You find yourself in E1M1

[foq]

>y u no talk to DKC about trucks/

bust through d00r

[Shadowswift]

>y u no talk to DKC about trucks/

bust through d00r

((I have absolutely no interest in turning this into a truck thread. Please respect my wishes on that))

You claw at the steel door, but can't seem to get your fingers into the opening (that's what she said). Hm...you order Darkscythe to pry the door open. He grunts and wedges his claws into the parting. He shoves his might into the door, trying vigorously to part it open. You and Phoenix assist him once the parting is wide enough to get your hands in. You had no idea these things were so heavy! With your combined might, you successfully throw the door open. You proceed into the hallway beyond it and fumble around in the dark until you find another door. Theres a gold keycard symbol on it. Shit...even with the DKC's strength, you wouldn't be able to pry that lock apart. You step backwards and notice a clank beneath your step. You look down to find yourself standing on a steel grate. There is a padlock on it. Darkscythe makes short work it with his claws. You lift the grate to find a ladder decending into a long, dark tunnel. You take the ladder downward, listening very intently for any movement below. Once you hit bottom, you have yourself a look around. It looks like a substation. Breaker boxes should be around here somewhere.
"Sir, look. Think I found 'em." You step over to the metal boxes. There's a padlock on them as well. No problem. Darkscythe takes a mighty swipe at the lock and nearly breaks his claw off. He steps away, whimpering. You inspect the lock. Not a scratch on it...hm....tempered titanium. Breaking that is gonna be damn hard. You doubt you have the means to do so. You'll have to find the key. Hrm....

>

[foq]

/Try summoning dark shadow strength to bust that lock... or shooting it off with a lightspark rifle, unless that would damage the breakers. Start looking for keys and shit.

[Mindf!3ldzX]

/order a kit and guide combo

[Shadowswift]

>order a kit and guide combo

You call HQ and tell them to send you a professional lockpick set and maybe a copy of Lockpicking for Dummies.
"You're kidding, right?" It's the general. "Most locks are electronic these days, to get a lockpick set would require going to a spy supply store or something. That's gonna take some time. If you absolutely need it, I'll send someone out to get it. Otherwise, I suggest you find the key. It's gotta be in that base somewhere." Whatever...

>Try summoning dark shadow strength to bust that lock... or shooting it off with a lightspark rifle, unless that would damage the breakers. Start looking for keys and shit.

You grip the extremely sturdy metal lock and summon your greatest strength. You think some extra dark and hateful thoughts to try and summon whatever strength the crystal gave to you...and nothing happens. Hm...well, it would seem that the crystal didn't give you enough power to will any shadow energy. Or maybe it's just that the metal this padlock and these breaker doors are made of is so dense, you just simply can't break them. You consider the Lightspark rifle, but that gun isn't known for it's destructive capability unless it's being used on a Shadow. You consider your shottie or Phoenix's RSSG, but Phoenix advises against that.
"I doubt 10ga buckshot could break through solid titanium. However, the concussion from the shot could damage the actual breakers inside. Might not be a good idea to use anything that goes bang..." Mkay, so key it is. Let's see...there was that Dark Room by the Mainframe. There's also the Security Depot a bit further back. You gave it a once-over already, but it's entirely possible you overlooked something.

>

[foq]

>Maybe some kind of shadow Dodon Ray?



Yeah, that idea didn't work the first time... oh well, super awesome powers might have been cool, but I guess that would make this ordeal too easy. Try playing hide and seek with those keys... look around all over the base.

[Shadowswift]

>Maybe some kind of shadow Dodon Ray?

Yeah, that idea didn't work the first time... oh well, super awesome powers might have been cool, but I guess that would make this ordeal too easy. Try playing hide and seek with those keys... look around all over the base.

Well, the powers it did give you are pretty cool, but it could be entirely possible to increase those powers, maybe even get new ones, should you find any more Shadow Crystals. But you'll worry about that when you get to it. Right now we gotta find that damned key. You order Phoenix back to the Security Depot to sweep that thing clean. Anything he finds, he takes with him.
"Roger."

Phoenix has left your party.

You leave Darkscythe by the Mainframe to sniff around there. Maybe someone left it there, who knows.

Darkscythe has left your party.

You head into the Dark Room by yourself. You shine your Maglite around the place, inspecting it carefully. There are several boxes here. One of them has a familier winged skull emblem on it. You know you've seen it before...you just can't remember where. You try and remem....oh wait, you know. This is the emblem of the space marines! This must be some of their equipment. You wonder what kind of cool stuff could be in it...and if it would be considered wrong to take any of it....hey, they won't miss it. Last you heard, most of them were wiped out in the war against the Stroggs. You start breaking open boxes, checking what's in them. Most of them are filled with standard issue space armor, which likely wouldn't protect for crap against Shadow Plasma. Taking that would only weigh you down. One of them has a standard issue blaster pistol in it. That might be useful, but you doubt it. You take it anyway...just for giggles.

Ray got the Blaster Pistol!

The last box you crack open has some kind of machine in it. Something you've never seen before. It's a little bigger than an average laptop with wings and what look like two guns mounted on the bottom. You check for a manuel of some kind...there's a label on it with the words "Strogg Flyer X" on it. Cool, enemy equipment. You find the manuel and flip through it. In the manuel, it shows a picture of one, except the one in the picture has a big ugly face right on the front of it. This one doesn't have that. Just a flat glass screen...odd. There's a spot for an Energy Cell on the bottom of it. You take one of yours and pop it in. The thing springs to life. You expect for it to start firing at you, except it doesn't...it just floats there, watching you with its screen. You step away, it follows you. O...k...you head back to the Mainframe to check on Darkscythe. The Flyer follows you. When you get back to Darkscythe, you find him still sniffing around. He hasn't found anything. Darkscythe looks at the Flyer and growls viciously. You look at the Flyer...it's just floating there, harmlessly. You don't know what Darkscythe is growling about, but he clearly doesn't like the thing. You hear movement. You look around, but don't see anything. The Flyer shifts it's facing toward the pried-open door. A lone Shadow steps through. Before you can site your rifle, the Flyer lets loose a barrage of laser bolts, turning the Shadow into swiss cheese. Cool! Hm...maybe you'll keep this thing as a pet.

SFX has joined your party!

Pet
SFX has 50 Health
SFX's Universal Communicator is ON
SFX's Computer is ON

Pet Inventory
empty

Scrogg Flyer X. A floating robot armed with fully automatic twin blaster cannons. It isn't very durable, with a mere 50 health, but it's nimble manuverability allows for it to easily evade enemy fire. It's great at ranged and precision assaults, but useless in up-close melee fights. It can't wear any armor, but it does have a small storage capacity. Stimpaks won't work on a machine, but if it gets damaged, just feed it an Energy Cell or two and it's self-repair function will fix it good as new. It can't speak, but it understands basic commands, and can be spoken to over it's internal communicator. It also has an onboard computer that can function similarly to your console.

Darkscythe sneers at you. You pat him on the head and tell him to wait for you back at the base. He whimpers a bit, but agrees. You slash open a portal and send him on his way.
"Sir, I think I found it." Good timing. You and your new pet head over to the Security Depot. Phoenix hands you a small, simple brass key. Ugh...how annoying. Oh well. Back to work.

Phoenix has joined your party!

You head back to the breakers, filling Phoenix in on SFX.
"Oh, I also found this stuff. Maybe we can use it for something."

Phoenix gives you a pile of Scrap Electronics, a box of Paper Clips, a High-Powered Telescopic Sniper Scope, an Unopened Candy Bar, a Riot Baton, a Pencil, and a Map of E3M1's Security Layout

You ask him exactly what you're supposed to do with all of this shit...
"Hey, you said take EVERYthing I find...this was everything!" Whatever...you climb down the ladder and use the key to open the breaker boxes. You throw the main power switch, then flip the individual station switches on one at a time. In no time, the power hums back to life. "Um, sir, remember what happened when we did this back at The Installation...?" You think back...

...fuck. More than likely, you're about to get swarmed with Shadows of all shapes and sizes. You'll need to be prepared this time. You gather your forces and warp back to E1M1. As soon as you arrive, your console starts beeping. You open it, and see HQ calling. You answer curtly.
"Um, captain, sir...it's Hastings. Is everything alright?" You ask him what he wants. "Well, the general was asking for a sitrep." You tell him everything that's going on. "So...not only are you commanding Quake's minions, but you have Strogg tech on your side, too?" That's right. "How the hell do you do that...? Ahem...anyway, so what's your next move? Did you re-establish Termination Central yet?" ... "Oh, that's alright. As long as you get back to it soon before the Shadows undo everything you've done there already." Yeah yeah yeah, you'll get on it when you're good and ready. "Hey, no rush, sir...it's just that.....um...." Just that.... "well....our funding has been cut severely. I mean....se-vere-ly." The fuck?! "I know, right?! That's exactly what I said!!" Why is the name of all that is bad and evi...you mean, good and holy, would the government do such a stupid fucking thing??!? "Hey, your guess is as good as mine, but that's what it is! The longer we drag this mission out, the harder it's going to be on you! But really....um...no rush, sir!" Christ...you break contact and rally your team again. So...let's see.

E3M1 is likely crawling with Shadows of all kinds on high alert. Who even knows if they've turned the power back off or not. The DKC has rested and recovered from his wounds. He and Phoenix await your orders. Darkscythe patiently stands by your side, and SFX floats quietly behind. Assemble your team, then assault Termination Central!

>

[foq]

> Sarge, DKC, Darkscythe and Flyer into Termination Central; look for that thunderbolt prototype too

[Shadowswift]

((can only have 1 companion, and 1 pet))

[foq]

> Sarge, DKC, and Darkscythe into Termination Central; look for that thunderbolt prototype too
Tell Phoenix to have a look at Flyer while you're away

Problem?

[Shadowswift]

> Sarge, DKC, and Darkscythe into Termination Central; look for that thunderbolt prototype too
Tell Phoenix to have a look at Flyer while you're away

Problem?

Just one. Who the hell is sarge?

[foq]

Right... Captain.

[Shadowswift]

((OOOHHHH lulz, i thought maybe you meant Phoenix, but then you refered to Phoenix...nevermind, I'm an idiot.))

> Sarge, DKC, and Darkscythe into Termination Central; look for that thunderbolt prototype too
Tell Phoenix to have a look at Flyer while you're away

So a melee brawl with lots of beef, then? Sweet. You leave Phoenix to the base and order him to inspect SFX, see if he can't unlock any secrets from it.

Phoenix has left your party.
SFX has left your party.

The DKC and Darkscythe happily follow you as you slash open a portal back to E3M1's Mainframe.

The Death Knight Commander has joined your party!
Darkscythe has joined your party!

You grip your Scythe and steel your nerves for melee combat. As you step toward to portal, you catch a glymps of yourself in the reflection of the water below you. Scythe in hand, clad in pitch-black cloak...for a brief second, you see not yourself in the reflection, rather the Reaper's empty face staring back at you. You shake your head, and proceed on to the fight.

When you arrive at the Mainframe, you find the power still on and the Mainframe's main screen awaiting log-in. You hear distant shuffling and growling from all directions.
You are being hunted...
They are likely going to try and triangulate around you and assault both you and the Mainframe. You're going to have to defend it if you want to use it to bring this base back online. The DKC and Darkscythe stand at the ready, waiting to jump on anything that moves and slice it to bits. You look toward the hallway leading to the Security Depot, then to the hallway leading to the Gold Door, then toward the hallway leading to the Dark Room where you found SFX. You feel something...you feel the enemy. You can sense how many are coming and where they are coming from.

There are 20 in the Security Depot, 10 soldiers, 5 casters, 2 Fiends, 3 Death Knights.
There are 15 coming through the Gold Door, 7 soldiers, 3 Casters, 3 Shalraths, 2 Shamblers. One of them has to have the Gold Key on them...
There are 5 in the Dark Room, all Fiends.

This is going to suck...but you can do it. You tell your followers to get ready for the worst. You grip the Scythe tightly and concentrate. Hatred fuels you. Dark rage boils in your blood. You feel your strength magnify with each step the enemy takes toward you. You shift your attention toward the Dark Room. Shadow Fiends start bounding out of the room one at a time. Darkscythe flings himself at one of them and slashes at it with furious prejudice. You swing the Scythe viciously, rendering one of them headless. Shadows begin pouring in from the Security Depot. The DKC engulfs the entrance in green flame, stalling their approach. He then joins the fight against the remaining Fiends. You hear an an electronic click in the distance. Seconds later, Casters appear from the Gold Door area and begin firing off various spells. One of them puts up a reflective shield, preventing the DKC's green flame from blocking them. As you finish off the Fiends, you turn to the casters. They are now covering the ground with shadowfire, hoping to catch you in your charge. Remembering a move you once saw before, you spin the Scythe above your head rapidly, creating a vortex of violent wind, deflecting the fire around you. You proceed toward the enemy, slashing at their shields, shattering it effortlessly. The casters shout something at you in a language you've never heard before. The DKC joins your assault as you tag-team the Casters with Scythe-and-Sword combo attacks. Darkscythe leaps for the nearest soldier, planting his hooves firming in its skull, using it as a springboard to leap to the next enemy. The DKC's green flame subsides from the Security Depot exit. Shadows pour through, firing all manor of dark attacks at your position.

You and your party's health begins to steadily fall

You leave the DKC and Darkscythe to hold off the enemies from the Gold Door. You switch to your Plasma Rifle and start unloading on the Security Depot exit. Shadow after Shadow disentigrates upon contact with the dull blue bolts. You keep firing until you run out of cells. You sling the rifle back and retake your Scythe. You switch places with the DKC, who handles the remaining enemies from the depot with a combination of green flame and slashing attacks. You return to the Gold Door exit just as the Shamblers find their way to you. One of them knocks Darkscythe out of the fight with a single brutal swipe

Darkscythe is unconscious.

You struggle to hold your own against the pair of them as well as the other monsters still attacking. You hear the DKC cry out for help and his position begins to get overwhelmed. You throw your remaining medical supplies to Darkscythe and order him to lend the DKC his strength. As you do, one of the Shamblers critically hits you with a blast of Shadow Lightning. Ouch! You can't keep this up much longer. You dash backward and take out your Lightspark Rifle. You pump several bolts into the crowd, hoping for some critital hits. One of the Shamblers powers through your attacks and knocks the rifle away from your grip, then slashes you with its massive claws. Your cloak is shredded and is no longer protecting your front. You're against the wall now, cornered like a wounded animal. Rage burns in your eyes, consuming all traces of fear. You grab the Scythe and rip into your enemies with sinister vigor and strength. You don't care if you die. You don't care if the world ends. All you care about right now is killing as many of these sons-of-bitches as you possibly can. Shadow after Shadow is felled by the blade. As the DKC finishes off his last victim, he turns to see you, rabid and insane. He is awed by your might. As the last Shalrath dies, your rage quickly subsides as the fire in your eyes burns out. You drop the Scythe and collapse.

You are unconscious.


[[Continued]]

[foq]

>continue

[Shadowswift]

((To make things more fun, color has been added to the text throughout the whole story. Go back and have a look!))

[[Continued]]

You awaken. You struggle to check your senses.

Your vision is blurred. Hard to see where you are or if anyone is around you.
Your hearing is muffled, everything sounds like mumbling and shuffling.
You feel like you just got hit by a...um, train. But your body feels like it's numbing up.
You smell medicine.
You taste medicine.

You're a little high at the moment, but you can only assume you're in some kind of medical facility. Or dead, one of the two. You try to speak.

"Jus....lax cap...........it pret...ard back ther.......ucky......ight commander wa......"
Your vision is further impaired by a bright light above you...but you think you see...a man, a human, in a lab coat standing over you. You black out again.

Time passes...

You awaken, senses restored. You don't feel any pain or soreness. You have a look around. You're in The Installation. What the hell are you doing here??
"My lord, you are alive." The DKC's gruff voice snaps your attention forward. You ask him what happened. "You feignted right as we seized victory from an overwhelming onslaught. You fought with such might and ferocity...I've never seen a human fight that way before. Afterward, I used your Scythe to return us all to The Installation. It was the only place I could think of with a functioning medical facility. I summoned Stockton over for assistance. He called your headquarters and requested immediate support from medical personelle. They sent a human doctor over to your Slipgate Complex. Stockton brought him here to heal you. From what the human told us, it was close. You almost didn't make it." How shameful... "Do not be disheartened, sire. It was fourty against three in a trianulated onslaught. We would have been lucky for just one of us to walk away from that fight. However, because of you, all three of us live to fight another day." You open your console.
>status , location

-Character-
You have 250 Health
You have 1 Soul Armor
You are equipped with your Reaper's Scythe
Your communicator is ON
Your Console is ON
Location: E2M1

-Inventory-
Grappling Hook
Maglite
Riot Baton
Reaper’s Scythe
Blaster Pistol
10 Gauge Pump Shotgun
Nailgun
Lightspark Rifle
Plasma Rifle Prototype
Grenade Rifle
(99) Shells (10ga)
(100) Nails
(69) Shadow Plasma Cells
Map of E1M1's Security Grid
Map of E2M1’s Security Network
Map of E3M1’s Security Layout
USB cable
Scrap Electronics
Box of Paperclips
High-Powered Telescopic Sniper Scope
Candy Bar
Pencil


-Companion 1-
Phoenix has 250 Health
Phoenix has 75 Soul Armor
Phoenix is equipped with the Lightspark Rifle
Phoenix's Communicator is ON
Phoenix's Console is ON
Location: E1M1

-Companion's Inventory-
Grappling Hook
Maglite
Badly-Bloodied Hand Axe
REALLY Super Shotgun
Enforcer's Blaster Rifle
Lightspark Rifle
(98 ) Shells(10ga)
(200) Energy Cells
(100) Shadow Plasma Cells
Fully-Stocked Toolbox
Complex Networking for Dummies Manual


-Companion 2-
The DKC has 525 health
The DKC has 200 Black Armor and 0 Soul Armor
The DKC is equipped with the Commander’s Sword
The DKC’s Headset is ON
The DKC’s Console is ON
Location: E2M1

-Companion's Inventory-
Grappling Hook
Commander’s Sword
Lightspark Rifle
(100) Shadow Plasma Cells
(2) Bunch of Slipgate Parts
Slipgate Fuse


-Pet 1-
Darkscythe has 450 health
Darkscythe has 0 Armor
Location: E2M1

-Pet 2-
SFX has 50 health
SFX’s Universal Communicator is ON
SFX’s Computer is ON
Location: E1M1

-Pet’s Inventory-
Empty

Current Objective: Disable all slipgates.
-Disable exit slipgate in E3M1
-Disable the entrance and exit slipgates in E4M1
Secondary Objectives:
-Locate a Thunderbolt Prototype
-Restore Termination Central to working order

A medic was here and fixed you up? Where is he now? And where is Darkscythe? "The other human left already. Left you some Medikits in case you needed them. Darkscythe is resting down there." He points to the floor by the counter you're lying on. Sure enough, there is your pet monster, snoozing at your side. "The human fixed his wounds as well." You ask about himself. "I am undead, lord. Any damage I sustain will self-heal with sufficient rest." Well...I guess that solves everything. You decide that rest time is over. Time to get back to work. You wake Darkscythe up and and warp back to Termination Central.
Lights are on, nobody's home. Excellent. You head for the Mainframe and run a diagnostic.

"Base Diagnostic-Termination Central
Security Grid -disabled
Alarms -disabled
Base Intranet -operational
External Network Connection -disabled
Automatic Doors -enabled
Power -enabled
Back-up Power -enabled
Water -disconnected
Personelle Report:
-Captain Ray: Checked in 13:02, 12/17/12
Location -unknown

Additional comments: It is advised that the Securty Grid and Alarms are enabled to ensure optimum base safty. Be advised, continued opperations without running water compromises the base's power generators and air filtration. Reconnect the water line ASAP for continued efficiency. Be advised, no network connections are detected in the base's mainframe. In order to receive any messages from HQ, a reliable network connection MUST be established.

Diagnostic finished."

[[Continued]]

((gotta go to work =/))