You don't need to look at the time to realize the World you knew ended long ago. Just stare into the barren, snow-coated horizons showered by white blizzards, where pollinated currents permeate in between like ominous tendrils looking for something — anything to lay their accursed touch on. To make matters worse, there is not a single soul in sight, save for the frozen bodies that lay dormant under the barren fields, slowly enveloped by the all-reaching roots craving for sweet, reddish nectar. Maybe it's better this way, risking coming face to face with another "Living" One would be the last thing you'd wish for in this quiet hell.Before everything went fubar, you recall the news spread by broadcast towers on that frantic day, congratulating some team of scientists for successfully cultivating Flora to become more efficient, stronger, and adaptable amidst the rapidly worsening climate of industrial society. Only, they had no idea of the sprawling behemoth they were about to transform nature into.The nuclear winter landed hours after the Spread occurred, but even so, it was too late to completely erase The Rosebed. Rather, thanks to its many genetic improvements, and a considerable lack of humans to hinder its efforts, flower-based lifeforms expanded even further, being quick to affirm their infant organisms as the apex predators of this new world, and to relentlessly pursue those who still aren't one with its blossoming petals...
You have been aimlessly wandering around for a day — or more — without food, and eating nothing but snow has caused scars to begin forming on your trembling lips. But before you begin foraging for anything, you must make a choice. You are:>Mikhail, a 47 years old hunter who managed to survive hiding in his cottage high in the mountains, although he needed to abandon it days ago due to an approaching Spore Storm.>Very knowledgeable in both survival and combat skills, though not nearly as agile as he used to be>will often present crude and practical solutions to problems at hand>shifty temper>prone to paranoia episodes after years of talking to a flowerpot>Kolette, a 28 years old climber who was part of a scavenger group until it got forcibly disbanded after falling prey to a vine trap. Barely making it out alive, she has been left deeply scarred and marked as a target.>has the most solid survivalist experience and is average on other aptitudes, but her tourniquet heavily hinders her performance early on>will be chased by deadlier forces more often than not>is a clean freak and nyctophobe>tends to act only after being thoroughly prepared>Ivy, a 14 years old girl who awakened in a pod inside some decrepit facility. Before that, she could only recall watching the news and being taken away from home by some unknown people. >lacking in skills, although her thresholds are a tad higher>can be agile and a quick thinker but also rather careless, especially when it comes to presenting choices>has rare hallucinations that can help or worsen a situation>easily scared, will probably suffer a lot in the setting
>>6023334>Mikhail, a 47 years old hunter who managed to survive hiding in his cottage high in the mountains, although he needed to abandon it days ago due to an approaching Spore Storm.>Very knowledgeable in both survival and combat skills, though not nearly as agile as he used to be>will often present crude and practical solutions to problems at hand>shifty temper>prone to paranoia episodes after years of talking to a flowerpotFather Grigori grindset
>>6023334>Mikhail, a 47 years old hunter who managed to survive hiding in his cottage high in the mountains, although he needed to abandon it days ago due to an approaching Spore Storm.>Very knowledgeable in both survival and combat skills, though not nearly as agile as he used to be>will often present crude and practical solutions to problems at hand>shifty temper>prone to paranoia episodes after years of talking to a flowerpot
>Pietr, a 36 year old beekeeper who managed to survive by eating the honey produced by his bees. With his beesuit on and a beehive on his back, Pietr seeks a place where he might live in safety, while letting his bees live their best life with the new flora.>After a life of trying many trades, beekeeping was the thing he liked the most. Has a basic understanding of many things, but lacks depth in most things.>Prefers being alone, but gets more talkative discussing bees and flowers.>Very calm, but might get on edge if he cant satisfy his sweettooth.>While he knows the flower-based lifeforms pose a danger, he cant help himself being fascinated and thinking his bees are having a wonderful time. Gets careless sometimes.
>>6023331>Mikhail
>>6023331After climbing another snow mound on the road to the nearby town, or whatever remains of it — he couldn't even remember what it used to be called anymore — Mikhail spun his head to the side as he heard menacing the whispers of wind brushing against his ears. "Hell, I heard something. I know fucking heard something," he said, pulling his old rifle from his back.The lone hunter hadn't actually shot anything with his rifle for years, resorting to slingshots to down the oversized bugs that crawled their way up to the rotten logs of his cottage, for a specially loud noise could alert all the pollinators in the surroundings. But after losing the only haven he had to The Rosebed once again, all bets were off. "I'm not going to spare any bullets if that means I get to shoot down one of those viney fuckers straight in their holes."Indeed, even if a Pollinator had its body impossibly cobbled together with countless vines, a fine shot, specifically one aimed at their stigma, was enough down one of them. That is until a passing pollen wave germinated it anew. Fire, Mikhail knew fire was the only way to permanently down one of these demons. But it was also the most alarming one: The whole organism would turn its sense to the specific tectonic root he was standing on, and make him wish he used the fire on himself instead.Countless thoughts passed through his mind as Mikhail stood still, aiming his rifle at some stray flowerbed growing under a collapsed bridge. They glowed a deep red color, and he could feel their warmth even from this far. If only he could rest there for a while, maybe he'd finally —Mikhail's eyes flashed wide as he saw a shadow moving past the massive pillars of the bridge. A tall one, at that. He immediately flinched back and held his rifle closer to his chest, his wide beard now covered in snow. He shook his head, and gulped, staring unblinkingly at that same spot. "He could — pretend — to let it go, so as to not risk drawing attention from anything else, and continue to make his way into the city. But what if the thing took a liking for this old man's garb and carcass? It was bound to chase him later on in this case. Either way, the sunset was only a few hours away, and he had to make a decision to ensure he could live to dread another day.>attempt to pursue the shadow>continue heading for the city>write here (wins if most "agrees")Also listing some items Mikhail has with him that may be relevant to the situation:>fully loaded Mosing-Nagant>ten rounds spread over two extra magazines>lighter and matchbox>ice axe>binoculars>compass>backpack and sleeping bag
(Grammar took some hits due to my lack of sleep hence the next update will take more hours. Thanks for posting so far and stay tuned, anons!)
>>6023397>continue heading for the city
>>6023397>continue heading for the cityWhistling an old hunting tune
>>6023397>>continue heading for the city
>>6023397>attempt to pursue the shadow
>>6023397Just as Mikhail thought of moving closer to the shadow, the constant pain coming from the deep thorn scars all over his body reminded him of the same mistake he committed once. "It's another of their tangles. It wants to ensnare me whole — just like then," he murmured, biting his lips and pointing the barrel of his gun slightly upward.Shaking, he eased the grip on his rifle and distanced it from his chin. "Fuck, I wish I could just pluck out those devil blossoms one by one," he admitted, watching the patterned petals unfurl, their colors vivid against the bleak backdrops of the world.As a rule of thumb, the more flowers one saw amassed together, the more vulnerable one became to their sprawling pollen. Not only that, but smaller Rosebeds were like cactuses in this freezing desert: filled with plenty of water, proteins, and a soothing warmth — it was all he could wish for. So close, but so far. The only way to safely secure a blossom would be to find a solitary one still growing out there, which was a very unlikely scenario — and oftentimes even set as a trap, although he didn't have the luxury of choiche.Mikhail regained his composure, finally allowing himself to blink. And as he did so, the vivid red flowerbeds he stared at were now wholly murched and greyed out. And the Sun, once high in the sky, was now about to set. A shiver reached his spine as cold gusts of air returned to wash over his nape, completely ignoring the bloodied neckerchief he had wrapped around his neck.'This thing must enjoy messing with my head more than spreading its seeds around.' The man clenched his teeth, veins showing under his worn trapper hat, and began to walk backward slowly retracing his steps, and somehow mustering the resolve not to turn and run.Mikhail didn't hold any other thoughts until he finished counting two hundred steps away from that bridge view. "I've got to hold my shit together." He slung the rifle on his back and gasped for breath, holding his legs and coughing. What was he thinking, going so close to a flowerbed to chase after his nightmares? A few more moments there and he could have become their food, or worse, a Pollinator."The Spread seems worse than last time I came here. Well, water under the bridge... They must think I'm some easy prey," he said, grinning to himself as he grabbed the binoculars inside his slender coat.He climbed the carcass of a car and set his sights on the routes leading to the sprawling city, its monolithic buildings somehow still standing tall after the bombs fell:
>>6023756There was a main highway — the quickest route — but also the one he was bound to find more trouble. Not only it was a Rosebed colony with flowers budding out of every vehicle, there was also a source of smoke further in the traffic jam. If a fire was created there by someone, friend or foe — no matter, it was a terrible idea.Alternatively, he could try descending to the shores and making his way through there. With a long contour, it was probably the longest path, but also the one with less apparent trouble. Spores and fog were thick in there, and he blamed himself for forgetting his masks in the cabin, hence more hallucinations could occur. Although not a vehicle's, unusual engine noise humming from there also piqued his curiosity.At last, the open sewer duct nearby also proved to be a rather straightforward path, if he didn't alert the dangers in there, that is. Mikhail had once gone through it, although he wished he didn't. There were thousands of dormant masses stored inside those large pipes, having their frozen bodies gently pierced by an indescribable amount of thorns and vines. A true human slaughterhouse, it was one of the many nectar stashes directly feeding the massive blossoms in the distance.At any rate, the night was now probably less than an hour away, and whichever path Mikhail took, he would need to dart to the city and find cover in one of its structures before he was exposed to the nocturnal pollen storms ravaging the wasteland.>highway>shore>sewers
>>6023759>shoreMaybe the water could hide our scent or something.
>>6023759>highwayQuick, fast, in and out... And if the fire's made by a friend, more's the better.
>>6023759>>shore
>>6023759>sewers
>>6023759>ShoreCould be a boatPretty damned interesting setting here.
>>6023759Sewer.Leads to all places in the city, and maybe the last holdout of survivors.
>>6047267it's been 26 days, anon. It's dead, sadly.
>>6047323O7a sad trend
