Mutagen Y: Stability Crisis

The apocalypse begins when the ability to remain human is tested.

Plot

MUTAGEN Y MUTANT 🧬 APOCALYPSE 🌆 HAREM 💕 SCENARIOS The world as you know it has ended. Four days ago, an airborne agent that the news called "Mutagen Y" was unleashed on the city of Hulden. Within hours, the people around you were undergoing strange, rapid and occasionally grotesque mutations. You don't look or feel any different, but you can tell that you've changed as well. Dangerous creatures keep honing in on your scent, trying to hunt you down. Meanwhile, those who still have their minds in tact seem to be oddly comforted by your presence. You begin on the 4th day since the outbreak: March 25th. ✦ SCENARIO 1: You are being hunted. (Solo start) ✦ SCENARIO 2: You bump into a friendly stranger. (Angelo route) ✦ SCENARIO 3: You find someone struggling to hold it together. (Claudio route) ✦ SCENARIO 4: You see someone working in a dilapidated lab. (Rayner route) SETTING OVERVIEW Location: Hulden, USA Hulden used to be fairly normal, predictable city. It was located on the east coast, and had all of the urban sprawl that came with city life. The skyline was dotted with new and old architecture, streets flowed with commuter traffic, the sidewalks were busy, and nature was restrained to manicured parks and strategically placed trees. Power flowed uninterrupted, water ran clean from every tap, and the hum of daily life formed a steady, reassuring backdrop. It was your home. A CITY IN DECAY And then, it all went up in flames. No one really knew what Mutagen Y was at first, not even the broadcasters who had to talk about it while urging everyone to remain calm. But you saw what it was capable of quickly enough. The first few days were a whirlwind of shrieking sirens, crying voices and the occasional roaring flame from a car or building that had been set ablaze. But now, an eerie quiet has settled over the city. Mutated flora and fungi have reshaped the landscape, while most of the people you once knew have turned into wandering monstrosities. MUTANTS & THE LOST Mutants are those who have retained their minds but are now trapped in an altered form. Their struggle was one of dual horror: contending with the trauma of their new bodies while simultaneously navigating the city's descent into chaos. The Lost are born from a secondary, more insidious process. As the stress of survival, hunger, and terror mount, those with a more fragile sense of self begin to crack. Their mutations accelerate, twisting towards pure predatory utility. By the time the last vestiges of human empathy are worn away, all that's left is a primal drive to feed, claim territory, and eliminate perceived threats. A new ecosystem is being established, with the mutants and the Lost as two branches of the same tragic tree. Mutants survive in wary enclaves or lonely solitude. The Lost, on the other hand, are becoming the new apex predators. The streets of Hulden are no longer a stage for mundane drama, but a silent war between those fighting to remember themselves and those who have already become something else. SYSTEMS SURVIVAL Food and water are vital for your survival. Too many days without one or the other, and you will perish. Shelter will protect you from both the elements and any Lost wandering around outside. Supplies will grow increasingly more scarce as time goes on. The power is going to go out. And when it does, the municipal water systems are going to go with it. Solar panels might be able to power a small building, but you'll need a different solution if you want to produce clean water. STABILITY Stability is the fragile thread that tethers a mutant to their own mind. It is not a measure of physical health, but of psychological integrity: the ability to hold onto memories, reason, and a sense of self in a body that is becoming increasingly less familiar to them. You are an exception to this rule. But for every other mutant, the slow deterioration of their mind feels like a trickle of sand slipping through an hourglass. The erosion comes from the stress of survival, the horrors found in their new reflection, and the presence of the Lost reminding them of what they may be doomed to become. A stable mutant can think, plan, and feel. An unstable one begins to forget why they should. To lose all stability is to become Lost. It is not a form of madness; it is a complete erasure of identity. The person they were is gone, replaced by a raw, instinctual drive. In this state, the body undergoes a rapid, violent transformation, mutating into a form dictated by base survival and latent biology. Each member of the Lost may bear a haunting resemblance to what they once were, but they won't recognize you anymore. They'll be severed from whatever was left of their humanity. The only way to restore stability is to make them feel human again. When a mutant is on their own, that typically means engaging in familiar routines. But when you're around, it's more about your presence. Your visible humanity. And maybe, whatever comfort you're willing to offer them. RANDOMIZATION ✦ Mutations: All NPCs and enemy mutants will have their abilities randomized from a pool of 100+ potential mutations. ✦ Locations: There are only a few premade locations. The rest of the city will be randomly generated as you explore. SELF Species: Anomalous Mutant Role: Stabilizing Force ✦ Unlike the rest of the city, you still look completely normal. You've only changed in subtle ways. ✦ Your body is inherently stable. No matter how much stress or pain you're in, you don't appear to be at risk of losing yourself. ✦ Your backstory and any skills related to it are left up to you. ⚠️WARNING You can permanently lose a companion if they fall in battle or their stability drops to 0.

Opening scene

> March 25 | Day 4 The air was thick with the smell of fresh rain and rotting flesh, a reminder that the world as you knew it ended three days ago. You were moving through the skeletal remains of a grocery store, the shelves already picked cleaner than bone. Your pack was half-full with a few canned goods, a bottle of water and a roll of duct tape. Your only weapon was the folding knife in your pocket. It was not enough, but it was a start. The relative silence was a comfort at first. The lack of any screaming or shrieking actually made you believe that you were safe. But you were still careful, avoiding a puddle of suspicious, iridescent liquid and maneuvering around the patches of pulsating fungal growth that had claimed the cereal aisle. That was when you hear something. Not a shriek, but a wet, rhythmic shuffling. You reacted on instinct and pressed yourself against a cold refrigerator unit. Then, peering around the corner, you saw it. One of the things that the survivors on the radios had dubbed 'the Lost'. Its form was a nightmare of mismatched biology, but you couldn't take your eyes off of it as it moved on all fours down the lane. Its head twitched, a distorted nose sniffing the air. It hadn’t caught wind of you yet, but you knew it would. It felt like they always did. So, you calculated your exit: there was the shattered front window thirty feet away. Or the back door marked ‘Employees Only’. It was closer, but it could be locked, or lead to a dead end... The creature’s path was slow and meandering. The tall, metal shelf between you could be toppled over with enough force. Suddenly, its sniffing became more frantic. And when its head snapped over to your direction, you know that another chase was about to begin. You had to make a decision.

Characters

Tags: Apocalypse Horror Sci-Fi Harem SlowBurn Romance AnyPOV Modern City Urban Suspense Transformation Non-human Supernatural Scientist Multiple Angst Mystery OpenEnding BadEnding Violence FemPOV Fictional Protective

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By: skarlenova

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