Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 5.2[8]{9}

 

But before he could do anything both figures, the wozzle and neobaby, sparkle shimmered. A transformation took place, they 'sensed' it, but it was not discernible to the eye.

 

Johnnie opened his eyes. “The parasites have been integrated into the neobaby and wozzle; they are now strengthening the neobaby and wozzle, are no longer a threat to them but are a help to them. I think that these happenings, that keeping happening close to us, are somehow focused on us. I wonder if they are caused by us or because of us or both.”

 

His triplet sister was smiling as she fussed quietly over the pair of children. “What is important is that they are okay. Now we can care for them and focus on worrying about the rest, later.”

 

Which was when the muffled sounds of shooting came to them as a skirmish began. Some force was attacking the cavern. Joanna remained with the small ones while Johnnie grabbed up his autorifle and rushed off to join Jessie in commanding the defensive effort of their new home.

Edited November 26, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 6.1[9]{10}

 

The creatures darted towards the defenders, with bizarre but dangerous bone-skinned bodies, with double jointed arms and double jointed legs. They rushed at the defenders with strange running motions or by jumping through the air. They attacked with oddly decorated muskets, large and powerful with triple barrels, with great gently curving swords and exotic spears with burning, glowing, crystal spearheads.

 

The group members had all known violence, had all fought in battles, had all used weapons of many kinds. They aimed their autorifles and fired one mass volley and no more.

 

In one hellish moment all of the creatures were killed and they fell dead to hit the stone floor hard. A hollow silence filled the chamber. Then some of the humans went forward and began to investigate dead alien bodies. But where they alien?

 

Jessie shook her head as she looked around. “More like transformed humans than 'aliens'. Perhaps a 'cousin of humanity' from an alternative evolution. Twisted humans? To them we could be the twisted ones, the monsters. All bodies are to be carefully taken into a storage area and loot into another storage area. Nobody take anything! Items will be fairly passed out, later, to all in the group except for ones that were special to the individuals killed.”

 

The group carried out those orders and every body was triple examined. When the triplets discovered that there were strange, terrible, parasite creatures in all of the humanoids, it was also discovered that they were the same as those that had been found, in the wozzle and neobaby, and then transformed in some mysterious fashion.

 

Joanna had carefully cut open a dead 'woman', yes she had breasts and other things in common with 'human women' to expose a parasite in her skull cavity and another in her chest cavity. They had become fixed 'nodes' linked by a kind of tentacle-spine and from the 'chest-node' spread a whole 'webwork' of tentacle-nerves through out the body.

 

The body also stank of rot and it had begun to slowly break down though it seemed at an unnaturally slowed rate. The body had been dead for a fair time but it was hard to tell just how long that was thanks to the unnatural way it had been decomposing. Yet there was also another effect, a transformation of areas of skin becoming leathery like, of sections of dead flesh-bone also changing. Were they looking at some kind of 'undeath', at a 'zombie'.

 

The discovery was a very disturbing one. They also had to dispose of the flesh, both of victim-hosts and parasites. Which nicely coincided with another discovery but was it a coincidence?

 

A newly discovered mechanism broke down non living substances put into it. The dead bodies, and parasites, put into it were quickly 'deconstructed' to a basic molecular level and reconstructed into a substance called flesh-foam. This could be used in various ways, yet to be discovered, but also used with the box-duplicator and something else called a box-constructor that also had been found.

Edited November 25, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 6.2[10]{11}

 

The two devices were exposed, with the appearance of another chamber, when Wulee solved the second puzzle with holes by adding a given combination of hooks tied to sinkers and carpentry nails. They were the box-deconstructor and box-constructor.

 

A third puzzle, of holes, replaced the second one and it was clear that each puzzle was more complicated, was trickier, than the one before it. Yet some wooden stakes, and one middle finger, did the trick along with nails and fishing hooks attached to sinkers.

 

No fourth puzzle replaced the third but the puzzle faced cube transformed to become a different kind of box-vendor. This one sold exact copies of a range of items bought by the group humans into the caverns but not all items bought into caverns. The list was fairly short with an odd choice but it was useful. It sold such as self heating cupcans of coffee, full magazines of caseless cartridges, tough wearing Tshirts, pocket multiple devices (PMDs), compact digital cameras and compact survival manuals.

 

Each of the three original box-vendors now gave access to a new menu of armour and weapons that appeared to be, on the surface, medieval but which had special qualities.

 

The nature of the resources, as discovered, the way that some had arisen as if to the timely needs of the group, interested the triplets and some others. Wulee, the amazing puzzle solver, put her mind to the sequence of events that had taken place since the group had come to the caverns and the triplets used their own unique resources to do the same. Yet others in the group also worked to solve the mystery of what was happening, had happened, and amongst them appeared to be the mysterious Abe, Eve, Ivy, Ono and Uzi.

Edited November 25, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 7.1[11]{12}

 

The two devices were exposed, with the appearance of another chamber, when Wulee solved the second puzzle with holes by adding a given combination of hooks tied to sinkers and carpentry nails. A third puzzle, of holes, replaced the second one and it was clear that each puzzle was more complicated, was trickier, than the one before it. Yet some wooden stakes, and one middle finger, did the trick along with nails and fishing hooks attached to sinkers.

 

No fourth puzzle replaced the third but the puzzle faced cube transformed to become a different kind of box-vendor. This one sold exact copies of a range of items bought by the group humans into the caverns but not all items bought into caverns. The list was fairly short with an odd choice but it was useful. It sold such as self heating cupcans of coffee, full magazines of caseless cartridges, packs of healthy neotobacco, tough wearing Tshirts, pocket multiple devices (PMDs), compact digital cameras and compact survival manuals.

 

Each of the three box-vendors now gave access to a new menu of armour and weapons that appeared to be, on the surface, medieval but which had special qualities.

 

The group sent out small patrols into caves, the patrols exploring and charting as well as checking for danger. A surprise find was a glowcrystal cavern (glowcavern) with dark soil supporting exotic plants of odd looking furbushes, mushroomtrees that were neither mushrooms or trees, varied grasses and big squat bushes that supplied different kinds of colour coded, globe shaped, fruit.

 

The patrols moved carefully and found a basic variety of creatures dwelling there. Apart from insects, such as ants and butterflies, the fauna all seemed to be variations of exotic flat globular body shaped creatures each with four legs and two leg-arms, having double uses. The legs ended in paws but the leg-arms ended in paw-hands. There were small, fast, omnivores; there were middle sized, slower moving, carnivores; there were larger but even slower moving herbivores.
All moved in packs.

 

Only a carefully chosen quantity of local resources were taken. Nothing was hunted, not yet but some globe-fruits were picked. There were environmental concerns but also concerns of leaving traces of the group having been active there. Recordings were taken, along with samples, and a research chamber was set up at Homebase.

 

Thankfully no parasites were found or any threatening entities, with or with out parasites.

Edited November 26, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 8.1[12]{13}

 

Jessie sat with the children, who were playing with some basic toys made by using the box-duplicator and the box-constructor. The neobaby sat on one of her knees and the wozzle very close. They were still shaky, psychologically speaking, and reluctant to discuss their past; the triplets, who had adopted them, as had much of the group, did not push the small ones. Nor did the triplets spoil the wozzle and neobaby though other group members had a bad habit of doing so.

 

Because of the relatively small number of one chamber apartments, the triplets shared one. They were used to living in cramped areas together and in not being overly modest. They also respected each others' boundaries to a great extent.

 

Another reason was their true nature that had been kept from other group members. The triplets were linked strongly as one entity that was three semiautonomous entities. They automatically knew much about each other for, in a sense, they were 'almost each other'.

 

The wozzle suddenly climbed into Jessie's lap and, with the triplet's help, made herself comfortable. Jessie assumed that the wozzle wanted to take a nap but instead she spoke. in a sad voice of how monsters had attacked her wozzle village.

 

The monsters were of different appearances and the small one had no real idea of what they were. Common wozzles were tough fighters and their warriors, hunters, shamans were even more so. Yet the wozzle child, her name being TankiaTua, had been captured along with others.

 

Thrown into a cage, she had found the tightly curled up form of the neobaby and had adopted him at once, hugging him to herself. They found mutual comfort in each other, a bond had been formed. For the moment she ceased talking and would not speak of what had happened next.

 

Then the wozzle had wept in Jessie's arms while Johnnie popped up to hold the weeping neobaby.

 

With out knowing it, the triplets had worked their particular kind of magic again. The young ones were on the mend.

Edited November 26, 2014 by Maharg67

[Robert55]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :geek: So far so good, as long as you do not start wandering.

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

Zero 2.1[2]{14}

 

The unchanged prehumans fell back to defend themselves at their caves, frightened but determined to survive the swarms of distorted prehumans, parasite infested dead puppets, driving towards them. They lit up fires and crude torches. They prepared wooden spears, stone-axes, flint-knives and just rocks to throw down upon the enemy. For the swarms had to come up at them.

 

It seemed that they were doomed, outnumbered, and with great physical strength but 'primitive' technologies.

 

Yet they smashed rocks down upon the zombies, their heads were crushed in and they fell upon those beneath them. Any who got too far they stabbed with spears or cut with axes or struck with other weapons. Boulders were rolled down upon the enemy.

 

Then it began as some prehumans termed into elemental, or enhanced, versions of their older selves. The transformed hurled solar energy bolts or raise phase energy shields or created temporary fighting lifeforms of green tentacle-globes that struck out with tentacles and hurled rocks with deadly results. The 'enhanced' prehumans were psychic-spiritual, psychic-psionic and physical-psionic.

 

More subtle were the transformations to all of the prehumans there, the boosts to their awareness and intelligence, to the possibilities of enhanced technologies and new technologies. There also came new concepts of ways of organising society.

 

Days followed days, the battles continued, weapons were improved and enhanced with the help of the elementals and the enhanced prehumans. Prehuman technologies were not just improved when it came to war. There rose basic mathematics, biology, herbology and other knowledge. New structures, of stone, arose including defensive walls and towers of basic, sturdy, design.

 

The effected prehumans were cleansed of the infestation, were made immune to it, and at some future time they would mix with other prehumans and spread the immunity. That would be after the last of the desolate monsters, of the great hunger, were destroyed.

Edited November 27, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 9.1[13]{15}

 

Joanna walked around the long abandoned, smashed, settlement that was in the fertile, flora-fauna filled, glowcavern that stretched out quite far into the distance. Skeletal remains were there of humanoids of different kinds. There were also odd burn marks. There had been a brutal conflict fought in that place.

 

Nannette crouched inside what had been a structure of some kind. She was surrounded by tools, weapons and other things left behind. Like others, she had weapons close at hand just in case, her compact sturdy autorifle being held by her.

 

Nannette spoke. “My guess is that the defenders won, at least the survivors did, and then quickly grabbed what they could before they fled.”

 

Joanna nodded. “I agree!”

 

Andrios was examining one of the curious burn marks. “This was done by one such as myself or at least with solar elemental powers.”

 

The female wozzle child nervously sniffed the area with her strong sense of smell. “Wozzles were here but not of my tribe, my clan, my race. There were gnomes, elves and humans. The humans were not like you but with 'dirty orange' skin and hair. This place not normal village or hamlet or thorpe but something else.”

 

TankiaTua retreated to Joanna's arms, being clearly upset at something she smelt and-or 'sensed'. Joanna hugged the wozzle infant to herself. Joanna asked. “Please explain village, hamlet and thorpe.”

 

TankiaTua spoke sleepily. “Village is common big settlement. Hamlet is common small settlement. Thorpe is special settlement for special purpose. This place was of shamans, scholars and others of special learning. There are symbols here, there, and small totem sticks. Me remember odd things, know odd things. Terrible creatures come here inside dead bodies all changed; sweet little wiggly OorderTua, and me, could have become like that if changes had not happened to us. Me think things now part of us, they give us strange memories and learnings.”

 

The wozzle infant went to sleep in Joanna's arms, having thus retreated from things that she did not want to confront, at least not there and then.

 

They began to record, to take samples, to gather items up, to do a rough map of the area and of what was found where. It was a forensics like effort and quite professionally done. Yet there was much that could not be learned just by such means. Despite that the triplets would not put pressure on the two young ones so as to learn more.

 

Then they came into the open, being five teen-adults or at least what seemed like teen-adults. Abe, Eve, Ivy, Ono and Uzi were quite and impassive, tall and slimly muscular. Eve, Ivy and Ono were women while Abe and Uzi were men. Each wore much gear, had big backpacks full of more stuff and carried, each, two big duffel-bags with yet more stuff.

Edited November 27, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 10.1[14]{16}

 

Abe spoke as he looked around the abandoned, smashed, thorpe. “We were not allowed to approach you directly until now but we have secretly assisted your group. We fired upon those attackers from behind.”

 

Joanna nodded. “We suspected something like that when we found some of the dead things had been shot in the back. What do you know of this place?”

 

The triplets had informed others in the group of their suspicions. They had also been investigating the existence of Abe, Eve, Ivy, Ono and Uzi.

 

Abe shook his head, just a little. “We only have basic knowledge of the local peoples and the loose civilisation here in DeppenSouth of the Haven Caves. Tribes make up clans. There are the Orders of the Orderhood. There is the Elderhood, Guardianhood, the Guardhood and the Magehood. There are the Exoticari such as the breings, octipors and nhulls who dwell in their own zones. Those are the majority and the most known of for there are minorities and the more isolated ones.”

 

Eve then spoke. “Clearly a combined group came here to investigate something of importance. The Elderhood would have mandated it, being the closest thing to a leadership body that the area has. This is a relatively isolated, uninhabited, part of the DeppenSouth where they have little influence and yet they sent a group here, showing that they considered it important that they do so for it must have taken many resources to do so.”

 

Uzi smiled in his cool fashion. “We found the young ones, the wozzle and neobaby, and made sure that your group would discover them.”

 

Joanna gave the four a look of puzzlement. “Did you transform Andie into an elemental and change the nature of the two cuties?”

 

Ono spoke then, being the dark brown skinned one of the four. “No, you triplets did, you three that are almost one entity made up of semi-individuals. It is something you have not discussed with the others in the group.”

 

Nannette spoke out with a cheeky note to her voice. “Yes but we worked it out anyway. Otherwise there were just too many odd moments, strange coincidences.”

 

Joanna was surprised and showed it. Then she just laughed softly for the group was made up of very smart people.

 

There were many puzzles to be solved, many questions to be answered and much to be done.

Edited November 27, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 11.1[15]{17}

 

Abe, Eve, Ivy, Ono and Uzi were exotic androids. They had come out of an artefact mechanism in another glowcavern lit-warmed by glowcrystal growing over the ceiling. It was partly filled with flora-fauna based on rich soil and channels flowing with clear, cool water.

 

There were three of the mechanisms, or android-dispensers, but also another box-vendor that sold items related to the androids.

 

There were three box-vendors selling items that were copies of those brought to the caverns by the group. The range of items was bigger as were many of the items. The box-vendors sold autorifles, along with attachments to go with them, along with autocarbines and autopistols. The menu, of the other such box-vendor, changed to match that of the newly found three.

 

There were many chambers, like those found in the original Homebase glowcavern, of the same range of types except for three new kinds that were separate from the others. But when these chambers were found, three such chambers were revealed in the original Homebase glowcavern.

 

Changes were happening, apparently, in response to what the group were doing or was it more than that, was it a two way process?

 

One kind of newly discovered chamber turned out to be a teleportor, a teleportation elevator, so that soon teleport trips were being made between the two glowcaverns on a fairly regular basis. But each such trip used valuable energies and soon teleport trips were being rationed, with spare capacity being kept for emergencies.

 

Another kind of chamber was a kind of meeting room complete with table but each chamber also had other functions such as a kind of holographic projector using the table.

 

The third kinds of chamber were doorways into what? There were odd control consoles, non reversed mirror like screens, and other features. For the moment they remained semiactive only. Yet there was a 'sense' about them of they being very important somehow.

 

Defence-security became an important priority as the whole area was to be explored, charted and secured in varied ways. Patrols were sent out further and outposts were established in places not settled more heavily. It was soon that another puzzle was found to solve.

 

Then they came, a whole lot of 'they' as local refugees!

Edited November 28, 2014 by Maharg67