Abandoned Fred (A Bandit of the Long Dark Adventure)

[Samsonguy920]

(This is my contribution to my challenge of being a bandit in The Long Dark, as per @JAFO 's challenge:

 I beg forgiveness for an lapses in images as I am admittedly new to doing the Let's Play thing myself. But I figured since I love The Long Dark so much, I'd give it a chance. I do hope you enjoy.)

 

I am not a bandit. They called me a bandit because I took what I needed and broke what would harm them. I defended them, and they abandoned me in this frozen wasteland in return for my efforts.

I am Abandoned Fred, and this is my story.

At the least they could have dropped me on top of one of the mountains so I COULD SEE WHERE I AM, but since I saw the plane start to spark, smoke, and fall out of the sky over the ridge, I think Lady Karma paid her respects. And I always pay my respects to Lady Karma.

After leaving behind most of the gear I am sure they meant would kill me, leaving myself nothing but boots and mittens, I proceeded forward. After a couple of steps I was already feeling better about my situation. I was alive, in a new place where I could help people, and they were dead.  Not the people I could help, but the ones I tried to help.  AND GOOD RIDDANCE!

Around the bend I came across a pair of destroyed cabins. No doubt others that the dead people felt were not helping them.  Happily, one person was on to the great beyond, but had left behind some things to help me.

NO! These do not help me! They take away Lady Karma and give me bad vibes.  I left this poison behind.

I see now Lady Karma was testing me. Bless her enlightenment for guiding me. This is the best stuff, as well. I will save this for tonight when I get my rest.

I then proceeded along, letting Lady Karma guide me as she always does(even if it is into the hands of UNGRATEFUL DEAD PEOPLE), finding my way to a frozen river. Nearby was a wolf, no doubt left here by the DEAD PEOPLE as well to die. But we will survive, won't we, wolfy?  Yes, we will.

After leaving wolfy to his own way and me going my own, I proceeded down the frozen river.

I am really starting to feel the cold, now, but that is good. Reminds me that I am alive unlike those ungrateful things that left me here. Not like I am bitter....

Lots of these around. I remember once that one part was good for getting fires started, and the other was good for keeping me started. I hope I remember which is which. I guess either way it goes, I will get started.  giggle

Going up the opposite shoreline, I found myself among a wood of white trees and more destroyed houses.

I am starting to feel like Lady Karma has not blessed this land, even if she has blessed me. Maybe it will be up to me to turn fortune around.

Yeah.....there is definitely a severe lack of fortune going on here.  giggle

It would seem there are also bears, here. This one found no interest in me, thank you, Lady Karma, so I let wandering bears wander.  Seeing the haybale pointed my direction, so while maintaining respect of the bear's personal space, I proceeded along.  I then found my way into a farm. I GUESS this won't work against me. We will see, won't we, Lady Karma?

Either the sun is going down, or the plane was atomic-powered and exploded.  I may want to check that out later. I've never been near a nuclear crater before. What could it hurt? giggle

Okay, I just heard a wolf howl, and here she comes after meRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNN and I outran her.  SUCK IT, wolfy! Nonono, I don't say that. That kind of talk upsets Lady Karma and provokes her to turn the tables. I don't want tables turned I like tables right where they are. Stay right where you are tables.  ...and you stay where you are, wolfy.

Ahem. Moving along...

I find the house that tends to be found in a farm. I am sure there is a simpler way to put that but right now someone's putting icicles in my toes, and ears, and fingers, and chest....best get inside.

Getting inside without much event, I found my way around by matches I had found, which led me to a stove. Thanks to the wood Lady Karma had let me find, I was able to upgrade to a torch. In turn, I began to scout around the house, finding things I can't/won't/shan't use.

This will be their pile of nothingness. Here they are nothing, where they will do no harm.

Found a lantern, which I will keep until it turns on me. The lantern did let me find this nice bed which contrasts nicely with my mittens and boots.

SLEEPY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!  ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZzzzzz

Woke up a couple of times through the night. Lady Karma started howling outside, no doubt in celebration of me finding a current home. She advised me to stay inside tonight, but tomorrow night I will give her proper reparation. Lady Karma is patient, but she has her limits.  AS THOSE DEAD PEOPLE FOUND OUT! WHO'S LAUG.....nonono, stop that.

....great. Should have kept my mouth shut.

To Be Continued.....

 

Current dress:

Yes, Fred is female. I like her voice. (Did ya know that is Jennifer Hale, aka FemShep of Mass Effect?  Also Will Mackenzie's voice is also MaleShep of ME.  Top Talent, Top!)

[EricTheGreat12]

You've got yourself a reader  Good job !

[JAFO]

Make that two readers. Excellent start.

(you might want to edit the OP to include the link to your challenge, so readers will understand the rules)

[Samsonguy920]

Good Morning, campers! Time for a brisk jog around the campus and then we go in for PT and then breakfast!!!

....or I can just go inside and cry on the floor.

After I took a short siesta on the soft wood floor, I decided I best show Lady Karma I deserved what I got and went out to find something new.  So I stepped out the door and got that itchy feeling on the right back of my neck...turned to look..

TOWER!!!!!!!!  Someone is watching me!!!  Maybe Lady Karma wasn't punishing me after all, only shielding me from prying eyes.  Time to find new digs that I might dig, ya dig?  giggle

I figured since THE MAN had surely already caught sight of me, may as well pretend that I belong here. Went to find the barn that tends to be found on a farm, or at least so goes the yarn.  And over the rise, I found it.

Friendly looking place, actually. Even has a MAN detector on top...although a not very good one. Pointed the wrong way. So I go inside to do some salvaging. I try not to get the barn's hopes up that I was going to stay and be its new tenant. That would be mean.

Whetstone...whet...stone....stone that is whet...a stone of whet.....

WHAT IS THIS, A SHIRT FOR EVENTS?  Oh, yes it is.  Well, much too nice for me, as I expect to not be attending anything black-tie anything soon. Especially since I don't have a black tie.

In honor of the Rolling Stones, I dub thee Jumping Jack Flash...because you are a gas.  See what I did there, Lady Karma? giggle

*ahem* Moving on....

I proceeded per my plan past the barn, finding my way to a nice road. There a met a not-so-nice wolfy, who I introduced to my even-less-nice prybar I found back in the farmhouse that I completely did not intentionally forget to mention. I wanted it to be a surprise.

Purty, isn't she?  Plays a wolf in B flat, too.

Either case, the wolf managed to play me in pain sharp. I limped my way along, starting to really feel the cold now, until I found myself to a little hamlet.  Alas, I did not know it well, Horatio.  Or at all. Horatio was not amused. He rarely is. Stone-faced MacStoneface, we used to call him.

I was starting to really feel bad. Things going south and not to the nice tropics. I figured a fire was in order...

Getting tired....so tired...

Daisy, daisy...answer this question true....why do you not look like a daisy?

Must. Crawl. In. House.....so tired.....

And I LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!  Managed to make it to the bed where I slept for who knows how long, woke up feeling almost right as rain...thank goodness it was not raining. Took a bit to look around the house I found myself in, then decided a bit more sleep is in order.  ORDER IN THE COURT! Score is Sleep-Love.

Next time I stepped outside, the sun was shining wonderfully, reminding me I did NOT pay homage to Lady Karma...but what is one to do when you are about to die from fatigue and cold and neglect and no love?  I threw some rocks at passing motorists, which there were none...just one car sitting around doing NOTHING.

Home, James, and make it quick!  James?  JAMES?! Okay, who fired my driver and didn't send me the memo?  *sigh* Nobody tells me anything.

Guess it's on foot for the rest of us, then.

Continuing along the road, anxious to get distance between me and the clingy barn, I came across a side road.

Oh, another wolf. I wonder if this one plays great music, too?

 

The End

 

Afterword:

Well, that was abrupt.  I was expecting to end this chapter with more yet to come, and I really wanted to make the mine to Coastal Highway and really build on our bandit's purpose, maybe even finding a bunker/cache there which would have nailed her down.  But that last wolf decided enough was enough.  At least Fluffy survived, eh?

This was definitely an interesting experience, one I may just give another try at. There was a lot of clothing I found which would have likely prevented my problems at the little town in Pleasant Valley, but per the rules of the challenge, they were unusable, being too good of condition. It definitely shows how much more difficult playing as a bandit can make the game experience be. I do have my doubts anybody would make it past a day in Interloper following the Bandit Rules.  I almost got frostbite more than once, and I only had a sliver of health bar when I made it to the bed.  Harrowing, indeed.

Thanks for giving this a read. It was fun for me, and I hope fun for you. I also hope this helps you have a better idea to your answer to the question:

"What kind of Survivor are you?"

Because there is definitely room for bandits in the quiet apocalypse.

[JAFO]

On 01/08/2017 at 9:06 AM, Samsonguy920 said:

This was definitely an interesting experience, one I may just give another try at.

I hope you do..

[Samsonguy920]

On 8/3/2017 at 0:13 AM, JAFO said:

I hope you do..

That is one hell of a compliment. Thanks!

[Stormwolf1O1]

On 7/30/2017 at 8:58 PM, Samsonguy920 said:

but since I saw the plane start to spark, smoke, and fall out of the sky over the ridge, I think Lady Karma paid her respects.

Wait, you can see the plane fall out of the sky? When and where?? I've never seen this before..

[Samsonguy920]

On 9/1/2017 at 9:38 PM, Stormwolf1O1 said:

Wait, you can see the plane fall out of the sky? When and where?? I've never seen this before..

Just a bit of story license applied there. I was actually thinking of taking Fred to Timberwolf Mountain and having her laughing maniacally over all the plane parts.