Night settles over the abandoned city as Hybuna reaches the alley’s far end, jagged metal held close. The small dog pads beside her, keeping near her remaining foot.
Beneath a collapsed loading awning, a dim shielded light spills across the pavement. A living person crouches beside a barricaded doorway, their face tired in the muted glow.
the stranger
Wait. Please, wait.
The stranger raises both empty hands and freezes, visibly startled by Hybuna’s sudden appearance. Their eyes flick to the metal, then return cautiously to her face.
The small dog stiffens between them, ears low and body rigid. It watches the stranger without barking, while the barricaded doorway remains closed behind them.
the stranger
I’m not infected. I’m alone. I won’t come closer.
The words hang beneath the awning. The stranger stays where they are, hands visible, leaving the silent space between them open for Hybuna’s next move.
✓ Quest Accepted
Survive without taking risks
“Hybuna gasps loudly- the sound almost Choked as she turns, Running down the Street. she was afraid of who or what that might be, she couldent understand the strangers words' either. she never learned any language.”
SUCCESS (Great Agility, rolled +1)
Hybuna gasps, the sound catching painfully in her throat, and turns away from the crouched stranger. Her rusted metal jerks close against her side.
She runs down the street, balancing quickly on her remaining foot as broken pavement and scattered glass blur beneath the dim city light.
Hybuna
The words have no meaning.
the stranger
Wait! I’m not going to hurt you!
The stranger’s voice fades beneath the slap of Hybuna’s hurried steps. The small dog follows, scrambling after her with its ears pinned back.
The awning and barricaded doorway disappear behind abandoned cars and dark storefronts. Hybuna reaches the next stretch of empty street, away from the stranger.
“Hybuna Breathes heavily, almost crying. what was that? that wasent acting like an ordinary undead. she thought to herself, trying to figure everything out while only being a few blocks away from where the stranger was. where they a new hyper intelligent undead? or where they like her?”
FAILURE (Fair Reasoning, rolled -1)
Hybuna slows beneath the darkened storefronts, breathing hard until each breath scratches her throat. She braces against a parked car, keeping the rusted metal close.
The small dog stops beside her remaining foot, panting softly. Behind them, the stranger’s voice is gone, swallowed by distance and the empty street.
Hybuna
The stranger did not move like an ordinary undead.
She searches the memory of the encounter, measuring the raised hands, the careful words, and the stranger’s refusal to approach. None of it identifies what they are.
The attempt leaves no certainty behind. The stranger could be a living survivor, or something intelligent enough to imitate one, and the distance now hides every useful detail.
The dog noses against Hybuna’s ankle, then looks back toward the street they fled. Its body remains tense, but it does not pull away or bark.
Hybuna’s breathing gradually steadies. The stranger remains unknown, and the quiet blocks between them offer no safe way to learn more from here.
Quest Complete
Survive without taking risks
Attribute Upgrade: Agility Great→Superb
“For now, Hybuna decides to stay low and hidden. She finds a small hole in a wall, moving herself into the dark space. it was somewhat cramped, but she preferred it this way. She stayed kneeling in the center of the space, staring into the outside world.”
SUCCESS (Superb Stealth, rolled -1)
Hybuna finds a narrow hole beneath a broken section of wall and slips inside, pulling herself into the cramped darkness. The rusted metal rests across her knees.
She settles kneeling in the center of the space, shoulders tucked beneath the rough masonry. The small dog squeezes in after her and curls close beside her remaining foot.
Hybuna
The wall hides most of my body, but I can still see the street.
Through the jagged opening, the empty road lies beneath weak moonlight. Parked cars and dark storefronts break the view into narrow lanes of shadow.
The dog keeps its nose pointed toward the distant alley, ears raised now. Its breathing quiets as the cramped space shelters both of them from the open street.
Far away, something taps against metal twice, then stops. No figure appears, and no footsteps follow, leaving the silence stretched thin beyond the wall.
Hybuna remains still, watching every gap between the cars. The small dog mirrors her vigilance, its dark eyes fixed on the world outside.
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine the stranger's immediate intentions
“Hybuna After waiting a few minutes and slowly calming down eventually peaks around the corner, to see if that stranger was there, or if the streets where empty oncemore.”
SUCCESS (Great Perception, rolled +2)
Several quiet minutes pass beneath the broken wall. Hybuna’s breathing settles, and the small dog remains pressed beside her foot, listening with her.
She eases toward the opening, keeping the rusted metal close. Her eye reaches the corner first, then the rest of her body follows in a careful lean.
Hybuna
The street is empty again.
The alley beneath the loading awning contains no crouched stranger. The shielded light is gone, the barricaded doorway dark, and nothing moves between the parked cars.
Hybuna checks farther along the road. Broken storefronts, moonlit pavement, and scattered glass fill every visible lane, with no walkers, runners, people, or returning voice.
The dog slips forward beside her and sniffs the air, then looks toward the vacant awning. Its ears remain raised, but its body no longer stiffens.
Nothing answers from the abandoned blocks. The stranger has left or hidden beyond sight, while the streets stand empty once more beneath the thin night.