>>5348541
>Reason with him. This might be hard without the nuance of language.

>>5348541
>Reason with him. This might be hard without the nuance of language.

Hard mode, activate.

>>5348541
>Reason with him. This might be hard without the nuance of language.
All the goo we’re retching up probably wouldn’t help either.

>>5348541
>>Strike fear into his heart. Watch him run in terror.

>>5348541
>Grab something and strike at the barbarian while he's shaken.

>>5348541
>>Reason with him. This might be hard without the nuance of language.

>Ignore him and examine your surroundings

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You might be able to understand the barbarian's attempts to communicate, but there is no guarantee that he will understand yours. You decide against exploiting his primitive beliefs and shake your head.

“N-no,” you say in English, the lingua franca of your time. That's the only word you manage to get out before you find yourself overcome with nausea. You double over and begin the unpleasant process of expelling some of the nanite milk that flooded your body. The white substance hardens as soon as it touches the floor, crystallizing into a dizzying fractal structure.

When you look up, the savage is still there, though he has taken a few steps back. He remains wary and bewildered. “No,” you repeat, shaking your head while you grip the door of your cryostasis chamber for support. “I'm neither.”

The ruddy brow of the barbarian furrows and he babbles at you again. Thanks to your peculiar intuition, you are able to rapidly build an understanding of his language, immediately internalising each word that he utters as well as its likely meaning.

“You're no mortal! This tomb's been 'ere long as my tribe and we've been 'ere for lifetimes! 'less it's a prison – it's a prison, ain't it? I've freed you and now you've gotta gimme yer boon!” He waggles the tip of his knife at you insistently. His fear and awe seem to have diminished as his tone becomes more demanding. “Favour for a favour!”

“I am mortal,” you insist right back at him, in his own tongue. Shocked, the primitive takes another step away. You cough out the last remnants of the cryostasis gel before you continue – your grip of the language isn't strong enough to explain your situation, so you settle for a simple question. “A favour?” Though you would like to be more precise and ask more elaborate questions, your inability to communicate has forced you to cede control of the conversation to him.

“Slaves o' the enemy have found my tribe,” he says. The word that you interpret as 'enemy' means something far more complex, but you don't have the context to fully understand it. “They skulk 'bout, always watching, but they'll lead the enemy 'ere to make slaves o' us too! That's why I came 'ere to open the tomb, so that you can save us! Gimme yer boon, awakened one! Save my people from the enemy!”

You haven't even been given the chance to get your bearings and already you're being dragged into post-apocalyptic politics. Fantastic.

>Agree to help him. If it wasn't for him, maybe you'd still be stuck in your chamber. You owe this strange savage, so you'll give him your word.
>Lie to placate him. If it's convenient, maybe you will help out but if it's not, you're not going to risk your life for a post-apocalyptic tribesman.
>Refuse to help. Even though you're stark naked and fresh out of cryostasis, you're not going to be bossed around, especially not by the likes of him.

>>5348693
>>Refuse to help. Even though you're stark naked and fresh out of cryostasis, you're not going to be bossed around, especially not by the likes of him

Fuck Em. May the strongest survive.

>>5348693
>”Could you let me, y’know, get my shit first? Can’t work miracles without my stuff.”
Hopefully that’ll give us a few minutes to find something useful in here

>>5348693
>Lie to placate him. If it's convenient, maybe you will help out but if it's not, you're not going to risk your life for a post-apocalyptic tribesman.

>>5348693
>Agree to help him. If it wasn't for him, maybe you'd still be stuck in your chamber. You owe this strange savage, so you'll give him your word.

Wait, is this the same Degenesis I think it is?

>>5348693
>Lie to placate him. If it's convenient, maybe you will help out but if it's not, you're not going to risk your life for a post-apocalyptic tribesman.

>>5348693
>Refuse to help. Even though you're stark naked and fresh out of cryostasis, you're not going to be bossed around, especially not by the likes of him.

>>5348693
>>5348702
Gonna switch to
>Agree to help him.

Rolled 1 (1d3)

With the vote so neatly divided with two votes for each option, I am going to have to roll off.

>1: Agree to help him. If it wasn't for him, maybe you'd still be stuck in your chamber. You owe this strange savage, so you'll give him your word.
>2: Lie to placate him. If it's convenient, maybe you will help out but if it's not, you're not going to risk your life for a post-apocalyptic tribesman.
>3: Refuse to help. Even though you're stark naked and fresh out of cryostasis, you're not going to be bossed around, especially not by the likes of him.

>>5349091
Fuck it. I'll switch to it isn't too late
>2: Lie to placate him. If it's convenient, maybe you will help out but if it's not, you're not going to risk your life for a post-apocalyptic tribesman.

>>5348693
>Agree to help him. If it wasn't for him, maybe you'd still be stuck in your chamber. You owe this strange savage, so you'll give him your word.

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It's a difficult decision to make. You have no idea what this enemy is or what you're going to do about it. Hell, you don't even know your name. You're not very fond of this wretched little man either, or how insistent he became the moment that you showed weakness. Yet you were chosen to survive when the rest of the world was doomed to perish. Perhaps you were meant to help those who survived. It would be the right thing to do.

“I will save you,” you reply after a moment. The barbarian's face lights up with relief behind his beard, yet you raise a hand to stop him before he gets too excited. “But I need... I need time.” Your skull starts to ache as your understanding of this language gestates inside of it. You find yourself knowing and saying words that he hasn't even said. “I need clothes, tools, my friends.”

“Yer friends?” The savage looks baffled. “Yer the only one 'ere, awakened one. Yer tomb was all aglow with light when I busted in 'ere, all o' the others are dark. I had a look at 'em, there ain't anythin' inside.”

That can't be right. There were other chambers. Unsteadily, you make your way across to one of them – the one that held the sleeper who smiled at you. Where there was once a window, there's now a mass of geometric crystals protruding out of that space, white polyhedral structures fused together in clusters. Other chambers appear to have suffered similar fates – in some cases, the nanite growth was so severe that the doors had burst from the pressure.

You're the only one left. Despite your absent memory, you find yourself saddened by the revelation. You're alone in this primitive, alien world.

“Give me that.” You reach for the barbarian's torch. Thankfully, he relinquishes it without a struggle and you lead the way through the bunker's corridors. You don't know where you're going, but thankfully there are signs to lead the way. They say things like Cryostasis, Observation, Maintenance and Inventory. That last one is what you're after.

Yet with each step you take, your mind begins to piece itself together. You don't remember everything, but a few valuable details return to you.

You recall...

>... access codes for the armoury. Cutting edge weapons and body armour can be found inside – just what you need.
>... memes. Not funny pictures from the Stream, but memetic protocols that will allow you to shape the human mind like clay.
>... how to neurally link yourself to an autonomous drone and where one can be found. You need a companion you can trust.
>... the world before the apocalypse. Your identity and circumstances still elude you, but you now remember the old world.

>>5349134
>>... the world before the apocalypse. Your identity and circumstances still elude you, but you now remember the old world.

>>5349134
>>... access codes for the armoury. Cutting edge weapons and body armour can be found inside – just what you need.

>>5349134
>... how to neurally link yourself to an autonomous drone and where one can be found. You need a companion you can trust.

>>5349134
>... memes. Not funny pictures from the Stream, but memetic protocols that will allow you to shape the human mind like clay.

We are now living in a barbaric world where people dress up in fetish gear and neo-crusader uniforms, weaponry is nothing without leadership and organization. We cannot use all the weaponry ourselves and it could be stolen from us while we sleep, better to mould the people we encounter into a worthy force.

>>5349134
> ... access codes for the armoury. Cutting edge weapons and body armour can be found inside – just what you need.

We can use the access codes to lock it back up once we're suited up, and only unlock it for others when they've earned our trust.

Who needs loyal cavemen when you've got body armor and a M16?

>>5349134
>... memes. Not funny pictures from the Stream, but memetic protocols that will allow you to shape the human mind like clay.
Most practical choice.

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>>5349134
>... memes. Not funny pictures from the Stream, but memetic protocols that will allow you to shape the human mind like clay.

>>5349224
Gonna go with access codes

Rolled 2 (1d2)

Once again, I am going to have to roll off.

>1: ... access codes for the armoury. Cutting edge weapons and body armour can be found inside – just what you need.
>2: ... memes. Not funny pictures from the Stream, but memetic protocols that will allow you to shape the human mind like clay.

>>5349335
Is it too late to vote for the armory?

>>5349335
>1: ... access codes for the armoury. Cutting edge weapons and body armour can be found inside – just what you need.

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>>5349371
>>5349391
I can't hold off posting forever so once I break a tie, I immediately start preparing a post. I apologise for the inconvenience.

A meme is nothing more than an idea that can be transmitted from one person to another through any means of communication. Your memes are on another level though – you can implant desires with a few words and no need for persuasion. However, your mind has been shaped by them as well. It's only the plausible explanation for why you are able to learn languages so intuitively. With every step, you find yourself able to recall the techniques required to unleash your exhilarating memes.

You have access to three memetic protocols:
URGE: Compel a target to perform a single non-hazardous task for you.
FEAR: Force a target to flee from the object of their fear, chosen by you.
WIPE: The target forgets an event that happened in the past five minutes or that will happen in the next five minutes.
Using memes taxes both your body and mind. Once you have used a protocol, you will not be able to use another until I say you have recovered.

You arrive at your destination. Once you have forced open the door to the quarters labelled Inventory, you make your way past rows of lockers, running your hand along them as you go. Your fingers brush a layer of dust off of the dim computer screens that decorate each cabinet, their lacklustre light serving as a sign that there's still a little power left in the bunker.

You come to a stop when one of the screen brightens at your touch and the locker door creaks open. The barbarian trailing behind you lets out of a gasp of shock – to him, there's no explanation for what just happened other than sorcery. To you, it's obviously biometric security. Your personal effects are contained inside: Undergarments, a matte black ceramic fibre jumpsuit, a survival knife with a four inch blade and a 4,6×30 submachine gun with two 30-round magazines. There's also a tablet computer but as soon as you remove it from its charging station, all that you can see on the screen is:

2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2
2 2 2 2

Useless.

You're also put off by the lack of a survival kit, but you suppose that you'll have to manage without it. Your savage companion just gawks as you shove the torch back into his hands and begin to suit up. Instead of being decent enough to look away and give you a little privacy, he tries to start a conversation.

“If this place ain't a tomb or a prison... What is it?”

“We came here to hide from danger,” you reply tersely. You're not sure how to explain the end of the world or your missing memory to him. “When it was safe, we'd wake up and come out again.”

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“Well, the world ain't safe, I can tell you that much.” The barbarian spat in the dust. “The enemy's enslaved most o' the land. We could turn to the Resistance, the Protectorate or even the Africans for 'elp, but they're too far off an' strugglin' just as much as us. We didn't 'ave a choice but to wake you up, the old god slumberin' 'neath the mountain.” A tenative pause. “... But you say you ain't a god. You can 'elp us though, can't you?”

“I will.” Though you might regret it, you gave your word. You'll do what you can for this savage and his village. “I'll need to know who I'm helping first.” The barbarian blinks. Clearly he didn't realise that he never bothered with pleasantries.

“Uh, I'm Jurvaz an' my tribe, we're the Voss. What 'bout you? What sort o' names are gods given?” He squints at you as you finish suiting up. You're forced to pause for a couple of seconds as you figure out an answer – you don't actually know your name, nor is there any evidence of it on any of your personal effects.

>Three Hundred. That's the number imprinted on the inside of your left wrist. You don't know what it's supposed to mean, but it's the only identifying thing you have on your person.
>Argie. The letters RG seem to be plastered on almost everything inside of this bunker. It might not be your name, but it could be an organisation you once belonged to.
>Nomen. For whatever reason, you just recalled a scrap of Latin. It simply means 'name' and it will suffice as a placeholder, until you figure out what your real name is.
>Tell the truth about your missing memories and allow Jurvaz to name you. Perhaps this will be a step towards creating trust between you and this tribesman.
>Write-in. If you can figure out a better name that you would prefer to be called, feel free to suggest it. So long as it isn't ridiculous and other people like it, I'll go with it.

>>5349444
>>Argie. The letters RG seem to be plastered on almost everything inside of this bunker. It might not be your name, but it could be an organisation you once belonged to.

Perhaps someone will remember what Argie was

Oh and are we a man or a woman?

>>5349454
Male.

>>5349444
>Three Hundred. That's the number imprinted on the inside of your left wrist. You don't know what it's supposed to mean, but it's the only identifying thing you have on your person.

Though I wouldn't mind telling him the truth.

>>5349444
>>Argie. The letters RG seem to be plastered on almost everything inside of this bunker. It might not be your name, but it could be an organisation you once belonged to.

>>5349444
>Three Hundred. That's the number imprinted on the inside of your left wrist. You don't know what it's supposed to mean, but it's the only identifying thing you have on your person.
Male.

>>5349444
>Nomen. For whatever reason, you just recalled a scrap of Latin. It simply means 'name' and it will suffice as a placeholder, until you figure out what your real name is.

In an attempt to avoid another roll to break a tie, I'll give people one hour to post their votes. After that point, I will stop taking votes, break the tie with a roll if I must and start working on the next post.

>>5349444
>Three Hundred. That's the number imprinted on the inside of your left wrist. You don't know what it's supposed to mean, but it's the only identifying thing you have on your person.

>>5349444
>>Three Hundred. That's the number imprinted on the inside of your left wrist. You don't know what it's supposed to mean, but it's the only identifying thing you have on your person.

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“Three Hundred.” Jurvaz looks rather nonplussed at your answer. “You asked for my name, that's it. Besides, like I told you earlier, I'm not a god. ”

“That's not the sort o' name that a man has. This ain't the sort o' place where a man lives, 'specially not for lifetimes. You don't look like any sort o' man I've ever met either.” At the very least, you look nothing like him. You're far taller, more muscular, clean-shaven and straight-backed. You're an uncanny Adonis, a designer man who looks a little too good to be true. “If that's your name, that's what I'll call you. Just don't try an' tell me you're only human, 'specially when I take you back to the tribe. They're in need o' good news.”

“One moment you're calling me a god, the next you're telling me what to do. You're a brave man, Jurvaz.” That remark is enough to make the barbarian cringe and fall quiet. Good. You might have promised to help his people, but that doesn't give him the right to be uppity. With no need for ceremony, you don the last of your gear. The SMG fits snugly in the holster harness you wear, as does your knife in its sheath. At last, you're ready to depart.

The environment dramatically changes before you're even out of the bunker. One moment, you're walking through a sterile metal corridor with a thin layer of dust clinging to every surface. The next, you step out into a hallway covered in dust, dirt and animal droppings. It must have been a home for wild animals for decades, if not centuries. Scattered on the floor are a huge, rusted door and the tools that must've been used to take it down – various chisels, hammers and pry bars of different sizes.

“Took me a whole week to get the thing open once I took care o' the gendos,” Jurvaz grunts, seemingly proud of his achievement. You're more curious about what a gendo is, but you decide against asking. Instead you just help the savage collect the tools he used to bust into your inner sanctum.

The outermost section of the bunker looks like it has been abandoned for ages. Every surface is so corroded and filthy that it's difficult to tell that it was once metal. Rats, beetles and other such vermin scurry into dark corners when you walk past them. At one point you even startle a small family of bats, which burst into flight as soon as you awaken them. It's not much longer before Jurvaz's torch is no longer the only light source. Daylight illuminates a doorway and you can feel the alien touch of a breeze against your face.

You flinch once you step outside. You just can't help it – the fresh air, the bright sunshine and the cold wind have nothing in common with the stagnant darkness beneath the mountain. For that is where you are, half way up the side of a small mountain that towers over a fertile river valley. There are trees wherever you look, healthy and green and full of life. You're not sure where you are but this looks nothing like a world that was struck by an asteroid swarm.

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It must have been afternoon when you left, as the sun dips towards the horizon as your journey progresses. Your trek through the wilderness takes at least an hour or two – the perfect opportunity for you to needle Jurvaz for more information about the Earth and what became of it.

He's too primitive to know what the present year is, his recollection of time is based entirely on seasons, generations and human lifetimes. He is able to tell you the name of this land however: Franka. It's a fractured land where the disparate factions of mankind unite against the enemy. Soulless, he calls them, heartless devils who turn men into slaves with their mere presence and can conjure clouds of wasps from thin air. You can't help but feel a little reminded of your own memetic techniques – could these Soulless be other survivors who use their memes for ill?

Next, you inquire about these factions he spoke of. Unfortunately, Jurvaz doesn't know much, only what the rare traveller passing through Voss territory was willing to share. He compares the Protectorate to a village of villages in the distant north, a collective of tribes working together to serve the biggest village of all: Justitian. As for the Resistance, it's devoted to fighting the Soulless, to avenging the loved ones that were stolen from them. No one's better at battling the enemy than them, or so the savage insists. Finally, there are the Africans. Jurvaz has never met one but apparently they're ruthless merchants who will buy and sell anything, with no regard for morality. He's even been told that their skin is as black as their souls, but he dismisses that as a rumour.

You eventually arrive at your destination, the village of the Voss. It's rather charming – dozens of wattle and daub huts nestled in a clearing beside the river, built on a high bank in an effort to avoid flooding. Children play and carry baskets full of nuts and berries to their mothers, who seem to be busy mending clothes or preparing meals. As for the men, they're at work skinning the beasts they've hunted or making primitive tools out of wood, stone and sinew. As Jurvaz parades you through the village, almost everyone stops to gawk at you.

“Voss!” Your companion calls out to his people, a triumphant grin on his face. “Voss! I bring you the god who slumbered 'neath the mountain!” By this point, a crowd is starting to gather. Dirty faces stare up at you in awe while Jurvaz orates. “His name is Three Hundred, and he shall save us from the Soulless!” He then turns to you, expectantly.

>Dial it back. You are just a man from another time. You will try to help them but you're not divine and they shouldn't treat you as such.
>Play the part. You will be their saviour and against your might, the enemy won't stand a chance. This should make Jurvaz happy.
>Exploit this. You will take the Voss under your wing and protect them from any threat but in return, they must learn to serve you.

>>5349935
> Exploit this

>>5349935
>Play the part.
But do so in a way so as to keep expectations manageable

>>5349935
>>Dial it back. You are just a man from another time. You will try to help them but you're not divine and they shouldn't treat you as such.

You will roll on every vote QM

>>5349935
>Dial it back. You are just a man from another time. You will try to help them but you're not divine and they shouldn't treat you as such.

>>5349935
>Dial it back. You are just a man from another time. You will try to help them but you're not divine and they shouldn't treat you as such.

>>5349935
>>Exploit this. You will take the Voss under your wing and protect them from any threat but in return, they must learn to serve you.

Voting is locked. Going with:
>Dial it back. You are just a man from another time. You will try to help them but you're not divine and they shouldn't treat you as such.

>>5350185
Can we go back to the bunker to loot the place for more resources, or add some security so people dont loot it? IED's, rope traps, bombs, spiked holes.

>>5350535
You took what you were able to remember and immediately access. Exploring the bunker, breaking through its security and looting everything else that is still there would take a lot of time and effort but I will keep the possibility of returning in mind.

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“I am not a god!”

Your words take everyone by surprise. Even Jurvaz turns to gawk at you, taken aback by your decision to contradict him. For a time, all eyes are on you and all ears are focused on your words. A perfect opportunity for you to clear the air and explain yourself to the Voss.

“I am not a god. I am nothing but a man. I was sleeping beneath the mountain, waiting for the world to heal but I couldn't wake up. I would've been trapped there forever if it wasn't for Jurvaz. He brought me to you to repay the favour, but that isn't the only reason I'm here! I couldn't live with myself if I let the Soulless subjugate you. I cannot promise that I will succeed, but I'll do everything in my power to help you. You deserve that much.”

The reaction to your speech is mixed. Some of them are puzzled by the mixed signals from you and Jurvaz. A few cheer, spurred on by your words. Many scoff and walk away, their interest lost as soon as you declare that you're just a man. As for your companion, his frustration is palpable.

“I told you to keep quiet 'bout that,” he hisses beneath his breath as the crowd disperses. “They need a god to protect 'em, not a man.”

“I'm not a god,” you repeat. “No matter how much you say it, it's not the truth. But I gave my word that I would keep your tribe safe and I plan on keeping my promise.” Exasperated, Jurvaz covers his face with a hand and mutters something under his breath. Clearly, you haven't lived up to his expectations.

“Brother! Who's this that you've dragged into our home?”

You look up to see a man striding towards you. He has the same dark beard and hair as Jurvaz, only well-groomed instead of tangled and matted. He's taller and less filthy as well, with a great cloak of furs draped over his shoulders and a long spear in his hand, decorated with feathers and bones. He carries himself with the sort of authoritative swagger that immediately identifies him as a leader, or someone who longs to be one.

“Blayz!” Your companion seems startled by this stranger's presence and stoops before him subserviently. “He's the... Uh, he calls himself Three Hundred. I freed him from the tomb 'neath the mountain, you see...”

“So that's where you've been hidin' for the last fortnight! I was hopin' that you had run off, to curse some other tribe with yer useless self.” Blayz chuckles and turns his attention to you. He looks you up and down, sizing you up with his beady black eyes. “I'd rather hear the story from you. Is my idiot brother tellin' the truth?”

>Try to make Jurvaz look good. Only talk about the part where he rescued you, nothing more.
>Tell the truth. He saved you, but he's been trying to press you into playing the part of a messiah ever since.
>Frame Jurvaz. He's trying to make himself look like the saviour of the tribe so he can usurp his brother.
>URGE: Strip Blayz of his arrogance. Make him kneel before you, in front of his entire tribe. Put him in his place.

>>5350556
>Try to make Jurvaz look good. Only talk about the part where he rescued you, nothing more.

>>5350556
>Try to make Jurvaz look good. Only talk about the part where he rescued you, nothing more.

>>5350556
>>Try to make Jurvaz look good. Only talk about the part where he rescued you, nothing more.

>>5350556
>URGE: Strip Blayz of his arrogance. Make him kneel before you, in front of his entire tribe. Put him in his place.

>>5350556
>Try to make Jurvaz look good. Only talk about the part where he rescued you, nothing more.

Eh, it is most of the truth, we wouldn't be around without him and perhaps he half believed we were a god before we kept dissuading him of that notion.

>>5350556
>Tell the truth. He saved you, but he's been trying to press you into playing the part of a messiah ever since.

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“He is. I wouldn't be here without him.” In an effort to display camaraderie and reassure Jurvaz, you rest a hand on his shoulder. At first he flinches but as you continue, he starts to straighten up a little and stand with pride. “I wasn't the only one buried there, but the others... They died during their long sleep. If it wasn't for your brother, I would've joined them in death. I owe him my life.”

“Hah!” If nothing else, Blayz seems thoroughly amused by the story. “I can't remember the last time that this fool did somethin' useful. Always with his head in the clouds, dreamin' 'bout the old world and old gods. All o' the magic that your tomb held was stolen long ago, sold off to Africans. That didn't stop daft Jurvaz from obsessin' over the legends, insistin' that old gods still slept behind the doors that were left unopened. Turns out, he was right!”

The chieftain's laughter is raucous enough to make even you cringe.

“Now as I see it, we don't need help with the Soulless. I'll lead this tribe through these troublin' times, same as I always 'ave. But if you're 'ere to lend a hand and you ain't askin' for anythin' in return, then I won't refuse you. Welcome to my village, Three Hundred.”

With the introductions out of the way, Blayz leads you through the village to his very own hut, with Jurvaz trailing behind you. The Voss lead a charmingly primitive lifestyle that can barely be considered agrarian. For food, you're offered a bowl of roasted roots, nuts and berries, followed by a thick and greasy stew. As for bedding, you're pointed towards a bundle of woven blankets and animal hides, no doubt host to all sorts of mites. When you inquire about the threat of the Soulless, Blayz just smiles grimly and tells you to wait for night to fall. You'll be given the chance to prove yourself then.

Sure enough, the sun falls below the horizon after a few hours of enjoying the chieftain's hospitality and listening to his stories about the Voss. None of them are very interesting. You're led outside to join the sentries at the torchlit perimeter of the village, to watch and wait for a sign of the enemy.

Blayz watches from behind the perimeter with a few other tribesmen, while Jurvaz has the responsibility of tending to the torches and keeping them lit. You stand at the ready with your submachine gun cradled in your arms, loaded but with the safety still on. It's not even been half an hour when the foliage rustles and a figure emerges from the forest.

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It's a man. A naked, grimy man with a mess of filthy dreadlocks hanging around his face. At first you think that his broad chest has been tattooed with an esoteric pattern but as he draws closer, it becomes obvious that it's not ink but a red rash, angry and inflamed. He doesn't notice you, even though you're standing out in the open. He strides with purpose towards the perimeter with the intention of walking past it and straight into the village, as though you don't even exist. His dark, dull eyes refuse to pay you any attention.

“Stop!”

You bark the command in the language of the Voss. The stranger doesn't heed your words or even look at you. He just keeps on coming. Behind him, standing motionlessly in the cover of the foliage, you can see a few other naked figures. They're branded with the same rash and they're watching and waiting at the forest's edge, though you're not sure what for.

All you know for sure is that this filthy creature is twenty paces from walking straight through the perimeter and into the village of the Voss.

>Keep trying to reason him. Fire a warning shot if you have. You're only going to use violence as a last resort.
>Restrain him. Pin him down until the others are able to bring rope to bind him. Perhaps you can question him.
>Use your knife. No need to waste ammunition on this job. See if he still ignores you after he's been stabbed.
>Gun him down. Just a couple of rounds. You don't want to get close enough to catch whatever sickness he has.
>FEAR: Compel him to flee from the village, never to return. Why use violence when can you use memes instead?

>>5351387
>>Restrain him. Pin him down until the others are able to bring rope to bind him. Perhaps you can question him.

>>5351387
>Gun him down. Just a couple of rounds. You don't want to get close enough to catch whatever sickness he has.

>>5351387
Actually I'll change from >>5351389
to
>>Gun him down. Just a couple of rounds. You don't want to get close enough to catch whatever sickness he has.

>>5351387
>Restrain him. Pin him down until the others are able to bring rope to bind him. Perhaps you can question him.

>>5351387
>FEAR: Compel him to flee from the village, never to return. Why use violence when can you use memes instead?

This is our ability.

>>5351387
>FEAR: Compel him to flee from the village, never to return. Why use violence when can you use memes instead?

>>5351387
>Restrain him. Pin him down until the others are able to bring rope to bind him. Perhaps you can question him.

>>5351387
Actually, I changed my mind too.

>Gun him down. Just a couple of rounds. You don't want to get close enough to catch whatever sickness he has.

Voting is locked. Going with:
>Gun him down. Just a couple of rounds. You don't want to get close enough to catch whatever sickness he has.

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You're not about to take any risks. Your body knows exactly how to handle a gun even though your mind can't recall the first thing. You flick the safety off and press the stock snugly against your shoulder. Next, you take aim at the target's centre of mass and squeeze the trigger just long enough for a three-round burst. The muzzle flash lights up the night and the sharp crack of igniting powder is followed by cries of shock from the tribesmen. As for your target, he reels back from the impact and crumples.

You take a few steps closer to the naked invader, your sights still trained on him. Three spots of crimson have blossomed across his chest and grow with every second as his body rapidly loses blood. The pain seems to have snapped him out of his trance-like state, as his face has transformed into a mask of panic. He coughs and wheezes, spitting out blood and a cloud of tiny white hairs. You keep your distance. He even tries to speak, though his eyes remain unfocused and stare off into space.

“My god... M-my god, my queen, don't leave me..!” The demented ramblings of a dying man. “I wanna go back, I-I wanna... L-lemme kiss yer body one last time, please, please...” His words quickly become unintelligible.

You look up. The other slaves who were waiting by the forest's edge have vanished. Perhaps the gunshots frightened them off.

As for the Voss, they are in awe. Some of the tribesmen try to crowd around the corpse to inspect the wounds you left in it, but you stop them in their tracks. You're not sure how to explain germ theory, but you tell them that the man is sick and that his body shouldn't be touched. They should cover it and burn it as soon as possible, it's the only way to be safe. Blayz seems particularly impressed by your deed, even more than his brother. He claps you on the shoulder and lets out a boisterous laugh, leading you to one side while the others dispose of the corpse.

“Well done, Three Hundred, well done! I've never seen a man slain like that. Yer a mighty warrior an' it's no wonder why my brother thought you were a god.” He let out a low chuckle and squeezes your shoulder with his meaty hand, perhaps a little too tightly. “But I don't think the Soulless will send their slaves 'ere again. Besides, the Voss trust me to protect 'em. You're showin' me up. So if you want to stay, you better give me that thunder-stick an' show me how to use to it. Otherwise, you're leavin' in the mornin'.”

>You agree to his terms. Blayz can have the gun and you will teach him how to use it.
>You'll leave tomorrow morning. You've repaid the favour, now it's time to move on.
>You refuse. You don't care about Blayz or his ego, you swore to protect the Voss.
>Suggest an alternative. The bunker might have enough guns to arm the whole tribe.
>WIPE: Blayz will forget everything that just happened, including this conversation.

>>5351751
>WIPE: Everyone will forget Blayz ever existed.

>>5351758
In case that's not a joke, that doesn't fall under the capabilities of WIPE, which are mentioned in >>5349441.

>>5351759
Sorry.
Kill Blayz, then use WIPE to make everyone forget you killed him. When they come to, blame the person you shot.

In case it's a single target instead of an AoE, kill Blayz and tell everyone you are taking over.

>>5351772
It is single target, sorry for the misunderstanding.

I'll take your post as a vote for killing Blayz and trying to take over the Voss then.

>>5351751
>FEAR: Point SMG in air away from the Voss, fire a round, and have him associate the sound with danger.

>>5351751
>>You'll leave tomorrow morning. You've repaid the favour, now it's time to move on.

Can we scavenge our bunker?

>>5351751
>Suggest an alternative. The bunker might have enough guns to arm the whole tribe.

>>5351751
>>You refuse. You don't care about Blayz or his ego, you swore to protect the Voss.

>>5351786
>>5351751
Screw it, switching to speed things along.
>Suggest an alternative.

>>5351772
>>5351751
Screw it, switching to speed things along.
>You refuse.

Imagine giving automatic weaponry to some insecure savage faggot.
He will totally shoot us in the back at the first opportunity.

>>5351751
>You'll leave tomorrow morning. You've repaid the favour, now it's time to move on.

Hmm, should've stripped him of his ego with our memetics. Anyways, we've made our choices, we cannot deal with him without resorting to the worst sort of coercion, and given his unreasonable demand I half expect him to try to slit our throat in our sleep for refusing. He could've integrated us into the group with himself as the leader and us as a willing protector, but he had to be stupid. Lets find a group worthy of our help and guns. Not worth using our memetic protocol here either in my opinion, using memes causes us Flesh Wounds in the game system.

>>5351906
Not that flesh wounds are a big deal though, they heal quick unlike trauma and we are a sleeper so I think we heal even faster, I just wanna get outta here.

>>5351906
Supporting

Voting is locked. Going with:
>You'll leave tomorrow morning. You've repaid the favour, now it's time to move on.

QM, I am liking how you write and I know a little of degenesis. Please tell me, to play the damn game, what pdf do I have to download¿?
Navigating the whole page is achore

>>5352078
Go to the books section, though I think you have to make an account.

>>5352095
https://degenesis.com/world/stories/essential-reads/rebirth
Oooh creepy. This should be the enemy that we just gun down. I am impressed at the resources the company poured/is pouring at the game. Audiobooks!?

>>5352098
Yeah, too bad they discontinued the game-line 'cause of people taking advantage of their model without giving anything in return.

>>5352100
they didn't know of the rules of the internet?? unbased

>>5352078
https://degenesis.com/downloads/books/
Degenesis: Rebirth Edition is what you're after. You'll need to make an account but it's a free download.
Degenesis: Rebirth Edition is split into two books. Primal Punk contains the basic information regarding the world and everything in it, while Katharsys contains the basic rules for the game.

>The Preservist stopped and raised his head. A bloated, fleshy body was nestled in a nest of shimmering mud. Several naked women pressed against it, sheltering the Pheromancer from the rain. They shivered, hair plastered to their heads, hands stroking the oily flesh, caressing glands or inserting their fingers into them. They did not notice the Preservist.

what

>>5352115
The world of Degenesis is full of a lot of weird shit, some of which may get featured in this quest. So while you should feel free to read all about it, try to avoid spoiling too much in here.

>>5352108
And thanks QM!
You have all my atenttion

And yes! I took care to avoid posting anything explicit and choose to put the less informative narrrative

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“Fine. If you don't think the Soulless are a threat any more, then I'm not needed here. I'll be on my way after sunrise.”

Blayz doesn't look very happy with your choice. He's quiet for a while and for a few moments, he regards the weapon in your hands jealously. You half-expect that he might try to take it from you here and now, but it seems like he knows better. Pulling his hand away from his shoulder, he gives you a sharp nod.

“Good. If you take my worthless brother as well, you can leave with a week o' supplies as thanks. Yer the only thing o' worth he's e'er brought to this village and if yer goin' to leave, he better be on his way as well. One less mouth to feed.”

“If you think so little of Jurvaz, why don't you exile him yourself?”

“He's my brother, my blood. The tribe would see me as cruel if I banished him an' I ain't cruel. I'm a good chief, the kind o' chief that my tribe deserves.” If he was as good of a leader as he wants to believe, then his brother wouldn't have had to drag you into this mess. You decide against sharing these thoughts however, as you don't want to make the tension any worse than it already is. “Now, if there's nothin' else...”

“I need directions,” you say, interrupting him before he's able to dismiss you. “This world is new to me. Are there any villages near here, other tribes or anything at all?”

“Pah. Take Jurvaz with you an' he can serve as yer guide. All that I care to share is that if you head towards the risin' sun, o'er the mountain an' down the other side, you'll come to a road used by plenty o' travellers. Where you go from there is up to you.” With that, Blayz is finished with you. He turns away and swaggers away, still playing the part of a proud leader.

You turn to watch as the corpse of the invader is cremated, burning away whatever disease that the carcass contained. While you watch the smoke rise into the night sky, you consider all of the possible paths that lie before you.

First of all, should you take Jurvaz with you?
>Yes. He knows a little about the outside world and was savvy enough to eventually break into parts of the bunker that had previously been inaccessible, even if it took him ages. He could be a useful companion.
>No. He's the village idiot full of superstition, who was apparently dead weight on his tribe. You also know from experience that he's demanding and manipulative. You're better off on you own, to be honest.

Second of all, where do you go from here?
>Straight to the road that Blayz mentioned. You'd rather not linger for much longer in this region, if it turns out that the Soulless are more of a threat than the chieftain believes. The sooner you move on, the better.
>You should go back to the bunker first. Almost everything of value in that place is hidden behind biometric security or access codes, but with a little elbow grease you might be able to break into a few lockers.

>>5352158
>>Yes. He knows a little about the outside world and was savvy enough to eventually break into parts of the bunker that had previously been inaccessible, even if it took him ages. He could be a useful companion.

>>5352158
>>You should go back to the bunker first. Almost everything of value in that place is hidden behind biometric security or access codes, but with a little elbow grease you might be able to break into a few lockers.

>>5352158
>Yes. He knows a little about the outside world and was savvy enough to eventually break into parts of the bunker that had previously been inaccessible, even if it took him ages. He could be a useful companion.
>You should go back to the bunker first. Almost everything of value in that place is hidden behind biometric security or access codes, but with a little elbow grease you might be able to break into a few lockers.

>>5352158
>>No. He's the village idiot full of superstition, who was apparently dead weight on his tribe. You also know from experience that he's demanding and manipulative. You're better off on you own, to be honest.
Lo and behold, this one reeks of greed and stabbing. The backstabbing kind. We already know he knows very little of the world and after a week or so in the wild, we would know more than him.
>You should go back to the bunker first. Almost everything of value in that place is hidden behind biometric security or access codes, but with a little elbow grease you might be able to break into a few lockers.

If we had a gun on the locker, wouldn't most lockers also have one? Why don't we see if out gun can pierce the locker's panel? Think about it, if we were inside a bunker, where security is the main door, why would the lockers be any safer than a high-school one? Of course this doesn't mean I am rule lawyering. QM can choose whether or not we end up with twenty rifles and countless ammunition

>>5352158
>Yes.
>You should go back to the bunker first.

>>5352158
>No. He's the village idiot full of superstition, who was apparently dead weight on his tribe. You also know from experience that he's demanding and manipulative. You're better off on you own, to be honest.
>Straight to the road that Blayz mentioned. You'd rather not linger for much longer in this region, if it turns out that the Soulless are more of a threat than the chieftain believes. The sooner you move on, the better.

>>5352158
>Yes. He knows a little about the outside world and was savvy enough to eventually break into parts of the bunker that had previously been inaccessible, even if it took him ages. He could be a useful companion.
Bit of help in this harsh world.
>You should go back to the bunker first. Almost everything of value in that place is hidden behind biometric security or access codes, but with a little elbow grease you might be able to break into a few lockers.

>>5352158
>Yes. He knows a little about the outside world and was savvy enough to eventually break into parts of the bunker that had previously been inaccessible, even if it took him ages. He could be a useful companion.
>You should go back to the bunker first. Almost everything of value in that place is hidden behind biometric security or access codes, but with a little elbow grease you might be able to break into a few lockers.

Good, with any luck we'll be heading east, though south would be interesting too. Just being another sleeper controlling a small community would get boring anyways.

>>5352158
>Yes. He knows a little about the outside world and was savvy enough to eventually break into parts of the bunker that had previously been inaccessible, even if it took him ages. He could be a useful companion.
But give him the choice to accept or decline.

>You should go back to the bunker first. Almost everything of value in that place is hidden behind biometric security or access codes, but with a little elbow grease you might be able to break into a few lockers.
We could even use the opportunity to arm Jurvaz, possibly even use our memetic powers to skip weeks worth of training by directly dumping information int his head on how to use some of the stuff we'll find.

>>5352213
If it helps, we can slowly introduce him to ideas as the days go by to manipulate him into someone more useful. We can change his manipulative outlook into trusting us absolutely. Plus it would be practice.

>>5352158
>>No. He's the village idiot full of superstition, who was apparently dead weight on his tribe. You also know from experience that he's demanding and manipulative. You're better off on you own, to be honest.

>You should go back to the bunker first. Almost everything of value in that place is hidden behind biometric security or access codes, but with a little elbow grease you might be able to break into a few lockers.

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You've made your mind up. First of all, you'll take Jurvaz with you – he's lived for this long and he was able to break into the bunker, he's bound to be useful in one way or another. Second, you're going to go back to the bunker. There's far too much precious technology left behind there for you to just move on and leave it behind for scavengers. First of all though, you need to rest.

Unfortunately, thanks to the hospitality that Blayz offered you, you have nowhere to sleep other than in the chieftain's hut as his guest. You half-expect that the man might try to rob you while you slumber, so you take a few steps to thwart him. First, you remove the magazine and tuck it in one of pockets of your jumpsuit. Second, you sleep on top of the unloaded submachine gun. It's uncomfortable but that's to your advantage, it means that your sleep will be lighter. Third, you make sure that while your knife is out of sight, it is within reach.

The night that follows is a restless one. You constantly shift and stir on top of the bundle of furs you were assigned and beneath the confines of your jumpsuit, you find yourself sweating incessantly. Blayz either noticed your paranoia or chose to honour your agreement, as he spends the evening sleeping soundly beside his wives. You don't regret your precautions though – it's better to be safe than sorry.

As soon as the light of dawn starts to over the horizon, you take your leave of the chieftain's hut. A couple of early risers are generous enough to point you towards the home of Jurvaz, a sorry little shack on the outskirts of the village. The savage is still asleep when you arrive but once you've roused him, you explain the situation to him: His brother wants him gone and you're willing to take him with you. To begin with, he objects.

“What happened to protectin' the Voss? I brought you back 'ere for a reason, you were goin' to protect us and they were goin' to respect me for the first time in my life, 'cause I was the one who brought the saviour to our tribe!”

“Consider the Voss protected and the favour repaid,” you reply bluntly. “Your brother thinks that the threat has been dealt with and wants us both gone. You can either come with me or spend the rest of your life here, respected by no one and treated like a joke.”

“You were meant to be a god,” he mutters in a bitter tone. “You were meant to save the Voss from the Soulless an' I was goin' to be praised as yer prophet. How did it all go sour?” With a forlorn sigh, he eventually reaches a decision. “I'm comin' with you. I know Blayz, he wouldn't take what I did lyin' down. He'd get rid o' me, one way or another.”

You let Jurvaz collect his things, a variety of tools and trinkets that he considered either useful or valuable. Once he is prepared, the two of you take the week's worth of rations that Blayz had promised you and leave the slumbering valley of the Voss behind. From here on out, they can fend for themselves.

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The journey up the side of the mountain takes longer than the descent, even if it's not a particularly high one. By the time that you have trudged your way up its forested slopes and arrived back at the entrance of the bunker. You allow Jurvaz to bear a torch and lead the way through the dirty, rusted labyrinth, giving you an opportunity to marvel at the sheer scale of the shelter. Even these outermost reaches were designed to house hundreds of people, with great halls that must have been dedicated to hydroponics, recreation, storage and all sorts. Not that there's anything left but empty rooms – these parts of the structure must have been looted centuries ago. In many places, scavengers had even pried the metal from the walls and floors, revealing the hard rock that lies beneath.

After several minutes of this, Jurvaz finds his way to the reinforced door that he had prised open. You take a moment to inspect it, to figure out how this filthy runt achieved such a feat. Sure enough, the outside of the door is covered with the evidence of previous attempts to break in – scorch marks, drill holes and all sorts of dents. In addition, it's been subject to centuries of exposure to the elements, which has led to inevitable corrosion. You're still not able to pin down how he managed it, but it looks like time and the efforts to prior looters did most of the work.

The inner sanctum is completely different to the outer reaches. Outside of a thin layer of dust on every surface, it's shockingly clean with no sign of rust. Even the air is fresher, thanks to some limited sort of ventilation that is still operational. The same can't be said for the many display screens mounted on the walls, all of which are either offline or possess a bizarre error message:

//TRIGLAW 65536

They don't matter. Your first destination is the room where you collected your precious equipment: Inventory, where eight rows of eight lockers can be found, with yours still wide open. You take a moment to inspect the open door and its locking mechanism. It appears to have three rather sturdy bolts located at the top, bottom and middle, all of which are controlled by the biometric lock. Not only that but the hinges are internal, eliminating a weak point that you could easily target.

You have no doubt that with time and effort, you'll be able to crack them open. You have to ask yourself though – is it worth it?

>Get to work opening as many of these as you can. It doesn't matter how much time it take, you need their contents.
>You're willing to spend a little ammunition if it saves you time. Shoot at the bolts and blast the doors open.
>Time for Jurvaz to prove his worth. See if he can crack any of them open while you explore the rest of the bunker.
>Don't bother. Your time and energy is better spent exploring the shelter than scavenging for more guns and ammo.

>>5352908
>>You're willing to spend a little ammunition if it saves you time. Shoot at the bolts and blast the doors open.

Hell yeah! Also no way I am voting for the third option. What if he managed to pry them open and pockets whatever he deems valuable?

>>5352908
>>Get to work opening as many of these as you can. It doesn't matter how much time it take, you need their contents.
I dont like being wasteful

But first
>Time for Jurvaz to prove his worth. See if he can crack any of them open while you explore the rest of the bunker.

>>5352908
Time for Jurvaz to prove his worth. See if he can crack any of them open while you explore the rest of the bunker.

>>5352908
>Get to work opening as many of these as you can. It doesn't matter how much time it take, you need their contents.

>>5352956
>>5352973
From what little I know about this setting, the ammo and equipment we have is beyond rare and extremely finite. As in, they literally don't and can't make anymore of these bullets. Just thought I'd mention this.

>>5352977
then we need Long term plans on how to manufacture bullets

>>5352908
>Get to work opening as many of these as you can. It doesn't matter how much time it take, you need their contents.

I'm not certain what the time pressure is. While I haven't read every bit of setting material closely I don't remember there being a timer to lockdown or defensive memetic protocols or anything. We have no in-character reason to fear a sudden band of scrappers, or chroniclers or whoever the fuck else to suddenly jump us, nor do I think the psychonaut corpse would infect the whole village in a matter of hours. If it is a thick metal door then shooting it with a submachine gun won't do anything to get us inside, futuristic UEO rounds or not.

That being said, the fear of Jurvaz somehow packing up all our guns and ammo and hauling it off when he has no carrying equipment and while we are in the general area looking around is an unwarranted fear, plus we could easily track him given there is only a few places he'd be familiar with, and he'd be limited to certain terrain for traversal given the fact that he has to live off the land and doesn't have transport, plus there are psychonauts apparently within walking distance of the village.

>>5352977
>>5352984
Bullets can absolutely be manufactured in this setting, but the tech level is very inconsistent, with many factions literally being stone or iron age communities, while others are early-modern period and some futuristic.

>>5352999
I know bullets can be manufactured. I'm assuming by the situation we've come about this word, we have the bullets that can't be manufactured because the means to make THESE specific super science bullets have been lost.
We can make or buy more bullets latter, but they would be of a significantly lesser quality or something. I'm only speculating.

>>5352973
Ditto

>>5352908
>>Get to work opening as many of these as you can. It doesn't matter how much time it take, you need their contents.

>write in:
See if we can salvage some kind of biomatter from the other pods and use it to get access to the lockers. Dunno how much could be feasible but it's an idea

>>5352908
>Get to work opening as many of these as you can. It doesn't matter how much time it take, you need their contents.

>>5352908
>Get to work opening as many of these as you can. It doesn't matter how much time it take, you need their contents.
>use memes to bend the tribal into a useful servant, a loyal servant.

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You get to work, using your knife and the equipment that Jurvaz brought with him – crude stone chisels alongside metal pry bars, hammers and other tools that he must have either looted or traded for at some point. The barbarian holds the torch and keeps his distance while you test the integrity of a locker and its security. The bolts are too sturdy to break from stress and the door is too thick for you to puncture or cut with the available tools. What comes next is a great of hammering and levering as you try to deform the locker until you can open it with ease. You know one thing for sure: In the old world, you must have had absolutely no training or experience with situations like this.

While you work, you ask Jurvaz to tell you more about the bunker and what he knows of it. All he has to offer is a myth. According to the legends of the Voss, they were actually given form and life by you, the gods beneath the mountain. They were made to serve and protect you, to watch and wait while you slumbered. Yet the temptation of the outside world grew too strong and eventually they were unable to resist the urge. They fled from the mountain, full of guilt and fear that when you did awaken, they would be punished for their insolence. At first the story sounds like superstitious nonsense, but it might contain a kernel of truth.

By the time that the barbarian's torch burns out, you've only managed to force two lockers open. Sixty-one to go. Their contents are the same as yours, much to your frustration. Did you really expect to not need any sort of survival equipment beyond a knife? What sort of environment did you expect when you emerged from cryostasis? At least that's two more submachine guns and a hundred and twenty more rounds that you have access to.

With your light source dead, you're forced to find another. In the end, you take two of the inoperable tablet computers and manage to mess with their screen settings until they emit a sterile white glow. You hold one while Jurvaz clutches another and for now, you leave the lockers behind. Getting all of them open would take you days, at this pace. Instead, you explore.

Observation contains an array of display screens that are either long dead or have the same 65536 error as the others that you've seen. More importantly, there are three sturdy-looking drones the size of your torso just sitting there, charging. You prod and poke at them for a bit, but you can't recall how any of them are supposed to be operated. They even seem to be armed with some sort of welding equipment, but you can't figure out how you could remove it without rendering it useless.

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Armoury is locked behind a heavily reinforced door, much like the one that Jurvaz had to break through. The difference is that this door has not endured centuries of erosion and countless attempts to break through it. You lack the access codes to get inside and any sufficient means of breaking in. Simply put, getting inside of this room is impossible.

Maintenance seems to be the only room with some computers that aren't plagued with the 65536 issue. Through these terminals, you are able to learn that the bunker – which the computer refers to as 'Dispenser 300-9' – is powered by geothermal energy. Unfortunately, it seems as though the majority of the turbines and generators have failed over the years, leaving most of the shelter without electricity. Clearly this was expected, as there is an algorithm that determines which facilities receive power according to a priority queue. Unsurprisingly, the cryostasis chambers are the system's top priority.

Cryostasis is your final destination. You feel ill at ease, walking past the malfunctioned chambers and the clusters of calcified gel that protrude from them. Now that you are more lucid, you take a closer look at them. Each pod is accompanied by a display, all of which are either offline or have encountered the 65536 error. Even the chamber that once contained you is afflicted with this issue. You get the feeling that if Jurvaz hadn't manually opened your pod, you would have eventually met the same fate as your fellow sleepers.

Each of the pods appears to have some sort of white cylinder protruding from a port beneath its display. All of these cartridges are approximately six inches in diameter but their length varies. Some are over a foot long, while the shortest only have two or three inches left. The edges are rounded, while a palm-sized RG is printed on the end. You decide to remove the cartridge of your chamber, so that you can inspect it. It feels like it's made of some sort of ceramic and its surface is completely smooth, with no sign of a lid or any other opening. Peculiar.

With your exploration at an end, it's time for you to decide what's worth taking from Dispenser 300-9.

>Nothing. You've already looted enough the two lockers you busted open, you don't need to take anything else.
>Stock up on ammunition. Spend the next couple of hours cracking open half a dozen lockers and then move on.
>Take a little bit of everything. A whole lot of ammunition, one of the drones, a few of those cartridges and even a couple of those buggy tablet computers.
>Everything. You will haul every scrap of technology out of this bunker, even if it takes you several days. You'll need to figure out how you'll transport it all too.
>Stay right here. There are a few issues – the 65536 bug, the malfunctioning nanites, the lack of a food supply and more – but Dispenser 300-9 could serve as a base of operations.

>>5353600
>Stock up on ammunition. Spend the next couple of hours cracking open half a dozen lockers and then move on.

>>5353600
>>Stay right here. There are a few issues – the 65536 bug, the malfunctioning nanites, the lack of a food supply and more – but Dispenser 300-9 could serve as a base of operations.

>>5353600
>>Stock up on ammunition. Spend the next couple of hours cracking open half a dozen lockers and then move on.
>>Take a little bit of everything. A whole lot of ammunition, one of the drones, a few of those cartridges and even a couple of those buggy tablet computers.

We've got places to be, I don't wanna stay here now that we've rejected the typical sociocybernetic sleeper approach of ruling a small community with our memetic protocols. Still, we should at least get a full load of magazines and extra loose ammo, plus having a little bit of everything could either be traded for or eventually made to work, if nothing else the nanites are worth having.

>>5353600
>Stay right here. There are a few issues – the 65536 bug, the malfunctioning nanites, the lack of a food supply and more – but Dispenser 300-9 could serve as a base of operations.

I see no need to leave. And by the look of things looters have already begotten this place.

>>5353600
>Stay right here. There are a few issues – the 65536 bug, the malfunctioning nanites, the lack of a food supply and more – but Dispenser 300-9 could serve as a base of operations.

>>5353600
>Stay right here. There are a few issues – the 65536 bug, the malfunctioning nanites, the lack of a food supply and more – but Dispenser 300-9 could serve as a base of operations.

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You've spent the last few minutes sat on a chair in front of a display in Maintenance, going over the figures again and again. After mulling it over for a while, you come to a decision.

“I'm not going east.”

“What?” Jurvaz sounds puzzled. While you were busy staring at a screen, he was prodding at various hatches that likely lead into the guts of the bunker.

“I'm not leaving,” you reiterate. “There's too much here to leave behind. If the rest of the world is anything like the Voss, I don't have anything to gain from it. Everything that I need can be found right here.”

“What are we goin' to eat? How are we goin' to make stuff? So far, we ain't found anythin' 'ere but thunder-sticks, clothes an' glowin' plates.” The barbarian doesn't all that happy with the plan.

“I'll figure it out.” He has a point. For whatever reason, you and the other sleepers neglected to prepare for survival in a hostile world. However, you've made up your mind and you're not about to change it. “If you don't approve, you're welcome to leave. Take your share of the supplies and go.”

“There's no chance that I'd make it on my own,” Jurvaz scoffs. “I'll put my faith in yer plan, Three Hundred. If you think that stayin' 'ere is the wisest path, then I'll stay with you an' do my bit. Four hands are better than two, ain't that so?”

If you're going to stay in Dispenser 300-9, you need a better idea of the surrounding terrain. With Jurvaz at your side, you leave the bunker to climb to the mountain's highest point. The journey takes the rest of the afternoon but the sight is breathtaking.

To the west lies the valley that harbours the sleepy village of the Voss and beyond it, many more ridge and slopes as the mountain range continues.
The same can be said for the north – peaks and troughs that go on for as far as the eye can see, complete with winding rivers and lonely lakes.
To the east, there is a stretch of flat land dotted with the wreckage of old world civilisation. Jurvaz points out the largest cluster of ruins and calls it Mulhouse – a town he's been told about by passing scavengers. Further east there is another small mountain range much like your own and beyond it, a far taller and more daunting one, with impressive snow-capped crags.
Finally, there is the south. Several miles downstream of the river that the Voss live beside, you spot an ashen crater that disrupts the woodland. Wisps of smoke seem to rise from it, like spindly hairs that sway in the wind. Jurvaz calls it the domain of the Soulless, a forbidden and evil place. Beyond it, the river disappears into an endless forest that is only disturbed by other such pits of varying size, each one ugly and grey.

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Thankfully, the descent is far shorter than the climb and you find yourself back at the bunker before nightfall. You'll need to consider how you will deal with each of your neighbours: The Voss, the Soulless and Mulhouse. Though you try to get information about this settlement from Jurvaz over a meal of tubers and raw nuts, he doesn't know much. Some of the scavengers who pass through the valley belong to some sort of Cartel while others sell their findings to the Chroniclers, mysterious hoarders of technology who will pay any price for it.

Before you can do anything about any of these entities, you need to focus on more immediate concerns:

First, what's going to be your priority over the coming days?
>Hunting and gathering. Meat, furs, firewood, all of these things are important for survival. It's how the Voss get by and it's how you'll survive as well.
>Agriculture. You'll need to forage for wild wheat or some other sort of grain and see if you can find arable land to plant it in. Start the long game early.
>Breaking lockers open. At a rate of two or three per hour, you should be able to have them all open within a few days. You better get started.
>Getting into the armoury. Throw everything you've got at that door, try every access code you can think of. There's got to be a way inside.
>Figuring out the drones. See if you can uncover the secrets of operating them, or at least removing the welding equipment without ruining it.

Second, there's the matter of Jurvaz. If he's sticking around, you need to keep him loyal.
>Keep him in line. You might not be a god but you're still far stronger than him. Make sure that he knows that there will be consequences if he ever betrays you.
>Befriend him. It's going to be awkward but your relationship will be much smoother if he comes to view you as an equal instead of a tyrant.
>URGE: Compel him to serve you until his obedience is routine. This will also help you become accustomed to wielding your memes.
>FEAR: Terrify him with your memes. Fill him with such fear of punishment that he cannot comprehend betraying you or even running away.

Third, there is the issue of the cryostasis chambers that are leaking nanite milk everywhere.
>Leave them as they are. There might still be a way to rescue your fellow sleepers from their nanite prisons. Just stay away from Cryostasis from now on.
>Remove the cartridges. They seem to be connected to the nanites somehow so hopefully by unplugging the cylinders, you will stop further growth.
>Turn them off. Almost all of the bunker's power is being hogged by Cryostasis. All sorts of functionality could be restored if you disconnect them.
>Clean up Cryostasis. Remove the cylinders, turn off the chambers and find somewhere to start dumping the nanites before they do more damage.

>>5354033
Okay, no going south, got it.

>Hunting and gathering. Meat, furs, firewood, all of these things are important for survival. It's how the Voss get by and it's how you'll survive as well.
>Figuring out the drones. See if you can uncover the secrets of operating them, or at least removing the welding equipment without ruining it.
>Agriculture. You'll need to forage for wild wheat or some other sort of grain and see if you can find arable land to plant it in. Start the long game early.

In that order, we need to get our long term sustenance in order, but that can wait for now. Hunting should solve our immediate food issue for several days with just one kill. Getting a drone working will speed up breaking into the lockers and armoury.

>Befriend him. It's going to be awkward but your relationship will be much smoother if he comes to view you as an equal instead of a tyrant.

If we were gonna forcibly compel people then we should've done it to Jurvaz's brother so we could take over the tribe. May as well be consistent.

>Turn them off. Almost all of the bunker's power is being hogged by Cryostasis. All sorts of functionality could be restored if you disconnect them.

>>5354033
>>Agriculture. You'll need to forage for wild wheat or some other sort of grain and see if you can find arable land to plant it in. Start the long game early.
>Hunting and gathering. Meat, furs, firewood, all of these things are important for survival. It's how the Voss get by and it's how you'll survive as well.
>Getting into the armoury. Throw everything you've got at that door, try every access code you can think of. There's got to be a way inside.

>URGE: Compel him to serve you until his obedience is routine. This will also help you become accustomed to wielding your memes.

>Remove the cartridges. They seem to be connected to the nanites somehow so hopefully by unplugging the cylinders, you will stop further growth.

>>5354033
multiple votes!! I love this

>Hunting and gathering. Meat, furs, firewood, all of these things are important for survival. It's how the Voss get by and it's how you'll survive as well.
We gotta find food *now* not for later like agriculture.
>FEAR: Terrify him with your memes. Fill him with such fear of punishment that he cannot comprehend betraying you or even running away.
YES
>Turn them off. Almost all of the bunker's power is being hogged by Cryostasis. All sorts of functionality could be restored if you disconnect them.
Can we also remove the funky cartriges? I can tell they are super dense and the machine uses them to generate nanites/the milk.

>>5354033
>Hunting and gathering. Meat, furs, firewood, all of these things are important for survival. It's how the Voss get by and it's how you'll survive as well.
>Befriend him. It's going to be awkward but your relationship will be much smoother if he comes to view you as an equal instead of a tyrant.
>Leave them as they are. There might still be a way to rescue your fellow sleepers from their nanite prisons. Just stay away from Cryostasis from now on.

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>>5354117
why three votes on the first option bruh... This is the first few days not a gantt chart for the semester

>>5354184
I Do it as a list of what to do most to least important for me.

>>5354033
>Agriculture. You'll need to forage for wild wheat or some other sort of grain and see if you can find arable land to plant it in. Start the long game early.
>Befriend him. It's going to be awkward but your relationship will be much smoother if he comes to view you as an equal instead of a tyrant.
>Leave them as they are. There might still be a way to rescue your fellow sleepers from their nanite prisons. Just stay away from Cryostasis from now on.

We have a weeks worth of supplies for now, so we may as well get started on farming before we're forced to hunt to eat, and who knows what the systems in the bunker will do if they regain full functionality, could be they have some autonomous systems that wouldn't be good to have active right now.

>>5354033
>>Agriculture. You'll need to forage for wild wheat or some other sort of grain and see if you can find arable land to plant it in. Start the long game early
URGE: Compel him to serve you until his obedience is routine. This will also help you become accustomed to wielding your memes.
Harness the memes!
>Clean up Cryostasis. Remove the cylinders, turn off the chambers and find somewhere to start dumping the nanites before they do more damage

>>5354265
Going with:
>Befriend him. It's going to be awkward but your relationship will be much smoother if he comes to view you as an equal instead of a tyrant.

However, there is currently a tie between these options:
>Hunting and gathering. Meat, furs, firewood, all of these things are important for survival. It's how the Voss get by and it's how you'll survive as well.
>Agriculture. You'll need to forage for wild wheat or some other sort of grain and see if you can find arable land to plant it in. Start the long game early.
And these options:
>Leave them as they are. There might still be a way to rescue your fellow sleepers from their nanite prisons. Just stay away from Cryostasis from now on.
>Turn them off. Almost all of the bunker's power is being hogged by Cryostasis. All sorts of functionality could be restored if you disconnect them.

I'm going to give one hour for new voters to break the tie between those options. If the tie remains, I'll have to roll for them.

>>5354033
>Agriculture. You'll need to forage for wild wheat or some other sort of grain and see if you can find arable land to plant it in. Start the long game early.
>URGE: Compel him to serve you until his obedience is routine. This will also help you become accustomed to wielding your memes.
>Leave them as they are. There might still be a way to rescue your fellow sleepers from their nanite prisons. Just stay away from Cryostasis from now on.

>>5354365
>Hunting and gathering. Meat, furs, firewood, all of these things are important for survival. It's how the Voss get by and it's how you'll survive as well.

If this is just the first few days then this fine. Just clarifying my vote since it doesn't seem like you wanted a multiple ones to be voted.

>>5354396
I went with your first priority as this is just meant to represent the first few days, yes.

Voting is locked. Going with:
>Agriculture. You'll need to forage for wild wheat or some other sort of grain and see if you can find arable land to plant it in. Start the long game early.
>Befriend him. It's going to be awkward but your relationship will be much smoother if he comes to view you as an equal instead of a tyrant.
>Leave them as they are. There might still be a way to rescue your fellow sleepers from their nanite prisons. Just stay away from Cryostasis from now on.

>>5354033
>>Agriculture. You'll need to forage for wild wheat or some other sort of grain and see if you can find arable land to plant it in. Start the long game early.

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The next few days are spent leading Jurvaz across the mountains, teaching him how to tell cereals apart from other grasses. Together, you harvest their grains and search for arable land where you can plant them. Eventually you to find a patch of the mountainside where the trees are sparse yet there's still enough soil to work with. Your next lesson is about tilling the earth and sowing crops. The biggest problem is that you're a layman in this field so you have no doubt that you're screwing this up somehow, but only time will reveal your errors.

The exercise serves as something of a bonding experience as you try to treat Jurvas as an equal instead of a knuckle-dragging savage. The two of you toil side by side, as comrades rather than a slave and his master. He even goes an entire day without referring to you as a god! Despite this, there are a few rules that you ask him to abide by, one of which is that he must stay away from the Cryostasis facility. The chambers and their nanites mustn't be touched until you have a greater understanding of them.

You awaken on the fifth morning since you were asked to leave the village of the Voss. A lack of suitable bedding leaves your body aching while your breakfast of taproots and chestnuts leaves your appetite unsatisfied, with only a few days of sustenance left. At least you have plenty of water, thanks to a nearby stream that Jurvaz found.

Yet before you're able to leave Dispenser 300-9, you hear something on your way to the outer reaches of the bunker. It's the clamour of voices and feet thudding against the floor. Someone else has come across your home and have welcomed themselves inside it. You ready your SMG while you gesture for Jurvaz to stay back – you don't trust him enough to put a gun in his hands just yet. Following the ruckus of your intruders, you eventually track them down to a dead end.

It's the Voss. Eighteen of them, terrified and exhausted. They're led by none other than Blayz, who looks worse for wear thanks to the swollen lumps that his skin is covered with. All of his pride has evaporated since the last time you saw him. As soon as he sees you, the chieftain freezes, his dark eyes fixed on the barrel of your gun – which is pointed straight at him.

“I thought you had left,” Blayz wheezes.

“I left your village like you asked, but this is my home. I'm not leaving it behind. What are you doing here?” The chief takes a step towards you, only for you to flick the safety off. He doesn't understand what you just did, but the audible click of metal is enough to make him pause.

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“The slaves o' the Soulless came last night,” he rattles. “This time, one o' them walked into our village with a lump o' mud in his hands. I cut him down an' when it hit the earth, fireflies burst outta it. They stank of piss and sweat but I didn't think it meant anythin'. Less than an hour later, a cloud o' wasps appeared outta nowhere. So many o' them that the air was as thicker than water, bitin' an' stinging' everythin' that moved. I gathered as many Voss as I could an' fled, there's no way to fight a foe like that.”

“So why did you come here?”

“I thought it was empty an' safe, a place where we could stay until the valley's safe again.” His jaw locks for a moment as he tries to appear stubborn, but the illusion soon passes. Blayz just looks defeated. “... All I ask is that you let us stay 'ere, Three Hundred. Just for a bit, eh? You wanted to protect the Voss, now you've got a second chance at it.”

How the tables turn.

>You will allow the Voss to stay, Blayz included, so long as they are able to feed and look after themselves. You are nothing if not magnanimous.
>URGE: You will allow the chieftain to stay with the rest of his tribe, on the condition that he demonstrates his submission to you. The memes demand it.
>Though you'll allow the Voss to stay, Blayz must go. You were not welcome in his home, so you see no reason to welcome him into yours. Cast him out.
>Gun the chieftain down. With him dead, the Voss will surely fear you so much that they will obey your every command. You will become their tyrant.
>FEAR: Fill Blayz with such fear that he will leave the valley that he has called home for all his life, never to return. His tribe may stay.
>They all must leave. The Voss must find somewhere else if they seek sanctuary. You washed your hands of this thankless lot when you left their village five days ago.

>>5354573
>>URGE: You will allow the chieftain to stay with the rest of his tribe, on the condition that he demonstrates his submission to you. The memes demand it.

>>5354573
>>URGE: You will allow the chieftain to stay with the rest of his tribe, on the condition that he demonstrates his submission to you. The memes demand it.

>>5354573
>>They all must leave. The Voss must find somewhere else if they seek sanctuary. You washed your hands of this thankless lot when you left their village five days ago.
OH FUCK ANONS THE MURDER FLIES CLEARLY INFECTED EVERYONE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Don't mess this up

>>5354573
>They all must leave. The Voss must find somewhere else if they seek sanctuary. You washed your hands of this thankless lot when you left their village five days ago.

>>5354572
>URGE: You will allow the chieftain to stay with the rest of his tribe, on the condition that he demonstrates his submission to you. The memes demand it.

>>5354677
wait how do you know

>>5354573
>Though you'll allow the Voss to stay, Blayz must go. You were not welcome in his home, so you see no reason to welcome him into yours. Cast him out.

>>5354573
We don't know in character, to be consistent I'd think it be best if we remained magnanimous, but those who know the setting at least casually realize that these people are fucked and we are only fucking ourselves by allowing them to stay with us.

The Primer got them boys, they are walking bags of alien matter now.

The one in-character reason I can see for casting them out is a combination at bitterness for how we were treated and the fact that even if we don't have knowledge of the Primer, Burn, etc, we can obviously see they are afflicted with some sort of malady which could infect us.

>You will allow the Voss to stay, Blayz included, so long as they are able to feed and look after themselves. You are nothing if not magnanimous.

I'm sticking with what I'd think we'd do based off precedent from prior choices and how I'm interpreting our character, but for the record I think it would be the absolute best choice to cast them out or at least use URGE on them to establish dominance.

>>5354896
We told them to burn the corpse of the guy we shot because we thought it was diseased, and we have a pretty good basis to think that they're fucked from the description of the attack they just escaped.

>>5354573
>URGE: You will allow the chieftain to stay with the rest of his tribe, on the condition that he demonstrates his submission to you. The memes demand it.

Voting is locked. Going with:
>URGE: You will allow the chieftain to stay with the rest of his tribe, on the condition that he demonstrates his submission to you. The memes demand it.

>>5354900
I know, hence me mentioning that we can see they are afflicted with something, we just don't know how bad it is yet.

>>5354861
because I put two and two together. First we have the soulless that have nasty pox marks on their chests and are all zombie like. Then we have them carrying some sort of honey that attracts the wasp. Both are obviously related.

Finally the whole tribe got stung??? fuuuuuck and the votes are in... oh man oh man. We don't need meta knowledge to know they are nasty!!!

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Jurvaz is a simple man. He just wants respect and considering that he saved your life, you see no reason to deny him that.
Blayz is different. He is a conniving schemer who masquerades as a confident leader. If he is going to stay, his will must be broken first. You will shatter his will so thoroughly that he won't even be capable of plotting against you.

Your larynx burns as your vocal chords are primed. Your mind expands, quite literally, to the point where you can feel it pressing against your skull. When you open your mouth to speak, the sound that emerges is utterly inhuman. Your voice drops through the octaves to an undulating bass that makes your eardrums quaver, as though someone is smashing them with a hammer every time you utter a syllable.

“You do not deserve my succour. Kneel. Beg. Serve.”

Your throat feels like you've just swallowed a mouthful of razorblades and your head throbs with a fierce migraine. The sight of Blayz's legs suddenly buckling as he falls to his knees makes up for that. Any trace of pride evaporates as the chieftain grovels before you.

“I'll serve, Three Hundred! I'll do anythin', I swear it!” His voice suddenly breaks and tears of shame flow freely down his wasp-stung face. “I always played the part o' chieftain but I was nothin' but a fool! You were always meant to rule, always an'... an' I am meant to serve. I know my place now, I know who I live for. Please, give my life meanin'! Give me purpose, Three Hundred!” All of the other Voss – Jurvaz included – stare at Blayz in shock. The haughty leader that they have know for all their lives has been replaced by this snivelling sycophant – at least for now. You will need to reinforce the memes you have implanted in his brain to make this last.

Yet a strange scent arises from the once-chieftain – the acrid tang of ammonia, of piss and sweat. Though your mind still aches, it suddenly races.

“Blayz, these fireflies that you spoke of... Did any of them touch you?”

“What..? They crawled all o'er everyone and everythin'. Forgive me if I stink o' the vermin, I don't mean to –”

“The wasps are drawn to them,” you snap. Pheromones – they're the only explanation for everything that occurred. You turn to Jurvaz. “Get everyone inside and get that door back up, now! Move it!”

Once all of the Voss are inside the inner reaches of the bunker, the reinforced door is dragged back into its original frame, though it needs to be held upright. You don't need to wait long for the wasps to arrive. A loud, angry noise can heard beyond the threshold for what feels like an eternity, while the tribesman huddle together and whimper. You only dare to open the door once the sound has subside and the swarm has moved on. By this point, your head and your throat no longer hurt – they have recovered sooner than you expected.

Your memetic refractory period is over. You may now use a new memetic protocol.

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Once you step outside, you find that the outer reaches of Dispenser 300-9 are littered with hundreds of wasp. Most of them are dead, while others are still in the process of dying. Perhaps the swarm turned on itself when it couldn't find anything to attack during its pheromone-fuelled frenzy. One thing of note is that some of the wasps are covered with peculiar white hairs. In the most extreme cases, even their wings are overgrown with the stuff.

You'll need to decide what you should do about them.

>There's more important things to worry about than dead wasps. You've suddenly found yourself with eighteen more mouths to feed. You better get to work, sooner rather than later.
>Clean them out of the bunker before they contaminate it with whatever ails them. The tribesmen can sweep them outside for the crows to pick at. It shouldn't take too long.
>Get a fire going and have the Voss cook them up. A little heat should kill whatever they're infected with and then you can chow down. You won't say no to a little extra protein.
>Burn all of the wasps you find. Not just the ones in the bunker but any that you can find in the nearby wilderness too. It might take a long time but you're not about to take any risks.

>>5354975
>>Burn all of the wasps you find. Not just the ones in the bunker but any that you can find in the nearby wilderness too. It might take a long time but you're not about to take any risks.

>>5354975
>Burn all of the wasps you find. Not just the ones in the bunker but any that you can find in the nearby wilderness too. It might take a long time but you're not about to take any risks.

Make sure we tell the Voss that the wasps can make people sick - so that’s why they need to be burned

>>5354975
>>Burn all of the wasps you find. Not just the ones in the bunker but any that you can find in the nearby wilderness too. It might take a long time but you're not about to take any risks.
The munching is attractive ngl... but I guess we better safe than sorry

>>5354975
>Burn all of the wasps you find. Not just the ones in the bunker but any that you can find in the nearby wilderness too. It might take a long time but you're not about to take any risks.

>>5354975
>Burn all of the wasps you find. Not just the ones in the bunker but any that you can find in the nearby wilderness too. It might take a long time but you're not about to take any risks.

>>5354975
>Burn all of the wasps you find. Not just the ones in the bunker but any that you can find in the nearby wilderness too. It might take a long time but you're not about to take any risks.

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“Gather all of the wasps that you find,” you say to the Voss. “Make a fire and see to it that they are all burned before the sickness that they carry spreads. Not just the ones that came inside – any that you find in the forest outside as well. There will be no rest until there is nothing left of them but ash.”

Some of the tribesmen seem uncertain. They're famished, sleepless and covered in wasp stings. Under normal circumstances, they would be in no condition to do anything other than rest. However, the situation is urgent, your tone makes that obvious. So at your behest, they all get to work.

The bunker is emptied of the vermin soon enough, but picking them out of the surrounding woodland is much more arduous. Hours are spent searching the undergrowth for carcasses covered with fuzzy white growth, all of which are thrown a fire pit with all haste. Yet some of the tribesmen are no condition to be toiling for hours. Three of those who suffered the most stings ended up passing out, likely due to the wasp venom still coursing through their veins. One young woman even ends up dying, her poisoning exacerbated by starvation and exhaustion. Her name was Nowme and you see to it that her body is burned as well.

After that, finding food is your priority. Almost none of the tribesmen brought anything with them in their rush to flee from the swarm so you are forced to hunt on their behalf. Those who are able are sent out to forage, while the worst off are left to recuperate. Though it takes you an hour, you're able to track down and fell a doe with your submachine gun – that's another three rounds expended. It's not enough to keep nineteen people well-fed but it's a start.

Once the foragers have returned and the beast has been cooked, the Voss gather in one of the abandoned halls of the outer reaches to eat. Morale is low, especially after the death of Nowme. Just one look at the firelit faces of the Voss makes that painfully apparent. This situation is untenable – you will need to figure out a solution and soon.

>A culling is needed. Those who are feeble, talentless or soft-hearted must be cast out, leaving you with only those who have the strength, will and skill to survive.
>Someone will need to visit Mulhouse. You need proper tools if you want to do more than eke out a living like some sort of savage, so you'll trade for them.
>You will have to pay a visit to the village of the Voss. If you can bring some of their equipment back to the bunker, that will make life a whole lot easier.
>Break open some more lockers and teach the best shots how to use a gun. So long as you have ammunition, they will be able to hunt for all the food they need.
>Push your memes to the next level. Whenever possible, you must be bending one of the Voss to your will with memetic protocols and instilling loyalty in them. It's unethical but necessary.

>>5355238
>You will have to pay a visit to the village of the Voss. If you can bring some of their equipment back to the bunker, that will make life a whole lot easier.

>>5355238
>>You will have to pay a visit to the village of the Voss. If you can bring some of their equipment back to the bunker, that will make life a whole lot easier.

>>5355238
>You will have to pay a visit to the village of the Voss. If you can bring some of their equipment back to the bunker, that will make life a whole lot easier.

It is dangerous but hopefully we can manage. They need tools they already know how to use, teaching them to use guns or getting better tools from Mulhouse can wait until everyone isn't at the risk of starving.

>>5355238
>You will have to pay a visit to the village of the Voss. If you can bring some of their equipment back to the bunker, that will make life a whole lot easier.

>>5355238
>Someone will need to visit Mulhouse. You need proper tools if you want to do more than eke out a living like some sort of savage, so you'll trade for them.

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Though the Voss aren't an advanced tribe, they're dead weight without their tools. From bow and arrows to primitive knives and mallets to various implements for cutting and chipping stone, they left so much behind at their village. You suppose that they could always start again from scratch, but how many weeks or months would it take until these tribesmen are self-sufficient again? You need to go back to their village, to scavenge as much of the tribe's equipment as you can.

There's some consternation when you announce your plan to survive. Several of them fear that the wasps might still be lingering there, but you explain that the swarm followed the pheromones to your bunker and likely dispersed after the trail went cold. There are a few concerns about the slaves of the Soulless claiming the village, but you point out that these unfortunate people seem to be trapped in a dream-like state. They're like drones, mindlessly fulfilling the tasks that they've been assigned – you doubt that they will notice you at all, let alone fight back.

You don't expect to be back before nightfall. To light the way once the sun has set, you make sure to take one of the tablets with you to use as a torch of sorts. The other two will be left with Blayz and Jurvaz, to help them navigate the subterranean maze that is Dispenser 300-9. As for the rest of the Voss, you order them to continue their foraging and should they find any wasp carcasses that were missed, they must be burned immediately. Some of them are bemused by your fixation with burning dead things, but none of them question you.

The journey down the mountainside is interrupted by heavy rainfall. On one hand, it makes the descent rather perilous and ensures that your return to the bunker will be even more taxing that it usually is. More than once you find yourself almost slipping on the mud and cursing your clumsiness.

Before too long, you arrive at the edge of the riverside clearing where the Voss once lived. Even in the rain, it seems that the wasps still have a presence here, though their frenzied state has passed. They seem content to cling to sheltered surfaces and wait for the downpour to pass. You can also see some Soulless drones milling about, picking through the abandoned village.

First, how do you want to go about this?
>In and out, as quick as possible. Stealth isn't necessary, as you doubt that the drones will bother you.
>Don't let the thralls see you. It's better to be safe than sorry, even if sneaking about will take much longer.
>Gun the drones down. That way, you won't need to worry about them interfering with your scavenging.

Second, did you bring anyone with you to help with the looting?
>No, you came alone. You don't want to have to worry about dead weight.
>A couple of tribesmen. Four more hands will be able to carry a lot more.
>Half a dozen Voss. You want to take as much as possible back to the bunker.

>>5355570
>>Don't let the thralls see you. It's better to be safe than sorry, even if sneaking about will take much longer.

>>A couple of tribesmen. Four more hands will be able to carry a lot more.

>>5355570
>Gun the drones down. That way, you won't need to worry about them interfering with your scavenging.
>A couple of tribesmen. Four more hands will be able to carry a lot more.

>>5355606
If you are going to use our very limited ammo why not bring as many tribesmen as possible to maximize the loot amount?
Seems like a waste otherwise.

>>5355570
>>In and out, as quick as possible. Stealth isn't necessary, as you doubt that the drones will bother you.
I believe the thralls are just mindless cunts while the wasps are able to do much more... I don't think we can go undetected, but we will go unmolested.
>>>Half a dozen Voss. You want to take as much as possible back to the bunker.
Between 5 and 7 people there isn't much difference... odd vote desu

>>5355570
>Gun the drones down. That way, you won't need to worry about them interfering with your scavenging.
>Half a dozen Voss. You want to take as much as possible back to the bunker.

>>5355570
>Don't let the thralls see you. It's better to be safe than sorry, even if sneaking about will take much longer.
>Half a dozen Voss. You want to take as much as possible back to the bunker.

>>5355570
>Gun the drones down. That way, you won't need to worry about them interfering with your scavenging.
>Half a dozen Voss. You want to take as much as possible back to the bunker.

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You've brought the six strongest survivors with you, the ones with the least stings and the most muscles. While you take care of the drones, they will scavenge anything of value from the village. If nothing else, a little taste of revenge will serve to lift the spirits of the Voss.

When you stride out of the undergrowth and into the outskirts of the village, there are only a couple of thralls in sight. A naked woman with an inflamed scab covering her breasts is dragging along a boy, his lifeless body swollen and purple after being stung countless times. A gangly, wretched man with grey fuzz sprouting from his nostrils and lips goes from door to door, collecting any food that he finds in a basket. Neither of them acknowledge your presence.

You take aim at the woman first and squeeze the trigger. A burst of crimson explodes from her back with a thunderous crack and she falls to the ground. As soon as she hits the mud, the slave's trance is broken and she begins to weep and wail as her body expires. To your surprise, the other drone reacts to this. With one look at the dying woman and then at you, he drops the basket and breaks into a run, though his jaw is still slack and his face is devoid of emotion. Your finger comes down on the trigger again and with another burst of sound, the wretch collapses and starts to sob as he slowly bleeds out.

You're the first one to check each hut before the others rush inside to grab whatever they can, seizing baskets and piling anything that they can find into them. The drones that you come across appear to be looting the village as well, though they're after a different quarry – dead bodies and provisions. You gun them down before they're able to go anywhere with them, yet you can't help but wonder what they're up to.

Once you have arrived at the heart of the village, you no longer have to wonder.

In the very spot where you were introduced to the tribe by Jurvaz, there's now a heap of sodden biomass. Dozens of swollen corpses have been piled high, dead bodies interspersed with spoiled food. Even with less than a day of decay, the stench is already awful and flies have begun to swarm over the clammy mountain of meat, paying no heed to the rain. Beside the macabre mound, five drones crouch over a fallen tree, which they cut and scrape at with crude stone tools. Thanks to their efforts, the trunk has begun to look rather like a demonic face, grimacing at the sky.

Once more, you take aim and fire. With the crack of gunfire, one of the thralls falls to the earth and lets out a baleful scream. The others look at their fallen comrade and then at you. Another squeeze of the trigger and another falls, moaning and weeping. The remain three launch themselves to their feet and begin to run, only for you to follow them with your sights. With one loud pop and then another, two more drones fall face first into the mud.

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Taking down the fifth drone isn't so easy. He's made some distance now and he veers crazily in one direction and then another, in a way that you can't predict. Just when you think you've lined a shot, he ducks behind the cover of a building and when you finally take a chance after he emerges from his cover, you narrowly miss your target. When you try again, instead of a noisome bang, you're greeted with a click – you're out. By the time you've loaded a new magazine, your target has disappeared into the undergrowth of the forest, on his journey southward.

While you swear beneath your breath, your tribal assistants gawk at the disgusting flesh heap that the drones have assembled. Some of them are furious, while others are overcome with despair – you have no doubt that all of them have loved ones in that mountain of biomass. One woman who accompanied you even approaches the pile and tries to pull a corpse off of it.

“Don't touch them!” She turns to glare over her shoulder at you with tear-filled eyes, but you don't back down. “You don't know what sorts of diseases they've been infested with. Step back and don't touch them.”

“What, do you think you can burn 'em too?” The bitterness in her voice is palpable. “In rain like this? We can't just leave 'em all there to rot! These are our loved ones, our families! They deserve peace, not... not this!” To make matters worse, the other tribesmen mutter their agreement. You're outnumbered six to one. You need to defuse this situation before their emotions get the better of them and they turn on you.

>Take the time to dispose of the dead. You don't have the time to burn them properly but you could throw them into the river, to be washed away from this awfulness. It'll take a while though.
>Satisfy them with an oath – you will not rest until the Soulless monsters responsible for this are all killed, but right now, there's nothing that you can do for the dead. They need to accept that.
>Put a bullet in her. You need to make it crystal clear that challenging you comes with consequences. If you let this go unpunished, other tribesmen will start taking liberties too.
>URGE: She will drop the issue – you command it. You'll only be able to influence her with your memes but hopefully when she backs down, the others will as well.

>>5356161
>Satisfy them with an oath – you will not rest until the Soulless monsters responsible for this are all killed, but right now, there's nothing that you can do for the dead. They need to accept that.
These Soulless are probably going to be a problem for us as well, especially with how indiscriminate those wasps they use could be.
>"I understand, believe me, I do, but it would be worse to become infected with the same disease they died from. All of you now shoulder the responsibility of remembering the memories you had with them, to share them with those that will come after us, and those that would suffer under the same predations you've just suffered. If you must honor them, ensure your skin isn't touching their bodies, and avoid contact with any fluids as best you can. Afterwards, we will have to clean everyone off as soon as possible, so don't touch the bodies until we're ready to leave."

>>5356160
lmao, QM going through the extra effort to edit some spoilers in to preserve the sanctity of our mortal souls.

>>5356161
Mother fucker...these people really are a burden, trying to steal our shit, begging succour from us, don't understand diseases or at least not to touch dead bodies despite being familiar with the Soulless.

I don't want to pursue the soulless, these people are seeking our help not the other way around, I certainly don't want more obligations to these people. Next thing we know there will be someone wanting to go to the asteroid impact craters.

Also, don't put diseased shit into a fucking river, that just makes it the problem of literally everyone downstream.

>URGE: She will drop the issue – you command it. You'll only be able to influence her with your memes but hopefully when she backs down, the others will as well.

I'm half tempted to just vote to shoot her given she's outright touched the corpse pile.

>5356161
>>Put a bullet in her. You need to make it crystal clear that challenging you comes with consequences. If you let this go unpunished, other tribesmen will start taking liberties too.

>>5356161
>>Satisfy them with an oath – you will not rest until the Soulless monsters responsible for this are all killed, but right now, there's nothing that you can do for the dead. They need to accept that.

>>5356161
>URGE: She will drop the issue – you command it. You'll only be able to influence her with your memes but hopefully when she backs down, the others will as well.

There's currently a tie between these two options:
>Satisfy them with an oath – you will not rest until the Soulless monsters responsible for this are all killed, but right now, there's nothing that you can do for the dead. They need to accept that.
>URGE: She will drop the issue – you command it. You'll only be able to influence her with your memes but hopefully when she backs down, the others will as well.

I'll wait an hour for a new voter to break the tie. If the tie isn't broken by then, I'll have to roll for it.

>>5356847
>>URGE: She will drop the issue – you command it. You'll only be able to influence her with your memes but hopefully when she backs down, the others will as well.
Sure I'll break it

Going with:
>URGE: She will drop the issue – you command it. You'll only be able to influence her with your memes but hopefully when she backs down, the others will as well.

You know, I REALLY hope the rest of the villagers doesn't get funny ideas and try to take us over by using the guns that are back in the bunker... I wish we meme'd Jurvaz earlier...

>>5357169
They might, but as I understand it we haven't opened all the lockers or the armoury for them, so they'd struggle to get the guns, plus they have no training with them or even conception of what they are or do, though guns are extremely simple so that isn't much comfort.

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Your frontal lobe throbs in your skull. Your larynx smoulders in your throat. Bringing your memetic techniques to bear isn't a pleasant process – it feels as though your body is tearing itself apart from the inside. All you can do is grit your teeth and bear it until the protocol is primed. The end justifies the memes.

“They are dead and you are alive. You came here for a purpose. Fulfil it.”

As soon as the resonant bass of your voice reaches her ears, the Voss woman undergoes a transformation. The anger on her face is replaced with a sullen acceptance and as soon as you have uttered the last syllable, she turns away from the corpse pile and diligently resumes her search. You turn to face the others and though they appear uncertain, they follow her lead. For now these tribesmen remain under your control but if you keep this up, they may start to recognise the power of your voice – and its limitations.

The remainder of your scavenger hunt is uneventful and highly successful. Two more drones are shot dead, leaving twenty-four rounds in this magazine and a hundred and twenty left back at the bunker. You didn't expect to expend so much ammunition but it was worth it to cull the enemy's number. The rain eventually comes to a stop and the clouds part, to reveal a sun dipping towards the horizon. With baskets full of salvaged tools and plenty of bows and quivers slung over their shoulders, the Voss are ready to return to their new home.

Night falls long before you arrive back at the bunker. Using the glowing screen of the tablet that you brought along, you lead the way through up the mountain's slope, doing your best not to slip. For the most part, there is no sound other than your footsteps but then you hear it – howling. You try to pick up the pace but every now and then, you swear you can see shapes moving in the darkness or wide eyes reflecting the light that you wield. The tribesmen huddle closer together and murmur a single word to each other. Gendos.

Thankfully, they do not attack. There's too many of you for them to feel confident about it. They keep their distance and wait for a straggler to fall behind the rest of the group but that never happens. You endure almost an entire nerve-wracking hour of this before you arrive back at Dispenser 300-9 and pile inside. With your mission accomplished, the Voss distribute the equipment among themselves. Your success has lifted their spirits, yet the tale of the flesh heap is a source of anger for them. More than a couple of them spit on the floor and swear revenge.

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What's important is that thanks to the number of helpers you brought with you, you were able to bring back more than enough to equip every last tribesman. When the next day arrives, you are able to delegate. Some are assigned to hunting and gathering, others are taught how to till soil and sow seeds by Jurvaz and a third group focuses on crafting new tools. By the time that night falls, there's more than enough food and water for everyone and plenty left over for the morning.

The next day is a repeat of this, and so is the next. Under your leadership, the Voss prosper.

As for you, you focus on the secrets of Dispenser 300-9. Your days are spent figuring out how the drones function, pondering methods of accessing Armoury and breaking open more lockers. Don't worry – you're not stupid enough to leave the submachine guns and ammunition for the Voss to tinker with. Instead, you keep all of the ordnance in your own locker, the only one which you didn't have to force open and that can only be opened by your touch. As for the jumpsuits, you see no problem with handing them out and teaching the tribesmen how to wear them. They're warmer, more protective and far more civilised than the furs and woolly rags that the Voss wore before.

Before you know it, a week has passed since the Voss first sought shelter in your bunker. They have proven useful and incredibly self-sufficient, though there are a few issues.

First, there is the problem of discipline. How have you been keeping the tribe under control?
>You don't want to be seen as a tyrant. You don't use memes at all either.
>The threat of violence is all it takes. Whoever challenges you will be shot.
>Blayz must be kept in line. Bombard him with protocols on a daily basis.
>Subject every last one of them to your memes. They must all obey.

Second, the tribesmen who were stung the most are starting to cough up white fuzz. What are you going to do with them?
>Burn the hairy discharge but otherwise, just keep an eye on them.
>Tribesmen showing these symptoms must be isolated from the rest.
>Cast them out of the bunker. They are no longer welcome here.
>End their suffering with lead and burn the bodies. It's the only way.

Third, a disobedient young man decided to explore Cryogenics against your will. His right hand was calcified when he stupidly touched a cluster of nanites with it and he has been in a state of constant agony ever since. What will you do with him?
>Promise the tribe that you will undo this. You just need to figure out how.
>Amputate the hand. It's the only way to put an end to his agony.
>Keep him under observation. See what the nanites will do to him.
>Cast him out of the bunker. You will not tolerate disobedience.

>>5357317
>>Blayz must be kept in line. Bombard him with protocols on a daily basis.

>End their suffering with lead and burn the bodies. It's the only way.
It IS the only way
>Keep him under observation. See what the nanites will do to him.

>>5357317
>>Subject every last one of them to your memes. They must all obey.
>Tribesmen showing these symptoms must be isolated from the rest.
>Keep him under observation. See what the nanites will do to him.

With memes keeping discipline firm, we can observe the sick as well as keep a lid on the nanite young man.

>>5357317
>Blayz must be kept in line. Bombard him with protocols on a daily basis.

Probably easier to focus on making a compliant puppet leader than spreading ourselves thin working on everyone.

No need to be tyrannical in matters outside items that are ours or our space or matters of security and disease. We don't need to take the prettiest women as our sex slaves or anything, but if people start disobeying us in regards to the aforementioned things then I think it is time to start the executions and meme spam, violence apparently worked for Blayz, it should suffice for us even if we don't fulfill the obligations of vengeance given our superior might.

>Tribesmen showing these symptoms must be isolated from the rest.
>Burn the discharge.

It is too soon to say for sure that their fate is sealed in-character, we don't know anything about this disease or how likely any particular outcome is yet. Forcing them to leave or killing them will for sure provoke a spiral of rebelliousness. Plus, if their symptoms progress and the Voss see the inevitable outcome for themselves they will probably be more easily persuaded to take more drastic measures. We should explain some basic medical/hygiene concepts to them.

>Amputate the hand. It's the only way to put an end to his agony.

We can experiment with the nanites on any number of living organisms in our free time, no need to waste a man's life.

Also, regarding meming everyone; there is no way we can actually do that if there are dozens or hundreds of villagers with us here. Going by the rules I think it costs a flesh wound or two per use of Urge, even with our fast healing and the fact that flesh wounds aren't the serious injuries in the system we'd just be exposing our weakness when we suddenly hit our limit and can't do it anymore and are obviously physically exhausted and weakened.

>>5357316
oh shiet, lucky we came in numbers...
as for the votes
>Subject every last one of them to your memes. They must all obey.
We can soften the grip on them later. It's just... not smart to believe in the power of friendship
>End their suffering with lead and burn the bodies. It's the only way.
If we meme everybody, there should be no problem on this front
>Amputate the hand. It's the only way to put an end to his agony.
Let's not get creative now. Everyone has learned the lesson didn't they

>>5357457
so that's the way you want to play? boring anon

>>5357457
>there is no way we can actually do that if there are dozens or hundreds of villagers with us here.
There are currently eighteen Voss with you after the death of Nowme, including Blayz and Jurvaz. These numbers have been mentioned previously, I'm just posting them as a reminder.

>>5357317
>>Blayz must be kept in line. Bombard him with protocols on a daily basis.
>>Tribesmen showing these symptoms must be isolated from the rest.
>>Amputate the hand. It's the only way to put an end to his agony.

Voting is locked. Going with:
>Blayz must be kept in line. Bombard him with protocols on a daily basis.
>Tribesmen showing these symptoms must be isolated from the rest.
>Amputate the hand. It's the only way to put an end to his agony.

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You try to manage the Voss with an even hand. Blayz is the only one you regularly subject to memes, a fate that he earned with his manipulative behaviour when you were still a guest in his village. Over the course of past week, you have transformed into an ideal servant. He is not a mindless automaton like the Soulless slaves – he still has all of his wit and cunning. The only thing that you have stripped him of his ambition.

As for the three tribesmen who are starting to show the same symptoms as the thralls, you segregate them from the rest. The vastness of Dispenser 300-9 makes this simple enough. You assign them a room in the outer reaches, far away from the hall that the others use a dwelling. They're allowed to leave the bunker and hunt if they wish, but you forbid them from straying near the rest of the tribe. Some of the Voss grumble about this, but you try to mollify them by explaining germ theory. It's a slow process.

Finally, there's Ghee, the boy who was stupid enough to snoop around Cryostasis and paid the price. You see no reason to use him as a test subject, that would just be inhumane. Instead, you amputate the petrified hand as hygienically as you're able. While it puts a stop to the young man's pain, there's a good chance that the wound will still end up infected. It's a toss of the dice.

Overall, the Voss are productive and while they aren't in high spirits, morale isn't dismal either.

Over the course of that week, you broke over a third of the lockers open and spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how to operate the drones and crack open the armoury. Each UAV seems to come with a detachable ceramic disc near its charging port, complete with a chrome bump protruding from it. They reminded you of electrodes, the sort used for recording brain activity. Just to test your theory, you placed one against your temple...

… and immediately regretted it. In that instant, you were suddenly able to see with eyes that weren't your own and your brain was bombarded with a stream of incomprehensible code. Even though you tore the electrode off as soon as you could, the nausea of the experience almost made you vomit. Mastering these drones will be a slow process indeed.

As for the opening the armoury, all of your attempts to open it failed miserably. None of the access codes you thought of worked, none of your attempts to force the door open made it budge an inch. Even after a week, you made absolutely no progress.

So what are you going to try next?

>Experiment with the nanites from Cryostasis. If you use them carefully, they could be a quick solution to your problem.
>Focus on mastering drone control. Each of the UAVs has a welding torch of some sort that could play a vital part.
>Plan a visit to Mulhouse. You need help, preferably from people who aren't stuck in the Stone Age like the Voss.
>Give up on the armoury for now and focus on leading the Voss instead. You accept that it's a lost cause.

>>5358269
>Focus on mastering drone control. Each of the UAVs has a welding torch of some sort that could play a vital part.

The drones will be useful beyond the short term and we’d be stupid if we told anyone about this armoury

We should’ve also meme’d the whole tribe. Once loyal to us, we can start teaching them how to use guns

It may also be worth going back to the village when it’s not raining too burn that body pile…

>>5358269
>Give up on the armoury for now and focus on leading the Voss instead. You accept that it's a lost cause.

>>5358269
>Focus on mastering drone control. Each of the UAVs has a welding torch of some sort that could play a vital part.

>>5358301
We still can, I just didn't want to do it all at once while morale was low and the possibility of them catching on to our limitations with it is higher due to the close proximity we all share in the bunker. That, and the mechanics of it and I didn't think it was super in-character with how we acted up to this point.

>>5358269
>>Focus on mastering drone control. Each of the UAVs has a welding torch of some sort that could play a vital part.
We going S.O.M.A bitchees

>>5358269
>Focus on mastering drone control. Each of the UAVs has a welding torch of some sort that could play a vital part.

>>5358269
>Experiment with the nanites from Cryostasis. If you use them carefully, they could be a quick solution to your problem

>>5358269
>>Focus on mastering drone control. Each of the UAVs has a welding torch of some sort that could play a vital part.

Bruh... QM at least tell us something's up

Of course something new and promising has to die an early death. RIP

Guess the quest died just like the game itself.
Fitting.

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Despite the nausea that you suffered when you experimented with the drones, you are determined to press on. Again and again, you press the electrode against your temple and endure the overstimulation for as long as you're able. Each time, you're able to last a little longer. After a day of training yourself, you are able to grit your teeth and withstand the torrent of code, so long as you remain focused.

The next day is devoted to compartmentalisation. Using your own memetic techniques on yourself, you twist your perception of reality. The constant feedback from the drone is confined to a box at the back of your mind and the visual output of the drone's cameras is isolated to a separate layer of vision that lies beneath your true sight. Alternating between these layers is as easy as crossing your eyes by the time that you're done, though training your mind like this is a taxing process. Your brain feels like it's on fire from dawn to dusk and more than once, you find blood oozing out of your nose.

The next few days are devoted to interpreting the text. This time, the memetic training that allows you to intuitively understand language is invaluable. Little by little, you learn a variety of commands, such as how to turn the rotors on and make the drone move in different directions. Figuring out how to transmit those commands to the drone is harder, but you eventually manage to exert some limited control over the drone. With nothing but your thoughts to guide it, the drone is capable of very rudimentary movement.

At one point, you even try to wear a second electrode, to see if you can control more than one. That turns out to be a mistake, as you end up fainting from the overwhelming deluge of output forced on your brain. Even enhanced by memes, you can only take so much – one UAV will have to do for now.

More advanced functionality still eludes you. You're yet to learn the commands for operating the drone's welding tool and other sophisticated features. Ideally, it is meant to be autonomous – once you have mastered the code, you should be able to issue commands that the drone will obey to the best of its ability.

Several days are spent like this, tinkering with the UAVs in Observation. While you are busy, the Voss slowly acclimate to their new lifestyle with minimal oversight from you. Of course you reinforce your control over Blayz on a daily basis but outside of that, you see no reason to interfere with them.

Until one fateful morning when your studies are disrupted by a distant bang – a gunshot. It's faint but it can't be anything else. Readying your own weapon, you departed from Observation to find the source of the disturbance. You hear it twice more over the course of your journey, guiding you towards the outer reaches of Dispenser 300-9. A million possibilities race through your mind as you jog through the labyrinth, steeling yourself for whatever awaits.

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Though the sunlight stings your eyes, you take stock of the situation as soon as you emerge from the darkness, submachine gun at the ready. Two groups occupy the grassy slope beyond the bunker's threshold, clearly at odds with one another.

The first group is the Voss, eight of them in total – the rest are out hunting, gathering and tending to fields. One of the tribesmen lies dead on the earth with a crimson crater on his face while Blayz can be seen crouching and clutching at his shoulder, blood oozing between his fingertips. The remaining six, wielding little more than stone knives and other primitive tools, forming a half-circle around their opposition and bombarding them with insults and threats.

There are five strangers in the second group, though one of them lies on the earth with the spear of Blayz buried in his chest. Their clothes are a little more sophisticated than those of your tribe, comprised of leather and canvas reinforced with scrap metal. They're an eclectic bunch:
A hulking brute with a fire axe in his hands.
A squat fellow carrying a bizarre contraption that barely resembles a gun.
A woman past her prime with all sorts of wires and devices dangling from her belt.
A scrawny youth who awkwardly wields a large sled like it's a shield.

“Shit,” yelps Squat once he spots you. Though he speaks in a tongue that you don't know, your memes allow you to intuitively grasp the meaning of everything he says. “That one's got a fucking gun!” He seems anxious, like he's about to open fire at any moment.

“Shut up! Shut the fuck up and keep your hand off the crank, or I'll kill you myself!” Wires hisses those words in Squat's direction. Turning her attention to you, the woman offers you a gummy smile and calls out in the Frankan tongue. “You lead this tribe, yes? The shot man spoke of you as Three Hundred. We come in peace!”

“You already killed one of my tribe,” you retort, gun at the ready. For now, you've got your sights trained on Squat, but you're not sure who's the most dangerous. “Not very peaceful of you. What do you want?”

“We were following stories of salvage beneath the mountain,” Wires confesses, her hands raised in a placating gesture. “No one has been able to reach it before, so we thought we would try. If this mountain is your home, then... then we shall only take half of what we find. Your tribe can keep the rest.”

>Let them take what they want. It's better than suffering further casualties or taking any risks.
>Take out Squat before he's able to shoot you. You don't like the look of that weird gun of his.
>Take out Brute. If you give him the chance, he could probably cut through several tribesmen.
>URGE: Bring Wires over to your side. Rid her of her desire to loot the bunker and go from there.
>URGE: Turn Brute against Squat. Have him cut down the gun-totting freak for you.
>URGE: Turn Squat against Brute. Have him gun down the axe-wielding giant of a man.

>>5367774
>URGE: Turn Brute against Squat. Have him cut down the gun-totting freak for you.

>>5367774
Like hell these ragamuffins can just come on our turf and screw with our tribe and take our stuff
>URGE: Turn Brute against Squat. Have him cut down the gun-totting freak for you.
Then shoot them

>>5367774
Fuck them.
>>URGE: Turn Brute against Squat. Have him cut down the gun-totting freak for you.
Then shoot Wires.

Also, welcome back.

>>5367774
Glad to see this isn't dead. Funny we are playing the antagonist sleeper to the PC party it would seem.

>URGE: Turn Brute against Squat. Have him cut down the gun-totting freak for you.

Hopefully Squat's gun is just a shitty primitive gun and not the sort of gun that fucks with our nanites.

I knew OP will come back, now it's time to show what happens when someone makes demands of us.

>URGE: Turn Brute against Squat. Have him cut down the gun-totting freak for you.

>>5367774
>URGE: Turn Brute against Squat. Have him cut down the gun-totting freak for you.

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I'll get rid of the cool-down system I proposed. In hindsight, that was dumb. Instead, I'll just make sure there are consequences if you use memes too much in a short space of time.

Your brain blazes as it prepares a memetic protocol for deployment. In a fraction of a second, it scrutinises every scrap of information that you've subconsciously collected about Brute. Next, your larynx is primed with the ideal octaves to influence that man in particular, to give him a command that he will simply find irresistible. Every part of you above your shoulders feels like it's on fire but what happens next makes it all worth it.

“I am not the enemy. The little man wants you all dead – he doesn't want to share the salvage. You should deal with him.” It's not an ideal use of a meme, as you're still learning the language of these outsiders. Nevertheless, the oscillating bass of your voice causes the axe-totting giant to blink and look down at Squat. The anxious runt gives him a baffled look in return.

“Don't tell me you believe–”

Before Squat has time to react, Brute has split his ugly skull in half. The short fellow slumps to the earth, gore flooding out of the horrible wound that was once his face. In that moment, a lot of things happen.
Wires starts screaming at Brute, though most of what she says can be boiled down to “what the fuck is wrong with you.”
Cries and gasps erupt from the tribesmen as they raise their knives, uncertain if Brute is going to turn on them next.
The axe-wielding behemoth just readies his axe for another swing as he faces the Voss. “Never liked him anyway,” he grumbles.
Youth suddenly breaks into a sprint, scrambling down the slope away from you. He's not sticking around to see who dies next.

In the middle of the chaos, you take aim at the fleeing boy. Before you're able to fire though, he throws down that sled of his and chucks his body on it, using the momentum to surf down the mountain slope. He's suddenly a much smaller target, moving much faster than you'd like and veering crazily from side to side. With no guarantee of hitting Youth, you decide against taking the shot. There's no point in wasting bullets, especially if it causes Brute to start swinging.

“Wait, you... You're a fucking Sleeper!” As Wires puts two and two together, she suddenly becomes apprehensive. “Look, listen – we didn't realise what we were getting into. Just let us go and we'll move on, I swear it!”

As for Brute, he just seems puzzled. “The fuck's a Sleeper?”

>Let them go. They've learned their lesson and won't bother you again.
>Demand that they stay, under threat of death. You have questions that need answers.
>Gun them down. You're not about to take any risks with these looters.
>URGE: Have Brute kill Wires next. You could always use some more muscle.
>URGE: Compel Wires to answer any questions you have. She seems knowledgable.

>>5368774
>Demand that they stay, under threat of death. You have questions that need answers.
Can always be nicer later, or keep them around then. But for now, their asses are ours.

>>5368774
I'm tempted to push how often we can use our memes given there was an option earlier to attempt to push beyond our limits in regards to controlling the Voss I believe, plus demonstrating we can do it more than once would dispel any notions of weakness on our part with regards to our ability assuming we don't black out or start bleeding from the eyes or something.

Still, better safe than sorry.

>Demand that they stay, under threat of death. You have questions that need answers.

Hey Wires, it's your lucky day. You get to answer our questions and in return your can fiddle with our Sleeper gear to your hearts content! We just need to be looking over your shoulder, absorbing all your insights, with a gun to the back of your head while you do so.

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“Neither of you are going anywhere. Do any of you know anything about medicine?” After some hesitation, Wires nods. “Get the bullet out of that man and patch him up. Once that's done, I've got questions for you.”

The toothless woman goes pale. Brute is less cooperative. “You think you can take me on?” His fingers tighten around the haft of his axe and he takes a step forward. As one, the Voss stagger back. “Just try it. I'll take half of you down with me.” You don't doubt his words. Even Blayz looks like a runt in comparison and he's the strongest that the Voss have to offer.

“But you'd still die,” you point out, gradually getting a better grasp of their language. “Is this worth dying over? You can go out in a blaze of glory or you can put down the axe, do as I say and keep on breathing. Make your choice.” You don't take your sights off of Brute, not for a second. The tension is unbearable and lasts for much longer than you like but eventually, the behemoth throws down the axe with a thud.

“Shit,” is all that he grumbles.

Under your direction, some of the tribesmen gather the axe and nervously try to herd Brute into a section of the outer reaches that will serve as an impromptu prison. Meanwhile, the others see to the burning of the dead tribesman and the two slain looters. While this is happening, you oversee Wires as she tends to the injuries of Blayz. Once she has removed the bullet and dressed the wound, you escort her to the chamber where Brute is being kept so that you can interrogate them both.

Her true name is Karlee and his is Herrmann. They identify themselves as Scrappers, a term used to describe adventurers who seek out Bygone ruins for ancient technology. They sell whatever they find to the Chroniclers or the Neolibyans, rival factions who place immense value on pre-Eshaton artefacts.

Already, you're confused. You order Karlee to explain everything from the beginning and though she is exasperated, it's not like she has a choice when she's being held at gunpoint.

The year is 2595, over five hundred years after the Eshaton (what they call the apocalypse) and the end of the Bygones (what they call pre-apocalyptic society).
Over the course of half a millennium, all sorts of tribes, clans and cults have come to power in different parts of the world.
They both come from a region called Borca. More specifically, they're from the Protectorate, the closest thing to a nation state that can be found in Europe after the Eshaton. The jewel of the Protectorate is Justitian, a city with almost a million inhabitants.
However, you would need to travel for a week or so on the northern road before you could even reach the Protectorate's closest city, Bassham.
Right now, you're in Franka. Karlee describes it as a fertile land full of forests, swamps and many rival factions struggling to become the dominant power in the region. Herrmann describes it as a shithole.

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Next, you demand more information about these rival factions. You need to know who you will be dealing with.

First of all, there are the Soulless. According to Karlee, there are many names for them – Aberrant, Homo Degenesis, the Demiurge – but the most common one is Psychonaut. She calls them monsters who infect men, beasts and even the very land with their presence.
There are different breeds of Psychonaut. The type that dwell in Franka are called Pheromancers. They enslave men and insects alike with their pheromones and incorporate them into hives, with themselves as the queens. This sounds a little far-fetched, but Karlee insists that it's true.
The Frankan natives oppose the Pheromancers. Most of the tribes have banded together under the banner of the Resistance, who fight against the Psychonaut threat with fire and pesticides. They can be found everywhere, but they're based in the city of Toulouse.

Next, Karlee describes a variety of factions that have spread to Franka from Borca.

Spitalians; soldiers who double as doctors focused on eradicating the Psychonauts and their infection. They apparently have a significant presence in the nearby city of Mulhouse.
Anabaptists; a rapidly growing cult devoted to burning the evil that infests the world and bringing about paradise. They have more influence further to the north and west.
Chroniclers; secretive hoarders of Bygone technology. Apparently they are the only source of the Protectorate's currency and have total control over most of Europe's economy.
Apocalyptics; scumbags and gangsters who exploit the downtrodden and create something called Burn using spores taken from Psychonaut territory. They also have a big presence in Mulhouse.
Hellvetics; gun-totting knights who rule the Alps with an iron fist. They're the finest warriors in Europe, but rather thrifty. There's a lot of them in Mulhouse, due to its proximity to their territory.

There's also the Africans, who have a much stronger presence in the south. While Europe struggled with the Psychonauts for centuries, Africa apparently united and created a civilisation equal to the Protectorate, if not greater.
While they also have a number of factions, Karlee only really mentions the Neolibyans, clever merchants who are eager to steal Bygone technology from Europe and put it to use in African cities. Herrmann spits when Karlee mentions them, but she just shrugs – they pay even more than the Chroniclers, apparently.

Finally, there are the Sleeper – you're one of them, according to Karlee.

She confesses that she doesn't know much. All she knows is that there was a Bygone organisation called RG – Recombination Group. Its member hid beneath the earth in an effort to survive the Eshaton and occasionally, they emerge. They wield Bygone weapons, speak with magical voices and lead pale legions. She has only ever heard of them in stories though, stories that end with the Sleepers being defeated.

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With that exposition out of the way, you have a better idea of the world that you find yourself in. Some of the things described by Karlee are bizarre, but Herrmann doesn't doubt anything that she says. Either he's playing along with her lie, or the world has become a very strange place.

“What about the one that got away? The boy who carried the sled.” A variable that you can't account for. “Is he going to cause any trouble?”

“Who, Wiesel? We just brought him along as our pack mule, to drag back anything that we found.” Karlee scoffs as she speaks about the youth, her distaste for him apparent. “He was never good for much else. The gendos will get him as soon as night falls, I'm sure of it.”

“He's a good kid,” grunts Herrmann. “He's got luck on his side. It's why I brought him on. He'll make it to Mulhouse.” Toothless Karlee gives the brute a scathing glare but he doesn't seem to care.

“Let's say that he makes it back to Mulhouse. Is there anyone there that I should worry about? Anyone that would have a problem with a Sleeper in the mountains?” Since your awakening, you haven't been fond of taking chances and you're not about to buck that trend. You want to know what you should be ready for, just in case.

“No, no! If you're just keeping to yourself up here then you'll be just fine, I promise.” Karlee is going out of her way to try and console you, it seems. “They won't trouble you, I swear it. Why would they? It's not like you're a threat!” The evident your doubt becomes, the shriller her voice gets.

You turn to Herrmann to see if he has anything better to offer but he just gives you a blank stare. “I don't have a fucking clue. Never even heard of Sleepers before now.”

Great. You have no idea if you can trust Karlee and Herrmann is just dumb muscle. You decided to keep these Scrappers around, so now you need to decide what to do with them.

>Keep them confined to their cell at all times, though it isn't much of one. There's no door but hopefully guards posted at all times will be enough to deter them from escaping.
>Put them to work. Herrmann will perform heavy labour as a slave of the Voss and Karlee will assist you with the Bygone technology of the vault, under threat of death.
>Utilise your memes and try to incorporate them into the tribe. There might be some backlash from the Voss, who may not react well to these outsiders becoming their equals.

>>5370071
>>Put them to work. Herrmann will perform heavy labour as a slave of the Voss and Karlee will assist you with the Bygone technology of the vault, under threat of death.

>>5370071
>Put them to work. Herrmann will perform heavy labour as a slave of the Voss and Karlee will assist you with the Bygone technology of the vault, under threat of death.
We really need to train up a memed up squad of Voss with SMGs.

>>5370071
>Put them to work. Herrmann will perform heavy labour as a slave of the Voss and Karlee will assist you with the Bygone technology of the vault, under threat of death.

Shouldn't have fucked with us. Would like to integrate them so they aren't constantly trying to escape or resist us, but I don't want more trouble with the Voss. I'd prefer to be more proactive rather than problems continually popping up. Killing some of our followers is sadly not something we should just let go, being slaves is expected given the violent nature of their intrusion.

It is rather unfortunate that Wiesel got away, if the stories always end with us Sleepers dying then we have good reason to believe that we are the villain in the stories of most of the factions we just heard about, and 3 of them have a big presence in Mulhouse.The Spitalians are well trained and organized but their tech isn't especially oriented towards fighting us, if I remember correctly their launched gas-grenades are specifically specialized towards psychonauts, though they also have chlorine grenades and other stuff. Hellvetics are who I'd really be worried about if they find a reason not to like us, I don't want to fight assault rifle-toting guys in power armour

Honestly, maybe we should skip the farming, make a stockpile of hunted food, loot everything of worth from our bunker and put them on wooden sleds or carts and just move. The factions that have a presence in Mulhouse aren't the only problem, if word gets out about our bunker full of valuable tech you can bet your ass off all sorts of Scrapper and Chronicler dudes or hired mercs will show up to steal our shit.

Really we just need to decide what we want to do beyond the short term. Just stay here and try and form a greater faction? Hunt down answers about the past or stuff related to us sleepers? Fight the Psychonauts? Infiltrate Justinian for the ̶P̶l̶a̶n̶ lulz?

>>5370071
>Write-in
>URGE: swear them to non-violence and offer them work off their debt - they killed one of yours after all.
They shall not pick fights or betray the Voss unless attacked/fucked with first, and we'll put those muscles and folklore to use.

>>5370446
+1
It's a good idea. Making the brute a slave might just make him rebel, and I don't trust wires at all

>>5370071
Yeah, I'll switch to...
>>5370446

>>5370446
+1
I hope this is the last MEME we do for a couple days... our throat must be FUCKY

>>5370744
The way I understand it there's some time between the URGE used on Herrmann and the current moment, courtesy of Kaylee filling us in on the abreviated history of the world. I don't think that's pushing the limits yet. URGING Herrman to non-aggressiveness should suffice fir the start, he's the most direct threat out of the two and while Kaylee can probably cause trouble too, I don't think she'd be that lethal unless we're careless and leave her unsupervised with tools or chemicals.

But then again I could be wrong, and I do agree with you in principle.

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“You've hurt my operation here,” you begin. You keep the Borcan tongue to avoid the Voss understanding too much. “You killed one of my savages and wounded another. The way I see it, you owe me for the damage you've caused. So, you're going to work for me until that debt has been paid off. As long as you swear that you'll do your part and keep your hands to yourselves, I don't see any reason why we can't be civil with each other.”

“I'm sure you'd like that.” Herrmann stares up at you, his gaze hardening. “Two new slaves for you to boss around. No deal.” Of course he's going to be defiant. You have no choice but to deploy the memes once more, even though you're still recovering from the last protocol. Once you have reconfigured your vocal cords, the brute has no chance of resisting you.

“It might take days. It might take years. That is for me to decide. You will do as I command and until this debt is repaid, you will not harm the Voss. Am I understood?” Herrmann nods dumbly while Karlee looks on in terror.

Each time you use a protocol, your larynx is subtly altered to produce sounds designed to influence one particular target and that target alone. To dominate Karlee as well, you need to unleash yet another memetic barrage.

“That applies to you as well. You will repay the debt. You will harm no Voss.” Suddenly, her fear is replaced with sullen defiance as her will is overwritten by your voice. Yet you have suffered for your actions – your brain shrieks in protest, your breath is laboured, your vision is spotty and you can taste blood bubbling up from your throat. The memes are tearing you apart from the inside out.

As quickly as you can, you question them about their skills. If you're going to put them to work, you better know what they're good at.

Karlee's head contains more than just folklore and geopolitical knowledge. The wires and devices that dangle from her belt aren't just for show – she has a reasonable understanding of Bygone technology and how it functions. That's certainly a talent that none of the Voss have.
As for Herrmann, he's nowhere near as clever as his companion. He makes up for that with his obscene strength, which he attributes to 'a lot of food and a lot of anabolics.' The tribesmen should be able to make use of his brawn.

First, what task will you assign Herrmann?
>Pack mule. He will do all of the heavy lifting for Voss huntsmen so they don't have to.
>Logger. He'll be able to collect a revolutionary amount of lumber, compared to the Voss.
>Guard. If the slaves of the Pheromancers show up again, you want him to deal with them.

Second, what task will you assign Karlee?
>Technician. See if you can put her to work dealing with the error that plagues the bunker.
>Tutor. You want her to tell you everything she knows, but you won't have time for any other pursuits.
>Teacher. Have her educate the Voss about the basics of technology, to make them a little less useless.

>>5370785
>>Guard. If the slaves of the Pheromancers show up again, you want him to deal with them.
I want him in a place he is content with. I bet he dislikes manual labor despite being so strong. And I insist on guard duty; he is the FIRST real warrior we have.
>>Teacher. Have her educate the Voss about the basics of technology, to make them a little less useless.
Luckly QM gave us options that don't involve trusting her TOO much. This way we can keep her away from sensitive things while we work on the memes

>>5370785
Herrmann: Guard, with a side of clearing tree stumps.

Kaylee: Teacher. For now.

>>5370785
>Logger. He'll be able to collect a revolutionary amount of lumber, compared to the Voss.

He's got his fire axe, and while it isn't as good as a wood-cutting axe for cutting down trees it is still better than a stone axe. The more materiel for us to work with the better. I'd rather the Voss deal with the Pheromancers from range with their bows or come running to us while they skirmish so that we can eventually deal with any threats. Less chance of infection that way.

>Technician. See if you can put her to work dealing with the error that plagues the bunker.

Getting access so the various rooms or solving the error would get us access to a lot of tech we could use. We can learn from any other knowledgeable person we come across, or we can have her teach us later, then we can teach the Voss together afterwards.

After we rest we should be able to use our memes daily on her or Herrmann, we won't need to trust them after they are under our control.

>>5370806
I understand you want more wood but do you REALLY want to choose the only option that allows her to get into sensitive places? And there aren't more rooms to gain access to, there is just the armory.
Lastly I don't think she even knows what coding means to solve the bug/error/virus that broke the computers in the bunker. She's just an experienced scavenger, not a member of those technocults

This is turning out better than the last degenisis qst.

>>5372259
there was one? nice

>>5372353
I think we played as a hospitalier. Didnt last. Was around the time the game came out after 6 months i think.

>>5372393
Sorry Spitalian soldier.

>>5370785
>Logger. He'll be able to collect a revolutionary amount of lumber, compared to the Voss.
If we really are gonna stay here we need to set up a palisade

>Tutor. You want her to tell you everything she knows, but you won't have time for any other pursuits.
Better than letting her mess with our tech or even see how much we got.

We might want to risk fencing a few of our dead pda tablets tho....

>>5370785
>Logger. He'll be able to collect a revolutionary amount of lumber, compared to the Voss.
>Teacher. Have her educate the Voss about the basics of technology, to make them a little less useless.

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Once the tasks have been assigned, you dismiss the Scrappers. The memes have taken hold and they have no reason to disobey the ideas that you have planted in their brains.

As soon as they have been led away by the tribesmen you had posted as guards, you vomit. While you were questioning Herrmann and Karlee about their skills, you swallowed all of the blood that bubbled up into your mouth. All of a sudden, it gushes from your mouth and all over the floor in a burst of crimson. What's alarming is the meaty chunks floating around in it, as though bits of your throat have been falling off.

Your brain feels even worse than that. What you're experiencing is beyond a migraine – your frontal lobe is wracked with incessant agony, as though a knife is being buried into it with every beat of your heart. It's almost impossible to focus on anything right now. Staggering away from that desolate chamber, you retreat deeper into Dispenser 300-9 and pass out in the comfort of Maintenance. It is a fitful slumber, regularly interrupted by bouts of bloody discharge.

Hours have passed by the time that you truly awaken and though you don't feel ideal, you're shocked by how quickly you have recovered. Blood no longer threatens to clog your windpipe and the only pain in your skull is a dull ache. By the morning of the following day, even that symptom has disappeared. Twenty-four hours and you're as good as new – you can't explain it. All you know for sure is that you had pushed yourself to your limit. Three uses of memes in a short space of time left you with internal bleeding, breathing difficulties and violent head pains. You don't want to think about what four or five would do to you.

A few days pass and the Voss become accustomed to the presence of the Scrappers as indentured servants, rather than equals. Until they have paid for the life they took – some toolmaker called Phanuhl – they will serve.

Herrmann, with his axe, is able to collect more lumber on his own than the entire tribe was able to previously. While his weapon isn't intended for tree-cutting, it still allows him to bring down small trees and chop them up. Previously, the tribesmen were forced to scavenge for branches and saplings. Thanks to the brute, the Voss now have plenty of firewood and all of the material that they could need for their crafting purposes.

Karlee, on the other hand, has some difficulty educating the Voss. You pick up most of her lessons quite quickly, as you already know the principles. The most important revelation is that the 65536 error is actually malware, according to her – the 216 Virus. It plagues most Bygone technology across the known world, rendering it unusable or worse. She knows a few tricks about protecting her own devices from the virus and how to format infected hardware, but the tribesmen struggle with these concepts – except for Jurvaz.