Derm[1] - Stay in the same body for the entire world.
[5] - Kill someone without being seen.
[2] - Find and meet with atleast three other contestants.
"Feh" Derm grumbles, and kicks some rubble aside.
Scan surroundings for anything potentially useful. Also dig up information on who the kid is.
[6] - You don't hide yours (or, really, Solomon's) impatience, kicking a pile of rubble with remarkable force. You quickly realize why it's a stupid idea. The other three hunters laugh as you hold your aching foot. [4] Embarassed, Solomon's mind returns to shout insults at you. You feel a presence of sorts getting larger and larger in the back of your head, but you strike back and emerge as the victor in this contest of wills.
[3] Your guide takes his time, and you strike up conversation with the others. Through insults, mockery and digging through Solomon's memory, you discover he's a local, living some distance down the coast, who you hired as your guide. He told Solomon his name, but the man wasn't particulary interested. People up here are thought to be only slightly better than the Greens by Southerners such as Solomon.
He ignores the insults and questions thrown at him when he finally returns, beckoning them to follow in silence. The hunters don't seem to care for his signs, bellowing and generally making more noise than a traffic jam. You join them - it comes naturally with Solomon constantly nagging inside your head. The guide sighs and continues on regardless. [4] He leads you through a maze of rubble-strewn alleyways and into crumbling tunnels, where you can't shake the feeling the ceiling could collapse on you any minute. You see no Greens, though you do hear running steps and see flickering shadows time to time.
[4] You find your way out of a half-flooded subway tunnel, the hunters grumbling because they got wet. You emerge to a wide boulevard that must've been quite pleasant-looking before the cataclysm here. It might be interesting to visit a non-destroyed version of this city after you've won the contest, if there is such a dimension. Solomon makes it clear he doesn't understand your sentimentality.
'They's got a den around here somewhere. The place is usually crawling with Greens.' your guide says, taking up a more alert posture. The boulevard looks abandoned to you. Your body's previous owner cuts in to boast that he could find any Greens hiding here, without this guy's help. Digging through his mind, you find that his co-workers would most likely also prefer free hands with their hunt.
Name: Solomon Ayers
Mind: Rebellious/Fully Known
HP: 40/40
Traits: UnathleticEquipment: Rusty Hunting Rifle
[4/6], First Aid Kit [1/1]
Next Possible Jump In: 6 turnsShadow[1] - Convince ten people to follow and work for you.
[6] - Take control of atleast two different bodies.
[2] - Manipulate someone to kill atleast three people
Go above ground, and begin recruiting people saying that it is for the freedom, and rights of the mutants we will fight, and do everything we can to make it known that us mutants are the dominant species, and all who look down upon us shall fall.
[5] - You leave the women and children below and head up. There are two paths outside - a long tunnel, leading to the city outskirts, and the sewers, which this place is connected to. You try to look for more information about these chambers from Enn Reh's mind, but he doesn't know much. He's lived here all his life.
Enn Reh's mental databases have detailed directions for you, which come naturally to you in your host's fully-opened state. The sewers seem surprisingly clean - you suspect they've been flooded atleast once, and there's been little use for them since the attack. You're intrigued by the myriad graffiti and almost cave-painting like symbols on the walls. Digging through Enn Reh's mind, you discover each young man of the tribe makes his mark on these walls when he enters manhood. A mental image of various geometric shapes, all coming together to form a stylized sun, flashes through your mind. Looks like Enn Reh is quite the artist.
[1] You reach the end of your mental map, and begin climbing up a ladder to the surface. When you're mid-way there, there's a slight groan of metal from above you. [1] Then a louder one. And louder. The building above you begins to crumble, the shaky rusted supports finally giving away under its weight. You can do nothing but watch as the entire building comes crashing down on you. Rubble rushes down towards you, and the world goes black.
[Damage:8] Miraculously, you awake a few minutes later - covered in dust and broken stone, but alive and mostly unharmed. Good luck, there. You'll have to find another exit now. Enn Reh's mind shows a few known exits, but they're quite far away. There should be non-safe exits nearby, but you can't know what you'll find above them.
Name: Enn Reh
Mind: Subdued/Fully Known
HP: 52/60
Traits: Skilled Combatant,
Voice of AuthorityEquipment: Junk Spear Next Possible Jump: 3 turnsBrass[1] - Kill ten people without changing bodies.
[5] - Convince someone to follow and work for you.
[3] - Have someone else tell you the exact location, date and recent history of this world.
"Hello, gentlemen. What are you doing here? You two seem like you are strong and fast, good enough to be doing something somewhere other than here." Brass spoke politely, and spiced it with some compliment. That was the way to speak in a dangerous situation, Brass knew.
Attempt to speak with the two strangers, ask why they are here, etc. Be friendly and polite, and butter the words up a bit. Try to gauge how smart they are. Don't get too close to them, and of course, be ready to dodge or defend if they start attacking.
[6] - You speak politely and in a friendly manner, showing you mean no harm. Though you're not sure why - the gun probably isn't helping, despite its lowered state - it doesn't work exactly as intended. Instead of stabbing you, they approach to grab your arms. You put an arm up to stop them, and to your surprise, it works. They talk to eachother briefly in what might be English mangled beyond recognition.
The shorter, more muscled one says something to you, but you cannot understand a word of what he's saying. He repeats the same with gestures, which proves somewhat clearer. [6] He wants you to follow him. You relax, and then the other one flashes past, grabs your rifle and chucks it out of the window without a word. He snickers and says something to the other one, who doesn't answer. He still wants you to follow.
Name: Unknown
Mind: Destroyed
HP: 40/40
Traits: None
Equipment: Automatic Pistol
[2/4] Next Possible Jump: 1 turnWayne Goldberg[6] - Successfully sudbue a mind.
[5] - Find and meet another contestant.
[5] - Kill someone without being seen.
Access my host's memories to find out what they want from me.
Then do that.
[1] - You attempt to figure out where Scarlet was taking them, but nothing comes up. Either she hadn't decided yet at all, or the information was locked away. You know she was their guide, and a vague map of the city, but that's where it ends. While you stand and stare seemingly at nothing, the hunters crack sexist jokes about you.
[1] - You have absolutely no fucking idea how to get from here to any of the places you do know of. You wonder if you should just take them into a random direction when the first comes up and slaps you over the face with force that sends you staggering back. [3] Time seems to slow down - you become aware of the locks on the prison of Scarlet's mind snapping as she attempts to break through. With effort that causes your body to fall over to its back, you manage to push it back down. You get the feeling it's not as safely tucked away now, though.
[2] The hunters loom over you, while you attempt to pull yourself back on your feet. There's nothing warm in their smiles. This is not what you expected this contest to be like at all.
Name: Scarlet
Mind: Rebellious/Mostly Known
HP: 30/30
Traits: Experienced TrackerEquipment: Pistol
[4/4], Machete
Next Possible Jump: 2 turnsEcho[3] - Kill five people.
[6] - Find another person.
[1] - Destroy the mind of a host you're in and escape to another
Go along with the guy. Get the hell out of this dump. Try to strike up a conversation with the guy - a small one - along the way.
[2] - You attempt to laugh it off, but you sound more scared than anything. The youth looks at you suspiciously, and you see several other of Christopher's gang staring at you.
[6] - You move on quickly, shouting to everyone that you're leaving. It sounds both Christopher-like and very authorative, and nobody objects. The seven others in your gang - you can't connect names to many - follow you outside. A red-headed girl you judge to be about fifteen moves on to scout up ahead. You hear her curse just behind the barrier upahead. She returns with an expression of disdain.
'There's a whole bunch of fuckin' amateurs up the street. Fuckin' tourists scaring all the prey away.'
You check it yourself, and indeed, four men are standing around like fools at the far end of the boulevard. [1] Chris' mind fails you once again. You have no idea what he'd do in this situation.
Name: Christopher Short
Mind: Subdued/Mostly Known
HP: 40/40
Traits: Marksman Skills,
In Good ShapeEquipment: Scoped Hunting Rifle
[6/6], Pistol
[2/4], Machete
Next Possible Jump: 4 turnsDavey Solomon[6] - Kill someone.
[1] - Be in the area you started in at round end.
[1] - Manipulate someone to kill atleast eight people.
Say "There's something over there!" and point in random direction. And backstab her when she turns. I hope the audience will appreciate that...
[4] - You close your fingers around the spear and pretend to spot something behind the girl. She turns to look, you raise the spear. Then she turns back, saying what's most likely some variation of 'I can't see anything'. Her expression turns to confusion when she sees you pull back the spear. [4] Then you jam it inside her skull with maximum force. At this range, even if she was expecting some sort of attack from her love, she couldn't do anything.
[Damage:9+6=15] Her forehead caves in, then the jagged edges of the spear rip apart her brain. She doesn't make a sound, falling back with a thud. You pull the spear out, but notice her eyes are still twitching and rolling around wildly, so you finish her off by smashing her face in even more with your foot. You continue stomping until she's completely unrecognizable.
[2] There's a buzzing sound, which begins to grow louder and louder. You shudder involuntarily, and try to make it stop. Something pushes against your will, and you finally realize it's not buzzing at all - it's Domnikh's crazed screams of mental anguish. [5] You manage to push him away, though it appears you've royally fucked him up.
Name: Domnikh
Mind: Subdued/Mostly Known
HP: 20/20
Traits: Malformed ArmsEquipment: Junk Spear Next Possible Jump: 4 turns---
Gotta love a good, old-fashioned 'mind-control then murdering your girlfriend'.