Vyral

Chapter 3: Part 2 - Is it really that important to you?

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[Expedition 163]
Mission: Expedition
Objective: Zamaton Colony
Obstacles: Behemoths/Contamination Zone
Partaking members:

"Warden Stephanie Myrellie" (Female) - Exploring
"Kohen Alcatraz" (Male) - Exploring
"Orton Cromwell" (Male) -  Exploring
"Lilith Ketler Reid" (Female) -  Exploring
"Nali Heisenberg" (Male) -  Exploring
"Myra Stryder" (Female) - Exploring
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Their long journey towards yet another mystery finally begins.

Given the heavy atmosphere surrounding Expeditions, they have always been submerged in a great manner of negativity and fear, where partaking in one usually means you might not return. And yet, the group seems completely unfazed, still finding amusement in the moments exchanged with each other, creating memories that last them a lifetime. Talking, joking around, discussing topics from light to heavy, and even playing pranks on each other as they scavenge through ruins of the Old World, has been the reality of their lives from the moment they were brought together. Most of the locations they're traversing have already been extensively mapped out, and taken into consideration by the Colony's Scouts. Unfortunately, the number of available maps for the teams is severely limited, and updating them takes an incredible amount of time, also considering the environmental and geographical knowledge needed for the task.

So, for the kick of it, Myrellie decided to not bring one. Testing one's memory is an important practice that hones an individual's skills, and servers as one of many imperative steps to ascertain their survival in the long run. She also thought it would be fun to revisit certain areas once more, since there could be major differences in the environment.

Nevertheless, the team enjoys the landscape, as they recall explorations prior to becoming Scouts, all the way back when Myrellie showed them their new home. Simpler times when all they had to do was meet friends, eat tasty food, sleep like logs and explore like there was no tomorrow.

Although... They weren't simple at all. 

Sorrow and grief were brutally forced into their young minds by this unforgiving world. Although, there is another commonality shared between them, in the form of fruitful attempts at coping with the past through dense layers of humor. It seems to be the most effective way to live their lives relatively unscathed. It's the most they can do, since the events that haunt them still feel fresher than they'd like to admit. As punishing as ever...

...

An hour into the Expedition, the landscapes they come across are phenomenal. Even though these are only remnants of the Old World, nature's new laws have sickeningly transformed these once melancholic concrete jungles into thriving forests, teeming with vegetation that ranges through all colors imaginable. The virus is a plague, no doubt about that, and yet... In a strange way... It has kept the ecosystem's beauty preserved, despite changing its core properties entirely.

Nali and Kohen go around the neglected debris like children in a playground, free-running along decaying metal beams, hanging signs, and broken buildings housing dozens of sprouting plants that add layers of life to the ecosystem. Several critters can be seen flying around or scurrying through the leaves, none of them posing a threat. The pair effortlessly perform parkour, from one chunk of concrete to another, grabbing onto ledges, hopping over cars, jumping into a window and coming out the other side of the building, pulling each other up to places they can't reach on their own, so on and so forth. They've turned this into their turf, or rather, they have the knowledge to traverse it as such.