You find yourself in E1M1

[metchsteekle]

//FFFFUUUU i thought of cameras last night before sleep as one of those escaping thoughts, stealing my thundah

>enable cameras

>enable infrared, thermo, sound sensors

//oh and

>sensor list

[foq]

yeah...

>enable security grid

>check out secret tunnel with camera... and fire your lazors at any mfn shadow people

[Shadowswift]

>enable security grid
>enable cameras
>enable infrared, thermo, sound sensors

You tell the mainframe to enable the entire security grid.

"Processing. Establishing connection. This may take a few minutes...
...
......
..........
Security Grid online. Please reconfigure security preferences."

Excellent. At least something works around here. You go through the grids options and set it up to work manually for the time being.

>sensor list

You already have a print-out of the base that shows the entire grid.

>check out secret tunnel with camera... and fire your lazors at any mfn shadow people

You're almost afraid to learn whats on the other side of that door. But you enable the camera anyway. Ugh...its like Hell on Earth....or what you presume to be Earth. There are corpses and pieces of corpses strewn about everywhere, floating in the water, and stuck to the walls. This must be why the base is deserted. You angle the camera around...and there it is. The beast. The thing of nightmares. A shambler shrowded in dark-red shadows. It's massive, barely fits in the tunnel. You wonder how it got in there in the first place. You carefully aim the turret at the thing. Oh crap, it heard the turret turning. You tell the mainframe to shoot the turret. It caps off a few shots and hits the shambler before the monster counters with a beam of horrifying shadow lightning. The turret is obliterated. The thing then turns its sites on the camera, destroying it next. Well...theres no doubt that it knows you're here. It's probably only a matter of time before it decides to come after you. It's probably a good idea to evacuate the complex as soon as you can before that thing decides to pummel through the door. You set the security grid to automatic. This way, it should attack any non-military personelle it detects. Now to get out of here.


>

[Chip]

> browse the remaining cameras to see any kind of movement.

> slowly advance while keeping an eye (and ear) on the shambler's door.

> if network connection cannot be established, either the HQ is not available (are they all dead?!) or the cables are interrupted somewhere. Might be a good idea tracing the cables to see where they lead to. Hopefully they don't lead upwards to some kind of antenna.

> there's always a good idea to go up (be it movie, game or real life).

[foq]

>Fuck that, there's no time to be browsing cameras and tracing cables, there's a shambler after you! Sprint to the slipgate.

[Shadowswift]

> browse the remaining cameras to see any kind of movement.

You've set the grid to automatic. Not only should the turrets fire on any unfriendlies, but the mainframe's security monitors (separate from the terminal's screen) will display any movement that the cameras pick up. Theres no need to scan each one.

> if network connection cannot be established, either the HQ is not available (are they all dead?!) or the cables are interrupted somewhere. Might be a good idea tracing the cables to see where they lead to. Hopefully they don't lead upwards to some kind of antenna.

It's already been decided that the pathway (be it wired or wireless) has a flaw in it somewhere between the mainframe and the ISP. Finding it would take all day. The immediate threat you're facing would certainly find you before you found the flaw. You'll have to deal with the networking problem after you've dealt with the Shambler...and certainly after you've learned a little more about how to fix networking flaws.

> there's always a good idea to go up (be it movie, game or real life).
> slowly advance while keeping an eye (and ear) on the shambler's door.

You creep toward the slipgate ahead of you. Behind you, you hear sniffing and huffing behind the secret door. Your body stiffens as your blood drops to what feels like arctic temperatures.

>Fuck that, there's no time to be browsing cameras and tracing cables, there's a shambler after you! Sprint to the slipgate.

Right! You're getting the fuck out of here. You dash head first toward the slipgate like your ass is on fire, disregarding what might await you on the other side. You grip your Rifle, grit your teeth, and enter the interdimensional nether. Static buzzes through your body. Your vision and hearing blank out. You taste copper and lightning. You smell....burning sulphur? Your entire body feels like it weighs 5 times as much.
...This is all normal, right? You can't seem to recall ever going through a slipgate before, though you're certain you must have at least once before. It's not really a painful journey, just a really uncomfortable one. It feels like its taking forever for you to reach your destination (where ever that might be) but in reality, it only takes a few seconds. Your vision and hearing start coming back. You see blurred light and hear sparking. Your body starts to lighten and loosen up.

Before you know whats what, you're standing outside of a slipgate in what looks like a cave or grotto. There are weird-shaped runes along the stone walls. This must be the heart of the dimension of Quake! Shit, you're not ready for this! This was supposed to come much later in the game when you had bigger guns and better armor! Fear almost overcomes you when you realize that...theres no one here. By all logic, the heart of the dimension should be swarming with Quake's minions. It doesn't take but a few steps for you to figure out where all Quake's minions are....they're all dead. You step on a fiend's corpse. On further inspection, you can't find any slash marks or bullet holes anywhere on it. The only thing you find is some...black residue? It's the same story with the Knights, Ogres and Shalraths that litter the floor around you. No wounds, just some black stuff.

Ray receives 2 grenades

Were these things killed by Shadow Plasma? Maybe someone like you has already been here. At least, thats what you're hoping for. Theres a passage off to the right that you opt to take without waiting for the voices in your head to tell you what to do. You see more corpses here. Theres a trio of slain Enforcers and a dead Shadow. The Enforcers suffered the same deaths as the others. Hm.

Ray receives 15 energy cells

The Shadow resembles the dead ones infront of the mainframe back at the Slipgate Complex. His armor is trashed and his body has 3 clean holes in him.

Ray receives 5 shadow plasma cells

You wonder if maybe those holes are what happens to Shadows when they get shot with their own weapons. You think you may have a handle on what might be going on here. If you're right, then you're definitely late to the party. You need to catch up to whoever is slaughtering all of Quake's minions. They may need your help!

Behind you to the right is the entrance
Straight behind you is a passage that spirals off to the left.
Ahead of you is another passage that spirals off the the left.
To your left is a wall with some Oddly-Glowing Runes on it.

-Character-
You have 87 Health
You have 75 Yellow Soul Armor
You are equipped with your Shadowpulse Rifle
Your communicator is ON
Your Console is ON (and moderately damaged)

-Inventory-
Badly-Bloodied Hand Axe
20 Gauge Pump Shotgun
Enforcer's Blaster Rifle
Shadowpulse Rifle
(63) shells (20ga)
(35) energy cells
(65) shadow plasma cells
(2) grenades
(1) map of E1M1's Security Grid
(1) ripped data cable
(1) stimpak
(1) medikit
(1) quarter

>

[foq]

>Shoot Shadow Soldier's corpose with Shadowpulse Rifle to see if it leaves a clean hole similar to the others.

>Shoot Fiend's corpse with Shadowpulse Rifle and observe damage.

[metchsteekle]

>inspect oddly glowing runes

[Shadowswift]

>Shoot Shadow Soldier's corpose with Shadowpulse Rifle to see if it leaves a clean hole similar to the others.

>Shoot Fiend's corpse with Shadowpulse Rifle and observe damage.

You fire a round into the dead Shadow. Nothing happens. Its as if the Shadow's corpse absorbed the plasma. Well, that blows one theory. Hm.....you wonder if...

You equip your Blaster Rifle and shoot the dead Shadow. The laser bolt melts away the Shadow's body like a flashlight in the dark. Left behind is another clean hole. You start to get a better inkling of what might be going on here. You re-equip your Shadowpulse and fire a round into the Fiend's body. The plasma burns the flesh a little upon contact, but is swiftly covered up by a patch of black residue.

This re-enforces your current fear. Unless there is, infact, another ranger out there in your exact situation with both a Shadowpulse Rifle and an Enforcer's Blaster Rifle, then not only is humanity in danger, but it seems that the minions of Quake are, also. Whatever these Shadows are, it would seem that they are attacking and killing the primary forces of this dimension as well as any human forces they encounter. This could get really ugly really quick. Not only do you have to stop the forces of Quake and close the slipgates to prevent an invasion from them, but you need to route out these Shadows and stop them from invading the dimension of Quake first. If they gain this dimension, they'll become powerful enough to rip open their own interdimentional rifts to Earth. Closing the Slipgates won't solve anything. You cover your face with your palm and curse the Gods for putting you in the middle of a three-way war. You then grip your Rifle and mentally prepair yourself for the task at hand.

>inspect oddly glowing runes

You look at the glowing runes on the wall. The way they pulsate sparks something in your brain. You've....been here before....you know you have. You've seen runes like this before. You touch one of them...
"Earth..."
You touch another.
"Black..."
And another.
"Nether..."
And the final.
"Arcane..."

You know these symbols intimately. You know what they mean. You know what kind of power they command. You don't know how you know, but you definitely know. Goddamn de ja vu. Goddamn this corruption. You punch the wall out of anger. Oh look, its opening! Cool, a secret door! I mean...you totally did that on purpose....yeah. Quickly after, you wish you hadn't. Theres a Fiend inside. It does not look very happy to see you. It jumps at you and rakes its scythe-like claw against your torso. Ouch!

Ray now has 66 health and 59 Yellow Soul Armor


>

[metchsteekle]

//FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU UUUUUUuu

> kill feind dead

[foq]

>inspect secret room, look for items of value, then proceed to spiraling passage... whichever one seems less evil.

[Shadowswift]

> kill feind dead

You stagger backward. The beast charges again and swings its claws at you again and again. You evade one swipe, but another catches your leg. Ouch!

Ray now has 57 health and 50 Yellow Soul Armor
Ray has fallen below 60 health and is now Partially Crippled

You scramble to regain your composure and aim your rifle at the Fiend's face. You double-tap the trigger again and again. Bolts of Shadow Plasma eat into the monster's body. Each bolt makes it stagger backward. After only 7 shots to the face, it collapses and dies. You suspect that this weapon causes exponentially more damage to living targets with each shot they take.

You struggle to keep your balance and composure, but your crippling injuries are slow you down.

>inspect secret room, look for items of value, then proceed to spiraling passage... whichever one seems less evil.

You limp into the secret room. Theres a Super Shotgun in here. Woot!

Ray finds the Super Shotgun!

Its a heavy-duty bringer-of-pain. This break-action weapon uses 20 gauge shells to blanket an area with searing-hot buckshot. Use at close range to deal deadly blows to your deadly foes. You stuff it into your inventory and continue looking around. Theres a stimpak, a wrench, and a small energy cell pack in here, also.

Ray recieves all the crap I just listed

After looting the secret, you head toward the passage closer to you, since you don't really feel like doing a lot of walking in your current state. The passage leads to a small antechamber. Theres another passage straght ahead of you that spirals down to the right. You suspect that both passages from the entrance both lead to this antechamber. You opt to inspect it later when you're not hurting so badly. You look around the antechamber.

Theres a portal here. Yeah. A portal. In the heart of the dimension. Do you really wanna take it...?

[foq]

>Is there any other choice? I guess there's nowhere else to go from here... intentely look and listen for anything else that may be alive out there.

//What the hell? Didn't anyone teach Ray the Shambler Dance? Works great on Fiends too.

[Shadowswift]

//What the hell? Didn't anyone teach Ray the Shambler Dance? Works great on Fiends too.

((Nah, Ray is a hella-good dancer for a man his age. Fiend just caught him by surprise.))

>Is there any other choice? I guess there's nowhere else to go from here... intentely look and listen for anything else that may be alive out there.

Right then. In we go. You plunge yourself into the swirling vortex of uncertainty. In a flash of light, you find yourself at the top of a huge pit of floating rocks, broken staircases, and enormous collums of fire. Below you is a lake of magma. In the center of it is a small stone island with an enormous monster standing on it. It looks like a Shalrath on steroids, except instead of pointy feet, its legs extend into long tenticles. It has 4 humanoid arms with hands like a bird of prey's talons. Its head (at least you assume that's its head) has no eyes, no nose, no ears. Spikes and horns adorn the head where hair would normally be on a human. Its actual face is nothing more than a gigantic vertical mouth lined with enormous teeth. You look around the chamber. Theres a war raging in here. Shadows are besieging the minions of Quake. Shamblers, Shalraths, Fiends, Hell Knights, Scraggs and Enforcers struggle to fend Shadow Soldiers away from the huge monster in the center who is also fighting the Shadows away with beams of fire from its mouth and hands. A psychic spike of pain drills itself into your brain.

A voice booms inside your head.

Welcome, mortal, to the end of the universe. Unfortunate that you had to see my realm in this state.

You ask aloud who is speaking to you

I am the Elder God you see before you. I am Yogg-Shargoth, ruler of this dimension. However, even your feeble human mind can perceive that my rule is currently being disputed.

You scream a demand to the Elder God below for an explaination for this mess.

Watch your tongue, mortal grub, and do not demand explaination of me as though we were allies. Rest assured that my pawns and I will kill you and your entire civilization should we get the opportunity. However, it is likely I will not get that opportunity, so I will amuse your mind with this "situation." These shadow creatures wield powers much greater than my minions can handle. Even my mightiest Shamblers cannot fend off their shadow powers for long. Thier numbers are limitless and now, they have come for me. My pawns and I will not be able to hold them off much longer. That is the "situation."

You arrogently shout to him that this is probably the end for him and his minions. The Elder God burns your mind with its fury for your arrogance.

I will not be displaced by such rabble, human dog. Neither you nor these pathetic Shadows will destroy me!

You squawk a request for more information about the shadows and who commands them, trying to concentrate through the Elder God's mental link.

If I knew who commanded them, I would have destroyed them long ago. However, I first noticed their presence in my realm after Chthon was destroyed. Chthon was more or less the gate keeper into the heart of this dimension. When he was destroyed, my realm became vulnerable to any idiot with interdimensional traveling capabilities. Thats when the Shadows started attacking. They followed Chthon's murderer, killing any minions that were left alive. Chthon's death, and shortly after, Shub Niggurath's death greatly weakened the forces of Quake. As a means of bolstering our power, I created Armagon and summoned the Dragon to command Shub Niggurath's standing forces. Their efforts failed as well when they were slaughtered. So...you might say that these Shadows are entirely your fault!

Your brain throbs with psychic fury. Your fault...? You quiver.

I see...the Shadows' mental manipulation shrouds your puny human mind. You don't remember anything. Fitting justice, if I do say so.

You question through your teeth what the Elder God means, holding your head as you damn near cry from the agony.


YOUKILLEDTHEMYOUKILLEDTHEM
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Your mind is assailed by a barrage of psychic spikes. Yogg-Shargoth's psychic grip on your brain tightens. You fall to your knees.

If it was my will, I would destroy you right here and now, filthy mortal. However...it would seem that my time....is done...

A rumble is felt beneith your knees. Yogg-Shargoth's hold on your mind weakens. At the bottom of the pit, a wall crumbles and a portal is ripped open. Half a dozen Shadow Shamblers poor into the pit. Behind them, a robed Shadow carrying a Scythe enters. It speaks. Its voice echos in the chamber in a manner that allows you to hear it as though it were standing right next to you.

"Greetings, Yogg-Shargoth. I trust you are well?" Says the scythe-wielding Shadow. "Destroy this rabble." He commands to his shamblers. The Shadow Shamblers dash with blazing speed around the Elder God, obliterating the remaining minions of Quake with almost no effort. The robed Shadow approaches the Elder God, walking across the lava to the Elder God's small platform.

"My master wishes your destruction, Elder God. Your reign is at an end." You feel Yogg-Shargoth's grip on your mind fade entirely. You watch below as the Elder God errupts into fiery fury and begins to unleash its full power upon the robed Shadow. Massive collums of fire blast the Shadow. The lava around them churns into huge waves that fall around them both. Yogg-Shargoth's tenticles grab at the Shadow while he prepairs to assault him with his talon-like hands. The Shadow, in an unbelievable demonstration of speed, swings its mighty scythe into a massive tornado, blasting away all fire and lava and severing the Elder God's limbs. The Shadow continues his approach upon the Elder God.

"You self-righteous Elder Gods...you're pathetic. You let a human...a simple-minded ape defeat the best you have. Even now, broken as you are, you stand defiant in the face of oblivion. A regime-change is in order, and I will be the harbinger of its deliverance. With you, the last of the Elder Gods, dead on my blade, my Master will rule this dimension unopposed." The Shadow readies his scythe for the killing blow.

Destroy them, mortal. Destroy their order as you have destroyed mine. Do it...or your world will end.

You hear Yogg-Shargoth's voice one last time in your head before the Shadow takes his swing. The Elder God's head falls to the ground as its body falls backward into the lava. The Shadow laughs.
"God or mortal...no one escapes the Reaper." He says in the same chilling, echoing voice. "We return." With that command, the 6 Shadow Shamblers and the assaulting Shadow Soldiers follow him back through the portal he created. You survey the aftermath. Nothing lives in the Pit of Yogg-Shargoth. The Shadows have won. Quake now belongs to them...and so soon will the Earth unless they are stopped. And it looks like you're the only thing that stands in their way.

Awesomesauce....

-Character-
You have 57 Health
You have 50 Yellow Soul Armor
You are equipped with your Shadowpulse Rifle
Your communicator is ON
Your Console is ON (and moderately damaged)

-Inventory-
Badly-Bloodied Hand Axe
20 Gauge Pump Shotgun
Super Shotgun
Enforcer's Blaster Rifle
Shadowpulse Rifle
(65) shells (20ga)
(41) energy cells
(58 ) shadow plasma cells
(2) grenades
(1) map of E1M1's Security Grid
(1) ripped data cable
(2) stimpak
(1) medikit
(1) wrench
(1) quarter

>

[metchsteekle]

>use medikit