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memestertrucks2026-01-08 01:50 pm
monstertruckers) wrote in memestertrucks2026-01-08 01:50 pm
Entry tags:
JANUARY TDM/EVENT
The storm drives the Convoy to the very summit of the mountains, before hitting a blinding pitch. The wind howls and drives snow in a way that promises to freeze everything… And there’s also a twist of smoke in the air, to further blind everything.
There’s one thing visible through the storm: a massive fortress clinging to the side of the mountain. The Convoy pulls up into the shelter. It seems this will be the best place to wait out the weather, even if the storm lasts for weeks.
It’s a cold welcome for new arrivals. The garage offers scant protection from the elements, and a winter storm rages outside. Snow, lighting, and thunder all blend together and do their best to break the windows and doors of the structure.
The storm itself shows no signs of abating, at least until several days have passed. So it’s up to the new arrivals to figure out how to survive the storm, find better shelter… And weather the strange changes foisted onto them.
01: SUMMONING CIRCLE
New Drifters arrive to a cold and half frozen garage, almost swallowed up by snow drifts. The Convoy is just visible through sheets of snow falling from the skies, and it is parked in the shelter of a nearby fortress. Getting out of the garage and reaching the fortress will take some work, though.
Starting with digging out through the snow. At least there’s a shovel or two inside the garage and the gas station. But digging through the snow is still cold work, and it’s imperative to duck back in the garage and find ways to warm up.
There’s still a small fire burning in the corner of the garage, near the summoning circle. It curiously doesn’t seem to need fuel to keep burning… Though throwing more on it will certainly increase the heat of the flames. Be advised that the fire will also burn clothing and flesh if a Drifter gets too close to it.
Starting with digging out through the snow. At least there’s a shovel or two inside the garage and the gas station. But digging through the snow is still cold work, and it’s imperative to duck back in the garage and find ways to warm up.
There’s still a small fire burning in the corner of the garage, near the summoning circle. It curiously doesn’t seem to need fuel to keep burning… Though throwing more on it will certainly increase the heat of the flames. Be advised that the fire will also burn clothing and flesh if a Drifter gets too close to it.
02: FORTRESS
The abandoned fortress offers some reprieve from the elements… But the prior battles have found a way to seep into the stones. Ice and Fire both have an effect on the surroundings.
+FIRE Condition: Arcane lava is flowing through the foundations and seeping up through the stones of the building. This is especially clear in the kitchen and dining hall. It may be toasty to the touch, but it also threatens to set things aflame; objects and people alike. Drifters weak to fire will suffer from the increased temperatures.
+ICE Condition: The extremes of the fortress are freezing over in enchanted ice, leaving only the main hall and kitchen with any heat. Drifters who lack ice affinity risk frost bite and hypothermia while exploring the other areas of Bastion. Direct contact with the ice also carries a risk of encasing the limb or the entire Drifter in ice. Might need some help getting chipped out.
In the midst of all this, there are still rooms and beds available for those who want a change of pace from the convoy, or bedrolls for those who want to camp out in the main hall.
+FIRE Condition: Arcane lava is flowing through the foundations and seeping up through the stones of the building. This is especially clear in the kitchen and dining hall. It may be toasty to the touch, but it also threatens to set things aflame; objects and people alike. Drifters weak to fire will suffer from the increased temperatures.
+ICE Condition: The extremes of the fortress are freezing over in enchanted ice, leaving only the main hall and kitchen with any heat. Drifters who lack ice affinity risk frost bite and hypothermia while exploring the other areas of Bastion. Direct contact with the ice also carries a risk of encasing the limb or the entire Drifter in ice. Might need some help getting chipped out.
In the midst of all this, there are still rooms and beds available for those who want a change of pace from the convoy, or bedrolls for those who want to camp out in the main hall.
03: START UP
After digging out, one can see that there are various cars surrounding the garage. Some of them parked directly outside and sheltered from the worst of the storm. But a few are further out, and will also need to be dug out of the snow.
There’s also a certain connection between different newcomers and cars. Something that suggests a particular vehicle is theirs, backed up by possessing the key to that vehicle. The key to the vehicle may already be in the ignition, on the dashboard… It may have even been on their person, ever since they woke up in that garage. Either way, Drifters have the keys to the vehicle now.
…But there’s a few rough edges on these vehicles. Flat tires, cracked windows and mirrors, maybe some stuck doors and locks; all of them the sort of thing that requires two pairs of hands and supplies. The garage can take care of the supplies… Now it’s just a matter of finding some extra hands.
There’s also a certain connection between different newcomers and cars. Something that suggests a particular vehicle is theirs, backed up by possessing the key to that vehicle. The key to the vehicle may already be in the ignition, on the dashboard… It may have even been on their person, ever since they woke up in that garage. Either way, Drifters have the keys to the vehicle now.
…But there’s a few rough edges on these vehicles. Flat tires, cracked windows and mirrors, maybe some stuck doors and locks; all of them the sort of thing that requires two pairs of hands and supplies. The garage can take care of the supplies… Now it’s just a matter of finding some extra hands.
04: WILD ELEMENTS
Even when taking shelter in the fortress, the storms from outside have a way of seeping through the bricks. And trying to take root inside any Drifters. Cold mists and winds seep into the castle, along with fire traveling across the floors and lightning crashing against the roof.
Drifters exposed to extreme elements will find those same elements seeping into their blood.
Teeth also grow along portions of the walls in long fangs, ready to snag at any newcomers. Drawing blood on those teeth can result in changes in the new arrivals… As well as pulling a monster out of the hallway to try and draw more blood.
These monsters frequently manifest as:
+Gyuki, a spider and bull demon fusion.
+YinYang, a Frankenstein abomination
+And Malzeno, a strange eldritch dragon.
Drifters exposed to extreme elements will find those same elements seeping into their blood.
Teeth also grow along portions of the walls in long fangs, ready to snag at any newcomers. Drawing blood on those teeth can result in changes in the new arrivals… As well as pulling a monster out of the hallway to try and draw more blood.
These monsters frequently manifest as:
+Gyuki, a spider and bull demon fusion.
+YinYang, a Frankenstein abomination
+And Malzeno, a strange eldritch dragon.
05: FUEL PUMPS
The fortress also holds a network of pipes leading through the halls and connecting to the gas station. Text from the Convoy asks for at least a few Drifters to follow the pipes to their source, and activate them. Following those pipes leads to a chamber in the base of the fortress, with basins full of liquid.
Glowing and quicksilver liquid, at that. Liquid that looks like it could have been poured straight out of the moon. An inscription on the tanks reads “Moonshard fuel refinement” while a stack of papers details the various attempts to distill moonshards into an energy usable by humans without mutating them. It seems they’ve mostly succeeded with this attempt: once the valves are turned on, the fuel can be pumped into the Convoy and top off almost depleted fuel tanks.
But there is still a risk. Coming into contact with the fuel can instill a sudden, ravenous hunger and push new changes to the front. Prolonged exposure activates all traits at once, and will only revert the person when another monster has been hunted down, and their energy absorbed.
Glowing and quicksilver liquid, at that. Liquid that looks like it could have been poured straight out of the moon. An inscription on the tanks reads “Moonshard fuel refinement” while a stack of papers details the various attempts to distill moonshards into an energy usable by humans without mutating them. It seems they’ve mostly succeeded with this attempt: once the valves are turned on, the fuel can be pumped into the Convoy and top off almost depleted fuel tanks.
But there is still a risk. Coming into contact with the fuel can instill a sudden, ravenous hunger and push new changes to the front. Prolonged exposure activates all traits at once, and will only revert the person when another monster has been hunted down, and their energy absorbed.
06: IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK
The walls of Bastion reach an impressive 20 feet up and stretch for long distances… And have Husks merged into them, often in the hallways and occasionally in the rooms. The Husks clearly belong to either the Silver Tear or the Steel Wardens, given the insignias on them. Many of them are locked together, frozen in a fight. And their last words and thoughts are written on the walls in gold and silver script.
Most of the words are frantic, about defending the moon shards from heretics or freeing the moon shards from confinement. But if any of the words are read aloud, the Husks react by merging together and spawning a berserk heavy tank/tankceratops. Or a large Burner type monster. OR a dragon dinosaur with exploding, punching fists. Drifters may also get caught up in the monster changes, and fuse their own monster forms together!
Most of the words are frantic, about defending the moon shards from heretics or freeing the moon shards from confinement. But if any of the words are read aloud, the Husks react by merging together and spawning a berserk heavy tank/tankceratops. Or a large Burner type monster. OR a dragon dinosaur with exploding, punching fists. Drifters may also get caught up in the monster changes, and fuse their own monster forms together!
07: MONSTER FUSE
An element saturation isn’t the only strange thing in the fortress. Anyone who makes contact with the fortress stones will find themselves building a resonance with a fellow Drifter. This grows stronger the more time they spend in the fortress.
Until finally the bond solidifies on the next change the Drifters go through and hits a fever pitch. The next threat they encounter WILL force a transformation. When that happens, their next change fuses their two monster forms together into something new.
Their fusion form is a combination of two Drifter’s traits. It is also twice the size it would normally be, and is well suited to taking on any giant sized monsters. It can even give Drifters a brief insight into the memories of their partner, as the fusion takes place.
When this happens, both Drifters can switch control over their merged form. Those with greater synchronism will have more control, while those who squabble and fight will find that their monster form becomes more feral and savage. This fusion lasts until the threat abates: when that happens, the fusion breaks apart, and Drifters return to their prior state.
Until finally the bond solidifies on the next change the Drifters go through and hits a fever pitch. The next threat they encounter WILL force a transformation. When that happens, their next change fuses their two monster forms together into something new.
Their fusion form is a combination of two Drifter’s traits. It is also twice the size it would normally be, and is well suited to taking on any giant sized monsters. It can even give Drifters a brief insight into the memories of their partner, as the fusion takes place.
When this happens, both Drifters can switch control over their merged form. Those with greater synchronism will have more control, while those who squabble and fight will find that their monster form becomes more feral and savage. This fusion lasts until the threat abates: when that happens, the fusion breaks apart, and Drifters return to their prior state.
08: STORM CALL
There’s something outside that isn’t just the storm; it calls out in a howl that can make the blood run cold, and also pulls at one’s feet. Until it hits a point where the Bastion doesn’t feel like a restful place. Drifters who hear the storm call need to step outside and find the source; the storm itself isn’t particular on if they search on their own feet, or behind some wheels.
Drifters who travel on their own feet will swiftly be overwhelmed by the storm, and a moon warp hiding in the snow, and forced to transform. It doesn’t help that there’s wild saber-tooth Barioth wyverns prowling the wilds and ready to pounce.
Being inside a vehicle helps to shield them from the worst of the storm and the changes, and also gives Drifters more traversal options:
Tough cars are capable of wading through even the deepest snow without getting bogged down, as well as towing any stricken or stuck vehicles out of the drifts.
Fast vehicles can follow rivers of fire and lava that move through the wilds, without burning up due to prolonged exposure.
Eventually Drifters will find their way towards the summit of the mountain, and the discovery waiting beyond.
Drifters who travel on their own feet will swiftly be overwhelmed by the storm, and a moon warp hiding in the snow, and forced to transform. It doesn’t help that there’s wild saber-tooth Barioth wyverns prowling the wilds and ready to pounce.
Being inside a vehicle helps to shield them from the worst of the storm and the changes, and also gives Drifters more traversal options:
Tough cars are capable of wading through even the deepest snow without getting bogged down, as well as towing any stricken or stuck vehicles out of the drifts.
Fast vehicles can follow rivers of fire and lava that move through the wilds, without burning up due to prolonged exposure.
Eventually Drifters will find their way towards the summit of the mountain, and the discovery waiting beyond.
09: MONSTER CHANGES
Between the weird fuel, the teeth in the fortress, and hostile elements trying to force changes, new arrivals can quickly find their humanity getting worn away and new monster transformations taking place.
With the cold weather and regal structures, the environment calls out to Undead. As long as the elements rage, all Undead traits are available and also:
+Warm Blood: Undead can easily track living bodies through the wilds and the fortress, sensing the warmth of their blood in contrast to the storm.
+Rivalry: Tends to form rivalry with other Undead monsters, becoming territorial and protective of potential food sources.
+Ice Affinity: Undead find themselves better preserved by the cold and thriving in it, energized and strengthened by the snow, and even taking on glowing blue veins and eyes.
+Fire Fear: The presence of fire inspires aversion, and even terror and need to flee from it. Smaller flames like candles provoke unease, larger flames like a bonfire result in more panic.
+Holy Symbols: Presence of Steel Warden symbols (a sword piercing moon) can cause unease in Undead, and even repel them a location.
+Snow Shift: Exposure to snow forces the Undead into a more bestial form. This could resemble a bat, wolf, or deer/horse/bull.
With the cold weather and regal structures, the environment calls out to Undead. As long as the elements rage, all Undead traits are available and also:
+Warm Blood: Undead can easily track living bodies through the wilds and the fortress, sensing the warmth of their blood in contrast to the storm.
+Rivalry: Tends to form rivalry with other Undead monsters, becoming territorial and protective of potential food sources.
+Ice Affinity: Undead find themselves better preserved by the cold and thriving in it, energized and strengthened by the snow, and even taking on glowing blue veins and eyes.
+Fire Fear: The presence of fire inspires aversion, and even terror and need to flee from it. Smaller flames like candles provoke unease, larger flames like a bonfire result in more panic.
+Holy Symbols: Presence of Steel Warden symbols (a sword piercing moon) can cause unease in Undead, and even repel them a location.
+Snow Shift: Exposure to snow forces the Undead into a more bestial form. This could resemble a bat, wolf, or deer/horse/bull.
10: FROZEN HEART
At the summit of the mountains is a collection of freakishly tall and twisted trees. In their branches is a collection of frozen hearts growing like strange fruit. And further up is a massive object that looks like a deer skull with branching antlers. The ice storm flows from its eyes and mouth… And it shows no signs of ceasing without destroying the skull.
The frozen hearts are giving off a cold aura that freezes anything that doesn’t resist ice. Drifters will need to neutralize the hearts to dispel the cold aura. The hearts can be melted by fire, shot down with ranged weapons, magic, etc. When burned, the hearts give off a smoke that causes a terrible hunger and need to hunt in anyone who inhales it. Shattered heart shards also rain down and embed themselves in Drifters, and cause a berserk fury in those they cut.
But with each felled heart the barrier of the skull weakens, as does the storm. When the last of the frozen hearts falls, the storm skull fractures and breaks apart like brittle ice. Drifters can deliver the finishing blows, ending the storm in the process. After that, the way down the mountain becomes clear, and the Convoy may continue down without worry.
The frozen hearts are giving off a cold aura that freezes anything that doesn’t resist ice. Drifters will need to neutralize the hearts to dispel the cold aura. The hearts can be melted by fire, shot down with ranged weapons, magic, etc. When burned, the hearts give off a smoke that causes a terrible hunger and need to hunt in anyone who inhales it. Shattered heart shards also rain down and embed themselves in Drifters, and cause a berserk fury in those they cut.
But with each felled heart the barrier of the skull weakens, as does the storm. When the last of the frozen hearts falls, the storm skull fractures and breaks apart like brittle ice. Drifters can deliver the finishing blows, ending the storm in the process. After that, the way down the mountain becomes clear, and the Convoy may continue down without worry.
MICRO ENCOUNTERS:
PLEASE NOTE! These are small bits of set dressing for players to include in threads if they wish, rather than full fledged prompts or events. You may handwave your exploration of these areas, or thread them out.
Fortress Library: Books and screens seem to have fused together. Assorted data about monsters is on display here; everything from hunting strategy to contradicting praise of their strength. (Read: all lore information from the monster pages is available IC.)
Dining Hall: This time around the gas station and garage are empty of supplies… But there’s plenty of preserved foods in the castle kitchen and dining hall. Though the hot dishes are almost painfully spicy, and the cold served foods can almost freeze a mouth shut.
Snow Fields: Surrounding the fortress are fields of snow, ready to bog down anyone who wanders too far into them. It would be next to impossible for anyone to make it far on two feet without the aid of a vehicle… Or the aid of a monstrous transformation.
Fire Snow: The storm can wildly swing between temperatures, from freezing to burning with how the snowflakes fluctuate. They can suck warmth out of a Drifter’s body on contact, or risk burning any exposed skin.
Armory: The Steel Wardens kept an armory and arena close by for sparring. Various weapons and armor are stored here; some antiquated, some modern and augmented with technology. And everything but the older models are badly damaged by the elements; frozen over and metal crackled, or half melted from fire. They won’t have much use as weapons, but could be used as metal materials.
View from the Peaks: When the storm clears, one can look out from the peaks and see what’s next. A strange, twisted landscape stretches out below the peaks. And beyond that is something on the horizon; a massive city reaching upwards, and the buildings intact and gleaming. Going back to the Convoy reveals a new update in the database: Nirvana is near. And will be reached in an estimated 60 days from now.
no subject
Then again, if Heat lost his hands he wouldn't be able to enjoy these pleasant scratchings.
"Jack could keep you company."
He's sure Jack would be more than happy to, if asked. Though Jack is a lot more energetic when trapped in his fox body. But Serph can't stay like this forever despite Heat's warmth troubles; he will eventually venture back out.
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"Yeah he could but you're here." Would he accept a Jack substitute? Nope. There were a lot of things he trusted Jack with, after all, the foxman was the only one to really actually accept a place in the Embryon and thus is in Heat's mind fully Tribe in all that entails, but ..
But this is different. "This place is worse than the swamp was. ..You think we're really almost there?"
Nirvana.
And more importantly.. were the rest of their Tribe waiting there for them?
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He already knows the Nirvana they're journeying towards isn't the Nirvana they'd fought for.
The Nirvana that they'd been promised wasn't the Nirvana they'd fought for, either.
Finally, Serph replies, "...If Nirvana isn't like what we imagined, what would you do?"
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But anything could be tolerated, with the right people there.
He can see reluctance in the way the fox's body language changes, as much of a betrayal as his own equine traits tended to be. "There's no saying this one is the one we were promised. But.. if Sera's there." And part of him knows she isn't. "And the rest of our tribe. Then no matter what it's like, we'll make do."
no subject
"...When the Junkyard was destroyed, we ended up in the world beyond. Separated."
He'd said as much before.
"That place was meant to be Nirvana. But it isn't. The sky is a harsh, glaring yellow. Humans turn to stone beneath the black sun." Serph rests his head on his paws. "The Junkyard, us, we were created by Sera."
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If what they 'really were' mattered.
Heat's not stupid, but he doesn't have the sharp analytical mind of other members of their Tribe. He can make some guesses, he can draw some conclusions, but it's not going to be based on the same concrete facts. Even then, his hand stills in Serph's currently soft fur. "Bullshit. How'd she make anything like that? She didn't even know who she was when she arrived as a newborn."
no subject
Humans. Humans who are born babies, go through childhood and become adults.
"She remembered everything at the end." That's what the message they received said. "Do you remember? She changed the Karma Temple."
It's not hard evidence that she made the Junkyard and them, but moulding and reshaping it to delay them as much as possible in her attempt not to harm them as they gave chase... that's not something anyone who lived in the Junkyard could do.
"At the top, she stopped us from moving. She had power over us."
It took everything he had to overcome it. The force of command, wresting control from him. And yet that doesn't make him afraid of her. It doesn't change his feelings for Sera.
no subject
He doesn't like that. Not because of Sera's power, but because of an implication he can almost but not quite catch, reading between the lines. She made them.
"I remember. I was there." Being forced frozen in place, for a time. Not long. He'd broken free, as did Serph. It hadn't kept her from trying, she thought it would spare them. "We knew she had power over us the first time she used that 'song' to stop Gale. That's not new."
And Heat hadn't minded it. Strange, sure, but they were now shapeshifting cannibal demons, 'strange' was relative. "We won, anyway. Kicked that bitch to the curb." Angel, NOT Sera, nobody was kicking Sera to the curb while the Embryon were around.
no subject
Speaking of that conflict at the top of the temple...
"The Junkyard disappeared because it was a simulation. Virtual. Stored on a machine. We were stored on a machine." He remembers the sea of milk at the bottom of the Karma Temple vividly, half formed shells swimming in the data extracted from the corpses of their previous lives. "Our data was implanted into human soldiers."
With Serph's furry body pressed against Heat, it's hard to miss the way every muscle in his small body tenses. Serph never shows his anger openly, but that day they were barred from the Temple despite fulfilling the requirements had lead to him tearing through the guards with unusual ferocity.
"Nirvana... was a lie to keep us fighting. The goal was always to dispose of us after."
no subject
And it doesn't much matter anymore shortly later.
Heat is not a philosopher. He doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about the meaning of life or what his origins are or wht his purpose is. They don't really matter. The only things that did matter..
"You're saying Sera made us. All of it. She invent Nirvana? She was planning on getting rid of us after?" It's a struggle to keep his voice anything like neutral.
Serph is so small like this, and restraint isn't part of Heat's usual repertoire, but he is, for the moment, being careful to remain still. Almost calm.
no subject
Instinctively, he butts his head up against Heat's, reassuring, but the deep frown is clear even with the fox's face not having eyebrows.
"I was told we were made differently. We were special to her. You. Me. Argilla. Cielo."
But... probably not Gale. Gale, who Varin didn't seem to recall. It made sense, the way she seemed to instinctively gravitate towards them despite the rest of the Tribe being there to protect them. The way she teared up, at the top of the Temple. The way he seemed to be drawn to her despite knowing nothing of her in the beginning.
"I wanted to ask her. To learn the truth."
But he never got the chance.
no subject
This is a lot of metaphysical shit he didn't like thinking about.
And if Heat pulls his knees up a little to trap Serph a bit more against him, it's surely just to continue to abuse the little furry furnace and not anything more painful. He's unshakable. Ignore all proof to the contrary. "Huh. Not Gale?"
Varin hadn't known who Gale was. But knew who they were. Sera didn't create Varin.. "The things we remember, from .. some other life or whatever. You saying she made that up too?"
There was, apparently, no time to ask her anything even later on! Probably because Heat killed him. That would interfere.
no subject
Devoured by him.
"There's a part of us that comes from dead humans. But we remember a blue sky. You. Me. Argilla. Cielo. Not Gale." Gale hadn't said it directly, but the lack of clarity in his response made it clear enough. The others answered quickly and with confidence. It seems there's some kind of shared memory between them that Gale wasn't privy to. "The ocean. The ship. The house."
Serph trails off into silence. His dreams are often filled with images of the clear blue sky and the beach, waves rolling up the sand.
"Don't they seem different from our other memories?"
no subject
Some of this he remembers. Beck claiming they were all different people, that they died. He didn't care. It didn't change anything, they were still comrades. "So there was a blue sky once when we were .. whoever the fuck we were before." The note of defensiveness in his voice as ever masks uncertainty.
It feels like he's being led to a conclusion but he can't tell what it is yet. "They seem better, if that's what you mean. Warm."
Creations of Sera. Dead .. but definitely not. "If Sera gave us new lives after the other ones got devoured, then that's a good thing isn't it? Without her we'd never.."
no subject
Serph falls silent for along moment. Truthfully in the Junkyard, even in Nirvana, he'd never spoken openly of the things that weighed on his mind. He couldn't. He had to lead the Embryon through their uncertain futures.
But... he's in another world now, somehow alive despite dying. If they were brought here somehow, then surely there must be a way to return. Return to what, though? A dying world? After he reunites with Sera, then what? And if Heat came with him, what would happen then? Would there be two Heats? (He can imagine Cielo's groan already.) What life could they even have there?
Everything he can picture of their future in that world... isn't much different from the Junkyard.
"If Nirvana isn't like what we imagined," Serph begins, his gaze fixed somewhere in the middle distance, looking out at the surrounding fortress but not really seeing it. "We should make it ourselves."
no subject
The idea that Sera made it all was .. strange. But she'd shown amazing power, so he could accept that. Someone else had co-opted things, he could accept that too as he rolled it around in his mind.
If it wasn't for Sera, whoever they used to be in another life would have been the end of it. They owed her everything.
Everything. ..Except Gale, apparently. "If Nirvana isn't what we thought it was, then fuck Nirvana. We'll find our tribe, we'll find Sera, and do something else. Maybe paradise isn't real, who cares? We'll have what matters."
The only thing that mattered. "...I guess Jack counts for that," he adds as a slow afterthought. "Some of these other assholes too." Serph, he suspected, would insist on everyone regardless. He's fine with Jack. The rest he tolerated. Some barely. "And anyway, the Nirvana that's here, it can't be paradise. Look how fucked up everything is. If it's run by anything here it's probably just gonna be more of the same."
no subject
"Heat... The rest of the Tribe are in that other world. Including the other Heat." Who killed me, is left unsaid. "In that false Nirvana, most plants and animals died so humans are hunted as food."
In the beginning, he'd thought of Revan as being more dead than 'Nirvana' because of the lack of people. It was always people who mattered to him most. But he learned about plants, about how it's a form of life that could produce more life in abundance, enough to sustain other life that would consume it. Only then did he understand why Kathy and Johnny tried so hard to grow the flowers he brought them.
There aren't many people in this world, but it's a world that could continue to grow as non-human life blossoms and flourishes.
"But there's no Sea of Milk, people aren't recycled and immediately reborn as rookies like we were."
The tension runs through his entire furry body, a minute vibration that betrays the painful emotion he tries to keep from his voice. The thought of staying apart from the others, of remaining out of Sera's reach hurts more than anything.
"If we go there... I can't see a future for any of us."
no subject
He enjoyed the violence. Enjoyed devouring. He got along with his demon as well as anyone ever could. This place was vibrant and alive in a way he didn't have words for. There were things to eat, interesting things. There were places to go, things to see.
The only thing missing.. is the rest of the Embryon. "Even some other me, he can come too. Everyone'll love it here. Even Argilla won't throw a tittyfit if she can devour something that might not have ever been a person but it still works, y'know?" The monsters here .. had, for the most part, once been human. But they're breeding out in the wild now according to type.
Now they're a different species. To the morally touchy, that's not a problem! "This place. I know a lot of people hate it. But it's pretty good. Maybe we don't need perfect."
no subject
If they can bring the rest of the Embryon here... that truly would be the best outcome. Something that might only be possible with Nirvana's help, given their interference with their summoning. Or the Silver Tears, maybe.
"It's good," he agrees. The only part that bothers him really is the possibility of a comrade being snatched away, gone without a trace, like some of their previous travelling companions.
"We're not the only ones who want to stay here." Serph idly licks a paw. Edward had spoken to him of his wants for the future. Jack wants to stay travelling like they are. "This is the new goal then. We find a way to bring the others here and we keep moving."
They had lived a long time in bases. But their moving base has really grown on him.
no subject
But this was better than the Junkyard, aside from that one glaring missing thing.
Maybe it was the same for others. "Might have to stay in one spot for a little bit if we're gonna figure out how their summon thing works. Figure out how to take over the automated trucks." The convoy had many uses! Places to sleep, places to store things, the shield. "Y'think the .. moon whatevers. The 'friendly' ones, they'd help us get the rest of our Tribe?"
no subject
Serph nods. He was, in fact, thinking the same thing. Taking over the Convoy has been something that's been brewing in the back of his mind. To travel in their relative safety has been something only afforded by the technology of the Convoy. Without it, it would be difficult to travel of their own accord.
"If answers don't lie in Nirvana, then the Silver Tears are our next option." He doesn't trust them, though. "They want us for their own reasons."
So they'll need to think carefully in negotiations.