The City at Large & Mission Alpha

[baedalites.livejournal.com]

Who: OPEN to all residents.
What: The ant-situation is changing!
Where: Throughout the city.
When: NOW. This thread will likely cover a few days.
Warnings: To be updated.

Dear Mission Alpha,

It is your undeniable privilege to bring back as many of the so-called 'crow pearls' as possible to the Temple. Any temple. No one important cares how you do it, just get it done. Try to be substantial about it, let's say more than 50, hmm? The actual task here is to deprive our deranged ant-friends of as many pearls as possible, but no one is going to be rewarded for stories like 'oh we absolutely threw two tons of pearls down the whirlpool, we swear on our broodmother's grave', okay? Okay. Peachy. Bring me the pearls, chop chop.

Your totally sweet gods have decided to lend you some ...boons I guess, however that goes, to aid you in your quest. Useful objects. For you, my gifted pilferers and negotiators:

A Skeleton Key - it will open any unwarded lock. It will not open warded locks. That means magical locks. No magical locks will be opened with this key. Unless the magic is broken first. Good luck with that.

Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card - I realize no one has bothered to build proper jail cells in Our City yet so it's more of a Fend-off-The-Local-Authorities-Free Card but that's not as catchy. Think of it as An Official Voucher From the Gods that says you're on Official Twelve Point Business and can't be arrested right now. Keep it for the Sheriffs as it might not have the desired effect the Militia.

Privacy Ward or App For Your CiD - Well you don't want to get caught leaking signals and communication everywhere, do you.

It is a week and some change after the ants first noticeably began their labour and it seems they have finished rebuilding their houses. It's hard to see exactly what is going on from the ground, but the brave few who have ventured into and up the hives or climbed neighbouring buildings get a good enough view. The rooftops are now crowned with organic spires, much like malformed and undernourished termite nests reaching for the heavens. They are not the best constructs, some of them have broken off or imploded, but the majority of the spires stand.

Then one morning, individual ants are seen climbing to the very top of their towers. They then sit still, mandibles locked and antennae arched. It's hours before any change becomes noticeable, and by then it's too late. The ants have sprouted strange fleshy fungal tentacles, all filled to the bursting with spores.

Soon there after, reports come in from all across the city about people acting out of character; some have become catatonic or violent after brief a period of sickness. Individuals have been seen entering the ant-occupied buildings to help defend the ants against intruders, others have attempted to climb high points in the city or thrown themselves in the rivers.

Once again the City is under siege, but this time the enemy is invisible.

Comments

[ironshodboots]

"Parts. I know how banks work, and I assume a computer is something that does computations automatically. But I think the idea of not having enough money to back your securities, at least on that scale, is asking for trouble." As Alec may have just proved. If you said you had the money, you should have it, or be able to call it to hand.

[im_apimp]

"Computers, actually, are more like giant digital storage systems. They do do computations at a faster rate, but they're more a form of communication and efficiency than anything else." He then pauses at the second half. "And you're probably right. But people like having confidence in their technology. We've become a little dependent."

[ironshodboots]

"People like depending on things. A government, or alchemy, or whathave you." She shrugs. "You have to depend on something, of course, but nothing is foolproof."

[im_apimp]

"Unfortunately not," he says, before shrugging himself. "But we do okay. It could be worse. It could have been a zombie apocalypse."

... Alec may have watched a little too much TV back in Seattle.

[ironshodboots]

"What is a zombie?" Nazca asks, raising her eyebrows.

[im_apimp]

"Zombie. Undead creature that eats brains," he nods. "According to movies they're dumb as bricks, but if they bite you, you become one of them."

[ironshodboots]

Nazca wrinkles her nose. "Undead - dead but animated?" It's not something with a clear analogue in her people's mythology, though gentled creatures spring to mind. "And an apocalypse is when there are too many, and they overrun everything."

[im_apimp]

"Now you're catching on," he says with a grin. "But I take it there aren't 'end of the world' stories running around in your culture?"

For as much as Alec rambles about his own life, he is genuinely curious about hers. A sharing of information can go both ways.

[ironshodboots]

"Not very many, no. There are some who said the Eldren would return one day, but mostly people focused on the present." Religion was important, but the Camorri were a pragmatic people. Verrari philosophers sometimes debated the end of the world, but that was different.

[im_apimp]

"I think humanity where I'm from might do a whole lot better if they followed that particular line of thought themselves."

Well, that and not thinking that his kind were abominations would be a great start.

[ironshodboots]

"It brings its own set of problems," Nazca allows, "but I think it's best, personally. Those who focus on the past grow morbid, and those who focus too much on the future become compulsive." But tell us how you really feel, Nazca.

[im_apimp]

"I just like to think that I have a future," he sighs. "That would be nice. I'd like to not die before I'm thirty."

He doesn't think it's likely, but he'd like to try.

[ironshodboots]

She doesn't react to that, nothing at all visible, though it hits a sore spot she thought was better-protected than this. "Well. Regardless. We'd probably best get some more crowpearls, oughten't we?"

[im_apimp]

"Yes. Yes, we should." He gives her a bit of a smirk. "Wanna make a game out of it?"

Things are always more fun when they're games.

[ironshodboots]

"Winning the gods' favor and a boon isn't enough inducement for you?" she asks with a wry smile.

[im_apimp]

He grins. "Hey, I don't mind doing a job, but that doesn't mean I can't make it fun."

[ironshodboots]

"Assuming the ants don't kill us all, the one that gets the most can owe the other a beer."

[im_apimp]

Alec considers for a moment, before nodding and extending his hand to shake on it. "Deal."

[ironshodboots]

She clasps his hand, brief but strong, then grins and jogs off down a side street. If she's going to win, she's not going to waste time.

[im_apimp]

He grins as he watches her go, before darting to the side and taking off on his own. There was no way he was going down without a fight.