Bastard brigade squad member stumbled upon a small underground train—one that felt like a relic from another time. As it rattled through the dark tunnel, they noticed something bizarre: glowing green mushrooms sprouting from the ceiling, casting an eerie light around them.
“Masks on!” someone shouted, but Nox, always the wild card, and Alexis, who was maskless, decided to keep going. “What’s the worst that could happen?” Alexis joked, but the moment she breathed in, she started coughing. “Uh-oh. I think I’m infected.”
A low growl echoed through the tunnel, Suddenly, a humanoid figure emerged from the glowing mushrooms above, its body dripping with red blood after the first kill. Panic set in. “Stop the train!” they yelled, but the thing just kept speeding up, slamming into the creature with a loud thud.
The train screeched to a halt at the end of the line, leaving them bloodied and bruised, splattered with the attacker’s gore. Just when they thought it couldn’t get worse, the emergency lights flickered and died.
“Great. We’re going to be blind,” Alexis groaned, her frustration palpable.
“Not if I can help it,” Nox said, grabbing one of the glowing mushrooms. “We can use this!”
Yu, wiping blood off her face, chimed in, “Actually, I can do something. Hand me that mushroom.”
“No way! Get your own, you cibi!” Nox shot back, clutching his prize.
“Give it to me! That’s an order!” Yu snapped, her patience wearing thin.
“Nyoooh!” Nox replied defiantly.
“Enough already. Give it to her,” Patrick interjected, tipping his hat back to reveal his pure black eyes.
Nox raised an eyebrow but relaxed a bit. “you’re not even the leader!”
“I’m a hundred years old,” Patrick retorted.
“Really? Alright, old man,” Nox said, relenting and handing the mushroom over. Patrick quickly passed it to Yu.
With a determined look, Yu pulled out a glass bottle and plunged the mushroom inside, turning it into a makeshift light source. “There! Emergency lighting, folks!”
The others quickly followed suit, transforming their own mushrooms into glowing beacons. Now, they were ready for whatever came next.
Sure! Here’s a punchier, more casual version of your scene:
They passed an old warehouse, now half-submerged in water, with crates and cargo floating all around. It felt like a twisted game of Mario Bros, except the water was dark and murky—and definitely scary.
They jumped from crate to crate, adrenaline pumping, battling the occasional humanoid creature that lurked in the shadows.
“Ugh, I’m thirsty. Can someone hand me some water?” Duc complained, lowering his machine gun.
“This isn’t a restaurant,” Alexis shot back, her thermal goggles scanning the area ahead.
“Yeah, but I’m carrying this heavy thing for a reason!” Duc grumbled, clearly annoyed.
Alexis glanced back at him and smirked. “No one needs that big gun, buddy.”
Duc just pointed the gun forward, and Alexis immediately went serious. But instead of shooting at her, Duc blasted a creature that had been creeping up behind them.
“Nice shot!” Patrick said, offering Duc his water bottle.
Nox finished off the creature with a shotgun blast at point-blank range. “What now? We’ve lost contact with HQ, and our supplies are running low. Old man, what’s the game plan?”
Patrick sighed. “Let’s just keep moving.”
As they pressed on, the tension mounted, and they grew more aggressive—both toward enemies and each other.
Eventually, they stumbled into an underground city, but it was a decaying nightmare, crawling with monsters.
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Descending into the half-submerged metropolis, they spotted the central tower glowing faintly in the distance. They fought their way through the chaos, but the power was out.
“Let’s find a generator,” Duc suggested, glancing at the murky water pooling around their feet.
They made their way to the basement, where the water was knee-deep, and a bunch of grotesque creatures lurked beneath the surface. It was time for another fight. they easly kill any creature around them. but ammo is low.
“save it for yourself guys heh.. “ nox said while grab some pipe scattered around and use it as weapon
Later, Alexis stumbled into a medical room and immediately went to town on every antibiotic she could find. Nara, noticing her frantic scavenging, raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”
“Do I look okay?” Alexis shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Not really, but—”
“Just don’t tell anyone, alright?” Alexis interrupted, grabbing more supplies from the shelves.
----------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Nox found a dismembered hand and used it to open the identification door. Surprisingly, it worked!
After a ton of drama, they finally powered up the generator, lighting up half the submerged city. A giant sign in the central hub read “Aqua,” but the sudden glow attracted every creature in the area.
“Time to move!” Nox yelled, leading the charge to the main elevator.
In the hall, two elevators stood waiting. The first one descended, while the second was only halfway down. When the doors opened, it could only fit five people.
Nox and his group piled into the first elevator, leaving the others to fend off the horde. Nara, Duc, Alexis, Yu, Patrick, and the rest squeezed into the second one, but the first elevator got stuck thanks to some nasty fungi. They shouted for help, but it was chaos.
At the last moment, Nox snapped, going berserk and attacking the four people still in his elevator. But with the creatures closing in, he decided to leave them behind; there was no time.
The attacks from the monsters caused more damage, and soon the city was flooding fast. They barely managed to reach the surface when their elevator jammed.
“Emergency hatch! Now!” Duc shouted. They climbed up to the ceiling and found a long ladder leading to the top. Duc ditched his empty machine gun, and everyone followed suit, tossing aside their weapons to lighten the load.
Finally, they reached the top and faced a metal door. Yu examined it and said, “We’ll need to force it open.” Patrick stepped up, sliding her sword into a small gap.
With a grunt, they pried the door open, sacrificing Patrick’s sword in the process, and stepped out into the sunlight.
What greeted them was a tropical island with an abandoned town. They learned about a mushroom leak that made soldiers fight bravely but turned them into zombies instead.
they set the entire island ablaze to send a signal to other, ready to report to the Red Nation.
Later, they were picked up by helicopters, from the 19 people trapped in the tunnel. Only seven made it out, and somehow, Alexis managed to keep her head together, thanks to the meds she’d scavenged. Once in the lab, she got a thorough examination.
Meanwhile, Ma was impressed with the survivors and started talking promotions.
Duc shrugged, “I’d rather stay with the Bastard Brigade.”
Yu piped up, “I think I want to transfer to the Mechanized Brigade. I’m tired of using my legs so much.”
Patrick nod. “I’ll go with you.”
Yu rolled her eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you? This isn’t New York. Choose your own path, Rick.”
“I’m not a Rick! Damn it, I just want to see something different, that’s all!” Patrick shot back.
Yu turned to Nara. “What about you, girl?”
Nara was still moping about the axe she lost on the ladder, a bit spaced out. “Huh? Oh, yeah… I think I’ll go back to being a gladiator.”
The group exchanged glances, eyebrows raised, clearly confused by her sudden shift.
Ma interjected, “What’s your goal?”
Nara grinned, “I just wanna... get some attention.”
Later in the Red Nation, in what used to be Anchorage, Canada, the streets were a riot of color, filled with flags fluttering in the chilly wind. Monitors mounted on towering buildings blared advertisements, each one dripping with a mix of patriotism and propaganda. It was a spectacle designed to instill pride and control perception in equal measure.
Nara hopped off the mass transport, her boots crunching against the snow as she made her way through the bustling street. She had a specific destination in mind, and as she walked, she felt a mix of excitement and nerves.
At the corner, a blonde woman in a striking white fur dress spotted her and waved. It was Maria. Nara couldn’t help but smile as Maria rushed over to her, pulling her into a warm hug that made her cheeks flush.
“Hey, you!” Maria beamed. “It’s been too long!”
“Yeah, it really has,” Nara replied, her voice muffled in Maria’s embrace. They exchanged some casual banter, catching up on life in the bustling city, the cold air swirling around them.
After a few minutes, they headed down the snowy street together, laughing and talking until they reached the entrance of a building lit up with neon lights. Above the door, the sign read “Svatdisco.”
“Here it is! Svat now runs an AI VR tycoon,” Maria announced with a proud smile.
They stepped inside, the warmth enveloping them as they entered the vibrant space filled with digital displays and futuristic decor. As they walked through, they passed rental rooms where clients were already immersed in their virtual worlds, lost in their own adventures.
Finally, they reached the office room, and there, slumped in a chair, was Svat. He was a hefty man wearing a bodysuit and VR goggles, his unkempt beard making him barely recognizable.
Nara smirked, feeling a mischievous urge as she marched over and yanked the goggles off his face.
“Aghhh! What the hell, Nara?! You’re ruining the vibe!” Svat yelled, his red eyes glaring at her in disbelief.
Nara just stood there, arms crossed, enjoying his frustration. The moment was too good to pass up until Svat finally noticed the new badge on her shoulder.
“Sergeant, huh?” he said, trying to sound impressed but failing.
“Actually, it’s Second Sergeant of the Blitzt,” Nara replied, her chest puffing up with pride.
“I don’t know what that means,” Svat said, rolling his eyes.
“It means I’m part of the Honor Guard,” Nara stated, a grin spreading across her face.
“I… had no idea what that is. Do you still carry a gun or what?” Svat asked, sounding genuinely confused.
“Of course! I’m part of the Bastard Brigade Vanguard!” Nara explained, enthusiasm bubbling over.
Svat sighed, waving a hand dismissively. “Just cut it out. I don’t understand all this military jargon. Anyway, it looks cool. What do you want?”
Nara raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “Is that how you treat an old friend? What do I want? Pffft…”
Svat’s grin widened. “Ahh, so you’re lonely!”
“Shut up! No, you idiot!” Nara shot back, her face flushing again. “I’m here to get you back in the army. We need you to fight something greater than… whatever this is.” She gestured at the VR setup on his desk.
Svat laughed, a deep, hearty sound. “You fool. The economy and controlling people’s perceptions are important too! I’m an important person, you see?”
Nara rolled her eyes. “You think playing video games and running a business makes you important? We’re facing real threats out there. We need you back on the front lines!”
“Yeah, but I’m doing important work here!” Svat argued, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. “I can influence thousands without ever leaving this place.”
Nara wasn’t buying it. “You’re wasting your potential, Svat. You were a soldier! We fought side by side. Don’t you miss it?”
He shrugged, his expression shifting slightly as he seemed to consider her words. “It’s not the same anymore, Nara. The world has changed. People need to escape, and I can give that to them.”
“Escape or not, reality is crashing down around us,” she pressed, her tone earnest. “You’re needed. We can’t afford to forget what we’re fighting for.”
Svat looked at her, the playful spark in his eyes dimming slightly. “And what if I don’t want to fight again? What if I’m happy here?”
Nara stepped closer, her voice softening. “Then you’re not really living, Svat. You’re just existing. Don’t you want more than that?”
The silence stretched between them, the weight of their history hanging in the air. Finally, Svat sighed, rubbing his temples. “You make a strong case, but I’m not sure. I’ve built something here. and i got everything here..so.. learn to accept.. different nara”
nara sigh, turn dissapointed but then she had a strange feeling seeing dog dogi approach her. she then reluctanly pat his head
maria then break the silence “so.. what you will gain in join a gladiator combat again? do accepted in honor guard is not enough nara?”
“I want to be the best of the best.” She turned to leave, a determined glint in her eye. As she walked away, Maria exchanged a worried glance with Svat. They both sensed that Nara’s desire for validation ran much deeper than she let on.