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Turtleduck Stories Inc.
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Topic Started: Oct 8 2013, 07:00 AM (539 Views)
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Colossi
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Oct 8 2013, 07:00 AM
Post #1
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Your friendly neighborhood cuttlefish
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So I decided to start writing a story using FTG member names as characters.
Chose the names randomly, and I promise I write with no intention of libel owo;;
So uh...enjoy? If comments, want really badly to be a character, or whatnot, just go ahead and comment in this thread, I guess. I'll just post whatever segment of the story is next after the comments along with the comment replies if any are applicable.
Gonna be made of a lot of small parts, so, heh.
0. Come as You Are The sky was gray and dull, outside of the building that was once the home of a well-to-do family. None of them were here now. Long abandoned by its original inhabitants, the house itself was a wreck by now. The windows throughout the house were all shattered, some of them boarded up with flimsy wood, others left untouched. Dust covered the floor, wallpaper was coming off the walls, and no appliance was intact within the building. Half the roof had collapsed ages ago, rendering the upstairs inaccessible, and what was once the dining room was now no more than a storage place for the former ceiling.
This was no unusual sight; no, this house sat amongst rows upon rows of other houses, innumerable structures that now stood only as a testament to the chaos that robbed them of their residents, leaving nothing but empty skeletons of houses behind.
Today, however, was a different day. Today, there were two people taking shelter within this abandoned building. Both were male, perhaps in their twenties or thirties - life had evidently taken some sort of a toll on them. In thick and heavy clothing were they dressed, and sat across from one another around an impromptu fire built in the middle of what was once a living room. One had a brown hat, worn and frayed at the edges, while the other donned a pair of sunglasses. Here in this former residence they were eating and resting, several small backpacks and other belongings lying around them.
As Sunglasses opened a jar of- well, something - and began to slowly devour its contents, he also began to talk to his companion.
"It's been a long time since we last had a bit of peace and quiet, don't you think?"
Brown-hat nodded, eating some sort of flat wafer from a bag. "We've lost more people recently than we should have. I feel like it wasn't entirely our fault either." He spoke with a voice of apathy, but the expressions of both men betrayed their true thoughts - concern was evident upon their faces.
Sunglasses spoke again, but not before taking a bite out of that canned food. "I wonder," he mused aloud, "what our next course of action will be. Our fortress is fortified decently, they don't get in anymore- but we are losing almost as much as we are gaining. We can survive, as is, but we can't thrive unless we find a way to keep our people alive."
"True. It's not helping, though, that so many of the people we find don't know how to deal with the Cursed." Brown-hat replied. "Not to mention, every time we think we're safe, someone goes out on a recon, or a patrol, or to scavenge - and then they're gone. Just think about all the ones we've lost, and because they were so careless!"
Sunglasses shook his head. "Damn it, and I liked them too! But everything happens to them! A mob of Berserkers here, a stalking Shadow there- it's like the Cursed intentionally look to take our best and brightest!"
Halfway through the man's speech, the wind began to pick up - and both men froze. Time and experience were harsh teachers, and both of them had learned much; both could sense, that they were no longer alone. With rushing steps and swiftness unmatched did the two get up onto their feet, Sunglasses grabbing a makeshift torch and Brown-hat taking out a fire axe.
"Who's there?!"
"Show yourself!"
Looking around warily around the fire, something caught the eyes of the two - a movement. The door, or rather, the slab of wood that they had used to cover their entryway fell down, raising a small cloud of dust as something stepped into their temporary shelter.
It took a few moments to notice that it wasn't a "something", but a "someone".
Upon seeing him, Sunglasses' jaw hung agape, and Brown-hat's eyes widened.
A young man stood in front of the entrance, leaning heavily upon the doorway.
"W-Water, please..."
1. Discovery I "So, uhhhh- Lightning, exactly how did you get that name?"
Ugh. Here it came again. Another intrusive question by a newcomer who just couldn't stand to come along a search in peace and quiet. By now, Lightning thought she would have been used to it; but no. It was intrusive, it wasn't necessary for the mission at hand, and, worst of all, it was being asked by someone who was very likely to die or vanish whenever he messed up - not a rare scenario, given the number of times different people had asked her this question.
So, she chose to ignore it and instead walk faster on the trail they were on, once a highway, now a resting home for what skeletons of vehicles that were left there. Already, she could hear Levy's voice, as the second-most experienced person in their group rebuked and explained accordingly. "Nick, don't ask questions like that. Most people have very personal reasons for picking what we call them by - if they want to, they'll share it freely. Asking directly like that is just, so awkward, especially since you don't know..."
Looking at their surroundings, Lightning tried to shake off that feeling of discomfort that the question gave. Come on, focus, girl, she thought to herself. The mission first, the mission first. See if there's anything to scavenge in the mansion about two hours down the road, investigate the building, get out, go back, go home. She glanced back, looking at her companions for this mission - Levy, still talking, her cap worn to an angle as it usually did; Cat, walking in the back of the group, as suave as his name suggested; and Nick. The newcomer, still trying to understand how everything worked, freshly rescued from a situation he would have never survived alone.
Ragtag? Perhaps. But they were the only ones available at the time she was requested to lead this mission. She had to make the best of it, even if it was Nick's first time doing such a thing as traveling outside of the Fortress to look for anything usable. She could only hope he wouldn't get caught by the Cursed under her watch.
Walking down the former highway was no difficult task; she herself, with many others, had long ago cleared it of what Cursed that chose to reside on the road, and patrols every several days made certain that the highway stayed safe. It didn't hurt to still be wary, though, even when the four of them did see nothing out of place.
Eventually, it came into view - a building, four stories tall, a grand affair with large windows and plenty of balconies. She couldn't help but chuckle darkly, at the sight. Idiots. The guys who lived there before must've regretted it big-time when the Cursed came at them.
Reaching the place where the highway split into many roads, one of which led to the mansion itself, Lightning rose a finger, signalling for the others to be silent. They were nearing their destination, and care had to be taken - no one had bothered to enter this mansion before, at least, not within their group. Precautions were necessary.
Ducking behind one of the long-abandoned cars, Lightning used her pair of binoculars to look about the area. Shattered windows on the first and second floors, something's obviously happened here before. The door's been torn off, so the Cursed have definitely been there before. There's that thing moving around with an- Oh, shit.
"Stop where you are!" Lightning whispered furiously, as the other three members of her group froze in unison.
The newcomer of the group dared to ask, in a confused whisper, "What? What is it?"
The situation was of such urgency, that Lightning didn't even feel annoyed anymore. In a whisper, this time quiet and strained, did she answer his question.
"There's a Ripper, in front of the building!"
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Lightning
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Oct 8 2013, 07:11 AM
Post #2
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Steel your mind. Run on instinct.
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=0 love it! can't wait for more =D
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座 Fumus
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Oct 8 2013, 11:32 AM
Post #3
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・。゜. ヘ(゜Д、゜)ノ
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Oooooh nice naisu! As said in cbox, if you need more names, i'm fine with it.
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Colossi
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Oct 9 2013, 05:30 AM
Post #4
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Your friendly neighborhood cuttlefish
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:> Thank you, Lightning.
I'll take you up on that offer at some point, Fumus
2. Discovery II A Ripper?
Well, now things were finally going to get interesting.
From behind the vehicle, Cat peered through the shattered windows to catch a glimpse of what Lightning was talking about.
Yes, that was most definitely a Ripper. Walking around the front of the building with shuffling steps, a human- or rather, something might have once been human. Now, it was nothing but a grotesque mockery of the human figure. Tall and lean, it had a scarecrow's face and several growths on various parts of its body, none of which were as noticeable as its hands: where there would be fingers, there were instead a row of bones in the shape of blades, which, with the arms, were disproportionately large compared to the rest of the body. A single swing, and decapitation would not be an impossible outcome. Just looking at it made him gulp in nervousness.
"How are we going to get by that?" He asked Lightning, keeping his voice to a whisper.
The group leader stayed crouching there, thinking for a few moments before speaking up again. "We...We need to get in there somehow. If a Ripper's here, that means there shouldn't be any other Cursed in the area, especially not in that building. So..."
She closed her eyes, before speaking in an authoritative tone. "The three of you, sneak in when you get the chance. Look for anything we can use - food, water, clothes, blankets, weapons, anything that might be helpful. Levy, you're the leader once you're all inside. Keep an eye on Nick. Cat, scout out the building, since you're the most skilled at it. Nick...keep out of trouble, do what Levy says, and if any of you even hear the sounds of another Cursed in the building, get out and run."
Wait a minute. Cat opened his mouth. "Does this mean-"
"Yes." Lightning sighed. "I'll do what I can against that Ripper."
Before he could get another word in, Lightning stood up and reached into her pocket, taking out half a dozen red spheres. "Don't waste time."
As he watched, she took a deep breath and leaped out from behind the car, running far to the left to taunt the meandering beast. Running along that direction, she yelled a string of obscenities, the likes of which one should never reproduce in print.
Regardless, the sound and motion caught the attention of the shuffling Ripper. The moment it caught sight of the woman, it began to run towards her in uneven but wide steps, making a snarling sound.
Levy saw the opportunity. "Quick, run in while she lures it away!"
Was there any other option?
Cat, along with Levy and Nick, ran for the entrance.
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Sumia
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Oct 9 2013, 06:11 AM
Post #5
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Make a Contract?
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Wow! That was amazing. Could I possibly be in it?
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Colossi
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Oct 9 2013, 08:09 PM
Post #6
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Your friendly neighborhood cuttlefish
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I'll take up on that offer too in due time, Sumia :>
3. Discovery III Chaos. Confusion. Running.
Running was how he got onto the boat, in those crazy first days of the Cursed. Running was how he got off the boat, the moment it touched land after supplies ran out. Running was what he did, until he reached the Fortress and passed out, not so long ago.
Now here he was, running again. Get in the building, they told him. Grab anything we can possibly use, get out, come back, they said. It was just so confusing. It hadn't been more than three days since he arrived at the Fortress, and already Nick was being sent out on missions like this. He barely even knew the people he was with now.
Running into the building, he was in a daze. Beside him, making sure that he wasn't falling behind, Levy was already calling out orders.
"Cat, run ahead and do what you do best!" She shouted, pulling Nick by the sleeve to make sure he wasn't lagging.
Despite the circumstances, Cat managed to pull out a weak smile. "Stalk people, you mean?"
"Cat, I swear if you don't go right now I will cut you!"
"Okay, okay! Look, I'm going, I'm going, I'm gone!" The man replied, running into another room in the house. The sound of doors being thrown open and stairs being climbed rapidly could be heard, as Cat investigated every room he could find briefly for the presence of something inhuman.
Now it was just Levy and himself, their equipment, and the mansion.
"Nick, I'm going to go check the kitchen area and grab the food stuff quick, you go to the second floor behind Cat and see if there's anything useful. Bathrooms have soap, toothbrushes, heck, we can even use a mirror since Mazo smashed his- anyways, the bedrooms have blankets, pillows, clothes! Get the clothes too!"
With that, the cap-donning girl ran off into another room, and within moments the sound of shelves being opened and messily searched could be heard as well. Combined with the sounds of the slamming doors, it was a cacophony of chaos.
Orders, right. Follow the orders.
Nick rushed himself around the house, looking for stairs- wait, they were in the main hall. Nevermind. Running back, he quickly escalated up the stairs, running into the nearest room, coming back out with two blankets and a bar of Pidgeon-brand soap.
Next room; nevermind, nothing left there. Nick only had to glance through the doorway to tell.
Next room- a bedroom. He entered it, saw nothing but a wardrobe already ransacked, a shattered window, and a bed with someone sleeping in it. Nothing here either, Nick turned around to leave the room-
Wait a minute.
Nick turned his head around and looked back.
"Oh, my god."
There was someone on the bed. Tucked up in its worn blue blanket, an actual person was sleeping, a look of peace across his face. At a loss to react, Nick could only do what he would have done if any trouble actually befell upon him - he shouted.
"Levy! Cat! I-I've found someone here!"
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Lightning
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Oct 10 2013, 01:18 AM
Post #7
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Steel your mind. Run on instinct.
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q-q
I might be somewhat addicted to this story haha keep it going!
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Colossi
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Oct 12 2013, 07:19 AM
Post #8
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Your friendly neighborhood cuttlefish
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Well, that was anticlimatic
4. Discovery IV What's in this shelf? Oh, that is nasty. What about this one? Hey, these look just fi- expired five years ago? Meh. As long as it's barbeque sauce I'm sure Ryo won't notice. I'll take that- actually, I'll take all of this. We definitely need oil for the fire. Oh, why didn't I check the fridge?
...
I swear solemnly unto myself that I will never check a fridge again. How did mold even turn kaleidoscopic? The inside of that thing looks like a different dimension. Ew, ew, ew.
Ooh, what's in this cabinet? Utensils! Finally! I'll take this one, and this one, and- this fork has nine prongs. Why do they even need- meh, I'll take it too.
In here? Jackpot! Canned foods! Soup, soup, and more soup! I bet Lightning can make something good out of-
Red Rooster Hot Sauce, YES!
A sudden shout disturbed Levy from her looting frenzy. Wait a minute- Nick!
The moment she heard it, Levy ran out of the room and frantically climbed up the stairs. Damned, if she was going to see another newcomer die in his first mission.
Coming up from the ground floor, she made it just in time to run into Cat, who was coming down from the third floor. Without a single word, the two ran through the hallways, looking for their companion. They found him standing in the middle of a bedroom with a look of complete shock on his face.
"Nick, are you alright?!" Levy called out, unaware of that which Cat had now spotted and was also gaping at.
"Levy...look."
She turned.
"What the fu-"
"Is that...actually a person?" Nick asked, still frozen in place.
"I don't know." Levy replied, staring at the strange sight. "Cat - poke him."
The man of the fitting name did so, or rather, swiped at the figure's blanket, pulling it off to reveal a fully clothed young man with inky black hair, clutching a pair of glasses in his hands. He certainly looked human, and not at all threatening. Sleepy-looking eyes. On the short side.
Uncertain what to make of this, Nick was first to voice his suspicions. "Is he...alive? Is he even human? Could that possibly one of the, uh, Cursed?"
"If he was Cursed, he would have already gotten you, Nick," Levy replied. "Or the Ripper outside would- oh my god. If we didn't come here today, right now, the Ripper might have already found this guy."
"Hold up, hold up," Cat exclaimed. "So you're saying that this guy here came in, fell asleep until now, and we somehow came just in time to save his sorry as-"
"Damn it, maybe it's actually possible, Cat." To be honest, Levy herself was doubting this - it just seemed like too much of a coincidence. Then again, it wasn't impossible...
Their three trains of thought were disrupted when the young man suddenly woke up. With no warning the young man's eyes opened, and he snapped upwards to a sitting position, scaring the _____ out of the three onlookers. Initially oblivious to their presence, he wiped his eyes with a hand, before putting on his glasses and looking around - and then he froze.
For what felt like eternity, the four people in the room partook in an impromptu staring match, none certain of what to make from the situation. The room was silent, until Levy eventually broke it.
"...Yeeeeaaaah, we're taking him back with us to the Fortress. Quick, Cat, you and Nick carry him along with whatever you two found around here. I'ma go back and finish searching the kitchen, then we make it out of here quick. Lightning...should still be alive."
"Carry him? He looks perfectly fi-" Nick's argument was rudely interrupted by Levy, as she suddenly smashed the strange fellow on the bed with her bag of mainly canned goods, rendering him unconscious once more.
"Hurry up and grab him already, or else you'll have to carry Cat too."
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Lightning
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Oct 13 2013, 08:28 AM
Post #9
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Steel your mind. Run on instinct.
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XD lol i wonder who this stranger is =0
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