Eggception (thetwo)

[sturm]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

Bell and Mary were still happy to cuddle, but the slime did perk up at the mention of the colony. "Oh it's actually not that far. There's a tunnel that will pretty much take you right there at the other side of this lovely cavern, as a matter of fact." To forestall the question, the slimegirl added, "I actually have a bit of an understanding with them. My slimes and I purify water for them, and they come have fun with us from time to time. It's actually quite the racket I've got going." Bell and Mary both giggled.

"So yea, it'll be about a day before I'm ready to go, but we can hang here until I'm ready to pop. We could also go check out the colony and come back. Bell says they're legit and I trust her judgement." Bell blushed and added, Sorry about that by the way."

Bell chimed in, "Yup, they seem alright to me! And you're of course welcome to stay here. You will find that my slime is actually nutritious enough to tide you over for the time you'd need to wait."

 

[thetwo]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

Aura paused, considering. She hadn't wanted to go with Mary pregnant. But if there was a safe tunnel, and they were really friendly... there wouldn't be much risk. And while Bell had offered to sustain them during the wait. Well. It had been interesting, but now that she was sated real food seemed much more appetizing. "Well... if there's a safe way there, and they're friendly, and there's an easy way to come visit again... Well, it'd be nice to go check them out, at least."

 

[sturm]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

Mary seemed reluctant to go, however she did manage to motivate herself to rise up as Bell floated their slime rafts to the other side of the cavern. Aura noticed a small hole in the wall where they were headed as Bell beached their slimy floats on a shore composed of smooth flat rocks. Bell didn't let Mary go without a kiss, happily giving Aura one if she seemed like she wanted one.

"They're right up there, you kids go have fun! The doorway will let you out in their camp, so try not to appear too threatening...although somehow I don't imagine that will be a problem. They're nice enough folk though, so you really won't have any trouble."

They proceeded up the tunnel towards a faint pinprick of light, it seemed like it was going as close to directly towards the surface as possible without the angle being too steep. She wasn't sure how that had happened, it certainly wasn't part of the sewer system, the tunnel they were in wasn't improved beyond its natural condition except for the same smooth stones that made things easier on her feet.

They finally reached the top after several minutes, rounding a corner and coming to a hole in the wall that let out in what looked like a small room in a decrepit building. Framed by the hole was a very surprised looking man who was pointing a crossbow at them. However as soon as he could tell they were women, essentially naked women, he lowered his weapon. "Ermm...hello? What...what are you doing down there?" This was the most coherent and friendly first contact Aura had made with any human-looking male since she had woken up in the future. Mary stood a little behind Aura, letting her make the first move.

Spoiler

Level up+1 Ax attack, +1 base damage (Hit for 2, crit for 4)

 

[thetwo]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

It seemed that Bell had been right about them not seeming terribly threatening, which made Aura scowl at the crossbowman. Well. They didn't have any ranged weapons between them, he was above them, and they weren't exactly hiding anything... Aura suddenly felt herself blush crimson, and she covered herself as best she could, one hand across her modest breasts, the other over her pussy.

It felt like an eternity since she'd either been clothed or been around a man who wasn't about to do his best to disrobe and rape her, but the instincts returned immediately. "Uh... we heard there were people here. People who, um..." she turned to Mary for help, the arm covering her breasts dipping slightly as she did so.

 

[sturm]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

"Were friendly, and would give us food and shelter!" Mary helpfully chimed in. "Bell sent us!" She gestured to her pregnant-looking belly and the man's eyes widened in surprise before he moved out of the way of the hole and gestured for the women to climb into the small room.

"Yes...er...of course! Come on up! Let's...get you some clothes..." As the two women climbed into the room, the confused guard exited through the only other door, locking it behind him. "I'll be right back, you two ladies wait right there...Just got to go find something so you can make yourselves decent!"

This gave Aura and Mary a minute to look around the room they were in. That was all the time they needed as it was quite small. There was a desk, a couple books, a chair, a bottle of water, and the remains of the man's lunch. It seemed that this was nothing more than a small guard shack that watched the way into wherever it was the girls found themselves from Bell's cave.

The two had just enough time to suspect a trap before the door clicked unlocked and the man tossed a few pairs of average worn clothes through the door. They weren't particularly dirty, but they were obviously hand-me-downs and weren't very flattering to either girl. Once they were dressed the male guard opened the door, revealing two additional guards, one male and one female. The female was carrying what Aura recognized as a pistol, while the other male had a rough looking sword. They deferred to the woman, seemingly the one in charge.

"Welcome to Oasis, strangers. I would ask you to surrender your weapons, but it looks like you don't have any. This is generally an open settlement, we do have food and drink for sale, but we don't really do much in the way of charity. If you want the social support, free food, water, shelter and the like, you'll have to join the community which involves meeting the mayor and gaining his approval or the council's. You also have to demonstrate that you can improve life for people here in some way, shape, or form." The woman paused to look them over for a moment. "But where are my manners? I'm Captain Emily, leader of the guard here. I know I just said we don't do charity, but we can certainly give you a little food and water for the trouble it looks like it took to get here. We can talk about your intentions for our happy home after you've had a chance to sit down. Come, come!" She abruptly turned and walked down a hallway outside the door and up a wide staircase into the open air. The man with the sword motioned for Aura and Mary to follow her while the man with the crossbow resumed his watch.

In the open air, the two girls found themselves in what was actually an impressive settlement that appeared capable of housing at least several hundred people. There were many people bustling about on there daily grind, some were hawking their wares in stands along the dusty road they found themselves on, others were moving in and out of the ramshackle buildings, some of which appeared to be general stores, and others looked to be blacksmiths, cobblers, other sorts of crafting stores, and even a couple of bars. It reminded Aura of a town from the old wild west movies she had watched. The girls were led to a low building that appeared to be a chow hall of sorts once they got inside. It wasn't very busy, there were maybe twenty people inside though the building could probably sit eighty. Likely these weren't peak hours. Captain Emily quickly sat them down and had the male guard bring them both a plate of warm food and glasses of water. She waited patiently for the two to finish their food before putting her hands on the table to draw their attention, making confident eye contact with them both in turn.

"Now, who are you, and what do you want with Oasis?"

 

[thetwo]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

Inside the little shack, Aura found herself glancing nervously between the door the guard had left through, and the hole the pair had entered through. If the latter hadn't been left opened, she would have been doing everything in her power to get it open and get back in. As it was... she still regretted climbing up. Not quite enough to run away, but she wished that she'd insisted on talking to a woman first.

Finally the door opened, and instead of men with nets and clubs, in came two sets of clothing. The redhead flashed a relieved, if still nervous, grin at Mary before pulling one pair on. It was too large in the bust, had to be tied around her waist, and was made of rougher fabric than she was used to... but it covered her nudity, as long as she didn't lean forward.

That done, she and Mary were led on a brief tour of the town. The people seemed reasonably happy. There weren't a bunch of pregnant woman wearing nothing but collars, walking around like they were high all the time. For that matter, the highest-ranking person they'd seen had been a woman, clothed, armed, and alert. A definite step up from the only other 'settlement' she'd seen. It all seemed a bit primitive, but that was to be expected.

She hesitated a moment, looking at the food. But if these people were running an underground slave trade or something, they wouldn't need to drug their food to take them. There were twenty strangers just in this building, and easily ten times that outside. Even armed, they wouldn't stand a chance. So she ate, not really caring how it tasted. It was better than slime, or honey, or cum. And certainly better than nothing.

Aura ate every crumb she'd been offered, and was halfway towards wondering if she could have more before a warning feeling in her stomach suggested that she was full. Had, in fact, eaten too much already. Instead, she turned to the Captain, as Mary finished as well, and they finally turned to business.

She glanced hesitatingly at Mary, then answered. "Well... we've been out on our own for a while. And, um, it hasn't gone well." She found herself blushing as she remembered some of the things that had taken her. "This is the first place I've seen in ages that seems reasonably safe." Hundreds of years, if the robot was to be believed. And discounting the EGG building, which had seemed safe for a while, but had turned out to be only a temporary respite. "I don't want to end up... I heard people were free, here."

 

[sturm]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

"Hmm..." Captain Emily steepled her fingers and stared at the two women for a moment before sighing and lowering them to the table. "Well...here's the deal, it's the same one I give everyone else who comes here. You have two weeks, or fourteen days, until your meetings with the mayor and the council. They will render their judgements on whether or not you have demonstrated a capacity to help our settlement here at Oasis. Traditionally, newcomers have sought employment at one of the businesses here, and there are a lot. Some people even hold multiple jobs during their first two weeks." She took a breath and let Aura process what she had said before continuing.

"Anyway, newcomers typically get work with people who will agree in advance to vouch for them before the mayor and the council when their two weeks is up. One or two people is generally all that is necessary to convince the council to let you in. Of course some people do enough for Oasis that they don't need anyone to vouch for them, as they and their contributions are already well known enough that their induction as official members is guaranteed." The captain paused again to see if there were any questions at this point before continuing. "As far as getting a job goes, there are a couple of boards in the middle of town. They have listings for people looking to hire someone to work for them. The listings range from one-time, almost errand-like tasks, to more permanent employment actually working directly for the job poster. You two can read, can't you?" Upon receiving the affirmative to the question she gave them some parting advice.

"If you find reason to leave Oasis, either permanently or for a job, be wary of the metropolis not far from here. Especially the building with the EGG Corp. sign on it. We've lost a number of people trying to explore it. There's some old robot there that snatches people up while spewing some gibberish about tarflack...or taflork or something. Anway these metal tentacles grab people and take them away and they're never seen again. We've just stopped trying to get into the building, despite the tales of almost limitless fresh water, food, and technology. It's just too dangerous. And that doesn't even address the more barbaric types that are camped right near by. And then there's the wildlife, but that's an issue everywhere." At the mention of the Egg building, Mary arched an eyebrow and looked at Aura, but she didn't say anything.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

Aura stirred uncomfortably at the mention of Tarfolk. She remembered the "contamination" check, and briefly wondered what would have happened if she'd been found to be infected. Presumably nothing good. Well. Given her experiences with the people and creatures near the EGG building she was in no hurry to go back regardless. But if things looked bad with their deadline looming, it did rather suggest a way she might prove herself useful to Oasis.

And it also suggested that most or even all of the people in the little town were contaminated, though she wasn't quite sure what that really meant, on a practical level.

She also wondered just what she could do to help the town, with her only year of college spent almost entirely on general-education classes. Cultural Studies and Creative Writing weren't exactly going to be useful. And Freshman Biology... well, that had taught her that bees the size of dogs couldn't exist. And that reproduction didn't work by, for example, capturing human women and stuffing them full of eggs. Perhaps there were reasons that had changed, but it still made her education less than perfectly useful.

She turned to Mary for confirmation, then back to the Captain. "Well... I guess we'll take a look at the job board. Thank you for... uh... everything." She gestured vaguely at her clothes, but also the town in general.

 

[sturm]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

Captain Emily gave them a smile and waved them off, pointing them in the direction of the job boards. Mary bounced after Aura, still in a great mood from the food and being reunited with her slime girl lover. It didn't take them long to make their way to the boards, getting the occasional friendly nod or 'hello' from the various people who called Oasis their home. They arrived at the boards and found a number of options. There was a group called 'The Raiders' looking to take on people for efforts to explore 'the wastes' to find various resources for Oasis. There were also some jobs fixing buildings around Oasis, the description made it sound like fairly doable work, just very physically taxing. With both of those options, there was the possibility that if she couldn't get anything done for the raiders or contribute to the building repairs the people she worked for may not vouch for them, but it could certainly be worthwhile to talk to them.

Of course there were also some easier tasks, shop clerks and courier jobs to carry and retrieve things from around Oasis. These would be easy to do, but she would probably have to work both jobs to get a good enough showing before the Mayor and Council. The last notice she saw seemed rather eye-catching in that it seemed targeted to new-comers specifically, proclaiming an interest in hiring 'new and friendly faces' for work in the Tom's Tavern.

"Hmm...I don't know, what are you thinking, Aura?" Mary was skimming over the notices, looking for something to pick. "I guess we don't have to choose the same jobs, I'm probably going to stick with some of the easier stuff. I don't think I want to go out with 'the raiders', I've had enough of the wild lands to last a life time. I'm not very good with a hammer either."

 

[thetwo]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

Aura bit her lip, considering. She didn't much like the idea of going right back out into 'the wastes' either. But she knew she'd be absolutely useless at building. And the clerical and courier jobs seemed... not really a good way to impress anyone with her usefulness. The tavern was somewhere in between. At least it wasn't like the courier jobs, where a 10-year-old could do it. But a young, pretty redhead working in a tavern and needing the owner's approval not to get thrown out of the town... everyone had been nice so far, but that was a situation ripe for getting taken advantage of.

"I don't know... none of it sounds like a really great way to impress the mayor or whatever. But I think I might at least start by going to talk to the tavern owner." And for that matter, while Mary had dismissed it out of hand... depending on what exactly 'the raiders' were like, they might end up being the best way to prove herself useful. You didn't get a big payoff without taking risks.

 

[sturm]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

Mary thought about what Aura said. "Yes I suppose you're right. Still, after getting captured so much...I just don't know if I could make myself do it. But the tavern does sound fun, I think I could enjoy that kind of work!"

It took Aura and Mary a little while to find the tavern, it was a little out of the main area, but it looked nice and well maintained. Clearly it was at least turning a profit. Going inside they found that themselves in a well kept bar. There were a number of tables, and a long bar, though the establishment wasn't very crowded at this time. Given that it was midday that was probably to be expected as people had other business to take care of while it was light outside rather than getting drunk. She did notice some stages that were more well lit than the rest of the bar. It was fairly easy to imagine what those were for.

They didn't have much trouble finding Tom. He was a beefy, taller man with a dark beard and a pony tail standing at the bar. His shirt read, "I'm Tom". He noticed the two women walk in and waved them over. "Hello there, ladies! Come for a drink? For you two the first one's on the house! Or maybe you're interested in a job? Always looking for new waitresses to help out around here, and I definitely would've remembered some pretty girls like you so you two must be new to Oasis! With that, please allow me to welcome you to Tom's Bar!" He gave an exaggerated flourish to the mostly empty bar. The impression he gave Aura was that he was very polished, definitely a people person, though his little speech definitely seemed rehearsed.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

Aura couldn't help smiling at the flattery and flourish, but bit her lip when his little speech was over. "I... yes, we're new here." She wasn't going to say no to a free drink - not after the last few days - but wouldn't actually drink it yet. "We're looking at our options. I suppose it's a bit early for a crowd, but what's this place like at night?" She was trying to think of a way to ask if 'bar' meant 'strip club' without actually suggesting what she feared the stages might be for. It might just be for a band, or dancing.

Of course, if it came down to it, the... other activities... were probably more likely to earn them recommendations than handing out drinks. The thought made her faintly sick, though certainly not moreso than the thought of what had happened to her every time she left the safety of the EGG building.

 

[sturm]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

"Well let's see..." The man stroked his beard as he contemplated Aura's question. In the meantime he had poured two mugs of some amber-colored drink that smelled pleasantly sweet. Mary wasn't as reserved as Aura and immediately downed half of her drink with a grin and a light hiccup.

"Well to answer your question, it's usually pretty full, almost every seat is filled. We're an entertainment bar, so most folks come here to drink and eat snacks while they watch whatever entertainment is going for the night. If you think you're up for entertaining the masses, both of you could have a job. It's generally pretty easy and pays more than being a waitress, though you could both do that too if you wanted. And the best part is that as long as you two do good work while you're here, just during the nights, mind you, then I'll give you a strong reference to get you admitted as citizens. Hell, you could probably get a number of the patrons to vouch for you too! Doesn't much matter though, every girl I recommend gets in, I'm a pretty good person to work for." He left open what sort of entertainment he was talking about. It looked like she had two options for work at the bar, as a waitress or as an entertainer of some sort.

Mary grinned and hiccuped again, it looked like she had polished off her drink in the meantime. "Well I'm sold, I'll definitely work as a waitress! Beats the hell out of any of the other jobs! Err...my name's Mary by the way."

Tom laughed at Mary's remark. "I pay better too! What about you, red?" He referred to Aura by the color of her hair in the absence of a name. "This truly is the easiest way to become part of Oasis."

 

[thetwo]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

Seeing Mary drain her drink immediately, Aura frowned. But if the people of Oasis wanted to hurt her, they didn't need to get her drunk first. And it would be impolite to take the drink but leave it full. She sipped at it as the man talked.

As she had half-expected, the man seemed to be mixing up two jobs. One was to be a waitress. The other was a sure-fire way to get recommendations. She couldn't sing, she wasn't a juggler. She couldn't even dance. But there was one form of entertainment that she was qualified for.

Finally forced to make a decision, she stalled with her name. "Aura." She looked down at her drink to buy another moment, and was surprised to see that it was almost empty, only a swallow left. She finished it. "Well... it's a good offer, to be sure. But you're the first one I've talked to. I should at least look at some other options..." Which might also give her the chance to see what sort of 'entertainment' he meant. And how the waitresses were treated.

 

[sturm]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

The sip of the drink revealed it to have a slightly sweet taste, though it didn't quite mask the burn on the way down her throat that indicated that despite the pleasant taste it likely had a fairly high alcohol content. Despite the burn, Aura found herself continuing to sip at it, liking the way it seemed to warm her belly and after a few minutes it seemed to relax her as well.


As she checked her drink after giving her name, she found herself releasing a hiccup as Mary had, surprised at how quickly and reflexively she had nearly finished it. Tom gave a friendly laugh, seeming to take her stalling tactic and refusal to commit immediately in good stride. "Well it's nice to meet you Aura! Of course, take all the time you need!" After a moment's consideration he gave a friendly shrug and added, "Not sure what sort of work you might be looking for, but I've got a couple friends around here who'll do ya right. I can't promise they'll tell you what ya want to hear, but they'll tell you the truth and I imagine that's about all you can ask in a place like this. Anyway, Wells has an armory down the road. You can talk to him about getting a job as a clerk there and also helping him fix up gear. Not sure if he needs help, but it never hurts to ask. Also I have a buddy in The Raiders if that's more your speed. Ask for Jim. Drop my name at either of those places and they should at least give you a chance to show what you've got. I'd be lying if I said I hope they take you though; selfish, I know, but I think you'd have a great time here." With another of his friendly shrugs he waved both girls off, after giving Mary an extra half-shot, 'for the road,' that she downed eagerly. "Don't want ya getting thirsty on your way, Mary. Just come back around early evening and we'll get you situated. And try to convince your friend to come with you." Tom winked playfully at Aura before saying, "Now get out of here, you scamps. I've got a business to run."

Outside the tavern, Aura figured out where the armory and Raiders headquarters were. The armory was a little closer, only a minute or two's walk away, where the Raiders HQ was about a five minute walk. Both seemed equally promising and she definitely had time to visit both and do more before early evening. The sun was only just starting to track back down towards the horizon after reaching the height of its ascent and the air was accordingly hot. The only thing that tickled the back of her booze-addled mind was that she didn't recognize the names Tom had given her as the ones from the postings she had read. Of course, it had been centuries since her last stiff one so that could account for some of her faculties slipping. Mary, the ever dutiful companion, waited for her to decide where to visit, a pleasant flush to her cheeks.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

Aura found herself blushing at Tom's wink as if he'd said something risque, though he really hadn't. But since a quick glance at the sky suggested she'd have plenty of time to decide even if she wanted to start working tonight, she left without any further questions.

With nothing really to go on, Aura headed towards the armory first. It seemed likely to be another job that was reasonably easy, but hardly the sort of thing that would impress anyone into giving her a recommendation. She tripped on a rock someone had inconsiderately left in the middle of the road, caught herself on Mary, and started on her way.

 

[sturm]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

A few minutes and stumbles later, Aura and Mary reached Wells' Armory. Whatever was in the drink, it seemed like it wasn't leaving her system any time soon. The building was a small, two story affair. The outside was rough in appearance, but it seemed sturdy enough.

Stepping inside, the building was refreshingly cool compared to the heat of the outside air. Mary gave a silly giggle, "Boy Aura, it's nice to finally get out of the sun! That's right, she had had an extra helping of the liquor she was having such a hard time shaking off. The floor was metallic and dusty, but the counter was clear and the shelves showed a number of weapons ranging from a spear through a hunting rifle. The drawers behind the counter were labeled with various types of ammunition, arrows, shotgun shells, the works. Behind the counter sat a somewhat portly man who was roughly forty or fifty years old. It looked like they caught him at the end of his lunch break, as he choked down the last of a sandwich and brushed the crumbs off of his mustache and stained wife-beater.

"Howdy there yall, welcome to Wells' Armory. Name's Wells, what can I do you two fine ladies for?" He leaned back in his chair and gestured towards the wall of weapons behind him.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Eggception (thetwo)

Aura smiled back at Mary, who was quite clearly drunk. She put an arm around the girl to keep her from stumbling so much, and almost immediately tripped, only Mary keeping her upright. Still, they made it to their first destination, and Aura smiled at the man who apparently kept the armory, stifling a giggle at his innuendo. Like she'd let him 'do' them. "We're new in town, and need to find work. Tom said you might be able to help us, but he wants us to be strippers." She blushed and tugged at the ill-fitting shirt, not quite sure why she'd said that.