Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 18.1[24]{29}

 

Most of the teen-adults gained Copper Playerbands, with both strong 'rewards' and a strong promise of possible advancements to come. Fewer gained the Silver Playerbands. Only very few gained the Golden Playerbands. Each Playerband Caste had three lesser rankings being copper, silver or golden symbols (being the same as the main colour) numbered one to three with the lesser numbers being more common. Thus a Golden Playerband could have one to three golden stars. Then there were some exotic coloured Playerband Castes with their own lesser rankings but these could be one to three of copper, silver or golden stars.

 

The Fireblood Triplets were the only Ruby Players with three Golden Stars.

 

The terms metaclone, and metahuman, came to the fore being what the group teen-adults actually were, being born special cloned metahumans born in the wombs of surrogate mothers. They belonged to a far bigger group known as metafolk.

 

Even as the metahumans started to process the changes, the gaining of much vital information, they gained new prizes, new resources. 100 metadogs, 100 metacats, 100 metachimps appeared all enhanced with some special abilities. Then there were the hovering fanjet lifted globes of droids, the chunky humanoid robodroids and replicant androids different from Uzi, Abe, Eve, Ivy and Ono.

 

There also appeared many cubecanisters of of special equipment-supplies, mostly supplies.

 

Not all metahumans were happy with their Playerband levels and ranks. Daris, a Copper, one copper star, Player started to rant-rave about unfairness, cheating and elitism. He attacked the new Player Leadership and the Fireblood Triplets along with others. It soon became clear to others that he belonged just where he was, which was at the very bottom of the pyramid.

 

Jessie walked amongst neatly stored stacks of 1x1x1 and 2x2x2 cubic metric sized cubecanisters. She was in a big chamber, a metallic stone antechamber to a glowcavern that had recently been found. Droids were humming around, carrying the smaller cubecanisters, while robodroids thumped around carrying the bigger cubecanisters.

 

Daris came rushing at her, firing his autorifle as he came, or at least he tried to for the weapon safeties refused to let him do so. This was a method used at Homebase or when conditions made it easier to shoot comrades through 'friendly fire'. It could be bypassed by the shooter but Daris was in such a frenzied state of mind that he did not seem to know that no caseless cartridges were being used, that no bullets were shooting out of the end of the autorifle barrel. Yet that was not the concern which was that packed to his chest were advanced plastic explosives with a button attached.

 

Shots rang out and Daris was dead before Jessie could intervene to take the fool down with out killing him.

 

But then Daris transformed and returned. A new solar elemental human had come to serve the group but Daris had not so good news to impart.

Edited December 7, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 18.2[25]{30}

 

“Something dangerous, cunning, is amongst us and it used me, infiltrating my mind through my confusement and self pity. I, Daris, was not the threat but just the puppet of it. I will go now and use my new abilities to serve the good of the Playerteam.”

 

Jessie realised that she was not surprised, that she had 'sensed' that something was not right. That the triplets had done so as 'almost one entity'.

 

Then it came to her, and to her triplet 'siblings', at that moment who it was who had been trying to strike at her using Daris. How the truth came to them was not so clear. It was as if being there when Daris died, but did not stay dead, had somehow caused the Fireblood Triplets to 'pick up' some kind of psychic-psionic link and to follow it back to the sender.

 

At once she set out to confront that one!

Edited December 7, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 19.1[26]{31}

 

Golden Playerband (2 Golden Star) Erenchard shrugged as if he had done nothing wrong, as far as he could see, and then spoke with a tone of arrogance. “You do not fit into the Player Pyramid so it was just rational that you be removed. Order is the way. Also I want my path to supreme power to be a more easy one. I do not think you Ruby Players would go along with my plans.”

 

He was edging backwards even as Jessie, Johnnie and other Players were edging towards him in the fair sized chamber used for storing items gained, in trade, in increasing quantities from the local folks. Now, and then, he flickered from one spot to another, moving with impressive speed, but he was trapped and he knew it.

 

Jessie sighed. “You will not change your ways?”

 

Erenchard snorted in derision. “Of course not! I am strong of will and confidence. I will prevail where others, who are weaker, will fail. It is my destiny to rule. It has spoken to me and has shown me my true destiny. I am superior to others in the Playerteam and we are superior to the creatures that inhabit this place. It sickens me, now, that you adopted a mere wozzle and a neobaby.”

 

Then Erenchard burned away, screaming and writhing. Yet his gear remained and fell to the floor. It could be used again in future. There was no returning of a transformed Gameplayer this time.

 

Johnnie shook his head. “Erenchard went too far, somehow, broke the rules in a way that would not have him return. Question is, what 'spoke to him' and showed him his 'true destiny'? Something is stalking us all, is at the edge of the Playerteam, and we must all be more careful from now on. A new set of procedures, and protocols, will be put into place but what we really need to be is more aware, more cautious, smarter.”

Edited December 7, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 20.1[27]{32}

 

More local refugees came to the area and settled in three glowcaverns fairly close to Homebase. Many of the, previously arrived, settlers left the first local settlement and joined the newcomers in living in three new villages. The second group was much bigger than the first.

New challenges arose as there were robed ones amongst the newer refugee group that were Elderhood Elders. They appeared to be more arrogant, more outspoken, than the quieter Guardianhood Guardians were. It soon became clear that there was a schism between the Guardianhood and the Elderhood. This effected all of the refugees and more than them, having an impact on the whole region and its peoples.

They were in the DeppenSouth, of the Haven Caves, being mostly clans that were subdivided into tribes. There was the Orderhood of the Orders being the Elderhood, Guardianhood, Guardhood, Magehood, Headlerhood, Sagehood and others. There were the more common peoples of the Commoncari and then there were the more different, more isolated, rarer Exoticari.

Commoncari were such as elves, wozzles, dwarns, saffron humans, centaurs and a fair few others. Exoticari were such as breings, octipors, nhulls and kjiins.

There were also the dragonfolk (including dragons) and the djiins but they were of separate categories showing their special impact on the local ways.

The Orderhood had its own Elders but they were being increasingly challenged by the Elderhood that, in theory, was meant to be serving-supporting them as was traditional. The Guardianhood had its own special, somewhat mysterious, purpose but found itself supporting the Orderhood Elders against the increasing foolishness of the Elderhood Elders. Yet matters were not actually so straight forwards as elements, in both the Guardianhood and Elderhood, supported the other side. So far there had been no open conflict but secret actions had been carried out by both sides.

Edited December 7, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 21.1[28]{33}

 

AteriaTua met Johnnie Fireblood in secret, the two sitting cross legged and the teen-adult human dwarfing the wozzle. They were in a small cave chamber with a small opening, to a fertile glowcavern, hidden by undergrowth. Both Players and wozzles guarded the area but the two were alone in the cave.

Johnnie spoke. “The humanoids, with the things inside them, what is their nature?”

The wozzle Guardian spoke. “From your digital recordings, that you have shown me, they are wild kjiins, or kjiini-tarna, taken by the infestation. As you already guessed, infestation is what we refugees came fleeing from, seeking some kind of sanctuary here. In theory the nearest infestation should be a very long way away from here. This is most disturbing information. We have picked up no other reports of infestations in this area.”

Johnnie nodded and used his 3DPTC to project a 3Dmap into the air, being a rough idea of what the layout of the area was from information gained by the Playerteam. Markers indicated Homebase, the older refugee settlement area and the newer refugee settlements.

He spoke. “The Golden Players, of my Playerteam, wish to know more about the divide between the Guardianhood and the Elderhood.”

She nodded. “Your people have gained a surprising amount of information by bribing some of our people, by sneaking around and listening to conversations. Yes, we pick up that.”

Johnnie frowned. “None of my Playerteam have done any such thing. They have kept your privacy in mind. After Erenchard we started a major security check that is almost completed but we would have known, by now, if you had been spied on by any of us. Our security concerns are not linked to you but internal power struggles as influenced by a powerful, dark, outside influence.”

AteriaTua arched her wozzle eyebrows in concern. “Such does not sound good and could easily be linked with the troubles that you have had with some of your people. If a powerful dark entity, of some cunningly stealthy kind, is around here it does not bode well for any of us. Even an 'independent' dark entity could be trouble. In truth there is no such thing as a truly independent dark entity, of that kind, for all are tied to dark factions at least to some extent.”

She continued to speak. “There is too much that we do not know about what is happening except that the infestation is linked, somehow, to the GrandAncients' power-artefacts. We, the majority of the Guardianhood, wish to make them more secure in our region to stop them being used but the majority of the Elderhood has come to believe that they can use the power-artefacts to better understand and defeat the infestation.”

Johnnie shrugged. “Perhaps you can find a practical, positive, compromise in which the GrandAncient power-artefacts are secured and very carefully studied to see if they can be used safely, that is with out making matters worse.”

AteriaTua nodded. “I suspect that such an answer will work if only to seal the damaging schism now taking place between two powerful Orders. There is a problem. We would need to ask you to give up control of the power-artefacts.”

Edited December 7, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 21.2[29]{34}

 

Johnnie responded. “We will keep firm control of the first power-artefact area we found and you can take on the second area. Our Playerbands seem to give us more stable and intrinsic links with the artefacts. We are still learning. We do not know how we ended up here except that one day, back on our home world, we all got delivered exotic headbands. We felt impelled to put them on and then we found ourselves in this area of this world that is seemingly very much like a gameworld we triplets helped to create.”

The two of them ended up exchanging general information about the two worlds, about their backgrounds, both taking notes. It was to be the first of many such meetings but in future they would involve more, and a wider variety, of people from both sides.

Edited December 7, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone

Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)

One 22.1[30]{35}

 

At the same time that a large, raggedy, band of over 200 kjiins arrived as refugees, 183 more teen-adults materialised bringing robots, androids and pet-companions with them along with a whole lot of equipment-supplies.

Somehow it was no surprise that the kjiini refugees were survivors from the infestation outbreak that had taken so many of their warriors.

The infestation had come in the form of bizarre infestator creatures that died even as they infested people, shrivelling up as they did so. The infestators had strange strengths and weaknesses but could clumsily run, climb, fly and swim.

They were not true lifeforms but appeared to be some kind of weird remotely controlled entities for if that 'alien form' of control was lost, the infestators quickly died. None seemed to know why this was so but some suspected it was because with the 'control link' there was also a service-support link.

The kjiins settled down in their own new village, with the assistance of the others in the area. Being an overly proud, independent, people they were hurt by having been forced to leave their home territories. They were soon doing things in exchange for any help that they gained. They vowed that one day they would return to reclaim those home territories.

The newly arrived Players appeared with their Playerbands that already bore prime colour codes and rank symbols. They had with them more types of weapons, tools, instruments, robots and androids but also vehicles, building modules and other items.

The Golden Player Leaders were not totally happy with the idea of giving up control of about half of the area of GrandAncient artefacts the teen-adults had found. Yet it made sense in that doing so strengthened a new alliance with local people. It also helped that giving over control, of the second area of the artefacts, assisted the new compromise agreement formed between the Guardianhood and Elderhood of the Orderhood. That in turn meant stability and a focus of efforts against the threat of the infestation.

There were Guardianhood, and Elderhood, people who were not totally pleased with the new arrangement but they also supported it for pragmatic reasons.

Edited December 7, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone
Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)
Zero 4.1[5]{36}

Infestation activation spread amongst the Atlantians, turning folks into zombies or other forms of the living dead while from some arose infestators bursting out of them. The original infestation spread did not come from infestators but from the spread of tiny infestation parasites.

Yet there were many who had varied forms of immunity gained by that earlier form of infestation. There were totally immune non carriers, immune carriers who would never become living-dead and immunes who became strange living creatures.

There were those who turned straight away and others who were living time bombs ready to become living-dead at any moment by either dying of the infestation or for other reasons.

Many failed and fell to pieces as shamblers.

Zombies, ghouls, vampires, lichs and other kinds did not fail.

Doppelgangers kept much of their old appearances but became of the living-dead.

Fighting broke out across Atlantis as the immunes fought against a growing tide of shamblers, basic weapon using zombies, gun toting ghouls, crouching ghoulers, bizarre vampires, even more bizarre lichs and deceptive doppelgangers.

As the great city burned, it had been rebuilt but never did regain its former glory, a desperate plan was hatched. Atlantians had already gone from Atlantis to establish colonies elsewhere and refugees were fleeing to go there by ships and flying-craft.

Bad news came to the Atlantis Leadership, those that remained alive and able to command, that living-robots were being infested. The living-robots had been a semisuccessful experiment of the Atlantians. They had proven to be difficult to maintain and on the slightly erratic side so only a few hundred had been created but had been maintained. Now they were proving to be vulnerable to the infestation; many were becoming living-dead monsters.

Yet there was mitigating news for not all! Some were fighting against their living-dead counterparts being immune in one way or another. A few were become living monsters that dealt terrible damage against the living-dead.

Ranskansar, High Elder of Atlantis, made her gracefully fast way through the hallways of the damaged Spiral-Keep. Built centuries ago, it had once been considered a secondary building but so much damage had been done back then that it had become a more central one. Ranskansar was the Eternal Seeker, who would one day become the Fireblood Triplets.

She was seeking one whom she had become highly suspicious of and now she had found him. Drellint was fleeing along the wide corridor towards her, holding an energy weapon that glowed softly from recent use; she could 'sense' that he had probably murdered at least one person. Now she stopped him by thrusting both hands at him and sending out a pulse of energies from her saffron orange hands. The energies hurled him backwards so that he crashed onto his back and his weapon went flying away beyond his use.

Edited December 15, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone
Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)
Zero 4.2[6]{37}

 

Drellint struggled to get up but she kicked him down again and stood over him with a raygun pointed at his head. “No, I do not think so! I have been seeking the truth about you for a long time, High Sage Drellint, and have been undermining many of your schemes. You designed the living-robots knowing that one day they would become infested for you are a necromancer of the worst kind.”

Drellint grinned. “A Follower of TrueLife I am but not of the infestation that creates things that I would never want to be. That is a dead body with something antinatural animating it such as a zombie or a bizarre cooperative thing like a vampire or a lich. No, the living-robots were meant just as an experiment to gain more knowledge. I would be of true undeath, a thing of undeathly beauty and immortality.”

The Eternal Seeker looked upon him with open pity. “There is no such thing, fool, and you are dying for somebody has poisoned you. Yes, I 'sense' it was somebody that you trusted, that has betrayed you as you have so many others.”

Drellint died and, at that very moment, Ranskansar knew who had poisoned him, who had manipulated him for many years, and she was surprised for once though not astonished. Yrallint, her father, was gone by the time she reached the Atlantian Elder Council Chambers. Many followers, and minions, went with them and much had been stolen in the way of valuable resources. Worst of all was that Drellint had stolen GrandAncient power-artefacts of elite class and dangerous nature.

She had to focus on helping Atlantis, Atlantians, before she sent out after her father but she would also start others searching for him and his entourage.

Edited December 15, 2014 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

Post Redone
Epic Survival (From Lesser to Greater)
One 23.1[31]{38}

 

The Fireblood Triplets were the first to temporarily 'transformate' their autorifles to increase their abilities in variety and effects. Guns could fire bullets with elemental effects of fire, phase, solar, explosive, spark and corrosive. Others would appear in future. Each elemental effect had its uses, some of them against exotic threats.

Other Players were soon doing the same and practise sessions, done in a large infertile glowcavern, were a busy affair carried out very carefully. There were built crude targets but holographic projected targets were also used. In another place super virtual reality network-systems were up, and running, allowing for practise in SVR realms along with other activities there, including rest-recreation.

New vehicles were small, fast, recon hovercraft (hoverjeeps) and both 4x4 and 6x6 wheel combat all terrain vehicles along with small hubcopters. The electric vehicles were surprisingly quiet and smooth running. Practice was carried out and soon training exercises also but then came the first careful patrols of hoverjeeps and hubcopters.

Modular buildings were soon being put together in less fertile areas of glowcaverns. Homebase was growing in complexity and sophistication. Solar power arrays gained power from glowcrystal light. Defence-security turrets were erected in places along with special defence-security walls, low hulking hitech. There were also shock fences. The Golden Player Leadership set up its own Leadership Council Centre.

There were some changes in the Golden Player Leadership and tensions began to grow between it and the Fireblood Triplets along with the growing number of Fireblood Followers.

Edited December 15, 2014 by Maharg67