You find yourself in E1M1

[Shadowswift]

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

At the moment, the Scythe is laying across the room on the ground, though you're quite certain it could be thrown further away. As you aim your hook at the Scythe and prepare to fire it, The Captain rises to his feet and wills the Scythe to his hand. The Scythe, as if on its own whim, flings itself into The Captain's awaiting hand. You saw The Reaper do that once before...so this must be what it was like to go toe to toe with The Reaper. Yikes.

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

Well, that won't work, but maybe you can grapple The Captain into submission. You aim your hook at The Captain and fire the probe. It lodges itself deep into The Captain's flesh. He winces only slightly before slashing the cable with his Scythe, severing the line. Crap! Bastard broke your hook!!

> grapple-swipe velens sword and be prepared to strike.

You wonder if the thing will still fire without the probe attached. It does! Woot! However, the cable has nothing to direct it and it slaps Velen's sword around uselessly. You opt to simply dive and roll over to Velen's unconcious body and take his sword for your own use.

You got The Commander's Blade!

You put your axes away as you clutch the blade firmly in your off-hand.

||> ready the lightspark

You're Lightspark Rifle hums anxiously in the grip of your main hand, awaiting your firm touch so that it may sanctify another darkened soul!

*||> logical OR impulse

You look into your foe's eyes. You see them burn with the same anger that The Reaper's eyes once burned with. If you didn't know any better, you'd swear you were facing the very same Reaper here and now that you faced so long ago. The Reaper...he was a truely formidable enemy. It seems like a lifetime ago that you witnessed Ray vanquish him in the cold corridors of The Installation...though when you think about it, it was only about a month ago that Ray brought you back from the dead. So much has happened...it's almost hard to fathom that it has only been a handful of weeks. The Captain has recovered his composure and is ready to continue your battle. You have missed the opportunity to offer him a clean death. He is weakened, but still very powerful. He engages you in melee combat, though this time, he has taken his Scythe in his main hand, and a Shadowpulse Rifle in the other. Well...it comes down to this. You, Velen's sword and your Lightspark Rifle against The Captain, his Scythe, and a Shadowpulse Rifle that he seems to have pulled out of no where (because it wasn't in his inventory when you were posessing him....right?) You swipe Velen's sword back and forth, parrying The Captain's assault...but you're finding as the battle rages on that Velen's sword feels...unwieldy. Sure, you've used it before and it's an excellent weapon, but it just feels wrong now...honestly, you felt you were doing better with your Fireman's Axe in your fist. Maybe you should switch them out. You catch The Captain's Scythe with Velen's blade and give him a hard push back. You take second and a half that it offered you to toss Velen's sword back over to him (in case he wakes up) and retake your axe. There...much better. You like this axe. It's light, but still has plenty of weight to throw around. You almost feel like this is your signature weapon. You opt to stick with it.

[Cue epic cinematic scene]

As axe crosses with Scythe and Shadowpulse crosses Lightspark, Phoenix finds that he and The Captain (weakened) are almost completely evenly matched. Neither of them can seem to gain any headway, and they're both now becoming tired. The Captain disengages from Phoenix, breathing heavily.
"He's....he's here, Phoenix." Phoenix raises an eyebrow, breathing heavily himself.
"Who? Who is here?" The Captain lowers his Scythe.
"Protos." Phoenix's eyes widen. "We need to wrap this up so that when he gets here, only one of us will still be standing. I'd rather not encure his wrath for failing to finish you off." Phoenix scoffs.
"Well, forgive me if I seem uncaring in that matter. Besides, if I can pull off what I have planned, he'll find both of us standing here with weapons raised against him." The Captain chortles.
"Sorry, kid. I can't turn against him. His hold on me is much too strong. Besides, I wouldn't want to. My cause...our cause is righteous." Phoenix smirks as he raises his Lightspark Rifle.
"No...not you. You, I plan to kill. It's MY captain I want standing next to me." The Captain's smile fades as a burst of white-hot light explodes from the barrel of Phoenix's rifle and pierces The Captain's heart. The Captain is taken off of his feet as the Lightspark bolt sails through him, exiting through his back and impacting on the wall behind him. The Shadowy aura around The Captain begins to fade and the glowing hole on his chest eats away at the surrounding darkness as he lands on the stone ground with a thud. Phoenix rushes over to him, watching as the corruption in his eyes surrenders and fades. His breath quickens, his body tenses, then all at once, stops. He lays on the ground, still and breathless.
"...Ray?" Stockton jostles him a little. "...Captain Ray?! Shit! Don't be dead!" He shakes him roughly. He stop abruptly when he notices shallow breathing. "He's alive!" Phoenix looks at him. His skin's natural color has restored as the stone grey discoloration that it was fades away. His breath normalizes. Phoenix jostles him once more. His eyes flicker open slowly. They no longer burn with rage like The Reaper's once did. Rather, they look just as they did when Ray was still just Sergeant Ray. "Captain! You're back!" He looks up at Phoenix.
"S.......Stockton? Where..." He struggles to look up and around.
"Take it easy, sir. You've had a rough couple of months." Phoenix gathers up his fallen companions as well as his Captain and uses the Scythe to take them all back to E1M1.

Phoenix tends to Ray over the next hour or so as he regains his motor functions, briefing him on all that has transpired since he was corrupted.
"...wow.....I really did all that?" He says with a mortified look on his face. Phoenix nods.
"Yeah. It was pretty bad. We all thought you were as good as gone. When we were fighting, there was even a moment of hesitation, when I didn't know if I could.......if I should save you." Ray looks at Phoenix, shocked.
"So...we fought? And you defeated me?" Phoenix smiles at him.
"Well...to be fair, sir, I defeated The Captain. Not you." Ray smiles back at his young friend. "It's good to have you back, Captain. I sure missed you."
"We all missed you, my lord." Velen and the others walk into the room. "We had hoped that we wouldn't have to take direction from Stockton anymore." He slaps Phoenix on the back, smiling at him. Phoenix snorts back with a smile. "Honestly, though. He did very well in your absense. You should be proud of your prot�g�." Ray smiles widely.
"Is that so, Sergeant....excuse me, Master Sergeant? Well, if what the DKC here says is true, I think you're due for a promotion. You'll be taking Conrad Donavon's place. Congradulations Lieutenant Stockton. I'll arrange the whole thing with Major Davis as soon as I remember...how to walk." Phoenix is taken aback.
"L...Lieutenant? You mean, I'm an officer now?" Ray smiles.
"Yep. Enjoy it. Lord knows I have."

[Exit Cinematic]

You are now playing as Ray.

Velen leaves your party.
SFX leaves your party.

Your party regained the buff "The Captain's Charge."
The base health of you and your followers has been perminently raised by 150!
All damage dealt by you and your followers is doubled!

Your party lost the buff "Bravado of the Risen Phoenix."

Phoenix has gained the buff "To Quake and Back Again!"
As long as Phoenix is in your party, you and your followers take half as much damage (before calculating armor resistance), and any skill points gained are doubled!


>


[[I love this story]]

[MadGypsy]

>Find something to eat, Starving McStarvingson. These people haven't eaten since the wishing well (amazing, that)

[Shadowswift]

>Find something to eat, Starving McStarvingson. These people haven't eaten since the wishing well (amazing, that)

FINALLY!!!!! You go up to Hastings and order three triple meat, triple cheese pizzas, four double quarter pounders, two sides of fully loaded cheese fries, two medium-rare porterhouses, a double-malt chocolate shake, a Dr. Pepper, and two beers. Why don't you have a beer? Three beers.


...thank you!


>

[metchsteekle]

>consider what to do next

[MadGypsy]

>Don't forget a doggy bag. Get some sleep and gear up in the morning to go find and defeat Protos. Sleep in shifts just to be safe.

>Practice Kaio Ken on the Captains sleep shift.

>Before actually moving-out, assess the gear that you and the captain have - maybe a new weapon or two could be rigged up..

[Shadowswift]

[[Friendly reminder: you are the captain! Also, congrats on your 1000th post ]]

[MadGypsy]

OK, well decipher all that to mean the same thing except from the captains perspective.

[[ thanks ]]

[foq]

>Ask Phoenix to teach you Kaio-Ken

[Shadowswift]

>Don't forget a doggy bag. Get some sleep and gear up in the morning to go find and defeat Protos. Sleep in shifts just to be safe.

You and your team set a few hours aside to get some well-deserved sleep. You can't remember the last time you had really restful sleep. You actually dream a little, though you can't seem to decipher what it meant. You and your party awaken the next morning feeling revitalized.

You and your party are refreshed.

You set yourselves in the mindset that the next time any of you sees Protos, it's on like Donkey Kong. Now that you know for certain he is an enemy, you know he must be destroyed.

>Practice Kaio Ken on the Captains sleep shift.
>Ask Phoenix to teach you Kaio-Ken

You and Phoenix meet outside in the courtyard between the main building and the entrance building of the complex. The black, starless, moonless sky still looms above like a silent shroud covering The Slipgate Complex, shrouding it from the rest of the universe. Those few lucky Marines that were able to escape the Shadows' wrath patrol quietly around the base. You listen intently to your lieutenant's instruction.
"Watch me, first. Then, do as I do and as I instruct." You sit down, cross-legged, and watch your companion. He stands perfectly still for only a second, then his closed eyes wince into a look of anger and determination. A vein appears above his right eyebrow. He opens his eyes, and a fiery red aura erupts around him, scorching the ground below him. You can feel the power radiating, even from where you are. For the first time ever, you actually feel a little intimidated by the once quiet, studious Fenmore Stockton. You can clearly see just how much his quest in the Elder Dimension has hardened him and turned him from an apprehensive apprentice scribe into a strong, truly mighty warrior. He holds this aura of red fire for a good ten seconds before it slowly quiets down around him, then fades away entirely. "Now, it's your turn. Quiet your mind. Be as a stone in the middle of a silent meadow." You calm yourself and empty your mind. "Look inside of yourself, past your heart, deep in your gut. Look for a spark." You search, all the while trying to keep your head empty. You think you find it, but you aren't sure. You listen for Phoenix's instruction. "You found it? Pull from it. Let it erupt from within. Let that spark explode into the raw potential that it is. Let it flow through you and from you." You grab on to the spark with your focus and pull it out from your gut. Very quickly, before you can even figure out what is happening, the same red fire explodes around you. A power, a raw unrestrained strength tears through your body, shredding your muscles and crushing your bones. You cry out in pain! "No, no! Quick, let it go!!" Phoenix pleads. You quickly fling the spark away as the fire around you dies. You flop down onto your face, whimpering. Two and a half seconds....impressive for a first time use...but at what a cost...

You lose 30 health.
Your skill in Kaio-Ken is now 5/525
Phoenix's skill in Kaio-Ken is now 27/525

>Before actually moving-out, assess the gear that you have - maybe a new weapon or two could be rigged up..

You and Phoenix lay out your inventories and assess what you have to work with.

-Inventory-
-Ammo-
(10) Shells
(0) Nails
(200) Shadow Plasma Cells
(100) Energy Cells
(4) 30-06 Rifle Rounds
(0) Rockets
-Weapons-
Maglite
Riot Baton
Reaper’s Scythe
Blaster Pistol
10 Gauge Pump Shotgun
Nailgun
Lightspark Rifle
Plasma Rifle Prototype
R700 (scoped)
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
Harddrive
Pencil

-Phoenix's Inventory-
-Ammo-
(97) Shells
(10) 30-06 Rounds
(13) Shadow Plasma Cells
Charge = 100/100
-Weapons-
Grappling Hook (broken)
Maglite
Badly-Bloodied Hand Axe
Fireman’s Axe (charged)
Plasma Pistol
REALLY Super Shotgun
Enforcer's Blaster Rifle
Lightspark Rifle
Thunderbolt
-Consumables-
Biosuit
(2) Stimpak
(4) Dream Water Stims
-Misc-
Burlap Sack
-(12) Shadow Crystals
USB Flashdrive
Fully-Stocked Toolbox
Complex Networking for Dummies Manual
Rune of Fire Magic
Rune of Wind Magic
Rune of Water Magic


Velen has a few things, too...some slipgate parts, I think. Probably not anything helpful, though.

>consider what to do next

Well, let's see. You open up your quest log.

Objectives
Prime Directive: Kill Protos.
We know he is an enemy now. No more tricks, no more games. Kill this man.
X Protos slain.

Main Objective: Eliminate the Shadows.
This message from Lieutenant Zack Hastings, USMC: You have done well by resurrecting Chthon and sealing the dimension of Quake off from the Shadow Realm. Wipe out the remaining Shadows in Quake and whatever commanders they have. Use whatever methods necessary.
This message from the Death Knight Commander: My lord, the Shadows will continue to pose a threat if not destroyed at the source. I advise we go into their home and obliterate every last one of them then and there to end their threat once and for all.
X Mission Complete

Side Objective: Locate the Four Lesser Runes of Creation
This message from The Death Knight Commander: My lord, there are four more runes in the dimension of Quake. While not as powerful as the four runes currently held by Lord Chthon, they should prove sufficiently powerful enough to open a dimensional gateway into the Shadow Realm. To use them, we must also locate an attenuater, something of Shadow origen to point the gateway in the right direction. Any object of Shadow creation will do.
X Rune of Fire Magic
X Rune of Wind Magic
X Rune of Water Magic
X Rune of Earth Magic
X Attenuater

Side Objective: Runes for Irish
This message from Lieutenant Fenmore "Phoenix" Stockton: Scribe Irish has asked that I catalog 25 different runes, runic items, and/or runic symbols that we find around the lands of Quake. If I complete this task for him, it'll guarantee me a promotion to full-fledged Scribe.
Runes cataloged: 12/25

Side Objective: Find the stolen grapes!
Some heartless bastard has stolen my Fresh Grapes right out from under my nose! I should try to find them whenever I can and reap bloody vengence upon the fuck that stole them.
X Fresh Grapes located.

You remember something during your corruption...you ask Phoenix if he still has those Shadow Crystals that Protos gave him.
"Yeah. Actually, I was hoping you could shed a little information about these. If Protos really is the enemy, why would he give me these?" They are batteries, fuel for further corruption. You explain to him what you learned (and were able to remember) as The Captain, commander of the Shadows. Corruption of lost souls is easy. Those that have died and were unable or unwilling to move on were easy to reap and bring back as Shadows. Corruption of living beings, however, was NOT so easy. Many of the Shadow Quake Minions you've seen thus far were already dead when they were corrupted, but a few of them were still alive. Those that were still alive had to be exposed to a sufficient amount of raw Shadow energy. However, as you have all already seen, exposure to Shadow energy is hazardous to living souls, so they had to concentrate it to a point where it won't kill the host completely. Just like when you were corrupted, as you well remember each time you took hold of one of those crystals, it hurt like hell. Each one burned away 100 health, enough to kill an ordinary Ranger. Luckily, you're no ordinary Ranger. Bottom line, Protos gave you those Crystals in the guise of assistance against the Shadows so that you would fill them up for him. He probably would have killed you after you filled them all up and took them from you to corrupt more powerful beings. The Serpent was his prized achievement...at least, before you came along. You, The Captain, were his favorite toy. Each time you reaped a soul for him, he became giddy with pride and elation...precisely why his death is so important. Stop him, stop the creation of more Corrupted.

[[To be Continued]]

[foq]

I wonder, will we ever reach a Kaio-Ken skill of 525? What happened to the Force? Weren't we learning that too?

[MadGypsy]

Hmm, I didn't realize we had so many objectives. There are only 3 objectives that seem to matter. Kill shadows, find earth rune & kill Protos.

mission change> slay shadows all the way to the source of shadows and then destroy the source.

> keep an eye out for that earth rune and Protos.

[[I don't like playing as the Captain. It's like playing Super Mario and all of a sudden you get switched to Luigi. Stories don't do this for this exact reason. You lose your "obligation" to the character. This is just an opinion. I don't expect you to actually change anything. Metal Gear Solid (for PSP) did this same bullshit to me where I was no longer Snake and had to play as Teliko. I never finished that game. Never could muster the care as to whether Teliko lived or died, spent most of the time annoyed that I wasn't Snake.]]

[Shadowswift]

[[Well, actually, we had been playing as Ray up until page 37, then Phoenix took over when Ray was corrupted. Now that he's all fixed, we're going back to him. So, rather than going from Mario to Luigi, we're going from Luigi back to Mario in a matter of speaking. Hopefully this helps ]]

[MadGypsy]

[[ @hope this helps - not really ]]

[Shadowswift]

[[Well, Phoenix is still here and is still a huge part of the story. He'll...just be doing a lot more talking and a lot less leading from now on ]]

[MadGypsy]

[[ I'm just gonna impulse through the captain as Pheonix. You get to keep your hero and I get to keep being Pheonix. ]]

> practice kai...good hygene - when was the last time these guys washed their feet? There could be all kinds of rot going on.