Let's Play (by Post) STALKER - The SciFi Roleplaying Game

Reasoning that inebriated confidence is probably good enough, Haddock follows Fixer, but watches nervously to ensure that he's proceeding carefully enough.

L'Esprit continues walking silently behind fixer with a keen gaze examining the tunnel ahead, above, below, and beside

OC: Hey I may be suffering from the mother of all hangovers due to mixing the sleeping pills with the alcohol (Reaper was quite generous in not having my character die or go into a coma over that) so no worries. Oh yeah, regarding the nuts. I remember from the game using them, but generally only to figure out what kind of anomaly I was looking at when I found one. And since you mentioned that we don't have an infinite supply I am doing the same here, saving them for when we do actually spot something (which will be up to you so my posts at the moment will pretty much be like the one below until something does happen).

The slow march continues with each step feeling like an age. We must have been walking for sometime when I raise my hand, 'Alright, quick stop. Anyone who wants a quick drink of water or something, do so now. I do not advise trying to do anything except scanning around when we are walking.' I pull out my water bottle and take a quick glug.

That's ok, I'll loosen up the per day restriction until you get your PC back up and running since that's obviously not under your control.

This is a fair strategy, although not the one that Birch told you to use

In accordance with Fixer's instructions, you all proceed down the tunnel, taking a brief break to have a drink of water along the way. After about a kilometer of keeping your eyes out, you come to a platform, and Birch tells you to cross the tracks, which you (presumably) do.

However, as you approach the metro exit, Fixer gets a distinctly bad feeling in his gut and his legs turn to (metaphorical) lead. This slow-down seems to have piqued Birch's interest, though it seems as if you have a clear shot about ten meters straight to the staircase as far as your senses can tell. L'Esprit, too, seems to perk her ears up, though the other two of you have no clue what they might be reacting to.

What the hell? What the HELL?!

I feel a churning inside and immediately I know something is very wrong. My arms slump to my sides and hold there, fixed in position like my legs with the torch now beaming down over my feet. As a consequence the area immediately ahead of me goes very dark.

I wrestle with the inner turmoil I'm experiencing: despite the unnatural emotions snaking through my brain I manage to get out one sentence. It isn't very loud so I hope whoever is directly behind hears it.

'I... I can't move.'

"Can't is a bit strong, won't is more like it."

Birch strains forward a little bit and grabs the bag of nuts, as if even approaching Fixer was the opposite of what he wanted to do, then backs off a dozen paces and limply, as if he can't quite get up a head of steam on his pitch, tosses one of the cloth-tied bits across the floor.

The nut clatter-clatter-clacks to a stop, its motion arresting suddenly, unnaturally, as it impacts the floor in front of the stairs on the third bounce.

"I told you, they aren't always so obvious. Don't cheap out on throwing the nuts ahead next time. As long as you damn well bother to pick them back up again you won't run out and you won't almost get yourself stuck to the floor like your tongue to a frozen lightpost."

Birch gives something of an exasperated look before offering the bag of nuts back to you.

"Now find out where it ends and if we can use the stairs."

After freeing myself of this extra weird anomaly I continue towards the exit and take a look, this time throwing a nut through the doorway before sticking my head through to investigate.

Okay. That's especially creepy. Mr Smith skirts around the anomaly, following Birch and Fixer. He glances back, and shakes his head.

In what way do you continue towards the exit? Keep in mind this is a pretty standard metro platform, so the exit would therefore be a staircase leading up.

L'Esprit skirts along the edge of the anomaly as well, it had been an interesting experience.

"Does anyone mind telling me what the 'ell kind of anomaly zat was? It felt... well, it felt weird"

I can probably keep posting approximately once or twice per day by borrowing interwebs time until my computer is fixed.

Haddock continues to follow, nearly jumps when Fixer runs into the anomaly, and looks somewhat sheepish and relieved when he doesn't immediately die from it. "Ve ought to have been more careful about clearing ze area, but at least no one vas hurt." He'll also examine the area around the anomalies carefully, looking for any visual cues as to their location. Struck by a sudden thought, and the prospect of locating them more easily, he'll pull out his Geiger counter and take a reading of the general area. Finally, he starts taking mental notes about anything interesting he's been able to observe.

OC: Um, I assumed it was a case of stepping over the tracks and then your at the exit?

I was going for something like this:

OC: Got it

After crossing the tracks when I realise the columns have the potential to be hiding all sorts of interesting (as in you die interesting) things behind them.

'The more we split up and take separate routes, the more we all risk harm to ourselves, especially as I am using the only bag of nuts. Follow, slowly and keep about two meters between each of you. If I screw up again then at least the backlash from whatever hits me will me minimal against the rest of you.'

I take another step towards the line of columns and stop as I reach the other side of them. To my left is the exit, to my right where we came from and behind me everyone else and the line of columns. I take peek to my right, then turn the other way to face the exit. Fiddling in the bag I pull out a nut and give it an under-arm throw ahead of me.

'These columns could have something behind them that isn't triggered by the nut due to its small size, but might be by our bodies/clothes etc. Stay away from the columns everyone.'

I demonstrate by leaving about 3 feet between myself and the columns to my left as I make my way toward the exit.

Going to do a little re-ordering here to maintain narrative flow. I'd like to say good job to everybody maintaining the post per day minimum, including JKuz who seems to be managing well even despite having a broken PC. Keep it up, guys, and you'll be rich Zone explorers in no time!

The Geiger counter ticks once or twice every few seconds... background radiation at best. Whatever this thing is, it seems that it isn't particularly radioactive. Birch nods in agreement with your assessment of being more careful, but he seems almost as if he was expecting this and glad that it taught Fixer a lesson without too much danger.

Birch lets out a short cough into the crook of his elbow and you continue around the anomalous area.

"Aye, was lucky, that," Birch replies. "You feel that longing in the pit of your stomach to go anywhere but where we were headed? That's a lucky side-effect, sometimes at least. That blue hell gel back there," he jerks his thumb behind the group, back towards the tunnel, "is obvious to anyone with a pair o'fucking eyeballs, and this one is obvious to anyone that trusts their intuition. We were lucky to have two obvious ones right next to each other, so keep a look-out. Third time's the charm..."

You throw a few nuts ahead, and whenever they stick to your given path, you toss one in another direction. The anomalous area, you soon find out, seems to have a large blob on the ground occupying most of the center of the platform. By skirting around the edges, uncomfortably close to the columns, you can reach the stairs. Thankfully, due diligence aside, the columns seemed to harbor no threat, and you reach the stairs without incident besides the loss of a couple of nuts and strips of cloth.

You exit the metro platform and find yourself in an old blackened building that looks to be an above-ground station building. Looking through the shattered windows to view the outdoors you see that the entire location is charred black as if by a great fire, though surprisingly intact. This makes it dark, and even though there's now daylight using your flashlight seems almost reasonable.

Of course there's terrific damage to most of the structures - roofs collapsed, windows burning bright with the blue flame, and general debris in the streets with cars in varying states of ruin littering the area. The sky overhead is cast full of dull gray clouds tinged ever so slightly green.

"If you're still up to it lead us down the street, to the right. Bloody apartments are blocking the view, but the stadium should be nearby, right across the river."

Hmm, I'm not sure what is more depressing, the tunnels or this place? I nod to Birch that I'm okay with taking the lead.

'That is, if anyone else would like a shot at it?'

I hand the torch back to Birch. 'Thanks'.

"Apartments?" Mr Smith asks. "What happened to this place?"

L'Esprit perks up

"I would like to give it a try"

She pulls out her own flashlight and reaches for the bag

I give a little frown as I hand the bag to L'Esprit. Well, if she is here in the zone then she's obviously is okay with the risks.

'Be careful lass.'

"The fuckin' Zone happened," Birch coughs out. "Think this is some shit? You haven't seen anything."

Alright, L'Esprit, how do you lead the group?

Haddock looks faintly interested in tasting the witch's fire

"I will be careful, and I do not want anyone to not be careful either, so keep watching around us like before. You can have the lead again after a while if you want though."

Following Birch's order, L'Esprit moves along the right side of the street ahead of the group along the right side of the street, keeping a keen watch ahead and tossing the contents of the bag ahead every few steps. She casually picks them up again as the group advances.

Haddock clears his head somewhat, and, further relieved that there's no radiation hazard, continues following L'Espirit. Recovering the bolts is a wise idea, but if we happen to run into something that doesn't affect them, but does so to us, that could be a problem.

I take a few steps towards the windows and stare at the blackened surroundings, keeping an eye out for trouble while the team prepares to move on.

Haddock examines the apartments ahead; noting the similarities to the earlier burned area, but this time with more direct damage. He looks quite unsettled, but continues on.

Also, clarification on exactly what you meant by the "blue flames", Reaper? Is the building still actively burning?

Virus killing activities in my PC has somewhat delayed my responses; expect to see an update sometime tomorrow morning or so. Setting a bad example I know

The pool of gel from earlier in the train tunnel, you may recall, burned with a blue flame like a perpetual alcohol fire. Your present surroundings, as noted, are not naturally on fire, but they are charred black. Despite this, they seem to have suffered no real fire damage, only structural.