You find yourself in E1M1

[metchsteekle]

>carefully creep forward

[Shadowswift]

>carefully creep forward

You inch forward, clinging to the walls, using your senses to try and detect enemies before they detect you. You reach the first corner...so far so good. You slink around the corner, like a ninja in the darkness. The corridor looks clear. Second corner, still alive. You peek around the corner. There is a slight ramp with a Gold Door straight ahead...and a handful of Shadow Elite Soldiers creeping around. You're willing to bet that there are more in that courtyard. Alerting them could very well alert the entire city...and you're not just dead sure how many hundreds of them are hiding in this city that they themselves once dwelt in several thousand years ago. It dawns on you just now that you are, in fact, on their turf. Quake was theirs before it was Quake, though the Elder Gods altered it drastically since their arrival. This city was never altered. It has always been forgotten, always been nameless. It has always been their city...and they know it better than you do. You clutch your Lightspark and take inventory of your current ammo situation.

-Ammo-
(97) Shells
(10) 30-06 Rounds
(27) Shadow Plasma Cells
Charge = 100/100

Not good...still have a goodly amount of shells, but they only really work at point blank and if aimed at the head. You don't even have a rifle that takes 30-06, you have nothing to feed your hungry Thunderbolt, and your Lightspark only has a scant handful of cells left. You've done a lot better than you thought you would in this dimension where resources are next to non-existent, but it looks like you're at the end of the road. You pray for a miracle...


>

[Syluxguy28O3]

>use kaio ken energy to fuel thunderbolt?

[Shadowswift]

>use kaio ken energy to fuel thunderbolt?

You don't know how to project your Ki like that, even with Kaio-Ken.

You feel something...a powerful presence...familiar, yet sinister. You can feel it reaching out to you....Captain...??


"...Captain...??" "Yes...it's me, Phoenix. I'm still here...and I need your help." The Captain clutches his Scythe as he battles with himself. It would seem that Phoenix's presence within the city has jarred loose the goodness inside of Ray. "I'm going to give you control of myself for as long as I can. Use my body to purge this city. The Shadows cannot harm me in this state. Hurry...time is short." You feel your consciousness forced into The Captain's body. You can feel the turmoil in mind. You feel his thoughts, his memory...you can recap his battles during the first Quake War. You know all of his moves and abilities, as well as your own. You feel the spark of Light that flickers within his slowly-beating heart...his heart! The Captain is still human! Not Shadow! He does have a heart, and there is still Light within it! The Shadow's corruption within his body and mind is so thick, however, it cannot shine through.

He can be saved...

You are now playing as The Captain.

-Character-
You have 250 Health
You have 200 Red Armor
You have 150 Soul Armor
You are equipped with your Reaper’s Scythe

-Inventory-
-Ammo-
(10) Shells
(0) Nails
(200) Shadow Plasma Cells
(100) Energy Cells
(5) 30-06 Rifle Rounds
(0) Rockets
-Weapons-
Grappling Hook
Maglite
Riot Baton
Reaper’s Scythe
Blaster Pistol
10 Gauge Pump Shotgun
Nailgun
Lightspark Rifle
Plasma Rifle Prototype
R700
Grenade Rifle
-Consumables-
(3) Stimpaks
Unopened Bottle of Water
Candy Bar
-Misc-
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
Teddy Bear
Cellphone
High-Powered Telescopic Sniper Scope
Pencil


>

[metchsteekle]

>sort out the mind for better mental health, casually walk and grapple out of sight as to not attract attention and alert the shadows, get sniper rifle out

>consider which 5 shadows are the biggest threat at the moment

[MadGypsy]

kill "yourself" - here is your shot to end it - do it! This dude destroyed your planet and killed your friends, who gives a crap if he "still has good" ...kill that MFer! Unload your lightspark into your skull.

[Shadowswift]

>kill "yourself" - here is your shot to end it - do it! This dude destroyed your planet and killed your friends, who gives a crap if he "still has good" ...kill that MFer! Unload your lightspark into your skull.

You've been debating whether or not to do this ever since you got into this skull...believe me, you aren't the only one in that skull that wants to, either. What's left of Ray has been trying to claw his way through, but can't. He's been trying to sabotage The Captain at every turn. You'd like to end this now, but in probing The Captain's brain, you've found that killing The Captain, and in turn, killing Ray, won't end the Shadows' onslaught. There are still higher-ranking Shadow Lords out there, even stronger than The Captain.
"Protos." Protos??? "He's still alive...and he's been playing us this entire time. He's not trying to simply destroy us...he wants to conscript us...to kill us all would be a waste to him...that's why he didn't just kill you when he could." It's true. You can read his thoughts. Protos is still alive, and he knows what's going on right now with his favorite toy, The Captain...and he's on his way here to stop it. You know you can't take him on without Ray's help.....you......

.......you can't kill him.

>sort out the mind for better mental health, casually walk and grapple out of sight as to not attract attention and alert the shadows, get sniper rifle out
>consider which 5 shadows are the biggest threat at the moment

You've been filing through Ray's thoughts this whole time. You have control of his body, but it won't last much longer. Eventually, The Captain will retake control. This opportunity won't come again. You decide to take advantage of the situation. Any five Shadows will do. The Casters are the biggest threat. You take out your R700 and affix the telescopic scope to it, turning it into a rather powerful sniper rifle. You pump a single round into it and lock the bolt. You take sight at one of the Casters and finger the trigger. This is it...once you fire, they will know you are hostile and will more than likely either try to fight back, or flee from you. They know they can't hurt you in the form you are currently in...but they can hurt Phoenix. They'll figure it out. You know that once you fire, you have to make your way back to your true body quickly, killing everything along the way, or the Shadows will come after Phoenix's unconcious body...and your companions won't be able to defend it for long.

You pull the trigger.

A hot red bolt of a bullet enhanced by The Captain's power, almost like a laser bolt, explodes from the barrel of the gun, decapitating your mark in an instant. Just as the others realize what's happening, they begin to turn on you. You decide to switch to a more automatic weapon. You turn to your Scythe and begin to reap the lot of them that are present. You were right...they really can't hurt you. Their spells and Shadow Plasma just bounce right off of you. You plow through them, slinging and slicing your Scythe back and forth. They quickly realize what is going on and begin to turn into retreat...but you know that they aren't retreating. They are mobilizing. You hurry. As you dash through the city, you see them. You were right. There are literally several hundred of them here...maybe even a few thousand. The streets of the city are thick with Shadow movement. Some try to stall you, but you carve through them. Dozens fall with each movement you make. You recall the Reaper's tornadic attack and utilize that to thin out the thickened masses of evil that surround you. You mow your way through the streets and corridors to a small lava pit. The Shadows move along side you. You cut them down, killing scores, but leaving hundreds. You can hear the sounds of combat in the distance. It's Velen and the others! They have already engaged the enemy and are trying to defend your lifeless body! You move with greater speed, slicing and slashing, rending and tearing. You dash through the tight corridor, up a small ramp and out into the open courtyard. You kill as many as you can up close, then you take out your Plasma Rifle and start to hose them down. You reach the ramp that leads to the entrance. You can hear Velen's battlecries, Darkscythe's growls and roars, and SFX's blaster cannons laying down hot death from above. You round the corner to see your old comrads, as well as Phoenix's sleeping body. They look at you, at first with confusion, then with rage. "Easy, guys, it's me, Phoenix. Ray is still alive and he's given me temporary control over The Captain's body. That's why my real body is unconcious over there." Velen walks over to you, blade first. "....my Lord? Is it really you in there?" He looks into your eyes and smiles. "Alright, we need to finish off what's left of these things. I've killed many on my way here, but hundreds more still remain. With the four of us working together, we should be able to clean them up in no time." Velen nods and joins your assault. Darkscythe and SFX join in the assault. Each of them fights valiently at your side, however they are not immune as you are. Wounds and fatigue take their toll on your companions as the enemy continues to march in.

Velen is unconcious.
Darkscythe is unconcious.
SFX is disabled.

It's just you, now. You, and four lifeless bodies that you must defend. You steel your nerves as you take your Scythe. That's it. Now you're angry. You charge headlong into the enemy and turn yourself into a whirling, spinning ginsu of bladed death. You halt the enemy in their tracks. They abandon their assault on Phoenix's body as most of them turn tail into full retreat. Some stay to try and stop you. You slay them mercilessly. You kill what you can and let the rest run away. Of the hundreds upon hundreds of Shadows that once took residence here in The Nameless City, only a few dozen escape your wrath. You have won.

...however short-lived your victory may have been...

[[To be continued...]]

[MadGypsy]

why didn't you just teleport back to yourself with the scythe, without firing a shot?

[Shadowswift]

why didn't you just teleport back to yourself with the scythe, without firing a shot?

Because you want to kill the Shadows. You want to kill them, their families, their friends, their friends' families, their families' friends, their neighbors, their neighbors' friends' families, their pets, their co-workers, their political leaders, their Facebook Friends....all of them. You want them dead. That's why.

[[Continued]]

You struggle a little bit...you open your eyes. You quickly realize that you are back in your own body. Next to you are the unconcious bodies of your companions. In front of you....stands The Captain...and he does not look happy to see you.

[Cue epic cinematic scene]

"You...you smug little son of a bitch. Ever since I brought you back to life, you've been nothing but a thorn in my side."
"You're not Ray. I know you aren't Ray. I was inside that head of yours. You're just a Shadow...a corruption inside of Ray. You didn't bring me back. Ray did...and I intend to repay him for that by bringing him back."
"Pathetic, Sergeant! Very pathetic. Ray is no more real than your chances of survival are." The Captain clutches his Scythe and switches to a combat stance. "This time, little human...there is no holding back!" The Captain dashes at you with blinding speed, screaming a blood-curdlingly vicious battlecry.

[Exit cinematic]

You are now playing as Phoenix.



>

[foq]

>You open the console and type Ping, and see that your ping is 52. You notice The Captain's ping is 33, and you ask him to ping up by 19 so you can be on equal footing.

>Perhaps you've learned a thing or two about his techniques while controlling him. You dual-wield the Badly Bloodied Hand Axe and the Fireman's Axe while using Kaio-Ken and confront his attack. It may be a good idea to use the Badly Bloodied Hand Axe for defense and the Fireman's Axe for offense, considering the Fireman's Axe may have a slightly sharper blade.

[Shadowswift]

>You open the console and type Ping, and see that your ping is 52. You notice The Captain's ping is 33, and you ask him to ping up by 19 so you can be on equal footing.

Actually, ping has been at zero this whole time. Here's hoping it stays that way. Lag is the last thing you need right now.

>Perhaps you've learned a thing or two about his techniques while controlling him. You dual-wield the Badly Bloodied Hand Axe and the Fireman's Axe while using Kaio-Ken and confront his attack. It may be a good idea to use the Badly Bloodied Hand Axe for defense and the Fireman's Axe for offense, considering the Fireman's Axe may have a slightly sharper blade.

You're right. You did take back a considerable amount of knowledge from The Captain's brain...including hindsight. If only you had disarmed the bastard before he shoved you out of his head...if only. Oh well. Coulda shoulda woulda...didn't. You take out your axes and use your Kaio-Ken in short bursts, just enough to parry The Captain's attacks. You're finding very quickly, however, that not only is The Captain considerably stronger than you are, he is faster, too...even with Kaio-Ken (which, at your current skill level, only increases your fighting power by 50%). You find yourself using both axes just to fend off his attacks. You can't seem to get an attack in yourself. You're gonna have to throw him off-balance somehow, but with his superior strength, it's easier said than done. Hm. Well, at least he's not completely overwhelming you, and he doesn't have any moves that he can surprise you with...at least, you're pretty sure he doesn't. You wish you had a moment's respite to revive your companions. Velen's strength would come in great handy right now...


>

[MadGypsy]

> cliche': find something in the area that you could draw protos into swinging his scythe into (like an electrical panel or something)

according to every story ever written - it's the only way.

[metchsteekle]

>throw your companions a big kahuna burger or something to revive them

[Shadowswift]

>throw your companions a big kahuna burger or something to revive them

You don't really have anything like that to revive them with. Besides, they are unconcious. Even if you had something, you would have to administer it to them yourself.

>cliche': find something in the area that you could draw protos into swinging his scythe into (like an electrical panel or something)

Actually, you're not so sure that this is Protos you're fighting...though you wouldn't be a bit surprised if he showed up right now and ruined everything...but anyway, you take a few quick glances around the immediate area. This city is rather ancient, there's no electricity. Hm...you might be able to get him to trip over one of your companions...though you risk futher injury to them, which might kill them. Hm...the only thing else is the portal. Hm.....

You ponder to yourself as you fight for your life what would happen to a dimension-altering scythe should it collide with an interdimensional portal. Though your knowledge of temporal and dimensional physics isn’t great, you speculate that it should create a pretty nasty backlash. Might be interesting. You back-pedal over to the portal, allowing The Captain to think he is winning the fight (even though, truth be told, he kind of is). You have to get him to hit the portal just right, in the holes of the stone cross barrier. He also has to hit the portal with a legitimate swing. You’ve noted that the Scythe’s powers work by swinging it. Just touching the portal with the Scythe won’t work. As you inch closer and closer to the portal, you feign fault. As The Captain rears his Scythe back to take the final swipe, you recover your balance and dodge the attack. Rather than slashing you, the Scythe's blade slashes straight into the swirling miasma of white sparkly dots that is the entrance portal to The Nameless City. Instantly, the blade's dimensional-tearing properties explode into contact with the portal. A massive rift is torn into the portal. Shockwaves and violent concussive bursts pour through the rift, taking The Captain off of his feet, and sending his precious Scythe flying across the room. Slowly, like a healing wound, the rift seals itself shut inside the portal, and the swirling miasma of white sparkly dots resumes its norm. Stunned, The Captain looks up at you. You stare back down at him with fire in your eyes. Kaio-Ken burns around you, though you aren't even trying to activate it. Rage fuels it, fuels your strength as your best friend and worst enemy stares back into your eyes, still dazed from the blast. You could kill him. It would be rather easy right now...Light knows he deserves it for what he's done...

...but Ray is in there, somewhere. Ray...the pride of the USMC Rangers, the hero of this little tale, indeed, the hero of Quake...you can't kill him. You just....you just........can't....right?

The Captain shakes off the daze and rises to a knee. You hold your Axe firmly in one hand, ready to take the final slash...

In the other, you take your Lightspark Rifle. One shot to his heart should cleanse the darkness that surrounds it, destroying The Captain and freeing Ray. At least, that's what you think will happen, though you’ll need to weaken him a bit more through combat. In his current condition, he should be easier to handle, but he won't be no pushover. It’s risky, but it should work if you are strong enough to best him.

What should you do?


>

[MadGypsy]

> grapple-swipe the scythe away from the captain and hurl it into the slipgate in a "swinging" throw.

> grapple-swipe the entire captain into the "mess" that the slipgate-scythe connection made

> grapple-swipe velens sword and be prepared to strike.
||> ready the lightspark

*||> logical OR impulse