October Intro: Louder than Sirens, Louder than Bells

[lifeaftr_mods]

INTRO LOG: OCTOBER

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr
When: October 3rd
Where: Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

The Beach: For All the Rest
The shores of Ensō are far from the tranquil, almost idyllic tropical backdrop that they should be. And so it is that while you fish, or perhaps as you go about your daily business on the islets, the first thing you will note is the persistent sound hammering at the back of your skull.

A drumming.

And it's growing louder.

The source of the drumming will, like it or not, soon become apparent. At the fringes of the trees, wielding slings and hollow, wooden pistols, is a group of large and very displeased simians who have every intent of claiming this spot of beach - yes, traveler, this spot of beach you're standing on right now! - for their own, and by any means necessary.

And they certainly don't look interested in diplomacy.
If you came armed, you might be in luck, because this conflict will require your steady hand in its resolution. If you did not...well, you may be better suited to run, or risk capture at the hands of warriors skilled, cunning, and incredibly vicious. Laugh at their monkey business all you like; they are ingenious fighters and, what's more, they're just as good at killing as they are at capture.

For the uninitiated, this particular brand of chaos doesn't usually sweep across the entire island the way it has. But those who have been here for some time will recognize the monkeys in question, and might even recognize this for what it is: revenge.

Group I: The Squeakquel
Looks like your monkeying around last month has landed you and everyone else in a spot of trouble. The monkeys in question certainly weren't happy to be confronted with others on their lands, nor are they willing to share their territory. While you may have triumphed last time you confronted them, the apes have been planning their revenge in the meantime.

Some of you were unlucky enough to become targets. Overnight, a great deal of them silently invaded the islets. Their blow-dart guns are equipped with a fairly powerful sedative that is more than capable of knocking most living creatures out - and those that were immune were simply snatched up, gagged, and bundled away.

However, it seems that some of their prisoners didn't suit their purposes, for one way or another, and thus weren't retrieved with the intention of long-term capture. Which is why a number of you will awaken in regions of the island that you've already explored.

...the really, really dangerous ones.

Whether it's a Center of Gravity, a parade of centipuppies, a contingent of Lungblossoms, a Fustercluck, or something else entirely, one thing is certain: the monkeys wanted you out of their way.

So get ready to fight for your life.

Group II: Ape Escape
If you're not one of the slightly luckier newcomers that materializes on the shore, then you're one of the unlucky ones that's managed to materialize square in the middle of the jungle. Or rather, in the middle of one of the denser, more populated parts of the jungle. The abodes woven into the canopy are crude, built of mud and sticks, but they're nonetheless sturdy.

And, as an important note - they are also swarming with monkeys. Snarling, baying, armed monkeys. Perhaps they'd be more hostile toward an interloper...if you weren't already in a cage, along with several others.

Fortunately for the newbies, they've all got something the monkeys didn't anticipate, aside from the element of surprise. Most prisoners don't arrive with knapsacks full of newly-acquired gear, and it's a good thing, too - you may very well need it, and the help of the new arrivals, to escape this place. You could always wait for the cavalry to come, but are you really willing to take that risk?

Group III: Pot Luck
As for you, you terribly fortunate third group?

You'll find yourselves suspended in wooden cages as well, though this time, to the hot curtain of whitish steam clouding your vision. It smells an awful lot like smoke down there. An awful lot like something...burning? Unlike your fellows over in the second group, these cages aren't simply a means of containing you, no. These cages are currently hanging over what might be the largest cast iron cauldron you've ever seen. All of this is, of course, for one simple reason:

Some species of monkeys are carnivores.
The acrid scent of smoke is already hot and rancid in your nostrils; the pyre beneath you has been lit, and the hungry flames are beginning to boil the water below quite eagerly. We'd suggest you hurry up in freeing yourself and your fellows - being boiled alive is not a particularly pleasant way to go. At least the monkeys weren't expecting quite so many main courses so soon, which allows you the element of surprise.

---

As a final note to those who participated in the Test Drive Meme, bear in mind that those threads, if all parties involved would like, can be game canon in the form of dream-like memories involving a place very much like this one, though the layout is considerably different.

All new arrivals will awake with knapsacks with their names stitched to the front. The contents of said knapsacks can be found below!

---

Feeling a tad adrift? Make sure to check the Locations Page, which has details regarding the starting areas and a handy map for those who feel better with a bird's eye view!

---

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

why

[jinglejangle]

[There are no strong feelings about blue people - and what he sees of the Drifter isn't really enough to form an impression one way or the other.

The sprite is odd - some sort of personal companion drone, he assumes? - but the acknowledgement and the thumbs up are enough to help the man relax. Whoever they are, they seem to be doing fine, which means that-

He's going to get blown up.

Well that's a little fuckin' rude.]

Whoa there!

[He thought they were pals, buddy. That they were on the same team! Fighting the same fight - though in a scenario like this he's more willing to give the stranger the benefit of doubt especially because he does manage to get out of the blast radius.

He jumps back, rolling in the way that always made Commander Reyes look like he had just taken a chomp out of a lemon whenever he saw it, shooting the Drifter a calculating look.]

You might want to be more careful with those things, partner.

;)

[hyperlit]

[Said companion sprite soon emits a pink HUD, faintly translucent, bearing the white, slightly blocky line of text:]

does not affect non-hostiles

[Which is what they have assumed Jesse to be. Assumed being the key phrase there - it is possible he is not a non-hostile, but in the present, as he seems actively engaged in fending off the simians, they would assume that he counts as a friendly.]

[No matter how far or close he may be to the blast radius, when thr Roly Poly inevitably detonates, it does no more than lift the edges of his hair and clothing, as though catching them in a very strong breeze.]

[The monkeys, on the other hand, react in precisely the way you'd expect monkeys to act upon being hit by a bomb that issues a wide, circular blast radius. Which is to say - loudly, and also somewhat messily.]

[jinglejangle]

[That drone might just be the coolest thing McCree has ever seen in his life and he's personally acquainted with one of the most cyborgs in the world.

The little HUD is something he finds immediately charming, reminds him of the old gaming systems you could find at the Watchpoints, relics of a distant past. It's...almost a little cute.

Which is probably weird to think, especially once the bomb goes off and there's just mess and stink. Makes the whole thing more impressive, and it gets McCree to stand down, letting out a low whistle.]

Hell, that might be one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

[How does it work? He's almost certain he wouldn't be able to understand it, but technology that picks its target? Who wouldn't be excited about that?]

[hyperlit]

[Their head goes to one side at that. They do not need to telegraph the "?" to communicate their utter confusion over that particular comment. It is standard drifter equipment, the same that any other would use. Their companion sprite is reliable and stalwart, truly, but no more or less than any other.]

[They do not have time to waste on further niceties. A crude spear comes hurtling through the air, taking a strip of cloth from the edge of their cloak. The Drifter whirls - a bright blue blade hums to life in their hand, hard light and slicing fiercely at the attackers.]

[jinglejangle]

[Let a man appreciate carnage in peace. It's not weird to appreciate someone's skill when their kit is outside of everything he's seen so far.

Or McCree just needs to do some self-reflection after all of this. It's hard to say.

The spear spurs McCree into action himself, forgoing admiration for the time being. He doesn't want to waste the bullets, but he can't risk getting in their way. All it takes is a second of concentration as he unholsters his gun, and then -

Bang.

Two shots, and two apes go down, bullets going neatly between their eyes.]

[hyperlit]

[They cannot help but admire his marksmanship, if distantly. Truth be told, it may be difficult to discern much of anything in regards to what they might be feeling. Their expression is veiled behind the cloth wound around the lower half of their face, with all but those ink-dark eyes and the skin between them hidden carefully away.]

[But for the record: they find it admirable.]

[The Drifter dashes - one step, two, faster than blinking and swooshing easily around the cumbersome apes. Two slices opens one of them across the spine and a third takes the fingers off another. It hoots angrily and manages to land a heavy swipe. A swipe that sends them flying.]

[They might be fast, but they weigh very little.]

[jinglejangle]

[It's not the moment for it, no, there's very real danger all around them, but seeing people fight like this...

It's something McCree's only experienced once before, and it's just as impressive now as it was then. It's much, much stranger now, though. The Drifter is someone odd, something at first glance that's even harder to understand than "angry cyborg". McCree would hesitate to call them human, what with the eyes and the brilliant skin that's visible. Humanoid. Ish.

But, as they cut down the apes like there's nothing easier, those thoughts take a backseat. Whoever they are, they're good.

And then they get knocked aside.

His first reaction is to put the monkey out of it's misery, another bullet gone, but he's turning to check on the Drifter. It's doubtful he'll be fast enough to stop catch them, but there's a solid effort going on here.

It won't do to go down in this shitshow.]

[hyperlit]

[His effort is appreciated, if nothing else. The Drifter rolls across the ground in an awkward skid-tumble, leaving behind a streak of hot pink that dribbles down their cloak and stains the ground. They roll to their feet just as swiftly, undeterred; if the injury hampers them, they make no indication of it.]

[Another monkey's looming up behind the pair of them. They have a few shots left in their rifle, and so they snap it upright and send a round cracking through its skull.]

[It drops soundlessly to the ground.]

[The Drifter half-sags, one arm wrapped about their middle, but the rifle slips back within the folds of their cloak and their blade is once again drawn. A little blood spilled isn't about to stop them from raising a little hell.]

[jinglejangle]

[There's a clever, quick little bastard, aren't they?

And full of plenty of surprises.

McCree can't say he knows where that rifle came from, but he's glad for it. He's off his game in a major way, and while he feels a little useless he's going to make a note for when all of this is done.

You can't just have someone save your life and not do anything in return. That ain't right.

The hot pink (it has to be blood, right? Vibrant, over-saturated blood to match their vibrant, over-saturated skin?) concerns him, but it doesn't stop him from dropping two more simians that are starting to make their way over.]

'nother blow like that and you should consider gettin' yourself patched up, kid.

[There's no doubt they're a skilled combatant, but it never hurts to get the reminder that hey, you're not invincible.]

[hyperlit]

[Their companion forms a sign with a quiet chirp.]

+

[Possibly inexplicable, save for the fact that its status a first aid symbol might be universal enough for it to make sense to a warrior such as he. They carry the equipment necessary to mend themself swiftly, but their supply is limited.]

not hurt?

[jinglejangle]

[A first aid symbol is definitely a surprise to McCree. Useful little thing, whatever it is.

He waves a hand at the question dismissively.]

Ah, no. You don't gotta worry 'bout me none.

[There's nothing life threatening, anyways - it's a low priority situation that can wait until this is all over.

If there's an end.]

[hyperlit]

[That's a suspiciously vague enough response that would lead them to believe that he might very well be injured, but has simply elected to brush it aside. However, they cannot say they've not employed the very same measures for their own purposes, so to pursue that line of thought now would be ill-advised.]

[And so for now, they take the words at face value with a respectful dip of their head - before spinning around, blade drawn, to streak back into the fray in earnest.]

[They're fast, make no mistake, their motions darting and precise. Even if it ends with a spattering of monkey-red all over across the ground.]