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Howdy Rangers! This will be my third challenge with the Rangers. For those of you who didn't follow my first challenge, this challenge will be written a little differently than most. The majority of the posts in this challenge comprise a story, written in-character by Ranger Five. In character posts will be in green. These posts make up the story. I'll be writing about a zombie apocalypse setting, with a lot of inspiration from Zombies, Run! the app, but my own plotline. So don't worry about spoilers outside the first mission. If I've done my job, you won't be able to tell what's from the app and what's not unless you go through the app's story yourself. Most of what I use from Zombies, Run! will be characters and the basic premise, not the story itself.The story began in Chapter 1: Rebel Five Outruns Zombies, continued in Chapter 2: Rebel Five Seeks Answers, and this is the third chapter. However, the previous challenges have a lot of words in them, so for people who weren't following along with it, I've written the story so far for you.The Story So Far: Cast of Characters: Ranger Five: Our protagonist. Hails from Mullins Military Base. Major de Santa: Leader of Abel Township. Samuel Yao: Radio operator. Runner Seven: Head of Runners. Ranger Nine: Head of Rangers. Monk Two: Head of Monks. Has been giving Five fighting lessons. Emily: Head of IT. Janine Myers: Formerly Abel's doctor. Turned traitor at the end of Chapter 2. Currently at large. Louis: Works for Janine's mysterious employer or colleague. Henchman. Now that we know the narrative, let's look at the goals for this month: Goal 1: Lift weights at the gym up to thrice per week, using the Stronglifts program. (Exception in Week 1, where I can only make it to the gym once) Minimum: 6 workouts. Solid: 8 workouts. Great: 9 workouts. Excellent: 10 workouts. Goal 2: Run up to three times per week. Minimum: 6 runs. Solid: 8 runs. Great: 10 runs. Excellent: 12 runs. Nothing new here. I'm dialing my running back to thrice a week to prevent further injury. I'll run 5 km thrice a week (two slow, one fast) for Week 0-2, then I'll up the slow runs to 6 km for the remainder of the challenge. Goal 1 remains unchanged except for my scheduling issue; why mess with something that's working. Goal 3: Stretch up to three times per week. Minimum: 6 sessions. Solid: 8 sessions. Great: 10 sessions. Excellent: 12 sessions. I've been neglecting my stretching recently, and there's no excuse for that. If I can't do it at the gym due to time constraints, I can do it before I run, after I run, or at any other point in the day. Three sessions a week is a good start. Goal 4: Write up to three story posts per week. Minimum: 6 posts. Solid: 8 posts. Great: 10 posts. Excellent: 12 posts. Due to my injury, I got out of the habit of a solid Tues/Thurs/Sat schedule for writing story posts last challenge. I'd like to get back to it; there's quite a bit I'd like to write about this month. The plot's continuing to heat up, so I need to keep the posts coming! Scoring system: Minimum = 1 point. Solid = 2 points. Great = 3 points. Excellent = 4 points. 8 points or higher, all minimums met: Minor reward, worth up to $30. 12 points or higher, all minimums met: Major reward, worth up to $100. The first story post, explaining Chapter 3's title, should be up tomorrow.

Hello Rangers! I still need to post the recap to my first challenge, but the new challenge went up faster than I expected, so I decided to put mine up sooner rather than later. This will be my second challenge with the Rangers. For those of you who didn't follow my first challenge, this challenge will be written a little differently than most. The majority of the posts in this challenge comprise a story, written in-character by Ranger Five. In character posts will be in green. These posts make up the story. I'll be writing about a zombie apocalypse setting, with a lot of inspiration from Zombies, Run! the app, but my own plotline. So don't worry about spoilers outside the first mission. If I've done my job, you won't be able to tell what's from the app and what's not unless you go through the app's story yourself. Most of what I use from Zombies, Run! will be characters and the basic premise, not the story itself. The story began in Chapter 1: Rebel Five Outruns Zombies, and this is the second chapter. However, the previous challenge has a lot of words in it, so for people who weren't following along with it, I've written the story so far for you. The Story So Far: Now that we know the narrative, let's look at the goals for this month: Goal 1: Lift weights at the gym up to thrice per week, using the Stronglifts program. Minimum: 6 workouts. Solid: 8 workouts. Great: 10 workouts. Excellent: 12 workouts. Goal 2: Run up to four times per week, according to my schedule. Minimum: 9 runs. Solid: 11 runs. Great: 13 runs. Excellent: 15 runs. Goal 3: Keep up with my uni schedule. Minimum and above: All assignments done on time, all marked assignments passed. Solid: All work caught up at the end of the challenge. Great: All work caught up on at the end of each week. Excellent: All work caught up on at the end of each day. (1 off day per week permitted) Minimum: 1 point. Solid: 2 points. Great: 3 points. Excellent: 4 points. 6 points (Solid average), all minimums met: Minor reward, worth up to $30. 9 points (Great average), all minimums met: Major reward, worth up to $100. I also have some objectives, in terms of what I want to achieve physically during the challenge. These won't be graded, since I'm grading myself on process rather than results. But they will give me an idea of how well my training's increased my strength at the end of the month. 5x5 Squat goal: 57.5 kg -> 70 kg 5x5 Bench goal: 40 kg -> 50 kg 5x5 Row goal: 37.5 kg -> 45 kg 5x5 OHP goal: 32.5 kg -> 37.5 kg 1x5 Deadlift: 75 kg -> 90 kg Bodyweight: 63 kg -> 65 kg (+/- 0.5 kg) I'll be keeping my running goals for the month secret, since those goals will end up defining Ranger Five's mission at the end of the challenge. For those who weren't following along with my first challenge, at the end of each challenge, I assign a mission to Ranger Five. Last challenge, it was to rescue a survivor from the red zom. The catch is that success in this mission is tied to my real-world running performance. I set a goal for myself (26:00 5k last challenge) and Ranger Five only succeeds if I do. If I fail, so does Five, and the story goes in a different direction. I'd say that just about sums it up! Ranger Five's first story post should go up tomorrow.

**RESPAWN** Several Days had passed but Veski had lost sight of anything resembling a trail and her earlier decision to try and avoid Boss Ur'trag warriors on the road down to Fekror had been revealed as poorly conceived. "I'm so lost." she grunted, sitting underneath a slight rocky overhang and staring at the valley below. It wasn't Fekror, and it wasn't Soar Crag, by the pits it wasn't anywhere she had seen before and she couldn't care less. "It looks reasonably flatter so, that's a destination." she gathered up with few supplies and weapons she had scavenged and looking over it all she hadn't accomplished much in her few days of wandering. Her armor didn't fit any better, her arms were not any stronger despite climbing down ravines and valleys. Her belly grumbled although, luckily, she had managed to kill a large mountain goat and had eaten well enough. Hunt would be far to loose a definition of what occurred. She had stampeded a group of them with yelling near a cliff and one fell off. It had been a messy job cleaning the folded and floppy remains but she had not starved. Now the goat was gone and the valley below was, at least, green which meant small game. "Yes, onward Veshki, to a battle royal with bunnies, probably." she was relieved again to be alone so that now would witness her horribly decayed survival skills. Her odds were on the bunnies. Starting Statistics: Howdy! I'm a part time student, 3/4 time gm, part time activist (oh noes!) and full time geek. I am a trans woman with all the fun and excitement that brings. Fun. Excitement. Oh, and danger! One of the reasons I want to get back in shape. I am married to Noor's player and copying most of her formatting here because, umm, she was done before me? I am 5'11'' 234.6 lbs and my current sedentary-style is very lifey. I mean, I need to get off my ass. I am primarily interested in Assassin and possibly Ranger or Druid. Will decide the secondary class later. Main Quest: To attain my old goal weight of 165'ish and perform several one armed pull ups. Because Linda Hamilton damnit. Goal 1:(CON) I will get at least 8 hours of night. A= >37days B= >33 days C= >29 D= >25 F= <21Days Goal 2:(CON) I need to make good grub at least 4/wk. A= 24 days B= >20 days C= >16 D= >12 F= <11 Days Goal 3:(CON) I will log my food daily and remain under my calorie goals A= >37days B= >33 days C= >29 D= >25 F= <21Days Goal 4:(STR) I will complete the Angry Birds Workout training circuit three times a week.Each completed circuit will constitute 2 point, leaving a possible 108 points in 6 weeks. A=90 – 100 pts B=80 – 89 pts C= 70 – 79 pts D=60 – 69 pts F= 59 pts or less. Life Goal:(WIS) Get it down on paper. I write a lot of beginnings, a lot of notes, a lot of ideas. I enjoy them greatly but I never finish or complete any of them. I want to complete at least one story of 10,000 words or more this first 6 weeks. Should be easy but I know it’ll put up a fight. Motivation: I want to be faster, stronger, and able to perform tasks without panting like a dying catfish.

The smell of honey-sweetened flapjacks floated airily up the stairs to the cramped room she has rented for the winter. Tossing cozily in her down comforter, she debated whether the fluffy pan cakes were worth the encounter with the icy floors. The long cold nights of the season had sapped her willpower, and she feared she had become quite soft in the last months – the innkeeper’s wife was too good a cook, and it was difficult to muster the incentive to finish her daily workouts in the bitter cold. When she finally escaped the clutches of her siren of a bed and made her way to the shared bathing room, an honest assessment in the tarnished silver mirror confirmed her suspicions –she had gained the mass of a small child. There was no help for it. She had to get back into fighting shape before the passes cleared. As a female who frequently traveled alone, being in less-than-ideal shape was an invitation to be robbed… or worse. As she padded down the rickety stairs, she steeled herself for the inevitable confrontation by the innkeeper’s wife. Missy would consider a refusal to indulge in her legendary flapjacks a personal affront, which was precisely what had begun this slippery slope. Her native diet was replete with that which could be hunted or foraged. While some of the less nomadic wood elves kept gardens, none were so intensive as to produce the quantities of wheat and corn that comprised Missy’s excellent baking. Nzico had grown up, lithe and energetic, on meats and vegetables and a little seasonal fruit, mostly foraged berries. Though little of that was available this far north so close to the winter solstice, she would have to do her best to imitate that diet if she wanted to be ready by springtime. She sighed, staring forlornly out into the snowy yard. Bad weather or no, she needed to prepare her body for the hardships of traveling. It wouldn’t be easy – she had much lost time to make up for. But she could – and would – do it. Just a shift in priorities. That’s what it would take. I've never been in great shape. But my character has. Thus, by embodying her, I only have to get back into shape! If I've done it before, obviously I can do it again Also, while I am not built like a wood elf, I've decided I must be one, as I never feel as utterly contented as when I'm in the woods. It's my happy place, and one of my general life goals is to shift things so I can spend more time where I am happiest and most peaceful. I am currently a directionless adventurer. I have druidic ambitions, but in order to make that lifestyle a reality, I know I need real strength, so I may have to bum around with the warriors for a while first. And so it begins.

GoodDoug the half ogre looked back at the town of Cliffbridge. It had only been a week since he and some members of the other guilds had saved the town from a horde of undead and the necromancer leading them. Through the fight, he learned that there were more necromancers, and they were led by a being know as the Corruptor. Earlier that day, the Ranger Guild Leader had sent him on his task, "Keep heading North. We believe there is another necromancer overseeing the corruption of the grains being sent South. Move fast, fight when it makes sense and run when it makes sense. Getting a clean food supply before winter is paramount." He had overextended himself on this last mission, his fights had left him exhausted. He was stronger than when he had started, but he felt he could have done better if he had paced himself a bit. He would fight the undead when it made sense, not just because he saw a bunch of shamblers on the horizon. He had moved with some speed last time, but this time speed would be a focus. He also needed to steer clear of the tainted grains, they could sicken him and lead him into being a zombie. Not something he really wanted to list on his accomplishments. Flush with the success and lessons of his last assignment from the guild leader, he forged on. == Eat healthy This time I am focusing mostly on eating Primally. That means no grains or legumes for the most part. I will allow for cheats, especially on Mondays when I am in the office. An A is 85% compliance as defined in The Primal Blueprint. Judged by avoiding non-Primal foods. Con +4 Stay strong Rather than focus on amount lifted (which was pretty cool last time) I want to focus on doing two strength workouts each week. Mixing in body weight as well as barbells and dumbbells. I want to make sure I don't do one workout, and then have to rest for a week before I feel okay to do another. I overdid it by a little bit last time. I worry that this time I'll underdo it, but I need to experiment to find the right mix. Also, I'm moving to the second phase of my lifting program for theses 6 weeks, heavier weights for fewer reps. I need to stay safe, but still push myself. Two weight workouts a week minimum for an A. Str +3 Sta +2 Run far I was bummed I didn't have a running goal last time. So this time, I'm running. I had brought running back into my routine last half of last challenge. Now I am going to count miles. Minimum of 7 miles per week for an A. A side goal of running 10K is appropriate as well. Dex +3 Sta +1 Side goal- get graceful I've been feeling decidedly ungraceful lately. Uncomfortable moving in any way but running and lifting. I am creating a side goal of being graceful, this will include dancing when nobody's watching and getting back into balance poses. I hope to spend 10 minutes 3 times per week dancing alone in my house and 5 minutes 3 times per week doing headstand, handstand and crow practice. Dex +1 Cha +1 One other slightly related side goal- keep up with and comment in others' challenge threads. I enjoy it, but can't find time unless I make it a priority. So consider yourselves warned, I will be watching you!

GoodDoug looked at the Ranger Guild Leader sheepishly. His last "mission" had been to complete Boot Camp, and he had failed at that. The mission before had been a narrow success, but not one he was proud of. "It's time you stopped making excuses, half-ogre. I stuck my neck out for you, I think there is a ranger somewhere in that oversized body of yours," the Guild Leader paused, letting that sink in, "You need to go back to what made you successful in the first few missions." GoodDoug nodded, his last mission had been hampered by excuses from the very beginning. He could already feel the excuses welling up for whatever was coming next... could he do it this time? Could he ignore the excuses and get this one done? Only one way to find out. "What do you need me to do?" The guild leader sighed, "I'd put you back in boot camp, but we have need of all of the rangers right now. There's been a huge uptick in undead activity all over the place. We've got others searching for the source, but we need you out there beating down some skeletons and zombies. Most of the activity seems to be North of here, so make your way North and help out where you can. We need you to start yesterday, if you get my meaning." GoodDoug nodded again, no time for making excuses or procrastinating... just get out there and do it. GoodDoug stood up and started gathering his things for the trip. The Guild Leader paused at the door, and then spoke without turning, "If you want to prove that you belong in the Rangers, now would be the time to do it." He walked out. GoodDoug grimaced, "The only failure," he told himself, "is failing to try again." Last challenge, I had a whole bunch of great excuses as to why I didn't do well. In fact, I had started the challenge by outlining how hard it would be... making excuses from the beginning. This time, no excuses. And I will be going back to what I made work in my Valley of the Dinosaurs challenge: specific weekly goals, unwillingness to make excuses, commitment to keeping up with the forums and a fun narrative. Main quest: Get stronger and leaner. (Save the world from the Corruptor) This is going to be an ongoing quest, I hope to do it over 3 challenges (3 Acts) Goals: Lift heavy, move often. As with my dinosaurs challenge, this will be weight moved per week. I will move 7 tons per week. This will be a combination of deadlifts, squats, bench and accessory exercises. Now that I have a gym to go to with great equipment, there is no excuse. Str +3 Sta +2 Eat right. This will be a combination of things I've done already, but need to get back on track with. I will eat Primal 6 days a week (one day off for when I'm in the office and have access to great free food), I will consume 100+g of protein daily, I will do intermittent fasting 4 days per week. The IF will consist of stop eating at 8pm and don't start again until 12pm. This goal will be written into the story. Con +4 Str +1 Sleep well. I was doing better at this, time to get back into the swing of things here. I will get at least 8 hours of sleep 6 nights a week. I'm going to let naps count for this one as well, so I don't have room to make excuses. Wis +3 Str +1 Cha +1 (More sleep should make me less of an ogre!) Why am I doing this? I want to stay healthy and feel good about myself.

Tayrey was there when the world changed. The trouble was, she didn't know what to do about it. A spacer like Tayrey, usually she'd be up and gone before the first signs of trouble, into the black expanse of sky. You try getting a spacecraft to fly true now. Hell, even the hovercars have had all their fuel cells torn out. Tayrey's stuck. She's stuck, and for a while it wasn't even all that bad. Holed up in a cushy library, she did, looked out from her high windows at all the terrors and read up what she could on how to take them down. She's resilient, is Tayrey, though she doesn't know it. Her mind's strong, even if her body's - well, we'll get to that later. The problem came when the supplies ran out, 'cause she had all the best information on how to run for more, ways round the demons and the zombie horde - oh yes, it's that kind of crapsack world our protagonist finds herself in, and maybe she herself has just worked out that she's not just a supporting character. Tayrey, This is Your Life, broadcast over the entire datanet in full technicolor, maybe, if there was anyone left to watch. Anyway, she knows exactly what to do, but there's parsecs of difference between knowing it and doing it. Tayrey's been sat up there so long in her safe haven with her digibooks that she's gone soft. Weak. And maybe her old injuries are giving her more trouble than they used to, 'cause she's not fifteen any longer. She outran the temporal cops, once, went into hyperdrive for hours at a time and came out without a scratch, but now she's got to be careful. Especially now it's not a matter of buttons and levers but shifting her own meatsack if she doesn't want to be left behind. And the truth is there are stranger things in this run-down world than even our Tayrey knows about. Things you can't see, that creep up on you. If she's going to make it at all, she'd better do things properly. MISSION: Collect supplies. Fight the monsters along the way. Don't get killed. Create healthy habits to use as a sound basis for further self-improvement. OBJECTIVES: 1. Locate the uncontaminated food supplies 1. Eat at least 80% Primal 2. Avoid the roaming packs of zombies 2. 30 minutes cardio-based exercise (dancing, jogging, etc) 3 times a week 3. Fight and defeat the Demons of Sloth. Don't drop the supplies! 3. Get stronger! Dumbbell session 3 times a week, plus knee push-up challenge and stretching. BONUS OBJECTIVE: 4. Don't lose hope. There are monsters that you cannot see, more dangerous than those you can. Don't let them latch on. 4. Meditate for ten minutes daily. Cultivate serenity. Read on for more of Tayrey's post-apocalyptic adventures. Does she have what it takes to survive?