epidemiology | EVENT ★ THE SICK AND THE DEAD

EVENT ★ THE SICK AND THE DEAD

THE LAST HURRAH

STATE OF WOODHURST

Things are bad. There's more infected on the streets every day, ravenous since their would-be victims are all boarded up in their houses. Audentes members who are infected are likely feeling ravenous now, too, and some of them are far gone enough that they might need to be subdued.

The city is in a state of panic, and the military has been given permission to use lethal force if necessary to stop people from leaving quarantine; keeping the virus contained is the number one priority of the federal government. As for the local government, all non-essential persons have been given leave until further notice for their own safety.

The police department is still running, but they're in a constant war against the infected, forced to retaliate fatally more and more each day. They have no time to focus on any other crimes.

Some citizens would be thankful if Audentes ran some "errands" for them — attempting to loot what's left of the stores, for example — or accompanied them outside as protection. Many people have family to see, some of them on the other side of the city, but it's nearly impossible to get there without a bodyguard of some sort. Someone could possibly make some cash this way, but there's something more important to do.

MEANWHILE . . .

The hospital, formerly chaotic, has devolved into outright bedlam. Theft and fights with the staff are increasingly common, and frenzied people are constantly demanding a cure the doctors don't have. Fortunately, it looks like Audentes does. Science-minded recruits have been hard at work creating a vaccine, which is widely available already, and a cure, which is rolling out slower.

Administering the vaccine is risky, as it requires escorting people to the hospital without getting killed, as well as hoping the infected constantly wandering into the hospital have been taken care of.

Administering the cure is even more so; it's highly recommended that the infected be unconscious before being given the cure. Even Bristol sufferers have to sleep! If not asleep, knocked out or otherwise sedated will do. It is absolutely not recommended for anyone to go at an angry infected with a syringe, but it's not like anyone's going to stop you... except maybe the infected.

Escorts and security guards are necessary at the hospital. The police department has offered their services, with their main priority being the vaccine. Until everyone is vaccinated, the city can't afford to think of a way to safely administer a cure to the infected population, so anyone interested will have to do it themselves. Stock up on syringes at the hospital and get going!

DR. PERCY

For those more interested in seeking out the source of the virus rather than treating it, it's not difficult to surmise that "Doctor" Percy is hiding out in the sewers. Very deep in the sewers. He's apparently built a subterranean expansion: a series of winding, metallic tunnels with many forks and dead ends. Be careful when exploring, as you might run into one of Percy's robotic bodyguards before finding him.

But once he is found, tucked away in a wide cavern . . .

It seems he's preparing a hasty exit, with almost everything packed up and his human disguise dropped. Without it, he appears to be an alien of some sort, but not one that Audentes has run into yet. His skin is amber, smooth, and slimy. He has several pairs of wide-set eyes of different sizes, but no nose. His mouth extends far across his face, and below it is a wattle, not unlike that of a turkey. Peeling off him at all times are scales; apparently, he's shedding more than just his disguise.

He's completely alone, without another Zymandis agent in sight, and not a particularly good fighter. Subduing or killing him would be easy, especially when it's several against one. When first encountered, he says nothing if spoken to, and only attempts to run.

If attacked, he will summon several robot bodyguards -- seven-foot-tall bipedal constructs who only listen to Percy's commands, directed via remote control. They will fight to the death to protect their master, who will use the distraction to again try to run.

It looks like the choices are clear: Audentes must choose whether to non-lethally subdue him or kill him. If subdued, what happens to him afterwards is still up in the air. Whatever your decision, it's highly likely you'll meet some resistance from the other members of the team, so get ready to argue.

CYOA

Each character will only be able to officially do one of the following choices.

Confront Percy.
Protect citizens.
Spread the vaccine/cure.
Other.

For the sake of tallying, we ask that each individual character submit their choice separately rather than in a group. The Dr. Percy encounter will be open for 48 hours only, after which participants will receive the outcome, which will be based on their choices. The rest will be open for 7 days, will not receive a reply, and will only be used only for tallying purposes. Making a choice is not mandatory, but the choices will affect whether Audentes passes or fails the mission.

You may of course thread out other options, but they will not count for the purposes of the pass/fail tally. Again, you may only officially choose one option per character.

OOC NOTES

Because this log is being posted late in the month, threads are eligible for March or April AC, but not both. Though the encounter with Percy will be a short one, the rest of this log will last two IC weeks. After that, characters will be immediately rifted away from Woodhurst without warning.

THOSE WHO RECEIVE THE CURE: As the virus is not a degenerative disease, characters will suffer no lasting (physical) trauma caused by it. Side-effects from the cure may include nausea, weakness, vertigo, rash, brain fog, numbness of the face, insomnia, dizziness, fatigue, heart palpitations, or vomiting. This may last for anywhere up to four weeks.

THOSE WHO RECEIVE THE VACCINE: Side-effects may include irritability and hunger for anywhere up to four weeks.

Questions about Woodhurst can be submitted to this thread. Questions about the game in general should be directed to the FAQ. You may submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.

All bounties listed with a 3/25 due date are now closed. There are two open bounties remaining on the Bounty Board, which will need to be turned in by the end of the mission on 8 April. ( 1 2 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, this place hasn't been taken care of, yet? [From the other side of the fence, where Naruto landed, came a nonchalant little hum. Ban, squatting down beside Naruto as he pried serrated metal from himself, gave the young man a grin before lifting his head to give the horde on the other side of the fence a bored huff from his nostrils.]

You're all alone, today, brat?

[ Ban, y u gotta always show up when he's not at his coolest, dammit. ]

Yeah- I guess everyone else is busy, there's a lotta people who need help.

[ He straight up hates being alone but he's not going to admit to that, and it's not exactly a good time to be feeling sorry for himself. Awkwardly and very slowly he manages to almost get to his feet whilst trying to set himself free. ]

Are you all alone too?

[~~Because he's the kindest in those moments...~~

The fence was shaking and the concrete around the posts holding the fence up was loosening. It could handle a few people forcing their weight against it but when it came to a dozen and more--that was a different story. Ban hummed and slipped his hand into his bag of holding, tossing Naruto a canteen.]

I usually work better when I'm alone. [It was more so that he made people feel less uneasy when he was. The amount of harm Ban was willing to take in missions didn't offer up much for people without a bit of stomach.

He came to realize what sort of person Naruto was, the moment he saw him take a path of escape rather than one to fight and subdue the infected. He could probably subdue them all easily but it would likely end with a number of them being hurt if he was exhausted enough. It was really difficult to pull punches when one had fewer tricks available. It reminded him of that man, more and more.]

Drink up. It's a healing potion. [Really, it was a bit of water with a few drops of his blood but--Ban knew that wasn't an amazing selling point for most people.]

[ Naruto isn't expecting it and if he wasn't a ninja he probably would have dropped the canteen, but he catches it and holds it firm and still in both hands; he's stopped being suspicious of Ban by now, but he's still not totally okay with drinking an unknown substance, so he waits. Once it's identity is revealed (however slightly fabricated it might have been) Naruto quickly downs most of the contents in a few large gulps. He's been working hard today, okay, he's thirsty as well as in great need of something to make him less battered. ]

That's a load 'a rubbish. No-one works better alone, they just think they do. If ya have more people then ya have more ideas and more eyes and ears to know what's goin' on, and more support to make sure ya win, y'know. If you're out here by yourself then you could get hurt an' no-one would ever know, but if ya had a teammate then you'd be okay.

[ Naruto nods, wipes his mouth on his sleeve and turns back to look at the zambies zambie-ing through the fence. He seems to be considering something, and it's almost definitely not the fact that he's doing exactly the same thing that he's currently berating Ban for doing. Naruto isn't against working as a team, he just fails to ever think that he might possibly find himself getting hurt. Which is ironic considering he's standing there supping on a healing potion... ]

Alright. [ He says once he's drained the canteen, and then hands it back to Ban. ] Team up with me.

[With the canteen tucked away, Ban released a hefty sigh. His blood was enough to heal injuries that were immediately fatal in moments, so Naruto would be as good as new. At the very least, the kid looked like he was in good shape. Ban felt worn out in comparison. Going toe to toe with Lancer had him tired, even if he made an easy show out of concealing it.

Even so, he wasn't worried about it. Naruto managed to etch his name into Ban just by echoing the same concerns that fell from mouths friendly to him. The fact that it took Naruto so little energy to show concern about him was troubling and reassuring. He could swear he heard Meliodas saying the same things with the same reassuring smile on his face.

What he thought of wasn't what he was missing but what Olivia told him--that he couldn't just replace those people.]

...Alright. [So, he wouldn't. The cheerful hum that fell off his tongue was fake but then it almost always was.]

I'm callin' the shots though, brat~.

[ Naruto has a pretty decent re-gen ability, both due to his heritage and that big ass monster living inside him, but the blood really does help speed it up and soon Naruto is back to a more typical level of energy, just as animated as usual, if not more. ]

Eeeh? I said team up with me, not boss me around, y'know! [ Normally he'd bitch and demand to be the leader himself but.. there isn't a great deal to lead here. He wasn't doing much before he'd been accosted by not-undead and doesn't have a great deal to do right now that he's free. ] And I ain't no brat, either.

[ He puts his arms behind his head and starts to walk. Where to, he's not sure, but he tends to just run into action when he least expects it, and somehow assumes that Ban is probably similar in that sort of way. ]

If we're gonna be teammates it's gotta be fair, y'know. I've had garbage teammates before an' it's never worked out, so I'll trust you and you trust me an' maybe this'll work out.

[ That makes him think, and he turns to give Ban a look. ] So I should pay ya back for the potion, huh? To make us even. [ He doesn't have anything similar in his pockets or in his bag-- all he really has is his hastily refilling pool of energy, and he can't figure any way to share that with Ban, so he frowns in thought. ]

Don't gimme crap about any debt~. You'd never last in one with me. [Snorting, Ban reached up to slip one hand under his collar and give his shoulder a tight rub. Rolling his shoulder in circles, Ban set his eyes on the fence, which was gradually bending in his and Naruto's direction. With the combined weight behind it and the fervor of the infected, there was no reason for anyone to be surprised that it would give way quickly enough.]

Anywaaaaay. I'm just callin' dibs on leader 'cause I'm the adult. Adults are wisened and have more experience, after all ♪. [He could make lame excuses and try to prove to Naruto that he was reliable. Ban was, somehow, quite reliable in dangerous situations like those. He had a knack for last-second rescue and controlling crowds.

It just wasn't interesting to try and be reasonable. Acting immature was much more his speed when it came to someone as energetic as Naruto. To boot, he didn't even really like trying to prove he was trustworthy or the other way around. Immediately, the first time he met Naruto, Ban realized he was a reliable and trustworthy guy.

It was Ban who doubted his own trustworthiness in the end. Ban stopped and turned to the bending fence, his lips spreading into a sneer.]

Besides, all teams need a leader, don't they?

[ It's probably worrying that Ban denying him any debt only makes Naruto want to repay it even more. He would have thought Ban would jump at the opportunity to get something out of him given what a material guy he's seemed to be so far... Perhaps what Ban seems to be and what he is are as different as Naruto is starting to think. As it is, though, he doesn't complain, and just rounds on Ban with a slightly sour expression, watching him do whatever it is that he's doing. ]

I guess. [ Kakashi-sensei is an adult, and he's the leader of Naruto's team so it makes sense, but.. He's not sure how down he'd be with following every order Ban put to him. Then again, it's not like he has to. ] That doesn't mean I'm gonna listen to ya, though.

[ He grins and lets out a shitty little snickering laugh as he comes to stand beside Ban and looks at the bending fence too. ]

What'cha thinkin'?

Fair enough~. [It was enough to steal a chuckle from Ban--which wasn't a huge feat unless one was asking for a real one. Ban stretched his arms over his head, popping a few joints in an effort to limber himself up a little. Once he felt he had limbered up enough, the crowd had actually managed to do enough climbing to bring the fence halfway down and there was a start of a scramble in their direction. Ban asked one question before spreading his hands out--a ghostly pink aura running along his fingertips.

Ban's grin and the shadows that played on his face may have seemed malevolent but his question ran the risk of completely ruining the maliciousness in it.]

How good are you at tyin' knots~?

Knots? Eh?

[ Naruto is looking from the worryingly bowing fence to the pink tinge around Ban's fingers, to the guy's face and back again in a kind of dizzying motion. He can't see how any of this requires knots-- what did Ban want him to do, tie a blanket in the way of the fence so that they couldn't see the issue and so didn't need to deal with it? ]

I can tie knots pretty good. What're we usin' knots for?

We're gonna round 'em up for their cuuures. We'll make a nice little chain out of 'em all for little Sig' to work her magic on!

[With a flourish, the energy Ban manipulated turned into something rather different than what he had given an impression of. His fingers wove a literal tapestry of ribbons which darts between his fingers and hung like thick, silk ropes.

The malevolence in him vanished with surprising ease now that the spell had come to fruition. Ban held out an armful of the ribbons towards Naruto.]

Aah, yeah! Yeah, good plan!!

[ He doesn't know who's magic Ban is talking about but he's immediately up for the challenge once the ribbons are in his arms. He's kind of overwhelmed by both the trick and the sudden responsibility, but if it'll get these guys the help they need faster, he's all for it. ]

Can ya get close to 'em bein' undead an' all? How're we gonna make sure they're all safe, tied together like that? Put 'em back to back?

[Ban continued to pull ribbons out of the air--thinner ones meant for children in the group as Naruto steadied himself.]

I'm safe~. Diseases don't work on me. So, even if they bite away, nothin' is gonna happen~. [Except Naruto would be treated to a whole new world of horror, sure.]

Ahhhh. Wait, how about you? Do your clones get sick?

Nah, they're not real, so they just disappear when they get bit.

[ Somehow, like a cat with a ball of string, Naruto has gotten himself tangled without really moving, so he's working on organising the bundle of ribbons he's been given into something that won't ultimately strangle him. Once he's freed his arms enough to form a hand-sign, he summons a couple Narutos who take the armful of ribbons between them to stave off any further disasters. ]

But they've gotta catch us first, y'know. [ One clone says, grinning up at Ban. ] I'm super quick.

Oi. [Ban briefly looked dejected as Naruto nearly strangled himself with the ribbons almost instantaneously. He opened his mouth to suggest making clones to help but Naruto had already gotten through the knots easily enough--so, it didn't bear any need to air out.

He grinned, watching what Naruto did to create his clones. Up close, it seemed like a strange way to cast a spell but it didn't look at all ridiculous. Naruto lined up his hands so perfectly that it looked as if he practiced it countless times before.]

Kahaha, my turn, theeen. Hunters' Festival!

[With a short gesture from both hands, Ban breathed out a sigh and a pulse of air surged from his body in an outwards motion. The surge of air came back in an instant, shaking the ground.

Nothing was displaced at all but without any warning at all, the infected slumped and lost their will to push any further. The fence was bent down but they didn't seem capable of going more than a few feet beyond it.]

[ Naruto's clones are second nature to him now - he can literally form them in his sleep he's so used to summoning them - and Ban had already told him he had a friend with similar abilities.. because of that Naruto doesn't even attempt to make the procedure look flashy. Unlike Ban, who may or may not have intended his ability to look cool, but somehow managed to do so enough that Naruto and his clones all gasp simultaneously. ]

What was that?! What did ya do?!

[ Naruto practically shouts, kind of forgetting about the ribbons in his arms and taking a few steps over to Ban, sparkling eyes looking up at him. The movement kind of drags his other clones behind him via the ribbons bundled between them, but they're just as amazed as their original, so don't seem to mind. ]

How did ya do that????

[Though Ban casted the spell all at once--he didn't use it in full force. He let out a slow exhalation, wasting the rest of his magic so it wouldn't touch Naruto or his clones and he wouldn't drain the people around them to the point that they would crush each other. He kept his hands separated, watching as Naruto went to work with the ribbons, readying himself in the event that he might have missed a few infected.

The amazement in Naruto's eyes was multiplied and left him further in that pit of confusion.]

Ah? It was my magic.

[They were getting to work but the awe was getting to him and Ban ended up scowling.]

Look, just hurry up!

[ Magic isn't something that exists in Naruto's world, okay. As much as chakra might seem pretty magical it's not so exciting when literally everyone has it. The magic he's seen here is way more impressive, he thinks, than anything he's seen in his world. But he should probably knuckle down to the task at hand. ]

Alright, alright, fine!

[ He gets back to it, tying quick loops and knots to band the bodies together securely. He makes a mental note to ask Ban what exactly his magic entails later though, maybe once they've deposited their not-zombie chain to whoever it was that could help them better. ]

[Though the crowd didn't consist of any actual superhuman people, the amount of power Ban got from them was enough to add a great deal of strength to him. The second it bottlenecked into him, a few veins ended up popping out visibly along the backs of his hands, his brow, his neck and biceps. Muscles tightening from trying to keep the extra strength under wraps, Ban huffed and summoned one more ribbon to tie around the rest of them as a base--the tether meant to hold the rest of them together.

Once Naruto finished, it would all look like a well-wrangled pen. The problem would be then getting them down ten blocks to the vaccination center.]

Alright, now I'm gonna loosen my magic and they're gonna start getting up. [Ban held one tether out, tossing it to Naruto.] You hold one end--I hold the other. If we pull 'em in two directions while they're tied up--we can lead 'em down the street and I can drop 'em with the spell, again!

[ Naruto's eyes widen at the visible signs of Ban's power reacting with his body. He can't be sure, but he can infer what the magic might entail from the visible clues. The three Narutos have to tug on the rope together to keep it taught and level with Ban's strength and Naruto knows he's a powerful guy, but has he always been this strong? ]

I got it! Lead the way!

[ As the stumbling infected start getting to their feet Naruto and his clones pull, focused on keeping everything according to plan but Naruto really can't help being nosy and peeking at Ban every so often in hopes of spotting some clue as to what Ban loosening his magic might mean, exactly. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ★ THE SICK AND THE DEAD

002

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject