15227/Another Savage Land visitor

Another Savage Land visitor
Date of Scene:	25 June 2023
Location:	Southern Mountain Range
Synopsis:	Valerie encountered the Hulk on the Savage Lands. The two have a quirky encounter that looks deeper at both.
Cast of Characters:	Bruce Banner, Valerie Killmore

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Bruce Banner has posed:
At the foot of the towering Southern Mountains lies a peculiar sight within the Savage Lands. Massive high-tech structures, resembling parts of a ship, are embedded into the ground, forming imposing walls that encircle a small city where the dense jungle meets the mountains. Beyond the walls, a diverse array of races native to the Savage Lands can be seen, ranging from mutated humans to therianthropes. They engage in farming and excavation activities, working on constructing an additional wall outside the farms to fortify their village and adopt a more defensive stance in this chaotic region.

Curiously, both the farmers and diggers wear metal collars around their necks, seemingly by choice, as there are no locks indicating forced restraint. Positioned near the gate are two formidable gorilla-like figures, positioned on all fours and serving as guardians. Unlike the others, they are not adorned with collars. The skies above the small city are inhabited by flying dinosaurs, patrolling in an organized manner, scanning the jungle for intruders and keeping a watchful eye on the numerous perils that the controlled animals may spot in the wild.

The city gate stands open, providing a glimpse into the interior, where several small square homes constructed from a similar metal as the walls are stacked tightly together to maximize available space. Ropes and ladders crisscross between the homes, forming a maze-like network of pathways. Finally, at the heart of the city, a colossal green-skinned figure resembling the Hulk sits upon a throne fashioned from dinosaur bones. The bones themselves appear larger than usual, a testament to their mutated resilience, hinting at the dangerous nature of this extraordinary land.

Bruce Banner has posed:
It's your regular everyday event. Fiddling with something. Tweaking this other thing, using a paperclip, no used staples. Maybe both. Yes, definitely both. Just an ordinary everyday type situation. Using what's around to make up the world of invention, trash. And then, well, you tweak this optimizer that you were working on, what's an optimizer? Well, it -

And with that thought, Hex's belt buckle unfolds itself in steampunk tech-like way, unfolding with little spidery arms and flipping some runes around on its own accord, spinning quickly, and then zap. A field of electricity sparks all around her when another big ball of electricity appears over the quaint village that Hulk is sitting on.

In the sky, about a mile up, there's a crackle then a boom of the thunder a few seconds later, with that comes a mess of blue braids whipping wildly above a flailing Hex. Her arms moving quickly, "Nono nonono, not again!" She screams as she is fast approaching the ground from high above. Such an occurrence may not be the most bizarre thing to happen to her today, as she's falling she even quiets down some, grabbing her phone, which is tied to a chain that wraps around her skinny waist, and she has time to pop open her camera app, zoom in on the village she's falling towards, and says, "Huh, gorillas?" And if no one stops her, she'll be colliding into the ground immediately after.

Bruce Banner has posed:
Welcome to the Savage Lands, where everything in nature is trying to kill you, and no one helps others from falling from great heights! She isn't spotted until she is well on her way down, and apart from helping her, the gorillas take a step back from where she is going to land. They talk to each other in English, debating whether she will die or not from the impact, even betting food rations on it. A young man with arrows on his head walks out of the gate, inquiring about what is going on to the other two. Now all three of them look at the fallen person with curiosity.

One of the monkey people asks the boy with arrows on his head what they should do. The young man is unsure and doesn't say anything, instead waiting for signs of life and looking up to see if there will be any more of them coming. Realizing there aren't, he pulls out a small metal collar, not to put on her, but to offer if she gets up again. The young man knows that non-combatants wear these collars, so he would give her the choice.

In the background, hearing all of this, Hulk leans forward on his bone chair. He was bored as the last challenge he had smashed, and their need for him was diminishing as the city became more defended. Even the larger creatures around were starting to realize that this place was not safe for them. Hulk had already reached a tentative peace agreement with Sauron, so whatever this was, perhaps it would break the monotony. For now, he doesn't do anything, just observing, as one of his top three is already there to ensure it is handled.

Valerie Killmore has posed:
And with a loud audible crash into the ground, Hex hits the Earth once more and not very gracefully. Perhaps she'd of landed better had she not been distracted by the gorillas, who seemed to be talking with a nearby person with arrows on his hat. It was all, well, exactly like her dream on Tuesday. The loud thudding sound is followed by a "Nnnnnnh, well, that DIDN'T work." A pause, and she's turning to her side to look over at the people talking, raising up an arm to rest her head against the hand. Then she's rolling backwards and hopping to her feet with grace, leaning back heavily on her heels while bending her body forward creating a sideways V like symbol.

"Well, look at what we have here, gorillas! And they're talking, I really did think that movie was a documentary, and now I have proof." Spinning on one foot, twirling, "And now I know, I can travel in time, as well as space. Just gotta get the vector coordinates right, mix in the correct runes and ta-da, I'll be back to my lab in no time." A pause, and she finger gun snaps at one of the three men sort of watching her, "Get it?"

\Then she quickly tips her head to the side, letting her head tilt, "Huh? No, I didn't see, see what? There's definitely not a big green man looking at me." Then she slowly turns her head a bit more to see Hulk, and then widens her eyes some, looking away, hunching over a bit conspiratorially, but talking in normal volume, "There was, that's not suppose to be true. I know, right? Yes, of course!" She then turns back around and points accusingly at Hulk, "You, you are supposed to be a zombie, not a ... a ... big fella like you are, which for the record, is rather attractive, but entirely incorrectly positioned. You should be a zombie, I'm just saying, I'm not upset or anything, but I am." She fumes, finger still waggling and pointing at Hulk as she approaches him unafraid.

Bruce Banner has posed:
As she stands, the three listen to her. The ape-men are confused, and they simply look at her without approaching. They realize that someone who falls from such a height and gets up again might not be the best person to mess with. They exchange glances and then look at the young man with arrows on his head. The young man remains silent but considers what she said. People traveling through time or space is not unheard of in this place, and she might be from the future, so she needs to be handled carefully.

However, as she walks past him while he is deep in thought, the young man looks up, surprised. "Umm... Miss, if you go in without one of these, you'll be considered a combatant and can be challenged," he says to her, unsure of how to respond to her comments. He holds out a metal collar with a simple latch, which can be easily handled, and looks at her with a small smile, hoping she would take it. He knows their king will take on all challengers, regardless of what might happen to their small town.

The young man wears what appears to be rags, while the apes wear nothing, exemplifying the savage nature of the area. Hulk, too, appears dressed similarly, though the animal used must have been enormous. For some reason, the Savage Lands have an effect on the Hulk. Perhaps it's the slightly higher radiation prevalent in the area, or maybe it's the sheer viciousness of the surroundings. As Hulk rises from his chair, the changes become apparent.

Standing at a towering nine feet tall, Hulk's muscles are bulging and his presence feels more immense and powerful than ever before in New York. Though he wears a small twisted smile on his lips, the anger burning inside him is evident in his eyes. Hulk gets up and starts walking toward her, eventually standing over the shorter lady, looking down at her. "Sky lady talk too fast," he says in broken English. His expression shifts, preparing to smash something, his fists clenched tightly enough to make noise. "Hulk strongest there is," he declares, staring at her, unaware that she might be here for reasons other than challenging him for leadership.

Behind her, the young man speaks up in a quiet tone, "M... My king. She claims to be a time traveler, although much of what she says is difficult for me to comprehend." The young man seems to be the more intelligent one, attempting to explain to Hulk that perhaps she has other motives. Hulk's gaze momentarily shifts from Val to the young man, anger evident on his face at being interrupted. The young man tries to make himself as small as possible as he backs away. "Of course... Miss, I don't know who you are, but please, let's not fight here," he says, stepping back, attempting to warn the newcomer. He is aware that the last two people who challenged Hulk ended up as nothing more than bloody stains, and he wants to explore the possibilities of what she may discover instead.

Valerie Killmore has posed:
"Challenge?!" Hex starts, speaking loudly as she squints over her shoulder at the man offering a collar, "As much fun as your kinky little village of awkward browser clearing porn might be! I am not CHALLENGED!" She screams, "No." She turns her head to the side quickly, where no one is present, "No I'm not, I'm not, okay, so what if I'm talking to you? I don't understand your point. You- oh, okay, I'll let you finish." She pauses, folding one arm under her chest, the other arm rests on the first one to hold it up so she can lean her chin against it in an inquisitive look. "Hmmm. I do not concede your point, but you make a number 2 pencil worth of one."

Then, back to the grinning giant man behind her, "Okay Mister. Why aren't you a zombie? You best begin to answer me that." She reaches up, then realizes her hand just doesn't reach that high up. She was going to poke him, but realizing her 5'3" of height are simply dwarfed by the large incredibly muscled (more than normal) Hulk. And she takes in a breath, and then pauses, "Mister Big Green." She looks up, and then up some more quirking her mouth a bit, off to the side, then looking around.

Holding up a finger in a 'wait' motion, she walks away from the Hulk, grabs a nearby crate full of stuff, her super slender limbs easily pick it up and she brings it over. Settling it on the ground she hops on top with an easy hop. Then she starts again, just to stop, squint looking around she holds up another finger to have Hulk wait, and she goes and grabs a cart, wheels it over, settles it, checks it for balance, then hefts the crate to the top, then hops to that height easily enough. She now stands towering over the Hulk and hmmms, "No, still not fair." So she settles into a seated position with her legs dangling off so she can be eye to eye.

"Alright Mister Big and Green, listen up. You ... " She reaches up and grabs her head, and shakes, "Come on. Great... you've distracted me and I've forgotten what I was going to say! Jeez. Being strong is great, though, and you are pretty big, I'd wager you are the strongest around here. Can you turn" Her eyes brighten and she gets a big grin, "Of course, can you turn into a zombie though? Now -that's- a challenge!"

Bruce Banner has posed:
When she declines Hulk's challenge, his anger seems to subside slightly as he nods with a "herumph" sound, similar to that of a bull, indicating his acceptance of her decision. "Sky woman smart... No challenge Hulk," he says, looking at her and then back at the young man. "Leave us... Hulk deal. Arrow man promised new village," he chides the young man for his slowness. Unrelated to this, the young man nods and says to the new woman, "His name is King..." but is interrupted by the mighty Hulk barking, "Hulk... Just Hulk!" He slams the ground with a fist, causing the area to shake, and people hold on to whatever they can to maintain their balance. The young man quickly corrects himself, "Of course, of course... And we will find the village soon, my king." He turns and starts running further into the village to fulfill his king's request.

With a growl and a  fistshake at the arrow man, Hulk turns to Val, tilting his head as he considers her. "Zom...b..." he struggles with the word, but he takes note as he watches her move the cart and then the crate. It demonstrates her courage and intelligence, which amuses the Hulk and elicits a slight chuckle.

Since coming to this place, Hulk has been experiencing and discovering new things, and he's starting to enjoy it. He continues to observe as Val moves the crate and stands on it. He looks down at her with an entertained expression. It would take two or three of his own people to lift that thing, yet she accomplished it with little effort. The Hulk begins to grasp that she may be more than she appears, although her eye color is different as well. He waits until she stands on her contraption to prod him again and grins at her. "You are not spy lady?" With an honest struggle, he adds the word, "SHIELD," and turns in a small circle, unaware of why he shouldn't. He assumes she won't attack him when his back is turned, as that would mean it's Clobbering... no wait Smashing time.

Valerie Killmore has posed:
A compliment! Hex pauses a moment and blink blinks, eyes a bit wide as she pouts her lips, "Who meeee? Smart? Oh, maybe, maybe not, probably tho, not what the kids would say. They'd say I wasn't" She pauses and turns her head to the side, angrily, "No! You stop talking." Then pauses and breathes a few heavy quick times, "Sorry about that, it's so rude when others interrupt your conversation." And then she waits a moment, and then recalls what she was saying.

Just in time for the big fist to hit the ground and shake things, actually bouncing her up and down on the cart crate contraption, and it being so close to the heavy hit, splinters a little causing it to start leaning. With the conversation and the annoying guy leaving, she offers, "Yes! A Zom Bee, that's right. You got it in one, ya aren't so dumb yerself!" And she steps from the crate like she's going to walk on air, but just drops to the ground and continues stepping as Hulk turns to presumably move.

"That your throne? How'd you get so big anyhow? You are BIG, that's fine by me though, but I bet people don't like you for it. They gotta always get angry, you know, when you ask to be called something and they don't listen. Hulk, why does that name sound so familiar ... Hulk. Hulking good time? Hulking Sandwiches, no." Another pause as you ask her about her job.

"A spy? No, though that's very close to sky lady, spy lady, not a me lady. Nope again, I like this game. Keep guessing, bet you can't figure out what I am!" She grins, then hops to in front of Hulk, walking backwards, putting her hands behind her back as she's moving, "I am a scientist! Boom, bet you'd of never guessed -" A pause and she growls, squinting her eyes, turning her head, "No I am NOT flirting, he's clearly not interested, super green, giant, surrounded by gorillas? That level of competition is NOT clearly something I can compete with. I don't even have visible muscles, or a back full of hair." A pause and she rolls her eyes, looking back up to the Hulk, "Finally! Peace and quiet. You like Shields then?"

Bruce Banner has posed:
Hulk chuckles again when Hex yells at the man before he runs away, finding amusement in the fact that the young man could have avoided being a combatant simply by wearing a collar like the others. Hulk enjoyed teasing him for his choice. He doesn't correct Val as Hulk assumes she must be stronger than the young man, as it aligns with the new society they've established for the uncollared individuals. If the young man wanted to challenge Val, he had the option to do so, but instead, he chose to flee, so by being stronger Val was right.

Hulk watches as Val walks and curiously follows her to what the others referred to as a throne, although he just sees it as another chair like hers. "Hulk not know... After fight, Hulk did not return to size," he tries to explain, as he isn't a scientist but the Hulk. "Hulk think better... Speaking still hard," he adds, acknowledging that in this place, he has become a bit smarter than his usual self. Here, he has transformed into something more, even though he doesn't fully comprehend the extent of it.

He then moves around to place a big arm on the chair. "Hulk was Avenger... Hulk stuck in puny Banner... Here Hulk free," he elaborates, not minding if others know his past. He turns to look at Val. "You not future lady, are you?" he asks skeptically, as he has encountered a few people from the future in this realm. They were all arrogant individuals who believed they were superior to everyone else. One of those individuals ended up as a blood stain, an encounter that had angered the Hulk. Fortunately, the man hadn't worn a collar, so Hulk's might made him right.

Hulk gazes at Val but frowns slightly. "You no scientist... Scientist weak, and try to hurt Hulk," he dismisses the notion, appreciating Val's presence thus far and not wanting to become angry if she turned out to be a scientist. He doesn't fully grasp the concept of flirting as he rubs the back of his head with a big green hand. He remains quiet, struggling to piece his words together. "You strong... Fight gorilla people if you want?" he offers, waving a hand towards the gate where the two guards stand. The guards appear nonplussed and a bit concerned that the lady who fell might be more formidable than they anticipated. Hulk stands, waiting to see if his assumption is correct, but then Val asks about shields.

Hulk smashes the ground in anger, roaring loudly. He moves in close proximity to Val, staring at her with visible anger in his eyes. "Shield nuke Hulk... Shield left Hulk here... Shield come here, Hulk smash," he says, leaving no doubt that, at present, Hulk and Shield are not on good terms. Although she asked about shields innocently, the mere mention of the topic triggered Hulk's anger once again. His temper was easily triggered, but he had learned not to smash people over time.

Valerie Killmore has posed:
The chuckle gets a smile, Hex isn't quite sure what she did to make the big green man happy but she'll take it. And she tilts her head to the side, inquisitively as the conversation veers a bit, "Banner, Banner, if he's puny, well he's not worth your time." She offers with her own understanding of the situation, "I'm pretty puny as well, tho, come to think of it, which means I'm not worth your time either. It's unfortunate that I'm so small. Petite, some people say,but that's just putting a candy shell on a dog biscuit. Not that a dog biscuit is terrible, if you find a good one, they aren't that bad. But you'd rather have a real biscuit, cooked hot, freshly made out of an easy bake oven." She takes in a deep breath through her nose, "Mmm, I can already taste it."

Then she walks up to the throne, "Oh, wow, look at this thing. You know, this has some support problems, you gotta do a little of this." She starts re-arranging some of the bones, pulling a piece out and quickly swapping others around. Pretty fast, faster than a normal human clearly. "Oh, that's a good spot, yes, a little to the side." She moves to the side and does some more. Soon, she's listening while she's moving around the throne and the Hulk, setting up his chair to be a lot more stable.

When he gets done and roars, even smashing the ground, causing the poor little woman to bounce a bit, she grins, "See, no shake." And she hmms, "And that's why your bone chair is better than a typical chair, comes with built in joints, and meant to support things much greater than its original weight or structure would indicate."

Looking over her shoulder at the mention of the gorillas she shakes her head, "Oh, no, I do not want to fight them. They aren't my type. A little hairy, but the jawline that's kind of nice, plus the sharp teeth. I like a good set of teeth. Good for eating, not eating teeth, I've never had teeth come to think of it, but I might try it the next time I have a dog biscuit."

Another moment goes by as Hulk talks about Shields, and Hex starts to sniffle some, she runs her sleeve along her face, "I feel ya." She walks up and reaches up to pat Hulk's shoulder in a comforting kind of way, "I bet those Shields were terrible to you, talking about your funny blue hair, and how skinny you are, and so pale! It's hurtful, I get it, I bet you lit them on fire while they were trapped in their homes." She sniffles again, a few droplets of tears rolling down her cheeks as she pouts, "I feel like we're just two peas in a shotgun. Just know, someone understands you Mister Hulk."