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You must have fallen asleep, because when you wake the morning light is breaking through the thick cloud cover above the city, and falling through the jagged glass into your shop. Outside on the streets everything seems quiet, and you tentatively look outside.

>Health returns to 35, as three Rests have been completed. All attribute bonuses active.

The street is a mess, cars and twisted metal strewn everywhere and most windows youc an see are shattered. You return to the shop and start packing up your things, and have a quick breakfast from your fast-dwindling supply of Blue Fruit.

As for today's plans, it's up to you.

>Return to the shopping district to continue scavenging
>Try to hunt the many wild animals that are running free around the city
>Return to camp
>CCE (Craft, Cook, Experiment)
>Other (Write in)

>>42154847
>Return to the shopping district to continue scavenging

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>>42154997
Afternoon, Crog. Good to see you.

>Return to the shopping district

You figure that the hardware store might be worth another look, now that you aren't being crushed by 50-story towers. Packing up your things, you remove the curing pole from your bag and wrap the meat in some paper from the offices you aquired a couple of days ago.

>Added: Meat x 5

You walk hesitantly down the middle of the street, careful not to disturb anything. The events of yesterday still puzzle you. Did it really happen? Or were you hallucenating. Perhaps it was something you ate.

However, as much as you try to find a logical explanation for it, you can't dispel the thought that this city is out to get you. It just makes you more eager to find your father and get out of this place.

You arrive at the shopping district after a walk, and though the centre is somewhat destroyed from enormous building that had fallen in, most of the outer ring of shops still appear to be somewhat intact. You have some time, but which do you visit first?

>A pet shop
>The hardware store
>A supermarket
>A department store

>>42155180
The hardware store

>>42155180
>The hardware store

>>42155180
>The hardware store
Which quest ended after the mysterious people killed the Panther/leopard that he fought the same quest? Also did someone roll a super critical failure last thread to make the building fall?. I

>>42155264
.....what? Could you reword that?

>>42155264
Could you rephrase that? And no, the building fell of it's own accord.

>The hardware store

Looking in the window yesterday seemed to indicate that the shop was essentially untouched, so you figure that it'd be a good place to begin your hunt for new equipment.

Approaching the door, you consider the best way to enter. You could break a window, but that could attract unnecessary attention to your presence, which after yesterday isn't exactly an attractive idea. Another option is picking the lock, which you have a basic feel for but are no expert on, so it could take up valuable time.

>Break in (1d100 +2 Strength roll)
>Pick the lock (1d100 +3 Dexterity roll, difficult)

>>42155303
>Break in (1d100 +2 Strength roll)
I'm not rolling, nope, not me.

>>42155319

You're going to have to, it seems like no one else is!

Rolled 34 + 2 (1d100 + 2)

>>42155489

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>Break in, avg. roll 36, DC 25

Gritting your teeth, you take your pole out of your pack and javelin it into the window. It opens a small hole, which you manage to widen by swinging it like a bat. Climbing through the window, you enter the hardware store.

You never thought that a sledgehammer could be so beautiful. The perfect curves of a hammer have you in extasy. You let nails fall through your fingers like pure gold. Once you recover from your DIY-boner, you begin to examine the shop for usable (and portable tools). Your criteria is tools that are mostly ubiqutous but won't weigh you down too much. In your pack right now you have 10kg left of carrying space. Choose what to take.

>A hammer; 5kg
>A machete; 5kg
>A woodcutter's axe, usable as a weapon; 8kg
>Nails; 1kg
>A handsaw; 3kg
>A pack of 9v batteries; 1kg
>Flammable oil; 4kg
>A lighter; 1kg
>A wrench; 4kg

>>42155680
woodcutting axes are terrible weapons.

I'm assuming we're already taking the sledgehammer with us?

>Machete
>Nails
>handsaw
>lighter

>>42155763

I'll go with this, but I don't think we should take the hammer.

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>>42155763
>>42155804
To clarify, you aren't taking the sledgehammer.

>Added: Machete, Nails, Handsaw, Lighter


You take your tools and put them in your sack. It's starting to get heavy, and you doubt you could fit much more in there without taking things out.

You're about to exit the store but as you approach the window you can hear a familiar half-snuffling, half-barking sound from outside. You duck behind cover just in time to avoid a pack of three stalkers as they climb through the window, sniffing. You move as quietly as you can to the back of the store, and plan your next move. You're behind the shop desk, and one is a few metres away behind a shelf, one is climbing up the racks on the far side of the shop, and one is still at the window, sniffing the ground. You draw your pistol.

>Try and distract them and run
>Hide until they leave
>Fire at the one (Write in)
>Other (Write in)

>>42155988
Throw half the nails on the floor as really, really bad caltrops.

Machete the closest one, retreating back to throw more nails.

>>42155988

>Hide until they leave

>>42156088

Once again, I'll go with this.

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>Write in

You creep forward and draw your new machete. You throw the nails in front of you and jump onto the closest stalker! Plunging your knife into its side, you wrestle with it for a moment before it hits you with its powerful arms and knocks you back, your machete clattering to the ground.

Though you're back on your feat, the other two have been alerted and the wounded one limps away. They approach you, growling, and you pick up you machete and try to appear threatening.

>Fire your pistol (1d100 +3)
>Attack with your machete (1d100 +2, difficult)
>Write in (1d100 +2 if the action is Strength related, +3 if it's Dexterity related.)

>>42156277
Make a lot of noise. Stay behind a counter to limit the range that they can attack. Wait for them to move towards us before swiping with the machete.

We're in a defensible position, and they aren't. Either they leave or they die, and if they leave we're one step closer to 'declaring' the place as our territory.

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>Write in

You move back and duck behind the counter. You remind yourself that as scary as they may seem, Stalkers are just dumb animals. That means they can learn, in this case the hard way.

You kick over some cans of paint and knock over the till, shouting while you do it. The Stalkers stop growling, and look at you with amazement. One moves towards you half-heartedly and bares its teeth, but you beat it back with a couple of swings of your machete. The stalkers eventually stop moving towards you completely. Sensing you have their attention, you look one directly in the eye and scream as loud as you can. It seems to have a physical effect on the creature, which winces back as though it has been hit. The other begins to make a low whining sound, and backs away. You jump on top of the till, quite carried away, and keep yelling at the top of your lungs. The Stalkers appear to make a decision and the two remaining animals turn and flee through the window.

Once you're sure the shop is clear, you sit down, exhausted. As much as you tried to put on a brave face, scaring the Stalkers away was pretty terrifying. You look outside, checking the coast is clear, and then exit the shop to continue your scavenging run.

>Time: Midday
>Learned: Basic Animal Handling
>Attribute: Strength +3

Where will you continue your scavenging run in the business district?

>A pet shop
>A supermarket
>A department store

>>42156730
>A supermarket

>>42156730

>A supermarket

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Rolled 1 (1d4)

>Supermarket

You decide to up your food supplies and find some other useful items in the supermarket. Jogging over to entrance you hear a strange rumbling, coming from beneath you. It stops after half a minute, and you dismiss it as nothing.

The entrace to the supermarket is blocked by debris. You have several choices.

>Try to shift the debris (1d100 +3)
>Find another entrance
>Break in

>>42156922
>Break in

>Break In

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>Break in

You're pretty confident with your ability to scare away any wild animals you encounter, and you don't want to waste too much time. You heave a nearby rock at a window pane, which shatters noisily. Undeterred, you enter the supermarket.

It's big, and several rows of aisles stretch out on either side of you. You could probably spend the whole day here, but your full pack forces you to be choosy about what you take.

Finding useful things shouldn't be too hard, it's just a matter of priority. Which aisle do you search first?

>Food
>Drink
>Toys
>Furniture
>Clothing
>Plants

>>42157277
>>Food
>>Drink
nutrition

We'll come back later for food processing ingredients/chemicals.

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>Food

You head down the food isle to stock up on some supplies. Examining the shelves yields not a lot in the way of long-term survival meals but eventually you find a pack of dry biscuits and a small sack of potatoes, which will last you a while. You throw them in your pack and go on the hunt for water.

>Added: Potatoes x 10, Biscuits x 10

You're looking through the Drinks aisle trying to find bottled water that hasn't cracked and spilled when you come across something unusual. In the middle of the tiled floor there appears to be some kind of sinkhole, with the floor falling into a hole. It's so totally unexpected that you have to laugh a little, at first. What's less funny is the fact that another one appears at the end of the aisle that you just came from.

You grab a water bottle and run to the front of the store. All over now, the floor is falling away and being dragged down. You rush outside and an even more disturbing sight greets you.

In the middle of the square, the collapsed building is slowly crumbbling downwards. An enormous hole is forming underneath it, and several shops have already begun to destabilize with it. You back up, and quickly try to work out the best course of action.

>Climb a building, get up high
>Run deeper into the city
>Other (Write in)

>>42157641
back to camp, run like you mean it

>Run!

You sprint around the crater as it grows larger and larger. Leaping over cars and debris you try desperately to make it back onto North street, which leads back to camp.

A window smashes as you run by. With a sinking feeling, you realize what's happening. You cover your head with your arms and try and make yourself as small a target as possible. Your path is suddenly blocked by an old truck that slides downhill towards you.

>Roll 1d100 +3 to Dodge

Rolled 78 + 3 (1d100 + 3)

>>42157942

>avg. roll 81

You jump up the bonnet of the truck and leap over. You land in a roll on the other side, and cut your arm on a rubbish bin.

>Health -3, was 35 now 32

You run towards North street, but it seems like you have to take one step forward and two back. Staying on your feet becomes hard as the ground tilts backwards.

Eventually you're climbing a near-vertical slope, scratching your hands to shreds on rock rubble as the growing chasm looms below you.

>Roll a strength roll of 1d100 +3

Rolled 1 + 3 (1d100 + 3)

>>42158153

>>42158246
I am so very sorry.....

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>>42158246
The dice have spoken, I'm sorry too!

>Crit fail

You're clambering up the rubble when a huge boulder of concrete comes rolling down the slope towards you. You swing your body to the side but it still catches your arm and crushes your hand. You scream in pain and lose your grip.

Time momentarily freezes. Your life doesn't flash before your eyes, but all you can see is yellow. It seems to be inside your head, and when you close your eyes you can still see it. You hear your father talking to George. You remember your visions of him since arriving here. You see nothing and everything, as the feeling of weightlessness takes you and drops you down into the abyss that has formed beneath you, away from the city and into the infinite earth.

----------------------------------------

WILL OUR HERO SURVIVE?

FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON...

THE ZONE QUEST

Cheers for playing, everyone. I'll stick around and answer a couple of questions, though I suspect that only person is still here.

A question, though. How many of you have just picked up the Zone story now?