know, eliminate all of them.
As for scavenging, the hospital is surprisingly well stocked, as the high zombie count has made it hard to raid. Characters will be able to find bandages, medicine, surgical tools, and more, if they look close enough.
Of this group, Satoru Gojo and Mark Grayson are infected.
In a stroke of bad luck, Shoko Ieiri attracts the attention of a horde, forcing the party off considerably off course. Temporarily, hopefully. Detour!
Thankfully, there are several methods of getting to the front door of the location – parkouring atop or traversing inside connected buildings, for example. The zombies aren't the only thing that can kill you, though, if you're not careful; while traveling to the hospital, Auch Aubrey slips and falls to his death off a building. Remember Dr. Bei's warning, about not getting too far away from each other? The party will realize if they get too far away from his body (specifically the bracelet), it'll start feeling like their own bracelet is burning them at the wrist. Better go back — and either lug his body around, or lop off the bracelet somehow....
The area this group will travel through has many tourist attractions – antique stores, the Natural History Museum, old-school theaters, for example. For our sword wielders, there are some dated ones among the antique stores and museums; they're dusty, but they'll get the job done. There are other cool artifacts to "borrow" at these places, too, not to mention some history of what the world was like before all this happened.
And at the theaters? There's candy, DVDs, and cardboard cutouts from a variety of movies that were out when the fall of society came. Maybe there are minions there.
Once at the hospital, the party will find that there are a massive amount of zombies that have been trapped inside. Many are former patients or hospital staff, so several are wielding things like scalpels or crutches, and they are just smart enough to attack with them. To get around the facility to find the medical supplies you need, you’ll need to find a way to either distract the zombies, stealthily make your way around, or, you know, eliminate all of them.
As for scavenging, the hospital is surprisingly well stocked, as the high zombie count has made it hard to raid. Characters will be able to find bandages, medicine, surgical tools, and more, if they look close enough.
Of this group, Satoru Gojo and Mark Grayson are infected.
if you chose mall...
To get to the mall, characters will need to travel underground through the subway tunnels. None of the trains are in operation anymore, so they won’t be at risk of getting flattened – but the aged husks of the vehicles are still down here, rotting away. In some tunnels, it will be impossible to go around them, and you know the saying: sometimes the only way forward is through. Inside the trains, some doors that connect the cars are operational, while others are too rusted to move, forcing characters to climb atop the train to progress to the next car. It'll be a taxing trial, made worse by the fact that in these train cars, there are both regular corpses as well as zombified ones. The unpredictable nature of the functioning or non-functioning doors will making escaping the zombies difficult — characters will need to either stand their ground, or climb up to safety if they find themselves at a dead end.
Exiting the subways leaves one last test for this group: the stairs are collapsed! The light of outside shines through what is essentially a giant hole in the ceiling leading to street level. There's about a one story gap between the end point of the subways and the upper ground of the street, so characters will have to get creative with getting everyone up — using train cables? Throwing each other? Human pyramid?
Once at the mall just outside, the party will find that while there doesn’t seem to be a massive horde, there’s another problem: the first floor of the mall, which is below street level, is completely flooded. They’ll have to swim across the distance to the escalators, find a way to get across using debris, or some secret third thing. There are waterlogged zombies floating about in the water as well, who will swim violently towards you once they hear ripples in the water — they’re not subtle about going after you, and will thrash and splash and immediately let you know where they are. They're like people sized piranhas. Scary!
At one point, Sigewinne is pulled underwater by a zombie, and comes close to drowning.
As for scavenging, once they’ve scaled the escalator, they’ll find the second floor of the mall has definitely had its fair share of visitors, but there are still many useful things to find. There are electronic stores that have batteries and walkie talkies, clothing stores (like Hot Topic) that have some extra clothes lying about, and of course, the food court, where you’ll find canned and preserved foods from a variety of different cuisines.
Of this group, Suzuha Amane is infected.
Exiting the subways leaves one last test for this group: the stairs are collapsed! The light of outside shines through what is essentially a giant hole in the ceiling leading to street level. There's about a one story gap between the end point of the subways and the upper ground of the street, so characters will have to get creative with getting everyone up — using train cables? Throwing each other? Human pyramid?
Once at the mall just outside, the party will find that while there doesn’t seem to be a massive horde, there’s another problem: the first floor of the mall, which is below street level, is completely flooded. They’ll have to swim across the distance to the escalators, find a way to get across using debris, or some secret third thing. There are waterlogged zombies floating about in the water as well, who will swim violently towards you once they hear ripples in the water — they’re not subtle about going after you, and will thrash and splash and immediately let you know where they are. They're like people sized piranhas. Scary!
At one point, Sigewinne is pulled underwater by a zombie, and comes close to drowning.
As for scavenging, once they’ve scaled the escalator, they’ll find the second floor of the mall has definitely had its fair share of visitors, but there are still many useful things to find. There are electronic stores that have batteries and walkie talkies, clothing stores (like Hot Topic) that have some extra clothes lying about, and of course, the food court, where you’ll find canned and preserved foods from a variety of different cuisines.
Of this group, Suzuha Amane is infected.
rendezvous
After several days apart, characters will be able to meet back up at a spacious park in the northern part of the city. There are park ranger staff cabins that can be converted into temporary shelters with effort — and the area has a lightly wooded trail, which will make camping outside slightly more safe than if you were plain out in the open.
It’d be a good time to treat the wounded with the new medical supplies, and chow down on the food that’s been collected. Is there someone among the group who’s medical advice can be trusted? Is there someone who might be good at rationing or cooking the food? Everyone’s role in the party should start to become clearer.
There are probably a lot of things to discuss: what will you do with the infected? What's the deal with the bracelets? Reality of how dangerous this mission is will be setting in far too quickly.
Most annoyingly… after all that, some characters will find that moving north has caused their bracelets to inexplicably magnetize together at times, perhaps in response to everything that's happened. Due to this, you might need to help feed each other, or sleep next to a stranger. Hopefully you don't get stuck to someone you totally hate.
It’d be a good time to treat the wounded with the new medical supplies, and chow down on the food that’s been collected. Is there someone among the group who’s medical advice can be trusted? Is there someone who might be good at rationing or cooking the food? Everyone’s role in the party should start to become clearer.
There are probably a lot of things to discuss: what will you do with the infected? What's the deal with the bracelets? Reality of how dangerous this mission is will be setting in far too quickly.
Most annoyingly… after all that, some characters will find that moving north has caused their bracelets to inexplicably magnetize together at times, perhaps in response to everything that's happened. Due to this, you might need to help feed each other, or sleep next to a stranger. Hopefully you don't get stuck to someone you totally hate.
!week two objectives
➤ scavenge for your assigned items!
➤ protect and fight for each other
➤ treat each others wounds
➤ eat tasty canned food
➤ protect and fight for each other
➤ treat each others wounds
➤ eat tasty canned food
no subject
[She props her hands on her hips, squinting up at the hole.]
How much cable do you want?
no subject
Double the height, and we could anchor it somewhere. [Wouldn't a rope be easier? But she isn't the one who thinks about these things normally. Her plans come in small and impulsive steps; in this case, the plan mostly ends with "climb to the next floor."] Just need to throw someone up there first.
no subject
Okay, let's see... um, I think I know a little bit about electrical cables, at least.
[So hopefully that'll work, because Kotoha's well of random trivia is running dry. She sticks out her tongue, focusing, and with a flash of charged energy:]
Bare annealed copper wire, about 2 millimeters thick, surrounded by rounded rubber encasing about 10 millimeters thick. Ten meters long.
[BAM. The coiled up cable appears in Kotoha's hand, and she weighs it in her hand thoughtfully, before offering it to Ninety-Nine.]
Like that?
no subject
One at a time should hold. Rope's easier to grip and knot, but this is stronger. It could seal the way behind us, even if I'd rather fight. [Hopefully Kotoha has interacted with her enough at this point to know that she's blunt, not negging. The extent of her analysis is whether it might be able to safely carry them all to the top of the hole.]
no subject
It's all yours then. Let me know if you need anything else!
I came along with this group because I felt like this power would be better for utility than brawling with zombies.
... Though it seems like you'd be able to hold your own just fine.
no subject
There are things I can't do. Cutting our way through, breaking down doors, lifting heavy things...putting me in front is smart. Giving directions is for someone else. [Her being in front in some way, scaffolding debris across the water she can't swim in, might just be what keeps her too far from the bloodbath later in the day.
She glances down at the coiled cable in her hand, then back at Kotoha.]
How will you get up? Can you climb the cable if someone is already there?
[Where's one of the shorties when you need to throw them onto a platform -]
no subject
Kotoha gauges the distance and then nods, arms crossed as she considers it.]
I can definitely climb it, if someone got up there first. I could proooobably jump it, to be honest, but it depends on how sturdy the lip of that hole is.
I may not be as tough as you, but I've got some skills of my own~
no subject
["This is what you brought me along for, right?"
Ninety-Nine doesn't do deep people analysis; even if tracking requires cleverness, it's like following instinct, understanding how prey will act. When it comes to people being people, she just has what she sees and what she knows. Hella, too, is quick to throw out things she can do when she thinks it can protect her]
You don't have to jump unless you want to. Everyone will go up.
no subject
[Easy as that! But she nods at that, propping her hands on her hips.]
What I can do's been kind of restricted here, so I think I'll wait and climb the cord. Better safe than sorry, you know? A twisted ankle would really slow us down here.
no subject
[But it's probably in bad shape... Never mind the mall, where they're going to be at the whims of the layout to hunt for supplies; they still need to reconnect with the other half of their group.
She'll find another way to attach the cable up there, whether it's Hellaball or climbing up herself once she finds an appropriately high bit of rubble to use as a starting point. While she doesn't say anything about what she's setting off to do, Ninety-Nine does look around in a way that should communicate that part.]
Restricted how? [Maybe they're all restrained in some way.]
no subject
I don't feel as tough as I usually do, but it's really more with my kotodama. I can't use my shortcuts anymore, and I can't make food.
And my throat starts getting sore waaaaay sooner than back home.
[She shrugs, exaggerated.]
I don't really get it, though. It can't be the doctor. If she wants us to succeed, powering us down wouldn't help.
no subject
[She can't make it right now, which is the more important part, but Ninety-Nine's stomach is getting somewhat ahead of her. It grumbles at her, creating a troubling groan that rattles worryingly in the empty hollow of the tunnel.]
Maybe we're only allowed to be as strong as her science can handle.
[If Dr. Bei built the portals that brought them here, maybe they could only transport what they could carry, like a bag holding supplies.
Will it always be like this? When she thinks about it, it's hard to envision the end of their quest. But that's always how Ninety-Nine approaches targets; never more than a few steps forward at a time.]
no subject
[She just sighs, shrugging exaggeratedly.
That said... Ninety-Nine's theory is the one that's made the most sense to Kotoha so far, and she lifts a hand to her chin thoughtfully as she considers it.]
Aaaah... yeah, maybe. Like these powers and abilities aren't all supposed to exist here, so there's only so much that can be transmitted here. Makes sense to me.
It's kind of a pain, though. Did you lose some abilities too?
no subject
[When it comes to her own powers, Ninety-Nine wonders how much is worth explaining. That her restraint feels muffled and dampened here, not making her weaker but making her constantly feel on the brink of losing herself? That would just make them all think there was no hope of controlling her.]
I don't pay too much attention when I'm fighting - fight, forget, move on to the next target. I don't feel like I recover my energy as fast. ... I'd be much more dangerous with a sword. [The huge claymore she usually uses compliments her fighting style and cleaves through multiple enemies at once; with just her twisted hands, a knife or two, and a baseball bat at her disposal, she lacks the massive destructive power a five-foot blade gives her. The lack of available huge weaponry is definitely her biggest nerf.]