Choose your own Adventure Bio and backstory

I have moved the choose your own adventure that was running on entropia forum before it was sold here. Below you will find all the bio information, inventory and in each post below, the backstory, including the winning option for each poll.

A choose your own adventure works thus: You have a set of skills, a beginning inventory and a brief character bio. I then write the first part of the story and give you several options in a poll. You vote over a period of seven days and at the end of the seven days I write the next part based on whatever you have chosen. I will do a separate thread for each part of the story but link to them all from here (Except for all the copied over backstory which is below). I am going to aim to get each new part written in at least a week so every other week there is something to read and vote on.

Before voting I suggest discussing each option with others. Especially if you want to try and persuade people to pick something different.

Below are all the important details about the person you will be for the next little while:

Name: Jack Slayer Saitek
Nationality: Earthen
Gender: Male
Health: 93
Agility: 26
Strength: 25
Intelligence: 20

Professions worth noting
Laser sniper (5.66)
ranged laser (5.06)
Paramedic (3.36)
Evader (2.08)
Knifefighter (Hit) (3.55)
Knifefighter (Dmg)(3.97)
Dodger (1.09)

Inventory
Item (Trade Terminal Value)
300k ammo (30.00)
tt knife (13.5)
vivo t5 (16.23)
Breer M1a (L) (18.43)
a101 (18.00)
63 Nova fragments (0.00)
ped card (144.02)

Character Bio:

It was a recent decision to travel to Calypso, made after your wife cheated. You also killed the guy you found her in bed with which created a few issues getting off Earth. After a little bit of running, hiding and other general dodging of the authorities you arrived at a place called Treasure Island. Not the greatest of names for a place but so far it has proved lucky. There someone gave you a gun and ammunition and you have been hiring yourself out as a mercenary ever since. It seems taking someone's life suites you better than the old job.

To start with it was difficult finding work but after your first few hirings; fapping people in some incredibly reckless situations, you gained some respect. Since then you have been living at the ruins of Zychion citadel and the people that frequented the bar there were beginning to accept you as one of them.

Lately a few more contracts have come your way. Some for wild animals bothering locals; some for people themselves. Not the best of pay but you are moving up in this new world and gaining valuable skills. There was even the odd woman who had taken a vague interest in you over the last few months. You had slept with one or two but you did not want anything serious and it seemed neither did they.

Parts 1-9: Below
Parts 10-19: Page 2
Part 20: Currently in progress.

 

Making a living, part 1:

It's the end of another day on Calypso and you head to your normal after work resting place; Zychion Citadel's bar. You have just helped clear the path from Port Atlantis to the Swamp Camp north so new arrivals can travel the road safely. The pay was not large but enough that you managed to get an amp for your gun and you still have one hundred peds.

As you run back along the path to Port Atlantis you watch a new female colonist as she walks towards you in her standard edition orange slacks. You consider stopping and trying to impress them with how you just cleared the path for them but you are not really in the mood.

It is a good thing that you do not stop. As she passes you, you notice her name tag 'Paul'. You pull out your scanner and give her a quick once over. A chuckle escapes your lips as you continue running. Just another guy that had his conscious transferred into a female on arrival.

You breath in the air when you arrive at Zychion Citadel. The smell is an interesting mixture of nature and Industry and is fast becoming familiar. You then slow your pace to a walk as you wind your way through the rubble and debris to the mostly intact building that houses the bar.

When you walk in you scan the room. Everyone you expect is there. Sarah is even doing her usual tricks on the lap of whoever will give her the time of day. You notice there is someone new there. He is sitting off to one side with his very expensive gun on the table and a drink in his hands. He is wearing a long black coat and a brown rancher hat hides his face from immediate view.

What do you do?
Ignore the newcomer and order a drink sitting in your usual seat.
Order a drink and see if the newcomer would accept your company at his table. - winning option
Sit down at the newcomer's table hoping he will buy you a drink.

 

Making a living, part 2:

You go up to the bar and nod at the bartender. He nods back and pours you the usual drink. It's home made vodka as the shipment of alcohol from earth has still not arrived. You do not like it that much but some alcohol is better than none. You pay for the drink (-1ped) and make your way to the newcomer's table.

Just before you get there the guy motions for you to sit with him. He picks the gun up off the table as you pull out the chair opposite him and sit down. You are slightly worried you are about to be shot as you look for his name tag. He does not appear to have one on and his hat is still pulled down almost covering his eyes. His blond hair helps cover anything else that might be distinguishing about him. He does not shoot you just yet so you push aside your worry.

You go to introduce yourself hoping he will do the same but he waves his hand to silence you.

“I know who you are...That's why I am here. I have a job for you,” he says barely above a whisper.

“What kind of job?”

“I want you to kill a female for me. You only need to kill her once. I just want her to get the message but I do not want it coming back to me.”

This puzzles you. It is rare for someone to want to remain anonymous but you do not query it.

“Doesn't sound to difficult. What are her skills?” you reply leaning forward, finding it hard to hear him. He passes you a piece of paper with a list of her skills. It also details where to find her, giving a brief description of her current looks and how much the reward is; Fifty peds. You inhale sharply. It is a large amount for the job you are being asked to do, especially as her skills are lower than yours.

“I want a scan photo as proof,” he adds. You nod. It is a normal requirement with this type of job. He then waits for you to give your answer.

What do you do?
Accept his offer and tell him you terms

Try to haggle over the price and get even more money.
Ask for more information about why he wants her dead etc.- Winning option

Decline his offer for being too vague and mysterious.

 

Making a living, part 3:

“I think I am going to need a bit more information. Why do you want her dead?” You ask. He does not answer you but waves the gun around looking thoughtful. You get a little bit worried as the gun is waved in your direction.

“You want more information?” He finally says sounding bored and annoyed at the same time. You slowly nod. He leans forward as if he is about to share some huge secret. You follow suit and motion for him to speak to you.

“Have you heard about Neverdie?” He questions, completely serious. You pull back slightly and nod again bemused.

“Do you know how much he paid for the asteroid?”

“Of course.” You reply. Neverdie was one of the first people you were told about when you came to Calypso.

“It's made him a lot of money, that asteroid.” He tells you and waits for you to respond. You don't move. You are very confused about the relevance of Neverdie to the job.

“A lot of people thought he was crazy for paying as much.”

“I'm sorry I don't quite understand what this has to do with the woman.” You say nervously keeping your eyes fixed on his gun which he has thankfully stopped waving but is still pointing in your direction.

“You know it's rude to interrupt someone when they are talking,” He says while glaring at you. “Neverdie was willing to take a risk and it paid off.”

You wait for him to continue hoping he will not take too long to get to his point. He pauses for a moment looking thoughtful again. He finally rests his gun on his lap and lets go of it. You drink your drink while patiently sitting there.

“Several years ago there was some odd behaviour amongst the native animals here. A whole team of some of the best hunters had to cull a large number of them and take down their queen bee in protection of our planet. It caused havok. A scientist went missing and a lot of lives were changed all over one object...” He trails off again into his own thoughts.

“...People shouldn't get so obsessed with objects...” He mutters absent mindedly.

There is another pause in which you finish your drink. The guy suddenly looks at you.

“Neverdie risked a lot of money on that object,” He finishes looking pleased with himself. You groan when you finally realise he has been talking about the Atrox egg the entire time. He hasn't told you a thing about the woman and never intended to.

What do you do?


Gloss over the mention of the egg and just accept his proposal.
Nod, smile, say “ahhhh... The Egg,” and accept the job - Winning option
Tell him he is off his rocker and you can't accept the job.
Decline the job and go sit somewhere else.

 

Making a living, part 4:

"Ahhhh... The Egg," You reply nodding and smiling.

“So, are you going to accept the job then?” He finally asks.

“Yes. I want half of the payment up front,” you reply not entirely sure he will accept your terms. There is a pause as he ponders your request.

“Fine,” he affirms as he pulls the money from his pocket. He counts them out onto the table and then pushes the pile towards you (+25 peds). You gather them all up and stow them away. You will take them to a bank as soon as you leave and deposit them into your account.

“Thank you. I will let you know when I have completed the job Mr...”

“My name is irrelevant. I will know when you have completed the job and will meet you back here,” he says and gets up. “Oh, by the way. Her nickname is Elf. You can check for sure you are killing the right woman because she wears elf shoes despite it not being Christmas any more and has a black stencilled rose tattooed on her lower back. Everything else you need to know is in the note.”

Without pausing for you to reply he walks off, leaving the bar. You pull out your scanner to scan him while he is not looking but before you can even aim and press the button he turns back and shoots you (-63.7 Health). You fumble for your fap and manage to get one heal in (+14.1 Health) while he reloads. Then you are shot again (-56.8 Health)

Ten seconds later you take a deep breath and open your eyes. You are at the revival terminal above the bar. You sigh annoyed that you do not know your employers name. While you are waiting for the terminal to heal your wounds you look at the note you were given:

Name: Elf
Description: Female, Black waist length hair, Slim and approx 5'6''
Professions: lvl 6 Knifefighter (dmg +hit), lvl 7 Paramedic. Lvl 3 Sniper, lvl 2 Evader and lvl 1 Dodger.
Health: 92
Location: 4G Chikara Koufuku Condos, Sakura City.
Task: Kill once, retrieve a photo scan of the death.
Payment: 50 peds.

What do you do?
Fap and travel to the nearest trade centre to stock up (-8pec fap decay)
Wait to heal at the terminal and go back to the bar (-10peds)
Fap and go straight to Sakura (-8pec fap decay) - Winning option
Leave the job till the morning and get some sleep.

 

Making a living, part 5:

You put the note away and pull out your fap. Six heals later you are ready to go (-0.08 fap decay). As you head down to the teleporter you stow the fap back in your pack and unholster your gun.

When you pass the entrance to the bar you hesitate briefly but resist the urge to go back inside. You then carry on down the corridors and out into the evening air.

You take your time walking over the rubble and grass to the teleporter and stop to check you have everything you might need. Your gun is amped and there is ammo, fap and a scanner in your pack.

After checking the note one last time to memorise your location you step into the teleporter and select Sakura city from the list of destinations.

As the usual female voice asks you if you are ready to depart you breath in the familiar smells of Zychion and hit the confirmation button.

A few seconds later you appear off to the Northwest of the teleporter in Sakura City. It is early afternoon and the sun blinds you for a moment.

You turn back towards the teleporter to find Koufuku Condo's but before you can start walking you see several drones guarding it. You quickly run left into the nearest doorway and crouch down. You scan around to check how many drones there are while doing your best to stay out of sight.

According to your scanner there are four drone generation 1's waiting. Possibly for reinforcements. You assume they are the first wave of a robot attempt at invading Sakura. You sigh with relief as they do not appear to have seen you and continue to guard the teleporter.

Once you have established that they are not currently a threat you head through the doorway you are hiding in into the building. A big sign is by the door welcoming you to Sachi Condo. Koufuku is the condo two to your left. The trade center is to your right but it's nearest entrance is in plain view of the drones.

What do you do?
Take on the drones as you are.
Run to the next nearest teleporter and come back another day.
Try to reach the trade center to get some armour and supplies.
Try to sneak through to Koufuku by going through the Condo's in between. - Winning option

 

Making a living, part 6:

You decide that sneaking through to Koufuku is your best option and head to the other side of the condo. When you get there you try to look through the glass in the door to see if any drones are nearby but the doorway is set too far back and the sides of the building hide them from view.

You open the door and creep out; Doing your best not to make any noise. The next tower block opposite is only a few metres away and the only drone you can see from your position is standing on the other side of the teleporter with it's back to you.

After taking a deep breath you prepare to run across the gap and into the opposite doorway. It only takes a few seconds but it feels considerably longer as you dash the small distance.

You do not wait to check if you have been seen but pull open the door and rush through. You pause, relieved. You were not seen and take a brief moment to calm yourself.

“One down, one to go,” you say to yourself and walk through the lobby of Yuujou. You cautiously check for robots again before going outside once more.

In the cover of the porch way you re-asses where the drones are. One of them is standing not too far away looking in your direction. If you run across now you will be seen. You crouch and wait keeping out of sight as much as possible. Hopefully the drone will look away at some point or move somewhere else before the next wave arrives.

A few minutes later someone teleports into the centre. All the drones attack the unfortunate man on his way home. You seize your chance and rush across the street.

Just before you get to the other side you are hit by drone fire (-21.9 health). Despite the gaping wound in your right arm you do not stop but rush inside and duck behind the nearest stairway.

Taking advantage of being safe for the moment you put down your gun and reach for your pack. You fumble with your first aid pack a couple of times hurriedly healing and soon have your arm all patched up again (-0.03 fap decay). While you are doing this one of the drones soon appears and begins searching for you.

None of the others follow so you grab your gun again and attack figuring you will eventually be found anyway. Luckily you manage to take the drone by surprise and get quite a few shots into his major systems before he manages to hit you.

The battle is still a close match despite the starting advantage. However, several minutes and a considerable amount of fapping later the drone finally collapses (-8.4k ammo, -0.12 gun decay, -0.18 amp decay, -0.47 fap decay). You rummage through the mass of scrapped metal and are pleased to find 3 robot buffers, 44 low loss cables and 5 weapon grips undamaged by your weapon fire.

You stow everything but your gun back in your pack and head up to the fourth floor. Before entering apartment G you check the terminal outside to see who owns it. Alex Jeffe Sailor is listed as the owner and though you have not met him you have heard his name.

You check all your equipment one last time before heading into the apartment. It is a pleasant surprise that it is not locked and you can walk straight in.

Holding out the gun in front of you you slowly sneak through to the main room. In the left corner is a fridge with an assortment of stuffed toys arranged around it in a circle.

The only other items in the room are on the opposite side. A vase with a single red flower sits on a small writing desk.

You don't linger but carry on to the bedroom. You pause as you reach it. In the middle is a woman, gagged, blindfolded and lying with both wrists and ankles tied together. She is the only thing in the room and struggles with her bonds, oblivious to you. As silently as possible you pull out your scanner. As you scan her you notice the elf shoes on her feet.

You soon have confirmation that this is your intended target but it is very odd that someone would tie her up and just leave her here.

What do you do?
Kill her and finish the job.
Remove the gag and see if she knows why she's wanted dead. - Winning option
Untie her completely and let her go.
Untie her, give her a weapon then kill her.
Leave silently so she never knows you were there.

 

Making a living, part 7:

You move towards the bound woman to remove her gag. She stops struggling as you approach.

“It's ok. I'm going to take your gag off,” you say as you kneel beside her. She holds still as you reach behind her head to untie the scrap of cloth. Her smooth black hair rubs against your hands as they work at the knots keeping her silent. You do not rush your task but it is soon complete.

Before you can stand again she shifts herself away from you in an awkward shuffle on her tied hands and feet.

“You are going to regret treating me like this,” she says fiercely despite her situation.

“I did not bring you here, someone else did, though I was hoping you could tell me who,” you reply and finally stand up. The blindfold prevents the woman from pinpointing your exact position and she tries to shift even further away from you thinking the noise of you moving meant you coming closer.

“Then untie me. I will leave and you can carry on with whatever you were doing before you found me.”

“I cannot do that. I need you to answer some questions for me and you had better be quick about it because the owner of this apartment could return at any point and if he does he's only going to find a dead body. Is that perfectly clear?” you inform her. She nods and waits for you to continue.

You take your time despite what you just said and watch her rapid frightened breathing. She is wearing a thin white top and pants and is shivering with the cold of the unheated apartment.

“Do you know anything about how you got here?

“No,” she says. You sigh impatiently. “I was at Fort Argus and had just got back from sweating some Snablesnots. I was about to head into the trade centre when I was hit from behind. Then I was here and tied up, wherever here is.”

“That's all you know?” You don't know why anyone would want you dead?”

“No that is all I really know. I don't know what I could have done...” She pauses and thinks, “Who's apartment am I in?”

You hesitate before giving her an answer. “The apartment belongs to Alex Jeffe Sailor. Does that name mean anything to you?”

Though you get no reply it evidently does mean something to her as she goes pale and shivers even more.

“Who is he?” You demand to know.

“He's a good friend of mine. He's also a member of the same society as me... I... I do not understand why he would do this.”

“There is no guarantee it was him. Is it possible someone you both know would want you dead?”

“Not that I know of, but why are you here? If you do not know Jeffe why are you here in his apartment and why do you think someone wants to kill me?”

You think about these questions. This woman is brighter than you expected and your questions have given away more than you would have liked, without gaining you anything in return.

“I was sent to kill you and I was told the most likely place to find you was here. I do not think it was a coincidence that I found you here neatly trussed up and ready for me to dispose of. I want to know why my job is so easy all of a sudden and why someone feels the need to kill a woman who barely seems able to defend herself. So, either there is more to you than meets the eye, or my employer is playing games with me,” You explain, deciding that you have nothing to lose by telling her everything.

“Then you know who it is that wants me dead. Why are you asking me?”

“I don't know their name, only what they look like.”

“Describe them. I might have seen them before,” she suggests getting bolder.

“It was a man; wore a long black coat with a rancher hat. Well built...”

“That's Jeffe,” she interrupts you.

“Are you sure?” You ask. She nods and continues shivering. “Can you think of a reason he might have done this?”

“No. I just know my society is not going to be happy about it.”

You do not respond to this. It is evidently something she added to try to persuade you not to kill her.

What do you do?
Kill her. - Winning option
Untie her and let her go.
Try to negotiate a better payment with her.

 

Making a living, part 8:

After deliberating over whether to try and negotiate with the woman on the floor you finally decide against it and start shooting her. She cries out as the first few bullets hit her. She then tries to struggle away from you but cannot get away from you fast enough and nine shots later she's dead (-.04 gun decay, -.06 amp decay, -2.7k bullets).

You immediately switch to the scanner and take a photo of the dead body with all the scanned details to prove that you've killed the right person. You are only just quick enough before the body is disintegrated to be re-materialised at the revival terminal.

When the Elf revives she will have the three remaining drones to contend with so you do not rush packing the scanner and picture away. You shoulder your pack and drop the scrap of material that had gagged her onto the pile of ropes left behind.

On the way out you pause at the fridge and the oddly arranged stuffed toys around it. You chuckle at the image of worshipping bunny rabbits and briefly wonder if it's the fridge or it's contents held in such high devotion.

Still grinning you walk out into the corridor outside the apartment. Before you get any further you are shot. In front of you is Susan Summergirl. You hurriedly rush for your gun holstered on your leg as a guy called Roy runs up but both him and Susan shoot you before you can grab it. You are killed before you can fire a single shot in response.

A few seconds later you revive to see Elf standing with a knife in hand. You only have time to mutter 'crap' under your breath before she thrusts the blade into your stomach. Having not recovered from your previous wounds this is enough to kill you instantly.

When you revive again you see three more people have joined Elf; three more females, Marie Woodell, Del De Lugana and Narcissus.

“Drones are taken care of,” Del calls out. She then shoots you. You die again.

You go through the repetition of reviving to be killed almost instantly several times until Roy and Susan join the four already keeping you in a state of limbo. They then pause and you instinctively reach for your gun, but as soon as you raise it to shoot they all open up on you again.

The next time you revive you put your gun back in your holster. Though your six captors do not stop aiming their weapons at you they do not shoot. Elf then lowers her knife and steps towards you.

“These five are from my society, Irken Invaders. I think you had better explain to them why you killed me. I do not recommend lying to them either,” she informs you.

You sigh, her earlier comment about her society not being happy wasn't the hollow threat you thought it was.

What do you do?
Cooperate fully with their questions telling the truth. - Winning option
Tell them you just felt like killing her and lie your way out.
Stall them and try to run once you are full healed.

 

Making a living, part 9:

“I was hired to kill Elf,” you start explaining. “It was a well paid job and I needed the money. I was only asked to kill her once and then report back.”

“Who hired you and why did they want Elf killed?” Summer demanded to know.

“I wasn't told why. I also don't know for sure who hired me. He didn't tell me his name and I was killed when I tried to ask him.”

“I don't believe you,” Nar calls out. “Who was it?”

“I really don't know. I described him to Elf. She thinks it was Jeffe and it was his apartment I was directed to so that would make sense.”

“That is what he told me,” Elf chimes in in your defense.

“I was meant to meet them back at Zychion bar after I was done and that is literally all I know. If it was Jeffe he is probably already aware that the society knows it was him. Broadcasting for help on the synchronised orbital chat has destroyed any chance of me being met.”

“I didn't use the society channel to contact Summer. I had a personal monitor chat frequency open with Summer and the Irkens she was hunting with joined her in assisting me. They were already on their way when you came in.”

At this Summer pulls the Irkens into a huddle and they enter into a discussion on what you have just told them. While they are not looking you start sneaking towards the nearest door. As you get further away you go faster until you are speed walking as quietly as possible.

You just get through the doorway when you are shot repeatedly in the back. You die and reappear yet again in front of your captors.

“We have a proposal for you,” Elf explains ignoring your attempt to leave. You wait for her to continue. “We would like you to head back to Zychion and allow one of our trusted friends to go with you. He will enter the bar before you and confirm it is Jeffe that hired you. Then you can get paid and we will let you go.”

What do you do?
Accept their proposal and carry out the plan. - Winning option
Say you accept but tp somewhere else instead of Zychion.

 

Making a living, part 10:

It does not take you much time to decide to accept the offer presented to you. It seems the only way you are going to get the rest of your pay and keep a good standing with the Irken Society.

After nodding your ascent you are escorted to the teleporter. Elf lags behind, talking into something on her wrist. You eventually realise that this is the personal monitor device that she had called her society on. You make a mental note of checking future victims for them, to reduce the risk of something like this being repeated.

You then wait at the teleporter but do not have to wait long before you are joined by a male, who immediately waves at Elf.

“This is Chris Swordmaster Bellingham. He is going to sit and wait in the bar to see who it is paying you,” Elf says as she introduces the stranger. He shakes your hand enthusiastically. He is quite the character with brown hair, two or three inches, long stuck up all over his head. If it had been white you would have mistaken him for the stereotypical mad scientist. You also notice that despite him appearing younger than you, a strip of hair in his right eyebrow had gone white, adding to his very eccentric looks.

Once introduced to you, Chris then turns his attention to the females in the group and insists on showing them a magic trick he has just learnt. He is swiftly reminded by Elf that there is business to attend to. He sulks briefly and then claps you on the back, grinning from ear to ear.

“Right then, let's go finish this all up,” he says and motions for you to head into the teleporter. Amused by the antics of this new companion, you smile as you tell the teleporter to send you to Zychion Citadel.

You arrive first and enjoy the moment of calm before Chris joins you. He then winks at you and saunters off in the direction of the bar. You let him go ahead of you and rummage in your pack for your printed scan of Elf. Once you have found it, you put it in your pocket so it will be easier to reach when you need to.

Taking your time you follow Chris. He walks faster than you and soon disappears into the darkness of the night at Zychion.

As you follow, going around the building corner leading to the bar, you look back over your shoulder; several of the Irkens had already teleported in and were hiding around the wreckage and rubble. They were very well prepared considering how quickly the plan had been thought up and executed.

It doesn't take you too long to head through the corridors and up the two flights of steps to the bar, though you do have time to wonder how the crumbling building it still standing, let alone being used.

When you enter the bar you look around straight away for your employer. You see Chris leaning against the bar with a drink in his hand. He ignores you, as does everyone else, except the man sitting in the far corner. The same blond haired man is there wearing the same coat and hat with the same gun on the table. He beckons you over to him.

You don't hesitate, knowing you will have to be careful not to alert him to the trick being played. As soon as you reach him you pull the photo out of your pocket and drop it on the table.

“Job done,” you add. He looks at the photo and checks it before putting the rest of your payment beside it (+25ped)

“Thank you,” he replies and gets up. He leaves the photo but picks up his gun and walks out of the bar. You turn to see Chris nod at you and follow your exiting employer.

What do you do?
Follow to find out who it is. - Winning option
Get a drink and stay at the bar.
Leave the bar to go get some sleep.

 

Making a living, part 11:

You pocket the rest of your pay and hurry after Chris. As you exit the bar you look to your left and see Chris disappear down the steps. You follow as quietly as you can.

As you go out of the bottom door at the base of the building you almost walk headlong into the back of Chris. He turns to you, puts finger to his mouth, and winks in a similar manner to before. He is not at all surprised you are there and soon turns back to peer around the corner. You are just contemplating whether to look around the corner as well when a few shots ring out from the direction of the teleporter.

Chris hurriedly turns around and starts shoving you in the direction you have just come.

“Quick, to the revival terminal, Robin,” he calls and rushes past you, almost stumbling on the first step in his hast. You follow, not entirely sure what is going on, and not entirely sure you like Chris' referral to you as his sidekick.

As you run with Chris up to the revival terminal you hear the footfalls of someone running up behind you. You look over your shoulder to see Elf running up. She has removed her boots, so the bells don't jingle, and has her knife drawn, ready to attack.

You hear several more shots, this time up in the distance, towards the revival terminal. You pull out your gun as all three of you put on an extra burst of speed and reach the open-top road

“Come on,” Elf yells as she takes the lead, eager to get retribution. As she is running ahead of you, you have the advantage of being able to see her figure from behind. Her hair flows behind her, covering her back entirely. She is a very good runner, nimble, and to your surprise, better than yourself. You notice how slender she is, and eye her up. Slightly boyishly, you find yourself thinking what ranking you would give her; about a seven possibly an eight.

Chris notices the direction of your gaze and laughs. You grin, knowing you have been caught looking her over. You consider saying something about it to him but just wink, as you imagine he would.

Elf then disappears into the revival area on the other side of the road and you speed up again to catch up with her.

You enter the area in time to see your employer rematerialise once more. He is no longer wearing the hat, allowing his facial features to be seen more clearly. Chris gasps at the blond haired and blue eyed man.

“Beechbum!” he exclaims. There is then an awkward period of silence. Summer Del and Elf just stand there obviously displeased to find Beechbum has set up his another Irken. There is the same shock as the rest of the Irkens hit squad join you in the revival area

Suddenly Elf turns to you. “Thank you for your assistance. If you ever need any help at any point just send me a message. Here's my personal monitor frequency.”

You take the piece of paper that she offers and put it somewhere safe.

What do you do?
Leave the Irkens alone and go get some sleep.
Go back to the bar.
Invite Chris to have a drink with you.
Stay to hear more. - Winning option

 

Making a living, part 12:

When you continue to stand in the room with everyone Elf hesitates. You briefly wonder if you are going to be asked to leave but she soon turns back to Beechbum. You wait with Chris and the other Irkens to find out what's going on.

“How could you set up Jeffe? He's your own brother,” Elf asks. Beechbum does not respond straight away but fidgets uncomfortably.

“You and Jeffe were getting too close. He shouldn't be with you. He needs someone his own age.” Beechbum eventually blurts out.

“Jeffe and I aren't seeing each other,” Elf replies looking confused. Chris grins at you noticing the slight look of relief on your face.

Before you can say anything to Chris a dazed and obviously hung over Jeffe joins you all. He rushed over to Elf and bear hugs her. You stand and wait, very confused. Chris turns to you again and throws up his arms equally unsure of what's going on.

“You ok hun?” Jeffe asks Elf when he finally let's her go.

“I'm fine. It wasn't that bad really but Beech thinks we are involved.”

“What?... You and me?” Jeffe queries and bursts out laughing. “Beech you noobcake... Elf's my daughter.”

“She's what?” Beech exclaims.

“I'm Jeffe's daughter, not his girlfriend. I told him last week and we hadn't told anyone else yet."

Chris leans over to you while everyone's attention is on Jeffe and Elf.

“Breath mate, it's all ok.” He then moves away and steps towards the others clapping Jeffe and Beech on the back. “Well who'd have thought it... Does that mean you are single then Elf darling?”

Elf laughs at Chris and nods. You find yourself laughing along with most of the Irkens at the revelation of Jeffe being a dad and Chris' light-hearted conclusion.

The Irkens all start leaving, seemingly content with the explanation and result. If Beechbum is going to be punished in anyway for what happened, they are not going to let outsiders see it. You strongly suspect that this isn't that out of the ordinary for the Irkens, however, and that things will probably just continue as normal.

What do you do?
Leave and sleep.
Invite Chris to the bar.
Go to the bar alone.
Invite Elf to the bar. - Winning option
Invite Elf to accompany you home.

 

Making a living, part 13 (in memory of Pudge):

You watch everyone but Elf leave the revival area and catch Elf's arm as she goes to follow.

“I'm about to go to the bar. Can I buy you a drink to make up for shooting you?” you ask her, once you have her attention.

“Sure,” she replies, “lead the way.”

You walk down to the bar with her, chatting idly about the weather the last few days. You are pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to talk to her without really saying anything at all. Before you know it you have ordered drinks (-2ped) for the both of you and are sitting down. The bar is quieter than normal. All the recent shooting has sent most of the regulars running for cover. This is a good thing, however, as you do not really want anyone interrupting your time with Elf.

Elf seems very willing to answer your questions about her and in no time at all you have learnt that she came to Calypso only a short while ago. You may have even been on the same ship from Earth. She also makes her living in a similar manner to you; hiring herself out as a healer, rather than a hired gun, but you eagerly agree when she claims that your professions compliment each other.

After answering your questions Elf asks you why you left Earth. You hesitate, not sure how to answer her, but do not get to reply as Jeffe, Chris, Beechbum and a dog enter the bar. Elf waves at them and they all head in your direction to join you. Before you can protest to Elf at being joined, Jeffe has already started ordering a round of drinks for everyone. The dog, who you soon learn is called Pudge, runs up to Elf and greets her enthusiastically. Elf makes a big fuss of the dog, which he obviously loves.

When Chris goes to sit in between you and Elf she scoots herself around the bench so she is sitting next to you instead. Chris then sits the other side of her instead.

Once Jeffe comes back with the drinks and everyone is sitting down Chris starts showing you all a magic trick with a deck of cards. He somehow manages to keep finding the ten of hearts underneath whatever card you pick no matter where in the deck you choose.

Elf soon explains to you that half the cards in the deck are the ten of hearts, and they are all 2mm shorter so the card below your choice is always the ten of hearts if they alternate. Chris sulks at this, not saying anything to anyone. You wonder if he is sulking because Elf foiled his trick or because she was not very impressed by the trick in the first place. You do not get to ponder this for long, however, as Elf decides to introduce Pudge to you. Pudge is wary of you at first but soon decides you are friendly and licks you from head to foot.

Encouraged by Pudge's enthusiasm at getting to know you, Jeffe decides to tell you all sorts of stories about Pudge and his adventures.

Before long everyone around you is talking of the good old days and giving Pudge a large amount of love and attention. You start to feel a little left out of the conversation and consider leaving. Thankfully Elf notices and while everyone is watching Chris do some juggling trick with Pudge she leans over to whisper in your ear.

“Make an excuse to leave. I want to show you something.”

What do you do?
Tell people you have somewhere to be and meet Elf - Winning option
Leave but don't go with Elf
Stay in the pub.

 

Making a living, part 14:

You wait for a few moments after Elf's whispered suggestion and are about to make your excuse when Elf suddenly stands up.

“I've got a job starting soon. I'd better go get ready. See you all later. Nice to meet you properly Jack,” she says as she waves and leaves the bar. You then wait for a minute or two more, not wanting it to look too obvious that you are leaving at the same time. Chris soon sits back down, finished juggling with Pudge.

Chris and Jeffe are both well on their way to being drunk and Beech isn't far behind. Although they are all getting funnier you don't hesitate getting up to leave.

“I've had a really long day and need to work tomorrow,” you tell them as convincingly as you can. Jeffe insists on shaking your hand before he will let you leave.

Shortly after, you manage to escape the bar. When you get outside Elf is leaning against the wall. She has changed her clothes slightly and is wearing a long white coat. It is buttoned up as if she expects to get cold and you wonder where she is taking you.

Elf beckons for you to follow her without saying anything and she calmly leads you to the teleporter.

“Where are we going?” you ask along the way. Elf doesn't answer you but smiles knowingly. You realise you aren't going to get an answer, and for now your final destination remains a secret. Elf is surprisingly quiet considering how much she had chatted while you were alone together in the bar.

The first thing you hear her say Is 'Eos' when she steps into the teleporter. She then disappears. You quickly follow, not wanting to be left behind.

When you arrive at Eos it is just beginning to get a bit lighter and dawn is not far off. Elf has already started walking north east of the teleporter and you jog to catch up with her. As you do, you notice a few foul hiding in caves along the edges of the cliffs, but Elf ignores them and heads towards the nearby lake. She stops at the edge of the water.

“You can swim right?” she asks, finally talking to you. You nod.

“Good,” Elf adds but doesn't elaborate further. She pulls off her boots and coat. Underneath the coat she has switched her top for a swim suit, also in white. You try not to stare at her as you undo your bootstraps.

Once Elf has neatly placed her coat and shoes in the undergrowth near the edge of the water she wades in. You hastily pull your shirt off, hide your clothes with hers and follow her.

Elf's lack of conversation unnerves you and you comment on how pleasantly warm the water is. She turns to you, now waist deep. At first she looks thoughtful and possibly hesitant. Suddenly she grins and with a sweep of her arms through the water, splashes you. You hear her laugh and then squeal as you splash her back. She then races off and you chase her, continuing to splash her. When she is almost chest deep in water she stops and you almost crash into the back of her. Before you can ask if she is all right she points forward.

“Look, it's a new day,” she says barely above a whisper. You look where she is pointing and can see the sky is starting to turn orange. It will soon be sunrise. You stand side by side and watch the sun come up together.

Shortly after the sun is fully visible Elf turns to you. For a moment you look at each other, holding each other's gaze. The pale glow of sunrise reflecting off the water around you both.



“Now I can show you something I've not shown anyone else before... Follow me,” Elf tells you, breaking the silence and swimming off. You know better than to hesitate and swim after her. She leads you towards the cliffs and stops just in front of them.

“We've got to swim underwater for a bit. Try to stay close.”

Elf then disappears into the water in front of you. You take a deep breath and swim downwards. When you look around you see her swimming into a hole three or four feet below the surface of the lake in the side of the cliff. Not wanting to be left behind you follow as fast as you can.

After swimming through a short tunnel you emerge in a darkness so pitch that you cannot see your hand in front of your face.

“Elf, where are you?” you call into the blackness around you as you tread water.

“Just over here,” she calls from your right. Before you can move towards her voice a flickering candle light banishes the darkness. You see Elf on a ledge lighting more candles.

Once you have pulled yourself out of the water onto the ledge beside her you look around. You are in a small cavern in the rock, only accessible through the water tunnel you just came through. As Elf lights a few more candles the walls glitter with a silver ore that casts the light all around you.

“What do you think?” she asks as she sits next to you, so close that your legs press against each other, the damp material of your pants the only thing between your skin.

“It's the perfect getaway. Does anyone else know it's here?”

“I don't think so. I brought the candles and matches here a few weeks ago and they've not been touched. We won't be disturbed here,” Elf replies, emphasising the last sentence. You look at her wondering if she means what you think she does. She holds your gaze for a moment before blowing out all the candles, plunging you both back into the cave's enveloping blackness. You feel Elf move beside you and suddenly she swings one leg over you to kneel straddling your lap. You instinctively reach for her waist and pull her closer to you. She moves willingly and you wrap your arms around her so she can't pull away again.

* * *

Several hours later you are disturbed from your resting place, curled up with your arms around Elf.

“I've got to go,” she whispers. She then moves away from you and starts putting her clothes back on. They are all still damp and she struggles with them while you watch her in the candlelight. Shortly after you find yours are just as wet and as awkward to put on.

Once you are both more decently attired Elf slides off the ledge, back into the water. She then waits for you to join her before blowing out the last of the candles. You follow her back out of the cave to appear in the midday sun. You have to blink several times as you adjust to the brightness.

“Oh shit,” Elf says when it becomes apparent you are cut off from the shore, your clothes and the teleporter by a large flock of foul young. It seems the fouls have been as busy as you and Elf.

“I can't get out of here alone,” Elf tells you.


What do you do?
Team up with Elf and hunt some Foul. - Winning option
Run out the easiest route, leaving Elf behind.
Suggest going back until the coast is clear.

 

Making a living, part 15:

You smile at Elf and pull your gun out of your pack. Elf grins back and grabs one of her knives.

The foul young nearby anticipate your attack and one rushes at you and Elf. You swiftly send it to it's maker, aided by Elf's blade. She then quickly pulls out her first aid pack to heal you both as two more break from the pack and charge you.

You dispatch the foul young attacking you as quickly as you can and help Elf finish off the foul trying to claw out her stomach. The rest of the pack stays back, wary at the ease with which you and Elf dealt with their siblings. This gives you both a chance to heal up again and figure out what will be the easiest way to get to your clothes and teleport out of the area.

Once you have both agreed on the best way to get to your clothes you tag the closest foul in the way and shoot him as he runs over to you and Elf, who then slashes with her blade.



After twenty minutes of the same tag, kill and heal pattern repeated you finally manage to clear a path to your belongings. Elf quickly pulls on her coat and boots while you continue to shoot any foul that get too close. Once she is upright again you chuck her your gun so she can do the same and cover for you.

Elf is not as experienced as you with the gun and misses a lot trying to fend off the advancing creatures. As soon as you've got your boots on you stuff your shirt in your pack. Elf then gives you the gun back and picks up her knife again.

You are about to plow on your path to the teleporter, however, some of the babysitting foul have been alerted to you killing their young, and between you and the teleporter there are now some foul adults in amongst the lower maturity animals. You also notice that the gap you carved through from the cave has closed behind you and you are now in a sea of little mosters.

You inform Elf when there is a lull in the attacking foul and you see if you can find an easier route to the teleporter. Unfortunately the foul are now so angry with you invading their nursery that you do not get any time to pick a new path. You are even hard pressed to retrieve the loot hidden on each mob before you are attacked by another.

There is no other choice but for the both of you to try to clear as straight a path as you can, and hope that no more mature foul show up before you have safely teleported away.



Elf and you continue to work together like a well oiled machine, slowly making your way closer to the teleporter. It takes you both a long time and Elf wears out her first blade before you are done but you eventually reach the teleporter and beat a hasty retreat to Zychion.

As you materialise in Zychion you see Elf sitting down, she looks tired and you realise you are as well. Despite this, when she sees you she begins laughing and you can't help but laugh with her.

Once the laughter has died down a bit and you have both got your breath back Elf gets up and pulls out her first aid pack.

“I've got to go now. I've got a job and I'm already late,” she tells you.

“Thanks, teaming up on the fouls was good.”

“Yes it was. We make a good team... When will I see you next?” Elf asks.

What do you do?

Please choose an option from the poll which will be open 1 week from the date of this post.
Inventory changes:

-3.75tt Breer M1a (L)
-5.74tt A101
-265500 Medium Weapon Cells
+25939 Medium Weapon Cells
+52345 other ammo
+21 Foul Bone
+3 Foul Skin
+41 Animal Hide
+28 Animal Oil Residue
+156 Animal Muscle Oil
+2 Focus Lens Component
+14 Socket I Component
+63 Nova Fragments
+1 Thin Wool
+1 Wool
+19 Surface Hardener Component
+23 Basic Mineral Extractor
+5 Tier 1 Component




Give her your radio frequency and call her soon. - Winning option
Lie and tell her you'll call her.
Tell her you don't want to see her again.

 

Making a living, part 16:

“Hopefully soon,” you tell Elf. She smiles at you obviously pleased. She then runs to the centre of the teleporter. You stop Elf as she goes to leave and tell her the frequency of your home's message receiver. She plugs it into the device around her wrist.

“I'll call you when my job's done.” Elf kisses you quickly and teleports away.

You stand on the spot not sure what to do with yourself. Your job is done and you have been paid. A moment later you yawn and you realise you have been up over 24 hours and only had a brief nap in the cave with Elf.

Shouldering your pack full of foul loot you head to your Zychion hiding place. Just like Elf you have found yourself a retreat, far from the Calypsian cities. Up on the crumbled road near the bar and revival terminal is a door that most people can't open. You have managed to hot wire it and have fashioned a rudimentary pin-coded lock. The room behind now serves as your bedroom, living room and kitchen.

It's really not anything special but you cannot afford the apartments in tower blocks that are not falling apart and it is moderately more sheltered than sleeping under the sky.



The idea of bringing Elf back here makes you grin as you drop your pack by the closing door and sit down on the mattress that is your bed.

You often wake up to see rats scurrying for cover and have also had to brush away various insects and bugs from your clothes to put them on. While you are imagining her reaction to the place you absent-mindedly scrape mould from the nearby wall with your knife.

When you snap back to reality you bunk down for some sleep and are soon adding your snores to the other ambient sounds at Zychion.

Roughly ten hours pass before you wake up again feeling refreshed and ready for another day under the Calypsian sun.

After shooing away the rat sniffing around your fridge you open it to find something to eat. There are a few caroots and nutrio bars. You grab a couple of the remaining nutrio bars and slam the fridge door shut.

At some point you will have to go foraging again and kill a Daikiba for some more meat. Caroots, Daikiba meat and a few wild herbs were good ingredients for a stew that you can eat for a few days.

As you munch your meagre breakfast you pick up your pack and check your gun is loaded. You then head through the Citadel to the teleporter. Twin Peaks is your destination. You hope to lighten your pack by selling the loot you got from the fouls and drone you killed.

When you arrive you join the throng of sellers and advertise your items. You get off to a lucky start and someone approaches you to buy your hides and wools. Several minutes later a buyer appears wanting to buy foul bones and offering a reasonable markup.

Unfortunately your luck runs out there and over an hour later you are thinking about giving up and coming back another day. Just before you do someone comes up to you and offers to buy your muscle oil and extractors.

The only items you have left with any market value above two or three percent are your nova fragments and they are light weight and small enough that you do not mind keeping them in your pack.

You then head to the nearest trash transfer stand where you can recycle the rest of your loot and get some more ammo for your gun. You also have your amp repaired up to full standard.

While you are packing your ammo away Chris arrives in Twin Peaks. He immediately notices you and yells out your name before rushing over to you. You wave and smile, pleased to see him.

“Jack, there you are. I've been looking for you,” he tells you enthusiastically.

“You have?”

“Yup. I've been invited on a job that is too much for me to handle on my own.”

“What kind of job?” you ask, curious.

“There are a few hunters that wish to between them hunt a particular monster on Rocktropia twenty-four-seven to gather some data. They want some healers for a while.”

“Twenty-four-seven, that's insane.”

“Well it would be if they were all hunting at the same time. They want to do it one at a time, taking it in turns. They would like three healers to do the same.”

“Sounds good. What are they going to pay, how do they plan on getting the healers there and have you already got another healer?”

“We are being teleported on the long range teleporters and they are going to pay the fees for us. They are also going to cover all other costs like refills for our first aid packs, food and shelter. The pay is going to be 1ped for each hour we work on top of all that. I was thinking of inviting Elf as our third when she has finished her job. So what do you say? You in?”

What do you do?

Please choose an option from the poll which will be open 1 week from the date of this post.

Inventory changes:

+250661 Medium Weapon Cells
+5.98tt A101
-52345 other ammo
-21 Foul Bone
-3 Foul Skin
-41 Animal Hide
-28 Animal Oil Residue
-156 Animal Muscle Oil
-2 Focus Lens Component
-14 Socket I Component
-1 Thin Wool
-1 Wool
-19 Surface Hardener Component
-23 Basic Mineral Extractor
-5 Tier 1 Component
-3 Robot Buffers
-44 Low Loss Cables
-5 Weapon Grips
-4.98 ped


Accept the new job and go with Chris and Elf. - Winning option
Accept but suggest another companion.
Turn it down and go foraging for food.
Look for other work on Calypso.

 

Making a living, part 17:

“Yeah, I'm in,” you tell Chris.

“Cool, I'll send Elf a message asking her if she wants to come with us. What's your personal monitor frequency?” Chris asks.

“I've not got a personal monitor device.”

“Wow, I thought everyone had one of those these days. Here, I've got a spare.” Chris chucks you what looks like a large digital watch with an inbuilt microphone and an earpiece.

“How does it work?” you ask as you put the earpiece in.

“Strap the device on your wrist. I'm afraid it's the old version so when you send someone a message you have to talk into the mic on the wrist strap. The new versions send your thoughts so you only have to plug in the frequency you want it sent to. Everything else you need is walked through on the little screen.”

“Ok. Thanks.”

“Don't mention it. I'll meet you back here in an hour, hopefully with Elf, and we'll head up to Rocktropia,” Chris says. He then waves and runs off before you can reply.

You head back to your room at Zychion to put everything you might need into your pack and grab a few changes of clothes. While you are there you empty out the remaining food in the fridge and turn it off. By the time you will get back anything left there would be growing mould.

As you head back towards the teleporter you quickly head into the bar and ask the barman to watch your place. He reluctantly agrees to keep an eye on it so you carry on to the teleporter and on to Twin Peaks.

You are early and have to wait around listening to the tradesmen bartering until Elf shows up. You wave to her as she materialises nearby. She is wearing her long coat again and carrying a very large luggage case.

“Chris said he had another job for me and to pack my bags and meet him here. Do you know what he is up to?” Elf asks obviously not that bothered about Chris assuming she would say yes.

“We are going to Rocktropia for a while,” you explain as you hug her.

“You and me?”

“Yeah, though Chris is coming too. There is a healing job for the three of us.”

“Cool.”

While you wait for Chris to appear you explain the details you know so far to Elf. Not long after you finish Chris finally arrives. He claps both of you on the back, seemingly oblivious to being late.

“Right then, are you two love-birds ready to go do some work?”

Elf thumps Chris who just laughs. The three of you then plug your bank cards into the long-range teleporter and pay the fees to go to Rocktropia.

You have arranged to meet your employers at City of Dreams and they are already there when you arrive. The three hunters shake your hands and introduce themselves as Paul, Alex and Steve.



Your employers then take you to the apartment they are renting for you and give all of you the money for teleporting there.

They give the three of you an hour to get settled in and arrange to meet you back at the centre of the city to talk about your new job.

The apartment has three separate rooms. Elf quickly reserves the largest one with an en-suite bathroom leaving you and Chris to the two smaller rooms. You don't complain, assuming that you are likely to end up sharing with her anyway.

Both Chris and Elf take longer than you to unpack as you only brought a few garments of clothing and your normal gear, most of which you keep in your pack in case you need it.

While you are waiting for Elf you lean against the door frame of her bedroom. She doesn't notice you at first and then jumps when she sees you. You laugh as she throws the shampoo bottle she almost dropped at you.

You take the bottle to her bathroom for her and have a look around it at the same time. It's significantly nicer than the bathroom you have to share with Chris and has both a bath and shower where as yours only has a shower.

You then watch Elf as she carries on unpacking. Elf is just finishing off the last of the unpacking as Chris comes into the room.

“All done guys?” he asks you.

“Almost,” Elf replies.

“Fabulous. I'm going to go check the area out. Catch up when you are done.” Chris then wanders off. Elf laughs once the apartment door has shut behind him.

“He's very impatient. We had better follow him or he will get lost and knowing him he won't want to be late. He will want to be the first to get to work,” Elf explains.

You follow Elf out and soon catch up with Chris. You then spend the rest of your hour exploring the city and watching the vehicles race around the city's roads.



Before you know it your employers are there and explaining the job. Each of you are paired up with a hunter. You are paired with Alex, Elf is teamed with Paul and Chris with Steve. As Elf predicted Chris asks if he can go first and Elf is asked to go second.

You will all swap at eight hour intervals and meet your hunter ten minutes before your shift is due to start at the city's teleporter. Before you can ask what you will be hunting Chris and the hunters all say goodbye and leave you alone with Elf.

“So what shall we do with the next eight hours?” Elf asks you.

What do you do?
Go teleporter running and exploring. - Winning option
Find something reasonably low level to hunt.
Go back to the apartment.
Try mining.
Find a bar or club.

 

Making a living, part 18:

“Let's go and explore the nearby areas and see if we can find out where all the teleporters are located,” you suggest to Elf.

“Sounds like fun,” she replies.

You both pick up your packs and strap them on your backs.

“I need to go to the main service centre first. I've got to repair my knife and replenish my first aid pack. Just in case,” Elf tells you on your way through the streets.

As you head to the teleporter you almost get run over by some people street racing around the city. You suddenly realise that there are no pedestrian crossings anywhere and mention it to Elf. She agrees with you that its odd but points out that the street racers would probably ignore traffic lights anyway.

While Elf is sorting out her equipment you wander around the main service area. Rocktropia seems to be warmer than Calypso and everyone is wearing much less than the formal attire the auctioneers and technicians wear on Calypso.

You notice that the service centre has an opening that leads out the back somewhere and decide to check it out. After signalling to Elf across the room that you are heading that way you go and see where it leads.

It backs into a very large rock face and there isn't much room between the building and the cliff. What attracts your attention the most, however, is the large cavern opening in it, with man made paving and lights leading back into the cliff.

You are still staring at the cave in front of you when Elf catches up with you. She immediately gasps at what you've discovered.

“This way then?” you ask her. Elf nods her response and quickly darts off into the tunnel. You take your time following her, enjoying the coolness of the air.



You both walk for quite some distance before the man made paving runs out and the route begins to climb to the left. You catch up with Elf finally and begin climbing the steep section together.

As you climb up a short distance you see a starry sky appear up ahead.



When you reach the exit of the cave you pause to get your breath back. You appear to be in a very sheltered dip in the middle of a hill or mountain.

Once both of you are refreshed enough to carry on you follow the natural path to the edge. You find yourself looking down at the road that skirts around City of Dreams.



Elf pulls out her map and stares at it for a moment.

“There are teleporter's north, west and south from us. The south is the closest and easy to get to along the road. The north one is further away, looks reasonably easy to get to but is the only one in that direction. The one west is up in the mountain passes but leads to lots more,” Elf explains.

What do you do?
Go north to New Harlem Express.
Go west to Asanbosam. - Winning option
Go south to Tangerine.
Go back to City of Dreams.

 

Making a living, part 19:

“Let's go west, we've got plenty of time to explore,” you reply.

“Ok, coordinates of the base camp tp are 130000, 86270. Shouldn't take too long to get there,” Elf informs you.

“Lead the way.”

You follow Elf along the make shift path and across the road into the mountains beyond. It's a hard slog up the other side and when you reach the top you see another peak up ahead. You have a feeling it's going to be a very long walk to the base camp.

When you get to the crest of the next hill you pause and take in the views while getting your breath back.

“Not worn out already?” Elf teases, seemingly unaffected by your climb.

“No, just admiring the view from up here,” you reply, not wanting to appear too tired. Elf grins and obviously doesn't believe you, but she says no more and carries on walking.

There isn't a path anymore and you have to make your own way through the sparse desert scrub lands using the map and position device on Elf's arm.

You do not walk much further before you come across some young pop dragons. As soon as you spot them you stop. They are far too difficult for you and Elf to try and run through them.

After a short discussion you both agree to try and go north around the group. Before too long you have dragons on all sides and are struggling to find a path through, but you soldier on using trees and bushes to stay out of sight as much as possible.

You eventually find yourself on the edge of a deep ravine full of dragons. If you are going to continue this way you have no choice but to try and run down into the ravine and up the other side, before you are spotted.



It takes several very nervous minutes to find a way across but you eventually manage to scramble up the other side. You pause at the top to check that Elf is ok and calm yourself a moment.

You notice that there are even more Pop dragons on the other side but fortunately they are off in the distance and you can walk north and slightly west along the ridge for a short while.

After a few more minutes you find yourself coming out of the north side of the patch of dragons. Had you been alone you probably wouldn't have made it through but Elf was pretty good at keeping track of all the mobs nearby and finding paths through.

Not long after you find yourself on the edge of another cliff. Elf pulls out her map and checks it against her positioning device.

“Our current coordinates are 134315, 86137 so we need to go almost due west. Fortunately the path through those dragons didn't take us too far off course.”

“I can't believe we managed to get through those dragons without getting munched.” you reply.

“Me too, I almost gave up in that ravine. I collected all my teleporters on Calypso alone though so I'm getting used to that kind of fun,” Elf says and grins, “Let's keep going.”

You head downwards once more and find yourself in a small woodland are surrounded by fog. Elf stays closer as you pick your way through the eerie valley.



There are a lot of dead leaves and dry plants that crunch beneath your feet and you and Elf can't help but make a considerable noise as you walk under the trees.

It's not long before the noise dies down and the ground beneath you takes another upward turn. Before it levels out again you hear the howl of wolves and stop elf in her tracks.

“I didn't realise there were wolves here, Aren't they creatures native to Earth?” you ask Elf.

“Yup, A colonist thought that they would make a great pet and brought a bunch with them but people lost control of them and they've multiplied and spread through this planet,” Elf explains.

You continue moving, this time going north to try and skirt around the pack of wolves. You move as quickly and quietly as you can hoping they don't catch your scent. While you are walking north you find another pathway and follow it out of the valley.

Shortly after you join the path it bends around to the west and seems to go in the direction you need to take. It is a welcome relief to the hard path finding you've been doing for the last hour or so.

As you walk the two of you chat about the upcoming job and wonder what mob they will be hunting. Before you know it you hear wolves howling again and find yourselves completely enclosed. Neither of you have time to react before you are pounced on and torn to shreds.

It's not long before you materialise in front of a revival machine. You turn to find Elf standing beside you. She shivers.

“I hate it when that happens,” she says apologetically.

“Me too, where are we?” you ask.

“I don't know. I don't recognise it. It seems to be some kind of dockland though, full of containers. I'll check our coordinates.” Elf pulls out her map again. “We seem to be just north of New Harlem Express.”

“Wow, that's quite a distance from where we died.”

“Yup, best thing we can do from here is go to New Harlem express teleporter and at least get something for our efforts.”

You run through the city which is deserted except for the video vixens loitering on street corners. It's a very short distance to the teleporter and when you get there you both agree that there isn't really anything else to see here.

What do you do?
Try to get to Asanbosam again. - Winning option
Go back to City of Dreams
Try exploring a random teleporter you already have on your list.