John immediately heads for the computer and attempts to power it on. He places his new friend nearby and in sight.
It powers on after a few moments of nervous anticipation and then loads to a boot screen you never thought you'd see again...
Now Loading Windows 7...
You curse at gar for using what was already a decades old operating system when you were frozen but decide to fully boot just in case there's anything you can do with it regardless. As it loads up you study the mouse like creature and notice that it seems to be suffocating in the sealed pop bottle. Quickly you borrow the knife from Annis and pop a few holes in the top to allow in air only to notice that it seems to be feeding spiderweb like roots through the holes in an attempt to touch your hand. Pulling back to avoid contact you see the creature almost sadly content itself with creating a wispy bush-shaped growth from the strands out the top of the bottle instead. Afterwards it doesn't even attempt to touch you again nor try to escape from the bottle though you imagine it could ooze out given enough time as well you observe that artificial lighting like what is inside the apartment and coming from the screen fails to bother the Noj specimen.
About 45 minutes of chewing on ancient rations and drinking stale water later you manage to create a creature database program on the old fashioned computer, so far the only entries are Noj and ratCarl but at the least it's something.
Database:
Noj-Fungoid Morph-Sensitivity to natural light (UV?), can change shape and split into autonomous entities rapidly, seems intent on touching humans and does not display similar behavior to other biological's. Needs to breathe, what exactly is unknown.
Defining Features-Large masses of Noj give off a popping sound that is caused by the bursting of puffballs on it's skin regardless of current shape, small Noj do not exhibit this behavior but seem more inclined to a static quadruped shape. Despite ability to change shape, maintains distinctive blue-white coloration.
ratCarl-So far only encountered one member of this species, though that member exhibits high levels of friendliness, some intelligence and does not like loud noises or loneliness.
Quadruped animal with opposable thumbs on it's forelegs, as well as two small manipulator arms set just behind forelegs. Weighs approximately 20 pounds but is larger than an equivalent quadruped would be at that weight-Is it's bones hollow or light to allow for swimming/climbing?
Defining Features-Dog sized rat with 4 legs, 2 manipulators and human like hands.
-40 mental ability
+20 exhaustion
"I... need to rest."
Nicholas finds a seat and begins to meditate, searching for ambient sources of aether. There probably won't be any(so no mana to harvest), but occasionally dimensional fluxes sent aether into worlds where there should be none.
The meditation itself is nearly impossible to achieve, you start to think that you must have been using a small amount of aether before to simply enter this state without realizing. You suddenly however enter into the familiar trance as you also detect what seems to be a tiny stable tear in this dimension into the Aetheric expanse. Normally all you'd need to do is link with it mentally and you would have a slow trickle of mana, however it seems to be heavily shielded and located some 150 km's away over land to the west. Making a mental note of it's location so that you can find it any time you want without wasting so much time again you break the trance an hour later.
-40 mental ability
+20 exhaustion
"I'm tired.... I'm gonna read these hobbies guides while I rest. Maybe there will be something useful in them." Annis takes the hobbyist guides and sits down on the most comfortable looking spot in the room.
You begin the exercise that you call reading which involves flicking your eyes over each page at a relatively rapid pace, to anyone else it would seem that you were simply flicking through a book like you would when looking for a specific page but your brain is able to rapidly absorb the information regardless. After approximately an hour of reading you've learned a number of mostly useless things like how to build a birdhouse, fix a toaster, how to paint miniatures and the various names of types of snow in Inuit. One thing you do learn however that is useful enough for you to commit it to long term memory is a short suvivalist guide on sewing, making bone needles, sinew threads and waterproof hide flasks.
-Gained Basic Survivalist sewing techniques
-100 mental ability
+60 exhaustion
"Gods, what happened out here... Atleast it looks like my sisters are safe..."
"Ah, I dont think we should go out at night, we dont really have much in the way of lights and it looked like there are alot of nocturnal creatures. Lets get some rest and food into ourselves so that tomorrow we are more ready. The gasmask really worries me though, something may still be about..."
Gar hands out food and drink to everyone, then digs around in the pile of books until he finds something on the handgun.
Failing that, he tries to comeup with some form of filter masks for everyone.
The handgun apparently has a manual on use located in the stack of books, it tells you about cleaning, taking it apart, how to order additional ammo and parts from the supplier and other general care and troubleshooting techniques for the advanced handgun. It also explains that the ammo block is a specially designed caseless auto-feed system with the explosives and projectiles being laid on top of another and lightly connected to form the block, very innovative design and entirely impossible to make without highly advanced 3d print machines. It does not however tell you how to aim, how to stand when firing or anything else useful in actually shooting things... but at least you know where the safety switch is. Tossing the manual on the bed, you notice a sticker attached to the back of it which fills you with some hope. It's a manufacturer sticker that gives the street address of where the gun was made and it's only a short drive away from you... you than realize that driving isn't really an option and that 300 km is a pretty darn far distance to walk but knowing where a weapons factory is is always a good thing.
You eat and contemplate getting everyone to tie rags over their mouths but figure it would neither do anything and would probably be too late even if it did. One thing that does worry you slightly is that your sisters refereed to the disease as the white plague and that mushroom creature John's lugging around is giving off white spores occasionally, but becoming scared of a color probably isn't the best thing for your sanity.
-30 mental ability
-20 mental stability
+30 exhaustion
"You guys! it's early yet. Come on, let's at least check out the neighborhood a little before the sun sets. you can't be that tired yet!"
Ox accepts his portion of food gratefully, and offers a bite to ratCarl, but save the rest for when he is really hungry. "Gee, thanks, Carl. You know, you're a pretty swell guy. Um, better save this for later. I'm not really hungry yet, and I don't know when we will next find food. ... You might want to save yours too, everybody."
If anyone agrees to scout out the block with him, Ox will do that, staying close to the apartment. Otherwise, ox will not go alone, even with ratCarl as companion.
"Did you guys know that ratCarl has an extra pair of legs?"
You eat because you realize that your stomach is empty and it's the best place to store food just in the situation something happens in the night, ratCarl eats with you because that's what everyone else is doing. You attempt to convince someone to go scouting with you while there's still light out but everyone is nose deep in books, computers or meditation. You sigh and think that maybe this isn't the best time for the nerds to read things. Noticing that the sun's going down and that ratCarl hasn't gone for a walk since you found him hours ago you decide it'd be safe enough to just poke your head out for a quick sec to take him out. The evening is serene and almost makes you feel like it is a camping trip. Standing in the doorway as ratCarl scurries about in the grass near the apartments step you take in a deep breathe to calm your nerves and long for the world you missed.
-20 exhaustion
-refilled mental stability
quick status:
Annis
Hydration: 100/100
Nutrition: 100/100
Exhaustion:80/100
Mental Ability:95/200
Mental Stability:80/80
OX
Hydration: 160/160
Nutrition: 160/160
Exhaustion:0/160
Mental Ability:60/60
Mental Stability:60/60
Gar
Hydration: 100/100
Nutrition: 100/100
Exhaustion:50/100
Mental Ability:120/160
Mental Stability:135/160
John
Hydration: 100/100
Nutrition: 100/100
Exhaustion:40/100
Mental Ability:90/140
Mental Stability:115/140
Nicholas
Hydration: 160/160
Nutrition: 160/160
Exhaustion:40/160
Mental Ability:120/160
Mental Stability:80/80
Database:
Noj-Fungoid Morph-Sensitivity to natural light (UV?), can change shape and split into autonomous entities rapidly, seems intent on touching humans and does not display similar behavior to other biological's. Needs to breathe, what exactly is unknown.
Defining Features-Large masses of Noj give off a popping sound that is caused by the bursting of puffballs on it's skin regardless of current shape, small Noj do not exhibit this behavior but seem more inclined to a static quadruped shape. Despite ability to change shape, maintains distinctive blue-white coloration.
Eating Habits-Does not like dead/dried meat, enjoys ancient crackers that would break your teeth.
ratCarl-So far only encountered one member of this species, though that member exhibits high levels of friendliness, some intelligence and does not like loud noises or loneliness.
Quadruped animal with opposable thumbs on it's forelegs, as well as two small manipulator arms set just behind forelegs. Weighs approximately 20 pounds but is larger than an equivalent quadruped would be at that weight-Is it's bones hollow or light to allow for swimming/climbing?
Defining Features-Dog sized rat with 4 legs, 2 manipulators and human like hands.
Author
Topic: From The Ashes-Episode 1:Chap 5:In the Dark (Read 11535 times)